Am I going to regret the Pillsbury bleached white flour on sale for $1.49/5 lbs?

[eridani]

I've been using Gold Medal unbleached, and have tinkered with my recipes until I mostly get acceptable loaves and buns. Pennywise and pound foolish here?

[trotsky]

1. Unbleached is better for you and the environment.

So you gotta factor that in. Arguments could be made either way I suppose.

[hippywife]

2. I tend not to buy the big corporate brands

in the grocery, prefering to use either King Arthur or Hodgson Mills, both unbleached. I feel better about these choices for many reasons.

http://www.hodgsonmill.com/home/

:hi:

[TreasonousBastard]

3. You might find the gluten a little off from...

what you're used to, but the stuff will work just fine.

I manage to find unbleached on sale often enough to never have bleached in the house, but I probably eat more than enough of the bleached stuff outside so it's not that much of a health issue.

[eridani]

4. Now another store has it for 99 cents/5 lbs.

Wonder if they are trying to get rid of it.

[SoCalDem]

5. NOW you tell me.. The last time I bought flour,. I paid over $2.50

FOR A 79-CENT BAG OF FLOUR..

yes I know, I am permanently trapped in an "old-timer" frame of mind..

I used to buy a $3 roast (these days that would be the size of a gumdrop)

I used to always stock up when eggs were 59-cents a dozen

Flour always used to be a lot less than sugar..and bags used to be 5-lb

fruit was cheaper in the summer time, and watermelons were always a bargain then..and they were not mushy inside..and the produce guy would "plug" one for you..

[BobTheSubgenius]

6. Have you upgraded to electric appliances yet?

:D

Just joshin'. I remember all those prices and more.

Hell, at one time, I used to think I'd got my money's worth at a buffet if I could keep the cost around $2 or $3 a plate. Now, it's about $10.

[eridani]

8. More slack now!

Welcome to DU and C&B.

[housewolf]

7. Depends on what you want to use it for

Not the best for bread products, because the protein content is a little lower and the bleaching agents they use acidify the flour a bit so you might not get quite as good a rise for your yeasted goods. You'll probably also notice a taste change in your yeasted goods. On the other hand, it's great for things that benefit from a lower-protein flour, such as cakes, biscuits, pie crust. Cookies should be fine, too.

BTW, if you're a cake baker, you can substitute unbleaced a/p flour for cake flour, either 1:1 or 3 parts unbleached a/p to 1 part corn starch (for a more finely crumb).

[eridani]

9. Maybe a bit of baking soda for the acidity?

I already add extra gluten when making whole wheat bread.

[Warpy]

10. I never knew that

Thanks! I use King Arthur unbleached for everything, including cakes, making sure I don't work it much at all for any sort of quick bread since it's super high in gluten. I beat the hell out of all the liquids and then just barely mix in the flour and it seems to work.

Adding some cornstarch would probably work a lot better.