Different results with different AP flour?
I've been baking bread for over a year now and use regular active yeast to make rustic french loaves and specifically focaccia bread. Because of the current flour crisis right now, I've been buying whatever ap flour I can find to bake my breads. Last week I made some focaccia and the dough was sooo sticky, much more than it's been in the past when I've made it before (5 1/3 cups flour, 2 1/2 cups water, 1/2 tsp yeast, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tbsp salt, a little bit of honey- mix with a dough hook). I made another loaf last night with different flour than last week- both were all purpose flour, different brands- and it wasn't sticky at all. My bread has less open crumbs than the focaccia last week, also. I didn't change any other variables- the warmth of the water was the same and I always double check my measurements. I was wondering if anyone has an explanation or experience with different results with the use of different all purpose flours??
Protein levels can vary a fair amount between brands, and the US standard serving size for nutrition information is small enough that differences that matter for baking are lost in rounding. In general, wheat protein content increases as you move from south to north. Regional mills nearly always reflect this. Higher protein flours will take more water.
There can also be variations in the fineness of the flour, moisture content of the flour, and if it is malted or not that affect performance.
I don't know about your measuring procedures, but it is also possible that one bag was particularly compacted in transit and storage. (Warning: if you ever start measuring flour by weight, you won't go back.)
Thank you! You know what, I don't weigh out my flour and I accidentally may not be consistent in the flour volume each time. I'll try that!