I've noticed that in the supermarket some of the premium flours can cost
twice as much as the standard brands.

Is there really any difference, or is it just a cook's conceit?

On Dec 13, 2:49*pm, "Ray" > wrote:
> I've noticed that in the supermarket some of the premium flours can cost
> twice as much as the standard brands.
>
> Is there really any difference, or is it just a cook's conceit?

The best thing to do is to get the web addresses and browse the sites.
You can read all the marketing hype of course, but you can also look
at the milling numbers:
the extraction rate, the protein percent, the falling number (for
starch quality), etc.

There are real differences between flours, the issue is deciding
whether or not the difference is meaningful to your baking needs.

Price might be a bad quality gauge. Great flour is cheap in North
Dakota, but expensive in Maryland.

Ray wrote:
> I've noticed that in the supermarket some of the premium flours can cost
> twice as much as the standard brands.
>
> Is there really any difference, or is it just a cook's conceit?

I used to buy a brand of unbleached flour which was about the same price
as the normal flour. This time I went to get it and they now call it a
'premium' flour at almost twice the price. Unbleached. As far as I can
remember the protein and other things are the same percent and it is the
same brand, just a new buzz word on it.

Mike
Some bread photos: http://www.mikeromain.shutterfly.com

"Ray" > wrote in message
...
> I've noticed that in the supermarket some of the premium flours can cost
> twice as much as the standard brands.
>
> Is there really any difference, or is it just a cook's conceit?
Here in Rhode Island, King Arthur is the premium flour I suppose, and I
always have great results using it, to my own cook's conceit. For the
longest
time I avoided using anything else, even while it was the most expensive. It
is unbleached and unbromated, and I like the way this adds a little color to
my bread. It is very high gluten without being labeled as "Bread Flour" but
by most standards it might as well be. Because of this I probably get away
with a multitude of sins in developing gluten. On the occasions that I did
not have any on hand and used cheaper brands for whatever reason, I may
have found that I needed to squeeze in an extra stretch and fold during bulk
fermentation, and that is something you will have to judge for yourself with
different flours. If prices make you wince, and if there is a bakers supply
/ distributer nearby, a 50 lb bag of whatever you really like to bake with
will probably average out nicely pricewise pound for pound with the cheaper
brands sold in little bags in the supermarket.

Happy Baking!

On Dec 14, 5:37*pm, "hutchndi" > wrote:
> "Ray" > wrote in message
>
> ...> I've noticed that in the supermarket some of the premium flours can cost
> > twice as much as the standard brands.
>
> > Is there really any difference, or is it just a cook's conceit?
>
> *Here in Rhode Island, King Arthur is the premium flour I suppose, and I
> always have great results using it, to my own cook's conceit. For the
> longest
> time I avoided using anything else, even while it was the most expensive. It
> is unbleached and unbromated, and I like the way this adds a little color to
> my bread. It is very high gluten without being labeled as "Bread Flour" *but
> by most standards it might as well be. Because of this I probably get away
> with a multitude of sins in developing gluten. On the occasions that I did
> not have any on hand and used cheaper brands for whatever reason, *I may
> have found that I needed to squeeze in an extra stretch and fold during bulk
> fermentation, and that is something you will have to judge for yourself with
> different flours. If prices make you wince, and if there is a bakers supply
> / distributer nearby, a 50 lb bag of whatever you really like to bake with
> will probably average out nicely pricewise pound for pound with the cheaper
> brands sold in little bags in the supermarket.
>
> Happy Baking!

Can someone tell me a site where they provide the protein %, ash
content etc. I've gone to several, including King Arthur without any
success in finding that information. Also, anyone knowing of where
you can buy good bread baking flour in the Austin Texas area, I would
appreciate your passing along that information

thanks

"Monte" > wrote in message
...

Can someone tell me a site where they provide the protein %, ash
content etc. I've gone to several, including King Arthur without any
success in finding that information. Also, anyone knowing of where
you can buy good bread baking flour in the Austin Texas area, I would
appreciate your passing along that information

thanks

here is the King Arthur specs page:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/profe...ery-flour.html

I imagine you can find specifications similarly for other flours in your
area at their websites, if not, contacting them is a good idea. Isn't this
information printed on the bag somewhere?

oops, wrong link. the next one is closer to what I was trying to share. The
sir galahad is closest to their supermarket product, the one I use.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/profe...ry-flours.html

On Dec 15, 4:18*pm, "hutchndi" > wrote:
> oops, wrong link. the next one is closer to what I was trying to share. The
> sir galahad is closest to their supermarket product, the one I use.
>
> http://www.kingarthurflour.com/profe...l-bakery-flour...

Thanks

On Dec 17, 12:49*am, Monte > wrote:
> On Dec 15, 4:18*pm, "hutchndi" > wrote:
>
> > oops, wrong link. the next one is closer to what I was trying to share. The
> > sir galahad is closest to their supermarket product, the one I use.
>
> >http://www.kingarthurflour.com/profe...l-bakery-flour...
>
> Thanks

People have been baking sourdough bread for over 6000 years now and
they used what ever grain they used. Wheat, rye, barley millet oats
etc. Sourdough just need some carbohydrate and water and you make
bread. Their protein contents etc were all over the place yet managed
to make good breads. Experiment with simple low protein flours, buy
some grains and use a small coffee grinder to make some beautiful
aromatic whole grain flours throw some chick peas, borlotti beans in
and some mashed potatoes, boil them with brown rice. makes wonderful
breads. Paddy

"padriac" > wrote in message
...
"People have been baking sourdough bread for over 6000 years now and
they used what ever grain they used. Wheat, rye, barley millet oats
etc. Sourdough just need some carbohydrate and water and you make
bread. Their protein contents etc were all over the place yet managed
to make good breads. Experiment with simple low protein flours, buy
some grains and use a small coffee grinder to make some beautiful
aromatic whole grain flours throw some chick peas, borlotti beans in
and some mashed potatoes, boil them with brown rice. makes wonderful
breads. Paddy"

As I also bake gluten free breads for my wife, I can add to this advise to
anybody who wants to use bean flours. Allot of the gluten free bread mixes
out there have a particular flavor which we find really nasty. After
experimenting with making my own mixes for awhile, I found that the
offending flavor was "fava bean flour" and it is an ingredient in allot of
the gluten free ready mixes. From what I understand the addition of this
flour adds protein and some softness to the breads, but it is very hard to
mask the flavor. By deleting the ingredient there are noticeable quality
loss to the bread in texture, but this can be fixed with the addition of
gelatin or agar.

> On Dec 17, 12:49 am, > wrote:
>> On Dec 15, 4:18 pm, > wrote:
>>
>>> oops, wrong link. the next one is closer to what I was trying to share. The
>>> sir galahad is closest to their supermarket product, the one I use.
>>
>>> http://www.kingarthurflour.com/profe...l-bakery-flour...
>>
>> Thanks
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/profe...l-bakery-flour
I clicked the above link not realizing it is incomplete and got a rather
interesting 404 page not found from King Arthur. Clever.

Harvey

"eclipsme" > wrote in message
...

> I clicked the above link not realizing it is incomplete and got a rather
> interesting 404 page not found from King Arthur. Clever.
>
> Harvey

I don't know what happened with the link, I just copied and pasted, so sorry
again. I will just paste the page contents in this reply. Anyways, I am not
trying to sell this flour or anything else, just trying to show that if you
search a company's website, they should have the specifications available
somewhere...

Specifications: King Arthur Bakery Flour
Brand name Sir Lancelot Special Sir Galahad Whole Wheat Round
Table Queen Guinevere
(Hi-Gluten) (Short Patent) (Hard Winter Wheat) (Pastry Flour)
(Cake Flour)
Moisture (Maximum) 14.0 percent 14.0 percent 14.0 percent 14.0
percent 14.0 percent 14.0 percent
Protein (14% M.B.) 14.2% +/- 0.2% 12.7% +/- 0.2% 11.7% +/- 0.2%
14.0% +/- 0.2% 9.2 +/- 0.3% 7.0% +/- 0.2%
Ash (14% M.B.) .52% +/- 0.02% .48% +/- 0.02% .48% +/- 0.02% 1.80%
+/- 0.2% .44% +/- 0.02% .34% +/- 0.02%
Falling Number 250 +/- 30 sec. 250 +/- 30 sec. 260 +/- 30 sec. 470
+/- 30 280 +/- 30
FARINOGRAPH:
Absorption % 63.0 +/- 2.0 62.0 +/- 2.0 61.0 +/- 2.0 70 +/- 2.0
53.0 +/- 2.0 53.0 +/- 2.0
Peak 7.0 min. +/- 1.5 7.0 +/- 1.5 7.0 +/- 1.5 9.0 +/- 1.0 1.5 +/-
1.0 1.5 +/- 1.0
Stability 14.0 min.+/- 3.0 13.0 min. +/- 3.0 12.5 min. +/- 3.0
13.0 min. +/- 1.5 2.5 min. +/- 1.0 3 min. +/- 1.0
MTI 30 B.U/ +/- 10 30 B.U. +/- 10 30 B.U. +/- 10 20 B.U. +/- 10
80 B.U. +/- 10 80 B.U. +/- 10
Wheat Type 100% Hard red spring 100% Hard red spring 100% Hard red
winter Hard red spring Soft white/red winter Soft red winter
Treatment Malted Malted Malted None None Chlorination
Enrichment** Yes Yes Yes No No No

**Enrichment includes: Wheat flour enriched (niacin, reduced iron, thiamin,
riboflavin, folic acid) and malted barley flour. All flours are to be
prepared by grinding clean, sound wheat in accordance with current FDA
regulations. All testing methods AACC approved.