April 28, 2024 - 8:46am
Costco Flour
Hi All. Does anyone know for a fact what the source of Costco's current (2pack) 10# green & white packaged organic hard red wheat flour is? They seem to change mills now and then and, as my local Costco recently started offering it again after months of unavailability, I wonder if they have done it again. Also, and comments concerning quality from those using it would be appreciated. Thanks!
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If you want to use Costco go for it. I would not. Enjoy!
Don't leave us in suspense ... why not Costco?
Bad flour doesn't sit well with me. Enjoy!
Davey1, your post is condescending and unhelpful. It doesn't even attempt to answer the questions raised. I'd say keep your unsupported opinions to yourself else you risk exposing yourself as an arrogant jerk. Enjoy!
C above - and above that. Enjoy!
According to another forum I'm on, the Costco AP flour is Central Milling ABC (bread) flour.
I did an exhaustive search here before I posted. Central Milling was mentioned, as was Ardent. All the posts were extremely old and given that Costco is subject to changing their sources unexpectedly and without notice, I didn't feel that I could consider the old posts as indicative. Central Milling seemed to have positive comments, but I'm not sure that is still its source.
General belief is Costco AP is Central Milling ABC+. The protein % is the same. Do I have concrete proof? no, but I do believe the multiple people I've heard it from.
Whole Foods also carries CM flours as their house brand. Their AP is Beehive and their bread flour is actually HIgh Mountain.
Side note - CM was sold out of Beehive in January. I'm in Northern UT and buy straight from the mill. They said they ran out over the holidays and "might" have some in a few weeks. I've been buying from them for years and this is the first time that's happened. Even during Covid they never ran out.
G. Marie...it is interesting (and may serve as a confirmation that CM is the source)...that the Jan. time frame is about the time this flour disappeared from the shelves...it has only been the past couple of weeks that it reappeared locally. Thanks for the Whole Foods source too.
Not sure where Costco gets its current 10-pound, all-purpose flour with 11.5% protein, but I can tell you, it's missing the rich aroma of the Central Milling Beehive, which Costco used to carry. I should've paid more attention to the packaging before buying.
Yippee
Your post kind of casts doubt on Central Milling being the source. I know I tried the Kirkland brand flour a year or so ago and it didn't seem to perform and I ended up giving it away. However, in my area pf L.A at least, KA is getting pricey and the Costco brand is economically attractive and I am tempted to try again. I'll keep your post as a caution, but I'd still like to know if anyone knows for a fact what the source is. I am also curious why it is branded as 11.5% protein when the ingredient label states 4g protein per 30g sample- which would indicate 13.3%.
Beehive directly from Central Milling. It's the same package Costco used to stock. The specifications are different from the current one, which I regret buying. The disappointing outcomes are a waste of my time and energy.
Yippee
Try Azure Standard. I order all my whole grains from them, good quality, but I haven't tried their flour. Free shipping if there is a Drop near you.
Yippee
If we're talking about what Costco sells now as CM's ABC, then let me tell you, its Beehive, the one I used to get from Costco, is on a whole other level.
Yippee
I cannot answer your question either. Costco has done a thorough job of obscuring the current source of this flour. I would agree with Yippee, however, that the most recent edition of this Kirkland flour did not measure up to the Central Milling version. For that reason, and because I liked the Central Milling flour so much, and found it excellent in both flavor and consistency, I searched for it. I found it at US Chef stores in both 25# and 50# bags. I buy the 25# bags and pay less than Costco's price for 20# (2 x 10#) offering.
The last time I bought the Kirkland flour it was $.85 (rounded)/pound. The 25# bag of Central Milling flour at US Chef was $.48 (rounded)/pound. This amounts to a significant price difference, and when you take into account that you also get (IMO) a much better product that provides a discernible difference in your bread, it's worth some effort to look for it.
Not everyone has a US Chef store nearby, but if you do it is worth even a few extra miles to take advantage of it.
Sorry to not be able to answer your question
OldWoodenSpoon
The store near me doesn't stock it. They mostly have Gold Medal, Grain Craft, Shepherd's Grain, Bob's Red Mill, etc.
Yippee
I don't have a US Chefs store nearby though. But the consensus seems to be Costco flour is worth its weight in lead. Too bad.
moved
Of course, your mileage may vary, but what I bought at my Costco (SF Bay Area), definitely appears to be CM ABC+. This may not be true at other Costco branches. It lists 11.5% protein, milled from hard red winter wheat, and also has a label saying it was certified organic by Utah. All this matches CM specs.
I recently drove to Petaluma to pick up 250 lbs of various CM flours (which I think are absolutely great) but did not buy ABC+ because I had 20 lbs of the Costco version ($18, or $.90/lb). Even at CM buying 50 lb bags you do not get under $1.00. So I baked sourdough using the Costco AP, using a recipe that calls for that flour (or at least those specs). It worked beautifully and tasted great, further making me believe this is ABC+.
OK....I guess not everyone is adverse to what Costco is selling. I'm curious....and, since you have so much experience with CM four...did you find that the Costco flour you used was less capable of withstanding a higher hydration, say around 80% than that which came directly from CM (or, any other flour for that matter)? It seems that that was my previous experience with it.
I have not recently bought "official" CM ABC+, so I cannot quite answer your comparative question. I have not baked higher hydration dough with the Costco flour, other than this cranberry loaf, which was just a little under 80%, perhaps 78%, and that worked out fine. As a general rule, higher hydration seems to want a bread flour, which is more like 12.5% (or higher) so I can see why this flour (whether Costco or CM ABC+) might not work for you. It would push the boundary of proper techniques and fermentation in that case.
I'd be OK with Costco flour if it produced that...I'm good with 78%. Still (sigh) I just went out and purchased a couple 5lb bags of KA bread flour at twice the price...as the the answers here made me hesitant to go with the Costco. Meantime I guess I'll just have to search for a convenient wholesaler in the Los Angeles area that wont be too put out by me trying to buy a tenth of the 250 pounds you purchase. :-)
During Covid, Central Milling's shipping costs skyrocketed, likely due to carrier rate hikes. However, they have since returned to an acceptable level. I entered an L.A. zip code on their website to check the cost of a 25-lb Beehive with shipping—$1.72 per pound, which is quite reasonable.
Yippee
...for looking that up. It IS pretty reasonable...only $0.12 more per pound than what I'm paying for KA locally. I'll keep that in mind. I did manage to find what appears to be a potential local source that I will also have to check out. But, hey....at that shipping rate, the charge is what I'd spend on gas anyway- not to mention the hassle of navigating LA traffic and the 1hr round trip travel time.
That 250 lbs was not all me, LOL. I put together an order for 5 people and I drove to Petaluma to pick it up to save shipping. Driving was in my EV with free solar supplied energy, so it was basically just my time. Also got a 15% overall discount. My portion was 3 x 5 lbs of different flours to try, and half 25 lbs bag of type 80 (splitting larger bags with others also reduces cost). I would suggest that, at $18 go ahead and buy the Costco, and just try. If it doesn't work for your bread, it is still AP flour that can be used for all kinds of purposes.
But I tried the Costco flour a year or so ago and it didn't work for me...I gave it away. As it doesn't look like the new stuff has changed source, I don't think I'll give it another shot. I just thought that maybe its absence on the shelves for awhile may have indicated another source and maybe I should give it another shot, but...no...not now anyway. I may try the Beehive flour that Yippee likes though. Thanks for all your comments!
TMac, since you are looking further afield than Costco, there is a Sam's Club in Gardena. They sell a 25lb bag of Members' Mark Bread & Pizza flour for $11.48 (46¢/lb). It is bleached, but not bromated & contains barley malt. The label says a mere 3g/30g protein; however, the website lists specs as 13.7-14.3% protein and the bag says "high gluten". The flour I get in Niagara Falls, NY, is milled at Hastings Mills (Ardent) in MN.
This is a comparison of challah made with Members' Mark and KA:
https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/62453/challah-king-arthur-bread-flour-vs-sams-club-members-mark-bread-flour
So, there you go, if you are interested.
Looks like there's no difference, but right now I'm not inclined to join another warehouse club. Thanks for the input though...I WILL keep it in mind.
Those loaves belong to someone called PrimeRib.
I'm not a member of Sam's Club either, nor Costco, but I have friends who are.
We have a 2 Costco stores here in Western Australia and they offer several flours from Eastern States mills and although i will try them in the near future they dont have high protein levels on their labels even the one labeled Bakers Flour and was only 0.5% higher than the plain flour i will have to take more notice next time im in there. but they did have Caputo flour which i do like but i didnt think it was significantly cheaper than my local supermarket sells it for and i do like to support our local independent store who also sells fresh yeast in small amounts and frequently sells out of that, must be quite a few local bakers id say. I guess Costco's buyers chase good deals from many millers and they may well get some good discounts from aging stock or from mills that are getting poorer grain coming through from farmers due to weather conditions.
in your area Costco. Here, they only sell the one brand. Your speculation about "chasing good deals" may be possible, but I think more likely is that their buying power is such that they can make their own deals...and they have to be conscious of upholding the generally good reputation of the Kirkland brand as well, so I doubt they are out there buying old or inferior flour from mills. More likely, in my opinion, is that they have sourced a good flour from a reputable source that is just not all that suitable for the needs of "artisan" bread bakers.