FLOURS FOR BEGINNERS AT HOME
For beginner bakers using our Complete & Basic Bread Kits who are following instructions in our Bread Kit Guide, we recommend using mostly white bakers flours like Wholegrain Milling Organic Stoneground White Baker’s Flour & Premium White Baker’s Flour that contain higher protein levels, which makes it easier for beginners starting out. Adding 20% wholegrain flour (i.e. whole-wheat) is enough to give excellent flavour & results for artisan style breads.
As you get more confident you may like to start adding more whole grain flours to boost nutrition & make more wholesome breads. Try our County Sourdough Bread Recipe or 100% Whole-wheat Sourdough Recipe.
By adding between 50-100% wholegrain flours like wheat, spelt, or rye to white baker's flour should be sufficient to significantly boost nutrition & flavour. See our full range of recommended bread flours here.
FEEDING YOUR STARTER
Proper maintenance of your starter is just as important as the choice of flour. Using fresh stoneground & whole grain flours are best, as it provides more food for your starter to stay active & healthy. You can make a 50/50 blend of white bread flour & wholegrain flour (choose whole rye or spelt or wheat flours) & use it to feed your starter. The wholegrain flour is beneficial for the growth of healthy wild yeast & lactic acid bacterias found in healthy starters.
A good starter contains two types of organisms (wild yeast & lactic acid bacteria), both are at their most active between 22 - 30 degrees Celsius. Making good bread isn’t about how long you’ve had your starter for, but the result of consistently refreshing (feeding) your starter & ensuring it is activebefore adding into your bread mix.
SUPERMARKET FLOUR
We understand that not everyone has access to some of the above flour suggestions, so we have found Laucke Wallaby Baker’s Flour to be of workable-quality for making bread at home, available at most local supermarkets. Please do not use supermarket cake/plain white flour or premix flours to make sourdough bread as it does not contain enough gluten strength or nutrients to maintain a healthy starter. For information on keeping your starter healthy, please visit our Starter Maintenance page.
COMMON BAKER'S FLOURS
Baker’s White Flour
A high protein/gluten flour used in bread/pizza making.
Wholegrain Milling Organic Stoneground White Bakers Flour 5kg
Wholegrain Milling Sustainable Premium White Bakers Flour 750g
Organic Bread & Pizza Flour 700g
Stoneground or milled whole wheat grains with both the bran & germ still present.
Wholegrain Milling Stoneground Wholewheat Bakers Flour 5kg
Organic Stoneground Wholegrain Flour 1kg
Whole Spelt Flour
Spelt has a nutty & heartier flavour than wheat. It also has a higher proportion of gliadin proteins, which makes it more extensible rather than elastic (instead of the dough springing back, it will stretch until it breaks). For this reason, when using spelt, extra folds or two will be required to build up strength.
Wholegrain Milling Stoneground Whole Spelt Flour 5kg
Whole Rye Flour
Rye contains less gluten than wheat so will usually require more starter to achieve a nice active dough. Rye breads are better baked straight after the final prove as they do not hold well under fridge retardation.
Wholegrain Milling Organic Stoneground Whole Rye Flour 5KG
Khorasan Flour
Closely related to wheat, it has a sweet taste with no hint of bitterness.
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KEEP IT LOCAL
We are a big believer of sustainable food systems. Buying and supporting local farmers who not only grow grains for taste & nutrition, but nurture & understand the relationship between soil & plant health. This understanding ensures residue-free, non-GMO & fewer green house gas emissions, which is better for the planet & better for you.
We highly recommend using local bio-dynamic & organic flour/grains grown & milled in your local state/territory. The less “miles” it needs to travel to get to you, often means it will be freshest!
Let us acknowledge some of Australia’s trail-blazing farmers growing nutrient dense grains & millers providing quality flour to our community of bakers here in Australia.
Victoria
Tasmania
Western Australia
New South Wales
South Australia
Queensland