Bulk Flour for Home Use

[DCarbonaro]

I've been baking a few times each week lately, giving away loaves of bread to friends and neighbors. I find that I need to pick up a 5 lbs bag of flour ever day or so. Does anyone have a source on line for flour in 10-lb or 20-lb bags, that can be delivered to the house?

Thanks.

[renov8r]

King Arthur sells flour direct. 25# @ $14.95 + shipping -- actual US PS charge or less, typically about $6...

That said I know that local sources are not hard to track down -- Costco, Sams, GFS, and other "bulk" stores all sell flour in large amounts. The hard thing is finding someplace to store it and/or use it fast -- nothing is worse that opening a big pail of flour and seeing it infested with bugs!

[dukegirl]

Yes, I forgot to mention that KA sells bulk through their catalog!

And for storage, for the love of all that is chow, please get one of these:
http://www.instawares.com/translucent...

The 22 qt one will hold 25 lbs of flour.

You don't want critters in your flour!

[shallots]

I buy the big bread flour bags at Sam's and transfer the flour into the large freezer zip lock bags. I can reuse a ziplock five or six times. Daily flour use is from a conventional canister.
On the Gulf Coast I learned to use bay leaves in flour, corn meal, etc. to repel bugs. It's worked up here as well.

[Naz_Drala]

I get my flour at BJ's whole sale. I store it in empty Utz bulk pretzel barrels. I haven't had to throw anything out when they were in there.

[LadyCook61]

Does BJ's have unbleached flour ? I can't stand bleached flour, I find it leaves an off taste in my breads.

[dukegirl]

My local supermarket carries King Arthur Flour in 10 lb bags, so maybe talk to your local supermarket to see if they can order what you'd like. They can be really accomodating.

Also, I second the food co-op idea. I buy a lot of stuff in bulk from my local natural foods store. They get deliveries every week, and they will order me a case of whatever I want, for their cost plus a little.

One last idea, is to find a local wholesaler, as mentioned and ask if there is a place that they make other deliveries to where they would drop-ship it so, so you wouldn't have to pay for your own delivery. I buy a lot of stuff from a wholesaler, but not enough to warrant my own delivery stop, so I meet the truck at another of its stops in the area.

[lora]

I belong to a food co-op and I get my flour in 25 lb bags. I have a choice of many different flours and sizes, going up to 100 lb bags. My co-op goes through an order cycle every four weeks, where a truck comes and delivers our goods.

Co-ops can be hard to track down, but if you find one in your area you will have your flour hookup at good prices without special delivery charges.

[Den]

I buy from a place called the Restaurant Depot. I usually pay between $12 - $14 for a 50 pound bag of flour.

[soupkitten]

if it's the same "restaurant depot" chain store we have in MSP, you must own a restaurant to shop there, and so it might not do the op any good. does your store let the public shop there?

[hotoynoodle]

there are wholesale companies that will deliver, but the delivery charges are often almost as much as the flour. do you have a restaurant supply place, or a costco, nearby? even a food co-op might sell bulk.