Several people have written in lately asking where certain ingredients for
bread baking can be found locally, specifically, First Clear Flour.
I have never seen this particular flour at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or any
health food store. Sherri suggested one try his local baker. That's a good
idea. Recently I visited our local Great Harvest Bread Company. I didn't ask
about clear flour at the time but they were most interested in my buying any
ingredients I might want. Will call them or visit them soon and see if they
have this flour. Like many of you I use it all the time for my rye and
pumpernickel breads and I just love it.
I did check the bag from King Arthur Flours.....the only place I can find
this flour.....It lists "wheat flour" (doesn't say what kind....whole wheat
or white) but it looks like white flour to me. The other flour is "malted
barley flour." If you can find a source for malted barley flour perhaps you
can try mixing it in 3/4 to 1/4 and see how that works.
Yes, Sherri, Trader Joe's is a great source for KAF's regular flours, stoned
ground whole wheat, 100% white whole wheat, all-purpose unbleached white
flour, and their bread flour. Incidentally, I don't have a bread machine,
but do buy their White Bread Flour because it's higher in protein and I like
it for loaf breads and hearth-style breads.
For those of you have access to Whole Foods, they are now selling the bread
flour in their bulk food section (the price is good) as well as the other
regular flours in their bagged-food section.
Recently I was disappointed to find Whole Foods no is no longer carrying
non-fat, non-instant dried milk. And also discovered they aren't carrying
Lora Brody's products, either. This is so frustrating.
Once we had true "Health Food Stores" in the DC area, but most now are
Nutritional Stores which don't carry baking products. What a shame. Guess
many people today think one is going to live forever on vitamin pills,
supplements, herbal teas and crystals (the kind you wear around your neck).
More's the pity.