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> Our grocery chain has been buying rice and flour in bulk from restaurant supply houses and repackaging them in 1lb bags. Pretty agile if you ask me. I haven'

by ardy42 7y ago

> Our grocery chain has been buying rice and flour in bulk from restaurant supply houses and repackaging them in 1lb bags. Pretty agile if you ask me. I haven't seen that yet, but at least one grocery chain in my area was offering 25 lb bags of flour for sale about a month ago (or maybe they were 40-50 lb bags). Haven't been back since to that store since to see if they're still doing it (been slowly rotating through the four we visit regularly), but flour has been available in 5lb bags so long as you're not too picky about the brand or type

mattrp 7y ago
We just finished our 25lb bag from the Ebola panic buying days... make sure before you buy a ton of flour you know what you’re going to do with it. Bread isn’t very good without yeast (good luck finding that), cakes aren’t very good with all purpose flour, pasta is really hard to make without a pasta maker, etc... sorry to be a downer but I’m kind of the opinion that while some flour is good, and it’s certainly good to learn how to use it, don’t expect to transform your kitchen into your favorite bakery. Also... this is just my perspective but Walmart and sams are rocking the supply chain... with some few exceptions we’ve not had to look hard for anything we want and their home delivery process is awesome. Amazon has done a great job too... i do not miss two day shipping at all... as long as I know it’s off my to do list and into their queue I’m good.
- HeyLaughingBoy 7y ago
  Mix flour and water and sugar and in a day you'll have a culture of natural yeast going and you can keep replenishing it as needed. There are also a variety of baking powder/soda breads you can make. I've been baking cakes since I was about 13 and I have never used anything other than AP flour. OK. I've used bread flour in a pinch, being super-careful to mix it very little because of the high protein content. Pasta: roll it out thin and cut with a knife. It really doesn't take that much longer. I did it like this forever until I got a pasta roller/cutter. Not trying to be contrarian, but I felt to point out that nothing here is a show stopper, it just takes a little creativity/experience.
  - mattrp 7y ago
    Thank you for adding these points. I did not know about the yeast - so thank you!
- dredmorbius 7y ago
  I've become a sourdough bread baker over the past three weeks, going from producing constructionnmaterials (dense bricks) to some of the best bread I've ever had. Realized yeaast wasn't to be had for love or mone: https://mastodon.cloud/@dredmorbius/103845407941910287 https://mastodon.cloud/@dredmorbius/103845407941910287 Starter recipe: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/sourdough-starter-recipe https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/sourdough-starter-re... Took about 6 days to get going. 3rd loaf was a winner. Feedback from household and neighbours is strongly positive as well. Flour sourcing has been spotty, but even that has upsides: testing out spelt and einkorn, along with whole wheat, AP, and (blech) bleached flour. Loaves, rolls, pizza, crumpets, and more. Most of this based of Youtube videos: https://youtube.com/watch?v=BJEHsvW2J6M https://youtube.com/watch?v=BJEHsvW2J6M https://youtube.com/watch?v=2FVfJTGpXnU https://youtube.com/watch?v=2FVfJTGpXnU Dutch oven, food scale, bench knife (I use a plastering spatula) highly recommended.
  - mattrp 7y ago
    Great advice thank you. Where are you finding the spelt and whole wheat?
    - dredmorbius 7y ago
      Very intermittantly. Spelt was a buy where other flours were cleared out at a natural food store. Last whole wheat was a half-kilo bag. I'll hit numerous stores, early in the day. Buy what's available though AP / whole wheat / specialty by preference. Gourmet / natural food stores have tended to better selections. Ethnic food aisles often have flour where main selection is out, or specialty flours regardless. Whole grains are also available. I've contemplated buying a mill.
      - mattrp 7y ago
        <I’ve contemplated buying a mill. As in a business or the machinery to use at home?
        7y ago
- jefftk 7y ago
  > Bread isn’t very good without yeast (good luck finding that) Yeast is still available online: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HST626C/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HST626C/ > cakes aren’t very good with all purpose flour We only stock all-purpose, and there are a lot of great cakes you can make with it. Here's one I make a lot: https://www.jefftk.com/recipes/choccake https://www.jefftk.com/recipes/choccake Before organizing this, we had already gone through about 30lb since we started staying in (https://www.jefftk.com/p/stepping-up-isolation https://www.jefftk.com/p/stepping-up-isolation)
  - fennecfoxen 7y ago
    Besides yeast being almost-everywhere including the flour itself (the sourdough option others have mentioned) I will point out that you can also leaven your bread with the yeast from beer.

by ardy42 7y ago

mattrp 7y ago

We just finished our 25lb bag from the Ebola panic buying days... make sure before you buy a ton of flour you know what you’re going to do with it. Bread isn’t very good without yeast (good luck finding that), cakes aren’t very good with all purpose flour, pasta is really hard to make without a pasta maker, etc... sorry to be a downer but I’m kind of the opinion that while some flour is good, and it’s certainly good to learn how to use it, don’t expect to transform your kitchen into your favorite bakery. Also... this is just my perspective but Walmart and sams are rocking the supply chain... with some few exceptions we’ve not had to look hard for anything we want and their home delivery process is awesome. Amazon has done a great job too... i do not miss two day shipping at all... as long as I know it’s off my to do list and into their queue I’m good.

HeyLaughingBoy 7y ago
Mix flour and water and sugar and in a day you'll have a culture of natural yeast going and you can keep replenishing it as needed. There are also a variety of baking powder/soda breads you can make. I've been baking cakes since I was about 13 and I have never used anything other than AP flour. OK. I've used bread flour in a pinch, being super-careful to mix it very little because of the high protein content. Pasta: roll it out thin and cut with a knife. It really doesn't take that much longer. I did it like this forever until I got a pasta roller/cutter. Not trying to be contrarian, but I felt to point out that nothing here is a show stopper, it just takes a little creativity/experience.
- mattrp 7y ago
  Thank you for adding these points. I did not know about the yeast - so thank you!
dredmorbius 7y ago
I've become a sourdough bread baker over the past three weeks, going from producing constructionnmaterials (dense bricks) to some of the best bread I've ever had. Realized yeaast wasn't to be had for love or mone: https://mastodon.cloud/@dredmorbius/103845407941910287 https://mastodon.cloud/@dredmorbius/103845407941910287 Starter recipe: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/sourdough-starter-recipe https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/sourdough-starter-re... Took about 6 days to get going. 3rd loaf was a winner. Feedback from household and neighbours is strongly positive as well. Flour sourcing has been spotty, but even that has upsides: testing out spelt and einkorn, along with whole wheat, AP, and (blech) bleached flour. Loaves, rolls, pizza, crumpets, and more. Most of this based of Youtube videos: https://youtube.com/watch?v=BJEHsvW2J6M https://youtube.com/watch?v=BJEHsvW2J6M https://youtube.com/watch?v=2FVfJTGpXnU https://youtube.com/watch?v=2FVfJTGpXnU Dutch oven, food scale, bench knife (I use a plastering spatula) highly recommended.
- mattrp 7y ago
  Great advice thank you. Where are you finding the spelt and whole wheat?
  - dredmorbius 7y ago
    Very intermittantly. Spelt was a buy where other flours were cleared out at a natural food store. Last whole wheat was a half-kilo bag. I'll hit numerous stores, early in the day. Buy what's available though AP / whole wheat / specialty by preference. Gourmet / natural food stores have tended to better selections. Ethnic food aisles often have flour where main selection is out, or specialty flours regardless. Whole grains are also available. I've contemplated buying a mill.
    - mattrp 7y ago
      <I’ve contemplated buying a mill. As in a business or the machinery to use at home?
      - 7y ago
jefftk 7y ago
> Bread isn’t very good without yeast (good luck finding that) Yeast is still available online: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HST626C/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HST626C/ > cakes aren’t very good with all purpose flour We only stock all-purpose, and there are a lot of great cakes you can make with it. Here's one I make a lot: https://www.jefftk.com/recipes/choccake https://www.jefftk.com/recipes/choccake Before organizing this, we had already gone through about 30lb since we started staying in (https://www.jefftk.com/p/stepping-up-isolation https://www.jefftk.com/p/stepping-up-isolation)
- fennecfoxen 7y ago
  Besides yeast being almost-everywhere including the flour itself (the sourdough option others have mentioned) I will point out that you can also leaven your bread with the yeast from beer.