Julia Altshuler wrote:

> What about taste? I generally buy unbleached flour, probably out of
> habit. When I buy a bag of bleached flour, I could swear my baked goods
> come out different. On the other hand, I've never done a side-by-side
> taste test so I'm not sure. Has anyone noticed a difference in taste
> from bleached and unbleached white flour?


Hi Lia,

The reason your baked good came out differently is probably because
the main difference between bleached and unbleached in terms of
baking performance is that bleached generally has a lower protein
content, which effects the result.

It varies by brand, but protein content (from highest to
lowest) normally looks like this:

Bread flour
Unbleached all purpose
Bleached all purpose
Cake flour

Bleached AP is almost always lower in protein than unbleached AP.

Using a flour with lower than expected protein content would
normally produce a wetter dough or batter because lower protein
flour results in less water absorption (protein absorbs water).

Is that what you experienced?

--
Reg