With Flour Prices Rising......

[homefire2007]

I know many folks here have grain mills and grind their own wheat, etc. If wheat prices continue at this rate, what substitute (read cheap!) grains can be used to make bread. I've heard of bean flours, barley flours being used but have no experience using these grains in bread. At this point, especially just starting out, I'd love to know what others use as substitutes to wheat!

[Cyngbaeld]

All substitutes for wheat tend to be more expensive and less satisfactory for bread. Since my daughter has celiac disease I've explored all the options readily available. Now if you want to know what will provide calories and nutrition instead of bread, that is a different thing altogether and there are many substitutes.

[AR Transplant]

I agree, wheat products have always been cheaper. However, if wheat would become hard to obtain than I would consider kamut, or spelt. Both have some qualities of wheat flour then a different charasteristic of their own.

In my opinion, and it's just mine, I think that kamut is a softer flour and makes a softer, more buttery tasting bread, I always mix it with wheat.

Spelt is a denser flour and requires more water to mix. In doing that you won't get that nice light loaf. Again, I mix it with wheat and it's my least favorite flour to use.

But, if I couldn't get wheat I would certainly use these, and there are, of course, lots others. Rye comes to mind and I never use that so I don't know anything at all about that.

thanks

ar

[SquashNut]

We were buying 50 pound bags of rye, cause they were cheaper than wheat, but when the wheat prices went up the rye prices matched it. Most all other grain prices are doing the same. Rice included.
We just shop the sales and eat what ever we can get that is nutricious and with in reason for price, keeping all the food groups in mind. That might mean that for carbs this week we have a ration of bread and potatos for our meals. Or even that our bread has potatoes in it.
We are used to having a veggie for dinner, but because our garden was weak last year we are substuting some apple sause that we canned from a orchard that we gleened.
But to get back to the original subject, you'll find that quick breads instead of yeast breads will do better if you need to mix flours. Like corn bread or pancakes for instance.

[goatlady]

It's been my experience the "alternative" flours like bean particularly are added to wheat flour to add protein and/or vitamins and make the bread more nutritious. The are NOT a substitute for wheat flour for making breads. ALL the grains are rising in price proportionently so stock up now as much as you can.