Flour - where has all the flour gone?

[NemophilistRebel]

Are people hoarding it? It’s been 4 weeks since I’ve managed to get any

Ideally bread flour but I’d settle for plain

I tried doves farm direct but they say they’ve been so busy they have stopped selling to public too

I'm experimenting with "growing" baking yeast in a jar with some water and sugar. I started with one sachet about 6 days ago and now have twice as much. After five days feeding it with sugar I let it settle, poured off the alchohol on the top and split the sediment between two clean jars, one to grow on and one to use in baking. I'm going to try it in Hot Cross Buns tomorrow. Wish me luck! I think it might take a bit longer for them to rise, but I've got the time!

@TheEndIsBillNighy 150g plain flour, plus 2 teaspoons of baking powder is SR flour.

I use flour regularly and am running low. There was none in my local Aldi and a member of staff suggested I look in the 'free from' section . I didn't, as people with genuine medical needs might need that flour, but staff are suggesting it to customers.

Sainsbury’s near me had plain flour in today, not much and in small packs only but at least there was some.

@NemophilistRebel that wholesaler (Thomas Ridley..? Something like that) is no longer accepting orders for delivery - click and collect only (maybe they were inundated with orders from frustrated MN bakers...? 🤔).

Wish I hadn't put off ordering from them 😩

I saw a post on facebook a couple of weeks ago where someone asked what flour is. She had read somewhere to buy it for the cupboard in case of food shortages so she had got some but had no idea what it was. Adult female with older primary aged children. I had no words.

No issues around here with flour in North Wales.

@albertselephants
That is worrying

@SpiderVictim oh no! That’s a shame

Yet again, this thread is such an eye opener to some people's mindset.

The people getting cross about "stockpiling", and food being wasted are such nasty curmudgeons. I genuinely think people are just baking more food, more bread, cakes, biscuits etc. With their kids, for their families, for fun. It's a security thing - the ability to provide for your family.

Shopping has gone from super convenient to a real pain in the jacksie, and done once a week rather than every day or so.

Home cooking gives you the flexibility to make what you want, when you want it.

I can vouch for this. I'm a frequent baker but have used the time at home to make sourdough starter, which I've used to make bread. I've got a miniature freezer so it's helpful to have fresh bread before the next shopping day.

I am running out of flour, so I'll just wait my turn till I can get some more, and in the meantime be happy for all the families having a lot of fun baking.

Some people need to learn to share!! And not be so selfish.

PS there is a shortage for home baking because the means of use has changed from restaurants to home. The flour industry has plenty of flour, but can't pack into 1.5kg bags fast enough to supply the increased demand.

I haven’t seen any flour or eggs for over two weeks now. It’s getting very annoying!

Cloud - the mills have a shortage too as people are buying direct from them in 16kg bags
It’s not about packaging it’s about keeping up with increased demand

As has been mentioned, teachers have suggested to parents to make things using flour and water so now we know that we know why

No ones begrudging anyone using up things they purchase.
Just don’t stockpile and waste it to the weevils

It’s been quite lighthearted up until now

We're getting slightly desperate for bread flour here - 1 bag left. We make our own bread, and have done for years, as due to multiple allergies there isn't a ready made one that we can have.

Also have vulnerable member of the household, so we're not leaving the house (with the exception of key worker going directly to work as required and straight back). Having to rely on online delivery, which we normally had weekly, but obviously can't get slots even fortnightly. Add to that that Tesco is our delivery company and therefore even once we get a slot we're limited to only 80 items, which does not go very far when three different sets of allergies, plus health needs means there's not much crossover food.

Luckily we have/had a good stash as can get cut off in winter, but that won't last that much longer - it wasn't stocked with months worth, more like a couple of weeks.

Hoping that supplies and online slots start to sort themselves out soon.

I found some last week on the bottom shelf right at the back. Lazy so and sos couldn't be bothered to bend down, to be fair I struggled to reach it!
Been baking to use up any fruit that's turning.

I am trying to get hold of Spelt flour as DD is allergic to wheat but can tolerate Spelt.
We did a normal monthly shop just before at the beginning of the panic shopping but we never put in extra of anything just our normal two bags of flour. Wish I had put in an extra bag of flour as we are on our last bag now (I cook every thing from fresh - she has a lot of allergies!).
I am ok with everything else as a lot of the food we buy is organic and I am still able find stuff when I need it.

Plenty of options without using yeast for those who were worrying about that

Some of you have mentioned using less yeast to make it go further - I have some left, in sachets. Would I be ok say just using 1/4 of a sachet & leaving a loaf to prove for longer? It never occurred to me to use less but would be very handy atm!

Once again in this thread people are blaming individuals for the situation rather than the general just-in-time supply rules that are fine in ordinary times.

I've got a bit of plain flour left- just enough to make some gravy, probably. Normally I wouldn't even worry because it would be at the corner shop or every single supermarket but when every shop is consistently sold out it's easy to see why perfectly normal people who have no intention of wasting anything to weevils might grab some whilst they can.

Can anyone tell me how to create a sourdough starter please and tell me how it's meant to smell/look?
I had a go at one a few years ago and I'm pretty sure I did it wrong, it was rank.

As PP say, all supermarkets operate just-in-time supply chains to minimise costs, which mean that there are minimal warehouse stocks at any given time. It doesn't actually take much of an uplift in demand for shelves to be bare in this scenario, because the supply chains have been built to avoid excesses that have to be stored.

It’s being sold for disgraceful prices on eBay.
Yeast too.

Yes giant kitten - it’s awful people are doing that
I really hope people aren’t desperate enough to pay those prices into the pockets of chancers

I use my flour for cakes, and sometimes pancakes. Plenty of bread in the shops so will continue with cakes.....and maybe scones. Though my scones are shit.

Lols to people suddenly buying flour. 😟

@lucysmam - yes, use less and you'll have to leave it longer to prove, but it will work eventually. I don't know the exact quantities but try 1/2 your normal maybe? Won't work in a bread machine
@TitsalinaBumSquash I made my leaven about 15 years ago using Dan Lepard's technique in The Handmade Loaf. You might find it on the internet. There are loads of recipes out there. You want something that smells a bit acidic but in a nice way.
On the flour issue, the thing is that there is none anywhere. I haven't seen any for weeks. So it can't be that everyone is baking more, because where are they all getting their flour from? Unless I'm just really unlucky. I buy all my baking flour in bulk and just managed to get a big sack of strong white, but am running out of all the other flours I use and can't see how I'm going to replace them. Even online...