What water should be used in baking bread?
Should I change the water or flour I feed my starter? I am using the same recipe provided by Chad Robertson's book 'Tartine Bread', only changing the water from Poland Spring to Nestle Pure Life Enriched with Minerals bottled water which is closer to a 7.0 pH.
Best Answer
Poland Spring is 7.3 and Nestle Pure Life is 7.2. It is highly unlikely that this is going to make any noticeable difference in your results. I'd say use whichever is convenient.
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Quick Answer about "What water should be used in baking bread?"
Soft water has less than 50 ppm, while hard water has over 200 ppm. Generally, water of medium hardness, with about 100 to 150 ppm of minerals, is best suited to bread baking. The minerals in water provide food for the yeast, and therefore can benefit fermentation.What is water used for in bread making?
Why Put Water In Bread Dough. Water is directly responsible for the consistency of bread dough. Once the water comes into contact with flour, it causes it to soften and swell up. Having a softer dough is preferred over more firm doughs since the process of yeast fermentation happens faster in a soft dough.What liquid is used in bread?
Water is the most commonly used liquid in bread making because it dissolves and activates the yeast and it blends with the flour to create a sticky and elastic dough. Breads made with water are heavier and have a crisp crust and a chewy texture. Milk helps to enrich the dough and the flavor of the bread.Can you use tap water with yeast?
In most regions, yes! Any drinkable water can be used for baking bread. Many bakers prefer to use filtered tap water, but unless the hard is particularly hard there is no need to. Filtered water will reduce the number of minerals available to the yeast.What 2 liquids are most commonly used in bread making?
Milk gives soft crust and creamy white crumb to bread; water makes bread crusty. Liquids that are too hot will kill the yeast, and liquids that are too cold will slow down or stop yeast activity. Sugar\u2014Sugar is food for yeast and thus aids in the development of carbon dioxide gas, which makes the bread rise.More answers regarding what water should be used in baking bread?
Answer 2
If your starter is working as you're feeding it now, there's certainly no reason that you should change anything. Sourdough cultures can thrive on many kinds of flour and in many kinds of water (with some obvious exceptions like highly chlorinated water).
Changing the mineral content of the water that you feed with could have some impact on the makeup of your culture, just as changing the flour could. It's very hard to predict what this impact will be as it would depend on which strains of yeast and bacteria your culture already contains. These changes would probably be pretty minimal.
In short, if you want to change it, go for it. If not, stick with what works. It probably won't drastically change anything either way.
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