Quarantine bakers are making flour a hot commodity

[jmyrlefuller]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/quarantine-bakers-are-making-flour-a-hot-commodity/ar-BB12qmn9

by Lydia Mulvany and Michael Hirtzer, Bloomberg
April 10, 2020

The art of baking at home, while not exactly lost, has been on a decline as Americans slowly shifted from eating in to dining out. But with over 90% of the U.S. under some form of stay-at-home order due to the ongoing pandemic, it appears that an increasing number are dusting off old recipes for breads, pastries, cookies and cakes. Sales of baking yeast were up 457% over last year for the week ending March 28, according to Nielsen data. Flour was up 155%, baking powder up 178%, butter up 73% and eggs up 48%.

Home baking began dropping off in the 1960s, and today, with many households having two working parents, there's less time for even basic meal preparation, never mind baking. Food away-from-home accounted for 54.4% of total food expenditures in 2018, compared to 26% in 1953, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. Still, a rising U.S. population contributed to consumption gains for wheat-based flour in recent years even as per-capita use dropped from 146 pounds in 2000 to 132 pounds in 2018, DOA data show.
Now, stuck at home and trained to perform for social media, Americans are posting pictures of their edible triumphs under hashtags like #isolationbaking and #lockdownbaking.

(excerpts)

[mountaineer]

Early in the "stay at home" period, I couldn't believe how the baking supplies had been decimated at my local Kroger. I finally found some flour at Walmart, a week or so after I first needed it. Now I hear everyone's making sourdough bread, all of a sudden. I wonder where they're getting their starter.

I got some hazelnuts at a greatly reduced price the other day, so I'll probably bake something tomorrow. I'll put it to a vote: biscotti or pumpkin-hazelnut bread?

[Elderberry]

Early in the "stay at home" period, I couldn't believe how the baking supplies had been decimated at my local Kroger. I finally found some flour at Walmart, a week or so after I first needed it. Now I hear everyone's making sourdough bread, all of a sudden. I wonder where they're getting their starter.

I got some hazelnuts at a greatly reduced price the other day, so I'll probably bake something tomorrow. I'll put it to a vote: biscotti or pumpkin-hazelnut bread?

I neglected my starter for so long that I couldn't revive it so I ordered a live starter from https://breadtopia.com/

[roamer_1]

Now I hear everyone's making sourdough bread, all of a sudden. I wonder where they're getting their starter.

I started a starter about 2 weeks ago - Though I have been doing it in half measures... She got bubbly about 4 days ago and it's good to go now. Almost in time... I am on my last loaf of store-bought right now.

And the OP is right. I have had 25 lbs on order with the Azure truck for going on a month and a half. Just a normal order for me, before all this blew up. I probably have 15 lbs laying here, but that won't last too long feeding a production starter and making a loaf or two a week plus biscuits and pizza/pie crusts and such...

It's turning into a bother. Might have to abandon the thought and just go to bannock. Or figure out how to shell some animal feed and get to the berries... 

[truth_seeker]

Providing I behave well, I get cookies, cake, or both.

She has me all schizzo.

She says I should not have it, then she bakes it.

[roamer_1]

I neglected my starter for so long that I couldn't revive it so I ordered a live starter from https://breadtopia.com/

I find it hard to keep a stater going, me by myself. Normally there is a lot of pressure to use it, and there is way too much...

[Gefn]

I think I’ll do this when the holidays are over. Thanks for the idea.