When I first learned how to bake sourdough bread from my friend Dayana, she provided me with freshly milled organic flour. Dayana has spent years perfecting her sourdough recipe and decided to make the investment into owning a grain mill. When I made my first loaf with her she mentioned that any loaves I made after this at home would have a slightly different consistency and taste because I would not be using the freshly milled flour. Now, don’t get me wrong, that freshly milled flour made some BOMB bread, but I must say, that using store-bought flour has been just as yummy. Maybe some day I will invest in my own grain mill to make fresh flour, but for now I use what I can from my local grocer!
The ingredients that I have consistently used since I started baking sourdough 5 months ago are
- Sourdough Starter (fed weekly and stored in fridge)
- King Arthur All-Purpose Flour
- King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour
- Redmond Salt
At times I have used the H-E-B Organics All-Purpose and Whole Wheat Flours because King Arthur was not available at my local grocery store. I will say that it is much harder to find King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour than the King Arthur All-Purpose Flour. I have also heard good things about Arrowhead Mills Flour. When shopping for all-purpose flour it is imperative to look for ones that say “unbleached”.