Mexican flour to make artisan-style bread

AP flour.  It is my favorite flour to make bread mixed with home milled whole grains.  It is 11.2 % protein and makes great bread all on its own.  It is 35 cents a pound in 20 pound bags here in Phoenix but less in Mexico.

Pablo,

Yes I do have the same frustrations living down here.  We live in Baja Sur in a small fishing village named San Juanico.  It is four hours north of La Paz.

I have attempted to supplement some local flours with Vital Gluten from Bob's Red Mill.  It does help but just doesn't make it.  So, for my chewy doughs like Pizza dough, sour dough's, bagels, etc. I have to draw on friends coming down to bring some good bread flour.

Now, good news……. I have found a remarkable local flour that has a protein of 11.2g.  It preforms like an AP and I found it to be great to use for French baguettes and several other things.

My problem with some of the other local flours is that I think it is ground mainly for tortilla's,,, very fine.  I'm probably incorrect, but it just does not preform for the "chewy" types of doughs.

So, when I get someone to "pack-muel" a 50lb bag of hi-gluten bread flour down I break it down into 1 gallon zip bags and keep it in a special fridge so "little-friends" don't blossom.

If you find a brand that works for you and is local please, please send me the information!  But see if you have the following flour where you are.

6532.

 to the flour?  

or try one egg white (weigh into the water) for 500g flour and see what it does for you.

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/32045/posible-get-unbleached-flour-un-mexico

Is there a local bakery that you can ask if they will sell you some flour? In the US, I have found small local bakers to be helpful. I know that many Chicagoland panaderias prefer bleached flours and, if that is any indication of the Mexican market, unbleached flour may be more difficult to obtain. Maybe you have a local artisan baker using it?

Reposada Alta Proteina from Sam's Club Mexico looks to be about 11.5-12% high quality protein--which would make it a an all-purpose/bread flour like product. Gruma SA, the largest miller in Mexico who also make & distribute the Robin Hood brand in Mexico and South America, sell to Sam's Club. The listing does not say if it is bleached or not, my guess is that it is. Beware, they are 44kg bags; Mexican bakers must be stronger than their US and Canadian counterparts where the large bags are 50lb or 20kg :)

Here are several flour mills with higher protein products several of which are available in smaller packages which I take to be retail products. If the protein is high quality, they would be good for crusty breads.

Harinas Elizondo the advertised products are all bleached.

Harinera Beleño advertise several flours that should work for crusty hearth breads. They show the Centenario in 1 kg bags.

Harinera Guadalupe Optima

Any mill is can make unbleached flour. It is possible that they have unbleached versions that are not generally listed; however, they may not be readily available is smaller quantities.

You could try emailing these companies and asking who distributes or sells their products near where you live.

Pablo,

Here is a hi-gluten bread flour that I have found, but it is 'bleached' using benzoid peroxide.  I know that most of us prefer not to use bleached flours and I certainly try to avoid them.  Although living in Baja, with the same problem you are having on mainland, I find myself using 'bleached' bread flours quite often.

Cornelius, my old sourdough starter, has never minded my using the bleached flours.  I guess that he is a strong little cuss.

Like I said before, most of my bread flours are brought down to me in 50 pound bags by friends.  I try to ask them to get 'unbleached', but beggars can not be to choosey.  I would dearly love to find something down here so I don't have to humble myself to friends…… Although they all say that they don't mind.

Anyway here is some literature on a hi-gluten bread flour from the following Mexican site:

http://www.canimolt.org/harina/marcas-de-harina-de-trigo/Harinas-Elizondo

It looks pretty good, but again it is 'bleached'…… 

I'm going to contact them and ask if it can be purchased in Baja Sur, California.  And also ask some local suppliers where I am about it.  Although they are is short supply in Baja.

Stay positive and keep on the 'hunt'…….

I do not like flavor of the Espuma de Chapala at all and prefer Selecta brand 10% protein.  I love to bake pizza, pitas and pan de mie using recipes from programs Juilia Child did with expert chefs but also make cinnamon rolls, biscotti, scones and croissants.  No one complains.   

Pablo, what type of oven are you baking with and could the altitude/climate be a factor?  I'm always so pleased with everything I make so would be very hesitant to recommend what I'm using since I'm a bit inexperienced and still learning about baking.  I've been buying my white flours at Costco and wheat flours in Abastos, Guadalajara.  The last wheat flour purchase, the kilo bags of flour all had a hue of cinnamon flavor to which we are puzzled.

Lemon juice is also a substitute for cream of tarter and yes, lime juice works just fine.

I was looking for an online Facebook baker's group in our area but didn't find one so I started one this afternoon if anyone is interested.   I've read this forum for a couple of years, it's very resourceful but still get lost in the forum :)https://www.facebook.com/groups/breadbakerslakechapala/