Does 0.05% Ash make a difference?
I was wondering about ash content. King Arthur has Sir Galahad flour with an ash content of 0.55% and their Artisan Bread flour has an ash content of 0.60%. If I buy the Artisan Bread flour one, will it be significantly different from the Sir Galahad one or say their normal bread flour? I'd like to try the Sir Galahad,but I have no where to store a 25lb bag. The Artisan bag is a 3lb bag, or 2lb, whichever it is it's much more manageable for a home cook. I wanted to see the difference between those and their regular AP flour since I've only read about it. I'll probably make a regular loaf or some pizza dough, or rolls. I'm not exactly very experienced in bread.
The Artisan has 11.7% protein content
Ka All purpose has a 11.7%
KA Bread Flour has a 12.7% protein content
I have used neither flour but I will offer some perspective on the ash analyses. One thing to realize is that these ash and protein analyses have tolerances that result in an allowable range. The spec sheet for Sir Galahad I saw on Bakers Authority showed 0.50 ± 0.03% ash. KA's commercial site also lists 0.50% ash. The range overlap for the two flours may give similar ash content. Both have lower protein content than KA's retail bread flour and its commercial Special Patent flour (12.7% protein).
The Sir Galahad flour seems to be similar to the Artisan Bread flour, but there may be other subtle differences in the flours that could be related to flavor or other performance characteristics. The technical support staff at KA is very helpful and it may be worth contacting to inquire about the differences between the flours. Also note that Bakers Authority has 5-lb bags of Sir Galahad if you want to compare the flours.