But I was virtually alone in the fresh flour world and couldn’t find the numbers, so I pulled them together myself.

Fresh flour: is it worth it?

Tradwife influencers weren’t a thing. No ladies in long skirts were showing up on social media, with fancy tabletop mills, kneading their bread daily. Google was essentially void of answers. There were hardly any books published about fresh flour, aside from a few dusty ones I uncovered at thrift stores, or general “whole wheat” cookbooks.

In fact, when I penned an article many years ago about why I mill my own flour, I thought my math was thorough. Oh, how times have changed.

Comment after comment has rolled in, asking me to update my math, be more consistent, use all one type of measurement, and so on. Okay, okay. Years-ago-Michelle was just doing her best to figure out this “grain mills and wheat berries and fresh flour thing,” ‘mkay?

So today I’m updating the math and answering the all important question–fresh milled flour: is it worth it?

That’s for you to decide, I’m just here to help you run the numbers.

Why mill your own flour?

First, let’s briefly cover why we’re even talking about fresh milled flour in the first place.

Store bought white flour is heavily refined, removing the bran and germ from wheat—where most of the fiber, vitamins, minerals, and natural oils are found. Flour is also heat-treated bleached, and other ingredients added to enhance baking performance.

When we mill our own flour (especially if we’re milling ancient grains!), we’re able to provide our bodies with all the nutrients naturally contained in wheat–including the healthy oils that go rancid quickly if we try to store it after milling into flour. Essentially, wheat naturally contains vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and all sorts of other micronutrients our bodies thrive on. Modern, commercial, white flour? Not even in the same ballpark.

My top reasons for milling my own flour include:

1. To save money (we’ll break this down later)
2. To eat a variety of nutritious grains (different types of grains contain different nutritional profiles!)
3. To eat locally & support organic farm families (who knew flour could be a local health food, and philanthropic?)
4. To be prepared (I’m not a prepper, but I love the idea of having buckets of unmilled flour on hand, always)
5. To enjoy the flavor (It took a while for my white-bread-tastebuds to adjust to fresh flour, but now I can’t go back!)

Cost of getting started with fresh milled flour

In order to mill fresh flour, you’re going to need to invest in a grain mill. Technically you can attempt to use a coffee grinder, blender, or food processer to mill wheat berries into flour, but you’re not going to like the result. Plus you risk burning out an expensive appliance.

Most home grain mills range from $250-$900. I’ve used the most affordable grain mill on the market, as well as my daily-use grain mill, which is on the pricy end. They all function well and get the job done.

To get started with fresh milled flour, you’ll also need wheat berries. To secure the best prices, you’ll want to order them in bulk. Depending on your source, the quality of wheat you’re purchasing, and the shipping costs, you’ll usually spend around $50-$100/50 lbs of wheat berries.

Another optional start up cost is investing in a high-quality mixer. While this isn’t a need, it’s very helpful in making good bread with fresh milled flour. Fresh flour bread dough needs to be kneaded longer than doughs made with store bought flour, and you need a mixer that will handle the extra kneading time. I’ve used this one every single day for almost a decade without issues.

Cost breakdown to start milling flour

So to break it down, start up costs for milling fresh flour include:

a grain mill ($250-$900) + wheat berries ($50-$100) + optional mixer ($250-$550, depending on model) = $550-$1,550

These prices are on the high end, as well as include optional costs.

Truthfully, you can start out milling flour for as little as $250 (cost of an affordable grain mill), and a few wheat berries from Amazon or your local bulk/natural foods store.

Quick answer… fresh milled flour: is it worth it?

Yes, milling your own flour not only saves money, but also offers your family invaluable nutrients that store bought flour is missing. With an upfront investment, a small learning curve, and some wheat berries, you’re on your way to keeping more cash in your wallet while enjoying the benefits of eating the highest-quality flour in the world.

Is fresh milled flour worth it?

Alright, here’s the nitty gritty.

When I was purchasing flour from the store, I purchased organic King Arthur flour, all-purpose. These days, a bag of that same flour (per their website) costs $10.95 for 5 lbs (let’s round up to $11, shall we?).

So $11/5 lbs = $2.20 per pound of organic flour.

In comparison, I currently spend $64/50 lbs organic, hard white wheat berries.

So $64/50 lbs = $1.28 per pound of organic, fresh milled flour.

(Keep in mind that 1 pound of wheat berries translates directly to 1 pound of flour, unless you’re sifting it, then there will be some loss in weight.)

That’s a $0.92 savings per pound of flour I use.

Now, obviously there are some other factors involved (purchasing buckets to store bulk grains, taking up space in your home/basement, and so on).

Does fresh milled flour save money?

Let’s use the math above to take it one step further. An average loaf of sandwich bread uses about 1 pound of flour to make.

According to Google, the average American family consumes 2-4 loaves of bread per week. At a savings of $0.92 per pound of flour (and therefore per loaf of bread), that’s a weekly savings of $3.68.

Although that doesn’t seem like much, that adds up to almost $200/year.

And, on top of that, your family is receiving far more nutrients from the fresh milled flour than store bought flour could ever provide.

Quick reference of store bought flour versus fresh milled flour

How long until a grain mill pays for itself?

Think of it this way: in 1 1/2  years or less, you’ll have paid for your grain mill simply in flour savings. Please do keep in mind that these numbers aren’t exact. For instance, maybe your family exclusively uses ancient grains, or maybe you’re used to budgeting for non-organic flour at the store. I don’t know your personal numbers, but these savings reflect the dollar amounts I saw/saved when I made the switch to fresh milled flour from conventional flour.

These savings only consider bread, imagine how much more you save when you add in other baked goods and any other flour-based products you might be purchasing (tortillas, bagels, desserts, muffins, and so on).

Also, keep in mind that some grains are actually much cheaper than the $1.28/pound I used as an example above. For instance, organic rye is one of the most affordable grains I can purchase (only $0.80/pound!), so I use rye often in brownies, my sourdough starter, and in these chocolate chip cookies made with fresh flour to keep costs down.

So to use rye flour instead of the commercial flour I was purchasing from the store is a $1.40/lb savings.

Homemade cookies just got much cheaper (and more nutritious!).

When fresh milled flour might NOT be worth it

Although I’ve personally seen the financial, health, and lifestyle benefits of fresh milled flour, I fully admit it isn’t for everyone.

• Fresh milled flour might not be for you if you don’t naturally enjoy baking. If you rarely use flour, don’t eat many carbs, or simply don’t find yourself with any desire to bake bread or make fresh baked goods, you might find your grain mill collecting dust.
• If you can’t afford to invest in a grain mill and wheat berries right now, it might be best to save up until you can.
• In a very limited space, it’s hard to store wheat berries. And they’re much pricier to purchase in smaller quantities instead of in bulk. That doesn’t mean milling your own flour still isn’t worth it, it will just take you longer to see the savings.
• If you’re extremely pressed for time (to the point where pausing to mill flour for 5 minutes before making bread dough just doesn’t fit in your schedule), then fresh milled flour might be tough for you right now. You might want to invest in this grain mill and make your fresh flour in large batches to keep on hand in the fridge when you need it, or maybe you’ll want to wait and revisit the idea when your life is slower and you have time to enjoy the process.

More about fresh milled flour

• How to use a grain mill
• Should I freeze wheat berries?
• Sourdough bread with fresh milled flour
• Kamut chocolate chip cookies
• Grab all my fresh flour tips and more recipes too

The post Fresh milled flour: is it worth it? first appeared on Souly Rested.

But often the biggest hurdle for a newbie is figuring out how to use a grain mill correctly.

How to Use a Grain Mill

We’re going to cover it ALL here, even the questions you haven’t asked yet, so take a deep breath and dive in with me.

I own 4 grain mills. And I’ve been milling my own flour for almost a decade. I hit a lot of road blocks and almost didn’t overcome a few obstacles, so I’m here to make sure that doesn’t happen to you.

Let’s just say, I went down the rabbit hole of grain mills so you don’t have to.

Also, if you want instant access to everything I know after 10 years of fresh flour trial and error, instant insights into all the tips and tricks I wish I knew back then, the doors have finally opened to the world’s most in-depth resource on baking with fresh flour…

Fresh Flour University

— CLICK HERE & use code SOULYRESTED to save $$ on the best investment you’ll ever make in your family’s nutrition. —

Tips for using a grain mill

By now it’s no secret that I’m a huge advocate for milling your own flour. I know how to use a grain mill to make flour, and ever since I learned this skill I’ve been shouting about it from the rooftops.

But once people hear about fresh flour, or even once they own their own grain mill, one of the most common questions I get asked is “how do I use this thing, anyways?” And I get it. Staring at a brand-new, confusing, beast-of-an-appliance can be intimidating.

But I’m here today to completely remove that overwhelm. Hopefully this information will equip and empower you to not only learn how to use your grain mill with confidence, but to ditch dead store flour, once and for all. Together, you and I, we’re part of the Fresh Flour Movement.

We’re flouring like rebels. We’re not only ditching dead, refined flour, but replacing it with the best substitution out there: fresh milled flour.

Why do I need a grain mill?

Just in case you’re seeing this and not fully on the fresh flour trend yet, let’s back up for a second.

Flour used to be a superfood. Back in the day, flour was grown, milled, and baked locally. In fact, REAL flour, when it’s kept unrefined and unsifted, can only last for short periods of time before going rancid. This is actually good news, because the sooner flour is used after being milled, the more nutrients are maintained.

But commercial flour mills came along and realized that if they took flour (real, wholegrain flour that’s literally just stone-ground, 100% whole wheat flour, containing all the parts of the wheat berry), and heated, sifted, and processed that flour, they’d end up with a shelf-stable version of the flour they started out with.

Turns out that processing something to oblivion can do wonders to profit margins.

But, unfortunately, nothing for our bodies.

Wholegrain flour, in it’s pure, unrefined form contains all three parts of the wheat berry (the kernel of wheat plants that’s ground into flour): the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. Modern flour only contains the endosperm, which is the starchy part that doesn’t contain oils, minerals, and antioxidants the way the bran and germ do.

The solution? Mill your own flour. In order to mill flour, you’re gonna need a grain mill.

How to use an impact grain mill

There’s a difference in how you can use impact grain mills vs. stone grain mills. If you’d like a full break down of the differences (and how you can choose which one is best for you), read this post all about impact vs. stone mills.

Using an impact-style grain mill is very simple. Let’s walk through the steps of using an impact mill to turn wheat berries into flour:

1. Put your mill together, making sure the canister is attached fully, any/all filters and cups are securely in place, and the canister lid is fully closed.
2. Adjust the texture of your flour by changing the dial on your mill. Do this before milling your flour, if possible.
3. Pour your wheat berries (or grains of choice) into the hopper of your mill. Don’t turn the mill on without having grains in the hopper, as this can damage your mill if done routinely.
4. Allow the mill to run until all the grains are fully milled and there are no grains left in the hopper. Do not turn off the mill mid-milling, and don’t turn the mill off until you can hear all of the grains are done milling, even if all the grains are gone from the hopper. In other words, you don’t want any grains left in the milling mechanism of the mill, or partially-milled grains can easily go rancid, especially if you don’t use your mill routinely.
5. Remove the flour canister only once your mill is done milling, and the motor has stopped running.
6. Remove the flour from the canister, clean the filter and filter cup if advised by your mill manufacturer, and use your flour as needed.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention a few important notes about using an impact mill, though.

While most impact mills can mill almost anything, from wheat berries to dried chickpeas, some things like larger beans or chickpeas can be tough to actually–physically–feed through the hopper into the grinding mechanism. If I’m milling chickpeas through my impact grain mill, I blitz them in my blender for just a few seconds to get them a bit smaller and easier to mill, before milling them into flour.

Impact mills, due to their nature of using steel impact heads to, essentially, beat wheat berries into flour, tend to make a finer flour in the end, but have a harder time making course flours or meals. So while impact mills are amazing for making fine flour, don’t be surprised if it’s tough to make coarsely ground cornmeal or cracked wheat in an impact-style mill.

How to use a stone grain mill

Unlike impact mills, stone mills are an on-demand grain mill, meaning they don’t use a closed-canister style, but rather an open-hopper style. You’ll see the flour come out of the spout as soon as you dump wheat berries into the hopper. You’ll need to use your own bowl to mill your flour in to.

Using a stone grain mill is really easy;

1. Turn your mill on. Never dump wheat berries into a stone mill without turning it on first.
2. Adjust the stones, if needed. The cool thing about stone mills is that you can actually hear how course or fine your flour will come out. As you get used to the different sounds, you’ll be able to easily adjust your stones to get just the right courseness or fineness you’re looking for. Some mills (like my mockmill) also have numbers/labels to make this process easier, especially if you’re new to using a stone mill and unfamiliar with the sounds of the stones.
3. Pour your wheat berries (or other grains) into your mill.
4. Adjust the stones again, as needed. The great thing about stone mills is that you can see the flour coming out, and adjust the stones to change the courseness of the flour, all while the mill is running. The tighter the stones are, the finer the flour will be, and vice versa.
5. When you’ve milled as much flour as you need, turn the mill off and use your flour. Allow the mill to run for just a few second after the last of your flour comes out, just to make sure the stones are free of any last bits of flour.

If you’re concerned about keeping your flour as nutritious as possible, you can use an instant read thermometer to temp the flour as it comes out. If your flour gets hotter than you’d like, turn off your mill, give it a rest, and come back to mill the rest of your flour later. There’s some debate on how hot is too hot for nutrient loss with stone milled flour, but I personally think that anything under 120 degrees is ideal.

I’ll show you the differences in impact vs stone mills & get you thinking about how to choose the right one for you in this video:

How to make flour with a grain mill

In order to make flour in a grain mill, you just need a few things.

• Wheat berries (or other grains)
• A grain mill
• A bowl (if using a stone mill)

Turning wheat berries into flour with a grain mill is as simple as allowing your mill to do the work, but there are some considerations and tips I’ve learned along the way that might be helpful to know.

–> Use only clean, dry grains. After investing in a grain mill, the last thing you want is to hurt your mill. Checking the grains you’re milling before using them can go a long way in maintaining your grain mill for years to come. Remove any small stones or other debris that you might find. If you happen to find small, round, dark brown seeds, those actually won’t hurt your mill. They’re Vetch seeds, which are a common cover crop used in rotation with wheat at many organic farms.

–> Learn as much as you can about your mill. User’s manuals can be helpful as well as talking to other people who have the same mill you do. There are little tips and tricks that you might not think of that others have. With time, you and your mill will get to know each other and you’ll learn the ins and outs of your specific machine.

–> If you’re ever in doubt, run rice through your mill. Rice acts as a “cleaner” for grain mills, especially stone mills. If anything ever seems “off,” or if you feel your stones or impact plates might be at all gummed up, milling rice can help clear out any issues before they become problems.

How to use the Nutrimill Harvest grain mill

The Harvest grain mill was my first mill that I got almost a decade ago. While following the general instructions for using a stone mill above will work with the Harvest grain mill, I’ve learned that it has its own particular way it likes to be used. Here are my best tips for using the Nutrimill Harvest grain mill.

I’ve found that the Harvest mill is the most difficult to get very fine flour from out of all the mills I’ve tried. It can be done, though, with a bit of practice. First, disregard the little tab that’s supposed to show you where to turn the knob for fresh flour. Instead, simply listen to the stones and use the flour that comes out as a guide. I’ve also found it’s helpful to turn the mill on, pour your wheat berries in when the stones are somewhat close but not super tight, then adjust the stones to be even tighter once the wheat berries are actively milling. For some reason the Harvest mill seems to not like tightening the stones all the way until the wheat berries are actively grinding, then you can tighten the stones more for finer flour. Once your flour is done milling, open the stones up some while it’s still turned on to allow any flour left in the mill to come out.

Consider double milling your flour through the Harvest mill. When it was my primary mill I was using, I got into the habit of milling my grains through once into somewhat of a cracked grain, then milling my flour from that. It seemed to really help give the mill a jump start on cranking our fine flour. Flour itself can also be milled back through the harvest, just make sure to pour the flour into the hopper at the rate it mills to avoid gumming up the mill, rather than dumping all the flour into the hopper at once, like you would do with wheat berries.

Finally, adjust the types of wheat berries you’re using. If you can’t get fine flour, try milling different grains. Just as an example, Einkorn tends to produce very fine flour, while Kamut and Spelt are harder to mill into fine flour.

How to use the Nutrimill Classic grain mill

The Nutrimill Classic grain mill makes the finest flour of any mill I’ve used. If I’m looking to make large quantities of very fine flour, the Classic is my favorite mill for the job. And although it’s very easy to use, there are a few tricks I’ve learned along the way to make life easier when using the Classic mill.

First, MAKE SURE the flour canister is fully pushed into the mill before using it. There’s a faint line showing where the canister needs to be, and if it’s not fully attached, flour will spew everywhere. I mean everywhere. Not that I know from experience or anything, ahem.

Make sure you use the filter and cup that come with the Classic. Not using the cup or filter can destroy the mill, as they’re both essential in allowing the machine to run properly. Also make sure to flick or knock the flour off of the filter after every use, washing with water only as needed.

If you’re having trouble removing the lid from the flour canister, try using a layer of flour on the rubber part of the lid. This will allow the lid to stay securely on, but will also allow you to remove the lid with ease when the time comes. I’ve fought battles with that lid many times before learning this trick.

How to use the Nutrimill Impact grain mill

Using the Nutrimill Impact grain mill is very similar to the classic grain mill, with a few differences.

First, make sure your hopper and flour canister are clicked securely in. Since the Impact mill is designed to be more compact, the hopper and flour canister can be stacked and stored separately from the actually mill part, which makes it better for small spaces and storing it away when needed.

Make sure the clip on the outside of the flour canister is secured and clicked in before using the Impact mill. The clip will seemingly stay put when it’s just sitting there, but needs to actually be clicked down to be secure while milling. If it’s not, it will “puff” while the flour is coming out.

Since this mill is mainly designed for making fine bread flour, you’ll have to skip past a few settings on the mill before wheat berries will pass through. The 1-2 settings are mainly just used for smaller grains, while the 3rd setting is the main one to use for wheat berries, sometimes even setting 4-5. It seems backwards, but you’ll have to turn the knob more times for courser flour. The Impact mill comes with a sticker to place on the knob to help you remember which setting is which, but I found that it doesn’t say on long, so you’ll want to just get into the habit of turning the knob a certain number of times to get the desired fineness.

How to use the Mockmill 200 grain mill

The Mockmill is my everyday mill. It’s a stone mill that mills flour on-demand. While it’s very simple to operate, there are a few things to keep in mind.

The 100 and 200 mills are rightly named. The Mockmill 100 is able to mill 100g of wheat per minute, while the Mockmill 200 is able to mill at the speed of 200g per minute. The white mills are the same internal mill as the wooden ones, just with a different outer shell.

There are numbers on the outside of the mill’s hopper than can be used as a guide for milling coarseness. While it’s helpful to reference, as with the Harvest mill, ideally you’ll develop an ear for the sounds of the stones that will allow you to decide for yourself which setting is best for what you’re making with your flour.

If you’re using your Mockmill to make cornmeal or chickpea flour (or to mill any other large-sized things), make sure to place the “lid” on the hopper as it’s milling. I’ve found that if I don’t there’s a good chance large particles will “pop” and fly into my already-milled flour as the rest of the corn or chickpeas are continuing to mill.

If your stones seem gummed up, make sure to mill rice through your Mockmill to clean the stones off.

How to clean a grain mill

Technically, grain mills don’t really need to be “cleaned.” At least, not in the traditional sense. With impact mills, you will need to clean the “parts” after use, like the filter, filter cup, and flour canister/lid. But the actual milling heads inside impact mills don’t really need maintenance or regular cleaning. You are free to mill rice through your impact mill anytime, and that will help clean the milling heads if there happens to be any residue inside the mill. Keep in mind that impact mills can’t be taken apart, and you’ll never actually see the inside of your mill, unlike stone mills.

Unlike impact mills, stone mills may need a bit of cleaning sometimes. The good news is that modern stone mills are self-sharpening, so they don’t need any maintenance in that way.

But if you mill anything out of the ordinary, or mill flour for longer periods of time than usual, you may find that the stones “gum” up a little bit. No worries, just simply mill some rice through your mill, playing with what level of coarseness seems the most effective in cleaning the stones. Stones can also become “glazed” at times, which milling rice will also help clean up.

If your stones are really gummed up for some reason, you may need to use a DULL (butter) knife to carefully cut lines into the gummed up stone before milling rice. Always make sure to unplug your machine before taking it apart to inspect the stones!

Never, ever use water to clean the inside of your mill, regardless of what kind of mill you have. If the outside of your mill needs a cleaning, using a damp rag usually does the trick. Sometimes using a small bottle brush can help clean out your mill of any lingering flour.

Using a grain mill for gluten-free flour

While I’m not gluten-free, I have many good friends who are, and they’ve saved a ton of money milling their own alternative grains. Do keep in mind that for a grain mill to produce truly gluten-free flour, you’d have to purchase a brand-new grain mill (not pre-owned or refurbished) and only ever mill gluten-free grains in it. Even cleaning your stones with rice won’t fully remove the residue and oils of other grains milled, which could lead to exposure to gluten just by using the same grain mill for wheat and alternative grains.

There are lots of gluten-free grains, seeds, and legumes that are perfect for milling;

• Oat groats
• Chickpeas
• Rice
• Buckwheat
• Millet
• Quinoa
• Amaranth
• Teff

My favorite gluten-free “all-purpose blend” is  70% oat flour, 30% chickpea flour.

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More like How to Use a Grain Mill:

• Guide to Choosing a Grain Mill
• Why I mill my own flour
• How to make flour at home from start to finish
• Wheat berries: everything you need to know
• Take a FREE crash course on choosing the right grains

The post How to Use a Grain Mill first appeared on Souly Rested.

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. 

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 (60 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.

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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 145 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 60 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.

I know you’re eager to get baking, so let’s dive in…

Which wheat berries to use

With so many types of wheat berries out there, how do you know which ones to use? Keep scrolling, and by the end of this post you’ll be a wheat berry professional.

Fluffy cakes? Check.

Chewy cookies? In the bag.

Fluffy bread? Done.

Speaking of bread…

What wheat berries to use for bread?

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 to your bread dough to improve elasticity and gluten.

Note: never use soft wheat berries for bread. It won’t develop gluten, which will result in very dense bread.

Which wheat berries should I use for sourdough?

Just like with bread, the most common and practical wheat berries to make sourdough with are hard red wheat berries and hard white wheat berries.

Other grains can be used to make sourdough (like Einkorn, Khorasan and Spelt), but your bread won’t rise quite as well. Modern wheat varieties like hard white wheat are bred to develop strong gluten, and therefore make the best bread.

Any of these wheat berries can be used to make sourdough:

• Hard red wheat (either modern or heritage)
• Hard white wheat
• Khorasan/Kamut*
• Einkorn*
• Spelt
• Rye

*For best results, consider adding Vital Wheat Gluten for a “boost.”

What flour should I feed my sourdough starter?

If you’re using fresh milled flour to feed your sourdough starter, you can use a number of different wheat berries.

My personal favorite “sourdough starter feeding” grain is Rye. But other great options are hard white/red, Einkorn, Spelt, and Khorasan.

If you’re struggling with feeding your sourdough starter fresh flour, learn everything you need to know about sourdough and fresh flour.

Which wheat berries are best to make cake?

Soft wheat berries and ancient grains are the best option for cake. Don’t try to use hard wheat berries, because that will lead to a dense and gummy end result.

My favorite wheat berries to make cake with are Einkorn and Barley. Both of these grains mill into a very soft, fine flour, which improves the texture of your cakes.

But a number of wheat berries can be used to make cake:

• Einkorn
• Barley
• Spelt
• Khorasan*
• Rye
• Soft white
• Emmer/farro

*Khorasan isn’t my top choice in delicate baked goods, because it tends to be a courser flour due to the large size of the berries.

What wheat berries to use for cookies and brownies

In my experience, almost any wheat berry can be used to make great cookies and brownies. My top choice for cookies is Barley, and I reach for Rye or Black Barley when I’m making brownies. Contrary to popular opinion, hard white and hard red wheat berries can also make fantastic cookies. In fact, I’d use a hard white wheat over a soft wheat in my cookie dough any day.

The list of wheat berries you can use to make cookies and brownies is rather exhaustive:

1. Ancient grains like Einkorn, Khorasan, and Emmer/Farro
2. Rye
3. Hard white and hard red
4. Soft white
5. Barley (choose un-hulled for maximum nutrition, never pearled)
6. Spelt
7. Sorghum (gluten-free on it’s own, for best texture use 50/50 with another grain)

Best wheat berries to use for pie crust and other pastries

For flaky and delicate pie crusts and pastries, choose a soft wheat with low gluten potential that mills finely. For example, Einkorn mills into a finer flour than Khorasan does, so I’d choose Einkorn over Khorasan for pastries.

Best options for making pie crust and pastries include; soft white, Einkorn, Barley, and Spelt.

Other options are Khorasan, Rye, and Emmer/farro.

Which wheat berries make the best pasta?

Traditionally pasta is made with Durum. Once ground into course flour, Durum wheat is then simply called “semolina.” However, Khorasan/Kamut are in the same family as Durum, and therefore have many similarities. Both Durum and Khorasan are great for making hearty pasta with an excellent “chew” factor.

That being said, almost any grain can be used to make pasta, including hard and soft wheat, Einkorn, Spelt, and so on.

What type of fresh flour to use for banana bread and quick bread?

My go-to banana bread wheat berries are Spelt and Barley. But almost any wheat berry can be turned into delicious quick bread.

You can also use soft white wheat berries, Einkorn, Khorasan/Kamut, or Emmer/Farro.

Where to buy whole wheat berries

There are lots of options when you’re looking to buy wheat berries.

First, you can check your local bulk and natural food stores. When I visited Arizona, I found that WinCo foods has bulk wheat berries. Natural Grocer has some, and some Whole Foods stock wheat berries in their bulk bins.

You can order some types of wheat berries from Amazon. If you go this route, do be careful to make sure you’re sourcing from reputable brands, not just random shops selling low-quality grains.

If Azure Standard is your thing, they’re a great place to source standard, bulk grains.

And, finally, my favorite is to order them online. I love this source for ancient grains with free shipping on bulk orders, and I love this source for cool varieties of heritage grains at a great price. Plus, the code “soulyrested” will save you more, even on already-discounted bulk prices.

Should I buy organic wheat berries?

In short, yes. It’s best to source organic wheat berries whenever possible. Non-organic wheat berries tend to be full of glyphosate and other chemicals that we don’t want in our bread and baked goods. Organic wheat berries also tend to be better for the soil, which often means they’re nutritionally superior to conventional wheat berries, as well.

To take it one step further, consider purchasing wheat berries grown not just organically, but regeneratively as well. Both of my favorite wheat berry sources use beyond-organic practices and make it a point to take care of the soil. Better soil –> more nutrient-dense end product.

Pin this so you have it when you need it!

More about wheat berries and fresh milled flour:

• Wheat berries: everything you need to know
• Choosing the right wheat berries: A guide
• Kamut chocolate chip cookies
• Fresh milled flour: tips for success 
• Grab all my free resources on fresh milled flour (& RECIPES!)

The post Which wheat berries to use (a simple guide) first appeared on Souly Rested.

These days, as I make nutritious oatmeal from freshly-rolled oats, fresh cow’s milk, fermented blueberries, and sometimes protein powder for extra protein, I laugh at my old self.

Not that she wasn’t necessary, she was. I wouldn’t be where I am now without sugar-free (aka fake sugar), low-calorie (aka zero nutrients), instant oatmeal packet Michelle.

But let’s just say I’m very thankful I’ve upgraded my breakfasts, m’kay?

So let’s talk about how and why to make rolled oats with an oat flaker.

What are rolled oats, anyway?

So what are rolled oats?

Similar to wheat berries, oats all start out as a wholegrain kernel. In order to cook oats effectively, they get rolled.

Commercially, the rolled oats you purchase at the store have been steamed (sometimes also heated), then rolled through huge rollers to flatten the oat groats into rolled oats. The problem with this conventional method is that oats don’t need to be steamed and heated in order to be rolled. The steaming and heating process unfortunately causes the oats to loose some of their original nutrients.

Even further, rolled oats start out as oat groats. Turns out, oat groats naturally maintain their nutrients for quite a while when they’re left as they are. Once you roll oats, you sort of “unlock” those nutrients, which is great if you’re eating them right away. But unfortunately, once they’re rolled, they loose nutrients quickly. The sooner you can eat rolled oats after they’re rolled, the more nutrients your body will get.

Rolled oats, quick oats, old fashioned oats and oat groats: what’s the difference?

Stopping in front of the oats at the grocery store can be super confusing. What’s the difference between all these oats?

Diffusing the confusion surrounding what all the different types of oats are is a huge step in the direction of unlocking the nutrition of real oats.

Rolled oats

Rolled oats are simply oat groats (the wholegrain form of oats) that have been steamed and rolled into rolled oats as we know them. They’re suitable for really anything you’d use oats for.

Quick oats

Quick oats are rolled oats that are rolled even thinner and sometimes have been chopped into smaller pieces to help them cook faster. These are mainly used for oatmeal, but can also be used in baking or other baked products.

Old fashioned oats

These are simply a different name for rolled oats. They’re one and the same: oat groats that have been steamed, rolled, and processed into the flattened oats that we picture when someone says “oats.”

Oat groats

Finally, oat groats; the basis of all oats. None of the type of oats listed above would exist without oat groats. They’re the wheat berries of oats. They’re the wholegrain form of rolled oats. If you were to walk into a field of oats growing, shake the stalk and gather what comes out, those would be oat groats. They can be rolled and flaked into oats suitable for using in oatmeal, granola, or anything you’d use oats for.

How to use an oat flaker

My life changed dramatically when I started milling my own flour. I had a similar life-changing experience when I got my oat flaker and started rolling all my own oats.

Turns out, just like fresh milled flour, freshly flaked oats are so much more nutritious than their commercial rolled-months-ago-counterparts. And although learning to use my oat flaker was a much smaller learning curve than learning to use my grain mill, it still had a learning curve. But it turns out, it’s really simple.

1. Decide which oat flaker is best for you. The two main options for oat flakers are manual (hand crank-style) or electric (pour the oat groats in and wait for it to do its thing). I chose to go with an electric oat flaker, which I adore. Learn more about my oat flaker here.
2. Source oat groats. I personally order mine from Azure Standard because they’re the best price I can find, while also the best quality. Azure Standard is my all-time favorite independent food supplier. If it’s your first time placing an order of $100 or more, use code SOULYRESTED to save 15% OFF your entire order! (My favorite items to pick up from Azure are listed here.)
3. Decide if you want to moisten your oat groats or not. If the look and size of your oats is important to you, you might want to consider adding some moisture to help the groats flake better. Add roughly 1 teaspoon of water per cup of oat groats and let sit overnight. Oat groats can definitely be flaked without any additional moisture (aka the way I usually do it), but they’ll be a less uniform, picture-perfect end product.
4. Turn your oat flaker on, add in the oat groats, and watch your homemade rolled oats shoot out into your bowl. It’s truly that simple.

Oat flakers shouldn’t need to be cleaned, and certainly shouldn’t ever be moistened or submerged in water. My Mockmill oat flaker can be taken apart to brush off the rollers when needed. (I had to do that when I ran a too-moistened grain through my flaker and slightly gummed up the rollers. Learned my lesson.)

How to make rolled oats without an oat flaker

Technically, there’s more than one way to roll an oat. (That sounded weird…)

And although I absolutely adore my oat flaker and personally think it’s well worth the investment for a good machine, I know that not everyone has the budget or kitchen space for another appliance. So let’s go over a few ways you can try to roll oats at home without an oat flaker.

• I’ve heard of folks who have rolled oats by simply rolling them with a rolling pin. I would assume that’s rather laborious and time consuming, but I suppose it could be done. You’ll definitely want to moisten your oats (1 teaspoon of water per cup of oats, soaked in a container overnight) before attempting this to make them easier to roll.
• You can also try rolling your oats through a hand-crank pasta maker if you have one. Again, you’ll want to moisten your oats before trying this.
• Use your grain mill to make not rolled oats, but cracked oats or oat flour. In some cases, this might give a recipe calling for oats the same flavor, just with a different texture. Make sure you only ever run WHOLE oat groats through your grain mill, though. Milling already rolled oats can gum up your mill.

What grains can be rolled into “oats?”

When I was writing Fresh Flour University, I knew I wanted to write a section about flaking grains. So I started researching what grains could be flaked, and I was surprised to learn how many of the grains that I already had in my pantry could be turned into not just flour but also flakes or rolled grains. 

I was surprised even more by how (with the just right amount of added moisture), it was true. Almost every single grain I tried flaked beautifully. Obviously there was some trial and error with exactly how each grain liked to be flaked (some of them I wound up soaking then drying, others were great with just a spritz of water, and so on). But the end result was incredible. 

Here are the grains that I successfully learned to flake:

• Oats (obviously)
• Kamut (learn exactly how to flake Kamut here)
• Barley
• Einkorn (instructions for flaking einkorn here)
• Hard red wheat
• Hard white wheat
• Soft white wheat
• Spelt
• Rye
• Buckwheat

From my experiments, each one of these grains likes a slightly different amount of moisture in order to create a nice rolled/flaked texture. Maybe I’ll share the results of all my experimenting on the blog someday.

For now, exact instructions for flaking Kamut are in this post all about Kamut. And Einkorn flaking instructions here.

Or dive into Fresh Flour University and get it all, instantly–full instructions for flaking any grain as well as a 220-page workbook and 24 in-depth units that will have you choosing the right wheat berry for every cup of flour for every recipe and milling all your own flour like a pro. Use code SOULYRESTED to save.

My favorite flaked grains to work with and use in recipes turned out to be Kamut and Einkorn. The Einkorn flakes are so little and golden/buttery, and the Kamut are large, yellow flakes that make amazing granola (bigger flakes=larger, more textured “clumps” of granola!).

Where to buy oat groats

When I first learned about flaking oats and why making your own rolled oats is better, I was at a loss of where to purchase oat groats to make rolled oats from. Once you start looking, though, they can actually be pretty simple to find.

My favorite place to get my oat groats from is Azure Standard.  If you don’t know about this family-run independent food supplier, find out what I really think about them here. Azure Standard is a food co-op that delivers organic, bulk foods at great prices to “drop” locations once month around the country. If you want to check it out, find a drop near you and use the code “soulyrested” to save 15% off your entire first order of $100 or more.

Certain large brands do sell oat groats in their whole form and you might be able to buy them at a “traditional” grocery store near you. Bob’s Red Mill, for example, does sell “wholegrain oat groats,” but they also sell steel cut oats, and those are more commonly found in stores. Don’t be confused, though, and grab steel cut oats. They won’t flake well.

There are a surprising amount of options for oat groats on Amazon. Like this one (smaller size) or this one (bulk size).

Also check your local natural food stores, especially if they have bulk bins. They’ll often have oat groats at a decent price.

Why are freshly flaked oats different?

If you’re familiar with fresh milled flour, you know that wheat berries last virtually forever, with all of their nutrition locked up inside. Once you mill or crack or crush the wheat berry, those nutrients are oxidized, and loose their nutrients quickly. That’s because the oils inside the wheat berry are fatty and to rancid quickly. This is just one of many reasons why I mill my own flour.

Crazy enough, oats are very similar to wheat berries/fresh milled flour. Once the whole oat groat is processed into rolled oats, steel cut oats, or quick oats, the nutrients that were contained inside the oat groat are now exposed to air and go rancid. That means that oats are most nutritious the sooner you eat them after they’re rolled or processed.

The rolled oats sitting on the store shelves for, who knows, months–maybe longer? Unfortunately they’re just not going to contain the nutrition that they originally had.

How long do rolled oats made at home last?

Well, ideally your freshly rolled oats will be eaten as soon as possible after processing.

But that’s not to say you can’t keep oats at all. If you made too many rolled oats, simply store them in a jar or container at room temperature. If you’re going to be keeping them longer than a week or so, consider storing them in the fridge or freezer to maintain more nutrients.

If you have an oat flaker, one of the benefits is having on-demand, freshly rolled oats when you need them. Take advantage of that and try to only roll as many oats as you need each time.

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How to make rolled oats

Equipment

• oat flaker

Ingredients

• oat groats
• water, if desired

Instructions

• OPTINAL: soak your oat groats with 1 teaspoon of water per cup of groats in a ziploc or airtight container overnight. Make sure the groats aren't noticeably wet before putting them into your flaker--they should be just very slightly damp.
• Pour your oat groats into your oat flaker, making sure you don't overfill the hopper or it can jam if it's too full.
• Place a bowl under where the oats will come out, turn the flaker on, and wait for the magic of freshly rolled oats.
• Use your freshly rolled oats in any way you'd normally use oats--granola, oatmeal, in cookies or breads.

What I use to make rolled oats

​​Some items linked on this page are sourced from my all-time favorite independent food supplier. If it’s your first time placing an order of $100 or more be sure to use code SOULYRESTED to save 15% OFF your entire order! (My favorite items to pick up from Azure are listed here.)

More like how to make rolled oats (with an oat flaker) & why you should:

• Why I mill my own flour
• Learn more about my oat flaker here.
• How to store wheat berries 101
• Whole wheat pumpkin muffins (recipe)

The post How to make rolled oats (with an oat flaker) & why you should first appeared on Souly Rested.

Given that fresh milled flour is becoming very popular, that means that lots of people are also stocking up on wheat berries. But whenever I see someone freeze wheat berries or use tiny, expensive mylar bags to store their wheat berries I cringe. There’s a better way. So let’s get you on your way to storing wheat berries–the right way.

What are wheat berries and why should I store them?

Wheat berries are, quite literally, the fruit of wheat. They’re the part of wheat that you have leftover when you remove the outer hull. If you were to walk into a wheat field, grab a stalk of wheat, and shake it, wheat berries would fall out. In very simple terms, wheat berries are un-milled flour.

When you mill wheat berries, they become flour. But the beauty of wheat berries is that in their whole, un-milled state they last, basically, indefinitely. Unlike flour, that easily and quickly goes rancid. Well, real flour, that is. You see, store bought flours have been heated, sifted, and processed until it’s no longer real flour. It’s dead. So therefore it lasts longer than real flour should, because anything nutritious (including the healthy oils and vitamins) has been sifted or heated out of the final product.

When we mill our own flour from whole wheat berries, we can keep all the nutrients that store bought flour leaves out. But that means that real flour, fresh milled flour, goes bad more quickly. Which is why we store wheat berries in their whole form, rather than milling and storing flour.

So we buy grain mills, store wheat berries, and mill our own flour.

How NOT to store wheat berries (wheat berry storage mistakes)

For starters, let’s cover ways you shouldn’t store wheat berries. I’ve seen enough really bad advice out there to know that this section is desperately needed.

1. Don’t waste your money using mylar bags if you’re using your wheat berries frequently. Wheat berries, in their natural, un-milled, whole state last literally indefinitely, and unless you’re planning to store your wheat berries for a very long time untouched (for instance, if you’re building an emergency supply kit), mylar bags are just going to be a waste of time and money.
2. Along the same lines, please don’t bother wasting money on oxygen absorbers unless you’re storing wheat berries in small containers for long, long periods of time. Throwing an oxygen absorber into a jar that you’re going to open in the near future defeats the purpose entirely. As soon as that absorber is exposed to oxygen, it’s void. Useless. These are only needed or helpful if you’re not opening your container of wheat berries AT ALL.
3. Don’t store large quantities of wheat berries in glass or other clear containers for extended periods of time. I know, opaque containers aren’t as pretty as glass or clear ones, but for long-term storage, you want to minimize the amount of light the wheat berries are exposed to.
4. Please, please don’t freeze your wheat berries before storing them. Read why below.

Should I freeze wheat berries before storage?

I know that freezing wheat berries before storing them is popular advice, and seems to make sense on the surface. The idea is to kill any bugs that might be present in your wheat.

But #1, if you’re worried about bugs in your wheat–frankly–find a better, cleaner, more reliable source for wheat berries. And #2, freezing introduces moisture into your wheat berries. This is really bad for a few reasons. It’s easy to destroy your grain mill with moisturized wheat berries (a very costly mistake!). It’s easy for moist wheat berries to grow mold or harbor bacteria in storage. And, finally, it just plain messes with your flour. Once wheat berries are introduced to moisture (like a freezer!), it’s hard for the average person like you an I (without fancy equipment) to monitor moisture levels. Wheat berries with messed up moisture levels=flour with messed up moisture levels. Which then = inconstant results with bread and baked goods made with that flour. Farmers carefully monitor the moisture of wheat berries before they sell them, and introducing your wheat berries to your freezer ruins the carefully balanced moisture levels of the wheat.

The effect of freezing wheat berries

To further prove that freezing wheat berries isn’t a good idea, it’s also worth noting that average freezer temperatures will only possibly kill already live pests, not eggs, larva or any other form of pest. This source recommends freezing, thawing, and refreezing your wheat berries for several cycles if you wanted to make sure any eggs that might be present in your wheat are dead. Even then, even if there were eggs in your wheat, there’s still a very good chance they’d live through your freezing-and-thawing games anyway. In fact, it’s more commonly advised to use heat of around 140 consistent degrees to kill pest eggs, not cold temperatures.

Not to mention that introducing wheat berries to very cold temperatures tends to damage the protein structures in the wheat. The protein is what allows gluten to develop in breads, so another way of wording that is that there’s a good chance freezing your wheat berries will weaken the gluten in your breads. Making bread with fresh flour has enough obstacles on its own, we don’t need to add lower gluten structure, flour with inconsistent and wrong moisture levels, and possibly mold and fungus to boot. Read more about freezing wheat berries for storage and how it impacts gluten structure in this study.

Not to mention freezing your wheat berries just. isn’t. needed.

Please. Don’t freeze your wheat berries.

How to store wheat berries long term

Storing wheat berries long-term is really simple. You’ll need a few supplies to get started, then you’re off to the races;

• 5-gallon buckets (or other opaque, air-tight containers)
• High-quality lids with seals (I personally can’t imagine how I ever stored wheat berries without these fancy lids!)
• Shelves or something else to keep your buckets off the floor + organized
• Wheat berries to actually store

Storing wheat berries for a long time all starts with sourcing high-quality wheat berries. You’re far less likely to get bugs or run into any other issues if you’re ordering wheat berries from a source you trust. I order most of my grains in bulk from Azure standard and I have yet to have an issue. I’ve also heard good things about this brand that you can order right from Amazon. If you happen to have a local wheat farmer, even better. Ask to visit their operation and ask questions about their process.

When I get home with my bulk wheat berries, I simply pour them into a clean, dry 5-gallon bucket, make sure my lids are on and fitting properly, label them if needed, close ’em up, and forget about them until I need to refill my small jars that I keep upstairs. I do make sure I dump out and use any older wheat berries I have left in a bucket before covering up older ones with newer ones. I truly think that being careful to rotate my wheat berries and use older ones first has been tremendously helpful in preventing any issues.

If you don’t want to invest in sealed, air-tight lids just yet, generic bucket lids can be used, especially for shorter periods of time. I do have more peace of mind knowing that all my bucket lids have seals, though.

Essentially if your wheat berries are in a cool, dark place, in an airtight container, you’re golden.

Tips on how to store wheat berries

I’ve been storing wheat berries pest-free for just about a decade now. Here are my tried-and-true tips for safely storing wheat berries.

• Rotate your wheat berries to make sure you’re always using up older ones first. This is not only generally good practice, but can help your breads and baked goods turn out better, as well. Although wheat berries last basically forever under good conditions, some folks believe their bread turns out better when made with fresher wheat berries, as opposed to years-old ones.
• Check your supply regularly to make sure everything looks good. A simple glance around when you’re already in your wheat berry storage area can go a long way in preventing issues before they even start. Not to mention this will help you stay on top of your supply and not run out of anything or over order anything you don’t need yet.
• Use lids that don’t kill your fingers every time you open them. Seriously, using good lids that screw off instead of having to be literally pried off (ouch, we’ve all been there!), has changed the game for me.
• Store your containers off the floor whenever possible to avoid moisture from the floor seeping into your buckets.
• 40-60 degrees F is the ideal temperature for storing wheat berries long-term, but don’t stress if you can’t store them in exactly that range. Just do your best and keep them in a place that makes the most sense for you. Our dirt-floor basement is always dark and cool, so that’s the perfect place for us.
• Finally, store wheat berries you actually want to use. Stocking up and storing wheat is great, but only if it’s practical. If you’re stuck with 50 pounds of something you’re not going to use, well, you’ll just end up frustrated. I encourage everyone to purchase small amounts of new-to-them-grains first, just to make sure they like the texture, flavor, and overall performance of the grain  before they stock up on it.

How to store wheat berries short term

If you’re not looking to buy wheat berries in bulk, storing them can be as simple as using Tupperware or mason jars. While we don’t want light to corrode our wheat berries when we’re looking to keep them fresh for long periods of time, it’s ok to keep wheat in glass or clear plastic for shorter lengths of time.

In fact, I store a smaller amount of basically every type of wheat berry I own in glass mason jars in my kitchen. I refill them from my basement-bucket stash when they run out. I’m not worried about the small amount of wheat berries I store in my kitchen being exposed to light and heat because I’ll use them up first and quickly.

How long do wheat berries last?

This question is pretty funny if you really think about it. The reason we have ancient grains still today is because wheat berries essentially last forever. For instance, Einkorn is thought to be one of the first domestically cultivated crops. We have it today because archaeologists found Einkorn grains at ancient dig sites and cultivated it in modern climates. We have Einkorn today, essentially, because wheat berries last forever.

Wheat berries can, over time, lose some of their, shall we say, vibrance? And some folks claim that older grains can be harder to make bread with. Grains that have been stored for a significant amount of time may have less protein or gluten potential versus grains harvested more recently.

But if stored properly in a cool, dry, dark environment, wheat berries should last, no problem, over 30 years and be perfectly fine to bake with.

Will 50 pounds of wheat berries fit in a 5 gallon bucket?

In my experience I can fit 30-35 pounds of wheat berries in each 5-gallon bucket. Which is rather unfortunate if you (like me) order them in 50-pound quantities. I usually just try to have a few extra (empty) buckets and lids on hand. I then use the extra buckets as “overflow” where I can store the extra 15-20 pounds of wheat berries that don’t fit into their “base” bucket. I’ll use up the extra bucket’s worth first so I can free the bucket up for my next order of wheat berries.

Should I wash wheat berries before milling them?

This one has a very short answer. No. Washing wheat berries before milling could have disastrous consequences. Trying to mill wet or moist wheat berries will gum up your mill and just isn’t necessary. Farmers clean wheat as well as they can before distribution so you don’t have to worry about it.

Do look through your wheat berries (especially right before milling) for any debris. Pebbles, stones, etc. that may have gotten through the farmer’s cleaning process. However, if you happen to notice very small, dark brown, round seeds in with your wheat berries, congrats! You most likely have some high-quality wheat berries on your hands. Those small seeds are Vetch seeds. They are one of the most common cover crops used in organic wheat farming to replenish the soil. They won’t harm your grain mill if they get through your inspection.

The only time I would rinse wheat berries before using them is if I was cooking them, not milling them.

How to know if wheat berries have gone bad

Like we’ve discussed, if stored properly most wheat berries won’t go bad. However, if your wheat berries weren’t dried properly before they got to you, or if moisture got into them in your care, they can go bad. You’ll notice an off color or smell if your wheat berries have gone bad. If they smell musty or oily, chances are moisture allowed mold or mildew to grow in your wheat.

More like how to store wheat berries:

• Wheat berries: everything you need to know
• Choosing the right wheat berries: a guide
• 5 benefits of milling your own flour
• Sourdough with fresh flour: what you need to know

Talk to me about how to store wheat berries…

If you have questions, leave a comment below. And please tag me on ig to show me your wheat berries, grain mills, how you store your wheat berries, etc., @souly.rested.

The post How to store wheat berries 101 first appeared on Souly Rested.

If you’re new to the world of grain mills, wheat berries, and fresh milled flour, welcome! I hope you’ll stay awhile…

• join me on instagram (you’d like my highlight all about grain mills),
• say “hi” over on youtube (you’d like this video about grinding alternative grains),
• and subscribe to my podcast (in episode 98 we chat about What no one has told you about fresh flour.)

But after you’ve bought the grain mill, after you’ve stocked up on wheat berries, then what? It can feel as if you’ve jumped into the deep end of a pool before you’ve learned how to swim.

If that’s you, you very well might be looking for fresh flour tips for success. I don’t blame you.

Well, my friend, take a deep breath, understand that you’ve embarked on a very rewarding, yet very confusing (at times) journey. I’m here with almost a decade of fresh flour trials and errors under my belt to help make your fresh flour journey a bit smoother than mine was. Buckle up, enjoy the journey, and let these tried-and-true tips encourage you.

Why should I use fresh flour?

Just in case you haven’t jumped into the deep end of fresh milled flour yet, start with this article all about why I started milling my own flour. 

If you don’t feel like clicking over to that post, here are the highlights of fresh flour (i.e. the reasons why using fresh flour are worth it to me):

1. Fresh ground flour allows you to eat LOCAL grains as flour. We’re all trying to eat more locally raised food, aren’t we? It’s amazing to thing our bread could be locally sourced/grown!
2. Making your own flour allows you to eat so much interesting and nutritious variety (eating different kinds of wheat berries and alternative grains are such an amazing, nutrient-dense way to eat the rainbow!)
3. Fresh flour just absolutely tastes better. Bland, white, tasteless, pasty white, “dead” store flour just doesn’t have the same appeal it used to. Give me rich, hearty, flavorful grains all day, everyday. (Granted, there is an adjustment period with fresh flour and you may not be used to the hearty, wholegrain flavor right away!)
4. Making your own flour will truly save you money (At least, it saves me a few hundred dollars every year! Read more about cost comparisons here.)
5. Making your own flour helps you have a measure of food security. I’m not a prepper by any means, but I love having incredibly nutritious food stored up in my basement.

How to get started with fresh flour

In order to mill your own flour, you’re going to want a high-quality grain mill. Technically you can use other appliances like a blender or coffee grinder to mill wheat berries into flour, but long-term you’ll want a grain mill.

Then, stock up on wheat berries. There are so many fun, interesting, unique varieties to try out, and they all serve different purposes. Learn more about wheat berries here. And find out more about which wheat berries to use for different recipes here.

Then jump in and start experimenting with baking and bread making. It’s really that simple!

How to make fluffy bread with fresh flour

When I first started making bread with fresh flour, I made bricks. Seriously. It was so bad that my husband begged me to go back to store flour because then at least my bread was edible. I was devastated, but kept working at it. Now, almost 10 years later, I’ve learned these tricks. I now make soft, fluffy, flavorful bread that’s something my whole family loves.

• First, don’t be afraid to start with half store flour when you’re getting the hang of fresh flour. I know it’s temping to jump in 100%, but it’s often helpful to get the hang of fresh milled flour with a mixture of store flour to make the dough more forgiving.
• Don’t be afraid to try adding dough conditioners like vital wheat gluten or sunflower lecithin to help your loaves rise. I use vital wheat gluten in many of my recipes, particularly if we’re having company or I just want my bread to be extra-fluffy. Just make sure you don’t use more than 1 tablespoon of vital wheat gluten per cup of flour in your bread recipe, or it can actually have a negative effect.

• Use recipes you already know and love. This one is contrary to the recommendation of many bloggers, but I’ve found that many “fresh milled flour” specific bread recipes don’t work as well for me as using my own recipes. Sure, you’ll have to adjust your water/flour ratios a bit, but you’ll know exactly how each recipe should turn out, and you’ll have a better idea of how to tweak the recipe if it doesn’t turn out exactly how you want it. Don’t be afraid to simply substitute fresh milled flour for store bought flour in recipes. Don’t let the bloggers scare you into thinking you HAVE to use specific recipes with fresh flour. Nonsense.
• Invest in good mixer. I hesitate to even include this as a “tip,” simply because you don’t NEED a good mixer to make good bread. However, when I invested in my Bosch mixer (with much more power and better suited to kneading dough than my old kitchen aid), my bread significantly improved. It’s a workhorse and honestly does best when you’re making 2 or more loaves of bread at once.

• Add fat & sweetener to your doughs. My favorite way to make super fluffy sandwich bread, rolls, and cinnamon rolls is by making a brioche-style dough. Find out how to make one yourself here, in my recipe for Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls With Fresh Flour. Adding extra fat and sugar to the dough makes a softer end product.
• Experiment with adding a tangzhong to your doughs. Tangzhong has been a game-changer for my fresh milled flour products. A tangzhong is a method of cooking a small amount of your flour with milk until it creates a thick paste. This creates a much softer end result. It’s basically magic, if you ask me. My basic tangzhong “recipe” is 1/3 cup whole milk with 2-3 tablespoons of fresh milled flour, whisked together in a sauce pan over med-high heat until it thickens into a paste. Add that to your regular bread dough (that amount would be good for 1-2 sandwich loaves worth of dough), and watch the magic. No need to alter your recipe in any way, just add in the tangzhong. Or try my Ultimate Fresh Flour Sandwich Bread recipe with a tangzhong.
• Knead your doughs well. Even sourdough. There’s a common misconception about fresh flour doughs that they’re delicate and can easily be over-kneaded. But I personally have yet to over-knead a dough. In fact, I’ve found that making sure I knead my dough for long enough has made a big difference in the gluten development in my doughs and therefore makes my bread better. I’ve found that it takes longer to properly knead fresh milled doughs and develop gluten than it would with store bought flour doughs. Knead that dough, baby.

Fresh flour tips for baked goods

If I could only tell you 5 things about using fresh flour for baked goods, this is what I’d want you to know:

Make sure you’re using the right wheat berries for the job. This is seriously my #1 tip for amazing baked goods. If you’re trying to use a grain that just isn’t working for you, switch it up and try something different until it works. With SO many different kinds of grains you can mill, it’s understandably confusing. My complete guide to wheat berries might be a helpful reference. And go here for more about which wheat berry to use for specific types of recipes.

For muffins, cakes, cookies, and other baked goods, try adding 1 1/2 -2 times the amount of baking powder than a recipe calls for. This will help your baked goods get a better rise and have a better texture.

Make sure your flour is milled finely enough to not make your baked goods gritty. If you’re struggling to get a fine flour, you might want to invest in a new grain mill. (Here’s my guide to help you choose the best grain mill for you.) But first you should try using a different type of grain. For example, einkorn tends to produce very fine flour, while Kamut tends to stay a courser texture. Especially for more delicate baked goods like puff pastries, cakes, or shortbreads, you really want to make sure your flour is nice and fine. Alternatively, read more about reasons you might want to make flour at home & good reasons for sifting your flour.

If you’re struggling with the texture of your fresh milled cookies, try adding fine milled chickpea flour into your cookie dough. The chickpeas add a bit of starchiness to the dough that just might be the “umph” your cookies need. I like to add about 1-2 teaspoons of chickpea flour per cup of flour.

Try letting your flour cool down before using it in certain baked goods (flour is slightly warm right out of the grain mill). If your cookie dough seems a little soggy (or especially if you’re making delicate pastries like croissants or biscuits where you don’t want the butter to warm up in the dough), allow your flour to cool to room temperature before baking with it. Or speed up the process by sticking it in the fridge or freezer until it’s cool.

Thoughts about fresh flour tips

To be honest with you, I hesitated to even write this post. In general, I think the best way to make good breads and baked goods with fresh flour is to experiment with what works best for you, then stick to it. The things that make the best bread for me won’t always work for you. The hydration of the air in my climate and house are different than they’d be in your house. The wheat berries I’m using were probably grown in a different climate and region than your wheat berries were. There are tons of variables with baking in general, and those variables increase tenfold when you throw in fresh milled flour.

I like to think of flour millers and bakers as artists and scientists combined. That’s right–you’re an artist and a scientist. We’re scientists of the kitchen. Artists of flour. I kid, but in all seriousness, feel good about what you’re doing. Be proud of feeding your family well.

I wrote this guide hoping to encourage the folks who are where I was about 6-7 years ago. You own a grain mill, you know fresh flour is just plain better for you and your family, but you’re hopelessly discouraged that nothing is turning out as well as you’d like. I hear ya, and I promise it gets better. Hopefully one or two of my little tips will help you find your groove.

Even better, I’d love to join you in Fresh Flour University. Use code SOULYRESTED to save $$.

Here’s to milling flour, baking bread, nourishing our families, and having fun along the way.

Need a grain mill?

If you don’t already own one, the answer is yes.

I own and love four different grain mills. Find out more details in my Guide to Choosing a Grain Mill.

More like fresh flour tips for success

• Sourdough with fresh flour: everything you need to know
• Why I started milling my own flour
• Fluffy, 100% whole wheat dinner rolls (recipe)
• Home flour mills: impact vs. stone mill
• Dive into ALL my tips & encouragement about baking with fresh flour in this FREE e-course
• Become a Fresh Flour expert overnight with the world’s most in-depth resource on making & baking with fresh flour. (And save $$ with code SOULYRESTED.)

Don’t forget to check out my list of essential fresh milled flour tools.

The post Fresh flour: tips for success first appeared on Souly Rested.

Back in the day I lived in blissful ignorance, unaware of the affect of processed ingredients. Cornstarch was the least of my worries.

Now I make my own cornstarch with chickpeas for several reasons.

Should I make my own cornstarch?

If you have the time and energy to do so, I highly encourage to to ditch as many store bought pantry staples as possible and make your own instead. These are the reasons why cornstarch is worth ditching ASAP.

1. You should make cornstarch because the traditional ones from the store are just straight carbs, meaning eating it most likely causes blood sugar spikes, which will leave you hungry and tired.
2. You should make cornstarch because using chickpeas as a replacement allows you to always have cornstarch on hand, in a way that never goes bad. Dried chickpeas last a very long time. (They do start to loose nutrients about year 2-3 though, so it’s best to use them within a year or two.)
3. You should make cornstarch to get extra vitamins, protein, and fiber. Chickpeas are also very low-fat.
4. You should make your own cornstarch because chickpeas can help with weight management, prevent blood sugar spikes, and feed the good bacteria in your gut. (source)

Is cornstarch bad?

Cornstarch isn’t necessarily bad per se, but it’s more about what cornstarch isn’t. Since cornstarch is made from just the very starchy part of corn, there is virtually nothing of value there for your body. Given that the rest of the corn kernel is removed to make cornstarch, there are virtually no vitamins or minerals (that are naturally found in corn) left in the end product.

So cornstarch is, quite literally, just starch.

Cornstarch is a processed ingredient that I’d personally prefer to replace with a more-nutritious option when possible.

Cornstarch alternatives

There are lots of alternatives to cornstarch. Chickpeas are my favorite substitute, but there are other options if you don’t have chickpeas on hand.

• Rice flour can be used as a substitute for cornstarch, and it even has that chewy, jelly texture that cornstarch tends to have.
• In some cases, simple flour can be used in place of cornstarch.
• Arrowroot powder can replace cornstarch in a 1-1 ratio in most recipes. You might need to use more arrowroot than you would cornstarch, because it doesn’t have the same thickening power as cornstarch.
• Ground chickpeas are a great alternative to cornstarch. It’s great as a thickener, in breading for chicken, as a thickener for sauces, or in slurries (like coating chicken before cooking in Chinese recipes). Chickpeas are high in starch, which makes them a great, natural choice as a cornstarch alternative.

How to make cornstarch with chickpeas

Using chickpeas as a cornstarch alternative is as simple as grinding dried chickpeas into flour. If you have a grain mill, this should be easy. Although make sure to check your mill’s user manual first to make sure you’re good to go. Some mills recommend quickly blitzing the chickpeas in a blender or food processor before milling them so they’re easier to mill. For example, the Nutrimill classic can easily mill chickpeas into fine flour, but sometimes the chickpeas themselves don’t quite fit through the feeder for the grains.

An important note is to make sure you’re using DRIED chickpeas in your grain mill, not canned.

So if you’re using a grain mill, turning chickpeas into a cornstarch alternative is as simple as milling the chickpeas into flour! It’s instantly ready to be used in place of cornstarch in any recipe.

You may want to sift your chickpea flour before you use it, if the little bits of chickpea “skins” bother you.

Corn flour vs. cornstarch

While cornstarch is the processed, just-starch version of corn, corn flour is essentially just ground up corn. It’s similar to cornmeal but usually ground more finely into a fine flour texture. Corn flour can be used in many of the same ways cornstarch can be.

Corn flour is ground up corn, milled more finely into a fine flour texture.

Corn meal is more coarsely ground corn flour, most often used in cornbread or under pizza crusts.

Corn starch is a more processed version of corn flour or corn meal that’s processed to leave just the starch behind.

How to make cornstarch with chickpeas (without a grain mill)

If you don’t have a grain mill, you can still make chickpea flour at home.

High powered blenders will turn dried chickpeas into flour. Make sure to blend your chickpeas in phases and using the pulse setting to make sure you don’t burn the motor out.

Food processors are another way to grind chickpeas into flour. Like with the blender, make sure to give your food processor a break if it sounds strained to make sure you don’t burn the motor out.

A coffee/spice grinder is a good option for grinding chickpeas as well. They’re designed to grind hard coffee beans into a fine grind, so they should have no issues turning dried chickpeas into flour.

Need a grain mill? (Promise, it will make your life better!)

I recommend four different grain mills. I’ve used and love them all! But if you’re looking for more in-depth information on all of them, see my Guide to Choosing a Grain Mill.

More like how to make cornstarch with chickpeas:

• Sourdough with fresh milled flour (everything you need to know)
• 5 benefits of milling your own flour
• Wheat berries: everything you need to know
• Kitchen essentials you can make yourself
• 10 foods you should make yourself

The post How to Make Cornstarch (with Chickpeas) first appeared on Souly Rested.

I’d been making sourdough bread for years and loved it. See my detailed recipe for making sourdough without discard here.

But making sourdough bread with fresh milled flour seemed impossible.

In fact, to this day I still often suggest that folks start with one or the other. Sourdough OR fresh milled flour. And I know that sounds discouraging, but the truth is that it’s actually less discouraging that way. Let me explain.

Making bread is a simple process. Making sourdough bread is a simple process. But both have a learning curve. Making bread with fresh milled flour is, again, a simple process but …

When you combine two processes with learning curves together, the curve just gets, well, curvier.

So in order to get better results, I highly encourage folks to master one or the other before they combine the two things. It’s just simpler and will result in less inedible loaves that your family coughs down. (Ask me what I know about those!) But if you’ve mastered one and you’re ready to combine the two, here are my best tips that I’ve learned over 5+ years of experiments.

How to feed a sourdough starter fresh milled flour

When I first switched my sourdough starter over to fresh milled flour, I was overconfident. In fact, I was so confident that I quickly and rashly jumped from feeding my starter store flour straight into 100% fresh milled flour. I killed that starter.

After getting some starter from my daughter I tried again, but this time more slowly and gave my starter more time to acclimate to the fresh milled flour. Success. We were in fresh milled sourdough business, baby!

But only after learning a lot of tough lessons am I now (4-5 years later!) able to make yummy, fluffy sourdough bread with fresh milled flour.

If your starter isn’t happy with fresh milled flour right out of the gates, go slow and keep in mind that your starter is experiencing a whole new type of “food,” and might take some time to acclimate.

Tips for feeding your sourdough starter fresh milled flour

There’s nothing worse than excitedly feeding your sourdough starter with fresh milled flour, knowing it’s better, healthier, and more nutritious, only to have your starter… fall flat. Literally. These are some of the things I’ve learned and implemented with my fresh milled sourdough starter to keep it happy and active. Happy and active starter = better bread.

1. Switch up what type of flour you’re feeding it. My starter had a rough time with hard white/hard red flour, but started thriving when I fed it exclusively Rye flour. Apparently this is because Rye somehow contains more yeast than other grains. Sourdough starters love Rye.
2. Feed your starter more often. I find that my sourdough starter eats/rises faster than it did before I was using fresh milled flour to feed it. This leads to it scabbing over the top of the starter faster than ever, which means I need to keep it refreshed and fed more routinely than I had to with my store flour starter.
3. Consider aging your flour. Some people argue that fresh milled flour, straight from the mill is too fresh and your starter doesn’t like it for that reason. If you’ve tried other things and your starter just. isn’t. happy, try milling your flour 1-2 weeks before feeding your starter with it and see if that makes a difference.
4. Feed your sourdough starter at a really thick consistency. I know this feels counterintuitive since technically fresh milled flour absorbs a bit more water than store flour does, but try feeding your starter a bit thicker than you’re used to. I personally find my starter is only happy and doubling when it’s really pretty thick. Thinner starters simply don’t have the body they need to double.

What wheat berries should I use for fresh milled sourdough?

If you’d like a rundown on all the wheat berries and their uses, read this post all about wheat berries.

In general, using either hard white or hard red wheat is recommended for sourdough bread. Like I stated above, though, I feed my starter strictly Rye flour and have seen huge improvement in my starter. Hard white and hard red both have the highest amount of gluten potential, so you’re most likely to make good bread with them.

Other grains like Kamut/Khorasan, Einorn, or Spelt can be used to make sourdough bread, but they have lower gluten available in them, so your bread might be more dense.

How to make sourdough with fresh milled flour

So you have your starter happy with fresh milled flour, you’re ready to bake bread, and you want to know all the tips and tricks to make sure your bread is not only edible but actually delightfully delicious. I’ve got you.

• Don’t be afraid to use dough enhancers in your sourdough. In my experience the sourdough community (and the fresh milled flour community, let’s be real!) tend to be very purist-minded. I’ve come across many people who have tried to shame me for using Vital Wheat Gluten or for using hard white instead of an ancient grain for the most health benefits. I simply don’t subscribe to that mentality. Use what you can and what you feel comfortable with to make the healthiest, yummiest bread that your family enjoys. That being said, adding enhancements to your sourdough dough (such as vital wheat gluten, sunflower lecithin, or extra fat or egg) can seriously improve your results.
• Don’t be afraid to actually knead your sourdough. Especially after 2020 with everyone acting as a sourdough expert, “no-knead” sourdough recipes became super popular. But sourdough, just like any bread, needs to develop gluten in order to have a good texture. You don’t *always* need to stretch and fold, coil fold, and any of that fancy jazz either. Just normal kneading can be for sourdough, too. Develop that gluten, baby.

Should I sift fresh milled flour for sourdough bread?

While I’m not a huge supporter of sifting fresh milled flour (the bran that you sift out is where tons of nutrients are!), go ahead and sift your flour if it helps you achieve the results you’re looking for. Any version of fresh milled flour you can use is still a huge improvement over any flour you can buy at the store. A couple notes on sifting;

1. Feel free to sift your flour, then add the bran back into the dough. Some people swear the act of aerating the flour helps aerate your bread. Sift on, sister!
2. Try sifting your flour, cooking the bran in boiling water until it’s soft, straining it, and adding the soggy brain back into the dough. This helps soften the bran (which has sharp edges and tends to “cut” the gluten we’re so desperately trying to develop). This way you’re still getting nutrients from the bran, but hopefully experiencing the benefits of sifted flour (i.e. lighter and fluffier bread).
3. If you can make bread you enjoy eating with sifted fresh milled flour, and can’t make bread you enjoy without sifting your flour, then–please–sift your flour! And feel good about it, too, because you’re making your family amazing bread.

Need a grain mill?

I recommend four different grain mills. I’ve used and love them all, but if you’re looking for more information on all of them, see my Guide to Choosing a Grain Mill.

Want to be an overnight Fresh Flour expert?

I poured every tip and detail I’ve learned about using fresh flour over the past decade into an extensive resource for you… the world’s most in-depth resource on milling and baking with fresh flour.

Use code SOULYRESTED to save $$ and dive into Fresh Flour University today!

More like Sourdough with Fresh Milled Flour:

• Why I started milling my own flour
• Wheat berries: everything you need to know
• Fluffy dinner rolls with fresh milled flour (recipe)
• Sourdough bread made with fresh milled flour

The post Sourdough with Fresh Milled Flour: what you need to know first appeared on Souly Rested.

Then 2020 hit.

Nobody made fun of my flour-making. I was content at home, with my wheat berries, grain mill, and plenty of flour for baked goods and bread. But you? You shouldn’t wait for the next pandemic, crisis, or otherwise word-adjusting-event-that-leaves-grocery-stores-bare to learn to make your own flour. There are SO many benefits to making your own flour that it just makes sense to start making flour at home. Now.

For instance, did you know fresh milled flour contains 40 out of the 44 essential minerals our bodies need to survive and thrive? That’s 91% of the minerals your body needs in total. Comparatively, store flour contains only artificial, lab-made vitamins that your body has a hard time processing.

Anyways. Let’s learn how to make flour at home from start to finish.

How to make flour at home

On paper, making flour is so simple it can be outlined in just a few simple steps. I’ll prove it to you:

1. Source wheat berries (or alternative grains).
2. Decide how you’re going to grind those wheat berries into flour. Grain mills are great because they’re actually designed to mill fine flour. Other contenders are a blender, food processer, or even coffee grinder. Please do keep in mind that these products can easily overheat or burnout, since grinding wheat is a big job to ask of a “normal” kitchen appliance!
3. Grind your wheat.
4. Decide if your flour is fine enough, and if it’s not, consider sifting it to remove larger particles. You can always re-mill or re-grind the larger particles to reduce waste and keep your flour as healthy as possible (the bran you sift out contains lots of fiber!). Some grain mills can easily re-mill flour (most stone mills) and some mills can’t re-mill (most impact mills). So make sure to check your mill’s instructions.
5. Find a trusted whole wheat recipe to experiment using your homemade flour in. Or, just use your “regular” favorite recipes, making sure to add your flour slowly, as whole wheat flour absorbs more water than all-purpose flour does.

And just like that you made flour at home. Obviously it can be more complicated than just 5 simple steps make it sound, but overall making flour at home is super easy and rewarding.

How to make flour at home: what wheat berries should I use?

There are millions of kinds of wheat and alternative grains. If you’re unsure which kinds of wheat berries to use for your baking projects, see this post all about wheat berries and their differences. If you’re looking to use gluten-free grains or other alternative grains, see this post all about alternative grains and their uses.

Here’s a quick rundown of the most commonly used wheat berries;

Hard white/hard red wheat: flour made from hard wheat is best for use in bread, rolls, soft pretzels, bread sticks, and anything that requires yeast and gluten to rise. These wheats are higher in protein and contain a higher gluten potential than soft wheat.

Soft white/soft red wheat: soft wheat flour is best used in pastries, baked goods, and other more delicate items. Soft wheat should never be used to make bread as it doesn’t have a high enough gluten potential to make bread.

Ancient grains like Einkorn, Kamut, Rye, Barley, and others: flour made from ancient grain can easily be used in most baked goods with little to no adjustments. In fact, barley flour is my favorite to make cookies and brownies with. Technically Rye isn’t wheat and should be treated slightly different, and will be a bit grittier. Bread can be made with Einkorn and Kamut pretty easily, but you may want to add vital wheat gluten to help the bread rise well, and these ancient grains are lower in gluten and will create a less fluffy bread than modern wheat would.

Is making your own flour worth it?

It’s hard to answer this question quickly. But in short, making your own flour is absolutely worth it. There are ebbs and flows, successes and failures like with any new venture, but at the end of the day making my own flour has been one of the most rewarding real food tangents I’ve gone down. I go into greater depth about the pros/cons of making your own flour in this post, but here are my 5 favorite reasons to mill your own flour:

1. Fresh ground flour allows you to eat LOCAL flour (who would have thought your flour & bread could be locally grown?)
2. Making your own flour allows you to eat variety (eating different kinds of wheat berries and alternative grains offers such unique, fun, and healthy variety to your diet)
3. Homemade flour just. Tastes. Better. (I have a hard time enjoying the taste of anything made with all-purpose flour now.)
4. Making your own flour can ACTUALLY save money (I save a few hundred dollars every year on flour)
5. Making your own flour helps you have a measure of food security (who doesn’t like the feeling of being prepared with loads of un-milled flour in their basement?)

Should I sift home milled flour?

In general, my advice is to sift homemade flour as little as possible because the stuff you sift out (the bran & germ) are truly the good stuff. They contain so many nutrients, tons of fiber, and lots of good fats. But there are a few times & places where sifting homemade flour just makes sense:

1. Sift homemade flour if your mill isn’t that great or you ‘re using a blender or appliance other than a grain mill to make your flour. If your flour is very course, you’ll have a very hard time making tasty things with it.
2. Sift homemade flour if you’re going to add the bran & germ back in after. I personally still skip this step because it dirties an extra dish (the sieve) and just adds an extra step in general, but I’ve heard great things about the benefits of sifting homemade flour just to aerate it, then add the bran and germ back in.
3. Sift homemade flour if you’re making something really delicate. For instance, if you’re making a really dainty puff pastry or something and you just can’t get the texture right with flour you made, try sifting it. You’re still getting more nutrients than you would from store flour, and your end result will most likely be better.
4. Sift homemade flour if you’re just starting out with wholegrain flour and you just can’t seem to make recipes work. I’ve been there! When you’re just starting out, there can be a huge learning curve to using homemade flour. If sifting your homemade flour helps you get an idea for the process and feel of it, and ALSO gives you a better end result, PLEASE sift your flour! Then, as you get the hang of it, slowly add a larger percentage of the bran back into your doughs and batters as you get more comfortable. This will give you more time to learn the ins and outs of using wholegrain flour without quite the same level of a learning curve.
5. Sift homemade flour if your partner or kids don’t like (or aren’t used to) the taste of whole wheat products. We’ve all been there, and it’s a shame more folks don’t talk about this struggle. Once you get used to the rich, earthy flavor of using exclusively wholegrain flour, I’m confident you’ll enjoy the flavor and wonder how you ever ate tasteless store bought breads. However, there is definitely an overlap of your tastebuds enjoying the wholegrain flavor, and your brain knowing it’s so much better for you. If you’re having a hard time convincing your family to enjoy the flavor of fresh milled flour, go ahead and sift your flour for a while and get them used to the general flavor profile without quite the same level of heartiness the bran and germ offer.

How long does homemade flour keep?

Ideally, homemade flour should be used as soon as possible to get the most nutrients possible. In fact, according to this article, homemade flour can loose as much as 90% of its nutrients in just three days after being milled. So making your flour right before you use it is ideal.

But homemade flour can be stored. It can be kept at room temperature for a couple days, in the fridge for 1-2 weeks, or in the freezer for a month+. Just keep in mind that the sooner you use the flour, the more nutrients you’ll get from it. However, the flour won’t actually go bad very quickly, it’s just not quite as nutritious.

In the market for a grain mill?

I recommend FOUR different grain mills. Here’s the gist:

1. The Classic Nutrimill does a great job, at a low price point, milling large amounts of flour at once. (code “soulyrested”)
2. The Harvest Mill wins for most beautiful to sit on your counter. (code “soulyrested”)
3. The Impact Mill is a great mill for beginners. Similar to the Classic mill but with a smaller output of flour. The lowest price point home mill on the market. (code “soulyrested” to save more)
4. And the Mockmill is a beautiful workhorse that wins for best engineered, best at milling alternative grains, and the best at producing great flour, every time. But it also sits at the highest price point. My everyday, go-to grain mill.

More like make flour at home from start to finish:

• How to Use a Grain Mill
• Home flour mills: impact vs stone mill
• Make flour at home (with or without a grain mill)
• Wheat berries: everything you need to know
• Sourdough bread made with fresh milled flour

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