February 17, 2008 - 3:18pm
Hodgson Mills Rye Flour
I want to bake with Rye flour here in Westchester County, NY. However all the stores only carry Hodgson Mills Rye flour which doesn't work for me. And none of the barkeries use rye flour. Also to order from King Arthur is too expensive on a regular and long term basis. I am looking for fine or medium ground rye flour, as recommended by Dan Leader.
So, my friendly neighborhood baker suggested I take the Hodgson Mills Rye flour and put it in my small Braun chopper and then after processing it to sift it one or two times. Then for a 2 lb loaf to add 3 tablespoons of High Gluten. Does that sound right?
I am open to everyone's guidance as to how to be able to find a source for rye flour or by making it with sifting, etc.
Thanks.
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Country Boy,
You might want to try Bob's Red Mill at http://www.bobsredmill.com/company.php
Their rye isn't as 'lumpy' as hodgson, their prices are reasonable, products are great, and they've got a huge selection. For what you get, the shipping prices aren't too bad also. Before shipping, 25# of organic dark rye is $12.99, light rye is $14.10. We use their millet, cornmeal, rye flour, oats, cracked wheat, and caraway seeds.
-Mark
http://thebackhomebakery.com
If it is a concern for you, be aware that since Bob's Red Mill moved to their new facility in late 2007 it appears that their entire product line now carries a "processed in a facility that handles peanuts and tree nuts" warning. Sort of ironic when you consider how much effort they must have put into their gluten-free manufacturing line.
If that isn't a problem for you I agree that BRM's dark rye flour is good. I haven't really noticed much difference in cooking with that vs. the Hodgson Mills Whole Rye though.
sPh
Do you know how 25# are packed - single sack?
The 25#s are packed as a single sack. The bags are then packed in a cardboard box for protection. For what it's worth, once one of our boxes was 'damaged' by the shipper, and Bob's replaced it (as they should) without question. You can get the flour in smaller increments, but the prices are much higher.
http://thebackhomebakery.com
I buy Hodgson Mills and sift it. I get something like 3 pounds of reasonably fine whole rye flour out of a 5# bag. The remainder is rather coarse rye meal which I keep for now, but may start using as bird food soon.
Ok, it is good to hear
So there is no need for me to add High Gluten or put it in the blender? I just treat it as if it were normal "fine whole rye flour"?
Considering the amount of coarse material in this flour I would most definitely not put it in a blender. As far adding stuff to - I haven't an idea what your plans for it are. 100% rye I made with sifted flour looked and tasted fine though.
Suave, thank you for your guidance. I am just making bread with it but haven't picked out which recipe from Local Breads or other book.
countryboy
Frankly, unless you plan on making a bread with very high proportion of rye and/or smooth texture is desired this flour is going to work just fine without any sifting.
I would just like to add my "two cents" for what it's worth!! I bake a fair amount of rye breads, and because it is also difficult for me to get anything but Hodgson Mills, I use that currently for all of my rye breads. They seem to come out really well. Also I would like to make a point that when you are looking to create bread that is sifted or further refined, you are eliminating a part of the grain that I believe is really healthy- the natural bran fiber in the grain. If part of the reason for making your own bread is to make something better and possibly healthier than what is available, I think using grains that are "whole" is actually a plus, and not a minus.
So, I recommend making the bread first with the Hodgson Mills flour to see if you like the result. Then, if not, try some substitution.
I am, on the other hand, of the opinion that if the recipe calls for 12 oz of rye flour, as the one I did last night does, using a mixture of 8 oz of rye flour and 4 oz of rye meal, which is what this particular flour really consists of, is a surefire way to a disaster.
And yes I totally agree on the "rye meal" component. Thank you.
Dan Leader in Local Breads said that all the rye recipes in his Local Bread book needed either fine or medium rye flour and that rough flour makes for rough crumb. I really do want a Smooth crumb on my bread.
Am most grateful to suave and everyone for their input on this thread.
I agree that you should try the HM whole rye. I have used it exclusively until the past couple weeks when I ordered some medium and white rye from KAF for use in specific recipes. Before very long ago I didn't really understand why it mattered not to use whole rye versus something else so I've been happily baking away using the whole rye and loving it. I think it is a really nice flour and has certainly performed very well for me.
Having said that, I just reported on my thread about Pierre Nury Rustic Light Rye that I didn't get the same result using whole rye in place of medium rye for that specific recipe but other than that I'm not sure how much it matters. If you are like me and simply wish to experiment and gain a knowledge of how these other flours work I'd suggest biting the bullet and ordering online. I had to because I simply could not find a source locally for medium or white rye.
where are you in westchester?
in yonkers there is otto brehm one of the largest bakery supply houses in this area.
if you know of some people that you could share with a 100# bag of white rye flour could be had for under $ 40.00 if that much not realy sure because of the price jump of flour today
you could call them at 914-968 6100
http://www.ottobrehm.com/index.html
i would be ready to take at least 25#
with the holidays comming up as allways i come out of retirement for my family and am going there next week to get 50# bags of hi glutenm patent and hi ratio cake flour. the rye only comes in 100#