Sam's Club flour

[Chicago Bob]

Bakers & Chefs flour is available here for me...25lb. sacks. One is labeled AP and the other is "Bread and pizza flour". Yet both indicate 3% in 30 grams....10% protein. I wonder why the BF one does not list a higher protein? I understand they are allowed to list aproxs. Does anyone know if the BF product is a high gluten  flour.

[scott123]

I believe you want the 'Baker & Chefs high gluten flour' from Sam's not the bread and pizza flour.  The bread flour might not be strong enough.

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,10630.0.html

It's not bromated, right?

[Chicago Bob]

Right. Unfortunately my local club does not have the green bag. AP was blue an BF was red. Both said 3 per 30 gram serving. Seems odd.
Thanks for your quick reply Scott.

Anyone had luck with Costco?

[scott123]

Serving sizes can round. The AP could, in theory, be 2.51g and the BF could be 3.49g, and both, by regulation, could be rounded to 3g.  For our purposes, nutritional labels are worthless. It's the Europeans, with their mandatory 100g portion labeling that have it made. But they don't get bromated flour, so it all works out in the end  

Hopefully someone with experience with the bread flour will chime in.

[scott123]

Actually, I take that back.  This is one of those rare times when the label is helpful.

3.49g, the highest they could round down from (as far as I know) translates into 11.6% protein. So, the highest this could be is 11.6%.  I can't speak for other styles, but, for NY, thatsa no good 

[jeff v]

I thought that was not the way to calculate protein content? The label on KABF says it has 4g protein in 30g flour. KA website says it is 12.7% protein.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/about/documents/5Flours_000.pdf

[scott123]

12.7% of 30g is 3.81g.  KA rounded up from 3.81g to 4g for the label.

Labeling gives you an entire gram window for rounding.  2.5 to 3.49 is 3g and 3.5 to 4.49 is 4g*

Normally, nutritional label protein quantities are not the way to calculate protein percentage, but, based on the regulations, we now know that the Sam's bread flour has to contain between 8.3% to 11.6% protein.  Even at it's maximum, 11.6% is too low for pizza.

*http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/GuidanceDocuments/FoodLabelingNutrition/FoodLabelingGuide/ucm064932.htm

[jeff v]

12.7% of 30g is 3.81g.  KA rounded up from 3.81g to 4g for the label.

Labeling gives you an entire gram window for rounding.  2.5 to 3.49 is 3g and 3.5 to 4.49 is 4g*

Normally, nutritional label protein quantities are not the way to calculate protein percentage, but, based on the regulations, we now know that the Sam's bread flour has to contain between 8.3% to 11.6% protein.  Even at it's maximum, 11.6% is too low for pizza.

*http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/GuidanceDocuments/FoodLabelingNutrition/FoodLabelingGuide/ucm064932.htm

Got it, thanks. I'm guessing that's (partly?)why some places list protein +/- .5 .
http://giustos.com/professional/flours/unbleached-white-flours/artisan-unbleached-malted-bread-flour.html

[scott123]

Got it, thanks. I'm guessing that's why some places list protein +/- .5 ?
http://giustos.com/professional/flours/unbleached-white-flours/artisan-unbleached-malted-bread-flour.html

The +/- variances on flour specs are a little different.  Those actually reflect varying protein levels from batch to batch in the flour that they mill.  There are some that believe that a quality flour should have a tighter range than a less quality flour, and, while I subscribe to that when the range starts getting ridiculously large (I believe Honeyville is renowned for their huge variances), I generally don't think the folks with precise numbers are all that precise, and I don't think the places with marginal ranges (such as +/- .5) really use the full range all of the time, so the difference between the marginal and precise millers might not be all that great.  I think that if these +/- .5 folks actually did vary a full percentage point between shipments of flour, they'd lose a lot of commercial customers very quickly. Adjustments for new bags of flour are always expected, but, if, say, a 13% +/-.5% flour shipped a batch of 12.5% one week and then 13.5% the next, that wouldn't require an adjustment, that would require a reformulation. Nobody would put up with that.

[Jackie Tran]

I have used Sam's Club BF, HG flour, and their HG bleach and bromated flour for pizza.  If you had to choose between the AP and BF for pizza, then go with the BF.   I prefer their HG flour for pizza, but I have also made some very good crusts with their BF, so I know it is possible. 

[Pete-zza]

The +/- variances on flour specs are a little different.  Those actually reflect varying protein levels from batch to batch in the flour that they mill.  There are some that believe that a quality flour should have a tighter range than a less quality flour, and, while I subscribe to that when the range starts getting ridiculously large (I believe Honeyville is renowned for their huge variances), I generally don't think the folks with precise numbers are all that precise, and I don't think the places with marginal ranges (such as +/- .5) really use the full range all of the time, so the difference between the marginal and precise millers might not be all that great.  I think that if these +/- .5 folks actually did vary a full percentage point between shipments of flour, they'd lose a lot of commercial customers very quickly. Adjustments for new bags of flour are always expected, but, if, say, a 13% +/-.5% flour shipped a batch of 12.5% one week and then 13.5% the next, that wouldn't require an adjustment, that would require a reformulation. Nobody would put up with that.

Most quality flours have fairly tight ranges, but sometimes you will find a really wide one, like the General Mills H&R flour at http://www.professionalbakingsolutions.com/product/gold-medal-hotel-restaurant-unbleached-flour/14439000?mct=Flour&ct=gold-medal-hr-all-purpose&typ=Brand.

Peter

[Woodfiredovenpizzero]

The bread flour might not be strong enough.

Steve:

When you mean not strong enough you mean strong to withstand the high temperatures for NP?

Thanks,

Edgar