Water Hardness

Pure water has a Ph level of 7.0, but water is rarely pure. Even rain water and distilled water contain some dissolved materials.

Hard water can cause difficulties when cooking pulses since the magnesium and calcium in the water interfere with tenderising these foods. Likewise, an acidic cooking medium will prevent dried beans absorbing water and softening properly.

This also applies to bread making but not with disastrous results. The quality of the finished product is just as good but when made with a soft water the dough tends to be more lively, whereas hard water will retard the dough slightly.