September 5, 2010 - 12:37am
Where to get fresh ground flours in SF Bay Area and Sacramento Area.
I read on another bread baking website that for home bakers it is best to use fresh ground flour for our breads. Does anyone here do that? Where would I get fresh ground flour? Or the fresh items to grind my own (I can probably do this in my Vitamix)?
I want to make the best breads possible with the best ingredients possible. I'm sure I can find better than the bulk bins at Winco ;)
Thanks in advance for all the suggestions!
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You could try your local Great Harvest Bread Company. We grind our whole wheat flour fresh from the berries on stones each day. Just walk in and ask if you can purchase a few pounds. They would most likely be glad to help you out.
Do the Great Harvest stores use little Meadows mills? I had no idea they grind their own flour.
At risk of starting an unhelpful flame war, I'll be a contrarian here:
Fresh ground flours and/or growing your own wheat can make the difference between the 97th percentile and the 99th percentile. They are not however something worth pursuing when you're just starting. There's a whole lot of things like temperature, measuring, steam generation, scoring technique, storage, and so forth that can have dramatic effects on the bread you bake. My suggestion is to master all those things first before searching for "fresh ground" flour.
I agree flour from the bulk bins or the big box stores may not be what you want even for starters. But before jumping all the way to "fresh ground", consider the flour sold in sacks by your local supermarket. Just be sure you get "unbleached, unbromated". And buy in small enough quantities (ex: a 5-pound sack or even a 1-pound sack) you're not stuck with a huge amount of flour you don't want if you make a wrong choice.
That actually makes alot of sense. I still have alot to learn and it is nice to have some one be able to put things in perspective!