I tracked this flour down at a local bakery supply wholesaler from an old TFL post. This was a 2010 post and the price quoted was $18 for the 50 lb bag. I paid $37! I was prepared for a little inflation considering it is an old post but wasn't expecting over double! I only bought the one 50 lb. bag so I am pretty sure there is a cheaper rate if you buy more (it is a wholesaler after all). Also, I have a sneaking suspicion that, as a walk in, I didn't get the same price as a regular... Still 74 cents a pound isn't bad for organic unbleached bread flour. Or is it?
I am curious to hear other baker's experience with this GM brand of flour. Not sure if this brand is regional or not - I am on the west coast in San Diego.
Anybody use this in naturally leavened sourdough? That is my intention. What has been your experience?
Best,
Mike
Since you bought it, why don't you just try it out for a while and let us know?
I intend to! I'll post my first couple loafs soon.
Personally, I am happy with King Arthur flours, bread, all purpose, and whole wheat. I do not see any reason for buying "organic" foods, flour or any other.
Ford
Hi Ford, yes, I am a fan of KA flours too. I use their whole wheat in my sourdough and AP for my starter. I was just looking for a good quality bread flour and found this in my area. It's cheaper than what I can buy in the store and figured, if it has less pesticides, all the better. cheers!
Cost wise - you've paid $1.63 a kilo, that's £1.12 at todays conversion rate. Until recently I was paying 86p a kilo for organic white flour (all flour in the UK is unbleached) so I feel it's a little pricey, however a local mill here (well, 45 minutes drive each way) charges aout £1.50 a kilo for their organic stoneground (water mill) flour, so who knows.... (I stopped buying it as I really couldn't justify the cost and it was wholemeal only)
Can't make any suggestions about baking with it, but give it a go. I've recently changed mills for my flour and even though it's the same on paper (white, organic, 12% protein) it does handle differently to my previous stuff (it ferments quicker!), so who knows.
As for organic... I live in organic hippy central in the UK. Arguably the start of the organic movement here, so it's more or less on my doorstep, however for daily staples I do feel its worth it, especially with the current issues surrounding spraying (e.g. roundup, etc.) I do pick and choose though and I know several local farmers who are almost organic - use minimal chemical additives with animals grazed outdoors and so on.
-Gordon
Thanks for the feedback Gordon. Costco sells ConAgra flour on the CHEAP, however, it is mostly all bleached/enriched. Sourdough has really become a staple in our house now and so I figure why not pay a little more for less pesticides/additives. Plus, I've heard natural fermentation makes a lot of the vitamins more readily available and thus not as big a need for enrichment. I'll post some bread pics soon with the new flour. Cheers!