401105 Sun May 13 06:29:34 -0700 2007 14 23 Ontario (including Toronto) 0 2565721 Hi all! I'm on a bit of a quest to find if there's any way to get french flour in Toronto. Either mail order or import shop will do. Is it even possible or does the wheat board allow imported flours? Thanks in advance! Sun May 13 06:29:34 -0700 2007 98258 steam23 1 2566987 In a pinch, if I can't find a proper french flour I think we can probably do with a french style flour. From what I understand, flour for a proper baguette should be a high protien, in the 11-12% range. I don't know if that's the only difference or if there's a difference in the milling as well. Sun May 13 20:42:46 -0700 2007 2565721 98258 steam23 2 2567510 Marc Thuet was unhappy with most bread flours until he found Arva Flour Mills. They sell online and the prices are reasonable. Mon May 14 07:10:01 -0700 2007 2566987 56131 jayt90 3 2570430 Any idea if this flour is sold in the GTA or just online and at the store? Also, would you use regular or the hard flour for bread baking? Thanks. http://www.arvaflourmills.com/index.htm Tue May 15 06:00:10 -0700 2007 2567510 12840 Mila 4 2570486 You should try the new Thuet retail store (Altelier Thuet) in Libety Village. I am not sure if they sell the flour there but they will be able to get your questions answered. http://www.atelierthuet.ca Tue May 15 06:36:02 -0700 2007 2570430 16654 OnDaGo 4 2570981 Use hard flour for bread. If you are not sure about a flour, add one or two handfulls of gluten flour from Bulk Barn. Tue May 15 09:32:41 -0700 2007 2570430 56131 jayt90 1 2567314 What type of flour are you after? Like steam said, protein content is the main difference: hi protein for bread, low for pastry. Mon May 14 05:23:45 -0700 2007 2565721 16382 Kagemusha 2 2570096 It's flour for bread that i'm looking for. My father in law has often waxed rhapsodical about the virtues of European flour (especially french) for making bread. He's gone so far as to say that you can't make decent bread with North American flour. This has lead to many heated debates ;) I'm definitely going to follow up on the Arva Flour tip, thanks Jayt90!. I'm still interested in any other suggestions for imported or artisianal flours. Mon May 14 21:15:44 -0700 2007 2567314 98258 steam23 3 2570351 There is also King Arthur Flour from Vermont, available by courier with a small duty attached (sometimes.) It might be interesting to compare the vaunted King Arthur with the Canadian water-milled product. The bread makers in my family live close to Arva and have been using it since 1975. Sister in law's rye bread is better than Ace's! Thuet and his baker use a yeast culture from Alsace. Has f.i.l. tried one of Marc's loaves? Tue May 15 04:44:42 -0700 2007 2570096 56131 jayt90 4 2571489 "Thuet and his baker use a yeast culture from Alsace." Now that's a neat idea. I can only imagine what that was like to get that through customs (no really officer, it's yeast!) I've read somewhere that it's theoretically impossible to get the exact same loaf from city to city since the airborn yeast is what gives the bread it's distinctive flavour, so you can only really get a true San Fran sourdough in San Fran. I've had Thuet's bread at the restaurant, and I certainly can't argue that it's amazing. Hard to say if it's alacian yeast or arva flour. I've read elswhere about King Arthur and it certainly seems interesting. Maybe a bakeoff is in order;) Anyone know where Ace gets it's flour? Tue May 15 11:37:42 -0700 2007 2570351 98258 steam23 4 2593850 So we went down to Thuet's bakery in Liberty Village. OMG the bread was awesome. They hooked us up with some flour. Even though they didn't have any on hand, they arranged to ship us some in time for F.I.L's birthday (the occasion in question). We.. Love.. Them... This place kicks ass. I want them to open a location uptown so I can have their pain aux chocolat every day. I grabbed a kobe beef bavette while i was there too, I think it was one of the best cuts of beef I've ever cooked. Rock on thuet! Tue May 22 20:17:36 -0700 2007 2570351 98258 steam23 3 2571950 I also read that French flour has a higher ash content...i.e., more foreign content. (specifically they referred to things like ant heads and other bits etc.). http://www.joepastry.com/index.php?title=american_vs_french_flour&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 Tyrone Mills just east of TO grinds their own flour on a century old mill. I haven't tried it yet, but they have several types and might make you something to order if it isn't too out there. They might even add the ant heads at no charge. ;) Tue May 15 13:33:43 -0700 2007 2570096 12631 dinin and dishin 4 2584273 maybe that's where the extra protein comes from;) Sat May 19 10:57:50 -0700 2007 2571950 98258 steam23 4 2584399 Tyrone Mills had a health order restriction on Apple Cider in 2005 (too much yeast). I have Googled and can't find a web site, but it appears to be a tourist/family operation, rather than a mill with a line of products. Anyone know more about Tyrone? Sat May 19 11:54:16 -0700 2007 2571950 56131 jayt90 5 2584549 I go there often. (there is no website) They are a family run operation, but not just for tourists. It's a real mill and we often buy various types of custom cut wood from them for building projects. It is a great daytrip from TO. They make fresh apple cinnamon donuts that are often still warm (melt in your mouth mmmmm), and also sell wonderful tarts and pies as well as ice cream, honey, cheese etc. You can tour the mill and look at all sorts of turn of the century tools etc. During apple season, you can watch them make cider on an old press. Directly south of them on Liberty St. is Archibalds' Orchards who specialize in fruit wines, some of which are listed at the LCBO and many are quite good. They also have baked goods and gifts and you can have a nice wine tasting and even play their little 9 hole golf course. In the fall they do lots of stuff for families who want to pick apples. They are having a big Fruit Wine event on May 28th I think. If you really want to make a day of it, don't get the ice cream at Tyrone, but go north to the Enniskillen General Store where they serve monster Kawartha Dairy ice cream cones. In the summer it is a major stop for ice cream lovers Sat May 19 13:16:05 -0700 2007 2584399 12631 dinin and dishin