Bread flour

thumpybum

anyone know where I can get bread flour? recently got a bread machine, finding results with wheat and wholewheat ok but recipes for lighter bread are saying to use bread flour specifically. my local supervalu or dunnes dont have it. am in ashbourne.

cheers.

catho_monster

is that not just 'strong flour'?
thats what i use...

thumpybum

could very well be, someone else said that to me as well but couldnt say for sure that it actually is the bread flour thats mentioned in so many bread machine recipes. I know odlums do a strong flour, I'll try that in lieu of getting the other stuff, thanks.

Alun

Odlums do both a white and a wholemeal strong flour readily available in most supermarkets. (I get mine in Dunnes, but I'm sure I've seen it in Tesco too). The wholemeal has a purple label and the white flour an orangey-brown label.

That's what I use in my machine and the bread comes out fine. The difference is that it's higher in gluten than 'ordinary' flour, and it's the gluten that gives bread it's sructure, as it were.

5unflower

I found that superquinn has a much wider range of flour than dunnes or tesco. all sorts of strong, extra-strong, wholemeal, organic and whatever else you're looking for. they also have lesser known varieties such as spelt and rye.

in general tho, yes, i would agree, breadflour is just strong flour (it often says on the package suitable for bread machines)

Nevyn

Spelt Flour is what you need.

Magic Monkey

And for things like focaccia or pizza dough, you can get "oo" flour for about €2/kg in some Italian places around Dublin; it's recommended over regular strong flour.

thumpybum

I picked up a bag of that odlums strong flour in dunnes on the way home last night and gave it a shot. Definitely an improvement in texture and taste, but its a brown and Im looking for a white. There were a few "bread mixes" but again they were all for scones or soda breads. There was a white bread flour there but it was a gluten free one and something like 5e a bag.

So focaccia and spelt flour. Anyone know for definite a location I can pick these up?

catho_monster

thumpybum wrote:

I picked up a bag of that odlums strong flour in dunnes on the way home last night and gave it a shot. Definitely an improvement in texture and taste, but its a brown and Im looking for a white. There were a few "bread mixes" but again they were all for scones or soda breads. There was a white bread flour there but it was a gluten free one and something like 5e a bag.

So focaccia and spelt flour. Anyone know for definite a location I can pick these up?

strong flour should be white?...

spelt flour you can get in health food shops, but does that not usually make really dense bread, rather than light?...

Alun

You can get strong flour in both white and wholemeal. Odlums sell both kinds, although in Dunnes at least, the white one seems to sell out more quickly than the wholemeal and can be difficult to get sometimes.

Personally I find a 100% wholemeal loaf a bit too heavy for my taste, so I usually use a 70% wholemeal 30% white mix, or occasionally a 50/50 mix.

joolsveer

Lidl do a number of bread mixes suitable for bread machines. I have used them (although I don't have a machine) and I think they are fine.

brianthebard

Thaedydal wrote:

Spelt Flour is what you need.

Why's that?

sudzs

I've been baking bread for years! But a few months ago my bread wasn't as good as usual.

I had a look at my trusty Odlums bag and they seemed to have changed the flour. It seems that whey have stopped using the strong flour and now use plain flour with extra gluten added. It doesn't make a HUGE difference but it's just not the same.

I buy Sainsburys Strong White flour now instead. Much better!

Alun

sudzs wrote:

I've been baking bread for years! But a few months ago my bread wasn't as good as usual.

I had a look at my trusty Odlums bag and they seemed to have changed the flour. It seems that whey have stopped using the strong flour and now use plain flour with extra gluten added. It doesn't make a HUGE difference but it's just not the same.

I buy Sainsburys Strong White flour now instead. Much better!

Interesting .. I've been noticing the same thing too. I think it has a lot to do with global wheat crops and where they can buy in their stocks. Also a wheat crop varies from one year to another due to weather conditions etc. Also I suspect that even when they can get hold of sufficiently high gluten wheat, they possibly both blend it and/or augment it with added gluten to bring it up to a consistent level,