November 8, 2010 - 8:47pm
Alert ! North Bay flour seekers
Hi to everyone in the North Bay or even SF. I just picked up 50# of assorted flours from Keith Giusto Bakery Supply in Petaluma (Central Milling). At the moment, they still have some 5#bags of Organic Pumpernickel Rye, Organic Type 85 (like a clear flour), Organic White Rye, and Type 00 Reinforced. They rarely do 5# bags so this is a great opportunity. They were incredibly nice and it was quite a bargain since they used wholesale prices. The 5 pounders of these flours range between $3.00 and $3.50. They're located at 1129 Industrial Avenue, Suite 103, Petaluma (right off the fwy at Petaluma North Exit. Their phone is 866-979-2253. I'm pulling out my rye starter tomorrow morning to work on rye and pumpernickel breads, oh boy!
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I've been wanting to try the Organic Artisan Baker's Craft and Organic Whole Wheat Fine flours, but would not be able to justify buying 50# bags. Do you recall if they had any of those flours in smaller bags? Petaluma is only about 45 minutes away, so not too far.
I am just about done with my 2x10# Organic APF (Central Milling) from Costco. Trader Joe's house brand is supposedly from CMC too so I might their Whole Wheat sometime.
The only 5# bags they have at the moment are the ones I mentioned in the first email. Which Costco do you go to that has the 10# bags?
I want to try their Organic Artisan Baker's Craft flour or All-Purpose. I'm in SF but go to the Costco in Novato. They don't have CMC flour. I could use 10 lbs of either of those if someone wants to split a big bag.
Glenn
Also, I would be up to splitting a 50# bag of Artisan Baker's Craft three ways.
The Richmond Costco carries it. The last time I bought some (maybe a month ago), it was 9.99 for 2x 10# bags, which is a steal!
The Costco I normally go to did not carry it, but someone posted a picture of the price tag with the item number (2932) on their blog. I asked an employee to look up the item number and they were able to tell me which stores carried the flour. I believe the other warehouses that carried it were Fremont and Sunnyvale. Unfortuately, I do not recall any of the North Bay locations as I do not go up that way very often.
Great tip, I'm going to have to try to make it up there (I'm in Oakland).
Thanks!
Russ
oh man, I just moved away from the bay area =(
Anyone know any interesting shopping in Denver?
My wife and I stopped at Giusto's Bakery Supply today. What a great guy Nicky is! He gave us a tour and went through their list of flour offerings, with detailed descriptions. He answered my many questions. Then he checked to see what they had in smaller bags. It was pretty much the same things Farina22 mentions above. I got Brother David on the phone and snagged some Type 85 for both of us. I also got some Type 00 reinforced, and some light rye. Nicky had a bag of Organic Artisan Bakers Craft (with Malted Barley) that was slightly damaged, and he threw it in for free. That was the flour I most wanted to try (the white flour used by Acme Breads).
Nicky told us all about their new facility across the highway, where they will move in a couple weeks. It'll be even bigger, and will have a demonstration kitchen and (eventually) a retail area with bulk bins (yay!!!). Next visit I hope to find a 5# bag of their Organic Whole Wheat Hi-Protein Fine Flour, which is the whole wheat Acme uses in their Pain au Levain (my favorite bread). Nicky was almost ecstatic in his description of that flour.
Nicky seems like a born and bred artisan. He stared a career in the technology business, but returned (the 5th generation) to the family business. He (presumably like his uncle, Keith) has incredible knowledge about bread baking, and cares deeply about advancing the baker's craft. He wants us all to bake the best bread we can, and he seems to love helping even "mere" homer bakers with the quest.
I haven't even baked with the Giustos' flour yet, and I like it already.
Glenn
Just to clarify, Central Milling is a different entity from Giusto's (even though it is run by members of the Giusto family).
Exciting to hear they will be moving into a new facility! As soon as I get in touch with Nicky, I'm planning another visit. I always get the Organic Whole Wheat High Protein Fine flour to use for my honey whole wheat pan bread and tortillas. Great stuff - very strong flour, which helps when making pan bread out of whole wheat (50% whole wheat, in my case).
-Alison
Giusto's Specialty Foods in South San Francisco is, I gather, still operated by some members of the Giusto family, who have been flour millers for many generations. Some years ago, Keith Giusto (with his nephew Nicky) left that Company and started Keith Giusto Bakery Supply in Petaluma. There's reference to the two businesses in this article (http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/26503/keith-giusto-expands-artisan-flour-facility-in-petaluma/), but I don't know the whole story.
In any case, it is KGBS that supplies Acme Breads and many other artisan bakeries in the area. KGBS is affiliated with Central Milling Co. and a few other mills in Utah.
It would be fun to see if Nicky would provide TFL with more info about their growers, their mills, their flours and their philosophy.
Glenn
It is my understanding that Giusto's in South San Fran is no longer owned by members of the Giusto family. I believe it was sold outside the family some time ago. Keith Giusto Bakery Supply is, however, owned by Keith and sells flours milled by Central Milling in Utah.
I could be wrong, but that's what I took away from Nicky's explanation on the phone.
It's great to hear they may be selling retail bulk, though.
Dear Glenn, I am looking forward to seeing and hearing about how your various Giusto's flours perform. I was able to order recently from Giusto's as they were already preparing a shipment to a local company near me. Joy! I dealt with a great guy named Reuben who was very helpful. I haven't tried the flour yet as I only picked it up yesterday but am looking forward to working with it! Happy baking to you from breadsong
What effect does the addition of malted barley have on bread? I am definitely interested in trying the Organic Artisan Baker's Craft. However, I think I can wait until they move and sell their flours in bulk bins rather than trying to find people to split a 50# bag.
Primarily a yeast food, and also aids in the browning of the loaf. Subtle flavoring and sweetening properties also. Also called diastatic malt.
http://www.bobsredmill.com/malted-barley-flour.html
"Malted Barley Flour, also known as Diastatic Malt, improves the flavor and appearance of yeast breads. Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon for every 3 cups of flour in your favorite bread recipe to give the loaves a slightly sweet flavor and moist texture. Malted Barley Flour also prolongs the shelf life of baked goods."
http://www.baking911.com/bread/101_ingredients_doughenhancers.htm
Nicky said that the effects of Diastatic Malt are (1) it adds loft to the bread (more yeast activity means more CO2), and (2) it enhances crust caramelization, producing the dark reds we love to see. He said Non-diastatic Malt has the second effect, but not the first.
Glenn
I may be splitting hairs here but my understanding is that diastatic malt, itself, is not a yeast food. Rather, it contains diastase enzymes which catalyze the conversion of starch to maltose. The maltose is then subsequently broken down into glucose sub-units which are metabolized by the yeast.
SteveB
www.breadcetera.com
Just don't get them in my bread.
I bet you're right...just cuz it's a good bet.
Thanks.
Glenn
Giusto's in South San Francisco and Giusto's in Petaluma are both owned by members of the Giusto family that founded what is now Giusto's in South San Francisco. The article from the North Bay Business Times (linked elsewhere in this thread) mentions that the two businesses were looking for a way to distinguish one from the other. And SSF Giusto's is clear that it is owned by the third generation. http://giustos.com/home_baker/70-years and http://giustos.com/home_baker/company Not sure it matters. We are very lucky to have good flour in such profusion in the Bay Area.
I picked up a 50# bag of the malted artisan baker craft flour at their new location. It is essentially a few offices with a warehouse in the back full of flour. They are still settling into their new space. I cannot say that I saw a potential retail space, but there were a few closed doors in the suite any maybe those areas may be used for that purpose in the future? If I really like this flour, I may call them to ask which bakeries use this flour and see if I could buy it directly from the bakery instead of picking it up from Petaluma.
Now I need to buy one of those airtight pet food storage containers to put this huge bag of flour in. I am pretty busy this week so the bread baking will have to wait until the weekend.