Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Do you really see a difference between King Aurthur flour & other flour. Pete pointed out that I am paying almost twice as much for KA flour.
Kathy

Kathy,

That depends on what you mean by "other flour". Do I see a big difference from Gold Medal? Yes. Do I see a big difference from other cold-milled high-quality flours? No, which is why I don't use KA flour. I found Arrowhead and Bob's Red Mill to be just as good, and Butte Creek Mill to be better (mostly because it comes from closer to me).

I agree, better than the regular brands, but close to the same as other specialty brands of it's type. I buy the KA since I don't have a lot of other choices in that catagory. I can get some of the Bob's Red Mill, but they are in 1 pound bags so it is not cheaper in the long run. I pay about $3.50 for a 5 pound bag.

Laurie

If you have a Trader Joe's nearby, I have had good results from their AP flour. I think it is comparable to KA's AP.

I did not notice any differences between Trader Joe's AP and KAF. However, way back I found an article that said that CI did not test their recipes using KAF despite their liking it, they use Gold Medal. I've been using Gold Medal again because I bake more cakes and cookies than breads and I can find it on sale. What I have found makes more of a difference is the amount use so I use weight whenever possible based upon the recipe's writer measure, e.g. for an ATK recipe I use 5 oz. per cup but for FC I use 4½ oz. per cup. I use the chart posted way back in the CI board to which I've added a bit over the years.

Just chiming in that Costco also carries KA flour in 25 lb bags at a reasonable price. I too have bought the TJ's flour (white whole wheat though) and been very happy with it.

OTOH, flour cost is not usually a significant factor. Not that you should pay more then you have to, but it might not be worth much mental energy.