Quality Flour in Toronto.

I buy my daily use flour at Costco in 20kg bleached all purpose bags for $13.99 each. I buy 5lb packs of King Arthur flour whenever I go to the US.

If you can, contact Dawn Foods to try and source King Arthur flour, they have an office in the GTA.  Another alternative if you don't minde the drive is London, ON where I live.  There is a flour mill in Arva, unbleached flour is about $22 per 20kg bag.

Wait for a Bulk Barn coupon and buy a few of the large 2lb yeast packages.  I keep a container of it in my freezer, and a smaller container in my fridge for daily use.

Don't know if this is too far to travel for you but it may fine be if you're looking for big amounts at really good prices.

There's a place called Traynor's in Hamilton that sells all manner of flour in large quantities. I got my flour there (Dover's Vienna) for ~$13 for a 20k bag. I picked up one bag of "Vienna" Unbleached Bread and one bag Unbleached All Purpose every three or four months. Although it's a trip into Hamilton and you have to deal with all their one way streets, it's worth it.

They have other brands of flour but I found Dover a very good one. You could give them a call ahead of time (regular M-F biz hours) and ask them what brands they have in unbleached bread. Then you can research which kind is considered best before you visit.

Once you get there, walk into the office upstairs from the door at the furthest left side of the building, give the guy or woman your order.  Be SURE to note you want UNBLEACHED or they'll give your bleached by default. Then pay for your bags - cash is fine - then take the order sheet to the loading dock. They'll go fetch the bags and drop them off at the dock door. You then grab and walk them over to your car. 

They aren't Artisan Bread experts so don't expect much help from the office folks on what type of flour to get. They supply big bakeries so they deal a lot in mixes and bleached flour. The fact they have unbleached bread flour and will sell one or two large bags at wholesale prices to someone who just walks in for cash is the golden egg here.

They don't have a website nor answer emails. They are old school. And they're a little difficult to get to (Hamilton has weird streets). 

Traynor's Bakery Wholesale
191 Victoria Ave South
Hamilton, ON L8N 0A4

(905) 522-2730

Google: http://goo.gl/maps/9Env

Added: You might want to check with your Bulk Barn staff and see who makes the unbleached bread flour they put in the bins. Although they don't put brand names on the containers, they are not adverse to letting you know who's product it is. I believe that the bread flour may even be Dover brand. If so, then I'd say you have a good flour right there already. Just because it's bulk flour doesn't mean it is low quality. In any case, find out what you are getting before hunting for "better" stuff.

Happy baking,

Paul 
Yumarama

Suggest you search out the recent thread on Toronto sources, where you'll find Grain Process Enterprises, 105 Commander Blvd. (Commander and McCowan).  They will have what you need.  King Arthur has no interest whatever in setting up operations in Canada; I asked.  Some high end grocery stores in the city are carrying La Milanese flours from Quebec: excellent.  SAF is being imported by a group in QC, but supply seems spotty as yet.  You might have to order it online.  Italian flours, Caputo for example, can be found in Italian markets in Woodbridge and Richmond Hill.

CJ

I do all of my flour buying at bulk barn as well. I'd be interested in who their supplier is as well - I've been quite happy with the results so I never bothered to look further. I was buying 'Robin Hood Best For Bread Homestyle White Flour' until I found out it's bleached - the name would leave you to believe otherwise :) Bulk Barn's spelt (I think it's organic) is quite nice and makes a nice 'nutty' flavored loaf - I add a little to most of my sourdough loaves - I much prefer it over whole wheat.

If you're set on looking for better (aka more expensive) I did find the 'La Milanese flours from Quebec' at my local http://www.naturesemporium.ca/ be warned  - it's quite expensive - too rich for me!

Is your wheat or rye starter doubling? What ratio are you feeding with the bread flour?

All normal, its just enriched flour with vitamins/minerals.  Stay clear of "bromated" flours for sure.

Recently, I was contacted by the Toronto/GTA representative for CIPM, a certified organic grower and flour miller.  This is a pretty small operation in eastern Ontario, and, at the moment, their flour list is pretty short, but interesting:  Red Fife, Hard Red Winter Wheat, Rye, Spelt and Buckwheat.  All are available in 2.5 or 20 Kg bags.  The smaller amounts are packaged in old-time cotton sacks. Soft White Wheat and Hard White Wheat are in the works.  These flours are stone ground and pretty heavy in the bran department, so the usual procedures followed when using whole grain flours apply.  Preliminary tests show them to be of very high quality.  If you're interested, send me a message on the Forum or an email, and I'll forward the rep's contact information.  And, no, I'm not commercially connected to CIPM.

CJ

I'd love to try WWW but haven't been able to find it (I'm just north of Toronto) is the CIPM flour going to be mail order? Did they give you any prices?

Jackie.

Jackie,

Don't know about mail order.  The flours they do have right now are $6.00 per 2.5 kg bag.  Why not send me an email at info@marygbread.com, and I'll forward the rep's phone number.  His name is Kevin, and I'm sure he'll be able to answer your questions.

CJ

I happened upon SAF Yeast at a Chinese grocery store this weekend, what a surprise find! I don't shop there often so I can't say if they have it all the time. But it is on the shelf now and priced at $4.99 for 1 LB, which is cheaper than what some online Toronto retailers offer. The grocery store is called Foody Mart in English, the address is:

355 Bamburgh Circle  Scarborough, ON M1W 3Y1
(416) 490-9890

It is in the Western food aisle.