Flour recommendation

Gold Medal AP unbleached is my favorite-economical price, (often on sale) and performs well. I also don't like chewy bread and that happens with a bread or higher protein flour or when adding vital wheat gluten. When I buy in bulk, I might buy Dakota Maid AP Unbl, Ceresota AP unbl.. Pillsbury unbl. AP is also good.

KA, Hodgsen Mill, Bob's Red Mill and local mill flours are all very good, generally. Just more costly.

For any flours, lately, I keep a part of the label with brand and batch info taped to my flour container in case of recall. There have been several E.coli(??)contamination recalls lately for Gold Medal and Robin Hood flours. (Another local but untried brand.) I also have taken to washing out the flour container between bags and not mixing flours in the storage container.

I find high gluten AP and bread flour like KA to be overkill for bread.  The flour is great and high quality but it just doesn't make the kind of bread I like.  For store bought unbleached I like Gold Medal and Pillsbury but my go to flour for bread is LaFama AP from Mexico.  It is bleached, 11.2% protein but at 30 cents a pound it can't be beat and I have been using Alberson's bread flour mixed half and half if I want more gluten.  Only two of the 30 proteins in flour make gluten so it isn't the percent of protein that matters but the kind of protein in the flour.  Hard, spring, white wheat has way more gluten forming proteins in it than hard, winter, red wheat even though they have the same protein amounts.  For high gluten flour for bagels I use the HG flour from the bins at Smart and Final at 67 cent a pound.  Winco also has good unbleached AP in their bins for 47 cents a pound.

Here's the thing about KA AP flour, it fluctuates in price wildly.  Why?  I haven't a clue.  Trader Joe's AP flour is virtually the same formula and its price is constant....$3 for 5lb.  Same for the TJ white whole wheat.  I've checked the ingredients of AP flour and sometimes the store brands at $2 for 5 lb. are the same ingredient formula as KA AP.  My go-to is Trader Joe's but I have also tried Heckers, Gold Medal, and when it is in the $3 range, King Arthur.  I cannot see any difference in the final product.  

FYI, my leavening is strictly sourdough starter (AP flour and water) which has been kept going happily for the last 12 years on whatever AP flour I've got. 

All my loaves have 50% whole grains, usually a combination of whole wheat, rye and oatmeal. So I need a good, consistently strong bread flour and have found King Arthur bread flour meets that need. I've made lots of good bread with the Gold Medal Better for Bread and I will use that if King Arthur is not available or if the KA price is totally out of line. As far as AP is concerned, I'll use anything unbleached, even store brand. For the whole wheat, I always use King Arthur, and Hodgson's Mill for rye.

I use Dakota Maid AP and I've never had issues. Plus it's the cheapest stuff in the store.

 I've taken a number of classes at the San Francisco Baking Institute. They specialize in artisan bread, and they use Gold Medal Bread Flour. ( The commercial flour is sold under the name Gold Medal Harvest King, but it'a the same Gold Medal Bread Flour.)   It has higher protein than most AP flours, but not as high as King Arthur. I agree with another comment that King Arthur flours are overkill when it comes to protein levels. The Gold Medal bread flour makes a beautiful artisan loaf. 

Having used a broad range of flours in the past 40 (already?!) years, I confess to not seeing enough difference to make me want to pay premium prices.  If your bread tastes good, if the flour behaves reasonably well for the style of bread being baked, then I'd say that the flour is just fine even if it is store's house brand.  Each of us work with our own self-imposed set of requirements, so we have to decide which flour suits our intent.

Specifically to your question, Gold Medal flours will produce lovely breads for considerably less cost than KAF flours, at least as they are priced in my area.  And so will other brands.

Paul

I've been buying online Type 85 High Extraction flour from New York Bakers located in the San Diego area. Fair price and prompt delivery. Today I ordered the French flour type 65 for baguettes. Here is link:

https://nybakers.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&zenid=d85fad6c65081b6ef2b3cb9246ff2d24&keyword=type+65&x=0&y=0

ps...And if you ever want to put that little temperature degree symbol "º" before the F or C just hold down the ALT key and using the numeric keypad, type 167

I'd like to piggyback off of this thread. I seem to have three decent choices of flour here in Taiwan: Bob's Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour, Gold Medal Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, and Gold Medal Bread Flour. Which of these would be the best choice in your opinion?

Thanks. 

Any of those flours are a good choice. Whichever one is cheapest and most available would be my choice. I prefer AP over bread flour and use Gold Medal unbleached all the time. My breads turn out to my satisfaction and the flour usually (here in USA) goes on sale for a great price. You won't notice much difference in product between the flours, in my opinion.