The great Rye Flour Shortage of 2020

richard-in-cincy

Well-known member
I bake the bread at our house and it is usually some form of whole grain German/Central European Rye. I've used the last of my rye flour. I've been searching everywhere locally and on line and with the exception of the little dab-in-a-bag that Big Bob is selling for obscene prices, there doesn't appear to be any more rye flour on the North American continent.

What gives? Did they forget to grow it? Sell it all overseas?

I did find whole rye grain for $4.50/5 lb. But it's $16 to ship (rolling eyes). But the place is up front about shipping ($16 for 10-40 lbs.) so I'll probably put some other things in the cart (they sell dried fruits, grains, flours, etc: https://www.clnf.org/) with #20 lbs. of rye berries to make an order.

If you're missing homemade rye, you can use the rye grain (I still have a limited supply of this) to make an excellent and very healthful bread. Just soak the rye grain/berries for 24 hours, then drain, scatter it on a tray, and keep it in a warm place (oven with light on), misting it occasionally to keep it from drying it out. It will sprout in 1-2 days. Then just grind it up in the food processor and you've got sprouted rye flour with some water already added (it's more/less a paste after you do this). Add some whole wheat flour, yeast, and salt, and you have German "Vollkornbrot" -- one of my faves that I make all the time (except I add a rye sourdough that I've had going for years and some molasses).

Yesterday's bread, in absence of anymore rye flour, I used 2 cups of rye berries, sprouted them, added sourdough starter, 2 cups whole wheat flour, molasses, and 2 cups of muesli and made one of the most delicious whole grain breads I've ever brought out of the oven. The muesli had wheat and rye flakes, oats, flax, sunflower seeds, dates, raisins and some other goodies in it,

 
Rye Whiskey

I was on a road trip 20+ years ago and I randomly picked up a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle Rye. This was before it became highly sought after. I hadn't tried rye whiskey and I just wanted to try it. Then a few years later I was reading an article about how Rye whiskey had essentially disappeared from production and now Pappy Van Winkle was sort of a unicorn and the bottle I purchased for I think around $12 was worth about $400. Since then rye whiskey has sort of boomed with a lot of craft distillers and larger ones making special batches of it. What has happened over the past 20 years is the craft spirits as well as artisan baking so rye has much more industrial as well as specialized/artisan demand. I think that is the issue. Two of my favorite things use rye. Pumpernickel bagels and reuben sandwiches.

 
The Great Winkle Unicorn...

That makes so much sense. The upsurge in artisanal bakeries and distilleries has sucked up the available rye crop and left nothing for home bakers. Do I need to start growing rye instead of tomatoes?

Hopefully someone will realize there is a shortage and start planting more acres of rye for the consumer market.

Yes, Pappy van Winkle. What a legend. Most of the distillery output is of the Bourbon variety. I didn't even know they had a rye.

It's become so elusive that it's pretty much just released to select bars and restaurants. I've had the 10 year ($25/shot). They had a 15 and 20 year on the list but not at $75 & $150/shot. The stuff is good. Golden velvet with a golden sunset shining on it. But I one can buy very similar from the same distillery, Buffalo Trace, for a whole lot less money & hype.

They make PVW about 1.5 hours southwest of my house.

 
Richard, we have a grain mill here in Redding CA, They grind their own grains

I called them and they have 5 pound bags for 3.99. Their phone number is (530) 241-9245. They will ship to you.

 
I just checked Bob's Red Mill and WITH shipping. . .

of $19.03, you can get 25 lbs. of Organic, stone ground Dark Rye Flour for a total of about 58$, which is a little more than 2.35 a pound. This is a bulk item.

Right now for small, non-bulk items, they have free shipping; they charge $3.59/20 oz or a "case" of four 20 bags for $ 12.79. The case here comes down to 'bout $0.16/oz or about $2.56 a pound.

If you have room in a freezer and bake rye regularly, I'd go with the 25 lb bag here.

 
I had trouble too and than suddenly it was appearing everywhere. Bought it at Publix but

also found it at Whole Food in bags and bulk section.
Arrowhead Mils.

 
On that thought, does whiskey keep aging if it's open? I bought a bottle of Irish

Whiskey in ABQ in the mid-80s to use in Irish Whiskey Cheesecake. That's it. The only thing I used it for. (very good cake by the way)

So half the bottle is still sitting up in the booze closet. Did it age more or just get old?

 
Thanks so much everyone!

Arrowhead Mills is what I used to buy in 5# bags. I can't find it in any local store and I've checked about over half dozen of varying brands. Also, Arrowhead Mills website says they are "temporarily out of stock" and it's been that way for quite some time. I'm surprised you found them Marilyn. Did you check your expir dates?

I will investigate all of these options.

Thanks again!

 
It's still good

but it's not "aging" as in sealed in cask or bottle aging. Alcohol content is reduced, etc.

Think hot toddy's when you're feeling ugh. Hot tea with lemon, honey, and a slurp of whisky. Does wonders right before bed time after a hot bath.

 
Rye was what the old-timers drank for sure...

Then it went away for some reason.

When I was in HS and college, I played with a local community band in the summers that had been going since the 19th C (it was the oldest of such groups in Ohio). All of their music was original edition Sousa, King, Fillmore, etc. marches from the late 19th & early 20th C. This was mostly a retired senior-citizen group by this point (with a few "youngsters" like me). They gathered around the pot-belly stove in the Liberty Township voting house to practice and played at all the fairs, festivals, etc. over the summer months.

Every summer the Andrews drove from NJ to stay in her family's big pile of 19th C Victorian excess for the summer and Mr. Andrews, who was in his 80's at the time, would join the band for the summer with his cornet (and his old-fashioned small mustache and round wire-rimmed spectacles--he looked straight out of MGM central-casting for 1920's gentleman).

The Andrews were intense croquet players. They had a meticulously maintained court on one of the lawns of the Victorian mansion, raised grass border, court carefully clipped each day to 1/2". Adirondack chairs and cocktail tables on all sides of the court for spectators and players waiting their turn. When one went to the Andrews, one expected there would be croquet matches all afternoon.

And on top of those court side cocktail tables there were iced glasses of rye and soda (from an old-fashioned soda siphon, of course).

That is what the house drank and that is what everyone else drank if you wanted a drink.

And the final part of this wonderful memory, Mr. Andrews played in the John Phillip Sousa band in the 1920s.

 
Huh! Ended up finding Bob's dark rye after searching in 6 stores over several days

Never considered a supply shortage! Just thought people weren't baking with it any more smileys/frown.gif Colleen

 
my wife asks me this morning...

I'm still foggy and she says "do you remember the last thing you said to me last night?"

I stare blankly for a while trying to think (also concerned this may be a trick question and the answer I give could have dire consequences).

"You wanted to buy rye bread."

 
Great price, but $70 UPS to Ohio. Ouch. $3.60/lb. But still, that is close.

to the per/lb. retail price of Bob

25# bag= $20
shipping =$70

Price/lb. = $3.60

 
$2.56 and $2.74/lb.

5 4-pack 5 lb. Cases = $63.95
free shipping over $54= $0

Price/lb. $2.56 for 25# sealed in 20oz. pouches


1 25# bag = $38.90
UPS Shipping= $29.37
Total = $68.27
Price/lb . = $2.74

 
Actually, after reading this post, I checked at Publix today and it's still there...$4.99

Arrowhead Mills organic rye flour (20 oz bag)

Expires April 19, 2020, but I bought this before Christmas when I was trying to make a steamed Christmas pudding and it called for rye flour. I was searching everywhere for rye flour and by the time I found this, the urge had gone.
(Hey, that's my sister's birthday!)

 
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