So, I got this bug to bake some really killer bagels, you know? The kind you get in a proper New York deli, super chewy and amazing. I pulled up a recipe, and there it was: high gluten flour. “Easy enough,” I thought. Boy, was I wrong.
My first stop was my usual supermarket, the one just down the road. I spent a good twenty minutes squinting at every bag in the baking aisle. All-purpose this, self-rising that. I even found some fancy organic whole wheat stuff. But high gluten? Nope. Nada. I even grabbed a bag labeled “bread flour” once, thinking, “This must be it, right?” Wrong again. My bagels came out… sad. More like slightly dense dinner rolls. Not the chew I was dreaming of. That was a real downer, let me tell you.
My Great Flour Hunt Began
Okay, so the regular grocery store was a bust. I wasn’t about to give up on my bagel dreams that easily. I mean, who gives up on bagels? I started asking around. Talked to a buddy who bakes a lot, he just shrugged. Said he mostly sticks to all-purpose for his stuff. Helpful, right? Not really when you’re on a mission for specific results.
Then I remembered those bigger, fancier supermarkets, the ones that have like, a whole aisle just for cheese, or a dozen kinds of olives. Figured if anyone had it, they would. So, I made a special trip. And bingo! Tucked away, almost hidden behind some gluten-free nonsense, I found a couple of brands. Not a huge selection, mind you, but it was there. Sometimes it’s just called “bread flour,” but you gotta be sharp and check the protein content on the nutritional label. That’s the real key, I learned the hard way. Needs to be pretty high, like 13-14% or even more, for that real good chewiness I was after.
Since that whole adventure, I’ve gotten a bit smarter about sourcing this stuff. Here’s what I’ve figured out from my little flour quest, things I actually did and places I went to:
- Big Supermarkets: The larger chain stores, the ones you drive a bit further for, are often your best bet for an in-person find. I just had to poke around more than I usually do. They tend to have a wider variety of specialty items.
- Specialty Baking Shops: If you’re lucky enough to have one nearby – and I found one after some serious searching – these places are goldmines. They’ll definitely have it, probably in bulk too, which is great. But man, they can be pricey sometimes, so I save that for when I’m feeling fancy.
- Health Food Stores: This was a bit of a surprise. Sometimes, the ones with those big bulk bins will carry high-protein bread flour. I stumbled upon this by accident one day. Worth a peek if you’re in one.
- Online Retailers: Honestly, this has become my go-to for certain brands, especially if I want to buy a big ol’ bag and not lug it home. You can find pretty much anything online these days, flour included. I just typed in “high gluten flour” or “strong bread flour” and a bunch of options popped up. Took some trial and error to find sellers I liked.
- Restaurant Supply Stores: Now, this was a real game-changer for me. If you can get into one (some require a business ID, some don’t), or if they have days they sell to the public, they often have massive bags for way cheaper than anywhere else. My brother-in-law, who used to be a line cook, tipped me off to this one. Total score.
It’s still a bit of a pain that it’s not just sitting there next to the regular all-purpose in every single store. You’d think with everyone and their mother baking sourdough and artisan breads these days, it’d be more common. But nope, still gotta do a bit of hunting sometimes, or at least plan ahead. At least now I know where to point my car, or my mouse, when the bagel craving hits hard. It’s all about knowing where to look, and not settling for that wimpy “bread flour” that’s just slightly more protein than all-purpose. You need the real deal for proper results, trust me on that. Made that mistake once, never again.
