Fresh milled flour is a nutrient powerhouse and adds a unique, delicious flavor to everything you bake. But until I figured out some important tips & tricks, well, my family didn’t like my bread.

It was bricks if I used 100% fresh flour, so I want back to 1/2 store-bought and 1/2 fresh and that helped. See more tips for baking with fresh flour here.

Sandwich bread with fresh milled flour

Turns out, I had to master a few more things–like using a tangzhong which you’ll find in this recipe (don’t worry, I’ll walk you through it), and all the other insights I poured into creating the most in-depth resource you’ll find anywhere on milling & baking with fresh flour. See Fresh Flour University for more details on that.

I’m almost ready to send more than 100 of my favorite fresh flour recipes that I’ve created over the years into my publisher… watch for my new book Fall 2026, a sort of in-depth handbook for all things Fresh Flour and a cookbook in one.

And this bread recipe that I’m sharing today will most definitely be included in those pages!

p.s. if you’d like a chance to be a Test Kitchen for the book, I’d love to have you join us over in my Fresh Flour Kitchen facebook group.

Sandwich Bread made fresh milled flour changed everything

This recipe was a turning point for me. A true game changer. Our family enjoyed other “sandwich breads” I’d made before, once I got out of my bricks-for-bread stage that is, but not truly as sandwich bread.

All my breads before this were wonderful butter-slathered accompaniments to our dinners.

But this recipe I’m sharing today, and a Pullman pan, were the final catalysts that meant I no longer have to turn my cart down the bread aisle at the grocery store. This bread slices so easily, into perfect, thin sandwich bread pieces and offers a perfect crumb for sandwiches.

Because it’s made with a tangzhong (see below for more on that), it stays fresh for so many days! When it’s a little past it’s prime, it toasts beautifully and makes the BEST fresh toast.

Then I will slice whatever is left and store the slices in the freezer to use for toasted sandwiches later, or I’ll use the older bread for croutons or bread crumbs.

Why use fresh milled flour to make bread?

Any homemade bread is better than 36-ingredient “bread” from the store.

But if you want to level up your bread making game, fresh milled flour is the way to go. Flour purchased from the store actually only contains 1/3 parts of the wheat berry. And the starchy endosperm that is “flour” as we know it is sifted, heated, and treated until it has essentially no nutrients left.

But if you use a grain mill to mill your own flour? Boom. You get to enjoy all 3 parts of the wheat berry (including the most nutritious parts, the bran and germ!). This means that your body is receiving 40/44 essential nutrients it needs, all “just” from your flour.

Learn about why I mill my own flour here.

Which wheat berries should I make bread with?

The best wheat berries to make bread with are generally hard white and hard red. These grains have the highest gluten potential, which results in great bread. Keep in mind that within the category of hard white wheat and hard red wheat, there are different kinds.

There are modern breeds of hard white and red (most common), and there are heritage breeds of these types of grains, as well. Heritage grains are great for making sure you’re getting unhybridized, nutrient-dense grains. My favorite breeds of heritage hard red wheat are Rouge De Bordeaux and Turkey Red.

Other grains that can be used to make bread are Einkorn, Khorasan (Kamut), Spelt, Rye, and Durum. All of these grains benefit from adding some vital wheat gluten (or other enhancements) to your bread dough to improve elasticity and gluten. Never use soft wheat berries for bread. It won’t develop gluten, which will result in very dense bread.

I use a mixture of hard red, durum, and spelt grains to make this loaf.

What’s the best bread pan for fresh flour loaves?

A Pullman bread pan is pretty odd looking if you ask me.

I’d seen folks using them occasionally, on social media now and then, but thought they looked too “intense” and wondered by on earth someone would want such a large bread pan (and lid!) to have to store in their cabinets.

Then one day I decided to buy one. I decided if there was a chance it might help me bake my own like-the-store sandwich bread I needed to try.

Best fresh-flour related purchase I’ve made since investing in my grain mill. 

You can purchase a Pullman pan in smaller sizes, but I love my XL one ( it’s 13 x 5 x 5 ) because it makes a loaf the size of a standard loaf of sandwich bread you buy at the store. Typically making one loaf a week if enough for our house. I’ll store the bread on the counter, wrapped in this, for a few days, slicing what I need as I need it. After 2-3 days I will slice the remaining bread and freeze the slices, ready to pull out of the freezer one or two at a time, toast them, and use them right away.

I love this slicer, giving me thin uniform slices that are prefect for lunchtime sandwiches.

What IS a pullman bread pan?

A pullman bread pan is a large, rectangular loaf pan with straight sides and a lid that slides on top.

This style of bread pan was used to make bread on the first pullman train cars–the first trains that gave passengers cars to sleep in while they traveled across the country. The passengers, of course, needed food on their journey, and the kitchens on the pullman train cars were tiny. By baking the bread for the passengers in square-topped loaves.

The lid keeps the bread from doming and, instead creates perfectly square slices, which allowed the early Pullman train cars to store 3 loaves of bread in the space that used to only store 2. 

But the part I really love about this bread is the texture. It’s soft and pillowy, kinda like Wonder Bread honestly, minus the gumminess and zero taste.  (Oh, and minus all those ingredients you can’t pronounce, including L’cysteine, a common dough conditioner in bread that’s made from (are you sitting down for this one?) human hair and duck feathers. Seriously. (Find out more here.)

What’s a tangzhong?

Tangzhong is bread making technique of cooking together a portion of the flour & liquid before adding it to the dough. It works by allowing the dough to absorb more liquid than usual, making your bread pillowy-soft.

To add a Tangzhong to any dough, simply whisk together flour and water in a 1:5 ratio, cook it until it thickens into a paste, then add the paste to your dough.

You’ll find bread made with Tangzhong added will be:

• Softer & fluffier
• Shelf-stable for longer
• Better at retaining moisture

The Tangzhong method is especially great for fresh milled flour if you’re struggling with dense, dry, crumbly, or under-proofed loaves.

I’ve been touting the joy of tangzhong in fresh flour bread on instagram for a while and so many of you reach out telling me it’s a game changer for you, like it was for me.

How to make a tangzhong

To prepare your tangzhong, you’ll need:

• 6 TB milk
• 2 TB (16 g) hard red flour

Go ahead and mill about 300 g of hard red wheat berries first. This will be enough hard red flour for the whole recipe. These are my personal, all-time favorite, heirloom grain for this bread: Rouge De Bordeaux Hard Red Berries (use code SOULYRESTED to always save 15%)

Make your tangzong, whisking flour and milk, and heating while constantly whisking. After just a minute or two of constant whisking, your flour and milk combination will turn into a paste. Immediately remove from heat and let cool.

While your tangzhong cools, start mixing your bread.

The Best Sandwich Bread with Fresh Milled Flour

While your tangzhong cools (see above), start your dough by mixing these ingredients:

• 2 cups hard red flour (260 grams)
• 1 cup durum flour (120 grams)
• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 ½ TB vital wheat gluten

Then add the cooled tangzhong and these ingredients:

• 1/2 cup spelt flour (55 grams) 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons butter (read below)

Instructions:

1. Add hard red and durum flour, water, yeast, honey, and vital wheat gluten to your mixing bowl. Mix until combined and let sit, covered, for 20 minutes.
2. Add cooled tangzong, spelt flour, and salt to your bowl. Mix on medium. Add butter slowly, in small pieces, one at a time, as mixer is mixing.
3. Turn mixer to high and let it knead your dough for at least 10 minutes, or until you get a nice window pane. 
4. While mixer is kneading your dough, prepare a bowl that will be at least twice the size of your dough by lightly coating the inside in butter or oil. 
5. Turn dough out onto the counter and knead it briefly, mainly just to form it into a nice ball. (This is assuming your mixer has done all the hard work. If you don’t have a nice window pane your dough hasn’t built up enough gluten yet, and in that case you’ll want to keep working with it and kneading it more at this stage.)  
6. Roll your ball of dough in the oil in your prepared bowl, so it’s coated on all sides. Cover and sit in a warm, draft-free location to rise for about 30 minutes.
7. Prepare your Pullman pan by coating the inside of the pan, as well as the lid, with a healthy fat, paying close attention to the corners.
8. After your dough has almost doubled in size, or after about half an hour, it’s time to prepare it for its second rise.
9. Place the dough in your prepared pan, seam side down, and let dough rise until it’s about 1 inch from the top of the pan, anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 ½ hours. 
10. Preheat oven to 350F.
11. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of  200F.
12. Immediately remove from pan and let cool. Store for up to 3 days fresh or store, sliced and ready to use, for months in the freezer.

Note: I add vital wheat gluten to this bread because spelt has a weaker, more water-soluble gluten than modern hard wheats, but I like this combination. If you’d like to use a great heirloom wheat, like Turkey Red, you can try skipping the vital wheat gluten, since Turkey Red has high levels of protein and strong gluten potential.

Also, if you want the nutrients of fresh milled but don’t have a grain mill yet, this fresh milled flour, sold by the farmer who grow it, is top-notch.

Print

Best sandwich bread with fresh milled flour (pullman pan)

Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients

For the Tangzhong

• 6 TB milk
• 2 TB hard red flour

For the dough

• 2 cups hard red flour 260 grams
• 1 cup durum flour 120 grams
• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 ½ TB vital wheat gluten

To add with the Tangzhong

• 1/2 cup spelt flour 55 grams
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons butter read below

Instructions

• Make your tangzong, whisking flour and milk, and heating while constantly whisking. After just a minute or two of constant whisking, your flour and milk combination will turn into a paste. Immediately remove from heat and let cool. While your tangzhong cools, start mixing your bread.
• Add hard red and durum flour, water, yeast, honey, and vital wheat gluten to your mixing bowl. Mix until combined and let sit, covered, for 20 minutes.
• Add cooled tangzong, spelt flour, and salt to your bowl. Mix on medium. Add butter slowly, in small pieces, one at a time, as mixer is mixing.
• Turn mixer to high and let it knead your dough for at least 10 minutes, or until you get a nice window pane.
• While mixer is kneading your dough, prepare a bowl that will be at least twice the size of your dough by lightly coating the inside in butter or oil.
• Turn dough out onto the counter and knead it briefly, mainly just to form it into a nice ball. (This is assuming your mixer has done all the hard work. If you don’t have a nice window pane your dough hasn’t built up enough gluten yet, and in that case you’ll want to keep working with it and kneading it more at this stage.)
• Roll your ball of dough in the oil in your prepared bowl, so it’s coated on all sides. Cover and sit in a warm, draft-free location to rise for about 30 minutes.
• Prepare your Pullman pan by coating the inside of the pan, as well as the lid, with a healthy fat, paying close attention to the corners.
• After your dough has almost doubled in size, or after about half an hour, it’s time to prepare it for its second rise.
• Place the dough in your prepared pan, seam side down, and let dough rise until it’s about 1 inch from the top of the pan, anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 ½ hours.
• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Bake for 50-60 minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of  200F.
• Immediately remove from pan and let cool. Store for up to 3 days fresh or store, sliced and ready to use, for months in the freezer.

Notes

I add vital wheat gluten to this bread because spelt has a weaker, more water-soluble gluten than modern hard wheats, but I like this combination. If you’d like to use a great heirloom wheat, like Turkey Red, you can try skipping the vital wheat gluten, since Turkey Red has high levels of protein and strong gluten potential.

What I Use to Make this Fresh Flour Sandwich Bread

The grain mills I recommend

Go here for my Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Grain Mill, where I walk you though 6 questions to ask to decide which grain mill is best for you & your family.

More fresh milled flour info:

• Which wheat berries to use (a simple guide)
• The best lemon bars made with fresh flour
• Wheat berries: everything you need to know
• Kamut chocolate chip cookies recipe
• Grab all my tips & more recipes here

PIN this recipe here so you always have it when you need it.

The post The Best Sandwich Bread with fresh milled flour first appeared on Souly Rested.

Excitedly I unboxed my first-ever grain mill a few years ago, milled my wheat berries, mixed up bread dough, and waited for it…

{drumroll, please}

I thought the heavens would open in elation.

I thought the family would devour my creation with joy and beg for more.

Not.

100% whole wheat, freshly milled isn’t for the faint of heart

My loaves made great doorstops. Nobody wanted to eat them. Honestly, they really weren’t edible.

This went on for a while, until I eventually decided that using fresh, whole wheat flour was just too difficult and I set my mill aside, defeated, to collect dust. But not forever! Hallelujah, I uncovered some tips and tricks and I’ve finally converted my kitchen over to only using 100% fresh milled, whole wheat flour.

And–the best part (insert a genuine drumroll)–our breads and dinner rolls taste good!

Sidenote: I explain in the notes, below, that you can tweak this recipe to make better-than-Cheesecake-Factory brown bread, with a little cocoa powder & some molasses. I think you’ll love it.

Are whole wheat dinner rolls hard to make?

This whole wheat roll recipe has a few more steps than your typical dinner roll would have, but it’s so worth it! They come out softer than any rolls I’ve made, including ones made with white bread flour! The extra steps (making a tangzhong and mixing butter into the dough) both help create a soft, stretchy, glutenous dough that’s easy to work with and results in the fluffiest rolls you’ll ever make. You seriously won’t be able to stop eating these.

What’s the secret to making whole wheat dinner rolls fluffy?

In this recipe, the combination of adding a fat (butter), adding a tangzhong (read on for more details), and using vital wheat gluten creates a perfect harmony.

The result? A perfectly fluffy dinner roll that dreams are made of.

Not only does the tangzhong help improve the texture of your rolls, but it also helps keep your bread products soft and perfectly fluffy for many days. In fact, we’ve kept these rolls at room temperature for up to 5 days and they stay as luxuriously pillowy (is that a word?) as they started out.

What’s a tangzhong?

A tangzhong is a roux of sorts, kinda like a roux you would make for homemade gravy. But it uses flour, instead of water. It’s simply a paste you make from flour and cooked milk.

A tangzhong improves the texture of your bread or rolls and (bonus!) increases it’s shelf life, meaning your rolls will taste as fresh on day 3 or 4 as they do on day 1.

Is whole wheat bread better for you?

In short, yes, fresh milled, whole wheat bread is 100% better for you than store-bought bread or bread you make with refined all-purpose flour.

It’s hard to quickly characterize all the crazy differences between refined, store-bought flour and fresh milled, whole wheat flour, but the differences are astronomical.

Go here for lots of reasons why I started milling my own flour.

Just by milling my own whole wheat flour at home, I’ve dramatically raised my family’s intake of protein, fiber, magnesium, iron, potassium, and so many more great things. In fact, whole wheat flour, milled at home and used within 3 days of milling, has been found to include 40 out of 44 of the essential minerals that our bodies need!

So cool, right?

Fluffy 100% whole wheat dinner rolls

(makes 12 large rolls, enough to fill a 9×13 pan)

Ingredients

• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp milk, separated
• about 2.5 cups fresh milled flour (I use a mixture of hard white, hard red, and Kamut)
• 2 tbsp vital wheat gluten*
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
• 3 tbsp sugar (I use this or this)
• 1 tsp real salt
• 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature

Instructions for making tangzhong

1. To make your tangzhong, start by whisking together 1/3 cup cold milk and 2 heaping tablespoons of flour, in a sauce pan.
2. Place over high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened, about 3 minutes.
3. Set this aside for a few minutes, to cool slightly.

Instructions for making dinner rolls

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine your tangzhong, the rest of the milk, vital wheat gluten, egg, yeast, sugar, salt, and about half the flour. Mix.
2. Add more flour, slowly, until a shaggy dough forms. I tend to err on the side of adding less flour than I’ll probably need, and add more, slowly, every few minutes as the dough kneads.
3. Knead the dough for 10-12 minutes (yes, it’s a long time–I’ve found that longer kneading times helps a whole wheat dough develop stronger gluten). Continue kneading until your dough seems stretchy and strong.
4. Slowly add the room temperature butter in chucks, as the mixer continues kneading. Allow the dough to knead for another 3-5 minutes until the butter is all mixed into the dough, with no chunks remaining. The dough should be soft, workable, and stretchy. At this point, you should be able to achieve a decent windowpane if you’ve kneaded the dough long enough. (To test for windowpane, pull a chuck of dough off and stretch it between your fingers, as in the picture above. If you can get it thin enough to see some light through without the dough instantly ripping, you’re in the right ballpark.)  You don’t want the dough too stiff or too soft, but somewhere in the middle. If you’re not able to pass the windowpane “test” without the dough ripping, keep kneading longer and try again.
5. Place the dough in a warm spot in an oiled bowl and let it rest for about 1-1.5 hours. The dough doesn’t have to double in size, as long as it rises some.
6. Gently pull the dough out of the bowl and shape into 12 rolls, and place them evenly in a 9×13 pan.
7. Set the pan aside to let the rolls rise for another 1-1.5 hours. This time you really want to give them enough time to double, if possible.
8. Preheat your oven to 350, and bake the rolls for about 20 minutes, until they’re cooked through and slightly golden on top. I really try to not overcook them, infact they often look like they’re slightly undercooked when I pull them out.
9. While the rolls are still hot, brush the tops with butter.

Notes about making whole wheat dinner rolls

• There’s only one roll in the pictures because I only thought to take pictures after my recent batch was all devoured except for one. This is a common occurrence around here–disappearing rolls.
• I did get one picture of a batch of rolls I baked in a 12″ cast iron pan a while ago, but my current go-to is my glass baking dish. I love for these dinner rolls to be as soft as they can be, and the cast iron tends to make the bottoms crispier.
• Don’t have vital wheat gluten? No worries. These rolls should still turn out well without it.
• Not sure what sugar you want to use to make your dinner rolls? Go here for a break down of all the best options.
• Use Redmond Real Salt in this recipe and add more than 64 trace minerals to your recipe! Use code SOULYRESTED to save & stock up on some of this amazing salt today. I buy it in the bulk size because it stores so easily and keeps forever.
• Have duck eggs? They’d add a delicious richness to this recipe. Read more about duck eggs here.
• There are many options for grain mills. These are the 3 I recommend: The Classic Nutrimill does a great job, at the lowest price point. The Harvest Mill wins for most beautiful to sit on your counter. And the Mockmill is a beautiful workhorse that wins for best engineered, best at milling alternative grains, and finest flour, but it also sits at the highest price point. More about just some of the alternative flours I make in the Mockmill here.
• FOR BROWN BREAD: add 2.5 tablespoons cocoa powder & 3 tablespoons Sorghum syrup or molasses to the dough. Knead and rise as usual, then shape into 4-5 small, free shaped loaves. Let rise again, then brush the tops with either water or an egg wash, sprinkle w/ oats, and bake.

Print

Fluffy 100% whole wheat dinner rolls with fresh flour

Servings 12 large rolls

Ingredients

• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp milk separated
• about 2.5 cups fresh milled flour I use a mixture of hard white, hard red, and Kamut
• 2 tbsp vital wheat gluten*
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp real salt
• 1/4 cup butter at room temperature

Instructions

Instructions for making tangzhong:

• To make your tangzhong, start by whisking together 1/3 cup cold milk and 2 heaping tablespoons of flour, in a sauce pan.
• Place over high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened, about 3 minutes.
• Set this aside for a few minutes, to cool slightly.

To make the dough:

• In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine your tangzhong, the rest of the milk, vital wheat gluten, egg, yeast, sugar, salt, and about half the flour. Mix.
• Add more flour, slowly, until a shaggy dough forms. I tend to err on the side of adding less flour than I'll probably need, and add more, slowly, every few minutes as the dough kneads.
• Knead the dough for 10-12 minutes (yes, it's a long time--I've found that longer kneading times helps a whole wheat dough develop stronger gluten). Continue kneading until your dough seems stretchy and strong.
• Slowly add the room temperature butter in chunks, as the mixer continues kneading. Allow the dough to knead for another 3-5 minutes until the butter is all mixed into the dough, with no chunks remaining. The dough should be soft, workable, and stretchy. At this point, you should be able to achieve a decent windowpane if you've kneaded the dough long enough. (To test for windowpane, pull a chunk of dough off and stretch it between your fingers, as in the picture above. If you can get it thin enough to see some light through without the dough instantly ripping, you're in the right ballpark.)  You don't want the dough too stiff or too soft, but somewhere in the middle. If you're not able to pass the windowpane "test" without the dough ripping, keep kneading longer and try again.
• Place the dough in a warm spot in an oiled bowl and let it rest for about 1-1.5 hours. The dough doesn't have to double in size, as long as it rises some.
• Gently pull the dough out of the bowl and shape into 12 rolls, and place them evenly in a 9x13 pan.
• Set the pan aside to let the rolls rise for another 1-1.5 hours. This time you really want to give them enough time to double, if possible.
• Preheat your oven to 350, and bake the rolls for about 20 minutes, until they're cooked through and slightly golden on top. I really try to not overcook them, infact they often look like they're slightly undercooked when I pull them out.
• While the rolls are still hot, brush the tops with butter.

Notes

• There's only one roll in the pictures because I only thought to take pictures after my recent batch was all devoured except for one. This is a common occurrence around here--disappearing rolls.
• I did get one picture of a batch of rolls I baked in a 12" cast iron pan a while ago, but my current go-to is my glass baking dish. I love for these dinner rolls to be as soft as they can be, and the cast iron tends to make the bottoms crispier.
• *Don't have vital wheat gluten? No worries. These rolls should still turn out well without it.
• FOR BROWN BREAD: add 2.5 tablespoons cocoa powder & 3 tablespoons Sorghum syrup or molasses to the dough. Knead and rise as usual, then shape into 4-5 small, free shaped loaves. Let rise again, then brush the tops with either water or an egg wash, sprinkle w/ oats, and bake.

More 100% whole wheat recipes (+ other tips):

• Why I Started Milling my own Flour (& why I’ll never go back)
• Chocolate Chip Cookies Made with Fresh Flour (favorites in our house)
• Sourdough Bread Made with Fresh Flour (pretty much made weekly around here)
• How to Bake with Lard (and why you should) (one of my most popular articles)
• Learn All About Fresh Flour in my FREE e-course

The post Fluffy 100% whole wheat dinner rolls with fresh flour first appeared on Souly Rested.