The Fresh Loaf

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Best flour for sourdough? Stoneground, roller milled, fine?...

Leticia's picture
Leticia

Best flour for sourdough? Stoneground, roller milled, fine?...

Hi all,

I'm keen to hear what flours you bakers prefer to use for baking sourdough... 

I am in the process of sourcing flour for my little sourdough market stall and will be making the switch from store bought bakers flour, to organic flour. I live in Northern NSW, Australia, and there are a few different options available to me. 

I'm looking at the Wholegrain Milling Co's list of flours and they stock a large variety of organic, Australian flours. I'm trying to decide which white flour to purchase and was wondering if anyone would be able to offer some insight or knowledge of the following:

STONEGROUND:

Unbleached White Bakers Flour

Unbleached White Bakers Flour Fine

ROLLER MILLED:

Premium Bakers White Flour

 

My questions are:

- Health benefits aside, what are the advantages/disadvantages to using stone ground flour?

- Does stone ground flour change the texture or density of the bread?

- Is fine flour better for sourdough or not? (I have read differing views on this, curious as to what others think..)

Any suggestions/information would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks 

 

 

 

richkaimd's picture
richkaimd

One man's opinion, after a decade of making sourdough breads, is this:  It just doesn't matter.  I use whatever flour I have the most of at the time without regard to the grain it's made from.  Why do I do this?  Because, in the end, the function of the SD starter is to bring yeast and bacteria into the dough for leavening and bacterial-produced fermentation.  I never use enough of it for the flour type to matter.   So, if I'm making a pure white bread (a sourdough baguette, for example,) I'll not give a hoot that my sourdough starter is made with rye flour.  After all, I'm only going to use less than a golf ball dollop of it anyway.  Neither I nor any of my customers, some of whom have truly mind boggling taste buds, has ever noticed.  

Abelbreadgallery's picture
Abelbreadgallery

In my opinion, the best flour to feed the starter is Stoneground wheat flour (T80 extraction, if it's possible). This means part of the bran has been removed, specially the coarse part.

HansB's picture
HansB

He is asking for "what flours you bakers prefer to use for baking sourdough... '

 

Baking sourdough, not feeding a starter. 

Abelbreadgallery's picture
Abelbreadgallery

Stoneground flour is the best for both.

albacore's picture
albacore

It probably depends on how much loft Leticia wants in her loaves. Without some roller milled strong white flour I would expect dense (but flavoursome) loaves.

Lance

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

with about 20-30 sprouted grain also milled fresh.  There is nothing that tastes as good and taste is what matters.  Welcome to TFL Lance

Happy Milling, Sprouting and SD Baking ........way, way down under.

MulgaBill's picture
MulgaBill

G'day Leticia,

I too live near Gunnedah and have purchased Whole Grain Milling flour on occasions. I usually get the premium bakers white though I wouldn't say I have used enough of their flours to comment on differences. Might I suggest  you contact Warwick Quinton at www.sourdough baker.com.au as I know he has used a lot of WGM flours. 

P.S. Where in the north west are you located?

Cheers Tim.