Why should I pay attention to the protein content in my flour?

The protein content in your flour is important because it tells you how long you should prove your dough for.

• Higher protein content is suitable for longer proof times
• Lower protein content is suitable for shorter proof times

Use the table below to find out more.

The protein content can be found on the flour's nutritional information chart.

How it works:

When water is mixed into flour, the starch in the flour will break down into simple sugars (which is what the yeast feeds on). Typically, if the flour is low in protein, this will also mean it’s low in starch and so there will be less food for the yeast to eat away at. This is why flour with low protein is more suitable for same-day or very short fermentation.

If you were to do a long fermentation with a low-protein flour, the sugars would be depleted early on which would result in over-proofed or weak dough. If you were to make a pizza out of it, the crust may look quite pale because there’s no sugar left to caramelize it.

Flour that's high in protein is more suitable for longer fermentation (like cold fermentation) because there will be enough food in there for yeast to slowly eat away at whilst developing texture, structure, and flavor. If you do a same-day dough with a strong protein flour - the dough won't rise as much, as it hasn’t had long enough to develop properly - this is why it needs time.