May 23, 2015 - 8:43am
Hello I'm James
I like bread.im happy to be reading and thinking about baking.i was a dishwasher at a bakery 20 years ago when I got my girlfriend ( now wife) pregnant. My boss' decided it was time for me to learn the trade. I will always be greatful to them for giving me bread.later I learned other aspects of baking. What I do now dosent involve making bread so I make it at home on most weekends.
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Hi James, I live 30 miles N of Seattle. I worked as a baker for a large school district in Texas in the 70's, but then college demanded my attention and I became a RN. My residency was here in the Pacific NW. I have been baking my bread at home for about 50 years now. If you find anyone in your area that sells TRULY a medium Rye...I'd love to hear it.
Why Hello neighbor
I used to use medium rye flour for walnut rye and medium rye meal for pumpernickel . I think I never used 100% rye in a bread , it was too dense and sticky and weird.I think its was like a 60/40 mix with unbleached bread flour .I will let you know if I come across some. Do you mean 100% medium rye?
Problem is that I have found that just because a co-op or bulk flour vendor labels something as a medium flour it may or may not be medium. The other day I drove all the way to Burlington to the Fairhaven organic flour mill http://www.fairhavenflour.com/pricelist.html
(The local co-op had it one week labeled as medium then another week as dark) and I discussed the issue with Fairhaven as well as picked up 25 lb of just ground DARK RYE (cause that is all that they make) as well as some other flour. They assured me that they do not sell anything but Dark Rye (and other types of organic flours). Fairhaven told me that the Mt. Vernon local co-op was much bigger than the one in Everett and they had a lot of different brands of flours. So I made a side trip to Mt. Vernon only to find that the only rye they sold was labeled as Fairhaven Organic MEDIUM rye (not meal). Long story short...I insisted that they show me the bag of rye flour that said it was medium and if it was medium I'd buy it. They basically did not know what they were selling, so I called Fairhaven and they told me they was aware that the "distributor" was selling and making the labels for the bulk bins saying it was "medium" for at least 2 years at that co-op (and perhaps Everetts co-op). ARGHGHG! He actually sent me to the co-op knowing they sold his dark Rye as medium! I was so aggravated that folks just didn't seem to understand you can't substitute a product and sell it for a premium price. Which is why I now will have to buy 25lb or more so I can see the bags labeling for myself.
This whole quest came about because of another brand of organic MEDIUM rye flour from Hummingbird Farms (Washington State grown) I like their rye but the co-op couldn't get it for a while and started selling Fairhaven. But same recipes were not the same with the different flours. Contacted Hummingbird to see if I could have some shipped to me. They said they had a shortage and it would be a month or more before they put it out again. When it came out...it had gone up $1.29 more a pound! $1.49 2 weeks ago and now it was $2.78 Which is how I got to learn that the only way I can be sure I have a medium, or DK flour and it is truly organic is to buy it at the source. BTW...Hummingbird only sells wholesale and the co-op could order it for me...but only in #50 and that is a bit too much. I do know about Bob's and have used their Dk for decades, but my quest was for medium rye. I guess the lesson in this is that the mills trust the distributors to sell their product as it is, and the Co-ops buy it from the distributor and they trust the distributors labeling rather than the bag labeling. My bags of flour clearly states the type of flour it is and it is organic. BTW...25lbs organic dk rye $18.00ish and organic white all purpose (from canada grain) was $26.00ish and the cost of gas for a sighseeing drive.
Right on I will re read this tomorrow .the brand I used to get in 50lb bags
was "win gold"of pendelton.I think its super cool that you are tracking down the flours you want and investigating and interviewing.The cost of gas for me would be worth it to be following a lead involved in an adventure.I also think its super cool that your buying local and organic. I will have to start paying more attention and I will let you know if I come across medium rye. Take Care.