Okay, let me tell you about trying to track down some high-gluten flour recently. I got this urge to bake something specific, I think it was bagels or maybe a really chewy pizza crust, can’t remember exactly. But the recipe was super clear: use high-gluten flour. Not bread flour, not all-purpose, but the strong stuff.
So, first thing I did, naturally, was head to my usual supermarket. You know, the one I go to every week. Went straight to the baking aisle. Looked through all the bags – King Arthur, Gold Medal, the store brand… they had everything else. Bread flour, whole wheat, cake flour, self-rising, even some weird almond and coconut flours. But no bag explicitly said “High Gluten”. I even picked up the bread flour bags and squinted at the protein percentages, trying to see if any were high enough, but nothing seemed quite right or clearly labeled as what I needed.
Asked a guy stocking shelves if they had any. He just kinda looked confused, mumbled something about bread flour being strong, and pointed me back to where I’d already looked. No help there. Left that store empty-handed.
Next, I figured maybe a bigger supermarket chain would have it. Drove over to the giant one across town. Same deal! Bigger selection of regular flours, but still no dedicated high-gluten option. Started getting a bit annoying at this point. I thought, “Where do bakers get this stuff?”
Finding the Right Spot
Okay, scratching my head a bit, I started thinking outside the regular grocery store box. What about specialty places?
I remembered there’s a local health food store that sometimes has unusual grains and flours. Went there. They had a lot of organic and gluten-free stuff, but again, not the high-protein wheat flour I was looking for. Close, but no cigar.
Then I thought about restaurant supply stores. Do they sell to the public? I wasn’t sure. Called one up, and yeah, they mostly sell huge 50-pound bags, way more than I needed. But the person on the phone was helpful, said sometimes smaller bakeries or pizza places might sell a bit if you ask nicely, but that felt like a long shot.
Finally, I remembered a bulk food store nearby. The kind with all the bins where you scoop your own stuff. Decided to give that a try. Walked in, headed towards the flour section, and there it was! Tucked between the rye flour and the semolina, a bin clearly marked “High Gluten Flour”. Success! Scooped a few pounds into a bag, paid for it, and felt pretty good about finally finding it.
What I Learned
So, the takeaway from my little adventure was this:
- Regular supermarkets, even big ones, often don’t carry true high-gluten flour. They have bread flour, which is strong, but not usually as strong.
- You gotta look in less common places.
- Bulk food stores are a good bet.
- Specialty baking supply stores (if you have one) would obviously be ideal.
- Restaurant supply stores might have it, but usually in massive quantities.
- Checking online retailers dedicated to baking supplies is also an option, though I wanted mine same-day.
It took a bit more running around than I expected, just for a bag of flour. But hey, got it in the end. Now, let’s see if it actually makes a difference in my baking!
