Is unbleached white flour available at grocery stores in Taipei and if so is there a particular brand I should look for or something I should look for on the package that will allow me to distinguish it from bleached?
I’m also curious if anyone has ever seen organic flour anywhere? I’ve seen big bags of organic flour in Costcos in other countries, but I didn’t see any at the Neihu Costco and not sure where to look next.
you can look up in organic stores, or baking supply stores near you. there are also options online, see for example:
https://shopee.tw/現貨-美國-Bob’s-多用途麵粉-白麵粉-Unbleached-White-Flour-2.27kg-筋度12-麵粉-i.16909860.11126676382?sp_atk=e047ec45-0e04-44bb-ac64-481b5bae0352&xptdk=e047ec45-0e04-44bb-ac64-481b5bae0352
I used to get it at Costco Yonghe. It is on the Costco website too:
Whereabouts do you live so we can suggest a bakery supply store nearby?
Organic stores like Cottonfields or Leezen carry flour but in tiny, very expensive packages.
I’m in da’an. Yes, I wouldn’t want to buy a super expensive tiny bag. I’m hoping to find a decently priced bigger bag which is why I checked Costco. That’s great to see it’s on their website! If one Costco here has it, you’d think another could get it. Maybe they were just out? I can check again next time I’m at Neihu and if I don’t see it I’ll ask if they can order it. Is that white flour or whole wheat?
White. I bought it mistakingly thinking it was whole wheat
Yes I can see why you did that - the wording on the package isn’t very clear!
Yonghe Costco would be closer. Neihu gets too crowded and stuff get sold out fast.
If you have their credit card, you can purchase online and have it delivered home.
Santa Cruz has 500 grams of whole wheat flour for 150 NTD.
That’s the one I normally get. It’s been in stock the last couple of years at Zhonghe - I don’t remember it ever not being there when I’ve looked for it.
I’ve seen that in the baking supply store I go to. It’s crazily expensive though for flour, like at least 2-3 times more than even the expensive other flours. I think there are enough decent flours here that it isn’t really necessary to pay the premium for an imported American brand. (Also, if the flour needed for a loaf of bread is going to cost me NT$100-150, I may as well just go to the most expensive bakery I can find and it’ll still be cheaper than baking it myself…)
Very good info here. Thanks.
Is it really white flour if it isn’t bleached?
haha, good question! it is. flour naturally lightens over time. of course it won’t be that blinding white color only bleach can produce. unbleached is a duller white some may consider less attractive, but I guess that’s the trade off for bleach free food.
Well I finally got out there to find that Costco is no longer stocking good organic flour at all! Instead they’ve replaced it with the common bleached white flour that is all one can usually find anywhere here. Not on their website anymore either.
Tragic - since Costco appears to have been the only place offering reasonably priced organic flour in Taipei.
Hopefully it will come back, but with Costco you never know. A lot of good products simply disappear forever.
They’ve stopped selling the Kialla one?
I’m not 100% sure they’ve stopped but at any rate it’s no longer in stock and no one seems to know if they will get it in again.
