Great Flour Priced Right!
I was very happy to see in my local Piggly Wiggly store they are now carrying Dakota Maid AP and bread flour. I have been buying this brand for the last year, first by direct shipments from the mill and later from a large warehouse style local supermarket (Woodman's). The price from the mill was near $1.00 per pound after shipping doubled the flour cost. Woodman's had it for $2.50 for a 5 pound bag which was a good price. Yesterday I bought a 5 pound bag of AP for $2.00 and a 10 pound bag of bread flour for $4.16. I'm very pleased to have such a great product available locally at such reasonable pricing.
The DM All Purpose is a wonderful flour for any lean mixes. The color it produces when done is a nice golden brown. The level of malt in the blend makes this a favorite and reliable stock for me here in the Midwest.
Eric
Montana Maid, or Dakota Maid(DM)?
With half my brain tied behind my back I wrote Montana Maid but used DM later. It is DAKOTA MAID from the North Dakota Mill. I read this is the only State owned mill in the United States.
Eric
Yesterday at my supermarket King Arthur was 5.60 for a 5 pound bag. Dakota Maid was 2.00 for the same type flour. There is nothing bad about KA products except the price. Personally, I prefer the DM AP and BF without regard to price. I see on a post above that Sams Club is carrying it for $.28 per pound.
Eric
Is cheaper at Wal-mart than at the KA store. $3.16 (I think) for 5 lbs. I buy 5 at a time.
I've never used Dakota Maid flour (not sold in my area), but think the name "Piggly Wiggly" would keep me giggling as I shopped. What a fun name!
Lindy,
I'm 62 and still remember as a young boy visiting my grandparents in Bloomington IL. They lived a block away from the Piggly Wiggly and of course it was fun to say back then. It must be one of the oldest running chains in the US. Still fun to say isn't it? They are a great store around here, usually individually owned.
Eric
At least here in MN does not carry any good flours. KA is about 3.99 for 5 pounds at Hy-Vee. Maybe Sam's Club does, but I don't "belong". I grind a whole wheat red and regular brand at Hy-Vee but the name escapes me (has a native American on the picture). Yes, we had a Piggly Wiggly and the picture of the pig would have you laughing too, winking at you, like the Red Owl! How would you go about buying in bulk locally? I guess Pillsbury is in Mpls. LOL!
Andrea
The flours with the Native American logo are probably from WheatMontana. Some of the Hy-Vee stores in the KC area have the wheat berrys for their Bronze Chief and Prairie Gold varieties to be milled in the store. The mills are provided by Wheat Montana and located in the health food sections of the stores. The Natural White AP is sold in 5# bags.
The local Wal Mart has WheatMontana Red Chief wheat berries in 25# bags on a shelf next to the Bronze Chief flour. If Wally World in your neighborhood doesn't stock the 25# bag, talk to the management to get some ordered for milling at home. The price should be around $12.
I'll second Eric's judgement on the Dakota Maid flour. I picked a 10# bag of bread flour and a 10# bag of AP at a Festival market in WI. Both were less than $5 each. I've been using the BF and it's more than worth the cost. Too bad that they don't distribute in the KC, MO area.
Eric, I do have a question for you. Do you find the DM bread flour to be on the thirsty side? I found I had to go up from 66-67% hydration to 70% and even with that, I may go up to 72%. It's still good stuff.
Sigh, North America seems to be living in a realm of its own.. Wheat Prices are 50% higher than 3 months ago. Sobs! Eric, send me some cheap flour!
Khalid
So sorry Khalid to hear of the rise in wheat prices. From the news recently in Russia I should think the world price will be shifting up to reflect a harsh year. The weather has been strange all over. I saw a story about how the fruits and vegetables in California are slow to ripen due to the cool temperatures. We plan and god laughs.
Eric
I live in Northern Minnesota and its readily available here. When i first started baking i was grabbing flour without really thinking about it. Gold Medal and Pillsbury are on EVERY shelf here. I bought a 10# bag of Dakota Maid a couple years ago because it was cheap, and after using it for a couple years now im totally sold on it. I have bought quite a few bags of KA and just cant justify the price difference and honestly i think Dakota Maid makes a better product. I can buy a 25# bag of DM for less than a 10# bag of KA. And finally i like that im supporting a midwestern mill making a great product. =)