AIBU to wish people would stop using flour for play dough

[Outtedagain]

Just that. Some people, like me, want to cook with it. I have just worked out (correctly I think) from Facebook feeds featuring play dough recipes that this is contributes to there being no flour.

Most of us could do with fewer carbs in our diet, especially breads and pastry.

Speak for yourself. I don’t need to diet.

No one, not one single person would deny that what is in other people’s cupboards is their business. That’s not my point. It is that I wish people would stop using food for crafty entertainment. I want to buy it because it’s food, it has a long shelf life, is versatile, I can’t go out. But hey, it’s ok. I’m glad you have play dough.

I wish people would stop using food for crafty entertainment

Baking is crafty entertainment too though, for the vast majority of people.

Your "point" was that people making playdough meant there was a flour shortage.

Buy a bag of porridge oats, stick it in the blender/nutri bullet and hey presto you have flour. Hope this helps! It's made good cakes for me, just add baking powder if SR flour is needed.

I would be keen to know more about you OP

Are you a mother of a young child on lockdown, someone who may be trying their hardest to entertain on a budget?

Please get a grip if flour is so important to you, then you should have kept a supply in storage.

The first thing I made, after getting flour from a local supplier who usually suply hotels, was playdough for ds. It will be used again and again and again. By the same two potentially germ ridden children. In fact it's been played with several times every day by both children. It's one of the few things that helps with ds' sensory needs, clay etc do not. He can't go to the park or nursery where his needs are usually met and play dough stops the potential harm he would do himself. We're also doing lots of cooking from scratch together and baking to make a dent in the massive bags now we have more time at home.

It's not only plain flour in short supply around where we are in greater Manchester, even Chapatti flour is out of stock but two shops that I called today told me the same thing that suppliers have promised delivery before the end of the week.

They both said they'll have all flours in stock before Friday so hopefully other stores will too.
We normally buy a 10 kg bag of Chapatti flour which lasts us 3 months but because everyone is at home I'm cooking double so finished sooner than I anticipated. The next 2 days days it'll be rice on our menu

Oats were also in short supply, for the PP who said you can grind them up.

Flour is not only used for baking. It's an essential ingredient in many things other than cake.

All we can reasonably do is decide based on the shelves when we see them. If the flour, pasta, whatever are obviously low then yes don't buy it for a toy. But if the shelves are well stocked there's nothing wrong in getting flour to use as playdough or pasta for crafts or whatever, as long as the amount is reasonable.

You can make cold porcelain dough, if your dc are old enough not to eat it. Look at wikihow. Uses anything but wheat flour . But easy to work with.

I was so inspired by your thread that I made playdough today with my kids. I did have to use SR though as I am low on plain (due to having made bread and pizza dough this past week).

Your desire to bake unnecessary cakes doesn't mean other people can't use flour to make play dough. I have over the years often used flour to make play dough and paint as it's safe if the kids eat it.

My kids enjoyed your suggestion very much... Cheers!

Flour is not only used for baking

That’s what the vast majority of people buying it now are using it for though.

I wish people would stop eating my play dough ingredients

Really. Christ on a bike...stop policing what people do with food.

The proportion of flour used for baking is much higher than that used for other dishes.

E.g. a white sauce needs only an ounce or two of flour; coated chicken needs just a sprinkling, if you are using flour for cooking purposes only and not baking a 1.5 kg bag should last you for months.

As an aside, can someone share the yeast-free bread recipes they would all be making on here if they could get flour since you can’t buy that either... .

YABU. That said, have you tried kosher or asian supermarkets? I visited a kosher supermarket near me on sunday and they had lots of flour, including bread flour, as well as loads of pasta and pulses.

The flour shortage is due to supply being switched from B2B to B2C. And people are bored so want to bake. We usually bake all our own bread in the bread maker but have had to buy loaves but I can’t get worked up about kids who are cooped up without playgroups, parks and nurseries - and some without gardens - using a bit of flour for play dough. YABU.

Easy yeast-free bread for whoever asked earlier.

www.easypeasyfoodie.com/easy-white-soda-bread/

And I'll ask again if anyone knows where I can buy flour online.

Kids - “would you rather bake a cake or play play dough this afternoon”?

Why is one more “worthy” than the other?

Or would you suggest that only those who can bake a decent cake be allowed near the flour?

Flour is not only used for baking. It's an essential ingredient in many things other than cake.

Playdough for example.

Playdough for example.

Oh Soup i'm howling here