The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

KA bread flour vs Bob's artisanal BF / Wheat Montana BF?

katyajini's picture
katyajini

KA bread flour vs Bob's artisanal BF / Wheat Montana BF?

 

I dont have any extensive experience with bread flours from different companies but I have tried a few supermarket ones.  For me, KA bread flour stands out for its gluten strength.  It rises really well and can lift inclusions and whole grain flours pretty nicely.  Also the flavor seems neutral and mild.  I have gotten used to this flour for those reasons; also, I can find it more or less reliably and its not too expensive. I have seen Bob's Artisanal BF but it tended to be quite expensive where I shop for the amount of baking and experimenting I did/do.  So I have not tried it so far. Now I see walmart.com sells Bob's at a reasonable price.  Walmart.com is also offering  Wheat Montana BF.  I use Wheat Montana AP flour and it is quite lovely.   Have you used Bob's and/or Wheat Montana bread flour? How have they worked for you and how would you describe them?  How do these compare to KA bf since that's the only point of reference I have at the moment? Thank you so much!
Ming's picture
Ming

I have been using KA and Gold Medal BFs since those are what I can find locally. I cannot tell which is better for my pizza and baguette doughs but GM's are usually a lot cheaper, as I usually can find them for around $3.5 per 5 lb bag. However, I have just got some Bob's Artisan BF this week online from Vitacost, I have not used it yet, I expect it to be not much difference than the twos I have been using. The nice thing about KA flours is that they list the protein % which I don't see from the others. 

Ming's picture
Ming

katyajini's picture
katyajini

Thank you Ming!  I have used GM BF a good bit too.  I like it.  Its much softer, even softer than KA AP.  But it worked well for me whoever I have used it. Thank you for pointing to Vitacost for Bob's flours.  All of the flours I might want are a good deal cheaper there.  Doesn't it feel exciting to get a shipment of goodies for your bread baking?!  You are going to have so much fun. I would love to know how you feel about Bob's BF after you have a chance to use it and if you find the time.  Happy Baking :)

Ming's picture
Ming

Exciting indeed for my new found love of bread making. I got 20% off for this shipment with free two day shipping and they just sent me a new coupon this week. 

phaz's picture
phaz

Suggestion. Stick with the floors that work well with your formulas. Especially if you're a what I call a scaler ie, everything is weighed and recipe is followed to a t. There will be differences in different flours, some slight, some more than slight, and if you don't know how to adjust you'll have issues. Enjoy! 

VE11's picture
VE11

I have found there is a lot of difference between flours. From the type of wheat, the the size of the grind, the protein % and so on… I highly recommend one researches everything they can on flours. Using the right flour can make a big difference. Things to look up are the Italian (Caputo) and other European flours. NA flour like Manitoba, red wheat. If you are looking for a super high protein BF try GM All Trumps 14.7 % protein! My go to pizza flour. Unfortunately it’s mostly sold only to bakeries in 50lbs or 25lbs bags. I split one with a neighbor.
Enjoy!