Older Flour - Less Kneading

[kokopuffs]

Hi to all and TIA:

I purchased a second bag of Alpine Flour from the Rocky Mountain Flour Mill at a discount. I was informed that it was milled last July (2001). It seems that the flour has dehydrated somewhat because my standard bread recipe now requires about 2 or 3 TBS of additional water - approx 1 oz more water that what was required using the previous bag of flour.

Also, to produce a crunchy crust, the kneading time has been halved; otherwise, a tough crust results. Anyone else have a similar experience?

In other words, a drier flour requires more water and less kneading than the same flour having a higher moisture content.

[daavery]

i suspect the kneading is more a function of the gluton content which can vary

i find i need 20-40% more water here that the formulas call for to get the dough to the right texture

I just tried reinhart's ciabatta (new book formula) and needed almost a cup of water in addition to the poolish instead of the 6 tbsp he calls for

[KyleW]

It was my experience that everything up there in the thin air needs more water. I lived in Breckenridge for two years. If I didn't drink tons of water everyday my skin would dry up and blow away. It would likely be the same with flour. There ain't no moisture in the air up there to keep things hydrated. I didn't know this until I lived there, but a lot of "Altitude" sickness is actually dehydration. If you drink lots of water you can avoid the headaches, nausea, nose bleeds associated with being at altitude.

[kokopuffs]

My issue is that I purchased two bags of identical flour that were milled last july. One bag was purchased last July and the other bag recently purchased. Yet, the recently purchased flour exhibited different properties. In other words, setting in a warehouse for approximately 6 months has altered its character.