Organic High-Protein Flour

In a variety of places one can find the history of this heirloom wheat flour, Red Fife, named after a farmer Fife in northern Canada. It is an entertaining story how it was purloined and shipped from Scotland to Fife by a chum, grown in hazard, and successfully transplanted to the best wheat growing regions of north America. It's colour of course is a kind of red tint visible in the skin and flesh of a loaf.

The flour itself is high in protein and behaves beautifully when meeting yeast. The starters one can make using RF are phenomenal and this is not hyperbole. The trouble with RF is that it is not a comparatively high yield cultivar of wheat. In modern corporate farming and baking yield is more important than flavour. My only quibble with JM RF is that they do not offer it in 10 lb bags, which is certainly their choice, instead of 3 and 25 lb allotments. In any case, it is a splendid flour alone or to mix with other flours to produce different varieties of bread. In using it with rye, one can in the admixture be content with a higher rising rye bread with even 1 to 10% RF. A lovely flour. Pity that more Americans cannot experience this flour as was the case before the advent of the Chorleywood Process that so changed commercial baking.

My mind has been completely blown. In my sourdough, I had been using what is considered the "standard" bread flour among consumers for a long time while I focused on my technique. My technique reached a point where I was very comfortable and decided to branch out and try different flours to see how I liked them.

JUST... WOW. I can't even begin to describe what a difference there is. I am using 42% high-protein flour, 42% bread flour, and, and 16% Red Fife flour in my standard sourdough now. I told you that I can't even begin to describe, so I won't even try; all I will say is that if you're skeptical, just buy a small bag and see if the game doesn't completely change for you!

I have a couple of friends who bake as well, and I honestly am thinking about buying them each a small bag... I just don't know if I want to give them the secret to my newfound success!

I've been using a blend of this with 50% white bread flour to make yeast risen batards. Janie's gives it an irresistible sweetness with incredible flavor. The gluten development is strong with just a couple of folds at higher hydration (80%). It gives a nice oven spring and ear. I've been adding Janie's hard wheat berries during my lamination fold. The combo is so delicious — I'm consistently surprised and how flavorful these loaves have turned out. Can't stop eating them!

I've been into making sourdough for about 6 months now and have been trying different flours to figure out which one I like the best. King Arthur, Central milling, Bob's Red Mill, etc. All are good but Janie's is most definitely my favorite. The flavor is amazing with this flour. I often bring a loaf to work and people keep asking me what I did different. I'm still trying to figure out the best hydration level. I typically do 75% but I think with this flour I can go higher.

I use this flour when making any of my sourdough breads. It makes the breads SO filling and they taste exceptional!