# Difference in AP flours?



## pacanis (Mar 1, 2011)

I suppose I could have stuck this under baking, but since flour has more than one use...

Is there much of a difference in all purpose flours? 
I'm going to guess yes, since I recently read someone preferring White Lily flour for biscuits, but to someone like me still learning the ropes of making breads, is there? Is a "better" flour going to give me a noticeable difference?

I just got back from the smalltown grocery store and I knew I was getting pretty low on AP flour, but they differed in price from $4.99 for King Arthur to $1.99 for the store brand. I think Pillsbury was $2.50. I decided to wait it out and ask here, just to see. If I'm going to purchase the KA flour, I'd just as soon do that in the city when I go shopping, where I am sure I'll pay less. I'll buy some for the freezer to make it worthwhile, along with my other groceries. For buying just 5 lbs at a time though I would be better off saving the gasoline... that is if KA flour is that much better than the 1.99 stuff, or Pillbury for that matter.

So, what do you think? $3/5lbs is a pretty big difference if it isn't that much better.


----------



## jabbur (Mar 1, 2011)

I've found that the store brands vary greatly in quality from batch to batch.  You may get a good flour one time then the next time it's not as nice.  I haven't found much difference in the name brands though.  I tend to Gold Medal mostly but I will get Pillsbury sometimes.  The store brands that weren't good made my baked good very heavy and dense.


----------



## FrankZ (Mar 1, 2011)

I have made the switch to KA almost exclusively.  I say almost as we have some small bags of semolina and rice flour by Bob's Red Mill.  

I use KA for my bread, AP, white whole wheat, and whole wheat.  I find that the consistency is there.  I used to use Pillsbury and it seemed to vary bag to bag on texture, not sure if that matters too much.  The KA stuff is all  unbleached (and if it doesn't say it is unbleached I assume it is).  I started using the KA bread flour with sour dough and it seemed to make a difference (bleached vs unbleached) particularly with getting a starter going.

$4.99 isn't a bad price, at least for around here.  I doubt you would find it much cheaper, or enough cheaper to justify the driving.


----------



## Bigjim68 (Mar 1, 2011)

I have used KA for years, but the last time I purchased flour, the price got to me.  I ended up with White Lily.  For my uses, I don't see much difference.


----------



## Selkie (Mar 1, 2011)

KA is good, but with the price difference, it's not THAT good. I dare anyone to tell any significant difference in bread between using King Arthur, Martha White and Pillsbury.

I would buy KA if it were on sale, but not otherwise.


----------



## Andy M. (Mar 1, 2011)

Different brands of AP flours will differ in protein content.  White Lily, a southern brand, is generally a lower protein AP flour than KA.  

If I remember the chart in Shirley Corriher's _Cookwise _correctly, KA is among the highest protein AP flours generally available in the US.  Pillsbury is slightly lower and WL is lower still.

That said, They all are lower in protein levels than bread flours and higher than cake flours.

None of this answers the original question.  I would expect consistency and quality from KA that I would not expect from the store brand.  I have had very mixed luck in using store brands.


----------



## NoraC (Mar 1, 2011)

In my experience, as primarily a yeast bread baker, the biggest single hands down, "always can tell" difference is between bleached and unbleached flours.  The second major factor in good quality is in the freshness.  Huge difference in the flavor and activity with fresh flour; of course, you have to go to the mill to know for sure how fresh your flour is. I am lucky to be able to.  

When the result "matters", like when I am cooking for more than my family, I always use KA; it is guaranteed to do what I want it to.  For home baking, I use the Aldi's store brand, which is very similar to Pillsbury (so similar, I suspect it is).  Sometimes, it is a little light on protein. Once I discover that about a bag, I just add a spoonful of wheat gluten to my doughs until that bag is used up.  I keep a box of Hodgson's Mill gluten in the door of my kitchen freezer for that purpose. 

I am also told that I make very good biscuits.  To me, any AP flour works fine, but that may be that most of the AP flour here in the South is soft enough for biscuits.  I think handling maters more than brand for that kind of quick bread.


----------



## pacanis (Mar 1, 2011)

I love a thread where I learn something 
I think I'll buy the Pillsbury then (or it may have been Gold Medal) and stick with a name brand. I'll save the KA purchase for the bread flour I buy, as it's the only bread flour I've seen offered around here anyway.
It's not like I burn through a lot of AP flour, but $2.50/bag is a nice savings.

Thanks


----------



## bethzaring (Mar 1, 2011)

I shop at 4 different Wal-marts within an hour of my house, and they all carry KA flours at $3.49 for a 5 pound bag.  And the price has been at $3.49 for years.


----------



## FrankZ (Mar 1, 2011)

I need to shop there then.


----------



## pacanis (Mar 1, 2011)

That's a good price, Beth. I know my Walmart carries KA, too. And I figured it had to be cheaper than the town grocer, but at 11 miles per gallon... lol.


----------



## FrankZ (Mar 1, 2011)

pacanis said:


> That's a good price, Beth. I know my Walmart carries KA, too. And I figured it had to be cheaper than the town grocer, but at 11 miles per gallon... lol.



Can you fit a pallet of flour in the trunk?

I wish I could order it in like 20# bags... well, bread flour.


----------



## justplainbill (Mar 1, 2011)

Try to buy flours which have at least one year to go to their 'best used before date'.  We repackage some of KA's more expensive 3# bags of flours into either 1 gallon mayonnaise or half gallon vacuum sealed wide mouth mason jars.  Speaking of expensive, KA's charging-
  Over $2.31 per pound for Italian Style and Lancelot High Gluten Flour
  $2.65 per pound for First Clear and
  Over $2.83 per pound of Extra Fancy Durum

We try to extend the use of these expensive flours by cutting them with Pillsbury, Gold Medal, or Heckers.

We bought 30 lbs of various KA flours last month for $75 + shipping.  It will likely be higher next year.


----------



## CWS4322 (Mar 1, 2011)

FrankZ said:


> Can you fit a pallet of flour in the trunk?
> 
> I wish I could order it in like 20# bags... well, bread flour.


 
Talk to a local restaurant or bakery and ask if you could add a bag of bread flour to their order. Or, check at a restaurant supplier--some sell to people "off the street." This is almost verbatim what Robin Hood's customer service rep told me when I griped that whole wheat wasn't available in 20# bags anymore. The other place to inquire would be a bulk food store.


----------



## pacanis (Mar 1, 2011)

FrankZ said:


> *Can you fit a pallet of flour in the trunk?*
> 
> I wish I could order it in like 20# bags... well, bread flour.


 
I could get a few pallets on my trailer.
Are you interested in a flour for fresh seafood rendezvous?


----------



## FrankZ (Mar 1, 2011)

Oh heck.. I meant truck not trunk to begin with.. with that mileage it better be a truck at least.  

You'd probably want me to split mileage too eh?


----------



## pacanis (Mar 1, 2011)

naww, I'll bring you an extra bag of flour for every extra lobster you bring me


----------



## FrankZ (Mar 1, 2011)

Oh.. I don't have fresh lobster


----------



## Bolas De Fraile (Mar 2, 2011)

pacanis said:


> I love a thread where I learn something
> I think I'll buy the Pillsbury then (or it may have been Gold Medal) and stick with a name brand. I'll save the KA purchase for the bread flour I buy, as it's the only bread flour I've seen offered around here anyway.
> It's not like I burn through a lot of AP flour, but $2.50/bag is a nice savings.
> 
> Thanks


 I concur Pacanis and it say something about you to admit it, I came to this forum to learn and by golly I have

Ps We have a local baker than only uses unbleached flour for his trad British bread its very good, so the only bread I make is ciabatta and ficelle mainly in the summer. I then store my imported flour using that brilliant US invention the Food Saver its worth its weight in gold or to be accurate it saves the average family of four who buy food from US supermarket $600 per annum in waste.


----------



## pacanis (Mar 2, 2011)

Good tip on the FS. I wouldn't have thought about using it for flour.


----------



## justplainbill (Mar 2, 2011)

When using a Foodsaver to vacuum pack flour (particularly lighter finer flours), some precautions must be taken to prevent migration of small amounts of the flour into the vaccum pump.


----------



## bethzaring (Mar 2, 2011)

pacanis said:


> And I figured it had to be cheaper than the town grocer,
> 
> but at 11 miles per gallon... lol.


 



I sometimes by 30 pounds of flour at a time and store it in the freezer.  I seem to be doing a lot of driving these days, so it is not hard to be going by a Wal-Mart...or to a WM for medicines or kitty litter


----------



## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 2, 2011)

The only things i order direct from KA are the specialty flours.  The KA AP I can get just about anywhere, usually Walmart and The Good Food Store has the bread flour for <$5 for 5 lbs.

I am now participating in a KA bake off/survey with Flax seed.  I was sent two 1/2 lb bags of flax and have to bake something with it soon.


----------



## pacanis (Mar 2, 2011)

The last time I bought AP flour I bought 5-5lb bags, but it takes me so long to use up that amount I think maybe the last bag or two were beyond their shelf life... if there _is_ a shelf life for AP... I read here recently that there is for self-rising and for baking powder, so my thoughts are not to buy so much of bread or regular flour either.
Ideally I'll keep my stock up when I am in Walmart or the "real" grocery store, but for those times I am out and need some quick, the town grocer will have to do. And that was the basis of me wanting to know the differences (or not).


----------



## Selkie (Mar 2, 2011)

Whatever flour I use, I only buy what I need in the immediate future because it's the freshest. I never understood buying lots of flour just to let it go stale later on until I finally get to it. Fresh flour is too easy to get and keep on hand to have to worry about maintaining warehouse space to store it.


----------



## Andy M. (Mar 2, 2011)

During the holidays, we bought two 5-pound bags for $5.00 on sale.  The normal price is far less than $5.00 a pound.


----------



## pacanis (Mar 2, 2011)

Well, I _did_ have to run into the city for something, so I _did_ pass wally world, and I _did_ have a list of staples on my need soon list... so I stopped and _did_ some shopping. King Arthur flour was $3.22 for a 5 lb bag for both AP and bread. Pretty big difference from the town store. Not worth a separate flour run, but worth it if I am already there for other things. Pretty consistent with Beth's prices.
I'm looking forward to trying it out, since I'll bet my slightly dense loaves (lately) are due to old flour.


----------



## FrankZ (Mar 2, 2011)

Let us know what you think of the results.


----------



## pacanis (Mar 2, 2011)

I will Frank.


----------



## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 2, 2011)

pacanis said:


> I will Frank.


 
Yea!  I'm glad you were able to go the KA route!


----------



## DaveSoMD (Mar 4, 2011)

I just checked our WalMart - KA flour is $3.19 for a 5 lb bag.


----------



## pacanis (Mar 4, 2011)

I was at a chain grocer earlier today, Giant Eagle, and KA flour was "on sale" for $4.49. That was .50 off per bag. That extra .50 would put it at the same price as my town grocer. That's ridiculous wally world can sell it that much lower. No wonder they put businesses out of business. Somebody better lower their profit margin.


----------

