TL;DR
Quick Answer: Yes! Pam’s High Grade Flour has an 11–11.5% protein content, making it strong enough to build a vibrant sourdough starter and bake open-crumb sourdough loaves for just $0.80 per loaf.
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When people see or taste my sourdough loaves, one of the most common questions I get asked is, “What fancy flour are you using?”
When I reveal that I use good old cheap-and-cheerful Pam’s High Grade Flour, I’m almost always met with pure shock.
I think a lot of home bakers automatically cross budget store brands off their sourdough ingredient list. There’s a common misconception that “cheap” equals “poor quality”—and when it comes to everyday home bread baking, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
My sourdough starter gets fed daily with Pam’s High Grade Flour. Every two days or so, I pull a golden, open-crumb sourdough loaf out of the oven made with—you guessed it—Pam’s.
I honestly can’t fault it!!
The cost breakdown: What does a Sourdough Loaf made with Pam’s flour Cost?
At my local New World in Rolleston, I pick up a 5kg bag of Pam’s High Grade Flour in my fortnightly shop for around $8. That works out to roughly $0.16 per 100g.
When you break down the actual flour usage across a standard fortnight, the math becomes impressive:
- Daily Starter Feeds: Feeding 50g per day uses 700g of flour every two weeks. Cost: $1.12
- Baking the Loaves: Using 500g of flour per loaf, baking 4 to 6 loaves over a fortnight uses 2,000g to 3,000g of flour. Cost: $3.20 to $4.80
Even with daily starter upkeep and baking up to 6 artisan loaves every two weeks, the total flour expense comes out to under $6.00 a fortnight. That makes the flour cost for a single sourdough loaf just 80 cents.
I live on tank water too, so I count my water as free. Add in 10g of salt per loaf and that’s pretty bloody cheap loaf of bread!!
Compared to Edmonds High Grade Flour (which I admittedly also really like, especially because it doesn’t have folic acid added), the price difference adds up significantly over time!
| Single Loaf | Fortnightly Baking | |
| Pam’s High Grade Flour | $0.80 | $5.92 |
| Edmond’s High Grade Flour | $1.20 | $8.88 |
Single Loaf: A loaf using Edmonds costs $1.20 in flour, compared to $0.80 with Pam’s.
Fortnightly Baking (6 Loaves + Starter): Edmonds comes out to $8.88, while Pam’s costs $5.92.
The Annual Savings: Over a year of regular sourdough baking, choosing budget store-brand high-grade flour over a brand name saves around $77 on flour alone—without sacrificing crumb, rise, or crust structure.
Why Pam’s High-Grade Flour Works
You don’t need expensive, fancy-brand-name, imported specialty flour to achieve a great rise and structure. Here is why basic high-grade flour performs consistently:
- Adequate Protein Content: High-grade flour typically contains around 11% to 11.5% protein. This protein level develops the necessary gluten network required to trap gas and give sourdough its characteristic rise.
- Consistent Starter Activity: Sourdough wild yeast thrives on consistent, straightforward carbohydrates. Feeding your starter budget flour daily keeps it active without incurring unnecessary expense.
- Pantry Efficiency: Using a single multi-purpose flour for both starter maintenance and loaf production eliminates the need to manage multiple specialized bags.
So… can you use Pam’s High Grade Flour to make delicious sourdough
Bloody oath you can!
I would love to know if there are any other Pam’s flour sourdough bakers out there! Let me know if you are.
xx
