Ontario Flour, Equipment, and Bakeries

Thanks for putting this list together, it's great to have a few potential equipment suppliers to check out.

Have you used Harvest before? And if so, do they do smaller orders? 

Thanks for putting this list together.

In my search for rye flour at a decent price, I asked at a Cob's if it might be possible to buy rye flour from them. Alas, the answer was no. (The fellow was very nice about it though.) One of our local health food stores sells organic rye flour for $1/lb (just over $2/kilo).

Another bakery to add:

ACE bakery 1 Hafis Road, Toronto, Ontario (near Keele and Lawrence)

The ACE Bakery [is an] artisan bakery creating handmade, European-style rustic breads. The gentle shaping of each loaf, long periods for slow rising, and a stone-deck oven, all work to create exceptionally flavourful breads. We use only the best, all-natural ingredients, with no preservatives.

Ace has introduced a bake your own version of their bread. I had one of their baguettes the other night at friends; it was very good. For the Ace outlet nearest you: (416) 241-3600, or 1-800-443-7929

-Elizabeth, in West Toronto

P.S. As much as I like Ace bread, I'd still rather eat bread I'd made here at home....

Thanks for the Ontario source list! I'm currently waiting for some hard white spring wheat through Merrylynd (note spelling) since they are in my area and I wanted to find a locally grown and processed flour.  The reason I'm waiting is that they told me the quality for their own wheat was poor last year with all the rain and cold and that this particular batch is still local but not from their own farm. It  should be available in the next few days.  Merrylynd does not sell unbleached white, but they carry something called "fine sifted" or "light" wheat flour, which has had the bran sifted out of it.  I'm not sure how well it compares to AP or unbleached bread flour but I like the fact that it still has the wheat germ in it.  (Is anyone out there familiar with this version of wheat flour?) Since I'll be buying a 25 kilo bag I'll be experimenting and will report back!

Bulk Barn does have a good selection of flour (not organic though) but I'd like to know where it comes from. I will try to find out.

Thanks for the useful post!

Can anyone recommend a source for fresh yeast in the TO area?

I invite you to sample the breads at my bakery. Blak's Bakery 1022 Langlois Ave, Windsor, On. 519-253-4344

We have been baking at the same location since 1918 and use the orginal brick oven installed by my grandfather in 1918.

We think we have some the best rye bread you will ever taste.

Just thought to add a southern Ontario source that has not been mentioned as yet.  Grain Process Enterprises, 105 Commander Blvd, Scarborough M1S 3M7; 416-291-3226, is actually a warehouse operation that sells primarily to the baking trade.  However, they do have a smallish retail store, pretty basic, and carry both large bags and small of some of the flours mentioned, including Red Fife, organic bread flour, etc., plus a pretty good selection of bulk instant yeast, seeds, nuts and so on.  The prices are pretty good and the turnover is high.  I've been using their unbleached bread flour for years with consistently good results.

Commander Blvd. runs west off McCowan, something like three or four lights north of the 401.  Grain Process is on the left hand side, just at a pronounced bend in the road and set back quite a bit.  The retail operation does not have a sign, as such, just an Open sign in the door glass at the back of the parking lot.  Not normally open Saturdays, except in summer.

It's also worth mentioning that there are some very good Portuguese bakeries in the west end of the city (north of Bloor).  Don't have any names at the moment, but I'll try to get them and report.  There's nothing quite like a corn flour roll from one of them.  Tried to get the recipe; failed miserably.  Interesting cakes and such, too.

CJ

Hi Canuck,

Thanks for adding Grain Process to the list.  Would love to see a specifications sheet for their unbleached bread flour.  Any chance you could post one?  Personally have not baked with this flour but would love to try sometime.

Thanks,

Simon

Baking in Guelph...

Simon,

Sorry, I don't have a spec sheet on their "Hard Unbleached White Flour," but you could probably get the info by calling them.  I was told, verbally, that the proteing content runs at about 13.5% and the hard, red spring wheat grain comes from southeaster Saskatchewan.  No info on ash content, though.  About the most complete specs I've seen (right on the bag) comes from LaMilanese in Quebec.

CJ

Their bread flour contains government mandated vitamins and minerals: thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, iron, folic acid, calcium.

CJ

Dover mills supplies most of the flour to  Bulk Barn. I was in contact with Dover mill and was told they do not sell to the public but could get their flour at Bulk Barn.

I noted this in another thread: There's a place in Hamilton called Traynor's who supply the bakery biz but you can walk in and order just one or two bags.

More details in the original post here. And possibly more sources.

IMO, we have a hidden treasure here in the Ottawa area. Mountain Path Inc stone mills organic flour, and also has the best organic large flake oatmeal I've ever had (I'm a bit of an oatmeal connoisseur). My family has started getting most of our organic groceries and home supplies from them. I believe they have free or nearly free deliveries for much of the Ottawa area on orders above $300 and, if I'm not mistaken, free delivers to Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada on deliveries over $1000. I only discovered their grocery service recently (up until now, we've been buying their flour and oatmeal in small packets from the local health food store)...

http://mountainpath.com

Mountain Path Organics

10755 Pepperville Road  Mountain, ON K0E 1S0

(613) 989-2973

Hi folks,

I stumbled on this site and thread when searching online for whole rye flour sources in Ontario; I'm located in Toronto. 

Recently learned about K2 milling in Tottenham (West of HWY 400, a bit South of Alliston) and figured it'd make a good addition to the list. Small mill producing locally sourced, mostly organic flours. 

Their sites are below;

http://www.k2milling.blogspot.com/

https://sites.google.com/site/k2millingltd/home

It's not mentioned on the site but they take cash only. 

Pic currenlty on the top of the blog is of two loaves I made with 50% AP and 50% red fife adapted from the rustic bread recipe from this site. 

I purchased a few different whole grain flours when I visited them last week and so far am happy with the quality and prices were reasonable, IMO. 

Haven't tried their light flour yet as I've still got a few kilos of boring grocery store flour to work through.

At last I've found a source for Rogers' Flour (rogersfoods.com) in Toronto. It's not Ontario flour but it is available in Ontario. Their "no additive" all-purpose is available in 10kg bags (smaller ones too) at Highland Farms Grocery Stores (highlandfarms.ca) Also available are smaller bags of Roger's dark rye flour  and 100% whole wheat.

Here's what Rogers website reports about the whole wheat flour:

A high quality flour made from Canadian hard
spring wheat containing the goodness of the
whole wheat kernel.

• No Chemical Additives
• No Bleaching Agents
• No Conditioners
• No Preservatives

We've been making bread for the last month with Rogers' flour and are really happy with it. Almost ecstatic, even. My husband had developed a sensitivity to flour with the additive Azodicarbonamide [ADA] (at least we think it was this that was making the skin on his hands peel off). ADA is defined alternately as a bleaching agent or enhancing agent. Unfortunately, both Robin Hood and Five Roses "unbleached" flour have ADA added to them. So does Loblaws No Name so-called unbleached flour. So does Weston's flour. (Note that ADA is forbidden as a flour additive in many parts of Europe - because it's unsafe. Congratulations North America for ignoring the health concerns of many just so profits can stay nice and high!!)

-Elizabeth

P.S. Next time I go to Highland Farms, I'll see if Rogers White Bread Flour is there too. It too is unbleached. And then... bagels!!!

Ontario residents

do not forget about CIPM. They produce a range of organic flours. The owner is Patricia Hastings