On Dec 13, 2:49*pm, "Ray" > wrote:
> I've noticed that in the supermarket some of the premium flours can cost
> twice as much as the standard brands.
>
> Is there really any difference, or is it just a cook's conceit?

The best thing to do is to get the web addresses and browse the sites.
You can read all the marketing hype of course, but you can also look
at the milling numbers:
the extraction rate, the protein percent, the falling number (for
starch quality), etc.

There are real differences between flours, the issue is deciding
whether or not the difference is meaningful to your baking needs.

Price might be a bad quality gauge. Great flour is cheap in North
Dakota, but expensive in Maryland.