King Arthur Flour must haves...

[LG Gone Wild]

I am planning my cupboard and I would like some input.

 

First, KAF...are they worth it?

 

If they are, what are your must haves? I am not interested in mixes though. I am thinking tools, spices, flours, additives, containers..stuff like that.

 

I am mostly a basic bread maker and brownie baker. I might go back and make a quiche or some kind of savory tart. I might venture to artisan breads but not too artsy-fartsy. I don't really do fancy. I don't bake cookies. Cupcakes would be nice.

 

No diet restrictions.

[Annie G]

I love their harvest grain blend. In my house, bread made with this is called birdseed bread and is devoured quickly.

I also always use their potato flour and special dried milk in my bread- makes the bread last for days and it's so moist.

I can get KA flour locally, and it's all I use.

 

Gadgets and storage items are costly from KA- I have seen things there and then bought on Amazon.

 

I buy spices and cocoa from Penzey's.

[LG Gone Wild]

I love their harvest grain blend. In my house, bread made with this is called birdseed bread and is devoured quickly.

I also always use their potato flour and special dried milk in my bread- makes the bread last for days and it's so moist.

I can get KA flour locally, and it's all I use.

 

Gadgets and storage items are costly from KA- I have seen things there and then bought on Amazon.

 

I buy spices and cocoa from Penzey's.

 

Oh, potato flour. My ds loves potato bread for sandwiches. Do you have a recipe?

[kalanamak]

I love the flour wand. I don't know if it is in the current catalog, but I love the linen raising blankets for a nice crispy French crust.

[HollyDay]

I love, love, love KAF! It is a fantastic catalog. I just made their no knead oatmeal bread (on page 3 of their newest catalog) and it is terrific!!

 

I do think they are a bit pricey. I've been able to find some gadgets at Bed Bath and Beyond a bit cheaper. Now, having said that, I did buy my ZO from them. It was on sale and shipping was free!

 

I grind my own wheat, but when I do need all purpose, I like their flour, which I can get locally.

 

I have 2 of their cookbooks. Both are great and I refer to them fairly often. They are offering a new one, Artisan Bread in 5 Min. a Day, that is fabulous! I've checked it out of the library so many times, I've already put it on my Christmas list.

 

Their colored sugar sprinkles are wonderful for christmas cookies. I know you don't want mixes, but their panettone mix is the best I've ever had anywhere!

 

I buy my spices and extracts from Penzey's so I can't help much there.

 

I bought my yogurt maker from King Arthur. Again, on sale.

 

They have a bench knife I like quite a bit. And the flour wand it great!

 

I also order my SAF special gold (with the blue stripe) yeast from King Arthur.

 

I like their sharp biscuit cutters. Also they have a silicon rolling mat that I don't know what I did making pie crusts before I bought it!

 

Their metal cake, bread, and such pans are wonderful. But, again, shop around for pricing.

[lmrich]

Their cinnamon is awesome! I also love their disposal little pans for gift giving. I was able to get a bunch of those on sale and use them for Christmas gifts. I am curious to what others say... I am always looking at their website and wishing for their magic ingredients - do they really make a difference??

[Annie G]

Oh, potato flour. My ds loves potato bread for sandwiches. Do you have a recipe?

 

I just use a bit of it to make the bread stay moist- I don't think the kind they sell is intended for potato bread- it's sold in a small bag and it's pricey.

I love potato bread, but never thought to make my own!

[Saille]

I don't know much about their catalog, but I use their unbleached white and whole wheat flour all the time, and have for about ten years. Also, their cookbook is a basic staple. An elderly man I worked for in high school casually offered it to me, and it has turned out to be one of the best gifts I ever got. I use it constantly, for pancakes, muffins, cakes, breads, etc.. The only baking cookbook that I use to a comparable degree is the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, and KAF still wins, hands-down.

[AngieW in Texas]

I like King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour.

[Punchie]

Their flour (we buy the 25 lb bag), pizza blend, and yeast.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

I use their flour regularly. Check around though because it is available in many local markets now.

 

I have also used their pizza dough additive and spice mix. Good pizza!

 

They also have nice sprinkles and decorative sugars.

[My3Boys]

I have been using KA flour and some of their other products for about 15 years and don't use anything else. I mainly use their unbleached all-purpose, bread and white whole wheat flours. Their whole wheat is good too, but my family prefers bread made with the white whole wheat.

 

I also love their harvest grain blend, which someone else has already mentioned, and I use their colored sugars for the holidays.

 

I agree with what some others have said about their baking pans and other supplies. They are pretty expensive and you can usually find them on Amazon. I love the flour wand and got it much cheaper there. Same with Chicago Metallic baking pans. I buy the commercial series which doesn't have any nonstick coating and I love them. The quality is such that I'll be passing these down to my great-grandchildren!

 

If your local groceries don't carry it, you can request it. I did this at my local Kroger. They were somewhat hesitant but agreed to order the all-purpose as a trial. Now they can't keep it on the shelves and carry about 4 different kinds. I've also noticed that Walmart is now carrying it for an even lower price than on sale at the grocery. I just paid $3.19 for a bag of all-purpose flour.

[Saille]

Do people have the 25# bag shipped? Is that wickedly expensive? Or can grocery stores order in 25# bags?

[newlifemom]

Do people have the 25# bag shipped? Is that wickedly expensive? Or can grocery stores order in 25# bags?

 

:bigear:

 

Yes, tell me more. There is a catalog? How can I get it? Do I want to purchase 25lbs at a time. Dh generally makes pancakes every Sat and he is up to quadrupling the batch as they go so fast. That's almost a bag each Sat.

 

Wow! Who knew there was a cookbook, and gadgets. Now shhhhh, don't tell my dh. :D

[BikeBookBread]

Unless I can get Wheat Montana flour, KA flour is the only commercially-ground I will buy. I keep Bread and AP on hand (I grind my own whole wheat from Wheat Montana berries that I buy in 50 pound bags from commercial distributor). I also keep vital wheat gluten and diastatic malt powder on hand. I really like the cheap lame that they sell (for slashing bread) and their silicone mat is nice (although I recently got a couple of Silpats and they are far superior, but the KA silicone mat is really good for rolling crust and flipping it into the plate as it is as flexible as cloth).

[LG Gone Wild]

I use KAF flour. Luckily, my grocery stores carry the brand otherwise I wouldn't. I found KAF shipping to be expensive.

 

Sooo the cookware isn't worth it. Okay. What about the extracts and chocolate chips? Are those worth it?

[Punchie]

Do people have the 25# bag shipped? Is that wickedly expensive? Or can grocery stores order in 25# bags?

 

Yep! They don't sell that size in the stores. What I usually do is wait until they run one of their free shipping when you spend over $X (usually between $50-70). We usually buy flour 2-3 times per year.