Same Bread, Two Ways: 5g of Yeast vs. My Stiff Starter

Can regular dry yeast bake the same bread as a sourdough starter? I made two loaves side by side — same flour, same water, same hydration, same oven. The only difference is who's working inside the dough. And the result surprised me in both directions. INGREDIENTS Sourdough version: – 500 g strong flour (~4 cups), 13% protein – 350 g water (~1 ½ cups) + 20 g with the salt – 120 g Lievito Madre (stiff starter, 50% hydration) – 11 g salt (~2 tsp) Yeast version: – 580 g strong flour (~4 ⅔ cups) – 390 g water (~1 ⅔ cups) + 20 g with the salt – 5 g dry yeast (~1 ½ tsp) – 11 g salt (~2 tsp) Why the amounts differ: a starter is just flour and water — so the yeast dough gets them back. Same totals, fair comparison. Baking: 30 min at 250°C (480°F) with the lid on, then 20 min at 200°C (390°F) without. Internal temp 98°C (208°F). This is part of my Lievito Madre series. Start from the beginning here: [link to episode 1] #sourdough #lievitomadre #breadbaking