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.

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

Which wheat berries to use

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

Fluffy cakes? Check.

Chewy cookies? In the bag.

Fluffy bread? Done.

Speaking of bread…

What wheat berries to use for bread?

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

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

Other grains that can be used to make bread are Einkorn, Khorasan (Kamut), Spelt, Rye, and Durum. All of these grains benefit from adding some vital wheat gluten to your bread dough to improve elasticity and gluten.

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

Which wheat berries should I use for sourdough?

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

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

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

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

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

What flour should I feed my sourdough starter?

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

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

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

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

Which wheat berries are best to make cake?

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

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

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

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

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

What wheat berries to use for cookies and brownies

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

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

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

Best wheat berries to use for pie crust and other pastries

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

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

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

Which wheat berries make the best pasta?

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

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

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

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

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

Where to buy whole wheat berries

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

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

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

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

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

Types of wheat berries and their uses

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

Hard white/hard red wheat berries

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

Soft white/soft red wheat berries

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

Ancient grains

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

Other grains

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

Should I buy organic wheat berries?

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

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

Pin this so you have it when you need it!

More about wheat berries and fresh milled flour:

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

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

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

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

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

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

What is Kamut (Khorasan)?

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

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

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

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

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

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

History and origin of Kamut

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

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

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

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

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

Is Kamut gluten free?

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

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

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

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

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

How is Kamut different from modern wheat?

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

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

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

How to bake/cook with Kamut (Khorasan)

How to use Kamut

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

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

What does Kamut/Khorasan taste like?

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

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

How to mill Kamut grains into flour

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

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

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

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

Where can I buy Kamut (Khorasan)?

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

How to flake Kamut

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

What do I even mean by “flaking?”

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

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

3 simple steps to flake Kamut

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kamut flour

Kamut flour vs. whole wheat berries

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

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

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

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

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

Why you should mill your own Kamut flour

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

Reasons to mill your own flour

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

Comparing Kamut to other grains

Kamut vs. Einkorn

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kamut vs. Durum wheat

Kamut and Durum are closely related and have some similarities.

–> Kamut is better for making bread than Durum.

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

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

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

–> They both contain gluten.

Growing Kamut

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

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

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

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

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

Grow Kamut in your backyard in 3 easy steps

Planting:

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

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

Growing:

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

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

Harvesting:

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

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

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

Can I grow Kamut? Is it worth it?

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

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

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

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

Need a grain mill?

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

More like Kamut (Khorasan): A Complete Guide:

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

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

It’s an all-around winner in the whole grain department.

But let’s talk about it in-depth.

What is Einkorn?

I don’t get the chance to nerd out over grains very often. In fact, some of my friends think I’m weird if I go off on tangents about certain grains. I mean, grains are grains and flour is flour, right?

Wrong.

Each grain has its own interesting history, its own nutrient profile, its own personality.

For instance, Einkorn is one of the oldest cultivated grains that we still grow today. Einkorn has gained popularity lately because of this fact, but it’s not the only ancient grain that we still cultivate today. However, it’s one of the oldest grains that we can currently trace.

The word “einkorn” literally means “one grain,” which is because of the fact that Einkorn plants only grow one wheat berry per “spike” on the wheat plant, unlike modern wheats which often grow several berries per spike. Along the same lines, Einkorn is generally more expensive than other grains because not only is it simply grown by less farmers, but it also has a lower yield and results in smaller kernels compared to other grains.

But I digress.

In a general sense, Einkorn is simply a whole grain. It’s sold as either wholegrain wheat berries, flour, or in rare cases as cracked or flaked grain. Einkorn wheat berries are small in size and buttery yellow in color. When milled they transform into a creamy, soft, pale yellow flour.

The history of Einkorn

The history of Einkorn starts like any other ancient grain: with a historian.

Thank your local historian, folks, they find us cool things like ancient grains!

While Einkorn was technically never not grown since all the way back in ancient times, it certainly lulled out. Lost popularity. Got overrun and replaced by more modern grain varieties as they were developed. Regardless, Einkorn is a common grain to grow in the fertile crescent, from all the way in ancient times until now. It even grows wild there! It was even discovered in the stomach of a man frozen in the Alps for thousands of years! So it’s safe to say that Einkorn has been a diet staple for a very long time.

In modern years, Einkorn has been carefully revived and become accessible to the average home miller.

Although Einkorn was one of the first cultivated grains that we’ve found so far, it slowly lost the battle against other grains like Spelt, Emmer, and general wheats because it’s harder to harvest, has less end yield, and is tougher to bake bread with, given it’s lower-gluten profile. But thankfully, Einkorn never fully went extinct.

I can’t imagine not having this incredible ancient grain to enjoy in our modern kitchens.

And, who knows? Maybe Einkorn has an ancient cousin somewhere that’s yet to be discovered. The world needs more ancient grains!

Is einkorn an ancient grain?

Ancient grains are a true Super Food. Because Big Ag hasn’t altered ancient grains in any way, they offer more nutrients than modern grains or flour ever could. They even give us up to 4 times more carotenoids–powerful antioxidants offering amazing health benefits. (source)

So why is modern wheat bred to have less carotenoids, if they’re so good for us? It’s simple. People want their bread white, but carotenoids come in bright red, orange, and yellow colors. So modern science has bred wheat without the colorful antioxidants.

But the difference in ancient & modern grains doesn’t end with antioxidants. Ancient grains have higher levels of all kinds of nutrients, from protein, to healthy fats; fiber to important minerals. (source) 

Studies have also shown that ancient grains suppress inflammation in cells and improve blood sugar and cholesterol levels. (source)

What does einkorn taste like?

The best way to describe the flavor of Einkorn, in my opinion, is buttery. It has very soft, subtle flavor, but it’s smooth, sweet, ever-so-slightly nutty, and all around delightful. Depending on what you pair einkorn with, it almost has a honey-like flavor.

It’s my favorite flour to use in homemade crackers, especially knockoff Club crackers because of its sweet, nutty, buttery flavor takes the flavor of homemade crackers to the next level.

Although all grains have their own flavor profile, do keep in mind that the flavor notes we talk about different grains having are often subtle, and vary based on how you use the grains and what they’re paired with. That being said, the flavor of einkorn really is unparalleled and is one of my personal favorites.

You just have to try it to understand.

Where can I buy Einkorn wheat berries?

It turns out, all einkorn is NOT the same. You might want to be a little picky about where you source your Einkorn, because there are more than 300 varieties of this grain. (Who knew!?)

Some varieties can taste unpleasantly grassy, others can be seriously challenging for bread baking.

I’ve tried many varieties and this one is my all-time favorite. And, bonus, you can buy it in bulk, enjoy huge savings, and even get FREE shipping! Shipping has always been a huge headache for me over the years with grains. They’re so heavy they wind up being very costly to mail, so I really love it that the best tasting Einkorn I’ve found, which makes amazing flour, I can stock up on not only at bulk pricing but also do it without any shipping costs.

If you want to check out the einkorn I keep stocked in my root cellar, this is it.

Is Einkorn wheat?

Yes, Einkorn is wheat. It’s an ancient type of wheat that has been kept free from most hybridization. That means that it remains (mostly) free from modern changes.

Einkorn is technically classified as a Diploid wheat, making it the only cultivated (not wild) diploid wheat species. This means that Einkorn is only made up of two sets of chromosomes, compared to modern wheat’s three sets of chromosomes. Essentially, this just means that Einkorn has a more simple genetic nature when compared to modern wheat. It’s been bred less for specific characteristics (like thinner husks, larger berry size, faster growing times), and instead is simply grown as-is by less conventional farmers.

Einkorn is a more simple grain, grown by people who simply want to grow food. Farmers focused on grow food faster, bigger, and more profitably will pass Einkorn by.

Einkorn could almost be classified as a species of “wild wheat,” given that it grows wild in some parts of the world, and it’s been barely modified from its natural state. It’s essentially a wild wheat that’s been cultivated just enough to grow on smaller commercial farms in our modern times.

Is Einkorn gluten-free?

Einkorn wheat is NOT gluten-free. It’s still a wheat, and still contains gluten. However, some people claim that the gluten in Einkorn is different from modern grains with a more simple gluten structure, if you will, and some people who claim they’re gluten intolerant can tolerate Einkorn. There is an argument to be made for the simpler nature of Einkorn’s makeup resulting in its gluten structure also being more “simple” and easier to digest.

But in my humble opinion, eating wholegrain Einkorn is similar to eating any wholegrain flour, especially when compared to modern flour. Let me explain.

• Modern flour is stripped of 2/3 of the wheat berry (bran and germ sifted out), heated until there’s essentially no nutrients left, and bleached just to make sure any remaining nutrients are killed.
• Wholegrain, fresh milled flours allow you to eat all three parts of the wheat berry, including the bran and germ, rich in healthy fat, fiber, and all kinds of other vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that help your body process the starchy part (endosperm) of the wheat.
• So in modern, commercial flour your body is left to try to process JUST the starch, without the help of fat and fiber, which can turn modern flour into somewhat of an allergen for your body.
• Compared to wholegrain flour, where your body actually has help processing the starch in the flour. The fat and fiber are an essential part of digestion and allowing your body to actually use and absorb the nutrients in the flour.

So while Einkorn is great, and if you love it and want to use it exclusively, I’m all for it. But if your body tolerates Einkorn and not modern flour, I’d personally argue that it’s as much because of the wholegrain nature of Einkorn as it is because of the ancient-grain status Einkorn has.

Can I make bread with Einkorn flour?

You can absolutely make bread with Einkorn, but there are a couple qualifiers:

• Although Einkorn does have gluten and can be used exclusively to make bread, it has less gluten potential than other grains and won’t rise quite as much.
• Your Einkorn bread will also have a tighter, softer crumb and you might find your bread is less “springy” or less fluffy than it normally would be.

If you’re looking to make bread with exclusively Einkorn flour but want results similar to what you’d get using–say–hard white or red wheat, try adding 1 tablespoon of Vital Wheat Gluten per cup of Einkorn flour you use. This will help give your bread a little “umph.” Not needed, but can help your Einkorn bread turn out better.

How to use Einkorn flour

The uses for Einkorn flour are almost endless! Some of my favorite ways to use Einkorn are:

1. In pancakes and waffles. The buttery flavor is amazing, and the soft texture of the flour makes really fluffy pancakes and crunchy waffles with soft and flaky insides. My favorite pancakes are made 50/50 with buckwheat and Einkorn flours, because I find the strong flavor of buckwheat pairs well with the sweet, buttery flavor of Einkorn.
2. In muffins. The best blueberry muffins in the world are just a few cups of Einkorn flour away. Rich, soft, buttery, smooth Einkorn blueberry muffins are a dream! Not to mention that I actually cut the amount of sugar I use in my muffins down when I’m using Einkorn flour–it’s just that buttery sweet!
3. In any quick breads. Einkorn banana bread, coffee cake, or pumpkin bread? Forget about it.
4. In pasta, especially mixed with Durum flour. Try this recipe for fresh flour lasagna noodles using 60% durum and 40% einkorn. You know how the best pasta is a combination of chewy and firm, but still soft and buttery? Einkorn/Durum pasta is the best of both worlds. Hearty, chewy, and firm from the Durum. Soft, buttery, and tender from the Einkorn.

Other noteworthy ways to use Einkorn are in any baked goods at all, like brownies, scones, or cookies. Since Einkorn does have gluten, it can also make bread with a golden hue, soft crumb, and slightly less rise than bread made from modern wheat. It’s also great for making extra-buttery pie crusts or shortbread.

Einkorn baking tips

First of all, as with any whole grain, expect Einkorn flour to require slightly more moisture than you’d use with store bought white flour.

If you’re using Einkorn flour to make bread, considering adding 1 tablespoon of Vital Wheat Gluten per cup of Einkorn flour you’re using, to help give your Einkorn bread some “umph.”

Mix and knead doughs a bit more gently than you normally would. don’t be afraid to still mix and knead your batters and doughs, but do keep in mind that Einkorn has a more tender structure than other grains, and don’t overmix when you can avoid it.

Manage your expectations. Due to the ancient nature of einkorn, you’re simply not going to get as much rise or oven spring from 100% Einkorn as you would with other flours/grains. The incredible flavor will make it all worth it, though!

Is Einkorn the best wheat?

Einkorn is one of the oldest cultivated wheats that we have in modern times. Its simple structure and ancient grain status lead many people to claim that it’s the healthiest grain. And it does have a leg up on other grains in some areas. But that doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily THE healthiest grain, or that other whole grains aren’t also really healthy.

• Einkorn is slightly higher in protein than most other grains.
• Einkorn has a lower glycemic index than most modern grains.
• Einkorn may be higher in some antioxidants than other grains.

But the truth is that there isn’t much data yet comparing Einkorn specifically to other whole grains. So while Einkorn is one of my favorite grains to grind into flour, it remains so because of its flavor, texture, and performance in baked goods. The fact that it’s an ancient grain and may be more nutritious than other grains is a bonus in my mind, not the main reason I reach for Einkorn when I’m milling flour.

How to use Einkorn wheat berries

The ways to use whole einkorn wheat berries are almost endless. But here’s a list of my 8 favorite ways to use wholegrain Einkorn wheat berries:

1. Cooked like rice and used in soups, stews, casseroles and in place of rice in burrito bowls
2. Milled into amazing einkorn flour
3. Flaked and used like rolled oats (see next paragraph)
4. Sprouted and used on salads, bowls, and soups (or sprouted and dehydrated for milling into flour)
5. As a nutritious substitute for risotto
6. Cooked and eaten in place of steel cut oats for oatmeal
7. Puffed and eaten as cereal or in granola
8. Cooked and used in smoothies for a nutritious boost

How to flake Einkorn

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

What do I even mean by “flaking?”

You know those cardboard containers of rolled oats you’ve been buying your whole life? Much like the way flour is already old and rancid by the time you buy it at the store, flaked oats are essentially “dead” by the time you buy and eat them.

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

Flaking Einkorn like oatmeal can be done in three simple steps:

1. Soak your Einkorn wheat berries in filtered water for 4-5 hours.
2. Dry them in an oven or dehydrator at 150 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Make sure they’re actually dry to the touch.
3. Flake your Einkorn berries through a flaker.

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

Just make sure that your Einkorn berries are actually dry from the oven before you try to flake them. Running grains that aren’t dry enough through your flaker can gum up and damage your machine. We don’t want that. The reason they need to be soaked, then dried is because the grains need enough moisture to actually roll/flake without cracking into a million pieces, but need to be dry enough to not gum up your flaker.

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

Einkorn and other ancient grains I use often:

More like Einkorn 101–history, milling, flaking, cooking & more:

• All about alternative grains
• Why I started milling my own flour
• Sourdough with fresh milled flour
• Wheat berries: everything you need to know

Need a grain mill?

These are my top picks. Learn more about how to choose the right grain mill for you here.

The post Einkorn 101: history, milling, flaking, cooking & more first appeared on Souly Rested.

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

What are wheat berries and why should I store them?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Should I freeze wheat berries before storage?

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

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

The effect of freezing wheat berries

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

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

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

Please. Don’t freeze your wheat berries.

How to store wheat berries long term

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tips on how to store wheat berries

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

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

How to store wheat berries short term

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

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

How long do wheat berries last?

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

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

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

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

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

Should I wash wheat berries before milling them?

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

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

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

How to know if wheat berries have gone bad

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

More like how to store wheat berries:

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

Talk to me about how to store wheat berries…

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

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Milling flour is an age-old phenomenon, but turning wheat berries into flour in our own kitchens is a brand-new concept for most of us. (Hello, me a few years ago! I used to be completely confused and overwhelmed with topics about fresh milled flour.)

Wheat berries can be confusing. When I first started choosing what wheat berries to purchase and mill, I had the same questions you guys ask me. So let’s talk about choosing wheat berries and how choosing the right wheat berries can make your home milling journey so much smoother.

What wheat berries can I mill into flour?

In short, almost all of them. Be sure to check with your grain mill’s manual to make sure, but any reliably-sourced wheat berry should be fine to mill in your home grain mill, including but not limited to:

• Hard red/hard white wheat berries
• Soft red/soft white wheat berries
• Einkorn, Kamut/Khorasan, Spelt, and other ancient grains
• Hulled barley
• Oat groats (NOT oatmeal)
• Alternative grains like teff, quinoa, buckwheat, sorghum, millet and amaranth
• Rye berries
• Durum
• & many more

What wheat berries are best for sourdough bread?

Fresh milled sourdough bread can be tricky. Baking bread with fresh milled flour is tricky enough in itself, and when you throw the unpredictability of sourdough into the mix, we’re talking about an uphill battle! But I’ve found the most success with sourdough when I used hard red wheat. While it’s not at all wrong to use hard white wheat in sourdough, I’ve found that hard red actually helps develop an even stronger dough and softer bread in the end.

Choosing the right wheat berries: What wheat berries should I use to feed my sourdough starter?

When I switched my sourdough starter over to fresh milled flour I was feeding it exclusively hard white wheat flour. Although there’s nothing wrong with feeding your starter with hard red or hard white wheat (in fact, it’s recommended by many), my starter was really sluggish and hard to get active back then.

Switching my sourdough starter to exclusively rye flour has been a game changer. My sourdough starter thrives when it’s fed rye flour! After some research, this is largely due to the fact that rye flour contains more yeast than any other grain. Wild, huh? Who would have thought that the underwhelming, greenish hued, humble rye berry would be what changed the fresh milled flour sourdough game for me.

As a bonus, bulk rye berries are the cheapest wholegrain I can source at the moment, so it’s cheaper than ever to keep my sourdough starter happier than ever.

What wheat berries make white flour?

White wheat will make white flour, while red wheat will make flour with a stronger wheat flavor. If you’re starting out and/or don’t love a stronger wheat flavor, stick with white wheat, which will create a result closer to white flour. Keep in mind that fresh milled, unsifted flour still contains the bran and the germ so it will naturally taste more robust and flavorful than white flour you’re used to from the store.

What wheat berries to use for bread flour

Hard white wheat and hard red wheat are both great options to make bread flour. If you want to replicate a true “bread flour” from the store, add 1 teaspoon of vital wheat gluten to every cup of flour you use in a bread recipe. This will help your bread develop a strong gluten structure (good gluten= good bread!). Ancient grains like spelt, einkorn and kamut can be used to make bread, especially with the added help of vital wheat gluten, but soft wheat should never be used to make yeast bread–it will not rise and won’t develop gluten.

What wheat berries should I make pasta with?

Traditionally, pasta is made with Durum wheat. That’s because durum is a super hard wheat that helps create the perfect “chew” factor in al dente pasta. Keep in mind, however, that kamut is very closely related to durum and acts as a good substitute for durum. And, technically almost any wheat berry can be successfully used to make pasta, including hard red and hard white wheat, einkorn, spelt, and even soft white wheat. Chickpeas can be ground into flour and made into a high-protein pasta as well, although it tends to create a dry, more strong-flavored pasta.

Choosing the right wheat berries: What wheat berries make all-purpose flour?

My favorite way to create an all-purpose flour with wheat berries is using a combination of 50/50 hard white wheat berries and soft white wheat berries. This blend will work in almost any baked good recipe, and will remove the worry of using exactly the right wheat berry for whatever you’re making. The only thing I wouldn’t use this blend for is bread, but it’s great for everything else.

How to use wheat berries and where to buy wheat berries

Wheat berries can be used lots of different ways and (thankfully) are becoming easier to find in stores. Some great options for using wheat berries include;

• Cooking wheat berries like rice
• Milling wheat berries into flour
• Sprouting wheat berries to add to salads and soups
• Puffed and used as a cereal (although this is tough to do at home)
• Flaked and added to granola bars or cooked like oatmeal

Some great places to purchase wheat berries would be at your local specialty/natural food supplier, at some bulk food stores like restaurant supply stores, from local farmers and growers (you might be surprised what’s grown and available right in your neighborhood!), or online. My favorite source for bulk wheat berries is Azure standard. I can’t purchase wheat berries anywhere else for even close to the price of Azure.

Choosing the right wheat berries: What wheat berries should I buy as a beginner miller?

My best advice to brand new millers is to keep it simple. If I were starting my milling journey all over again, I’d start with three basic wheat berries. This gives variety and some options to try out right off the bat, but isn’t so much that it’s completely overwhelming. My advice would be to choose one wheat berry in three categories; choose a hard wheat, a soft wheat, and something fun/extra to play around with (an ancient grain would be great).

This allows you to use the hard wheat for breads, the soft wheat for pastries, and the ancient grain for anything else. My personal choices in these categories for a beginning miller would include;

1. hard white
2. soft white
3. barley

Another great lineup option would be;

1. hard red
2. soft white
3. einkorn

Simple, basic, but covers (pretty much) all your bases.

What wheat berries should I use in cookies?

Many folks advise using soft white wheat in cookie dough. Although that advice isn’t wrong, I find better success when I use a harder wheat in cookies. Any ancient grains are a great option, like spelt, einkorn, kamut, or–my personal favorite for cookies–barley. Hard red and hard white are also great options for cookie dough.

Choosing the right wheat berries: What wheat berries to use in muffins

I stick almost exclusively with soft white wheat berry flour to use in muffins. That’s just because that’s what seems to work the best for me. Other great options for muffins would include spelt, einkorn, and kamut. Just avoid using hard wheat flour in muffins, which would result in a dense and gummy texture thanks to the strong gluten potential in hard wheat.

What grain mill makes the best flour?

In the market for a grain mill? In a nutshell, these are the mills I’ve personally used and recommend:

1. The Classic Nutrimill is great for making bulk flour at a great price point. (Code “soulyrested” to save cash!)
2. The Harvest Mill wins for most beautiful to sit on your counter. (Code “soulyrested”)
3. The Impact Mill is a great for folks who are new to milling and is by far the most affordable & compact mill! (Code “soulyrested”)
4. And the Mockmill is a beautiful workhorse that wins for best engineered, best at milling alternative grains, and the best at producing great flour, every time, but it also sits at the highest price point.

More information about wheat berries and fresh milled flour:

• Why I started milling my own flour
• Sourdough with fresh milled flour
• Fluffy 100% whole wheat dinner rolls with fresh flour (recipe)
• Wheat berries: everything you need to know
• The ultimate guide to choosing a grain mill

Pin this for later!

The post Choosing the right wheat berries: a guide first appeared on Souly Rested.

But I quickly realized another amazing reason I love owning a grain mill is because of the variety of things I can turn into flour. Alternative grains then entered the picture.

I quickly started learning all about alternative grains and the amazing nutrition they can provide. Not to mention if you or some of your family members can’t eat gluten, alternative grains just might be a lifesaver for you.

Why use alternative grains?

Nobody in my family is gluten free. Yet, I find myself with a nice stock of all sorts of alternative grains that I routinely mill into flour. Why, you ask?

1. Because they’re nutritious. Yep. By now most people who have followed me for a while aren’t surprised to hear me talk–yet again–about how nutritious fresh milled flour is. And if I have a chance to add more delicious and nutritious variety into my diet, why would I say no?
2. For variety. Yeah, I know. If you’re like me, you already have tons of “variety” filling buckets upon buckets in your basement. Do we really need more variety? Maybe not, but it sure is fun to mill new grains all the time and know I have so many interesting and full-flavored grains at my disposal.
3. Because they’re gluten free. I’m not gluten free, and nobody in my immediate family is gluten free. However, I love knowing that if a friend comes over who doesn’t tolerate gluten I can whip up tasty snacks for them at a moment’s notice.
4. They’re more sustainable. Who knew? Alternative grains like millet, quinoa, sorghum and others can take less water, fertilizer and other resources to grow, which is better for the soil.

How to use alternative grains

Like all grains, alternative grains can be used in a variety of ways.

• Alternative grains can be cooked as a whole grain and used like rice or in side dishes
• They can be milled into flour
• Some alternative grains (like amaranth and quinoa) can be popped for a fun and unique snack
• They can be cooked and eaten like oatmeal
• Cooked grains can be a fun and tasty salad or soup topping

There are really endless creative, yummy ways to incorporate healthy alternative grains into your diet.

What are alternative grains?

Essentially, alternative grains are non-wheat grains, legumes and seeds that can replace traditional grains like wheat. Alternative grains can be a great way to eat gluten free, get variety in your diet, and just enjoy the robust flavor of interesting grains.

Which alternative grains should I use?

There are so many options for gluten free and alternative grains that it can be hard to choose which ones to use. Let’s go over the most common options and what they’re best used for.

• Chickpeas–One of my favorite uses for chickpea flour is an alternative to cornstarch. Chickpea flour is a great thickener, but it’s also a great option for making homemade pasta and baked goods. Also known as garbanzo beans, chickpeas are completely gluten free.  Shop chickpeas.
• Oats–Naturally gluten free, oats are a great option for flour that behaves similarly to wheat flour. In my experience, oat flour makes the best gluten free cookies with a nice chewy texture.
• Buckwheat–Strong-flavored and great for pancakes, crepes, and other baked goods, buckwheat flour is great pared with flavors of cocoa, maple, or fruit. Buckwheat is a gluten free seed. Shop wholegrain oats.
• Sorghum–With it’s natural molasses-y flavor, sorghum flour is amazing for homemade graham crackers, molasses cookies, or gingersnaps! Sorghum is gluten free. Find organic grain sorghum.

• Amaranth–Fun to pop but also great as a flour, gluten free amaranth is usually best mixed with other flours in baked goods due to it’s dense texture. Purchase amaranth here.
• Rice–Rice flour is great for dusting bannetons, although its gummy texture makes it better suited for mixing with other alternative grains in baked goods. Rice flour absorbs lots of moisture. All types of rice are naturally gluten free. Find my favorite organic rice here.
• Quinoa–Like buckwheat, quinoa is a very strong-flavored, gluten free grain, especially in flour form. It’s best used with chocolate or other strong flavors that will somewhat “hide” the quinoa flavor. Shop quinoa.
• Teff--Similar to quinoa, teff is a tiny grain with strong flavor. Teff flour is used to make a special Ethiopian flatbread but can also be used in other baked goods like muffins and pancakes. Teff is gluten free. Find teff here.

How to make gluten free flour at home

This gluten-free blend offers enough structure for most baked goods while remaining rather neutral in flavor. Replacing the oat flour with rice flour is also a great, mild-flavored option but will change how the flour hydrates. (You may need to add more moisture in your recipe.) Also keep in mind oats must be sourced carefully to make sure they’re gluten free as oats themselves are gluten free naturally, but they’re very often processed with other grains, leaving them contaminated.

This is my go-to recipe for homemade gluten-free flour:

• 1 part chickpea flour
• 1 part oat flour

Use this blend in recipes as normal, to replace either wheat flour or store bought gluten-free flour. My favorite way to make oat flour is to mill oat groats through my grain mill, but blending rolled oats is a great option too.

Need a grain mill?

These are the 4 I recommend:

• The Classic Nutrimill does a great job, at a low price point. (Use code “SOULYRESTED”)
• The Impact Nutrimill has the lowest price point of any grain mill on the market (code “SOULYRESTED”)
• The Nutrimill Harvest Mill wins for most beautiful to sit on your counter. (Use code “SOULYRESTED”)
• And the Mockmill is a beautiful workhorse that wins for best engineered, best at milling alternative grains, and finest flour, but it also sits at the highest price point.

More about alternative grains:

• Wheat berries: everything you need to know
• The ultimate guide to choosing a grain mill
• Why I started milling my own flour
• Tips for using fresh milled flour (with Lisa Bass)
• How to use a grain mill

Pin this for later!

Click on the image below to pin this post.

The post All about alternative grains first appeared on Souly Rested.

For all I knew it was an exotic fruit.

Fast forward to today and I’m writing an ultimate guide to wheat berries, I no longer buy flour from the store, and I bake a lot of my family’s bread products from scratch with fresh flour I mill from whole wheat berries.

Funny how life goes. But I’m glad it’s always full of great surprises.

Fresh flour is definitely one of them. Dive into my free e-course about fresh flour here.

What are wheat berries?

So what are wheat berries?

Wheat berries are the whole kernels of a wheat plant, with the husk removed. If you walked into a wheat field, shook the stalk until the kernels fell into your hand, and removed the husks that surround the wheat berries, you’d have a handful of whole wheat berries.

Officially, a tiny wheat berry is actually made up of 3 parts (more about why each part is important below):

1. The endosperm makes up roughly 80%.
2. The germ makes up about 5%.
3. The bran equals roughly 15%.

Are wheat berries a superfood?

Every single wheat berry is a superfood package, made up of three parts:

1. The endosperm is mostly starch, with a small amount of protein and a little bit of vitamins and minerals.
2. The germ is essentially the “embryo” of the wheat berry, meaning it’s the part that can sprout into a plant under the right conditions. The germ is rich in B vitamins, high in protein, full of many minerals, and contains healthy fats.
3. The bran is the outer “skin” of the wheat berry, and it’s extremely high in fiber, other vitamins, and loaded with antioxidants. The bran makes up about 14% of the wheat berry.

What are wheat berries good for?

My favorite use for wheat berries is grinding them into nutritious flour. For the full story, I explain here why I started milling my own flour. But wheat berries are also great cooked whole and used like rice, sprouted and added to salads and sandwiches, puffed and used as cereal, added to soups or stews in place of barley or rice, or even flaked like oats and used in oatmeal, breads, or granola bars.

There are basically endless uses for wheat berries!

Can I eat wheat berries every day?

Given that wheat berries are powerhouses for vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, healthy fats, and protein, not only are you able to eat wheat berries every day, but your body would thank you!

It is worth noting that some folks can feel bloated or get a stomach ache if they eat too many whole wheat products in a day if their body isn’t used to them.

As with anything, start slowly and ease your body into eating a diet packed with whole grains.

I know my family and I feel great when we focus on adding lots of whole grains into our daily diet.

Do wheat berries go bad?

As long as wheat berries are unmilled and stored in a cool, dark, airtight place, they can last 30 years or longer. They really don’t ever go bad.

How long do wheat berries last?

That bran we were talking about earlier? It creates an amazing outer coating, which protects the more sensitive parts inside the berry (the endosperm and the germ). The bran keeps the wheat from going bad.

Once wheat is milled, that’s a whole different story. Fresh milled flour is more nutritious the sooner you use it after milling it. Once the outer bran is shattered (milled), the inside of the wheat is exposed to air and oxidizes, quickly loosing nutrients.

What wheat berries should I use to make flour?

Pretty much any type of wheat berry can be ground into flour, but you’ll want to use the right kinds of wheat for certain baking projects. There are three main choices you have when purchasing wheat berries. Keep reading for the full explanation.

What’s the difference between the different wheat berries?

This is maybe the most common question I get about fresh milled flour… and I get it… I understand why it trips people up when they are trying to decide what wheat berries to grind for what kind of baked good. There are essentially 3 variables you want to understand if you want to choose a perfect wheat berry for each job.

Understand if you should use a hard or soft wheat berry, a spring or winter variety, and red or white berries. Let’s break each of these variables down right now:

1) Hard wheat berries vs. soft wheat berries

Hard wheats have higher gluten potential than soft wheats.

Gluten is the protein that you want to develop in bread doughs to create soft, light loaves (but, sidenote, you don’t want to develop gluten in baked goods like cakes or muffins or they’ll be gummy).

Hard wheat berries should be used for:

• breads,
• yeast rolls,
• soft pretzels &
• artisan breads

Essentially, if you’re making something with yeast (or with a sourdough starter that you’re using in place of yeast), you’ll want to use hard wheat varieties.

Develop that gluten, friend!

If, on the other hand, you’re making something that doesn’t have yeast, and you want it to be soft, light, and fluffy, you’ll want to use softer wheat varieties.

Soft wheat berries should be used for:

• muffins,
• cakes,
• brownies,
• pastries,
• crackers &
• other baked goods

Generally, for breads and things using yeast to rise, grab hard wheat berries. For pastries and other tender baked goods, use soft wheat.

Pro tip: if you’re baking and unsure whether to use soft or hard wheat, a great go-to is a 50/50 blend of white hard and white soft wheat, which creates an all-purpose flour substitute.

2) Spring wheat berries vs. winter wheat berries

This one simply comes down to how the wheat is grown. Winter wheat is sown in the fall, grows (slowly!) through the winter and is harvested in the spring of the following year. Spring wheat, on the other hand, is sown in the spring, grows through the summer, and is harvested that same year, in the fall.

The confusing thing here is that spring wheat technically has higher gluten potential than winter wheat does, yet most bread bakers prefer winter wheat. This is because the gluten produced using spring wheat will be more tender, touchy and easily broken, whereas the gluten developed using winter wheat will be stronger and better able to withstand mixing and being handled.

Generally, for breads and yeasted things that you want to develop strong gluten, grab winter wheat berries. For things you’d like more soft and tender that don’t use yeast, use spring wheat.

Having said all of this, I should clarify two things: 

• The difference between spring and winter berries is minimal, so you really don’t need to stress over this too much.
• Your supplier will, most likely, only disclose this variable if you’re dealing with a local farmer or a high-end, fancy distributer.

3) Red wheat berries vs. white wheat berries

Most folks explain the difference between red and white wheat berries as saying that red wheat has a stronger flavor and white has a more mild flavor. But I personally don’t really love that explanation, because both taste amazing, just in different ways.

Another misconception is that red wheat is healthier than white wheat, but they’re nutritionally very similar.

Red wheat berries do tend to have a more “wheat-y” taste, due to being higher in tannins than white wheat, but many varieties of red wheat are more accessible for many folks and are often a good bit cheaper. And, in my experience, red and white wheats taste very similar.

In fact, I prefer the deeper flavor of red wheat in some recipes. Sometimes the flavor of white wheat comes across is too bland for me.

In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with either red or white wheat varieties.

If you’re just starting out with wheat berries and milling your own flour, I always recommend you go ahead and start with white wheat to give your tastebuds more time to adjust to the flavors of whole wheat. But once you’re in love with the rich, full-bodied flavor of whole wheat products, I wouldn’t be surprised if you find yourself favoring red wheat over white for it’s more robust flavor profile.

Generally, choose red wheat varieties when you’d like strong, robust flavor of the wheat to shine, and white wheat when you’d like the wheat flavor a bit more mild.

How and when to use ancient grains

Now that we’ve covered hard vs. soft wheats, spring vs. winter, and red vs. white, let’s talk about ancient grains. In my opinion, they’re in a category of their own and deserve as much love as the other guys.

For me personally, the ancient grains that I keep within reach are:

• spelt
• einkorn
• barley
• sorghum &
• kamut

Each ancient grain needs to be treated a little differently.

Spelt, einkorn, and kamut are great for breads. But keep in mind that they tend to be lower in gluten than modern grain varieties. I often add vital wheat gluten to my bread when I’m using any of these grains to help my bread rise better. (Find my favorite vital wheat gluten here.) But all three of these are also great in any baked goods as well as bread.

Barley and sorghum are great for baked goods. Sorghum has a bit of a sweet, graham-like flavor that’s great in cookies or homemade graham crackers. Barley is very mild and amazing in any baked good where you want the flavors of the cookies to shine more than the flour. Neither of these are good in bread products that require yeast.

Can you buy wheat berries at the grocery store?

I personally have never seen wheat berries at the grocery store, and if I did ever come across them I assume they would only be available in small bags. If you’re hoping to grind all your own flour, buying wheat berries in bulk is truly the only way to go.

I personally purchase all of my wheat berries, ancient grains, and alternative flour options (like dent corn and chickpeas) from one source. Azure Standard. Find out more about Azure right here.

If you don’t want to wait for an azure drop or don’t have one near you, you can order wheat berries online.

Do you need to “clean” a home grain mill after making flour?

Check the owner’s manual that comes with your mill for specifics, but in general my mills just need a quick wipe-down. But the best tip I can give you for mill “maintenance” is to run some rice through the mill (again, check your owner’s manual to make sure this is okay). The rice will clean out any traces of flour inside and then you can use the rice flour you make as a dusting flour for your baking needs. I keep my discarded rice flour in a mason jar on my counter for just this purpose.

For lots more tips and insider insights, listen in as Lisa Bass and I talk all things fresh flour: Simple Doesn’t Mean Easy podcast, episode 102

How to turn wheat berries into flour

If you’re just getting started on your fresh flour journey, using a high powered blender or food processor can work for a while. But I honestly don’t recommend it. My fear is that the coarse flour and the headache of grinding it will both deter someone from ever truly pursuing making their own flour.

If you’re going to continue grinding wheat berries into flour, you’ll really want a great home mill. My ultimate guide to choosing a grain mill can help you decide which one is best for you.

But in the end, turning whole wheat berries into flour is as simple as grinding them! And, just like that, you have the most nutritious flour in the world at your fingertips.

In a nutshell, these are the three mills I’ve personally used and recommend:

1. The Classic Nutrimill does a great job, at a low price point for milling large amounts of grain at once.
2. The Nutrimill Impact is the lowest price point grain mill on the market, and it’s very similar to the Classic.
3. The Harvest Mill wins for most beautiful to sit on your counter.
4. And the Mockmill is a beautiful workhorse that wins for best engineered, best at milling alternative grains, and the best at producing great flour, every time, but it also sits at the highest price point.

P.s. If you’re interested in a Nutrimill, code “SOULYRESTED” will save you cash!

More information about wheat berries and fresh milled flour:

• Why I started milling my own flour
• Tips for using fresh milled flour (with Lisa Bass)
• Fluffy 100% whole wheat dinner rolls with fresh flour (recipe)
• Kamut chocolate chip cookies (recipe)
• The ultimate guide to choosing a grain mill

The post Wheat berries: everything you need to know first appeared on Souly Rested.

Chocolate chip cookies with some nutrition on the side? Yes please!

I’ve spent a while tweaking this recipe and coming up with pretty-darn-near perfection of my favorite dessert in the world. But be sure to read the tips after the recipe for lots of suggestions of ways you can tweak this recipe yourself and even how to change up some of the ingredients.

But definitely make these cookies with fresh flour, if you’re able. Fresh flour adds variety, nutrition, taste, and even cost-savings to everything you make in the kitchen.

Is rye flour healthier than all-purpose?

So now, without further ado, let me rock your chocolate chip world just a little…

Chocolate Chip Cookies Made With Fresh Flour

There are some unique ingredients here, don’t let that deter you. See lots of great substitutions, that everyone has on hand, in the tips below.

Ingredients

1 cup butter at room temperature

1/4 cup maple sugar (see notes)

3/4 cup turbinado sugar 

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups of fresh-ground rye flour (my rye wheat berries)

1/2 tsp salt (i always use this one & code SOULYRESTED saves $$)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 egg + 2 egg yolks

2 cups chocolate chips (I love these chips)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine butter, sugars, and vanilla in mixer bowl. Beat on high about 4 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking soda.
4. Add flour mixture to butter mixture a little bit at a time, while mixer is running, turning off to scrape down sides when needed. Beat together for another 4-5 minutes.
5. Wisk egg and extra yolks in small bowl and add that, again, while mixer is running, and continue beating another 1-2 minutes.
6. Reduce mixer speed to low and add in chocolate chips.
7. Drop dough by small scoop fulls, 1 inch apart, and bake for 10 minutes or until just starting to turn golden.
8. Let cookies finish baking on warm tray, on counter, until try has cooled to touch, then transfer cookies to cooling rack.
9. Store at room temperature for a week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Tips for Making Cookies With Fresh Flour

• If you find your cookies are spreading out and too thin, simply prechill dough for at least 30 minutes.
• If you don’t have maple sugar, feel free to substitute brown sugar or (even better) date sugar. If you’d like to learn how to make your own all-natural maple sugar, you’d love my in-depth master class.
• I choose to use rye flour to complement the natural sweetness of a decadent chocolate chip cookie, but feel free to experiment with other varieties of fresh flour as well (and let me know what you try in the comments!). Another great option is Soft White Wheat.
• If you happened upon this recipe but don’t yet have a grain mill or access to freshly-milled flour, you can still use this recipe, substituting refined flour for the rye. But definitely go here to learn about the how easy it is to start milling your own (oh-so-nutritious!) fresh flours: FREE e-course about Milling Your Own Flour (how & why).
• I like using the heavier grain of turbinado sugar to complement the rye in this recipe. If you’re using refined flour, cane sugar is just as good. (It’s also fine, of course, to use cane sugar with the rye fresh flour.)
• Feel free to use a little less chocolate chips, I add a little more than “necessary.” Also feel free to swap 1/2 cup of avg size chips for chocolate chunks or (the best option!) chop up a high-quality 72% cacao bar.
• You can use any salt for delicious results, but up the mineral content of everything you eat with this amazing salt. Use code SOULYRESTED for 15% off your entire order, anytime.
• Go here for more details about my favorite ingredients in my pantry and how I choose which I’ll use in which recipe.

Other Articles & Resources You’ll Love:

Why I Started Milling My Own Flour

The Tools I Love the Most in my Farmhouse Kitchen

My 7-page Pantry Checklist

How & Why to Mill Your Own Fresh Flour

Aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands. I Thessalonians 4:11

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