What affects the color of my crumb?
i see on Instagram a baker that always has the loveliest cream colored crumb, contrasted with boldly baked charred parts and i immediately want to cut into one and indulge!
Mine, on the other hand, while nice and soft, doesn't have as high a contrast on the outside, and my crumb seems more dull, and drab.
Would that be due to addition of whole grains vs just 100% ap flour?
Unbleached AP flour gives a nice creamy white color, usually. Bleached can give a whiter/gray-tinged sometimes. Different flours can color differently-semolina, durum, kamut, WW, rye, non-wheat grains,etc. All the other ingredients color the crumb, obviously-eggs, oil, nuts, porridge,fruit/vegetables, spices.
Try switching brands of AP and see if there is a difference.
Oxidization bleaches flour too. This means that, given the exact same formula, a dough that is whipped through aggressive mechanical mixing will likely have a whiter crumb than a dough that is gently mixed and folded by hand.
I am adding spelt to some of my mixes now and it also makes for a creamier color. I also add small amounts of diastatic malt to my baguette formula which makes the crust a little more red. Too much makes for a grey crumb.
Jim