Artisanal Flour--where and what to buy

May 17, 2008 6:17 AM

Where can I find artisanal bread flour in Toronto?

Lately I've taken up baking. Many of the blogs I read recommend artisanal flours that I've never seen. Does anyone have any recommendations of places to buy flour, and particular kinds I should try?

posted by gesamtkunstwerk to food & drink (10 comments total)

I'm not sure if they sell King Arthur flour in Canada, but that is a brand recommended by Peter Reinhart in the much-acclaimed The Bread Baker's Apprentice, among many other bread gurus. That is available in regular grocery stores in the US midwest.

Another place I have had luck is my organic foods coop, and you can buy in bulk there. They will have tons of wacky varieties and you only have to buy the amount you need to try a recipe, so that is convenient. The one near me also carries King Arthur Flour.

Good luck, what kind of bread are you baking?
posted by sararah at 6:31 AM on May 17

A lot of bulk food stores will sell both hard and soft flour which is a good start. Hard flour will be better than normal all-purpose for bread.
posted by GuyZero at 8:06 AM on May 17

Bulk food stores will usually have a whole range of fancy flours. I have tried them in my bread baking, and maybe its my heathen palate, but I tend to find that the "slightly better than grocery store" flour is the way to go.
posted by SassHat at 10:34 AM on May 17

I'm really excited to try King Arthur flour. I've having a lot of luck with white bread, but my whole wheat has been poor. I think I might experiment with some rye next.
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 11:34 AM on May 17

I don't know about Toronto, but down in my area it seems that all the coops and natural food stores have been driven out of business by Whole Foods, which only stocks a small segment of what you need. King Arthur sells direct through their website and their store in White River Junction, Vermont, if you feel like an 8-hour road trip. It looks like they do ship internationally, but may be limited by customs regulations.
posted by libraryhead at 9:18 PM on May 17

Bob's Red Mill sells to Whole Foods in and Dominion in Toronto. It looks like they may also ship directly to you in Canada as well. There's not much that they do not have.
posted by oneirodynia at 11:29 AM on May 18

Thanks, fellow bakers. I'll try Bob's Red Mill. Just so you know, King Arthur's was great about about getting back to me. They do ship to Canada, but I think I'll try it before placing an order, since I do get to the States almost monthly.

I've contacted Arva as well. Chow hounders love this stuff. It's what Thuet of Thuet's bistro uses. They ship, too.

My bulk store wasn't that great, but I am not giving up until I've visited a few more. Let me know if you'd like me to update you.
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 3:30 PM on May 18

P.S. Whole foods is pretty rapacious here too, but it's far more expensive than in the states, and really, not that great. I'm going to Dominion on principle.
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 3:31 PM on May 18

My local bulk store, Qi on Roncesvalles, carries the Red Mill stuff as well as bulk hard flour. Arva looks totally awesome though - you should totally go there. Also, as a last resort, every grocery store should carry Robin Hood "Best for Bread" flour which is harder-than-usual. I get good results with that.
posted by GuyZero at 5:11 PM on May 18

A total aside but I don't find Whole Foods to be any more expensive here than it was when I was living in FL...they don't call it Whole Paycheck for nothin'.
posted by SassHat at 6:26 PM on May 18