Every type of flour is milled to have a specific protein content — the higher the protein, the "stronger" the flour. All-purpose flour weighs in at 11.7% and bread flour, 12.7%. In most cases (yeast baking in particular) recipes made with bread flour will rise a bit higher no matter what elevation. Yeast products are particularly happy at high altitude in that the rise can be explosive and sometimes hard to manage. Using bread flour at your elevation increases that probability. The downside to a quick rise can be less flavor development in those recipes that have fewer enriching ingredients (butter, eggs, milk). Using cool water and placing the dough in the fridge for at least the first rise can serve you well when baking at a higher elevation. One more thing! Baked goods made with all-purpose tend to yield a more tender texture while those made with bread, more chew. All-purpose flour can be used for just about anything which is why it's called all-purpose. Bread flour can be reserved for some beads, bagels or pizza dough, to name a few!

• Reply