WHEAT MONTANA's Prairie Gold
Try as I may I wasn't able to locate a local source of hard, spring, golden wheat at a reasonable price. The freight cost made ordering direct prohibitive. So, I had my nearby health-food-store-pill-pusher try to find any hard, spring wheat for me. I'll give them credit. They will try to find whatever I ask of them. Imagine my surprise when I picked up the wheat today and found that they had obtained a GOLDEN, hard, spring wheat for me - Prairie Gold as grown and sold by Wheat Montana. Here's their web site: http://wheatmontana.com/ I don't know how it compares to Walton's Golden 86, but Wheat Montana's Prairie Gold sounds just as good if not better.
I'll be milling some tonight and letting it age for at least 3 days before I bake some bread with it. I took some Prairie Gold and put it beside the hard, white, winter wheat that I've been using. The Prairie Gold has a slightly "brighter" look to it. I can hardly wait to use it. I'll keep you all posted. Has anyone else out there used any Prairie Gold wheat?
Cliff.
Strange coincidence, Cliff; on Monday I will be picking up 50 lbs of Prairie Gold and 50 lbs of Natural White. Flour, tho, not berries. I'm really looking forward to trying these flours, as I have heard only good things. Can't wait to hear what you have to say!
Susan
I predict that you guys are going to love it! I live in Montana and not far from where it is grown. I have been using their Prairie Gold and AP White for several years. The AP is really equal to a bread flour and not like the grocery store AP flours. I always put about 1/2 cup of the Prarie Gold in all my white breads and you can't even tell it is there by the appearance. It adds more flavor, though. It is a lighter colored wheat and milder in flavor than hard red wheat.
I was in Montana recently on a ski trip. I baked some breads while there, which had some people questioning my sanity. I bought some Wheat Montana flours, and they worked very well. I may well order them for here in NJ, even though KA is in the stores here.
I received an email today in reply to my inquiry about the gluten and protein levels in Wheat Montana's Prairie Gold grain. I was caught very much by surprise! The gluten and protein both come in at 15%.
Cliff. Johnston
"May the best you've ever seen,
Be the worst you'll ever see;"
from A Scots Toast by Allan Ramsay
Thanks for the info, Cliff. Good to know. Yesterday I picked up the Montana high gluten flour and what turned out to be Prairie Gold berries instead of flour. I was so excited that I didn't notice until I got home. hehehe. Anyway, just as well, since I am bad and use much more white flour than ww; the PG ww will last a lot longer as berries. My right arm will slowly start to look like Popeye's as I hand-grind enough for a couple of loaves. Maybe that's the secret to being able to eat all this great bread: Hand-grind the wheat!
Let us see lots more pictures now, y'hear!
Susan
Susan,
You're welcome. I was surprised at the high values.
I'll start a loaf on Thursday and document it with a set of photos. The flour will have aged a few days by then. I've got to see a specialist about my hand Thursday, but I should be able to work around him. The bread will be baked Friday about noon. I'll slice into it about 1 PM.
Cliff. Johnston
"May the best you've ever seen,
Be the worst you'll ever see;"
from A Scots Toast by Allan Ramsay
I finally got a loaf of whole wheat bread made using just the Prairie Gold flour that I milled at home. There are two words that come to mind to describe it: "Superbly Delicious". It is without a doubt the best tasting whole wheat bread that I have ever eaten. Self praise is no honor, but here the praise all goes to the Prairie Gold grain that I used. I've got a batch of rye dough working now. Tomorrow I'll be able to do a direct comparison between the rye bread with Prairie Gold flour and rye bread with hard winter wheat flour.
For those of you with eagle eyes, the yellow streak in the bread is corn meal. I had some logistical problems making this bread. Visually it was not the most perfect loaf of bread; however, the flavor was exceptional.
As luck would have it just as I was finishing eating the first slice of this bread there was a knock at the door. It was a lady who owns a restaurant. She had heard that I milled my own flour. I invited her in and let her sample the fresh whole wheat bread and some of my rye bread too. I have never enjoyed watching someone's face as they enjoy bread as I did this afternoon. She started talking about buying it for her restaurant...I don't think that she can afford it, just between you and I...it's not an inexpensive bread to make.
I strongly recommend Prairie Gold by Wheat Montana. It is a superior grain for milling flour for bread. They also sell the flour. It's a win/win situation.
Cliff. Johnston
"May the best you've ever seen,
Be the worst you'll ever see;"
from A Scots Toast by Allan Ramsay