I am glad you asked this question, Cookie. I have recently been curious to learn more about the differences in flour. (Since my CCC post where the point was brought up about using bleached as opposed to unbleached.)

Other than store brands, the only "name brand" flour I can usually get is Pillsbury. I would have no problem ordering online if I knew there was a real difference that would enhance my baking!

Also...how long does flour keep? I store unopened bags in the freezer, and flours that I don't use often either go into the freezer or the fridge. AP just goes into a canister as I use it often enough that it's not an issue. But things like cake flour and bread flour....will they expire in the freezer?

I'll be watching for responses by the bakers in the bunch.

Linda

I buy King Arthur all purpose for bread baking because it's cheaper than the local brand bread flours and I can't usually find vital wheat gluten.

King Arthur all purpose is higher in protein than the other local name brand all purpose flours, it's similar in protein levels to Gold Medal or Pillsbury bread flour, so instead of keeping two types of flour, I just buy King Arthur when I can find it.

For other baking I use whatever is on sale or that I have a coupon for, here it's also usually Gold Medal, Pillsbury or Robin Hood.

Annie

The differences are in the amount of protein and whether they are bleached or unbleached.

(Information from "CookWise" by Shirley O. Corriher, page 6)

National Brand Bleached All-purpose (Gold Medal, Pillsbury)
9.5 to 12% protein

National Brand unbleached all-purpose (G. Medal, Pillsbury)
10-12% protein

Northern all-purpose (Robin Hood, Hecker's) - 11-12%

Northern unbleached all-purpose flour (King Arthur) - 11.7%

Bread flour - 11.5-12.5%
-----------------------------------------

All of the AP flours in the list above have a little too much protein for making the "best" pie crusts, quick breads, muffins, or pancakes (7.5 to 9.5 is a better percentage of protein - found in Southern AP flours). But that's the curse and blessing of "ALL-PURPOSE" flour. People use it for "all purposes", it's just not OPTIMUM for "all purposes". Consider it "good 'nuff" flour.

If you have normally used National Brand Bleached AP for cookies and quick breads and switched to King Arthur AP, you may notice some differences in the baked goods because of the additional protein in King Arthur AP - especially if you tend to over-mix, and over-develop the gluten in batters and doughs (using stand mixers, rather than mixing by hand). You'll end up with tougher, more crispy cookies, as an example. It's not right or wrong, it's just the characteristics of the different flours because of the amount of protein in them, and whether that's the characteristics you are looking for.

King Arthur AP became the hot "must use" flour several years ago. What users didn't realize was the higher level of protein in it. I soon noticed the difference in pastry when judging pies at the fair and had to judge down because they used such high-protein flours for the wrong purpose.

All-purpose flours are milled from a combination of soft wheat and hard wheat, while bread flour is milled from hard wheat.

I can control the protein level in home-milled flour by choices I make in the different grains I use. I combine a 3:1 mixture of soft white wheat and spelt (or oats) to make "cake" flour, as an example. Use hard wheat for hard rolls, but a mixture of hard and soft wheat for soft dinner rolls.

-Grainlady

Linda, I store my all purpose flour at room temperature, but I go through it pretty quickly. I buy in five pound bags and I buy flour at least once a month. I don't have room to store more.

Whole grain flours, like whole wheat can get rancid much more quickly. If I'm not going to use them within a month or so, I freeze them and I try to buy them in smaller amounts, other than whole wheat which I use pretty regularly.

Freezing also gets rid of any possible little "bug infestations", although I haven't had a problem with that.

I use pastry flour for pastry, and I have a couple of delicate cakes that I actually use cake flour for, but most of my baking is simply all purpose flour. Nothing makes a better biscuit than White Lily, but it's not easily available here and I'm kind of limited as to how many kinds and brands of flour I can store and use.

Right now I have King Arthur All Purpose, King Arthur White Whole Wheat, Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat, Bob's Red Mill Rye, some graham that I don't remember, whole wheat pastry flour, Swan's Down Cake Flour, and a gluten free mixture from Pamela's. Add corn meal, masa harina, steel cut oats, semolina I bought for pasta and a 10 grain hot cereal mix that I use for baking, plus some flax seed, and I can't add any more flours, no matter the improvement in baking qualities, LOL. Oh, I also have a container of wheat germ!

And yes, I use them all, for different things.

Annie

When we lived in the US I found a difference in the bread I made using US flours compared to my usual Canadian flour.

Canadian flour has on average is higher in protein. I use Rogers Flour. Their unbleached and bleached both have between 12.2 to 13.6 protein and the bread flour contains 13.5.

Ann

I use two types: freshly ground flour from my stone mill or dirt cheap No Name flour (unbleached or whole wheat), depends on what I am making. Can't keep store bought flour in the chest freezer because it's too full. I finish a bag of flour in about three weeks plus our basement is cold and dry; almost like a fridge there anyway! LOL

Ann_t, I hear ya. Canadian flour is definitely very different than what you find in the US. I don't know about Roger's but I know a lot of whole wheat flour is just all purpose flour with the fiber added back into it.

Al

I usually buy King Arthur at Trader Joe's, or Gold Medal if I want just a two-pound bag. This last time I bought the cheaper no-name at the chain market & was surprised to see that it has a grayish tinge - it's not the snow white I'm used to seeing. It seems to act the same, but it's unappetizing & I won't get it again.

Annie - you said "...and a 10 grain hot cereal mix that I use for baking" - I love Bob's Red Mill 10 grain cereal and I'm looking for ways to incorporate whole grains into my bread. Do you just use some of it in your bread dough or do you use it for something else?

Grainlady - I never fail to learn something when I read your posts! Thank you!

I didn't realize any of this about protein. I've been using King Arthur because it's the only flour in the regular grocery store that I can find that's unbleached. And to tell you the truth, I don't know if that makes it any "better", but I try to stay low in the foodchain and organic and all that and I figured I didn't want bleach in my flour! I could be totally off-base in my assumptions about it, however.

Lisa

Lisa, yes, I do use that cereal in my bread recipes. I have some recipes that call for oatmeal or rolled oats and I'll sub that, or I might get a wild hair and just sub the cereal for some part of the whole grain flour. I use it in place of the oatmeal in this recipe too:

Honey Granola Bread

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 packages active dry
yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups fat-free milk
10 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup reduced-fat granola cereal without raisins
1 cup rye flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted and chopped

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, yeast and salt. In a saucepan, heat the milk, honey and butter to 120 degrees F-130 degrees F. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Add eggs; beat until smooth. Stir in whole wheat flour and enough remaining all-purpose flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky). Stir in the granola, rye flour, cornmeal, oats and almonds.

Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface. Divide in half; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Shape each portion into a ball. Place on a greased baking sheet; flatten into 5-in. circles. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes; cover with oil. Bake 10 minutes longer or until bread sounds hollow when tapped. Remove to a wire racks.

I do this in the bread machine, I don't bake it in there, I just let the machine do all the work on the dough cycle. I do check when I start making substitutions because many times the dough needs a bit more liquid so when I hear the knead cycle start I'll give it a couple of minutes then check the texture of the dough and add a bit more milk if I think it needs it.

Sometimes I'll brush the loaves with milk before baking and sprinkle with some of the cereal mixture too, just to make it a little more interesting.

Annie

I really should research so much more. It would help things like my baking, gardening, etc. I occasionally buy fresh milled flour and keep that in the freezer. Store bought goes in canisters. Anyone know if it's okay to store flour in clear glass canister exposed to light? I bought a canister that is too big to fit in the cupboard. Thanks.

Besides liking their products, I buy all of my flours from KA because I support their business model.

This is from their website:

"Did you knowÂ
We are AmericaÂs oldest flour company, founded in 1790. To put it into context, George Washington had just been elected to his first term in office.

King Arthur Flour became an employee-owned company in 1996, when Frank Sands instated the employee stock ownership program (ESOP). We are now 100% employee-owned, and have always been 100% committed to quality.

Our headquarters in Norwich, Vermont, is a 16,600-square-foot timber-frame structure called, appropriately, Camelot. Vermont Public Radio also calls Camelot home.

Our combined annual sales are approximately $70,000,000."

"Our employees

We had five employees in 1990. Today, King Arthur Flour has over 160. We are an employee-owned, open-book, team-managed company, with profit sharing and an employee stock ownership program. Our employees have a stake in what we do, and it shows in every bag of flour."

If KA flours were lousy it wouldn't much matter but they're not...they're really good. KA is one of those great American companies creating good American jobs we keep talking about needing more of...so, buying from KA just makes me feel good.

/tricia

Oops, I forgot to give the link backing up my post on KA.

Yes, I know it costs a bit more to buy from KA. Same as it costs a bit more to buy from my local hardware store instead of the big box stores. Or, buying my appliances locally. It falls into that category of "putting my money where my mouth is" when I complain about the loss to our communities done from large corporations and overseas manufacturing.

/t

Here is a link that might be useful: KA

Tricia, thanks for shariing that info about KA flour and their business model.

That alone would be enough to make me buy their products, as I am constantly looking for ways to support businesses that do not outsource American jobs.

Linda

Cookie, exposure to light shouldn't negatively affect your all purpose flour if you use it pretty regularly. The "experts" all say to keep flour in a "cool, dark place" in a well sealed container, and that it will keep up to a year. Grandma had a big glass canister on the counter, but the flour never stayed there more than a month or two. I wouldn't keep it there for years, though, LOL.

Annie

King Arthur was also voted one of the best places to work in Vermont.

Here is a link that might be useful: KA Link

How would I know if my whole wheat flour is rancid?--smell?

Thank you!