Mea Culpa. David seems to have a point if you look around now. The Cortez site definitely spec'd 12- 13% in 2019. They don't have a working site now days. Others definitely match David's spec at 8% max based of what's on the bag.
Things change. I admit I haven't use Blue Bird much for the last couple years. Don't get to the reservation mall much. I'm using either King Arthur Lancelot or 00. Or Antimo Caputo. KA's 00 is less than 10% protein I believe. The Italians I think are around 11%.
Blue Bird worked great for us in 2019 cooking in a pizza oven at around 600 - 700 degrees. That's all I can say for sure.
Sorry David that's not true. It's quite a bit higher protein than any Italian 00. In my experience it's similar to Lancelot as a high protein flour. The ## are on the site somewhere. You've got some cover for your error since their site isn't maintained as it once was. The ##s were published there. It's around 12.5 to 13% as I recall. Not quite KA Lancelot. The high plateau wheat mills from Utah are well known for their pizza flour. The best crust in our neighborhood full of Italian pizzas was made with Big Jake's flour from the same area in Utah. I used to buy direct from that restaurant. They've retired. Bluebird is very close.
There are some significant errors in the postings below: 1. Bluebird is not a high protein flour. Gluten is a protein and therefore it can’t be considered a high gluten flour. 2. It is not 4% protein, but rather 4 grams of protein per serving of 60 grams, therefore 4/60=0.067 or 6.7% (numbers from the nutrition info on the bags). 3. Considering 2. above, I find it difficult to believe there was ever a test result of 13%. If so, get a 2nd opinion!
I spoke to the mill the other day when I placed an order; they shoot for 12% - 14%. In fact, all three of their white flours are the same wheat and have the same protein content. White Rose/Valley Queen is ground finer than Red Rose and Blue Bird (which are the same except the former isn't bleached). Given that, I think it's safe to say that Blue Bird is a high-protein flour, which I got straight from the miller's mouth.
I buy it a reservation mall in San Diego County. It's a high gluten flour comparable with Italian 00. It's milled as fine Antima Caputo 00. I use it for my pizza dough. I used to buy my pizza flour from a local restaurant with the best crust in town. That's saying something in El Cajon. He used Big J Flour from Brigham, Utah. Cortez, like the Big J flour I got from Tommy's, is high plains, 4 Corners, red winter wheat. I'm paying about $15 for 5 lbs. It's comparable to Italian 00 or KA Lancelot.
I have used Blue Bird flour to make artisan bread. I didn't realize the lower protein content when I first used it and I believe the protein content listed on the bag was 4% which is really low!!! However, I found no difference in using this flour compared to other flours I've used in the past for Artisan breads. I live in the Denver, Colorado area and find this flour at King Soopers.
Thats is where I found Red Rose flour so good for cookies. Visiting from California I just liked the sack, but loved it for my baking. Can't find here. Dang it!
You can contact Cortez Milling by phone and they'll take an order. They ship four 5-lb. sacks via USPS Flat Rate, so shipping will depend on where you live. As Flat Rate isn't cheap anymore, you can expect to pay ~$11/5 lbs. which is still a lot cheaper than $18, plus you can try their other flours as well if you're so inclined. They're very pleasant to deal with; I sent assortments to some of my cousins to play with. They have a Facebook page; you can get their contact info there.
I've solely used Blue Bird Flour for bread since I moved to CO in 2009. I didn't know about the protein content or anything--I just liked the cloth bags. It's always made really good bread.
I don't know if anyone is still looking for answers for this, but I use Bluebird flour when I make bread, or cookies, piecrust- everything! It's great, I don't know what the protein content is, but I do know it's great in bread! It has a nice soft texture with a good, chewy crust.
My grandma was a very well respected baker and made fabulous bread. She was originally from Preston, England. I agree with the posts below that you should not use the Blue Bird Flour to make bread. The Cortez Milling company makes a better quality flour called Valley Queen, which is the only flour grandma would use. Her daughters and everyone in the family who still bake her bread will only use Valley Queen. Blue Bird is famous for the Indian (or Navajo) Fried breads that the area is famous for, but Valley Queen is what you want to make your cakes, rolls and loaves with. Hope that helps!
With a protein content of 8%, it's right in between pastry flour (9%) and cake flour (7%). It sounds like it would make some lovely cookies, with perhaps 25% AP flour sifted in.
According to the responses on this thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/691629, the protein content is 8%, so it probably isn't ideal to use it in place of bread flour.
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David seems to have a point if you look around now. The Cortez site definitely spec'd 12- 13% in 2019. They don't have a working site now days. Others definitely match David's spec at 8% max based of what's on the bag.
Things change. I admit I haven't use Blue Bird much for the last couple years. Don't get to the reservation mall much. I'm using either King Arthur Lancelot or 00. Or Antimo Caputo. KA's 00 is less than 10% protein I believe. The Italians I think are around 11%.
Blue Bird worked great for us in 2019 cooking in a pizza oven at around 600 - 700 degrees. That's all I can say for sure.
In my experience it's similar to Lancelot as a high protein flour. The ## are on the site somewhere. You've got some cover for your error since their site isn't maintained as it once was. The ##s were published there. It's around 12.5 to 13% as I recall. Not quite KA Lancelot. The high plateau wheat mills from Utah are well known for their pizza flour. The best crust in our neighborhood full of Italian pizzas was made with Big Jake's flour from the same area in Utah. I used to buy direct from that restaurant. They've retired. Bluebird is very close.
1. Bluebird is not a high protein flour.
Gluten is a protein and therefore it can’t be considered a high gluten flour.
2. It is not 4% protein, but rather 4 grams of protein per serving of 60 grams, therefore 4/60=0.067 or 6.7% (numbers from the nutrition info on the bags).
3. Considering 2. above, I find it difficult to believe there was ever a test result of 13%. If so, get a 2nd opinion!
Given that, I think it's safe to say that Blue Bird is a high-protein flour, which I got straight from the miller's mouth.
I'm paying about $15 for 5 lbs. It's comparable to Italian 00 or KA Lancelot.
I am not sure where you live. My son found it at Albertson’s in Durango, Colorado. City Market in Montrose, Co now carries it.
Hope that helps.
Peggy