>So ... no more flour freezer storage for me.
Some types of whole grain flour will begin to turn rancid if stored at room
temperature for a long period of time (one source I read said that the shelf
life of these flours was about one month). Whole wheat and rye flours are
often cited examples. White flours, such as bread flour, apparently do not
suffer from this problem because they lack the oily portions of the grain.
I store all of my *grain* flour in the fridge, except for a small container
that I store at room temperature. When I bake I use the room temperature
flour, replacing it from the supply in the fridge. Since I bake about once a
week I don`t worry about the flour turning rancid. I`ve read that some bread
machines have a pre-heat cycle that makes room temperature storage unnecessary,
though mine (an R2D2) doesn`t do this.
I also try to purchase flour from a source that has a quick turnover, so that
(hopefully) I`m always getting reasonably fresh product. Does all this make a
difference? I *think* so, but since I`m usually changing several variables at
once I`m not positive.
/Don
wegeng.henr801c@xerox.com