September 10, 2020 - 3:02pm
Flour
In making "Artisan" yeast breads, which is better;
a) Bread Flour without any additions, or
b) Bread flour with additives like barley malt, ascorbic acid, etc.
I have been using King Arthur Bread Flour which does not have anything in it, but am having difficulty finding it. I came across other brands of Bread Flour like Gold Medal, Pillsbury, and others which included these enhancements, and don't know what to do.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated,
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As long as they don't add any weird stuff like xanthan or something like that, there is nothing wrong with using that flour. Usually those additives make sense and are used by bakeries as well.
For example, barley malt increases enzyme activity and you get a browner crust (I use it in my breads). Ascorbic acid improves gluten network and is often used in a little weaker flours.
In the end it's up to you, if you want a "clean", artisanal bread, or if you are fine with using these improvements.
has malted barley flour.
I use an organic all purpose flour from Central Milling Company. They also have a good rye flour. But they also add malted barley flour in it.