Who Knew That Flour Could Be So Insanely Addictive?!

As flour joins other foodstuffs that are in short supply during the pandemic, we’re led to realize just how much we love this underappreciated ingredient.

When we hear about food shortages as part of our new reality, it’s important to parse words because in some cases it’s a supply chain issue versus an actual shortage. In the case of flour, supplies are plentiful, it’s just that the flour elves can’t get the white gold to our shelves quickly enough. Yeast, on the other hand, represents an actual shortage from all reports, but when we have flour, who needs yeast?!

Flour has earned its place among food hierarchy, with or without yeast. So while people set off on scavenger hunts in search of fermentation, we’re perfectly content enjoying the fruits of flour’s labor. Can you say pasta? If you can’t, we’d like to direct you to the next PA meeting in your area. (In this case, PA stands for Pasta Anonymous!)

Absent that pesky, elusive yeast, the glory of pasta still awaits you, requiring nothing more than flour, eggs, and water. Not only are the culinary opportunities endless, but the rewards are bountiful. Short on ideas? Just grab the nearest cookbook or visit your favorite cooking website and simply noodle through until something clicks.

Love of pasta aside, we have a particular affinity for another of flour’s beautiful offspring–dumplings. More specifically, we worship at the altar of Cracker Barrel’s culinary masterpiece, their dumplins. And no, there’s no “g”, something even our own spellcheck tried to foist upon us while sharing our passion for those perfectly dense, perfectly doughy, pillows of transcendence.

For those of you unfamiliar with Cracker Barrel, its 660 locations are part southern restaurant and part hokey, old-fashioned gift shop. And while there’s plenty to dislike about the chain, nothing matters to us as long as those floury gems exist.

Lest you question our conviction, our go-to at CB is the Chicken n’ Dumplins entree, which comes with your choice of either two or three sides. If the fact that we also get our beloved dumplins as one of our sides isn’t proof enough of our allegiance, we don’t know what is?

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Food shortages have reared their ugly head throughout the pandemic. While some have a practical, hygienic application and are therefore essential to everyday life, others tend to affect only a much smaller percentage of the population.

Some Wendy’s locations apparently don’t have beef. From where we sit, we couldn’t care less. They’re not the only burger game in town, so again it’s a supply chain issue versus an actual shortage, leaving us unaffected both emotionally and practically. Besides, they’re square! What’s up with that?! But we digress…

Flour is an entirely different story. As an ingredient, it rules the roost, so here’s hoping that supply chain issues are resolved in short order and that we’re no longer reading about people whose desperate desire to buy the product is leading them to buy 50-pound bags from big box retailers.

Come to think of it, should the short supply of flour suddenly affect Cracker Barrel and by extension their ability to produce our beloved dumplins, we could point the chain in the direction of the same consumers who are needlessly sitting on 50-pound bags. Problem solved! Whew!

Could a food shortage, actually a flour shortage, cause you immense sadness over missing your favorite food?