Enter:

Fresh milled pancakes made with buckwheat and einkorn.

In other words, the holy grail of breakfasts.

They’re quick and easy to make.

They’re flavorful and fluffy.

Perfectly sweet without being overly sweet.

And they’re nutritious from the fresh milled ancient grain (einkorn) and ancient protein-packed seed (buckwheat).

Why use buckwheat in pancakes?

Buckwheat has been a classic in whole wheat pancakes for ages. It has a rich, nutty, hearty flavor that not only fills you up (thanks to the high-protein nature of buckwheat) but also tastes great.

If you want to keep these pancakes gluten-free, you can use all buckwheat flour and leave out the einkorn. However, I find that buckwheat flour tastes best when mixed 50/50 with another grain. Buckwheat on its own can have a strong flavor, whereas when it’s mixed it has a nice, rich, hearty flavor.

Buckwheat is a super nutritious way to start your day. It’s packed with:

• protein
• fiber
• minerals like magnesium, manganese, copper and phosphorus
• polyphenols (good for hearth healthy & blood pressure control)

Why use einkorn in pancakes?

An ancient grain, einkorn is not only full of buttery, right, sweet flavor. It’s also packed full of protein, essential macronutrients, and antioxidants.

Compared to “modern” grains, einkorn is often considered easier for our bodies to digest, thanks to its simpler genetic makeup. Some folks who are gluten-intolerant can even enjoy ancient grain einkorn. Which makes these pancakes an especially great combination given that buckwheat is completely gluten-free, and einkorn is easier for gluten-intolerante folks to digest.

Buckwheat on its own can be a little gritty and strong tasting, so the sweet, buttery flavor of einkorn is a great choice to balance these pancakes out. They have that classic, hearty whole wheat flavor without being too heavy or bitter.

Einkorn + buckwheat = the perfect pancake combination.

Why use fresh milled flour?

Historically, flour was a locally-produced ingredient. The reason for that is because real flour is perishable. 

But modern milling companies found a way around flour’s naturally perishable nature: sifting. Sifting flour removes 2/3 of the original wheat, leaving behind just the starchy parts and removing the nutritious parts.

This makes flour shelf-stable, but it also leaves flour lacking.

If you want to enjoy the nutrition naturally found in wheat, you need to mill your own flour.

Whereas flour you can purchase at the store = sifted, heated, bleached (non-organic) wheat + synthetic vitamins + maturing agents + dough enhancers + enzymes

… fresh milled flour = freshly milled, organic wheat berries. That’s it.

Where can I purchase buckwheat and einkorn to make pancakes?

It can be hard to find good sources for whole grains. Buckwheat groats need to be hulled (unhulled buckwheat may damage your mill and won’t taste good), and that can be hard to come by.

I like to purchase my einkorn berries in bulk. Make sure they’re organic and glyphosate-free for the best taste and nutrition. These guys are doing everything right–growing organic, truly ancient einkorn regeneratively and organically–they even opt for using cover crops to feed the soil instead of using chemical fertilizers.

Buckwheat is a little harder to find. The only source I’ve personally had good luck with is Azure Standard. They’re a food drop-based food co-op. Find if you have an azure drop near you here, and use code “soulyrested” to save $ on your first Azure order.

If these sources don’t work for you, you can always check local food co-ops or natural grocery stores. Bulk bins especially are great and tend to be affordable prices, too. You can always check Amazon, as well.

Tips for fluffy pancakes with fresh flour

If you’re struggling to make soft, fluffy pancakes with fresh milled flour, these tips might help.

• If you don’t have buttermilk, don’t leave it out. The acid in the buttermilk helps soften the grains and makes fluffier pancakes. You can sub milk + a splash of vinegar or lemon juice. Let that sit for a few minutes before adding to the batter.
• Make sure your griddle is hot. If you scoop pancake batter onto a skillet that isn’t well preheated, your pancakes will spread instead of cook + fluff up.
• Mill your flour as finely as possible. Gritty, course flour will result in gritty pancakes. The finer the flour, the fluffier the pancakes. If your mill won’t make superfine flour, try double milling the flour, or consider sifting out the largest parts.
• Don’t flip the pancakes until they’re ready. You’ll see large bubbles in the batter and the edges starting to cook. Flipping the pancakes too early will deflate them.
• Use enough fat. If your pancakes are sticking to the pan, try adding some butter or lard before ladling the batter onto it. If you have to scrap your pancakes off the pan to flip them, they’re not going to be as fluffy.

Upgrade your fresh milled pancakes (add-ins & flavors)

My family loves to mix things up by adding mix-ins, or simply by changing the flavor. These are some of our favorite flavors:

1. Blueberry pancakes. Simply add fresh or frozen blueberries to the pancakes after you’ve ladled them onto the griddle.
2. Chocolate chip pancakes. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over the pancakes after you ladle them onto the griddle.
3. Double chocolate pancakes. Just add 2 TBS cacao powder + a handful of chocolate chips to the batter.
4. Pumpkin pancakes. Lower the buttermilk to 1/2 cup, and add 1/4 cup pumpkin puree along with a generous sprinkle of pumpkin pie spices.
5. Cinnamon sugar pancakes. Sprinkle a cinnamon/sugar mixture on top of the uncooked pancake side while they’re on the griddle. This creates an addicting, crunchy layer of caramelized cinnamon/sugar as the other side cooks. Be prepared to clean a sticky griddle after, though!
6. Oatmeal pancakes. Reduce either the einkorn or buckwheat flour by 1/4 cup and add 1/4 cup rolled oats. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes before cooking.

Print

fresh milled pancakes | buckwheat & einkorn

Fluffy fresh milled pancakes using buckwheat and einkorn flour. Perfect for weekends or slow weekdays.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 8 large pancakes

Equipment

• grain mill

Ingredients

• ½ cup buckwheat flour
• ½ cup einkorn flour
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• Generous pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons melted butter or lard
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

• Mix together the dry ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients and mix until no lumps are left.
• Let the batter sit for 10-15 minutes. It should form some bubbles on the top of the batter when it’s ready to cook. Cook on a hot skillet, flipping when bubbles form. Serve with plenty of real maple syrup.

Notes

This batter can be mixed and stored in the fridge for several days if need be. Just allow the batter to come to room temperature before cooking.

What you need to make fresh milled pancakes with einkorn and buckwheat:

Read more about my thoughts on ALL the Mockmill grain mill options here. 

And find every grain mill that I recommend here.

More like fresh milled pancake recipe:

• Protein french toast recipe
• Fresh milled blueberry muffins
• Fresh milled honey oat sandwich bread (soft & fluffy)
• The ultimate guide to choosing a grain mill (& 6 questions to ask)

The post Fresh milled pancakes – buckwheat & einkorn first appeared on Souly Rested.

This fresh milled honey oat sandwich bread was my first break through. Hallelujah–after so many failures, finally, I made a loaf my family would eat. And it was so soft and fluffy.

I truly think the secret is the pre-soaked oats… they make the bread so soft, fluffy and add such a great texture.

That, plus the sweetness of the honey? Get outta here. It’s insane.

I pretty much guarantee this honey oat sandwich bread will become your family’s new favorite.

Why you’ll love this fresh milled honey oat sandwich bread

1. It’s soft and fluffy. Perfect for enjoying with butter, toasting, or using for sandwiches.
2. It makes amazing French toast.
3. It’s easy to make–truly one of the easiest fresh milled bread recipes I make.
4. It stays soft for days and days. Thanks to the soaked oats and extra sweetness from the honey, this bread is still as soft and fluffy on day 3 as it is on day 1!
5. It’s nutritious. Thanks to the wholegrain oats, fresh milled flour and unrefined sweetener (honey), this bread is a powerhouse of nutrients.

Why use fresh milled flour?

Milling your own fresh flour allows you to enjoy all of the nutrients found in whole grain wheat. Fresh milled flour goes straight from whole grain wheat berries -> fresh milled flour -> nutritious bread.

As opposed to store bought flour, which is sifted to remove nutrients, bleached for whiter color and heated to remove any remaining nutrients. Then they add “vitamins” back in as well as dough conditioners, enzymes and/or maturing agents.

Yuck.

I much prefer using my trusty grain mill to mill organic wheat berries into nutritious fresh milled flour.

What is the best fresh milled flour to use for sandwich bread?

If you’re milling your own flour, you’re going to need wheat berries.

All flour starts out as whole grain wheat kernels, called wheat berries. If you’re making bread with that flour, your flour needs to be able to form gluten.

Soft wheats don’t allow for strong gluten formation, so avoid using soft wheat flour for bread.

On the other hand, hard wheats (like hard white wheat, hard red wheat, and heritage wheat varieties) are great for making bread.

These days, I stick with heritage versions of hard red wheat for bread making.

Which wheat berries should I use to make honey oat bread?

There are lots of wheat berries you can choose from when you’re making bread.

The easiest choice is simple hard red wheat berries or hard white wheat berries.

However, heritage versions of those same grains are more nutritious and less modified by hybridization. The grains you can use to make bread are listed blow, in order of my personal preference.

Heritage hard wheat varieties

My personal top choices are:

Rouge De Bordeaux,

Turkey red,

or Dakota Snow

Use “soulyrested” to save on heritage grains.

Ancient grains

Ancient grains are great for making bread, but you’ll most likely want to add some Vital Wheat Gluten (I use around 1 Tablespoon per cup of flour). This is because ancient grains have lower or weaker gluten potential, making them a little harder to use for bread. Some of my favorites are:

Einkorn

Khorasan

Spelt

Emmer/Farro

Modern grains

Modern grains are specifically bred to grow quickly, contain lots of gluten, and make good bread. This makes them a natural choice for bread making, especially for first time millers. They’re at the end of my list of choices simply because they’re generally less nutritious than heritage and ancient grains.

Hard red wheat

Hard white wheat

Can you make fluffy sandwich bread with freshly milled flour?

Soft and fluffy sandwich bread with fresh milled flour is absolutely possible. In fact, you’re in the right place.

This recipe is one of my go-tos for a classic, soft, slightly textured sandwich bread. As a side note, this same dough also makes amazing dinner rolls, if that’s your thing. Soft honey oat dinner rolls are always a hit when we have company over, especially if I have time to make homemade cinnamon butter to pair them with–heaven.

If you want to make sure you get a high-rising, soft, fluffy loaf of fresh milled bread, consider adding vital wheat gluten (see more in recipe). This just helps the dough develop strong gluten, which makes your bread rise higher.

Totally optional to add it, but it does help. I often add it when we’re having company over, and leave it out if I’m making loaves for just my family.

Fresh milled honey oat sandwich bread ingredients

The ingredients you need to make this delicious fresh milled honey oat sandwich bread are probably already in your pantry! You’ll need:

• boiling water
• rolled oats (learn how to flake your own oats!)
• honey
• butter 
• salt
• cinnamon
• yeast
• fresh milled flour 
• vital wheat gluten (optional)

Do you soak oats before adding them to bread dough?

Soaking oats before adding them to bread dough is a great way to add moisture to your dough. This leads to a softer and fluffier loaf without and added effort.

Soaking the oats also creates a softer crumb in your loaf, because the hydrated oats soften before baking. This helps make sure there’s no hard, chewy, or dry bits of oats in the finished bread.

In this recipe, we’ll soak the oats in boiling water, along with the butter (to melt it), cinnamon, honey, and salt.

By the time we add the rest of the ingredients to the softened oats, the water will be the perfect temperature to help the yeast proof.

Notes/adjustments for honey oat bread

• If you prefer dinner rolls, just shape the dough into 12-24 rolls in step 4 instead of shaping into a loaf. Lower cook time.
• Prefer maple syrup? The honey can be substituted for any liquid sweetener like maple syrup, date syrup or molasses.
• If you’re feeling fancy, brush the top of your loaf with egg wash (1 whole egg whisked with 1 tablespoon of water) and sprinkle with oats before baking.
• To keep the top of your loaf soft, try brushing it with butter as soon as it comes out of the oven (while it’s still hot).
• For the best crumb, try to wait until the bread is fully cooled before slicing (I often break this rule, though!).

Print

Fresh milled honey oat sandwich loaf

Soft, fluffy, and perfect for French toast--this fresh milled bread will become a new family favorite!

Servings 2 loaves

Equipment

• grain mill

Ingredients

• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup rolled oats
• ½ cup honey
• ¼ cup butter
• 2 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 5-6 cups fresh milled hard wheat flour see notes
• 3 tablespoons vital wheat gluten optional

Instructions

• Combine the water, oats, honey, butter, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl and set aside to let that cool for about 15 minutes, or until it’s still warm, but cool enough to touch without burning yourself. Next, add the yeast, most of the flour, and vital wheat gluten.
• Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, or until the dough feels soft and stretchy. Add more flour if needed to create a soft, but workable dough. You can use a mixer for this, but this recipe is one that I love to knead by hand. It’s such a lovely dough to work with, it’s almost a shame to let the mixer do it! Form your dough into a ball, grease a large bowl, and grease your dough. Cover and let rise for about an hour, or until doubled in size.
• Divide and shape the dough into two loaves. Do this by gently pressing each loaf out into a ½-1 inch thick rectangle, one side being the same size as the length of your bread pan. Fold the top portion of your dough into a triangle shape. Using that triangle as your start, roll the dough up into a log, tucking in and ends that are longer than the log as you go. Don’t be afraid to stretch the dough out as you roll, making sure there are no gaps or air bubbles that will cause a miss-shapen loaf. Place each loaf in a greased loaf pan, cover, and let rise again until almost doubled.
• Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Notes

*I like to use heritage grains instead of modern ones. They're more nutritious and taste better. Feel free to use modern hard white wheat or hard red wheat if that's what you have.

Heritage wheat berries to use in honey oat bread

All of these are heritage grains, and all amazing to use in bread recipes.

More like fresh milled honey oat sandwich loaf:

• Fresh milled sourdough sandwich loaf (soft & sturdy!)
• Fresh milled Einkorn chocolate chip cookies
• Blueberry muffins with fresh milled flour
• full archive of fresh milled recipes

The post Fresh milled honey oat sandwich bread (soft & fluffy!) first appeared on Souly Rested.

Fresh milled flour is simply real flour. Using a home grain mill, wheat berries (the whole grain wheat kernel, essentially unmilled flour) are ground into flour and used as soon as possible. The reason using fresh milled flour quickly is important is because flour is actually a perishable food.

Just like tomatoes, eggs, or milk, flour is actually best and most nutritious the sooner you eat it (after milling). 

You see, whole grain wheat berries contain oils, that are kept safely inside the outer casing of the wheat. When kept as whole wheat berries, they last pretty much forever without spoiling. But as soon as those oils inside the wheat are exposed to air (when they’re milled into flour), they start going bad.

The sooner you can use flour after it’s milled, the more nutrients remain.

How do I start milling flour at home?

In order to start milling flour at home, you need two things: a grain mill and wheat berries.

Now, there’s some recommendations for using other household appliances, like a coffee grinder, blender, or food processer to grind wheat berries into flour, but I don’t personally recommend that. I’ve heard and see too many horror stories where folks destroy an expensive machine trying to make it grind super-hard wheat berries into flour.

You’re much better off investing in a great grain mill. Otherwise, you risk wasting money needing to re-purchase expensive appliances if they burn out.

When you’re new to milling flour, figuring out which wheat berries to use can be suer confusing. See my Ultimate Guide to Wheat Berries here, or my simple grain chart here.

Which wheat berries to make flour with

Here’s a very simple breakdown of which wheat berries to use when milling flour at home:

-> ancient grains

I use ancient grains as my all-purpose flour. They’re great in baked goods, pastries, bread (I usually add vital wheat gluten if I’m using ancient grains for bread, though, because they’re lower in gluten). Some of my favorite ancient grains are einkorn, spelt, khorasan, emmer (farro), and barley.

-> heritage grains

Heritage grains are the older (not hybridized) versions of hard red and hard white wheat. I use heritage grains for all my bread making. My current favorites are rouge de beaux, turkey red, and dakota snow.

(Use code “soulyrested” to save on all heritage grains!)

-> hard red/hard white (modern grains)

These are your “classic” bread flour grains. These are bred specifically to be high gluten and make tall, fluffy bread. Shop organic, regenerative hard white wheat berries.

-> soft white (modern)

Soft white wheat is used for all kinds of baking and pastry making.

-> alternative grains (gluten-free)

If you’re looking to avoid gluten, alternative grains are a great option for you. Some of the grains in this category would be buckwheat, millet, sorghum, chickpeas, oat groats, and so on. Learn all about alternative grains here.

Why is fresh flour better than store bought flour?

In short, store bought flour is the processed, refined version of what real flour should be.

Milling your own flour allows you to enjoy nutritious, real, whole grain flour, straight from your mill. No middle man, no processing, no added ingredients.

Just you, your grain mill, and wheat berries.

Fresh milled flour = 1 ingredient (whole grain wheat berries, ground into flour).

Store bought flour = only the starchy part of wheat + synthetic vitamins + bleaching agents + dough enhancers, maturing agents, and added enzymes.

Fresh milled flour terms:

If you spend any length of time on a trendy Instagram page where the protagonist owns a grain mill, you’ll come across some fresh flour terms that I figured we should talk about.

what is a grain mill

Back in the day, milling flour used to involve huge milling stones that could only be turned by livestock like oxen. These days, we’re able to harness that same power, but with a tabletop, electric home grain mill.

Grain mills come in two different forms: stone mills and impact mills. Stone mills use two rotating stones, just like the heavy ones from the olden days, to grind wheat berries into flour. Impact mills, on the other hand, use metal teeth to “shatter” wheat berries into flour. Although lots of folks prefer stone mills, there’s not truly a difference in the flour from a stone mill or an impact mill, at least in my experience. They’re both great kinds of grain mills.

If you want a full rundown on stone mills versus impact mills, read about that here.

what are wheat berries

Wheat berries are the whole kernel form of wheat. If you were to walk into a wheat field and grab a handful of wheat stalks, shake them really hard, and remove the hulls, you’d be left with wheat berries.

Wheat berries are made up of three parts: the bran, the germ, and the endosperm.

The bran is the outer casing of the wheat berry that keeps the oils and nutrients inside the berry fresh indefinitely.

The germ is the part of the wheat berry that would sprout if you planted the wheat. It’s essentially the embryo of wheat. It also contains nutrients to keep the plant alive long enough to continue growing before it’s mature enough to make it’s own food. 

The endosperm is the starchy, carbohydrate part of the wheat berry. Again, if you were to plant the wheat, it’s the part that would sustain growth after the nutrients in the germ were used up.

what is fresh flour

Fresh flour is simply flour that’s been milled from wheat berries and used fresh. Ideally, true fresh milled flour shouldn’t sit too long before it’s used. The natural, healthy oils in the flour will start to go rancid and loose nutrients.

Does fresh milled flour bake differently?

Technically fresh milled flour does bake differently than commercial flour does. That’s for a few reasons.

One, because commercial flour has added ingredients to help dough develop gluten, bake better bread, make more tender baked goods, and so on. Obviously fresh milled flour doesn’t contain those.

Two, fresh flour does contain bran and germ, which can pose somewhat of an issue in baking from time to time. For instance, when you’re making bread with fresh flour the bran tends to “cut” the gluten strands since it’s somewhat “sharp.” I’ve found the best way around this is to knead my dough for a little longer, and add vital wheat gluten if I’m feeling fancy.

Fresh milled flour recipes

If you’re just starting out with fresh milled flour, I often recommend that people actually don’t use specifically fresh milled recipes. Which i know is especially strange coming from someone who shares fresh milled flour recipes… But if you start out with recipes you know well, you’ll be more likely to be successful. That being said, once you’ve made a couple of your family’s classic recipes with fresh flour, you’ll probably be ready to graduate to new recipes. Here are a few of my favorites.

• fresh flour sourdough sandwich bread (soft & sturdy)
• the best sandwich bread with fresh milled flour (yeast)
• homemade tortillas with fresh flour
• fresh milled einkorn chocolate chip cookies
• the best fresh milled blueberry muffins
• lemon bars with fresh flour
• lasagna noodles from scratch

Want more? See my full library of free fresh milled flour recipes.

What’s bad about store bought flour?

The easiest way to explain why I choose not to buy flour at the store anymore is for two reasons:

What’s missing from modern flour,

And what’s added to modern flour.

1. What’s missing: All flour starts as whole grain wheat kernels called wheat “berries.” Historically, flour is made simply by grinding those wheat berries into flour. But once we realized that flour could turn from a use-quickly food into a long-term shelf-stable food, everything changed. You see, the bran and germ parts of the wheat contain oils. These oils hold lots of nutrients, but they’re also what cause flour to go bad quickly. Once flour millers realized that removing these two parts of the wheat through sifting and heating, the powdery, starchy, white flour we know of was born. Flour should be whole grain, ground wheat: the bran, germ, and endosperm. Instead we just get the starchy endosperm in our modern flour.
2. What’s added: Flour should be one ingredient: whole wheat berries, ground into flour. Instead, modern flour comes as a cocktail of ingredients, including synthetic vitamins, dough enhancers & maturing agents, enzymes and bleaching agents. I don’t know about you, but I prefer when my food is as close to it’s original form as possible, and I certainly don’t like eating added preservatives when they don’t even need to be there. Leave it to commercial industries to turn a one-ingredient superfood into a a 12-ingredient science experiment.

More like What is Fresh Milled Flour:

• 5 ways to afford a grain mill on a budget
• Where to purchase wheat berries for fresh milled flour
• How to make a fresh milled sourdough starter, step-by-step
• Full library of FREE fresh milled flour recipes
• Join Fresh Flour University

The post What is fresh milled flour? first appeared on Souly Rested.

I’ve always been a chocolate chip cookie snob. But back in the day, that meant following the Nestle Tollhouse recipe to a T, including using refined, bleached all-purpose flour, refined white sugar, margarine sticks for “butter,” and Nestle chips.

Let’s just say, things have changed a little. 

Fresh milled einkorn chocolate chip cookies

My chocolate chip cookies these days involve:

• fresh milled, whole grain, ancient einkorn flour (learn all about einkorn here)
• unrefined sugar (coconut sugar) and organic cane sugar
• real butter (feel free to brown your butter for even more flavor, like I do in this recipe for Kamut Chocolate Chip Cookies)
• chocolate chips made with coconut sugar (linked below)

…And my chocolate chip cookies have never tasted better. Toll house has nothing on my fresh milled einkorn chocolate chip cookies.

What is einkorn?

Depending on who you ask, einkorn is often considered the oldest grain that still exists today.

Einkorn is an ultra nutritious ancient grain. (source) Unlike modern grains that are hybridized for specific traits that increase productivity (and wind up weakening nutrients), einkorn still has the simple genetic makeup that it had in ancient times. 

Einkorn, like other ancient and heritage grains, offers us more carotenoids and phenolic compounds than is found in modern wheat. (source)

Can I use store bought einkorn flour in chocolate chip cookies?

If you don’t have a grain mill, or don’t want to mill your own flour, you can use this einkorn fresh flour.

Another great option if you need a substitute for the einkorn flour in this recipe? This stoneground barley flour.

Although milling your own flour is always best, both of these flours from organic farmers as as close to milling your own as you can get.

What is fresh milled flour?

We all know that flour comes from wheat.

But what lots of folks don’t realize is that the flour they buy at the store is hardly even the same product as the wheat it started out as. Commercial flour has been heated, treated, and sifted until it’s left with just one out of the three parts of a wheat berry.

Commercial flour is just starch, when it should be starch + bran + germ = whole grain flour.

Add on top of that, most flour contains at least 3 additional preservatives, enzymes or dough conditioners, plus synthetic vitamins (made in a lab instead of nature).

Milling your own flour allows you to turn wholegrain wheat berries into the freshest flour in the world. Your body will thank you.

Learn how to mill your own flour here.

What do I need to make fresh milled einkorn chocolate chip cookies?

First, you need a grain mill and einkorn wheat berries. Other than that, these cookies are made with pretty standard ingredients you should have on hand:

• butter
• coconut sugar (or sub brown sugar)
• organic cane sugar 
• vanilla extract
• eggs
• fresh milled einkorn flour
• fresh milled chickpea flour or you could use cornstarch (optional, gives a chewier texture)
• baking powder
• chocolate chips

Grab my free pantry checklist with details and discounts on all my favorite ingredients.

Where should I buy einkorn flour/einkorn wheat berries?

Unfortunately, there are lots of “knockoffs” in the ancient grain world.

Lower-quality grains trying to pass for high-quality ancient grains. I only trust one of my favorite regenerative wheat farmers when I stock up on einkorn wheat berries.

You can check local natural food stores for wholegrain einkorn berries, or purchase from bulk food suppliers like Azure Standard.

If you don’t have a grain mill or don’t want to mill your own flour, you can purchase stoneground, organic einkorn flour (as close to milling your own as you can get!) from one of my favorite regenerative wheat farmers here. Another great option is to substitute barley for einkorn in these cookies. Another favorite small, organic family farm offers fresh milled barley flour.

Tips for baking with einkorn flour

Einkorn has a naturally sweet, buttery flavor, so you might find that you actually add less sugar to anything you make with einkorn.

As with all fresh milled flour, einkorn flour can sometimes hydrate differently than all-purpose flour would. Add flour to all recipes slowly, and don’t be afraid to add more/less einkorn flour than a recipe calls for in order to get to a proper consistency.

If you’re milling your own einkorn flour to make a somewhat “delicate” recipe, consider cooling your freshly milled einkorn flour before using it, so your butter doesn’t warm up too much when mixed with the flour. (This is especially helpful with pie crusts and biscuits; you can stick the flour in the fridge or freezer to cool down before using.)

Go here for everything you want to know about this amazing ancient grain: Einkorn 101: history, milling, flaking, cooking & more

Fresh milled einkorn chocolate chip cookies recipe

INGREDIENTS for einkorn chocolate chip cookies

3/4 cup butter at room temperature

1/2 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

1/2 cup organic cane sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups fresh milled einkorn flour (220 grams)

1 cup fresh milled hard red flour (130 grams)–see notes for my favorite

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp chickpea flour (fine and sifted)–see notes

1 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS for einkorn chocolate chip cookies

1. Cut up butter into 1-tablespoon-size chunks and mix them with the sugars on medium speed, just until well mixed (over mixing may heat up your butter too much and make your fresh flour cookies too thin).
2. Add in vanilla and eggs, just until mixed.
3. Mix einkorn and hard red flours, baking powder, and chickpea flour together and add to mixer until everything is combined.
4. Mix in chocolate chips and form balls (I make our cookie size about 40 grams each). Dough is often a little crumbly, but this results in a nice chewy, soft cookie in the end, so simply press the dough and chips together with your hands to form balls. Place cookie balls on cookie trays about 2 inches apart and flatten each cookie ball with the bottom of a glass or a cookie press.
5. Bake in oven at 350 for 7 minutes, removing tray from oven but letting cookies rest on hot trays until they are almost cool. Move to cooking rack until fully cooled then store in air-tight container. 

NOTES for einkorn chocolate chip cookies

• I only order my einkorn grains from this family farm, that I know I can trust to raise organic, regeneratively grown wheat. They’re also always clean grains, stored well. (Or you can try the flour here.)
• This is my favorite hard red wheat for this recipe. (Or you can try the flour here.) I try to use organic, heritage grains when I’m able to, over modern, hybrid grains, which aren’t as nutrient-dense. 
• I mill chickpea flour instead of using refined cornstarch (see how here), using these organic chickpeas (also called “garbanzo beans”) in my Mockmill Lino 200 (find my mill here), but you can skip this ingredient (it just helps your cookies be a little chewier).

Try a Test Cookie

If this is your first time making this cookie recipe, you may want to do a few test cookies before baking the whole batch, because fresh flour behaves differently in different kitchens and different conditions. If so, hold back about 1/2 cup (55 grams) of the einkorn flour in step 3 and form a single test cookie before step 4 (adding in some chips by hand to the test cookie). Bake the test cookie and let it cool to see if it is the consistency you want. If it is too thin, add in half of the reserved einkorn flour to your mixing bowl, mix well, and make another test cookie.  Do this until you have a cookie you are pleased with, then move on to step 4 and bake your entire batch.

Print

fresh milled einkorn chocolate chip cookies

soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies made with ancient grain einkorn flour

Keyword ancient grain, chocolate chip cookies, einkorn, fresh milled flour

Servings 2 dozen

Equipment

• grain mill

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups fresh milled einkorn flour 220 grams
• 1 cup fresh milled hard red flour 130 grams
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp chickpea flour fine and sifted
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

• Cut up butter into 1-tablespoon-size chunks and mix them with the sugars on medium speed, just until well mixed (over mixing may heat up your butter too much and make your fresh flour cookies too thin).
• Add in vanilla and eggs, just until mixed.
• Mix einkorn and hard red flours, baking powder, and chickpea flour together and add to mixer until everything is combined.
• Mix in chocolate chips and form balls (I make our cookie size about 40 grams each). Dough is often a little crumbly, but this results in a nice chewy, soft cookie in the end, so simply press the dough and chips together with your hands to form balls. Place cookie balls on cookie trays about 2 inches apart and flatten each cookie ball with the bottom of a glass or a cookie press.
• Bake in oven at 350 for 7 minutes, removing tray from oven but letting cookies rest on hot trays until they are almost cool. Move to cooking rack until fully cooled then store in air-tight container.

Need a grain mill?

Here’s a Complete Guide to Choosing a Grain Mill to help you decide which one is the best for your family.

More like fresh milled einkorn chocolate chip cookies:

• Kamut chocolate chip cookies
• Einkorn 101: history, milling, flaking, cooking & more
• Crumbl copycat strawberry pretzel pie cookies
• Fresh milled sourdough sandwich bread recipe

The post Fresh Milled Einkorn Chocolate Chip Cookies first appeared on Souly Rested.

The holy grail of bread baking? Fresh flour sourdough.

For years after I made the switch to fresh milled flour, I assumed I just wasn’t going to make good sourdough bread again. I was cranking out beautiful commercial yeast loaves. But whenever I attempted sourdough bread with fresh flour, I was very discouraged with the results.

So I perfected my Fresh Flour Sandwich Bread, made with yeast. And it’s still a favorite in our house.

Then I decided to conquer fresh milled sourdough bread. It took me some time, but I was determined.

And, friends, I’m here to tell you that fresh milled sourdough bread truly is the most delicious and nutritious bread in the world. (Keep reading, I’ll convince you too.)

Soft & sturdy sourdough bread. With fresh flour.

This recipe was my breakthrough.

It’s soft enough to make brioche-style French toast.

It’s sturdy enough to hold up to a juicy heirloom-tomato BLT sandwich.

It’s great for toast (with butter or avocado), grilled cheese (my husband actually insists that grilled cheese made with this sourdough bread is the best ever), egg & cheese souffle, and the list goes on. Anything your “regular” sandwich bread can do, this loaf can do better.

Fresh milled flour gives this loaf deep, earthy flavor, combined with the classic “tang” of sourdough.

What is fresh milled flour?

Flour comes from whole grain wheat kernels. These kernels are grown, harvested, and ground into flour. On their own, whole wheat kernels are incredibly nutritious. They’re packed full of all kinds of essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and protein.

The problem? Commercial flour at the grocery store has been processed and stripped of essentially all the nutrients that the whole wheat berries once contained.

Why? Wheat berries contains oils. These oils are incredibly nutritious, but they pose a problem for commercial millers. Oil goes rancid once the wheat berries are milled. But when the bran & germ (the source of the oils) is removed from commercial flour, it lasts almost indefinitely. When Big Food can create food with a long shelf life, profits soar.

Add in to the commercial flour many dough enhancers, bleaching agents, added enzymes, and synthetic vitamins, not to mention the pesticides in traditional flour, and you have a recipe for indigestibility, gluten intolerance, and poor gut health (source). Crazy that we’ve villanized gluten for decades, when the gluten was never really the problem.

The case for grain mills + wheat berries

On the flip side of commercial flour that’s been sifted, heated, bleached, and a million additives added? Nutrient-dense fresh milled flour.

Purchasing a grain mill + wheat berries allows you to mill fresh, whole grain flour, on demand.

Your body loves fresh milled flour, thanks to its high fiber and protein content, along with the natural oils present in fresh flour. You’re able to mill your flour on-demand, and turn around and turn that flour into the most nutritious bread in the world.

No bleaching agents.

No added enzymes, dough enhancers, or additives.

No synthetic vitamins.

And no pesticides if you’re sourcing good grains.

Fresh milled flour is real, whole grain flour, naturally packed with vitamins. Naturally containing everything you need to make great bread.

Why use fresh milled flour in sourdough?

Sourdough bread that’s long fermented is easier for our bodies to digest.

Sourdough made with commercial flour (read more about that above), is not only missing nutrients but is also filled with synthetic additives. Long-fermented (sourdough) bread made with commercial flour is, unfortunately, not the epitome of nutritiousness. (Don’t get me wrong, though, any homemade bread will still be 100% better for you than prepackaged options.)

Sourdough AND fresh milled flour?

Fresh flour sourdough is a powerhouse combination of easy-to-digest (long-fermented) REAL vitamins and minerals (not synthetic ones) and all the natural nutrients housed in the wheat berry as it was grown in the farmer’s field, with nothing missing. 

Fresh milled sourdough bread truly is the most nutritious bread in the world.

What wheat berries to use in sourdough sandwich bread

You’ll notice that this recipe simply calls for “hard red wheat.” That’s a generic term that can include several different kinds of wheat–but usually the term refers to modern varieties.

If you’re new to fresh milled flour, and you have “hard red” in your kitchen, just stick with that and use it up.

If you’re looking to maximize nutrients, I love ancient and heritage grains. Turns out, specific varieties of hard red wheat have been preserved throughout generations–and have avoided commercial hybridization. These heritage (and older ancient) grains are always more nutritious and flavorful. (source and source)

My favorite varieties of heritage hard red wheats include Turkey Red and Rouge De Bordeaux. Or you can stick with “classic” hard red wheat, like this one.

This recipe also works well with spelt, khorasan, or any combination of these grains. It’s nice to switch up your combination occationally for a varied nutrient profile and a slightly different taste.

What’s the secret to soft sourdough with fresh flour?

I finally found the secret to soft sourdough sandwich bread with fresh milled flour. Turns out, the combination of making a preferment and also adding a tangzhong to the dough = magic.

It might sound complicated, but it’s not.

The preferment just means you take a little time to let your flour soak in the liquid. This step ensures that you’re working with active, well-fed starter in the right amount and right thickness. It creates consistency.

A tangzhong is a simple process of cooking some of the liquid and flour before adding it to your recipe. This helps the dough hold moisture and leaves your dough softer, sturdier, and helps it stay fresh longer.

The secret to soft sourdough sandwich bread with fresh milled flour?

A preferment + a tangzhong.

We’ll chat about these methods more below. Stick with me.

Can I add a tangzhong to sourdough with fresh flour?

There’s a common misconception that enhancements shouldn’t be added to sourdough bread.

Not true.

I’ve seen great improvement in the texture, flavor, and length of freshness in my sourdough when I add a tangzhong to my dough.

So yes, you absolutely can add a tangzhong to your sourdough sandwich bread, and, in fact, I reccomend it. It makes a world of difference.

Why isn’t my fresh flour sourdough rising?

If you’re struggling to get your sourdough to rise well when it’s made with fresh milled flour, let me share a few tips I’ve learned over the years.

• Don’t be afraid to knead your sourdough. Especially sandwich bread doughs really benefit from a good kneading (and I’m not just talking stretch and folds, although they have their place). In this recipe, I treat the dough very similarly to how I treat my yeasted sandwich bread dough.
• Make sure your sourdough starter is super strong, active, and well-fed. When you’re baking with fresh milled flour, it’s essential to use the strongest starter possible.
• Add a tangzhong to your dough. (See above for more about tangzhong and why it helps.) This will help your bread not only develop strength, but also develop into a softer, sturdier, and longer lasting loaf.
• Use the right wheat berries. If you’re struggling to make sourdough bread with fresh flour, try switching up not only just the type of grain you’re using, but also where you’re sourcing your grains from. High-quality grains, dried properly, and sourced carefully will improve your bread. See all my favorite choices here.

Fresh milled sourdough sandwich bread (soft & sturdy)

Print

fresh milled sourdough sandwich bread (soft & sturdy)

Nutritious 100% fresh milled sourdough sandwich bread

Keyword bread, sourdough bread, sandwich bread

Servings 1 large loaf

Equipment

• grain mill
• loaf pan
• high-powered mixer optional

Ingredients

preferment

• ¾ cup 200 g active sourdough starter
• ½ cup warm water
• 1 cup 130 g hard red flour*

tangzhong

• 6 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons 16 g hard red flour*

For the dough

• all of the preferment
• all of the tangzhong
• ⅓ cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups 390 g hard red flour*

to add after the dough is in the mixer:

• 1/4 cup butter softened

Instructions

• The night before, mix all the ingredients of the preferment together. a shaggy dough. Cover and let rest at room temperature overnight.
• The next morning, make the tangzhong by whisking the milk and flour over high heat constantly until it thickens into a paste. Add the tangzhong to your preferment from the night before, along with the milk, egg, honey and salt. Mix and slowly add about 1 ½-2 cups of the flour, or more if needed, until a soft, sticky dough forms. Don’t add all the flour at once, it’s better to add more at the next stage, when it gets kneaded, than to add too much now. And you may find you don’t need to add any more flour at all. Cover the bowl again and allow it to sit for at least 10 minutes. (I usually let it sit about ½ hour, and even longer is fine.)
• After the dough has rested, add the dough to your mixer’s bowl and start kneading the dough. If the dough seems extra sticky, add more flour as your mixer is kneading it. You want your dough to be soft but not too sticky. After kneading for about 5 minutes, the dough should start to look stretchy and supple. As the mixer continues to knead, cut your softened butter into slices and slowly add it into the mixer. At first, your dough may be a buttery mess, but after another 10 minutes or so of kneading with the butter incorporated, it should come together to form a soft, stretchy dough that’s slightly sticky but easy to work with.
• If your dough is still overly sticky at this point, add a little more flour, slowly, as the mixer is kneading, but no more than ¼ cup at a time. After a few more minutes of kneading if it’s still too sticky, add another ¼ cup and keep doing that (but don’t exceed 3 cups by too much, total unless your dough truly needs it), until you have a soft, stretchy, sticky (but manageable) dough. Be patient and give your dough plenty of kneading time. I’ve been known to let this dough knead for ½ hour in my mixer, or even more.
• Grease a large bowl, roll your dough in the oil to cover all sides, and let the dough rise in the bowl until it has almost doubled (could be as long as 3 hours, depending on how warm or cool your home is on baking day). After the dough has almost doubled, gently scrape it onto a work surface to shape your loaf, and place into a standard size loaf pan.
• Rub or spray some oil on the top of your loaf (to keep it from drying out as it finishes rising), cover your pan, and set aside to rise again for about 3 more hours. When your dough has risen well, uncover your pan and score the dough.
• Bake at 350 for about 35-40 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of your loaf reads 190-200 degrees. Let the loaf cool slightly in the pan, then gently dump it out onto a cooling rack. Brush the top of the loaf with butter while it’s still warm, to keep the crust soft, let your bread rest for about 20 minutes, and enjoy!

Notes

*I prefer to use a nutritious heritage Hard Red wheat, like Turkey Red or Rouge De Bordeoux.

What you need for making fresh milled sourdough sandwich bread:

More like fresh milled sourdough sandwich bread recipe:

• The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Grain Mil (& 6 Questions to ask)
• Wheat berries: everything you need to know
• Sourdough with Fresh Milled Flour: what you need to know
• Best sandwich bread with fresh milled flour (yeast recipe)
• Everything you need to know to conquer milling & baking with fresh flour 

The post Fresh milled sourdough sandwich bread (soft & sturdy) first appeared on Souly Rested.

When I started posting on Instagram, I never would have imagined that my biggest haters would be over the fact that they can’t afford a grain mill.

And I get it. Things are tight right now. But when I invested in my grain mill, I knew it was just that–an investment. In my family’s health, in a hobby I enjoy, in getting more nutrition into my life.

But, to answer the non-haters genuinely looking for advice on ways to afford a grain mill on a budget, here are my top 5 tips.

Owning a grain mill saves money.

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty, I want to make something clear: I save money everyday by owning a grain mill.

Truthfully, there are exceptions, and this isn’t the case for every person. But for my family, I save hundreds of dollars per year (which means a grain mill pays for itself quickly!). I achieve this by purchasing wheat berries in bulk.

The breakdown:

I used to purchase King Arthur organic flour, which cost me $10.95/5 lbs. That’s $2.19/lb.

Now I purchase organic wheat berries which I mill into organic flour for $0.92/pound when I purchase a 50-lb bag.

That’s = $1.27 per pound cheaper to mill my own flour.

Over the course of a year, if I’m making 2 loaves of bread per week, that’s $132.08 I’m saving every year, just in flour.

Which means that in two years (with a savings of $264.16), I’ve paid for my grain mill.

And that’s just the bread!

That doesn’t even take into account the money I’m saving on baked goods, homemade desserts/pastries, and so on.]

5 ways to afford a grain mill on a budget

We’ll dive into more details below, but my top 5 recommendations for affording a grain mill are:

1. Buy the most affordable mill
2. Search thrift stores/buy used or refurbished
3. Split the cost with a friend or a neighbor
4. Save up for it
5. Use a payment plan

Also, don’t discount planning to use your mill to actually make money.

Buy the most affordable grain mill

If you’re on a budget, be realistic with what you can actually afford. And keep in mind that you can upgrade your mill latter when budget allows.

1) My top pick for a budget-friendly grain mill is the Nutrimill Impact mill.

It’s regular price $249, plus the code “soulyrested” takes the price down to $229.

It’s not as pretty as some other mills, but

-it makes really fine flour great for bread & baked goods,

-it’s compact and portable,

-and it’s easy to use and beginner friendly

Plus, it’s just over $200.

2) My second pick for a grain mill on a budget is the Mockmill 100. It’s regular price $380, which puts it at the lowest priced on-demand style mill.

The Mockmill 100 out-preforms the much higher-priced Nutrimill Harvest ($499) with all the same function, just without the pretty wooden exterior.

Budget-friendly grain mills:

Search thrift stores (buy used)

With the rise in grain mill sales, I’ve noticed several grain mills in my local thrift stores for a fraction of the price they cost new. Also be sure to check reseller websites (they’re not just for clothes!) as well as FB marketplace locally to you.

You might be shocked what you find! There are several models of antique mills that I’ve seen folks selling for super cheap that also work well, they’re just clunky and take up more storage space. Totally worth the savings, though, if you’re on a budget!

Buy refurbished

Make sure to check Nutrimill’s website periodically under the “refurbished” tab. 

They sell their grain mills and mixers at a serious discount there. Check the descriptions on the listings for why exactly the mill was refurbished, but the discounts are insane. If you can snag one (they sell out quickly because of the great prices), you’ll save a bundle.

Split the cost (and the mill) with a friend or neighbor

This is one of my favorite options on the list. Not only does this option help you afford a grain mill, but it also fosters community, which I’m always all for.

There are several neat ways you could arrange this.

1. Split the cost of the mill, and also split the time you each spend with the mill. Maybe one week on, one week off?
2. Split the cost, but one of you houses the mill, but the other has access to all the fresh milled flour they need.
3. Keep your cost buddy stocked with fresh bread instead of flour.
4. Also, check to see if anyone in your area already owns a grain mill and would allow you to use their mill once a week to mill all your flour.

Save up for it

I know, it’s not very romantic. But look for small things you can cut out, and set that money aside for your grain mill fund. You might be there before you know it!

Fresh milled flour is worth waiting (and saving) for.

Use a payment plan

Although it’s not always ideal, if you can’t swing the full price of a mill in one paycheck, look into payment plants. I know that Nutrimill offers shop pay plans to pay a portion of your order every month, as well as Paypal payment plans on all their grain mills.

Honorable mentions:

Buy (good) flour until you save up

My favorite grain company also sells fresh-milled flour that I recommend to anyone waiting to purchase a grain mill. It’s the same quality as if you milled it yourself! Knowing you’re using super high-quality and nutritious flour will also help you be more patient as you wait for a grain mill.

Save on the best flour with code “soulyrested”

Plan to use your mill to make money

Taking the plunge and spending the money on a mill often makes a lot more sense if you have a plan to turn that investment -> into cash.

Sell fresh milled flour to your local community, sell baked goods/bread made with fresh flour, or offer your mill for “rent” to other locals who either want to try their hand at milling, or can’t afford the price of a mill yet.

More like 5 ways to afford a grain mill on a budget:

• Wheat berries: everything you need to know
• Nutrimill or Mockmill: which grain mill is best?
• How to choose a flour mill, simplified (includes a quiz!)
• Sourdough with fresh milled flour (recipe)

The post 5 ways to afford a grain mill on a budget first appeared on Souly Rested.

When I started milling my own flour I was very confused. I had such a hard time finding reputable wheat berries that I purchased sketchy bags of grains from e-bay.

Whoops.

Thankfully, you’re not doomed to the fate of random wheat berries from e-bay. (Is that website even still a thing anymore?)

If you’re going to make your own flour, you’re going to need wheat berries.

So, no more gatekeeping. Today I’m walking you through your best (& worst!) options for wheat berries.

Trust me, your bread will improve if the quality of your wheat berries improves.

What are wheat berries?

Wheat berries are the whole grain form of flour.

If stored properly, handled correctly, and not milled, wheat berries will last indefinitely, because the oils inside (the only part of the wheat that can go rancid) is locked away under the hard outer layer of the wheat.

Once you mill wheat berries into flour, however, it’s a different story. Flour starts going rancid almost as soon as the oils inside the wheat berry are exposed to oxygen when it’s milled. Which is why I prefer to mill my own flour–it allows me to eat the freshest, most nutritious flour in the world.

How long do wheat berries last after I purchase them?

Considering that we’ve found viable grains in ancient Egyptian tombs, there’s a good chance the wheat berries you purchase now could easily outlast you.

That being said, it’s ideal to use wheat berries before they’re around 5-10 years old. They loose nutrients over time (although very slowly), which might make your bread not turn out well if you’re using grains older than 10 years.

How should I store wheat berries?

My favorite way to store bulk wheat berries is in 5-gallon buckets in my basement. Make sure the buckets are food grade, opaque, and have well-fitting lids. These lids have served me well for over a decade now, with no pest issues.

Some folks prefer to use Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers, and that works, too. But packing 50-lbs of wheat berries into small bags, just to open them again in a few weeks or months isn’t really my style.

What kinds of wheat berries to buy

There are so many different kinds of wheat berries that it can be very confusing. Here’s a general idea of the different kinds of wheat and their uses. See my full list of favorite grains (and how I use them) here.

Soft wheat

Soft wheat is great for beginner millers to use for pretty much anything other than bread. You won’t want to combine soft wheat with yeast, or anything that needs to develop gluten, as it’s very low in gluten, and your bread won’t rise well. Soft wheat is great for pancakes, cookies, muffins, pastries, brownies, biscuits or any baked good.

Hard wheat

Hard wheat is often sold generically as either “hard red wheat” or “hard white wheat.” They’re both great for making bread, pizza dough, cinnamon rolls, anything that’s a yeast dough needing to develop gluten.

What’s slightly confusing is that “hard white” and “hard red” aren’t exactly kinds of wheat. They’re more of an umbrella term for modern hard wheat varieties. If you want to maximize your family’s nutrition, I highly recommend looking into heritage hard wheats, like Rouge De Bordeaux (hard red), Dakota Snow (hard white), Turkey Red (hard red).

If you want to stick with modern grains, look for companies that label the variety they sell, like this one. Farmers that aren’t transparent about what they’re growing and selling tend to not get my dollars.

Ancient grains

These are, literally, grains that have been around since ancient times. Ancient grains are amazing all-purpose wheat berries that can be used for bread, baked goods, pastries, pretty much anything.

My favorite ancient grains are khorasan (a.k.a. kamut), spelt, einkorn, barley (not good for bread), durum and emmer.

Ancient grains are prize for their nutrition, flavor, and non-hybridized nature.

Alternative grains

I use this term mostly for gluten-free grains good for milling. These would include amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, millet, and so on. They’re great for gluten-free baking, buckwheat is great for flavorful pancakes, amaranth is great for french toast.

Wheat berries vs. ancient grains vs. heritage grains vs. modern grains

With so many buzzwords, trendy terms, and confusing titles, it can get frustrating. Let’s talk about what these terms actually mean.

Wheat berries is a broad term for pretty much any whole grain.

Ancient grains are varieties of wheat that have been around since ancient times. These were either discovered in tombs or through archeology, and “saved” by growing and saving the seeds.

Heritage grains are varieties of wheat more modern than ancient grains, but untouched by the Green Revolution of the 1960’s, which hybridized and altered almost all varieties of grain.

Modern grains are hybridized, conventional grains grown for large size, quick growing season, and maximum harvests. Not necessarily flavor or nutrition.

Where to purchase wheat berries for fresh milled flour

There are more options for purchasing wheat berries these days than there were when I started milling 11 years ago. (Thankfully–no more e-bay wheat!) No matter where you choose to purchase wheat berries from, your goal is to buy the highest quality grains you can afford. The better quality your wheat, the better your bread will turn out. These are some things to keep an eye out for:

1. Organic. Non-organic wheat berries often contain much higher levels of glyphosate and other pesticides.
2. Moisture content. This one often isn’t on the bag, and if you trust your supplier, you’re likely good to go. Ideally, wheat berries are between 10-12% moisture. This is ideal for milling (too moist and the wheat can ruin your mill!), bread baking, and storage.
3. Cleanliness. Wheat berries should (for the most part) be free of stones, sticks, and not super dusty. Also make note if most of the wheat berries are in tact, or if there’s a large percentage of cracked/broken kernels. They should be mostly in tact.
4. Customer trust & loyalty. Wheat berries that make good bread will have happy, returning customers.

Local producers or bulk food bins

If you have a local wheat farmer, support them! They may not grow ancient grains or trendy varieties, but keeping your food as local as possible is almost always your best option. You can also check your local natural grocery stores (especially if they have bulk bins), as some of them sell wheat berries at a good price.

What I love: easy to restock & supporting local businesses

Azure

If you’re looking for the best prices on bulk wheat berries, Azure Standard is for you. They’re a food co-op where you find a local “drop” and pick up your food order once a month. They work closely with organic farmers to get you great deals on bulk grains. If you’re new to Azure, the code “soulyrested” will save you on your first order.

What I love: great prices on bulk grains

Grand Teton Ancient Grains

These guys are my go-to for ancient grains. They only grow organic, regenerative grains–all while taking care of the soil. You can purchase grains in bags to store yourself, or already-stored grains in buckets. Their grains are always clean, dust-free, and the grains never change hands. With these guys, you’re ordering wheat berries from the same people who planted, harvested, cleaned, stored, packaged, and shipped them.

What I love: FREE shipping (if you “fill a box”), farmer-owned, tested to always be glyphosate-free

Guardian Grains

These folks are doing amazing work keeping heritage grains alive. In fact, they sell the only wheat berry I’ll use for bread now–it’s that good! This small, family-owned wheat farm ships directly to their customers–no middle man, at all. Their flat rate shipping keeps your costs low, and they offered my readers a discount with code “soulyrested,” even on bulk orders! Their farming practices are transparent, organic, and regenerative.

What I love: discounts available (code “soulyrested”), heritage grain varieties hard to find anywhere else, bulk pricing, flat rate shipping

Mockmill & Nutrimill

A decent option, especially if you’re just getting started with milling flour.

Mockmill sells lots of variety of wheat berries, and Nutrimill sells a variety starter pack to get you started–no guesswork.

Amazon

If you’re ordering wheat berries on amazon, be watchful and make sure you’re purchasing from verified, real sellers. Not someone shipping wheat berries from their basement. There are some decent companies selling good grains, though. Like these or these.

Is buying wheat berries in bulk worth it?

Buying wheat berries in bulk is an investment. But it’s so worth it.

Let’s run some numbers, shall we?

Purchasing wheat berries in small quantities not only costs more per pound, but you’ll use them quickly then become frustrated that you’re constantly running out of the grains you need.

One of my favorite benefits of milling my own flour is that I always have un-milled flour on hand in the form of wheat berries.

Purchasing a small bag of Khorasan wheat berries (as an example), I’d spend $6.38 per pound. When I purchase bulk 50-lb bags? My cost goes down to $1.26 per pound.

That’s a savings of $5.15 per pound of wheat berries.

After I’ve used 50 pounds, that means I’ve saved my family $257. Just from buying in bulk. So yes, I’d say buying wheat berries in bulk is definitely worth it.

More like purchasing wheat berries for fresh milled flour:

• Wheat berries: everything you need to know
• The ultimate guide to choosing a grain mill (& 6 questions to ask)
• Why I started milling my own flour
• My wheat berry guide

The post Where to purchase wheat berries for fresh milled flour first appeared on Souly Rested.

But the truth is, I was overwhelmed even before my mill arrived. And if you’re in the same boat figuring out how to choose a flour mill, I’m here to simplify it for you. After over a decade of milling my own flour and either owning or using 6 different flour mills, I’d say I’m somewhat of an expert.

And today we’re going to find your perfect match. Your flour mill match, that is.

At the end of this post, I’ve created a flour mill “quiz” to help you ultimately decide which mill is best for you based on your lifestyle, budget, and how you use flour the most.

-> If you’re looking for a quick suggestion, scroll down and take the “choosing a flour mill” quiz. <-

Benefits of milling flour at home

There are tons of physical reasons to mill your own flour at home with a flour mill. And we’ll go over those. But the truth? One of my favorite things about milling flour is that it’s therapeutic. Something about the routine of grinding wheat berries into flour is grounding to me.

It’s an age-old practice that I have the ability, thanks to modern countertop flour mills, to do right in the comfort of my own kitchen.

The smell of fresh milled flour, the sounds of the stones working, the feeling of warm, soft fresh flour coming out of the mill can’t be replicated.

So my #1 benefit of milling flour at home after 10+ years doing it? Enjoying the process.

But if you’re not interested in the romanticized benefits of milling flour, let’s talk about all the practical reasons.

Why mill flour at home?

• Nutrition (store bought flour doesn’t contain all the good stuff and is very old by the time it hits your kitchen)
• Flavor (there’s nothing like the earthy, sweet, nutty flavor of bread made with fresh milled flour)
• Variety (to keep things fun and also extra-nutritious, you’re able to play around with turning all kinds of grains into flour)
• Support (I love supporting small family farms keeping regenerative wheat farming alive, while also feeding my family the best grains)
• Security (I’m not a preper by any means, but I love having a secure stash of grains in my basement at all times)
• Therapy (there’s nothing more grounding and relaxing to me than the process of milling flour at home! It’s FUN!)

How to choose a flour mill: the contenders

The two main types of flour mills on the market are stone mills and impact mills.

Stone mills use a traditional two-stone method to grind wheat berries in between grooved stones, resulting in flour.

Impact mills use internal stainless steel “teeth” to pulverize wheat berries into flour.

They’re both great options for home millers.

Choosing an impact flour mill:

The Nutrimill Classic

A great flour mill option for new millers. The Classic mill is an enclosed-style impact mill, meaning that it mills the flour internally, into a built-in bowl, which you remove to access the flour. The Classic mill makes very fine flour, but is limited in milling coarse or cracked grains.

Cost: $329 – $20 with code SOULYRESTED

The Nutrimill Impact

A slightly more compact and a more budget-friendly version of the Classic mill, the Impact mill is the most affordable flour mill on the market. It mills fine flour quickly, but it’s flour bowl is on the small side, which simply means that if you’re milling a lot of flour you’ll have to stop, empty the flour bowl, and mill another round.

Cost: $249 – $20 with code SOULYRESTED

Choosing a Stone flour mill:

The Mockmill 100 & 200

These mills are on-demand, stone-mill workhorses. The numbers at the end are their milling output–Mockmill 100 mills at a rate of 100 grams of flour per minute, and the Mockmill 200 mills at 200 grams per minute. Other than milling speed, these two mills are the same. Inside, the Mockmill utilizes two stones to effortlessly grind wheat berries into flour. Adjust the grind of your flour with a handle on the side.

Cost: $380-$470

The Mockmill Lino 100 & 200

The Mockmill Lino line contains the same internal mill as the Mockmill 100 & 200, but the Linos are housed in a beautiful wooden exterior. So just like we talked about above, the Mockmill Lino 100 mills at a rate of 100 grams per minute, and the Mockmill Lino 200 mills 200 grams per minute. If you want Mockmill power and reliability but aren’t concerned about how it looks on the outside, stick with the Mockmill 100 or 200 to save cash. If you want Mockmill power and a beautiful wooden mill, grab a Mockmill Lino 100 or 200.

My daily-use flour mill is a Mockmill Lino 200.

Cost: $680-$775

The Mockmill Professional

Mockmill offers a professional version of their mills. This means it has a more expensive cooling system than their other mills, allowing for hours of milling without a break. This is really only worth spending the extra money on if you’re using it in a professional kitchen capacity. It’s great for cottage kitchen bakers, sourdough farmstand gals, small bakeries, or other areas where you need to mill VERY large quantities of flour. Most average kitchens don’t need that much flour, though, and find the Mockmill 100/200 offer more than enough power.

Cost: $890

The Nutrimill Harvest

Nutrimill’s stone mill offering is the Harvest mill. This flour mill is popular for it’s beauty and small footprint. It’s a stone mill capable of milling flour from fine-coarse. If you’re in the market for a compact, beautiful stone mill, the Harvest might be for you. As a personal sidenote, the Harvest mill isn’t my personal top choice, especially for beginners. It can be tricky to use, especially if you want fine flour.

Cost: $499 -$20 with code SOULYRESTED

Salzburg natural stone mills

These natural stone mills are becoming popular for their completely plastic-free design. Rather than using manufactured stones like most other mills, Salzburg sources natural granite. They’re pricey, so consider these mills a major investment, but they’re built to last longer than one person’s lifetime. I haven’t personally used these mills, but I’ve heard great things from a couple internet “friends” who have. Also keep in mind there are additional customs fees to have these mills shipped to the U.S.

The Salzburg MT12 model can mill 4,000 grams of grains/flour before needing a rest.

The Salzburg MT18 model can mill 8,000 grams of grains/flour before needing to rest.

Cost: $1,300 – code SOULYRESTED to save %

Other flour mills:

Komo: another stone mill option, but higher price point than Mockmill and hard to find distributers in the U.S.

Hand-crank: romantic, but not super practical for milling enough wheat for making bread, especially on the daily.

Kitchen Aid attachment: mills flour very slowly and ineffectively, and often burns out the motor of your mixer.

Hand crank vs electric flour mill

Hand crank flour mills utilize your sheer upper body strength to turn wheat berries into flour.

Electric mills utilize an electric power source to mill flour.

Although hand-cranking a flour mill sounds romantic (and it can be helpful if the power is out!), it’s not really practical for everyday flour milling. You’ll find yourself tired, frustrated, and defeated all before you even start baking.

I highly recommend electric mills for most home bakers.

Stone mills, impact mills, and burr mills: what’s the difference?

Stone mills use two grooved stones (one on the top, one on the bottom) to grind wheat into flour. On the contrary, impact mills crush wheat by bashing it through metal “teeth.” Burr mills are usually another term for stone mills, although some burr mills can be made of steel. Burr mills are simply any mill that crush grains between two spinning surfaces.

How to use a home flour mill: the basics

Starting out with fresh milled flour can be intimidating. Especially if you’re standing in front of a beast of a flour mill and unsure how to use it. Let’s simplify that process.

1. Acquire wheat berries. If you’re not sure which wheat berries to purchase or where to buy them, start here.
2. If you’re using a stone mill, always make sure the mill is TURNED ON before adding wheat berries. If you’re using an impact mill, make sure to add wheat berries BEFORE turning the mill on.
3. Adjust your stones if using a stone mill. To make fine flour, turn your stones until you hear them chirping. Then, turn the stones until they’re just slightly more part. The stones should be just slightly touching, enough so that you hear a low, pleasant “hum,” but not so tight that they’re screeching or high-pitched sounding.
4. Add your wheat berries, if using an impact mill.
5. Mill your flour: if you’re using a stone mill, add the wheat berries to the hopper while the stones are milling. If you’re using an impact mill simply add the wheat berries, adjust the settings to the flour you’d like, and turn the mill on.
6. Enjoy your fresh milled flour!

Which flour mill should I buy in 2026?

While there are lots of options for flour mills, my top picks for 2026 are listed below.

1. Mockmill Lino 100 & 200. These made the list because they truly have it all: versatility, beauty, and functionality. 
2. Nutrimill Classic and Impact. These bad boys are super beginner-friendly, budget-friendly, and they’re constantly sold out, which tells me they’re top choices.
3. Mockmill 100 & 200. The more wallet-friendly Mockmill options, with the same power and functionality of the wooden (Lino) versions.
4. Nutrimill Harvest. These mills are hard to get your hands on in 2026 as they’re constantly sold out. This is a beautiful countertop stone flour mill.

How to choose a flour mill quiz

I know making a big choice like which flour mill will serve your family is a big one. I get it.

So I’ve created this little “quiz” that might help narrow your choices down.

Q1: Are you on a budget?

yes -> either:

• Nutrimill Impact for the most budget-friendy
• Mockmill 100 for the most affordable on-demand stone mill

no -> continue on

Q2: Do you prioritize how your flour mill looks/want to keep your mill on your counter 24/7?

yes -> either:

• Nutrimill harvest (the prettiest mill with the smallest footprint)
• Mockmill Lino (either 100 or 200, both have a beautiful wooden exterior)
• Salzburg natural stone mill

no -> continue on

Q3: Do you bake large batches of bread at a time?

yes -> ether:

• Mockmill 200 (my personal daily-use flour mill) OR Mockmill professional for very long milling times without breaks
• Nutrimill Classic (large batch, closed-container milling)

no -> continue on

Q4: Do you want to minimize the amount of dishes used to mill flour?

yes -> Any model of Mockmill, the Nutrimill Harvest, or Salzburg

no -> Nutrimill Classic or Impact mill

Q5: Are you interested in the variety of grains you can mill, or mostly stick to bread/pastry flours?

variety -> Mockmill 100 or 200

bread/pastry -> Nutrimill Classic or Impact mill

Q6: Are you passionate about your mill having zero plastic in it’s design?

yes -> Salzburg natural stone mills

no -> stick to Mockmill which has very little plastic

Quick guide: what matters most to you?

Budget ->Nutrimill impact (most budget friendly) or Mockmill 100

Aesthetic -> Mockmill Lino. Nutrimill Harvest, Salzburg

Milling large batches of flour -> Mockmill 200 or Mockmill professional or Nutrimill Classic

Less dishes to wash -> Any Mockmill, the Nutrimill Harvest or Salzburg

All-around versatility -> Mockmill 200

Variety in milling -> Mockmill 100 or 200

Sticking to bread/pastry flour -> Nutrimill Classic or Impact

Having zero plastics touching your food -> Salzburg

The all-around best flour mill: Mockmill Lino 200

If it’s in your budget, my top flour mill recomendation is the Mockmill Lino 200. It’s my daily-use, never-lets-me-down flour mill.

It covers all the bases: versatility (can mill anything from superfine flour to course/cracked grains, all with a simple sliding of the hopper), aesthetic (the Lino line of Mockmills all come in a beautiful wooden exterior), speed/volume (mills fine flour quickly, with continuous milling meaning it can mill lots of flour at once), less dishes (due to the on-demand style, it’s a one-dish wonder), and budget (the Mockmill 100 is also available in the wooden Lino model, making it easier on your wallet).

As a bonus, even when Mockmills are sold out, they’re available for sale on backorder, meaning your mill will ship the second it’s available.

Grab your Mockmill Lino 200 here.

The flour mills:

Quick links to all the flour mills mentioned here

More like How to Choose a Flour Mill, simplified:

• The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Grain Mill & 6 Questions to ask
• Make a Fresh Milled Sourdough Starter from Scratch (step-by-step)
• Wheat berries: Everything you Need to Know
• The Best Sandwich Bread with Fresh Milled Flour

The post How to choose a flour mill, simplified first appeared on Souly Rested.

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.

Once I started using my grain mill on a daily basis, sourdough fell of my radar for a while. I was so captivated by wheat berries, mills, fresh flour, and fresh milled bread, that my sourdough starter became neglected.

A coincidence? Maybe. 

Once I got a handle on fresh milled flour with commercial yeast, I slowly added sourdough back into my life, with the nutritious addition of fresh milled flour.

But honestly? I gave up a few times. There’s just a steep learning curve with fresh milled flour + sourdough.

But we’ll master it together.

And it turns out that a huge help is to actually start a new sourdough starter, from scratch, with fresh milled flour. Sometimes starters used to commercial flour don’t like being switched over to fresh flour.

Why combine fresh flour and sourdough?

So, if it’s difficult, why bother? I’m glad you asked.

Sourdough is using natural yeast and natural fermentation to make bread. While this process is commonly seen as a more nutritious way to make bread, that’s only half true. You see, sourdough bread is long-fermented, which means that it’s easier for our bodies to digest in the end. It’s already started to “digest” through it’s long, natural fermentation process. That’s a good thing.

What’s not good is that long-fermenting bread made with traditional commercial flour (store bought flour is essentially just highly-processed starch, missing 2/3 of the natural wheat), is simply a missed opportunity. (Learn more about the effect of sourdough fermentation on fresh milled flour.)

Fresh milled flour + sourdough? A long-fermented powerhouse of nutrition, digestibility, and flavor. It’s truly the best bread you can eat. 

Sourdough with fresh milled flour: getting started

If you’re new to milling flour, let’s get started.

You’ll need a good grain mill. You have three options–a stone mill, an impact mill (steel blades), or a hand-crank mill. I personally choose an on-demand style stone mill, but to each his own. Not sure which mill you might want or need? I wrote an entire guide to choosing a grain mill that breaks down everything you need to know.

Next, you need some wheat berries. It can get confusing with tons of variety, but if you’re starting out with fresh flour, you’ll most likely want to stick to either hard white or hard red for making bread like sourdough.

Then you’ll need a sourdough starter (if you’re making sourdough bread, that is). Good news; you’re in the right place! We’ll cover the whole process of making a fresh milled sourdough starter from scratch, right here.

It’s that simple!

Wheat berries for sourdough starter

Wheat berries can be confusing.

But, when it comes down to it, most wheat berries (ground into flour) can be used to feed your sourdough starter. Just be sure to keep in consistent so your starter knows what to expect. However, my personal preference is to use fresh milled rye flour to feed my starter on the daily. This is for two reasons: 1) my starter is happier, bubblier, and more active when it’s fed rye, and 2) rye is the most affordable grain I purchase.

Great options for fresh flour to feed your sourdough starter include:

• Rye (my personal choice)
• Hard white
• Hard red
• Einkorn
• Khorasan (A.K.A. Kamut)
• Spelt (my second favorite)
• Durum
• Alternative (GF) grains

What fresh milled flour is best for sourdough

The flour you’ll use to feed your sourdough starter and the flour you’ll use to make sourdough bread may or may not be the same. For instance, I personally use rye flour to feed my starter every day, but I stick with grains like Turkey Red (a hard red wheat) or Dakota Snow (a hard white wheat) to make sourdough bread.

Make sure you don’t try to use any soft wheat berries or low-gluten grains to make sourdough bread.

AVOID using:

soft white wheat

soft red wheat

rye

ancient grains (if using, no more than 50%)

In general, stick with hard grains (hard white, hard red) for the best results with sourdough bread. Later one once you’ve mastered fresh milled sourdough bread, experiment with other grains. But I recommend keeping it as simple as possible when you’re starting out.

How to make a fresh milled sourdough starter

Without further ado, let’s make a fresh milled sourdough starter, from scratch. Making a fresh flour sourdough starter is a simple process of mixing flour and water together, but it does take some patience as you wait for it to become active.

I recommend using fresh milled rye flour, but other options are hard white/red wheat, spelt, einkorn or khorasan.

Day 1: In a clean jar, mix equal parts water and flour by weight together, stir well, and cover with something breathable (NOT airtight). Let sit. You can measure with volume or weight, just keep the flour and water in a roughly 1:1 ratio.

Day 2: Discard about half of your starter, then feed it. The easiest way to make sure you’re feeding the proper amounts at first is to weigh how much starter you have, then feed it the same weight in both flour and water, making sure it’s a thick, pancake batter-like consistency. If it’s thinner than that, add a little more flour. 

As an example, if you have 25 g of starter, feed it 25 g of flour and 25 g of water.

Day 3: Discard half of your starter (again), and feed it the same amount of flour and water that the starter weighs.

Days 4-6: Continue this feeding pattern, feeding every 12-24 hours. I like to feed my starter first thing each morning to stay in a routine. You should start to see bubbles and some activity in your starter by now.

Week 1-2: Your starter should be bubbling, doubling in size after it’s fed, and looking happy by the beginning of week two. But don’t try to make bread with your starter before it’s actually active and established. In the first few weeks, even if a starter looks active and happy, it most likely isn’t strong enough to make bread with yet. Be patient and try making discard recipes with your starter at first (like discard crackers or overnight griddle cakes) before diving into fresh flour sourdough bread.

Feeding sourdough starter with fresh milled flour

If you’re used to feeding your sourdough starter store bought flour and are transitioning it to fresh milled flour (or starting a brand-new fresh milled starter), you’ll notice differences. Because fresh milled flour is so different from commercial flour, your starter will react to it differently.

You’ll notice that your starter rises and becomes active more quickly. That’s because fresh flour is alive with nutrients that your starter loves. The downside? It also stays active for much shorter times. A fresh milled sourdough starter needs routine in order to thrive, and is much less flexible than a commercial flour starter. When I was feeding my starter commercial flour, skipping a feeding or two here and there? No big deal. With a fresh flour starter? Skipping a feeding or two leads to crusty tops, very sad starter, and a longer bounce-back time than with commercial flour.

A fresh milled starter needs to be fed very regularly and routinely to survive.

How and when to feed a fresh milled starter

Your best bet is to feed your fresh milled sourdough starter every morning, when possible. I’ve personally found that my fresh milled starter isn’t happy in the fridge, so I keep mine at room temperature. If you’re able to keep your starter in the fridge, feed it once a week.

My method for feeding my starter is very eyeball-ed and simple.

1. Discard starter if it’s starting to have too much “bulk” to it. I don’t like to feed massive amounts of starter, I see it as a waste of flour. Save the discard for recipes later.
2. Add filtered water to your starter until it’s watery and “murky” looking. How much water you add depends on how much starter you want the next day.
3. Mix the starter + water together.
4. Add flour until your starter becomes thick and well-mixed. I aim for pancake batter-like thickness.
5. Fresh milled starters soak up a little more water than conventional flour ones, so keep it just a tad less thick as you’re feeding it than you’d like it to be in the end.

Print

fresh milled sourdough starter, step-by-step

Ingredients

• rye flour see notes
• water

Instructions

• Day 1: In a clean jar, mix equal parts water and flour by weight together, stir well, and cover with something breathable (NOT airtight). Let sit. You can measure with volume or weight, just keep the flour and water in a roughly 1:1 ratio.
• Day 2: Discard about half of your starter, then feed it. The easiest way to make sure you’re feeding the proper amounts at first is to weigh how much starter you have, then feed it the same weight in both flour and water, making sure it’s a thick, pancake batter-like consistency. If it’s thinner than that, add a little more flour.
• Day 3: Again, discard half of your starter, and feed it the same amount of flour and water that the starter weighs.
• Days 4-6: Continue this feeding pattern, feeding every 12-24 hours. I like to feed my starter first thing each morning to stay in a routine. You should start to see bubbles and some activity in your starter by now.
• Week 1-2: Your starter should be bubbling, doubling in size after it’s fed, and looking happy by the beginning of week two. But don’t try to make bread with your starter before it’s actually active and established. In the first few weeks, even if a starter looks active and happy, it most likely isn’t strong enough to make bread with yet. Be patient and try making discard recipes with your starter at first (like discard crackers or overnight griddle cakes) before diving into fresh flour sourdough bread.

Notes

I recommend using fresh milled rye flour, but other options are hard white/red wheat, spelt, einkorn or khorasan.

What you’ll need to make a fresh milled sourdough starter from scratch:

More like make a fresh milled sourdough starter (step-by-step):

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