Bread flour: I am stoked.

13 years ago

I like to bake bread, rolls and pizza and often use bread flour. I also like to save money and have been using Con-Agra bread flour from COSTCO that some of you have avoided. I havenÃ¢ÂÂt used King ArthurÃ¢ÂÂs due to the expense although I should have at least tried it, being research minded.

Eight years ago we moved to a semi rural area of central North Carolina 10 miles from town. I live near a main state route but I enjoy exploring the more direct but narrower back country roads near our house. That straight route directly toward Burlington changes names three times as it intersects moderately main roads and becomes Lindley Mill Road and not surprisingly passes by Lindley Mills which is a series of large silos etc. out in the middle of nowhere. While it appeared fairly modern it seemed deserted to me and I assumed it was shut down like most fabric mills in the state. Perhaps it was the weekend.

On Friday, I found a rustic bread website that said Lindley Mills is very much functioning, producing organic flour of many sorts including bread flours and it would accept phone pre-orders for walk in retail sale when they had time. SO I am stoked. I have ordered a 25# bag of their organic white flour for pick up Monday. I suspect that the walk in business is small because they suggested it would be wise to bring some ones because they sometimes ran out of singles and the charge would be $16. I asked the person who answered the phone that there was a rumor that they supplied the flour for King Arthur. She said no, they only supply KAÃ¢ÂÂs Organic flours since they only produce organic materials. So, on Monday, I will get to drive straight up the road for eight miles to my almost personal mill to pick up flour that is presumably fresher than what KA receives. Did I say IÃ¢ÂÂm stoked?

By the way, from the Lindley Mills website:
The mill was established in 1755 by Thomas Lindley at its present location on Cane Creek in Graham, North Carolina. Near the end of the Revolutionary War, the mill was the site of the Battle of LindleyÃ¢ÂÂs Mill. The Governor of North Carolina, his cabinet, and approximately 1,000 men were involved in the battle, which is the subject of several historical writings and books.
Earlier, British General Lord Cornwallis visited the mill to Ã¢ÂÂpurchaseÃ¢ÂÂ flour for his army.
The Lindley family owned the mill for approximately 100 years. Two hundred and twenty years after its inception direct descendants of Thomas Lindley began efforts to restore the mill and produce flour again. For the past 35 years the mill has been grinding organically grown grain and is operated by ninth-generation Lindleys.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

teresa_nc7
13 years ago
Hi Neighbor!
I live in Burlington and often go to Lindley Mills to pick up both all purpose white flour and whole wheat flour they sell. The price is right, the flour is wonderful, and the people friendly. I would go more frequently, but their hours and my work schedule just don't often mesh. When I can make the trip, I always call ahead to be sure they are open as they sometimes close on a whim.

It is possible the 9th Street Bakery in Durham also uses Lindley Mills flour. I can get it at the Co-op here in town, but then I have to pay their higher price.

Teresa
westsider40
13 years ago
That is very cool. I would also be stoked to have an organic flour mill in my backyard. I think I am obsessed about bread making. Nice price, too.
Related Discussions
I'm confused about Vital Wheat Gluten-----flour?
Q
Comments (20)
I think it is a question of semantics. From what I see on the Web site, I think Shambo is absolutely right, especially since she uses that brand! They really should not be using the word "flour" on the packaging, but they do. It does depend on the type of flour you use for your bread on how much gluten you will need. Apparently there are some special bread machine bread flours. I haven't seen them but that would present an additional conundrum. I use organic whole wheat bread flour that I get at the health food store, and King Arthur organic white bread flour that I get at ye olde grocery store. For a long time I couldn't find real whole wheat bread flour, and the labeling was confusing on that too, but the kind I get is the hard wheat kind, or so it says on the label. It gives me good results, that I know. It's also tricky when they add wheat gluten to low gluten flours to make them into "bread flour." I'm gonna have to try that honey wheat now, sounds like one BF will like. Right now we are lovin' up the yogurt bread. That's one of my favorite recipes in Beth's book. You get the sourdough taste without the sourdough fuss. I make a lot of the recipes in there with half whole wheat flour even though the recipe doesn't call for it. I just like the taste and texture of whole wheat better. I add a little more liquid to compensate, but not much. With this week's yogurt bread I subbed one cup whole wheat bread flour for one of the white, and subbed oatmeal for 1/2 cup of the flour. It has been a great loaf, albeit not very pretty looking! I have so many of those breads on my "to try" list, lol! Before my oven gave out I was just using the dough cycle and baking them in a small loaf pan in the oven. I don't like the big hole you get in the loaves when you use the bread machine to bake in. But it is a godsend right now with my oven being broken. We eat around the hole, lol! I also find some of Beth's breads very yeasty-tasting. I'm wondering if that just goes with the territory of homeade bread, in particular the kind made in the bread machine. Oh, and BTW, being able to find and buy real whole wheat PASTRY flour, has revolutionized my non-yeast baking. I get superior muffins and cakes using it, as opposed to the all-purpose whole wheat flour that was the main offering in the stores for so many years. I remember a time when I was happy they just started carrying whole wheat flour, let alone the different kinds. That's one modern trend I am happy about!
...See More
Grinding your own flours and subbing in bread recipes
Q
Comments (4)
I have a dozen different substitute flours from a holiday experiment. Not a single favorite tried-n-true recipe responded well despite the package claim. I just needed to fuss it a bit. AND write down what i was doing, lol. "it worked!...now what did i do?" hmmm DH is the baker in the home and got totally fed up. I carried on and sort of enjoyed it. The only thing that seemed to help was to add a gluten-free purchased 'mix' offered by so many now. Just a 1/2 cup to anything i was attempting. Not really a good answer to your need but what worked for me. Though Eincorn does contain gluten and is a wheat like your recipe requires, it should do well unlike other substitute 'flours'. To give it an honorable tolerance test it should be used alone me thinks. All our bread baking is done in a heavy lidded enameled cast iron or the french loaf crockery thing. Gives the heavier grains a chance to 'loft' and retain moisture.
...See More
Crusty French Bread With Almond Flour? Possible?
Q
Comments (17)
Possibly a lot more vital wheat gluten. It adds protein as well as replacing the gluten missing in the gluten-free or low-gluten flours. I worked on a low-carb bread machine recipe for a diabetic friend who is very carb-sensative and this is the ingredients list. I won't make the recipe anymore even though it was never "right"....can't stand the taste of it after so much testing. The recipe might give you some ideas for the recipe you are working on. If you want your bread to taste like rye bread, add some caraway seeds. I pulverized the seeds into powder rather than using them whole, but that's because hubby doesn't like seedy bread and I think the flavor is more intense and a little caraway went a long way. 1/2 c. + 2 T. water 1/2 c. kefir (omit and use more water) 1/2 c. vital wheat gluten 1/2 c. almond flour 1 to 1-1/2 c. rye flour (or whole wheat) 1/2 c. wheat protein isolate (could also use bread flour) 2/3 c. flaxmeal 1 egg 3 T. hi-maize flour (adds more fiber and helps control blood sugar) 2 T. agave nectar (or palm sugar - both are low-glycemic) 1/2 t. salt 2-1/4 t. SAF Instant Yeast -Grainlady
...See More
Grainlady? bread flour question
Q
Comments (3)
Great information already posted... Here's an expanded version. Flour 101- -The more protein, the lighter the yeast bread - up to a point. Too much protein (gluten) will make bread tough, which is why commercial flour is a combination of protein levels so that it has an average amount correct for different baking needs. -There are two types of protein that make up the gluten group - glutenins and gliadins. This is what we generally call "gluten". Glutenins provide the elastic quality that allows bread dough to expand. Gliadins play a secondary roll by contributing to the viscosity and extensibility of bread dough. -Although durum wheat has the highest amount of protein of all wheat types, the main protein in durum wheat is gliadin, which makes it excellent for pasta, not bread, because of the viscosity and extensibility. This is the type of wheat I use for wholegrain pasta. -Bread flour is highest in the protein glutenins (great for yeast breads), milled from hard wheat varieties. -All-purpose flour is a mixture of hard and soft wheat so that it fits a protein profile that suits "all-purposes" for general baking. A little too much protein for really fine cakes, a little less protein than needed for really good bread. A middle-of-the-road flour. (Source: CookWise by Shirley O. Corriher) Percentage of protein.... Durum wheat - 13-13.5% protein - used for pasta Bread flour - 11.5-12.5% - use for yeast breads, pasta, pizza Northern unbleached all-purpose flour (King Arthur) - 11.7% - use for yeast breads, cream puffs, puff pastry, pasta, pizza Northern all-purpose flour (Robin Hood, Hecker's)- 11.7% - 11-12% - use for yeast breads, cream puffs, puff pastry National brand unbleached all-purpose flour (Gold Medal, Pillsbury) - 10-12% - yeast breads, cream puffs National brand bleached all-purpose flour (Gold Medal, Pillsbury) - 9.5-12% - biscuits, quick breads, muffins Bleached Southern all-purpose flour (White Lily, Martha White, Gladiola, Red Band) - 7.5-9.5% - Pie crusts, biscuits, quick breads, muffins Cake flour - 7.5-8.5% - Cakes, quick breads, muffins, pancakes ------------------------ Whole grain flour can have as much or more gluten than commercial flours. I'm using hard white winter wheat that has 13.1% protein - excellent for yeast breads. I've worked with wheat that had 16% protein levels. It takes more kneading to develop the gluten in high-protein wheat varieties and you won't get as tender a crumb as you do with lower protein levels. I also mill soft wheat for pastry, biscuits, cakes, quick breads; or mixtures of low-gluten flour (spelt) and hard wheat to make "all-purpose" protein levels when I need lower-gluten flour (cookies, quick breads, etc.). For low-gluten "cake" flour, I use a 3:1 mixture of soft white wheat and oats (or spelt) for fine cakes like chiffon or angel food. -Grainlady
...See More
westsider40
13 years ago
That is very cool. I would also be stoked to have an organic flour mill in my backyard. I think I am obsessed about bread making. Nice price, too.
grainlady_ks
13 years ago
I can identify with you, and feel so fortunate to have a stone mill just outside of town. They mill King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour for this region. I purchase the same hard white winter wheat they use - 50# of wheat for $20 - and mill my own flour (fresh is best :-).

This mill is also a part of Farmer Direct Foods and the baking scientist happen to be at the mill for the King Arthur wheat tour (see link below) and she talked me into buying 50# of "Handcrafters Flour" ($20) milled from hard white wheat with a protein level of 12% to 12.3%.

This flour has a higher ash content. The ash is the mineral content, which is located just under the bran, and those minerals are important in yeast breads. It has a creamy color, slightly sweet flavor because it's milled from white wheat, is great for open crumb texture of artisan breads, and a great crust that is hard, not tough. I've been spreading the word about this flour to breadmakers at fairs where I judge foods because it is a superior flour for artisan breads. I gave my niece 40# of this flour, since I prefer milling my own, and now she's hooked on it.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: KAF - Wheat Tour
agmss15
13 years ago
Great find!

In Skowhegan (the nearest 'big' town to me) there has been an amazing set of developments. First came the Kneading Conference - which has developed into a fairly large event in a few years. Then two local people bought the former jail and raised the money to build a gristmill - now up and running. They are producing rolled oats and several flours. So far all I have made with the whole wheat flour is pita and pizza. Fresh is better!

Here is a link that might be useful: Kneading Conference
bellsmom
13 years ago
Wonderful find. I wish there was a local mill near me! That would be SO much fun. My best bet right now seems to be Meijer's when flour is on sale. Then it is KA cheaper than from the KA website by a good bit--and no shipping!

I wonder if you can tour the mill?
chas045
Original Author
13 years ago
Teresa, I was thinking about you and had wondered if you used "my" uh our mill for your farmers market baked goods etc. Thanks for the warning about their hours. It may be frozen in on Monday morning (it has been snowing ALL day which is almost unheard of here) and they might be in late?

Bellsmom, my wife wants to come with me and see if we could get a tour. I suspect that they are too busy for that sort of thing, but who knows. I suspect the wife is more interested in hunting for ghosts (1755!) or something, but she said I should try to get some AP flour for her, so maybe she wants to see how it is made.

agmss, what fun to have great educational classes so close.

and grainlady, I can't actually imagine how you grind flour at home. Can you actually make white flour and other derivatives, or do you only get whole wheat?
mustangs81
13 years ago
I was hoping Teresa would see this. Knowing Teresa, I was sure she would be familiar with Lindley Mills, Teresa knows everything! Sounds fun.
chas045
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I thought I should bring this thread back up because I just returned from the mill with my second 25# bag of Whole Wheat Bread Flour (certified organically grown wheat), ground on 01/19/2018. It is therefore less than a week old; too old for grainlady if she were here (and eating wheat) but it impresses me. I will freeze most of it to keep it fresh. Like the White Flour in 2013, the bag cost less than $16.

In my initial post, I had suggested that I had heard that King Arthur used Lindley Mills to produce its Organic White Flour, but I wasn't sure. Back in 2013, bellsmom wondered if touring was possible. From a sign in the door of the very small office (where I picked up my bag of flour) that led to part of their plant which read 'No Cell Phones or Cameras Beyond this Point', I gather that there are no tours. However, the door was partially glass and I could see lots of pallets of 5 and 25 pound bags of flours including four pallets of almost completely red 5# King Arthur Flour packages. They were too far to read, but from package pictures on KA's site, they were the Organic All Purpose White as I had heard was possible in 2013.
annie1992
8 years ago
Chas, I wish I could find a mill close to me, you'd think there'd be one out here in the middle of farm country, wouldn't you? Instead I buy wheat berries from the Amish store and grind my own.

Just as well, I don't have enough freezer space to start storing 25 pounds of flour, LOL.

Good detective work, BTW.

Annie

Bread flour: I am stoked.

Comments (10)

teresa_nc7

westsider40

Related Discussions

westsider40

grainlady_ks

agmss15

bellsmom

chas045
Original Author

mustangs81

chas045
Original Author

annie1992

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Bread flour: I am stoked.

Comments (10)

Related Discussions

chas045Original Author

chas045Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

chas045
Original Author

chas045
Original Author