I’ve been avoiding bromated flour in my household for years and I was really surprised to learn that any sort of bakery was still using it in the 21st century.

King Arthur Flour doesn’t use bromate, and, not surprisingly, has a position on the question. But they are fair about the advantages, too:

Potassium bromate, commonly referred to as simply “bromate,” is a slow-acting oxidizer, contributing its functionality throughout the mixing, fermentation and proofing stages, with important residual action during the early stages of baking. Azodicarbonamide (ADA), potassium and calcium iodate, and calcium peroxide are rapid-acting oxidizers, while ascorbic acid (vitamin C) works at intermediate rates, but all release their activity in mixing and proofing. Bromate, when applied within the prescribed limits (15-30ppm), is completely used up during the bake leaving no trace in the finished product.