In another thread, Mike (last name?) opined that KA flours were a triumph of marketing, and not necessarily the best flours for the money.

I've been spending the extra money to get KA whenever I possibly can, convinced that this is going to give me better bread. And yet ... when I look back on the times that I've had to use other flour, like Stone-Buhr, I don't remember noticing any great difference in outcome. I do notice a difference between regular WW and KA white WW, and buy the latter when I can. 

I have also been economizing by buying Harvest King whenever I see it. Again, this seems to work well. 

Mike suggested that the Safeway brand organic bread flour was also worth a look. 

We get a limited range of flours out here in Hawai'i, probably nothing like the many kinds you could get on the US mainland.  There may well be local brands on the mainland that are just as good as KA.

What do y'all think? Is KA worth paying extra?

June is one of the two months out of the year here in Arizona for harvesting mesquite pods. These are often used in place of hardwood chips to smoke meats, AND to grind into flour. The pods make a rather sweet flour (no gluten, obviously). I've read that a tablespoon or two adds a distinct flavor to breads. I have never tried this flour in a bread recipe (yet). Has anyone every tried mesquite flour? I think I'll try it tonight . . . I'll let you know.

Phxdog (Scott)

I recently started using white whole wheat (KA) and it seems like the crust is always softer using the same baking environment/hydration as when I was using standard red whole wheat.  Has anybody experienced this?  My bread is about 72-73% hydration and I bake it in with steam (broiler pan with 1/2 to 1 cup boiling water) for 10 minutes at 500 and then 30-40 at 425 (electric oven).  I kind of miss tha harder crust of the regular WW but I rather like the crumb of the white WW.  Sorry if this has already been discussed.

Sean 

While at the box-mart this weekend, I took my usual saunter down the flour aisle. There was not a single 5# package of Harvest King bread flour on display. Instead, there was a full shelf of 5# bags of flour labeled Gold Medal Bread Flour.

I checked the Gold Medal website and saw no product labeled "Gold Medal Bread Flour." Only the Harvest King brand is displayed.

I did send GM an email asking about the brand, but am now wondering if this is a regional thing related to a particular box store or a precusor of moving Harvest King off the consumer shelves. Harvest King was also absent from our local grocery store.

I just purchased a 1Lb package of Saf instant yeast and I know that it will take me a year and a day to use it.  So my qestion is this, what is the best way to store such a large amount of yeast and what is the practical shelf life when stored this way.  With shiping I paid too much money for this and hope it lasts long enough for me to justify it.

Does anyone know what the shelf life should be for diastatic malt powder?  I had my Mom bring some back for me a couple years ago - never used it but vacuum bagged it.  Just wondering if it's still any good - is there even any way to test it to tell? 

THANKS!

Ok, folks this has to be the bottom of the barrel when it comes to ignorance but here goes.....With what do I line my bread pans if different oils do not work and Crisco is forbidden.  Please note:

http://www.motherlindas.com/crisco.htm

.....all the possible health risks of hydrogenation ...(with Crisco)

There’s a new Trans Fat Free Crisco. Thankfully, it has not yet made it to all the grocery stores across the country, and some of you wouldn’t think of touching it even if it had. It’s made with sunflower oil, soybean oil, and “fully-hydrogenated” cottonseed oil.

According to lipid scientist Mary Enig, total hydrogenation produces only saturated fats, but these are usually as hard as a brick, and are “softened” up through a process called “interesterification.”

Interesterification involves the rearrangement of the fatty acids on the glycerol molecule or modification of the fatty acid composition to give new properties to a fat or oil without using hydrogenation. Enig says that restructuring through interesterification, which can be chemical or enzymatic, involves several solvents including hexane, a relative of gasoline. In the vegetable oil industry, such manipulation of lipids is referred to as the field of “structured lipids.”

I would avoid this new generation of Crisco and go back to butter and lard—the traditional fats of our ancestors. Another new "structured" oil on the market to avoid is Enova.

 So far my bread is very difficult to pry out of the pan, even with Crisco being applied.  My one Chicago brand pan is ok, but the others from A&P grocery stores require Thick layering of Crisco.  But if Crisco is now out of the question what do I use?

Like I said this has to be the dumbest question ever asked, but darn if I know the answer.  Baking the bread is easy, but I can not seem to pry the loaves out of the pans......... 

I noticed this evening that I had a fair number of different types of flour on hand:

White wholewheat bread flour
White bread flour
All purpose white
Cake flour
Corn meal
Mochiko (rice flour)

Only 6. I'm guessing that the dedicated bakers here would stock many more varieties. (Hi-gluten, barley, spelt ...). How many do YOU have?

There is nothing like the lack of an ingredient to stimulate the creativity in all of us. (Some of us do it all the time! I mean, run out of ingredients.) A flour, oil, shortage or rapid jump in price will also inspire us to look for substitutes. So, here with the ideas for substitution in flavour texture or price!  

All ideas and inspirations welcome!

Rye is disappearing, at least until the next crop is in, so what else can we use? organic grass seeds?  Different Cultures have different substitutes, some of these cross over nicely.

What have you tried? How did it work or not work? Here is the place and time! Don't be shy....

Mini O

I remember using it years ago for a particular recipe or two and have no recollection of which ones they were.  Today I was at a health food store I used to shop at back then and went a little crazy.  (A pound of maple sugar for $16!!!) Anyway, I bought a box of Arrowhead Mills vital wheat gluten thinking it might be good to have around.  Can I just stick it in the freezer like I do flour until I have a need for it?  Does anyone know basic guidelines for when and how it should be used?  I know the purpose for it- strengthening the dough and greater elasticity, I'm just not sure which breads would need it.  Right now I use KA all purpose because it's what's available, my breads seem fine, would the gluten change things much?  Thanks.

Marni