Bake with Kamut Flour

These are the Kamut wheat berries I use.

Don’t have a grain mill yet? Here’s my Guide to Choosing a Mill & use this Kamut flour in the meantime.

Given that kamut is one of my go-to grains to mill into flour in my grain mill, I love talking about how to bake with kamut flour. Although there are lots of ancient grain flours to choose from, kamut happens to be one of my favorites due to it’s nutritional value, flavor, and all-purpose nature.

Making bread? Kamut will work.

Baking brownies? Grab kamut.

Breading chicken? Kamut will add a delicious buttery flavor.

Making crackers? Great, kamut makes them better.

Crafting a tender pastry? Believe it or not, kamut is great for that.

Are kamut and khorasan the same thing?

Yes, this grain has two names and I’ll explain why.

This ancient grain was originally called “khorasan,” named after the region where it’s thought to originate from.

Kamut? That name was given to the khorasan grain later. Kamut is actually a branded name given to khorasan. Grains sold under the name “kamut” are monitored by the Kamut brand, and have to follow strict guidelines to qualify for the trademark. The upside to purchasing grains labeled “kamut” is that they’re subjected to strict standards, meaning you know you’ll get high-quality grains.

The downside? You’re paying for the trademark. Kamut grains often cost more than khorasan given that the farmers pay for trademark rights.

Essentially, kamut is the “name brand” version of khorasan grain. Think of it like saying “Kleenex” (kamut) instead of simply “tissues” (khorasan).

Kamut vs spelt

Both ancient grains, spelt and kamut, have similar nutritional profiles. They’re both higher in protein than most modern wheat, and they’re both full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

The key difference in the grains is the flavor. I find spelt to be just a little earthier and maybe a little more bitter than kamut. Kamut’s flavor profile is sweet, buttery, and nutty.

Choose spelt for stronger, slightly wheat-ier flavor in breads and baked goods, or if you’re making more “rustic” style bread.

Use kamut if you’re looking for sweeter, more mild flavor.

Einkorn and kamut (khorasan)–what’s the difference?

Let’s compare the infamous einkorn to khorasan…

Both einkorn and khorasan are ancient grains with a sweet, buttery, mild flavor. They’re both pretty good at being all-purpose grains and can be used for a wide variety of baked goods, breads, and pastries.

There are debates about which grain is older and which originated first. I enjoy using both, and try not to get caught up in the historical assumptions too much. They’re both great, tasty, nutritious grains, m’kay?

One key difference in einkorn and kamut (khorasan) is the size of the wheat berry. Einkorn grains are smaller in size (compared to modern wheat), while khorasan wheat berries are actually larger than modern wheat berries. This impacts your baking, given that einkorn mills into a very fine, powdery flour (because it starts off smaller it’s easier for your grain mill to grind up super fine), whereas kamut mills into a slightly coarser flour, no matter how finely you try to mill it.

Benefits of kamut flour

So why bake with kamut flour?

• For the flavor
• For nutrition
• For food security
• For it’s all-purpose nature
• To preserve history

Kamut flour is hard to beat for a number of reasons, including the ones listed above. I love using khorasan knowing I’m milling the same grains that folks have turned into flour for thousands of years… without Big Ag getting involved and hybridizing the grains. Because they haven’t been hybridized, ancient grains are always going to pack more nutrition into every bite.

Bonus, the buttery flavor of kamut flour is unreal. 

How to store kamut wheat berries

With full knowledge that you might call me crazy, I’ll admit that I currently have 50 pounds of Khorasan wheat berries in my grain storage (aka buckets in my basement). I’m not a preper, but I like knowing I have a lot of the best flour on hand if things go south, or even just if prices rise. Plus, wheat berries can last for thousands of years (crazy, but true).

If you’re thinking of stocking up on Kamut berries, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Make sure you’re sourcing from an organic, regenerative farm if possible. These are amazing.
2. Read up on these Tips for Storing Wheat Berries.
3. And no matter what Never Freeze Your Wheat Berries. Here’s why.

How to use kamut flour in baking

Given its sweet, nutty, buttery flavor, kamut flour is great for baking. Kamut flour (even fresh milled) hydrates similarly to “regular” all-purpose flour, so minimal changes are needed. (More here on how to use fresh flour in any recipe.)

To use kamut flour in baked goods: simply swap kamut for all-purpose flour at a 1:1 ratio. Just to be safe, add slightly less flour than your recipe calls for, let the dough autolyze a little (soak the flour and liquid ingredients before adding the rest) then add the rest of your flour if needed after a 10-minute rest.

To use kamut flour in bread: use at a 1:1 ratio to bread flour, and add 1 tablespoon of vital wheat gluten per cup of flour used. Knead like usual, but keep a close eye as you knead and make sure you don’t over knead kamut dough, as the gluten is more fragile than bread dough made with modern wheat. For best results, try some of the enrichments I describe here, like a tangzhong: How to Use Fresh Flour in Any Recipe

To use kamut flour in pastries: similar to baked goods in general, but if you’re using fresh milled kamut flour, make sure you allow the flour to cool down (don’t be afraid to stick it in the freezer for a few minutes!) before adding butter in things like biscuits, puff pastries, croissant dough, pie crusts, or scones. If you struggle with getting the texture you want, try:  70% soft white flour, 20% kamut flour and 10% barley flour.

To use kamut flour in pasta: given that kamut is similar to durum (the “pasta” flour), it’s great for making pasta. Use in any homemade pasta recipe, 1:1 substitute for all-purpose or durum flour. Just add a little less flour at first, then add more later if needed.

Kamut (khorasan) baking recipes

Khorasan flour can be used in so many recipes.

• Pasta
• Brownies/cookies
• Bread/rolls
• Cinnamon rolls
• Biscuits/scones
• Pastries
• Pie crust/tarts
• Muffins
• Pancakes/waffles

In almost every recipe, kamut can simply replace all-purpose flour cup-for-cup. You might find you need just slightly less kamut flour, though, so add it slowly to your recipes. And you’ll want to understand a little bit about natural enhancers and autolysing your dough. Follow my on instagram for lots of tutorials and fresh flour encouragement, and grab my free tips right here.

If you’re serious about making the best, most nutritious food–easily and deliciously–for your family use code SOULYRESTED to save (you can even stack the code if there is a current sale going on!) and dive into Fresh Flour University.

Milling khorasan (kamut) into fresh milled flour

If you’re like me, you want to get the most nutrition as possible out of the ingredients you’re eating.

In order to eat the most nutritious flour possible, you should mill your own.

To mill kamut flour at home, all you’ll need are kamut whole wheat berries and a grain mill. It’s that simple!

Milling your own kamut flour allows you to preserve 100% of the nutrition found in the whole wheat kernel. Commercial flour manufacturers remove all the good stuff! (The bran + germ, where all the healthy fats and nutrients are!) Not to mention, flour was never designed to be a shelf-stable food. It naturally degrades over time, and milling your own flour allows you to use it right away, when it’s freshest.

Making bread with kamut

Khorasan/kamut flour makes amazing, flavorful bread if you know just a few, simple tips.

Since it is an ancient grain, the gluten that develops through kamut flour is fragile. You can and should still knead kamut bread dough, just take it a little easier than you usually would.

Secondly, consider adding vital wheat gluten to your bread recipes when you’re using kamut flour. It will give your ancient grain bread a little “oomph” that it might need to rise well. If you’re new to making kamut bread or fresh milled flour bread, use 1 tablespoon of vital wheat gluten per cup of flour.

Finally, you might find that bread made with kamut flour rises quickly. Keep a close eye on rise times to prevent over-proofing, and, therefore fallen bread.

The poke test for fresh flour bread

To know when your fresh flour dough is well proofed, use the Poke Test:

Lightly press your finger into your rising dough to test the gluten formation. 

Dough’s response                                       Rise time

Springs back slowly & partially                      DONE

Springs back instantly with no indent          INCOMPLETE

Holds indent permanently                              OVERPROOFED

Substituting kamut flour in place of all-purpose flour

Given kamut flour’s all-purpose nature, you can simply substitute cup-for-cup with all-purpose or bread flour.

How to use kamut/khorasan in any recipe

Use kamut flour in almost any recipe that calls for all-purpose or bread flour. Given that it’s an ancient grain, it might behave slightly differently (kamut hydrates a little slower than conventional flour does), but differences are slight and often not noticeable at all.

Ways to use kamut wheat berries

If you’re in possession of khorasan wheat berries, you might be wondering how else you can use them. Other than milling them into beautiful, golden flour, that is. Here are some of my favorite ways to use kamut berries (well, really any kind of wheat berries, to be honest):

1. Flaking them into “rolled oats” (learn how to flake any grain here)
2. Sprouting them as a nutritious snack, salad topper, or nutritious smoothie add-in
3. Cook them and use in place of rice

Some of My Favorite Ancient & Heritage Grains

The Best Grain Mills

The best grain mill for your family might be different than mine, so I created this Guide to Choosing a Grain Mill to walk you through 6 questions to ask to help you decide the best grain mill for your family.

More like How to Bake with Kamut (Khorasan):

• A complete guide to kamut/khorasan
• A Complete Guide to Choosing a Grain Mill
• Kamut chocolate chip cookies (recipe)
• Make flour at home from start to finish
• Sourdough with fresh milled flour: everything you need to know

The post How to bake with kamut (khorasan) & mistakes to avoid first appeared on Souly Rested.

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.

Don’t miss this!

And join Fresh Flour University today->

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.

Print

Best sandwich bread with fresh milled flour (pullman pan)

Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients

For the Tangzhong

• 6 TB milk
• 2 TB hard red flour

For the dough

• 2 cups hard red flour 260 grams
• 1 cup durum flour 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.

Want to make your own fresh milled sourdough starter from scratch? Get my step-by-step instructions for making a sourdough starter with 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.

Types of wheat berries and their uses

There are so many different types of wheat berries and grains that it can be confusing. See my favorite grains I use every day, and a full breakdown of what I use them for here.

Hard white/hard red wheat berries

Use to make bread (best gluten development, therefore good for bread). You can also use hard wheat berries to make cookies.

Soft white/soft red wheat berries

Use soft wheat berries in baked goods you don’t want gluten to develop in, like muffins, cakes, pastries, brownies, puff pastry. Never use soft wheat to make bread, it won’t develop gluten or rise.

Ancient grains

Ancient grains include einkorn, spelt, khorasan (aka kamut), barley, durum, emmer. These are great multi-purpose grains. Most of them make decent bread, especially if you add vital wheat gluten. They’re also good for almost any baked goods.

Other grains

Rye, buckwheat, amaranth, oat groats, and other not-technically-wheat grains are also worth mentioning. Most can be used in baked goods, especially pancakes, french toast, and so on.

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.

And I love using a deeply delicious all-natural sugar in these bars to  give the lemon flavor a perfect tartness.

Lemon Bars With Fresh Flour

INGREDIENTS

2 ½ cups (350 g) einkorn flour, divided

1 cup butter, cubed

2 ½ cups sugar, divided (I use this sugar; see notes)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

6 eggs

1 cup lemon juice

Confectioner’s sugar (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 and line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper.
2. Add butter, ½ cup of the sugar, vanilla extract, and salt to mixing bowl and combine. Remove 6 TB of flour and set aside. Add the rest of the flour to your mixing bowl and mix again.
3. Press the dough into your prepared pan. No need for it to be “pretty” (the dough will be thick and hard to spread out), but try to get it spread out evenly.
4. Bake until the edges are brown, about 20 minutes.
5. While the crust is baking, mix your filling ingredients: Mix the remaining 2 cups of sugar and 6 TB of flour. Whisk in eggs and lemon juice.
6. After removing crust from the oven, pour the lemon filling over the crust and place your pan back in the oven for another 20 minutes, or until the center is set.
7. Let cool to room temperature before serving (I know, it’s hard. I like most desserts nice and warm, but this one has to sit and cool). I like to dust with confectioners sugar before serving.

Notes about baking Lemon Bars with fresh einkorn flour

• Because I use coconut sugar for all the sugar in this recipe, it doesn’t turn out as “pretty” as if I used lighter-colored cane sugar. If I did, you would notice a color difference in the crust and the filling and the filling would be a much brighter yellow color. But I love the flavor of the earthier coconut sugar in this recipe. (By the way, coconut sugar is made from nectar from the coconut tree blooms… it’s delicious and tastes nothing like coconut.) It really gives the lemon a perfect tartness.
• Don’t be tempted to scrimp on the sugar in this recipe. The sugar works in tandem with the eggs to make the filling set well. If you scrimp on your sugar, your filling will be watery. (But using coconut sugar reduces the sweetness and makes your bars slightly more tart tasting.)
• Feel free to use store-bought lemon juice for this recipe, but if you can get your hands on fresh lemons, the flavor is amazing… you’ll definitely be glad you did. My lemon tree was in full production mode this month, so these lemon bars were made with just-picked fresh-squeezed lemon juice on the coldest day in January in New England. Needless to say, they were extra delicious.

Print

Lemon Bars with Fresh Flour

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups 250 g einkorn flour, divided
• 1 cup butter cubed
• 2 ½ cups sugar divided
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup lemon juice about 4 lemons
• Confectioner’s sugar for dusting optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 and line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper.
• Add butter, ½ cup of the sugar, vanilla extract, and salt to mixing bowl and combine. Remove 6 TB of flour and set aside. Add the rest of the flour to your mixing bowl and mix again.
• Press the dough into your prepared pan. No need for it to be “pretty” (the dough will be thick and hard to spread out), but try to get it spread out evenly.
• Bake until the edges are brown, about 20 minutes.
• While the crust is baking, mix your filling ingredients: Mix the remaining 2 cups of sugar and 6 TB of flour. Whisk in eggs and lemon juice.
• After removing crust from the oven, pour the lemon filling over the crust and place your pan back in the oven for another 20 minutes, or until the center is set.
• Let cool to room temperature before serving (I know, it’s hard. I like most desserts nice and warm, but this one has to sit and cool). I like to dust with confectioners sugar before serving.

Notes

• Because I use coconut sugar for all the sugar in this recipe, it doesn’t turn out as “pretty” as if I used lighter-colored cane sugar. If I did, you would notice a color difference in the crust and the filling and the filling would be a much brighter yellow color. But I love the flavor of the earthier coconut sugar in this recipe. It really gives the lemon a perfect tartness.
• Don’t be tempted to scrimp on the sugar in this recipe. The sugar works in tandem with the eggs to make the filling set well. If you scrimp on your sugar, your filling will be watery. (But using coconut sugar reduces the sweetness and makes your bars slightly more tart tasting.)
• Feel free to use store-bought lemon juice for this recipe, but if you can get your hands on fresh lemons, the flavor is amazing… you’ll definitely be glad you did.

Ingredients I use to make Lemon Bars

More fresh flour recipes and resources you’ll love

Fluffy dinner rolls made with fresh flour

Copycat Crumbl Strawberry Pretzel cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies made with fresh kamut flour

Grab lots of tips for baking with fresh milled flour & more recipes here

The post The Best Lemon Bars Made with Fresh Flour first appeared on Souly Rested.

Now… let’s talk about if Nutrimill or Mockmill grain mills are best for you. There are pros and cons to both, so let’s dive in andalk about what you need to know.

Are Nutrimill grain mills good?

I’ve used all three models of grain mills that Nutrimill carries. And, overall, they’re all good machines. We’ll break this down more later, but for now here’s an overview of the mills Nutrimill sells:

The Harvest grain mill

The harvest is a beautiful, compact stone mill. Unfortunately, it isn’t as user-friendly as I’d like, especially for newbies trying to dive into the world of fresh milled flour. It does the job, and is certainly powerful enough to grind wheat into decent flour.

The Classic grain mill

This bad boy makes the fines flour of any mill I’ve tried. It’s large, great for milling lots of flour at once. It uses steel impact head technology, so it’s not a stone mill. It’s my favorite budget-friendly mill that does a really good job milling lots of flour, quickly.

The Impact grain mill

The Impact mill was Nutrimill’s most recent addition to the lineup. It’s currently the most affordable mill on the market, and it does a good job. It’s similar in function to the Classic mill, with a slightly smaller hopper and flour canister. It packs up in a way that can make it better for small spaces than the Classic, but, in my opinion, the Classic is a bit more user-friendly than the Impact.

Comparing Nutrimill and Mockmill models

I briefly compare all the Nutrimill grain mills to the many options available with Mockmill in this video:

Nutrimill pros

• Nutrimill has insanely awesome customer service, and is always happy to take a call, answer and email, or handle any issues or questions you may have. I personally know several of the folks over there, and I absolutely adore everyone I’ve ever connected with. They’re an awesome team of people who won’t let you down.
• They have sales, coupon codes, and deals to constantly take advantage of. In fact, my code (soulyrested) even works on the Impact mill (which is already super easy on the wallet!).
• Their mills are known for being super long-lasting. I’ve heard of folks who have some of Nutrimill’s original mixers and grain mills from the 80s and 90s that are still going strong!

Nutrimill cons

• Mills are often out of stock, and when they are in stock it’s a race to see who will snag the mill they’ve been eying!
• Their more affordable models (the Classic and Impact) are closed-canister style, meaning that it’s harder to make just the right amount of flour, or mill just a little bit at a time. Also means more dishes to wash! (More details on stone vs. impact mills here)
• You cannot re-mill flour in either of the impact-style Nutrimills, and while you can technically re-mill flour in the Harvest, I found that the stones seem to “glaze” over pretty easily when doing so.

Are Mockmill grain mills good?

I’ve used both a Mockmill 200 Lino and a Mockmill 100 Lino. They’re both great mills that were obviously thoughtfully designed for everyday use. Mockmill sells (essentially) three different mills:

Mockmill 100 (Lino style and “regular”)

The Lino Mockmills are the same interior as the “regular” mockmills, but with a wooden outer housing. The number 100 stands for the milling speed–100 grams of flour milled, per minute. This is an on-demand stone mill.

Mockmill 200 (Lino style and “regular”)

Again, the Lino Mockmills are the same interior as the “regular” mockmills, but with a wooden outer housing. The 200 means this mill will grind 200 grams of flour per minute, twice as fast as the 100. These on-demand stone mills allow you to mill just the right amount of flour, into any bowl you choose.

Mockmill professional

This is similar to the Mockmill 200, but with extra protection built-in for long usage times. It has a built-in heavy-duty fan so it won’t overheat if it’s being run a lot, and the motor is built a bit different to allow for longer running times without overheating.

Mockmill pros

The Mockmill 200 Lino is my everyday-use grain mill. This is because it’s because it’s beautiful and an absolute workhorse. It mills incredible flour, quickly. It tackles any job I’ve thrown at it without bashing an eyelash.

• They offer wooden and white options in both 100 and 200 models, so something is bound to fit your budget. All of their mills are on-demand style, so you can always mill the right amount of flour, into any bowl.
• Mockmills are known for their thoughtful and practical design. They do their job, very well.
• Easily re-mills flour without glazing the stones.

Mockmill cons

• Not based in the U.S., so for those of us in the states it can be difficult to reach customer service at certain times of day.
• The wooden models are definitely on the pricier end. If you aren’t as concerned about aesthetics, opt for the white models that come with the same interior, just a different exterior.

Mockmill 200 vs. Nutrimill Harvest mill

These two mills are probably the most similar of all of the Mockmills and Nutrimills. They’re both stone mills, in a wooden housing that are on-demand style.

Size wise, the Harvest is a bit shorter than the Mockmill. The Mockmill is more of a rounded shape, versus the boxy shape of the Harvest. Overall, I’d say they take up about the same space/footprint, though.

In terms of output, Nutrimill claims the Harvest mill mills 128 grams of flour per minute. I would add my personal note that I’ve found it to actually be slower than that–especially if you want really fine flour. The Mockmill 200 mills at a rate of 200 grams of flour per minute.

The fineness of flour you’ll get from the Mockmill is remarkably better than what you’ll get from the Harvest, at least in my opinion. The Harvest can make fine flour, with some work and patience. The Mockmill mills fine flour, no questions asked. They can both mill anything from fine flour to cracked grains, and everything in between.

My overall pick between these two mills would be the Mockmill. However, the Harvest is available at a more budget-friendly price point, if looks are important to you (if you want a pretty wooden exterior, not a white Mockmill!).

The big picture: Nutrimill vs. Mockmill

If you’re looking for easier-on-the-wallet options that will do the job, Nutrimill makes so many different great mills. 

However, for folks looking for an on-demand style mill on a budget, I’d go for a white Mockmill–either 100 (slightly slower milling) or 200.

Bakers who make lots of flour at once but don’t want to spring for a Mockmill Professional, go for the Nutrimill Classic. You won’t be disappointed.

For those wanting a beautiful mill on their counter who aren’t in a big rush for flour, grab the Harvest mill.

My personal daily-use pick is the wooden Mockmill 200. It simply checks all my boxes for beauty, versatility, practicality, and it just does a really good job.

Looking to start out with fresh flour without breaking the bank? The affordable and simple-to-use Impact mill, all the way.

As a sidenote, if you’re worried about the noise different mills make, check out this post for a conversation about noise mills make.

More like Nutrimill or Mockmill–which grain mill is best:

• The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Grain Mill
• Why I Started Milling my own Flour
• Sourdough with fresh milled flour: what you need to know
• Home Flour Mills: Impact vs. Stone Mills

The post Nutrimill or Mockmill–which grain mill is best? first appeared on Souly Rested.

So this post is all about how to use fresh flour in any recipe. No fluff info, but all the fluffy bread.

Why use fresh flour?

Flour as we know it is dead.

As someone who used to grab all-purpose flour at the store, use it in every recipe and not think any more about it, that’s crazy for me to say. But ever since I learned about what REAL flour should look, taste, and behave like (it’s literally alive with nutrients), I haven’t looked back. And I’m determined to bring others down the flour rabbit hole with me.

• Fresh flour contains all three parts of the wheat berry; the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. Commercial flour only contains 1/3 of those things, meaning it’s missing so many nutrients that should be there.
• Commercial flour is processed at very high temperatures, leading to even more nutrient loss. So even the starchy, white flour that’s left after sifting out 2/3 of the wheat is heated beyond recognition. Milling your own flour allows you to control the milling temperature, retaining 100% of the nutrients.
• Eating fresh flour allows you to eat variety (different grains have all different types of nutrients), support local farmers, and allows you to create a measure of food security (wheat berries keep almost indefinitely, whereas milled flour lasts months at best).
• Fresh flour simply tastes better than it’s “dead” counterpart. It’s alive with flavor, nutrients, and minerals.
• There’s a good chance that milling your own flour will save you money, too. See more about that breakdown here.

Using fresh flour in bread

If you’ve ever made bread using whole wheat flour from the store, you’re used to a dry, cracked texture, playdough-like smell, and just a generally disappointing end result. Let me encourage you: fresh milled flour is an entirely different product from any “whole wheat” flour you’ve used from the store. Let’s talk about how to make amazing bread with fresh flour. (First of all, make sure you’re using the right wheat berries for bread!)

Add-ins for bread with fresh flour

Making bread with fresh flour definitely has a learning curve. There are quite a few add-ins and natural enhancements that will make it a lot easier to work with you dough, but will also lead to better bread.

1. One of my top tips for anyone struggling to make good bread is to add Vital Wheat Gluten to their dough. Don’t add any more than 1 tablespoon per cup of flour, though, or it can actually have a negative effect.
2. Try adding an egg (or an egg yolk) to your dough. Eggs help naturally “boost” your dough and give you better rise and a softer texture.
3. Add more fat to your dough. Oils, butter (especially brioche dough), and any fat (including egg yolk!) will help your dough preform better.
4. Try a tangzhong. This is a method where you cook some of your flour with milk to partially gelatinize some of your flour, resulting in a softer, sturdier bread that also happens to last longer. This recipe includes a Tangzhong, but adding one to any of your doughs can help improve texture.
5. Sunflower lecithin is another great add-in. Lecithin naturally is in egg yolks, but you can also purchase it on it’s own and add it to your bread dough as a natural enhancer.

Kneading fresh flour bread dough

Once you start working with fresh flour, you’ll most likely find that it takes longer to develop gluten (stretchy dough) than you’re used to with commercial flour. This is for a few reasons.

First of all, commercial flour contains Bromate. This is a chemical designed to not only white and oxidize flour, but also helping dough develop gluten faster and easier. Fresh flour won’t contain any bromate, which means gluten development will take a bit more time.

Secondly, fresh flour (unsifted) contains the bran and the germ. The bran is rather “sharp” in the matrix of your dough, so as gluten tries to form and develop, that bran will inhibit some of the gluten strands from maturing. It will simply take some more time to build the gluten in your dough when bran is present.

Finally, fresh flour just contains weaker gluten in general, especially if you’re using ancient grains. Be patient, and just keep kneading until the dough is stretchy (it usually takes me about 10-12 minutes to get the texture I’m looking for using my mixer).

One of the reasons I use my Bosh mixer so often is because fresh flour bread dough simply needs to be kneaded for longer than other dough does. Although it definitely can be done by hand, I prefer to let me mixer do the work and help me achieve strong, stretchy bread doughs.

Rising

Because fresh flour is so “alive,” that it tends to rise faster than bread dough made with commercial flour. Simply be aware of this fact, and keep a close eye on your doughs to make sure they don’t overproof (deflate), which will lead to sad bread.

Baking fresh flour bread

Make sure you don’t overbake your fresh flour bread. Unfortunately, this is a really easy way to dry out your bread that I see all the time.

I love to use an instant read thermometer to check all my breads when I think they’re almost done–the internal temp of cooked bread should be between 190-200 degrees.

It’s easy to underbake whole wheat bread because it’s naturally darker in color, which leads to gummy and doughy loaves. It’s also easy to overbake loaves, being worried they’re not done in the middle. A thermometer takes the guessing out of the equation.

How to use fresh flour in baked goods

I love a good cookie. So it breaks my heart when I see folks struggling to make good cookies (or any baked goods) with fresh flour. I’ve seen it all; flat cookies, crumbly cookies, fat, cakey cookies, and more. Let’s get you on your way to making amazing baked goods with fresh flour. Just like with bread, start out by making sure you’re using the right wheat berries. Find out how to choose the right wheat berries here.

Chickpea flour

Why are we talking about chickpeas, you might ask? Well, turns out, chickpea flour is one of my secret weapons for making good baked goods with fresh flour. Adding just a teaspoon-a tablespoon of chickpea flour (you’ll want to sift the skins out!) to any baked goods made with fresh flour will improve the texture dramatically. Cookies? Yep. Muffins? Totally. Cakes? A necessity.

If I’m ever struggling with the texture of anything made with fresh flour, I try adding chickpea flour. 9 times out of 10 it works like a charm.

Check the dough

I see way too many people afraid to add flour to their cookie dough simply because it’s fresh flour. The texture of your cookie dough with fresh flour should be the same texture as any other cookie dough you’ve ever made: soft enough to be cookie dough, but stiff enough to not be sticky. If your dough doesn’t have enough flour, your cookies are going to spread too much. Period.

Sift, if you must

Although I’m an advocate of NOT sifting your fresh flour (to maintain all the nutrients), if you’re struggling to get something right, try sifting your flour. This is especially true if you’re trying to make something delicate like puff pastry or other pastries. Sometimes just sifting a little bran out will make all the difference in the outcome.

Use more baking powder

Depending on what you’re making, you might just need more leavening agent. Fresh flour has a harder time rising (weather that’s bread dough or cookie dough). Often things just need the extra “oomph” that adding extra baking powder will do. I’ve been known to up to double the amount of baking powder in a recipe.

Add fresh flour slowly

I hardly ever add all the flour that a recipe calls for unless I decide I need it all. Always add less flour than you think you’ll need. There’s nothing worse than adding too much flour only to realize the dough is too dry. You can always add more flour, but it’s hard to add more moisture.

How to substitute fresh flour for all-purpose flour

My simple recipe for “fresh milled all-purpose flour” is:

• 1 part hard white wheat
• 1 part soft white wheat
• 1 part ancient grain (like Einkorn or Kamut)

This basic “recipe” can help eliminate overwhelm of choosing which wheat berries to use. It offers structure from the hard wheat, softness from the soft wheat, and flavor and texture from the ancient grain. This all-purpose blend works well in any baking project, just don’t use it in bread, as the soft wheat doesn’t have enough protein (gluten potential) to make good bread.

Using fresh flour in place of gluten-free flour blends

Although there are so many options for milling gluten-free grains it’s mind-boggling, my general recommendation for an all-purpose gluten-free blend is:

• 1 part chickpea flour 
• 1 part oat flour

This offers enough structure for most baked goods while remaining rather neutral in flavor.

Replacing the oat flour with rice flour is also a great, mild-flavored option but will change how the flour hydrates. Any other grains or legumes I add in small amounts for flavor and nutrients. This blend works really well because the oats have a similar protein structure to wheat, but without the gluten. Sadly, oat flour alone can sometimes lead to baked goods having a gummier texture, so the starchiness of the chickpeas helps round out the blend and helps create better textures.

For more options on gluten-free grains and flour blends, read all about alternative grains here.

More thoughts about fresh flour

Learning to incorporate fresh flour into your life is a journey.

When I first started milling, I gave up several times–I get how frustrating it can be. But I have no doubt that with the tips in this article and practice, you’ll get the hang of it. Truthfully, before you know it the learning curves will be in the rearview mirror.

Make sure to follow along on Instagram for more fresh flour tips and tricks. Also tag me (@souly.rested) in your fresh flour wins!

More like How to Use Fresh Flour in any Recipe:

• Why I started milling my own flour
• A guide to wheat berries for sourdough bread
• Choosing the right wheat berries: A guide
• Fluffy, 100% whole wheat dinner rolls (reicpe)

The post How to use fresh flour in any recipe 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.

Print

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.

Kamut is one grain that has a special place in my heart. BTW, if you haven’t figured it out yet, Kamut and Khorasan are the same grain. We’ll talk about why it has two (or sometimes three!) names in a minute.

But for now, all you need to know is that I’ve milled, cooked, flaked, and baked with lots of different grains.

And Kamut is at the top of the list of my favorites.

That’s because this ancient, all-purpose grain can do it all. Breads, pastries, desserts, pasta–you name it–Kamut will make it, deliciously.

What is Kamut (Khorasan)?

What is Kamut? Well, I’m so glad you asked.

Khorasan is a type of grain. Kamut is the trademarked name for the same grain. The reason for this is because a Montana family discovered and fell in love with Khorasan grain, and wanted to trademark it to preserve the organic, wholesome nature of the grain. In order to sell this grain as “Kamut,” it needs to be certified organic and pass certain tests to maintain the Kamut name. Otherwise, Khorasan it is.

So Khorasan is the same grain, without the trademark. If you do some research and feel more comfortable with the Kamut trademark standards, you’ll pay a slightly higher price than you will purchasing the grain under the name Khorasan. It isn’t cheap to maintain trademark status!

On the flip side, if you love this grain and are looking to save a few bucks, purchasing “Khorasan” will be like buying the no-name Kamut. Especially if you’re purchasing organic Khorasan grain from a source you trust, you’ll still be getting amazing, high quality grains, just without the price of the trademark.

From here on out, I’ll mostly be referring to this grain as “Kamut” because that’s what I call it in my home (trademark or not), and because it also happens to be easier to type.

Kamut has also become the “household” name for this grain as it gains new popularity. Kinda like the way that lots of folks (my mother-in-law included) refer to all tissues as “Kleenex.”

History and origin of Kamut

What is Kamut (Khorasan) and where did it come from?

Just in case Kamut didn’t have enough names already (Kamut/Khorasan), it’s also called King Tut Wheat.

What’s not to love about one grain with three names?

It’s rumored that Kamut grain was found in the tomb of King Tut (or other ancient pharaohs), which would mean Kamut is up to 3,000+ years old. However, these claims are unsupported, and while the King Tut theory may be true, it’s also possible that the Kamut grains were obtained from an Egyptian street vendor rather than directly from ancient pharaoh’s tombs.

Either way, this grain has been around a while and has served as a farming staple in the fertile crescent for many thousands of years. In fact, the region that primarily grew this grain was literally known as the Khorasan Region back in the day.

Is Kamut gluten free?

While Kamut is an ancient grain with a different protein structure than modern wheat, it does contain gluten.

Some folks who are gluten sensitive claim they can tolerate the gluten in ancient grains (like Kamut) better than the gluten in modern wheat. But Kamut is not safe for folks with celiac disease.

Technically Kamut is higher in protein than modern wheat. This means that Kamut actually has a higher gluten potential than most modern grains.

• Kamut/Khorasan grain has 14-17% protein
• Modern grains have about 10-13% protein

While Kamut technically has a higher gluten potential than modern grains, due to it’s protein content, you’ll notice differences when baking Kamut bread. The protein/gluten in Kamut flour tends to make a stretcher in dough, but will rise less. You’ll get all the stretch and strength in bread dough made with Kamut flour, but you’ll notice your bread doesn’t rise quite as much and has a tighter (sometimes more dense) crumb than it would with modern wheat.

How is Kamut different from modern wheat?

Well, for starters, Kamut is mostly unchanged from its ancient days. This means that it’s a high protein grain, but since it hasn’t been changed and bred to create fluffy bread, Kamut bread will rise a bit less than bread made with modern wheat.

To combat this, you can always add vital wheat gluten to your Kamut breads. If you’re looking for a source for vital wheat gluten, I add mine to my Azure order. It’s also available from other online retailers. I like to use a ratio of 1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten per cup of flour in bread.

1. Kamut wheat berries are large in size and closely related to Durum wheat.
2. Since Kamut is an ancient grain and (largely) untouched by modern wheat breeding, its protein and gluten structure is different from modern wheat. Gluten is made up of protein, and there are two main proteins in wheat. These days, wheat is bred specifically to have  a higher content of glutenin (one of the two gluten proteins), meaning bread made with modern wheat will rise higher, faster. Kamut has a different protein/gluten balance, meaning it will behave differently when making bread.
3. Kamut may be easier to digest than modern grains due to it’s higher mineral, antioxidant, and healthy fat ratios.
4. Kamut has a rich, buttery flavor that you simply won’t find in modern grains. Because modern wheat is bred specifically to increase the gluten potential and grow faster (modern wheat), the taste and flavor of the grains is just not going to be a priority.

How to bake/cook with Kamut (Khorasan)

How to use Kamut

Kamut has a million uses. From Kamut flour to using the whole Kamut wheat berries, you’ll never be bored with this amazing, ancient whole grain.

• Mill Kamut into buttery, golden flour (my personal favorite way to use Kamut).
• Turn Kamut into puffed wheat (difficult to do at home and sometimes requires special equipment, but worth a shot).
• Cook Kamut wheat berries and use them in place of rice, like pasta in a pasta salad dish, in place of couscous, or like oatmeal.
• Flake Kamut wheat berries, with a flaker, and use them in place of oats (learn how to do this below).
• Use in place of pasta or rice in soups and stews.
• Turn Kamut berries into nutritious sprouts and use on salads, soups, or sandwiches.
• Make Kamut pasta.
• Cooked (or sprout) Kamut and add to smoothies for a nutrient boost.

What does Kamut/Khorasan taste like?

The flavor of Kamut is complex, buttery, rich. Similar in flavor to Einkorn, but a little more rustic and nutty. Wholegrain Kamut will have an earthy undertone, thanks to the inclusion of the bran + germ. All-purpose or sifted Kamut flour will be more mild in flavor and also missing some of the nutrients in wholegrain Kamut.

If you’re not used to the flavor of whole grains, Kamut is a great place to start thanks to it’s sweet, buttery flavor.

How to mill Kamut grains into flour

Turning any wheat berry into flour all starts with a good grain mill. Technically you can mill grains with other countertop appliances (read more about that here) like a blender, food processer, or coffee grinder, but long-term, you’ll want to invest in a mill designed specifically to turn hard wheat berries into fine flour.

It’s helpful to note that since Kamut starts out as very large sized kernels, the resulting flour will be slightly less fine than flour made from other wheat berries. Which is why if I’m baking delicate pastries or something that I want finer flour for, I actually turn to Einkorn over Kamut.

Regardless, if you want true wholegrain Kamut flour, you’ll need to mill Kamut wheat berries into flour.

To do this, simply use your grain mill to mill the wholegrain Kamut berries. For more detailed instructions on how to make flour at home, check out my post “how to make flour at home, with or without a grain mill.”

Where can I buy Kamut (Khorasan)?

1. For me, the best quality and price I can find is Organic Khorasan wheat berries from Azure Standard. If you’re new to azure, use my code “soulyrested” to save 15% off your first order of $100 or more of the best food and ingredients. They’re an independent food supplier that delivers your order to a drop location near you. This saves you shipping costs, but even better it introduces you to a whole group of like-minded neighbors.
2. My favorite seed/sprouting online store happens to sell Kamut wheat berries in 35 pound buckets, so it’s easy to stock up and store them indefinitely without even having to purchase a bucket separately.
3. Your local natural food store just may sell Kamut by the pound. Although it’s still a rather niche grain, it’s gaining popularity and it seems that more stores are starting to carry it to meet demand.
4. Check out bulk, organic Kamut/Khorasan wheat berries on amazon. These specific ones come from a small, organic family farm, although there are several decent options.
5. Ask around! There’s a chance that local farmers are growing Kamut (or other awesome ancient grains).

How to flake Kamut

One of Kamut’s best kept secrets is that it flakes really well. But let’s back up a second.

What do I even mean by “flaking?”

You know those cardboard containers of rolled oats you’ve been buying your whole life? Turns out they’re already old, stale, and devoid of many of their original nutrients by the time you buy them and take them home.

But if you purchase whole oat groats instead of already-flaked oats and flake them yourself, you can get the full benefit of all the incredible nutrition in whole oat groats. Even cooler is that almost any grain can be flaked with a little bit of help, even Kamut. Your daily bowl of oatmeal just got upgraded. Find out more about my oat flaker machine here.

3 simple steps to flake Kamut

Flaking Kamut wheat berries like oatmeal can be done in three simple steps:

1. Soak your Kamut wheat berries in filtered water for 10-12 hours (or overnight).
2. Dry them in an oven or dehydrator at 150 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Make sure they’re actually dry to the touch. Yours might take longer than mine depending on climate, time of year, and other variables.
3. Flake your soaked and dried Kamut berries through a flaker.

Learn more about flaking and how to use an oat flaker to make rolled oats.

And boom! Just like that you have healthy Kamut flakes. Use as oatmeal, in breads, as granola or granola bars and in any way you’d use oats!

Just make sure that your Kamut berries are actually dry from the oven before you try to flake them. Running grains that aren’t dry enough through your flaker can gum up and damage your machine. We really don’t want that.

The reason they need to be soaked then dried is because the grains need enough moisture to actually roll/flake without cracking into a million pieces, but need to be dry enough to not gum up your flaker. And since Kamut berries are large in size, they need longer times than, say, Einkorn, to both soak and dry.

Kamut flour

Kamut flour vs. whole wheat berries

Real wholegrain flour will simply be ground wheat berries. One ingredient. Unfortunately, many (most) pre-milled flours on the market are heated & sifted until they’re barely recognizable from their original form.

Kamut all-purpose flour will essentially just be the starch (endosperm) of the grain. The rest will be sifted out and discarded.

“Whole wheat” Kamut flour will have a small portion of the bran + germ added back into the endosperm flour, but only after it’s been heated and defatted so it won’t go rancid.

Meanwhile, Kamut wheat berries have all the nutrients locked in. The bran around the outside of Kamut berries acts as a protective barrier or seal that protects the nutrients inside. Until the wheat berries are milled and the nutrients inside are exposed to air, all the amazing vitamins and minerals are locked in and preserved for years to come.

Then when you mill Kamut wheat berries into flour and use that flour right afterwards, you get to enjoy all the nutrition and benefits of eating real wholegrain flour.

Why you should mill your own Kamut flour

Pre-milled flour is a completely different product than fresh milled flour. Because the oils in the bran and germ of the wheat berry go rancid as soon as they’re milled, it’s pretty much impossible to sell flour that’s as nutritious as fresh milled. Now that I’ve (hopefully) convinced you that you need Kamut in your life, now let me convince you that simply buying Kamut flour isn’t enough. To get the full benefit of this amazing ancient grain, you should really consider milling your own flour.

Reasons to mill your own flour

1. Flour only keeps so long, but wheat berries last (basically) forever. Having buckets of unmilled flour in my basement gives me peace of mind, not to mention it’s convenient to never run out of flour.
2. You can mill your flour minutes before you use it, locking in flavor and nutrients. Once you start milling your own flour, you just can’t go back to the bland, paste-y flavor of store bought flour. You’ll be shocked at the depth of flavor found in fresh milled flour. (Especially fresh milled Kamut flour!)
3. Milling your own flour allows you to support specific farmers, or farmers you trust. Many farms will sell their wheat berries directly to consumers, whereas purchasing flour almost always requires a middle man.
4. It’s cheaper to mill your own flour. I can purchase whole Kamut wheat berries in bulk for $1.40/pound. The cheapest Kamut flour I know of on the market is still $2.30+/pound. That’s a pretty steep difference when it’s so easy to make my own. Not to mention more nutritious.
5. It’s fun to mill your own. Not only is milling your own Kamut flour cheaper, more flavorful, and more nutritious than purchasing pre-milled flour, but it’s just plain fun.
6. Having Kamut wheat berries on hand not only allows you to mill fresh Kamut flour on-demand, but it also allows you to use the wheat berries in other ways, like the ones listed above. Get creative!

Comparing Kamut to other grains

Kamut vs. Einkorn

Both ancient grains, both Einkorn and Kamut are amazing, nutritious choices. And in fact, they’re rather similar in their buttery flavor and creamy yellow color. There are some differences, though, that I want to highlight.

–> Kamut is a very large-sized wheat berry, while Einkorn berries are very small in size.

–> Einkorn wheat berries will mill into very fine flour, while Kamut is harder to turn into fine flour.

–> Kamut’s history is a little dicer and harder to track than Einkorn’s, but they’re both grains that have been around for quite a while, and, for the most part, they’re both unhybridized by modern farmers.

–> Einkorn tends to be a bit pricier than Kamut, I think because the sheer size of the grain. Einkorn is also known for being very hard to husk, making it more costly and time consuming to process into clean wheat berries. Kamut tends to be more affordable.

–> Kamut tends to have stronger gluten than Einkorn. With it’s slightly higher protein content, Kamut will make more elastic dough and bread will rise just a bit higher with Kamut than Einkorn.

Kamut vs. Durum wheat

Kamut and Durum are closely related and have some similarities.

–> Kamut is better for making bread than Durum.

–> They’re both great for making pasta, although Durum’s very hard nature gives pasta the perfect bite.

–> Durum is a more modern grain, with ties closer to modern wheat. Kamut has been largely un-modernized.

–> Kamut has a sweeter flavor than durum, and a more elastic nature when used in doughs.

–> They both contain gluten.

Growing Kamut

How to grow Kamut (Khorasan) in your backyard: the easy way

I love vegetable gardening. But I had never in a million years considered growing grains. Until I saw and immediately purchased this book. I poured over it during a long, snowy winter and dreamed of wheat fields, tilling our whole yard into a wheat-growing-patch, and never purchasing wheat berries again.

The next spring, I planted several different kinds of wheat in small patches in my already-established veggie gardens and watched them grow all summer. Turns out, most grains are actually pretty easy to grow.

I mean, basically, you stick some grains in the ground, water and weed them, watch them grow, and eventually harvest, thresh, and store your harvest. There is a little bit more to it than that, but that’s the idea.

It turns out that wheat berries can really do it all. They’re not only ground into flour, but they’re also, literally, the seed of the wheat plant. So as long as you have organic (not sprayed) wheat berries, they’ll sprout wonderfully and grow well. Technically you can order specific wheat seeds to make sure they will sprout and haven’t been sprayed, but most any wheat you have on hand can be planted.

Grow Kamut in your backyard in 3 easy steps

Planting:

1) Plant your Kamut in the spring. Technically if you live in a not-Antarctic-like climate like I do, you could sow your Kamut in the fall, overwinter it, and let it continue growing in the spring. That’s called Winter Wheat. If it’s sown in the spring, grown throughout the summer, and harvested in the fall, that’s called Spring wheat. But, nevertheless, I only have the climate for growing Spring Wheat.

It’s helpful to note that although Kamut and other wheat are generally grow in rows at large farms, growing small patches of it in your backyard will benefit from being sown in boxes or thick rows. I’ve tried both 1’x1′ boxes, and 1′ thick rows, and both work well. If you sow your Kamut in “traditional” rows, chances are they won’t be pollinated correctly because there’s not enough plants around each other to grow and pollinate well.

Growing:

2) Water, weed, and generally maintain your growing Kamut. Fertilizer can help the Kamut plants grow, but it’s usually not necessary. Let the plants grow until wheat heads are developed, and continue to leave the plants alone until the wheat kernels go through three stages; the squishy stage (the Kamut kernels will be very soft and easily “pop” when squeezed), the milky dough stage (the kernels will pop when squeezed, but instead of just popping, a thick, doughy inside will be exposed), and, finally, the final stage (the kernels will be hard enough to not dent or pop when you try to squeeze them).

Make sure to stop watering your Kamut during the last couple weeks of the grains hardening into the final stage.

Harvesting:

3) When your Kamut kernels have reached that final stage, you’ll need to cut your Kamut and thresh it. Threshing is literally just removing the wheat from the stalks. We found the easiest way was to simply beat the wheat into a (clean) trash can. Then, winnow your wheat kernels from the other stuff but dumping everything in the trash can in front of a high powered fan. The wheat berries will be heavy and fall into a bucket waiting for them at the bottom, and the chaff will be light and fly away.

To ensure your Kamut kernels are hard and dry enough to mill without damaging your grain mill due to moisture, simply whack a few kernels with a hammer. If they easily shatter (rather than smoosh), they’re good to go.

You just grew Kamut! How cool is that. We’re basically wheat farmers now, ha!

Can I grow Kamut? Is it worth it?

From my Kamut-growing experiments I’ve learned a lot, and found the experience enjoyable. It taught me a lot about where my food comes from, and, in the end, gave me a new appreciation for wheat farmers.

Although I may try small patches of different kinds of grains again, I’ve decided that for my bulk grains, I’ll leave the growing to the pros. I truly don’t think I’d have the patience or energy to try growing all of my wheat supply for the year. It was a fun experiment, and one that I might keep trying to get better at, just for fun. But I’m not tilling up my whole yard to grow wheat.

So while, technically, yes, you can grow Kamut (see my detailed instructions above), it’s not practical for me, in this phase of life, to try growing all of my own grains.

When I’m baking bread and other goodies several times a week, I go through a lot of wheat berries. And it’s more economical to spend my time growing and preserving veggies and herbs that I’ll use all year long (and I’m able to easily grow a year’s supply of!), rather than focusing on trying to grown enough grain for the year.

Need a grain mill?

These are my top picks. See my Complete Guide to Choosing a Grain Mill for more detailed info.

More like Kamut (Khorasan): A Complete Guide:

• Einkorn 101: history, milling, flaking, cooking & more
• Why I started milling my own flour
• Wheat berries: everything you need to know
• Fluffy whole wheat dinner rolls with fresh milled flour
• Kamut chocolate chip cookies (recipe)
• The World’s Best Resource on milling and baking with your own fresh flour

The post Kamut (Khorasan): A Complete Guide first appeared on Souly Rested.