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Hi, Aaron. For some reason the link takes me to a "cannot display this page" message, so I could not read the article.
King Arthur used to sell 25 pound bags of their AP flour, and they were a good deal--especially with the Baker's Bucks program. Now they won't sell anything larger than 10 pounds for mail order, and the price is not particularly competitive with Walmart prices for two 5 pound bags. When we were traveling through Rantoul, IL on our various trips back and forth between Indiana and Texas, I was sometimes able to pick up a 25 pound bag at that Walmart. The Walmart here only has the standard five pound bags. KAF also does not sell bread flour online in more than a 5 pound bag, and again, I can beat that price at Walmart. I remember Zen musing that KAF is now interested only in the professional market and the "boutique" bakers who are willing to buy all sorts of specialty ingredients--often for just a single recipe try. I've also noted that KAF is really pushing their mixes now. Someone asked in the comments section of the regular flour why they don't offer the 25 pound bags of regular flour anymore, and they told the person, if he or she is a professional, to go to the professional section of the site. Apparently "civilians" need not apply.
I understand that it is expensive to ship 25 pound bags of flour. Bob's Red Mill, which has free shipping for orders of $50 or more will not include a 25 pound bag in the free shipping offer. However, they will include bulk buys of bags--and the product is less expensive when you buy bags bundled together. I was able to try their bread flour (store in Texas had it on special), and I noted no difference between it and KAF's, so I am mulling an order to them. I like the unbleached, extra fine cake flour as well (and thank you for telling us about it on this site!). I find that they are also a less expensive source for specialty flours, as well as couscous, brown rice and other grains, beans, and I am a long time fan of their old-fashioned and quick oats.(The website is irritating, so I hope they fix it.)
I checked and the orchard to the south is not u-pick, and they only sell at farmers' markets (including Indianapolis!) I'll see if there are any around Rockville, where we will go for the covered bridge festival in October. We'll be in west central Indiana.
Addendum: My husband thinks that there will be plenty of apples available at the festival. He remembers that from years ago, and says there was fresh-pressed cider as well--so will I please stop bugging him about our route. Sigh. Non-bakers just do not understand about sourcing the right ingredients, but they certainly appreciate eating the results!
Italian Cook: I've not tried baking with Galas. My comment was more because if I go to the farmers' market, I really want something I cannot find in the supermarket. I also do not prefer the taste of Gala apples when eaten raw. When I'm baking an apple cake, I usually choose Braeburn. It does not get mushy, and has a good taste when baked. However, if I could get Winesaps, I'd use them. I've also had a Holly apple that was quite nice for baking.
I make my applesauce with Granny Smith's, but as Mike notes, and as Cass has told us, it is even hard to get a good Granny Smith apple. I've decided that I need to branch out to other apples.
The Redfree that I got at the farmers' market is a new variety for me. I checked it out, and it was introduced in 1981, a project of Purdue and University of Illinois. I'd not heard of them before.
Our big problem is that the apple producers assume that no one bakes, and therefore there is no need to produce baking apples. I told my husband that we need to locate an orchard, even if it is a bit of a drive, so that I can get some good baking apples.
I used a recipe from Baking Illustrated, with 1/3 less sugar and double the cinnamon (from 1/4-1/2 tsp.), along with nutmeg, allspice, and a bit of salt.
I realized this morning that what I thought was pastry flour was actually Bob's Red Mill unbleached, extra-fine cake flour (label had come off). I've had to move flours around to smaller containers with the move, and with the refrigerator switch, so the mistake got made. It was a wonderful dough to roll and shape.
Additional comment: The crust was surprisingly flakey, while perhaps not as light as pastry flour would have made it. My husband and I both like it.
The Redfree apples did indeed make a good pie, although as I expected, there was a bit of an air pocket in the center. I had tasted a bit of the juice that was dribbling out last night when I removed the pie from the oven, and these are indeed wonderful apples that did well with the lower amount of sugar. I was disappointed that the vender was not at the farmers' market this morning, as he said they would be. I had planned to buy more of the apples and freeze some as pie filling and some as applesauce.
There was another vender selling Gala apples, but why bother? I need to find a "You-Pick" orchard that has good pie apples.
It was probably in the late 1990s that I bought a bread board from King Arthur. I was new to their catalog and they were advertising a bread board--a large board with an Italian name that meant "little table." (According to the catalog, a man would give it as a wedding gift to his wife.) I used it for a long time. It has a lip on the bottom so that the board won't move away from you as you are kneading, and it has a raised area on the back to keep flour from spilling off. I still made a bit of a mess, but it cut down on it. To clean, I had to scrape the dried dough with a bench knife. I also wiped it lightly with a damp cloth.
I still have it, but I have not used it for a long time. I started using the Silpat mat (ok, also bought from KAF), and it made kneading so much easier--no sticking!--no need for extra flour, and clean-up was a breeze. I did use the board under the silpat mat when I was kneading on a kitchen table that was rather low. Then I got my stand mixer, and I don't knead by hand much anymore. I shape my breads on the mat. Still, I keep it, and perhaps will use it again some time.
