November 30, 2023 - 3:19pm
Flour in the Boston area
I am looking for stores with exciting flours and I can't seem to locate any. Does anyone have any recommendations?
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I am looking for stores with exciting flours and I can't seem to locate any. Does anyone have any recommendations?
Try Elmendorf baking company in Cambridge, they have a great selection of flours: https://www.elmendorfbaking.com/ From their web site:
Here at Elmendorf we mill more than 20 varieties of grain in small batches to make the freshest, most flavorful flour you can possibly imagine! Our grain comes to us directly from small family farms, locally whenever possible, which allows us to offer a range of really special options, including a large selection of heirloom and organic grain.
Another great option is Mighty Mill in Lynn. https://www.onemightymill.com/collections/all-products-1
They have only two flours but both are locally milled, fresh and excellent, I bake with them all the time.
I'm not sure if it would be "exciting", but stores of the Great Harvest Bread Company grind their own whole wheat flour and I've been able to buy it from them a few pounds at a time. The store owners I've talked with have been enthusiastic about their stores and products, and have been very willing to sell flour. I'm sure they would tell one the varieties and origin.
(This is going back 15 years or so but I don't imagine things have changed much).
There are a couple of the stores in the general Boston area, I think.
TomP
I didn't realize Great Harvest sold their flour, that's great to know, as there's one just down the street from me in Lexington. I just checked their web site, and the online ordering form lists "5 lb wheat flour freshly milled at bakery. $12" as a product available to order.
I used to just blip in and ask the owner or staff. But I'm pretty sure they had no online ordering back then.
Great Harvest is an interesting chain. They have very good consistency in their products, which are nice loaves of bread. They really do make them locally. Yet their breads are not at all to my taste. All the ones I know about have virtually no crust and soft, usually sweetish uniform crumb even though they are obviously baked as hearth breads. I, on the other hand, usually want a hard thin crackly crust, a richly flavored bread but not sweet, with a deep crust color that adds to the flavor. Even with an enriched sandwich bread I still want some crust and deep color.
So I appreciate GH breads and yet don't much want to buy them,
Went to Elmendorf this weekend and I was really impressed by the whole store/bakery. I finally managed to get some cracked rye for Nordic rye breads and they milled it right on the spot! $3.5 a pound is not too bad of a price either. I can also recommend Azure Standard in terms of diversity and good price - they have local pickups once a month in Newton and the delivery fee is very reasonable. I am yet to bake with the flour, but I hope it is good!