I have been using bread mixes but would like to start making my own bread mix  with the goal being to never again purchase bread from the local grocer and yet be economically feasible.

I am interested primarily in whole wheat flour. Most recipes call for Gluten  if I am not purchasing bread flour which apparently already contains the gluten. I am having a hard time finding Whole Wheat Flour or Bread Flour. The one store I found the true whole wheat flour didnt carry Gluten.

Here are my questions. Do I need Gluten? Where is the best place to purchase my flour, yeast and gluten? Ive tried the local Sams club but they didnt have the flour. My local grocer didnt carry the Gluten or yeast (other than the individual packets). Do I need to go via special order? Any opinion on the best whole wheat flour?

Thanks in advance for ANY bread making tips.

Jill

-- Jill (jillkx@AOL.COM), February 06, 2000

Answers

Hi, there! I love to make bread, and have learned a lot about it this summer. A great deal of it was from a friend that I got to know on the net, named Beth Holland. I'll try to get back with you with her web site, because she has a lot of recipes there, and good tips. I have been getting my BREAD flour and bulk yeast from our food co-op. If you have one of those around you, I would highly reccommend that you join. Or, do you live in an area that has Amish farms? They will have bulk yeast at their store, too. The bulk yeast is CONSIDERABLY cheaper in bulk (I pay about the same amount for a POUND of yeast, that I would pay for the three-packet set at the grocerers. Are you sure that Sam's club doesn't carry bulk yeast? Seems that I heard that they did, around the last of the year. Anyway, store it in the freezer in a tightly closed jar, and a scant tablespoon equals one of those store packages. A pound will make a LOT of bread. Be sure that you use BREAD flour to make your bread, and again that is where your co-op will save you a lot of money. I buy it by the 50 pound bag, and the difference that it made in my bread was enough to convince Hubby to pay the extra per-pound price, over the price of general purpose flour. Bread flour is made of hard wheat (either red or white), and has more protien, called gluten. The bread is sturdier, with a nice texture that holds up well in sack lunches. General purpose flour makes bread, but your sandwich crumbles to bits in it's container, and you have to eat it with a spoon. Macho guys don't like to eat their sandwich with a spoon! Bread made with bread flour is also better in the toaster. I buy gluten at the co-op, too, at almost $3.00 a pound. It looks like unbleached flour, and I throw a handful or two into the bowl when I stir in the first bits of flour. There are specific ratios of gluten-to-flour, but I am not that scientific. It helps the elasticity of the dough, and the bread is just moister and better. A tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar in the dough mix will help the bread last a few days longer without molding. Kneading is important--it is hard to overdo this part. It strengthens the bread, AND your arms. I usually go until I am tired, and then knead a bit more. Hey--who needs a workout tape, anyway? I have a Corona grain grinder that I am learning to use to make whole wheat flour, from grain that I buy at the co-op. According to Beth (and she has studies to back her up), whole wheat flour loses most of it's vitimins within 24 hours of it's making. She believes that using only freshly ground whole wheat has made a world of difference in the health of her family. I do know that it is good. She sells the Country Living mills, and they are lovely, but I can't swing the $300. plus that the new ones cost. I ahve to send the grain thru the Corona about three times, but the results are sure worth it. If you opt for the grain mills, make sure you cruise the sites and compare brands before you buy. There are some really whimpy gain mills out there, all fueled by the y2k thing. If you can't find a co-op, you might try the King Authur Flour site. They have all kinds of bread goodies and additions, and if nothing else, the catalog is educational. I don't have the address, but just type it into your browser. Make sure that you order their free catalog. Then schedule an hour or so to just browse and dream when it gets to your mail box.... My current favorite bread cookbook is the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book, by Laurel Robertson. This one has been around for long enough to be a classic, and when I found a copy of it in the library (all splattered and funky, like a well used cookbook gets), I loved it well enough to go hunting in a bookstore for it. It is $21.00, but nice and thick (447 pages), with charming illustrations, and charts to show you what you did wrong if your bread flops. But like Laurel says--even when it is bad, it is good!

-- Leann Banta (thelionandlamb@hotmail.com), February 06, 2000.

Hi, breadmaking is one of my favorite things. It is good for the soul and body! Leann in the above post said most of the things I would contribute about bread making so I will only tell you about a couple of web sites where you can purchase whole wheat flour or berries if you want to grind your own for fresher and better flour, which is what I do. The first is WWW.waltonfeed.com. The second is a local place here in Ky. where I live. They will sell by mail (I am not connected with them in any way!) They are Weisenberger Mills at WWW.weisenberger.com Both of these sites have info about flours and recipes. I buy wheat berries in 50# bags, it will keep forever and is much less expensive that way. Bulk yeast is also much much less expensive. I did buy some from Sam's but haven't used it yet so I am not sure about the quality of it. I had been buying it in bulk at our food co-op and have also seen it in bulk at a local Mennonite store. The bulk I bought at the co-op says one teaspoon equals one packet and that is the amount I use. Freeze what you won't be using for a while. Barbara

-- barbara (barbaraj@mis.net), February 06, 2000.

I don't have a grinder, so I buy whole wheat flour (and lots of other goodies from the Something Better Food Co-op. I'd give you the number so you could find out if there's a co-op in your area, but I loaned my catalog to someone. My bread recipe doesn't call for gluten. It's a very simple recipe, very delicious and only one raising. (did I say that right?) e-mail me if you would like the recipe.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), February 07, 2000.

There are many good bread recipes at the site www.breadworld.com. It is the Fleishmann's Yeast site, and they cover a wide variety of breads, most made with commonly available ingredients.

-- A.C. Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), February 10, 2000.

Although there are some start up costs, I believe grinding your own wheat is the cheapest and best way to go. The whole wheat flour you will buy is not truly the whole wheat because the germ will go rancid fairly quickly so it has to be removed which is the best part of the wheat. I grind my own flour and only add salt, honey, yeast and water and I get very light, fluffy bread. There are several places to buy wheat berries and they will last forever. Montana Wheat Farms is one of the cheapest places to buy grains. You'll be glad you made the switch.

-- Kathy Hardin (DavidWH6@juno.com), February 10, 2000.