Alright, so today I figured I’d settle this for myself once and for all – what’s the best all-purpose flour brand out there? Like, seriously, the supermarket aisle is packed, and they all look pretty much the same in those bags. Got kinda tired of wondering if brand really matters, so I decided to put three of the biggest ones head-to-head.
My Approach – Baking the Same Damn Loaf
Kept it dead simple. I was gonna bake plain white bread – nothing fancy, no nuts or seeds messing things up. Just flour, water, yeast, salt, sugar, oil. The basic stuff. This way, any differences had to be coming from the flour itself, right?
Here’s exactly what I did:
- Round One: Grabbed a fresh bag of Gold Medal All-Purpose Flour. Measured out everything super carefully – same amounts, same warm water, same room temp. Mixed the dough, kneaded it for 10 minutes straight – wrist started aching, gotta be honest. Let it rise for an hour in a greased bowl covered with cling wrap, punched it down, shaped it into a loaf, proofed it again for 30 minutes, then baked at 375°F for 35 minutes.
- Round Two: Day later, exact same routine. Water temp? Checked. Yeast packet expiration? Made sure. This time it was Pillsbury All-Purpose Flour. Kneaded, sweated, watched the clock, baked.
- Round Three: Finished up with a bag of King Arthur All-Purpose Flour. Did the exact same steps, trying not to yawn by this point. Bake number three was in the oven.
What Actually Happened? The Real Differences
Okay, here’s where it got interesting. Sitting at the counter staring at three almost-identical loaves:
- Gold Medal: This one rose up the most during baking. Looked taller than the others. Crust was pretty light, not super crunchy, but nice. Inside? Pretty soft. Tasted… good? Like, yeah, perfectly decent white bread. Exactly what you’d expect.
- Pillsbury: This loaf looked kinda pale next to Gold Medal. Didn’t puff up quite as much during baking. The crumb felt a little tighter when I squished it. Flavor was maybe a bit more… floury? Not bad, just a bit simpler. Still tasted fine slathered in butter, obviously.
- King Arthur: Right out of the oven, the crust looked darker, more golden-brown. Felt sturdier holding it. Inside was definitely less smooth than Gold Medal’s, you could see a few more little holes, felt a bit more… chewy? Substantial. Flavor had more character, kind of nutty or something? Definitely stood out.
Picking the Winner (Sort Of)
Honestly, my fridge is now full of bread slices. But here’s the deal:
- If I just want soft, white sandwich bread that rises like crazy? Gold Medal got it done. No fuss.
- For basic cookies or pancakes where I just don’t care? Pillsbury works. It’s fine. Won’t win awards, but it’s cheaper here, so whatever.
- But when I wanna taste the bread itself, that slightly better crust, that chewier texture? King Arthur won me over. It just felt a step up in quality, like they gave a damn. Worth the extra price for specific things.
So, “best” really depends on what the hell I’m baking. Basic duty? Gold Medal. Feeling lazy? Pillsbury. Want something that tastes… well, better? Reaching for the King Arthur bag now. Whole thing took days and way too many carbs, but hey, curiosity killed the waistline I guess.
