Turning the corner.....

[odshowtime]

I found out they have dough balls at Publix so I'm all good.

 

[psuro]

yeah, that's also been a surprise to me. A couple of weeks ago, my wife started making bread and realized she didn't have enough flour. I went out to get some, and found none and 2 stores, and only a couple of small bags of organic flour at a 3rd store.

A lot of stores have reduced the area they devote to baking products, but I still was stunned that all the flour was out. FWIW, the situation has not improved since that time at any of the aforementioned stores in my area.

Tell her to use Red Mill almond flour. It’s low carb. Good for your health. We need you around.

 

[PSU87]

I found out they have dough balls at Publix so I'm all good.

Good depending on what you're going to use it for. For bread its OK. For pizza it is downright horrid....

 

[BBrown]

yeah, that's also been a surprise to me. A couple of weeks ago, my wife started making bread and realized she didn't have enough flour. I went out to get some, and found none and 2 stores, and only a couple of small bags of organic flour at a 3rd store.

A lot of stores have reduced the area they devote to baking products, but I still was stunned that all the flour was out. FWIW, the situation has not improved since that time at any of the aforementioned stores in my area.

Pretty similar to what I'm seeing as well.
Had to make a trip for the first time in about 2 weeks to the local Foodlion.
First off it was more crowded than it should be, second there was a mom and dad and family of 3 shopping. Really WTF? was it a vacation for them? Its like I've kind of guessed that all the stay home order has done for many is allow them to shop all day long.
No TP, no paper towels, no potatoes (whats up with that)?. No pasta and very little sauce, no flour or sugar, no bleach or pretty much any type of cleaning product. Vegetables and fruit seemed to be ok, limited amount of meat but they did have some nice looking steaks (would be awesome to grill if the temps would get above 45º).
Limited amount of frozen food, french fries, pizza...
Milk and eggs and Bread were fine.
Thankfully the liquor truck had just left my 2nd destination.

 

[BBrown]

Most people aren't bakers. I'm guessing that the people buying it will end up throwing it away because they've never baked a loaf of bread in their lives.

LOL, yea unless they have bread machines or mixmasters I doubt many even know they have to knead the bread.

 

[BBrown]

It's just science.

My Gram was an old "Dutch girl" and she used to make her own bread and sour kraut, among other things. Boy, do I miss that lady's cooking. She did it out of necessity. I'm not going to die or get sick from a bad starter. We are making pot bread and cast iron pizza. I will let you know.

You had me at pot bread.

 

[Harrisburg Dave]

All the men were overseas, and women don’t poop.

According to my wife she has not passed gas in 33 years.

 

[tboyer]

It's not a supply problem, it's a channel problem. A little like toilet paper. There's tons of flour and TP in commercial packaging with nobody to buy it. Doesn't have retail UPC codes so it can't be sold in supermarkets without putting stickers on it.

If you want to buy 50 pounds of flour, you can get it from restaurant supply no problem.It's 5 pounds that's hard to find.

We have not been able to find bread flour and yeast. For the last month, no bread flour.

 

[IrishHerb]

It's not a supply problem, it's a channel problem. A little like toilet paper. There's tons of flour and TP in commercial packaging with nobody to buy it. Doesn't have retail UPC codes so it can't be sold in supermarkets without putting stickers on it.

If you want to buy 50 pounds of flour, you can get it from restaurant supply no problem.It's 5 pounds that's hard to find.

Just ordered 50 pounds of flour from a restaurant supply place. And 2 pounds of yeast. So I should be set for a while.

 

[BBrown]

2 pounds of yeast...ZOIKS!

yea how much of that is for the “still”

 

[IrishHerb]

2 pounds of yeast...ZOIKS!

That was the smallest they had.

 

[odshowtime]

Good depending on what you're going to use it for. For bread its OK. For pizza it is downright horrid....

I guess my standards are low these days, I made a boss pizza with it last night. What don't you like about it? Flavor, consistency? Granted I haven't ate a real pizza in over a month but man it was good. Good toppings are key.

 

[PSU87]

I guess my standards are low these days, I made a boss pizza with it last night. What don't you like about it? Flavor, consistency? Granted I haven't ate a real pizza in over a month but man it was good. Good toppings are key.

Flavor is not bad, not good. I just find it incredibly hard to shape. It is too elastic for pizza dough. I usually make my own, but will use the Publix stuff in a pinch.

 

[odshowtime]

Flavor is not bad, not good. I just find it incredibly hard to shape. It is too elastic for pizza dough. I usually make my own, but will use the Publix stuff in a pinch.

I do agree with that and the longer it sits the worse it is. Still learning, but used one that was one day too old last week and it was a total PITA to stretch into a pizza-like shape.

When this is said and done I will be a pizza boss but I am still an acolyte. I will say a picture of my pizza went "viral" last night with the GF's friends and they were drooling! Grilled hot Italian sausage... man it was out of sight!

 

[Tom McAndrew]

I was out shopping today for the 1st time in more than a week, to 2 stores I previously had reported on. No flour at all at 1, and some flour at the other. There was no yeast at either store. (It was on sale at 1, so that might explain the shelf being empty.)

 

[The Spin Meister]

If you turn the corner, and then turn the corner three more times, you end up where you started.

And three rights make a left.

 

[psuro]

And three rights make a left.

One right makes z left in NJ.

Jug handles rule.

 

[PSU87]

I do agree with that and the longer it sits the worse it is. Still learning, but used one that was one day too old last week and it was a total PITA to stretch into a pizza-like shape.

When this is said and done I will be a pizza boss but I am still an acolyte. I will say a picture of my pizza went "viral" last night with the GF's friends and they were drooling! Grilled hot Italian sausage... man it was out of sight!

Find yourself a local pizza joint that will sell you dough. Not all of them will, but you only need to find one.....

 

[PSU87]

I totally agree with that. It's just not in packaging appropriate for retail sale.

Also on the food front, the developments at packing plants is incredible. We will also see issues with fresh fruit & veg harvests as well. The labor pool live in a tight multi-generational environment and this thing will rip through those communities creating problems down stream.

PS It will be interesting to see if the same phenomenon happens in dairy as well as the egg biz. They both are heavily dependent on immigrant labor that live in small, tight communities.

The problem with the 50 lb bags from restaurant supply is it is almost certainly going to be bleached and bromated. It will certainly bake bread, but not of the quality and consistency I try to get with homemade. For pancakes, cakes, waffles...its fine.
I guess I'm a flour snob
I'll probably be buying a 50 lb bag here shortly since I've found ZERO flour for 2 weeks....

 

[Tom McAndrew]

this may explain the flour and yeast shortage on grocery shelves

 

[Frabjous]

Beast of the Yeast?

 

[ILLINOISLION]

The problem with the 50 lb bags from restaurant supply is it is almost certainly going to be bleached and bromated. It will certainly bake bread, but not of the quality and consistency I try to get with homemade. For pancakes, cakes, waffles...its fine.
I guess I'm a flour snob
I'll probably be buying a 50 lb bag here shortly since I've found ZERO flour for 2 weeks....

The problem with 50 lb bags IS THEY WEIGH 50 LBS!

 

[81b&w]

Ordered a bundle of Charmin and Bounty from BJ's last Thursday for delivery and got it Wednesday. Only problem is they delivered Charmin Essentials and not the Ultra Soft I ordered. The price difference is $13. Called the delivery service Instacart and they aren't even taking phone calls.

I
No one deserves "ultra soft" right now! That being said, it is soo nice!

 

[81b&w]

Do you scratch your balls if you have a yeast infection?

 

[Tom McAndrew]

@Nittany Ned2 -- here's an option for you

 

[CentexLion]

@Nittany Ned2 -- here's an option for you

View embedded media

Good podcast I listened to yesterday about harvesting 4500 year old yeast from Egyptian artifacts, and high jacking it and making bread. None other than by the lead designer of the XBOX. Article below, but dig up the Proof podcast (Raider of the lost Yeast). I was just waiting for him to bring back to life the Egyptian Plague at the same time. That would be all that we need

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smar...using-4500-year-old-egyptian-yeast-180972842/

 

[royboy]

 

[Tom McAndrew]

CLICK HERE for a little more on the yeast shortage