White Lily

Last updated

White Lily is an American brand of all-purpose flour owned by the Hometown Food Company.

History

White Lily was created by J. Allen Smith in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1883, and named after his wife, Lillie. Since Sunday dinner was a special occasion, bakers sometimes reserved its use specifically for that purpose, so it became known to some as the Sunday flour. [1] It is a weak flour, containing 9% protein, which brings it closer to a pastry flour, producing lighter and fluffier biscuits. [2] [3] White Lily only uses the endosperm of flour grains, which is then bleached in chlorine, which both whitens the flour and weakens the proteins. [4] Bags of White Lily are taller than most flour bags, as it weighs less per cup than standard all purpose flour due to using soft red winter wheat, which was once mostly grown in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee. [5] In 2018, it was difficult to find north of Washington, D.C. [6] but was more readily available as far west as Seattle, Washington and San Jose, California in 2020 during the Covid 19 Pandemic, possibly due to the company expanding retail operations with the loss of customers in the food industry. [7]

The J.M. Smucker Company bought the brand in 2006, [8] shutting down the Knoxville mill in 2007 and moving production to two mills in the midwestern United States in 2008. [4] The brand was sold to the Hometown Food Company in 2018. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuisine of the Southern United States</span> Overview of the cuisine of the Southern United States

The cuisine of the Southern United States encompasses diverse food traditions of several regions, including Tidewater, Appalachian, Lowcountry, Cajun, Creole, and Floribbean cuisine. In recent history, elements of Southern cuisine have spread to other parts the United States, influencing other types of American cuisine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bread</span> Food made of flour and water

Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made foods, having been of significance since the dawn of agriculture, and plays an essential role in both religious rituals and secular culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flour</span> Cereal grains ground into powder

Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures. Corn flour has been important in Mesoamerican cuisine since ancient times and remains a staple in the Americas. Rye flour is a constituent of bread in central and northern Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornbread</span> American bread made with cornmeal

Cornbread is a quick bread made with cornmeal, associated with the cuisine of the Southern United States, with origins in Native American cuisine. It is an example of batter bread. Dumplings and pancakes made with finely ground cornmeal are staple foods of the Hopi people in Arizona. The Hidatsa people of the Upper Midwest call baked cornbread naktsi. Cherokee and Seneca tribes enrich the basic batter, adding chestnuts, sunflower seeds, apples or berries, and sometimes combining beans or potatoes with the cornmeal. Modern versions of cornbread are usually leavened by baking powder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The J.M. Smucker Company</span> American food and beverage manufacturer

The J.M. Smucker Company, also known as Smuckers, is an American manufacturer of food and beverage products. Headquartered in Orrville, Ohio, the company was founded in 1897 as a maker of apple butter. J.M. Smucker currently has three major business units: consumer foods, pet foods, and coffee. Its flagship brand, Smucker's, produces fruit preserves, peanut butter, syrups, frozen crustless sandwiches, and ice cream toppings.

Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of wheat used for human consumption. Wheat varieties are called "soft" or "weak" if gluten content is low, and are called "hard" or "strong" if they have high gluten content. Hard flour, or bread flour, is high in gluten, with 12% to 14% gluten content, and its dough has elastic toughness that holds its shape well once baked. Soft flour is comparatively low in gluten and thus results in a loaf with a finer, crumbly texture. Soft flour is usually divided into cake flour, which is the lowest in gluten, and pastry flour, which has slightly more gluten than cake flour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pillsbury (brand)</span> American food processing company

The Pillsbury Company is a US-based company that was one of the world's largest cake manufacturers and producers of grain and other foodstuffs until it was bought by General Mills in 2001. General Mills brands consist of Annie's, Betty Crocker, Nature Valley, Yoplait, Haagen-Dazs, and Blue Buffalo. It also has ownership in various cereal products including Cheerios, Chex, Lucky Charms, Trix, and Cocoa Puffs. Antitrust law required General Mills to sell off some of the products, so the company kept the rights to refrigerated and frozen Pillsbury branded products, while dry baking products and frosting were sold to the Orrville, Ohio–based Smucker company under license. Brynwood Partners agreed to purchase Pillsbury from Smuckers for $375 million in July 2018. In September 2018, the sale was completed along with other brands including Martha White and Hungry Jack.

Martha White is an American brand of flour, cornmeal, cornbread mixes, cake mixes, muffin mixes, and similar products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hovis</span> British company that produces flour and bread

Hovis Ltd is a British company that produces flour and bread. Founded in Stoke-on-Trent, it began mass-production in Macclesfield, Cheshire, in 1886. It became part of Rank Hovis McDougall (RHM) in 1962 after a succession of mergers. RHM, with its brands including Hovis and Mother's Pride, was acquired by Premier Foods in 2007.

George Weston Limited, often referred to as Weston or Weston's, is a Canadian holding company. Founded by George Weston in 1882, the company today consists of the Choice Properties real estate investment trust and Loblaw Companies Limited, Canada's largest supermarket retailer, in which it maintains a controlling interest. Retail brands include President's Choice, No Name and Joe Fresh, in addition to bakery brands Wonder, Country Harvest, D'Italiano, Ready Bake and Gadoua. The company is controlled by the Weston family, which owns a majority share in George Weston Limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnnycake</span> American cornmeal flatbread

Johnnycake, also known as journey cake, johnny bread, hoecake, shawnee cake or spider cornbread, is a cornmeal flatbread, a type of batter bread. An early American staple food, it is prepared on the Atlantic coast from Newfoundland to Jamaica. The food originates from the indigenous people of North America. It is still eaten in the West Indies, Dominican Republic, Saint Croix, The Bahamas, Colombia, Bermuda, Curaçao and Puerto Rico as well as in the United States and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oconaluftee Archeological District</span> River in North Carolina, USA

Oconaluftee Archeological District is within the eponymous river valley in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, located in the Southeastern United States. Formerly a historic Cherokee village, followed by an Appalachian community, were located at this site along the Oconaluftee River. Now the site serves as the main entrance to the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spillers</span>

Spillers Ltd was a British company that owned flour milling operations, operated bakeries and also sold pet food and equine feeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biscuit (bread)</span> Type of bread

In the United States and Canada, a biscuit is a variety of baked bread with a firm, dry exterior and a soft, crumbly interior. It is made with baking powder as a leavening agent rather than yeast, and at times is called a baking powder biscuit to differentiate it from other types. Like other forms of bread, a biscuit is often served with butter or other condiments, flavored with other ingredients, or combined with other types of food to make sandwiches or other dishes.

Five Roses Flour is a Canadian brand of flour originally established and owned by the Lake of the Woods Milling Company in 1888. In 1954, the Five Roses brand with the Lake of the Woods Milling Company were taken over by Ogilvie Flour Mills. ADM bought the company in 1994, and the Five Roses brand was sold to The J.M. Smucker Company in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baking mix</span> Dry foodstuff used in baking

A baking mix is a mixed formulation of ingredients used for the cooking of baked goods. Baking mixes may be commercially manufactured or homemade. Baking mixes that cater to particular dietary needs, such as vegan, gluten-free, or kosher baking mixes, can be bought in many places.

Mabel White Holmes was the inventor of Jiffy baking mixes, and president of the Chelsea Milling Company.

Premier FMCG (Pty) Ltd, commonly referred to as Premier, is a South African food manufacturer. The company is headquartered in Waterfall City, Johannesburg.

The Federal Company was a Memphis, Tennessee based flour milling company with a market share of the southeastern United States.

References

  1. "Everything You Need to Know About White Lily Flour". May 29, 2014.
  2. "Why Southerners are obsessed with White Lily flour". Southern Kitchen.
  3. "Southern Biscuits Are Better Because of THIS". January 29, 2019.
  4. 1 2 Dewan, Shaila (June 18, 2008). "Biscuit Bakers' Treasured Mill Moves North" via NYTimes.com.
  5. "Why Southerners Love White Lily Flour". Southern Living.
  6. Mull, Amanda (November 22, 2018). "Why Most of America Is Terrible at Making Biscuits". The Atlantic.
  7. 1 2 Tomky, Naomi (June 18, 2020). "How White Lily Flour Became a Baking Aisle Hero Outside of the South". Eater.
  8. https://www.just-food.com/news/us-jm-smucker-acquired-white-lily/