August 14, 2023 - 9:40am
Un chlorinated water- does it make a difference
I’ve been working at improving my bakes, helped by this forum and by Tom Cucuzza’s sourdough journey. After discovering that my filter had green algal/ mould growth and that had probably spoiled my starter, I’ve been using only tap water. But yesterday I used some mineral water, which I boiled and cooked as it had been open for a few days . I baked my best loaf ever. Unfortunately it’s been eaten by my kids or I’d be posting a photo. So, do others feel mineral water is worth the expense, trouble ( and extra plastic)?
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If it works with your process - do it. Enjoy!
I’m hoping it makes a predictable difference. As this wa as single bake I’m worried it could just be a fluke !
In the first instance, I would recommend downloading a water quality report of the supply in your area to establish the level and type of any water treatments such as chlorine and ammonia (chloramines).
You can begin here: Find your water company - CCW (UK)
Broadly, the effect of such treatments on baking performance lies between marginal and negligible.
Water hardness or softness can impact the physical properties of dough and fermentation performance.
Thanks mwilson. The water is hard as per the company’s info, obviously the chlorine is within acceptable limits. I think I’ll do a few more with mineral water and see if it makes a sustained difference. Happy to report back.
I went back through most of the archives and one of the most frequent factors under discussion was water quality, chlorination and use of chloramines. Interestingly, many home bakers were unwilling or unhappy about giving up their beloved tap water for the sake of their SD bread baking.
Why not give yourself every possible advantage? Best wishes. Dave
Thanks for looking back through the archives. I used to be be bah humbug about mineral water and personally I don’t like the plastic it requires. But i also make soap and that is better with mineral water so I had half a bottle lying around. I’m going to do the next few loaves with mineral water and will report back.
If your water is hard, it should contain a reasonably high concentration of minerals (Ca++ and/or Mg++). How different is it from the mineral water? Do you have more info on the mineral water?
Have you tried boiling the tap water the same way you did the mineral water?
When you use your tap water, do you use it straight out of the tap? If you boil it or let it sit out for a day, the chlorine will evaporate.