Need to switch flour due to cost

[Katie H]

suggestion Katie...go to your favorite bakery-request owner to order you a case.

I used to do that, Mark. Unfortunately the bakery won't do it any longer.

 

[Wart]

We tend to do things somewhat knee-jerk on our side of the pond, ...

That includes belief and opinion.

 

[LadyCook61]

Currently KA flour is $3.19/5-pound bag at our area Wal-Mart stores. Last week a local market had Gold Medal on Saturday Special for $.99/5-pound bag. I bought 2 bags because I was nearly out of bench flour. Normally I use Aldi's house flour for bench flour, but their flour is now up to $1.69/5-pound bag. I use bench flour for breading, etc. so I don't have to "sacrifice" my prized KA flour for those tasks.

As an experiment, I purchased a 25-pound bag of Sam's bread flour a few weeks ago. It was less than $11. I'm going to do a side-by-side comparison with bread made with KA flour and the same bread made with Sam's flour. We'll see.

My current plan is to buy extra flour when it goes on sale and vacuum seal it and store it in a cooler/darker area of the house. No room in the freezer or I'd store it there.

In the end, we all do what we have to do when things get tight. One thing I know Buck and I won't do and that's give up our homemade bread. Actually, we couldn't afford commercially-produced bread. That's gone way off the scale price-wise.

I like Sam's bread flour, we get the big bag.

 

[AllenOK]

Well, I don't bake much, so I don't really worry about flour quality vs. price/lb. However, the statistical geek in me was piqued by the 1 Euro / Kilo of flour price quoted by the person in France. I converted currencies, then weights, and that comes out to $3.60US / 5 lb bag of flour, before sales tax (assuming where you live charges sales tax on food, OK does).

 

[mcnerd]

We tend to do things somewhat knee-jerk on our side of the pond, often without a great deal of thought going into it for the long range outcome.

In a better reality perhaps.....

It has been reported that wheat prices are being affected by two dynamics: a shortage on the supply side and an increase on the demand side. Supplies have been hurt by droughts in Ukraine, Europe, Canada and Australia, which are four of the world's leading wheat producing. The U.S. is the world's #1 exporter, and U.S. farmers are churning away, exporting about 16.5m tons of wheat this year, almost double the amount they sold in the same period last year.

However, a severe drought cut Australia's wheat crop last year to just 10 million tons, less than half the year before. Meanwhile, Ukraine, the world's eighth-biggest wheat exporter, is already cutting exports after drought cut its grain harvest to 30 million tons, its smallest since 2003. The country will ship 58 percent less grain this year, according to its Agricultural Ministry.

While sellers have less wheat to sell, buyers keep coming in with more orders. That's especially true in traditional emerging economies such as Brazil and India, but demand is coming from some surprising places, like South Korea, and Egypt. Egypt bought 10 times more wheat last month than it did a year earlier, in anticipation of higher prices, according to the country's General Authority for Supply Commodities.

There is a third factor affecting the global wheat market, and that is Russia, the world's fourth largest exporter of grain. Russia has created a "working group'' to consider measures that may include export restrictions, duties and quotas. Kazakhstan also said it plans to introduce licenses for grain exports....and on it goes.

 

[AMSeccia]

Well, the cost of flour goes well beyond just the cost of flour, so even those who don't bake are going to feel it. Think about quick (pancake, etc.) mixes, cereals, breads, buns, pasta ... all of those processed convenience things many people take for granted. I am big on food drives, and many of the affordable staples people fall back on are going to be just a bit harder to reach. I think it's scary times, personally.

Good info mcnerd, thanks for sharing that.

 

[Wart]

Good info mcnerd, thanks for sharing that.

Same here. But isn't it considered good form to include a link to the pasted source? Or at least a mention of the original citation?


The Grain Drain: 3 Reasons For The Current Wheat Shortage

As you walk by supermarket shelves stocked with loaves of bread and pasta, it seems hard to believe, but the world is currently experiencing a major wheat shortage. ...

 

[expatgirl]

What is the deal? Is flour really that expensive now?????? YOu can make decent bread flour recipes by add some prebought gluten--I found mine in the local grocery----1 Tbsp. or less is all that you need........here, and I know none of you want to hear it, flour is still very cheap and they have 4 grades......maybe I'll stock my suitcases when I leave in May for Texas.....I'd heard that pizza prices were out of sight now......I guess this is why

 

[pacanis]

Well if anyone is interested in stocking up, KA is having free shipping on any purchase over $75 right now.

 

[JoeV]

I think it's scary times, personally.

When have times NOT been scary? They are just different scary today than they were yesterday. I don't even let it bother me any more. Que sera, sera.

Joe

 

[expatgirl]

I remember 1990 when we closed on our house.......savings and loans had been closing left and right and I had to bring an ATM receipt showing what we had in the bank because they were not taking our word for the salary that my husband was bringing....we had no debt, a flawless credit rating and plenty in the bank but I had to still bring in an ATM receipt of our savings right before the closing....ridiculous and insulting.........

 

[Andy M.]

At the market today:

KA AP = $3.99/5 Lb

KA Bread = $4.29/5 Lb

 

[Fiona]

Well, I don't bake much, so I don't really worry about flour quality vs. price/lb. However, the statistical geek in me was piqued by the 1 Euro / Kilo of flour price quoted by the person in France. I converted currencies, then weights, and that comes out to $3.60US / 5 lb bag of flour, before sales tax (assuming where you live charges sales tax on food, OK does).

No sales or any other tax...in France its all included, including prices in restaurants...no extra service charges or tipping unless you really want to!

 

[Adillo303]

To anyone in Metro NYC area, northern NJ. I just got an e-mail form KA flour. Free shipping on any order over $75.00. Maybe make a large order and distribute.

Hope this type of post is not frowned upon on this site.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

No sales or any other tax...in France its all included, including prices in restaurants...no extra service charges or tipping unless you really want to!

Is there still a VAT tax in restaurants? I remember I loved the "no tipping" custom beyond leaving the coins in your change.

 

[subfuscpersona]

King Arthur Bread flour

Bread flour is distinguished from all-purpose flour primarily by it's slightly higher protein content (which is a result of the choice of wheats used to mill that flour). In general, the higher the protein %, the better the flour for developing gluten. However, higher values for protein don't automatically translate to better bread.

As a rule of thumb, for most bread, around 12% protein is what you want to aim for. Protein values higher than that are for speciality breads such as bagels, or for breads that may contain a very high percentage of flours that have little or no gluten (such as some multi-grain breads). Too high a protein value can actually result in bread that is tough and has a dense crumb.

My brand of choice for most bread baking is "Harvest King" from General Mills. It has 12% protein. While all flours have increased in price over the past 6-9 months, the cost of Harvest King flour remains significantly less than all types of King Arthur flour.

Here are the protein percentages for some King Arthur flours...
Unbleached Bread flour - 12.8% protein
Unbleached All-Purpose flour - 11.7% protein
European-style Artisan Bread flour - 11.7% protein

You'll notice that KA Unbleached All-Purpose flour is actually a better choice for most bread baking than it's Bread flour.

For biscuits, cookies or pastry, you would ideally want a flour with a lower protein value - about 11% or lower.

You can often find the protein content of a brand's line of flours by going to it's web site; if you can't find it in the retail section of the web site, look for a section aimed at professional bakers (or look for a category called "Hotel and Restaurant" which may be abbreviated "H & R". You can also usually contact the manufacturer directly from it's web site and email them your inquiry about their flour specifications.

 

[justplainbill]

Have you seen Harvest King available for sale in supermarkets?

 

[ChefJune]

I think for some people the problem is the quality of the wheat that is used to produce some of the mass-produced flours. The smaller producers are less likely to be using genetically modified wheat, and probably fewer pesticides in the production.

Personally, I have found that I don't have a sensitivity to wheat if I use only organic flour. I know it costs more, but I can't stand the gas the regular flour gives me!

 

[Sedagive]

I just paid $6.99 for a 5 lb. bag of KA bread flour. I was shocked. I usually pay $3.99 and when it's on sale, $2.99.

 

[MexicoKaren]

I guess I really should count my blessings. I pay the equivalent of $1 for a kilo of flour, so for five pounds, I'm paying $2.27. AND, Presidente Calderon just announced a price freeze on 150 grocery staples, including flour, until the end of the year.

Oh, and Sedagive, we just watched Young Frankenstein Last night - still a very funny movie.