When I first started out with fresh milled flour, I wanted to know the cost of milling my own flour.

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

Fresh flour: is it worth it?

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

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

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

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

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

Why mill your own flour?

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

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

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

My top reasons for milling my own flour include:

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

Cost of getting started with fresh milled flour

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

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

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

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

Cost breakdown to start milling flour

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

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

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

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

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

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

Is fresh milled flour worth it?

Alright, here’s the nitty gritty.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Does fresh milled flour save money?

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

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

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

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

Quick reference of store bought flour versus fresh milled flour

How long until a grain mill pays for itself?

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

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

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

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

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

When fresh milled flour might NOT be worth it

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

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

More about fresh milled flour

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

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

There are a lot of nuances of fresh flour that make it very different to bake with than commercial flour. Which is good. It should be different.

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

How to Use a Grain Mill

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

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

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

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

Fresh Flour University

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Tips for using a grain mill

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

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

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

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

Why do I need a grain mill?

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

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

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

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

But, unfortunately, nothing for our bodies.

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

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

How to use an impact grain mill

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to use a stone grain mill

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

Using a stone grain mill is really easy;

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

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

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

How to make flour with a grain mill

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to use the Nutrimill Harvest grain mill

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

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

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

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

How to use the Nutrimill Classic grain mill

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

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

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

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

How to use the Nutrimill Impact grain mill

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

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

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

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

How to use the Mockmill 200 grain mill

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

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

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

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

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

How to clean a grain mill

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

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

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

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

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

Using a grain mill for gluten-free flour

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

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

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

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

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More like How to Use a Grain Mill:

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

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

Freezing wheat berries is, apparently, a hot button topic. When I share why I NEVER do it, I seem to make some people mad. So don’t get me wrong, if you want to freeze your wheat berries, go for it. But hear me out first… some of the reasons I never freeze my wheat berries…

Freezing wheat berries

Once upon a time, I purchased two bags of refined flour whenever I needed to replace my pantry stash.

And I thought that was bulk food storage.

These days, I have 19 large, 5-gallon buckets (and counting) in my basement. 

They’re full of wheat berries.

So when I get peppered with questions about storing wheat berries, I’m thrilled to answer them. These are the same questions I had when I started milling my own flour and storing wheat berries.

So, should I freeze wheat berries?

Let’s talk about it.

Storing wheat berries long-term

First, let’s cover the basics.

“Wheat berries” are grains that haven’t been milled yet, and are kept intact in their whole kernel form. Once wheat is milled, that exposes the oils inside the wheat to air, which begins the process of degrading the wheat (flour).

However, kept in their whole form, the bran on the outside of the wheat berries protects the oils inside, meaning wheat berries can last indefinitely. (Seriously, we’ve found grains of wheat in ancient tombs that are still viable!)

What you need to store wheat berries

If you’re looking to store wheat berries long-term, you’re going to need a few things:

1. First of all, you need wheat berries to store. Opt for high-quality wheat berries from sources you trust. If you’re curious, I find that roughly 35-40 pounds of wheat berries will fit in each 5-gallon bucket. If you purchase 50-lbs of wheat berries at a time, you’ll need to store the remaining 10-15 pounds of grains in another bucket or other containers.
2. 5-gallon buckets. You can find these just about anywhere, from Lowe’s to Tractor Supply, to Amazon. Just make sure they’re food-grade and opaque.
3. Good lids. Trust me here, the cheap-o lids you can purchase alongside the 5-gallon buckets just aren’t going to cut it. To protect your grains for long periods of time, opt for high-quality lids with air-tight seals.

Can I store wheat berries in glass containers?

Yes, but don’t plan to store wheat berries long-term in glass. This is because glass allows light in, which breaks down your grains faster. If you’re looking to avoid plastic all together, you can grab stainless steel storage bins, but they’re definitely an investment. 5-gallon buckets it is for me and my grains.

My wheat berry storage system is simple: I store all of my bulk grains in my basement, in 5-gallon buckets with sealed lids. I also store a glass jar of each type of grain upstairs in my pantry, in smaller quantities that get used first and more quickly.

Does freezing wheat berries kill bugs?

Technically, yes. Freezing wheat berries does kill most bugs, larvae, or eggs that might be in your wheat berries. However, there are some considerations…

First, you’ll need to make sure your wheat berries are kept below 0 degrees F for at least 3-7 days. Anything less and you very well might be left with cold, damp wheat berries and also still have bugs. Keep in mind that freezing in thicker layers (think 50-lb bag of wheat berries) will meal you’ll need even more time to make sure the middle of the bag of wheat reaches below 0 for at least 3 days.

Second, ask yourself why your wheat berries have bugs in the first place. Most wheat berries bought from reputable sources won’t have any issues with bugs. Purchasing cheaper wheat berries to save a few bucks might not be such a great idea if they come with pesky bugs.

(Technically, almost all grains have bugs of some kind. Usually microscopic and a normal part of life, these can grow into outbreaks if farmers don’t maintain the correct environment. I know it’s kind of gross, but it’s true. The goal is to control the bug/larvae population and keep them at the microscopic, non-issue level.)

Thirdly, IF there are bugs or eggs in your grains, freezing will kill them, but it won’t remove them. You’ll still have remnants of bugs, eggs, and anything else they leave behind in the wheat you’re feeding your family.

Freezing wheat berries to make bread

Let’s be real, making bread with fresh flour is already a learning curve. 

If you freeze your wheat berries before storing them, there’s a good chance you’re messing with the moisture levels of the grain, which can make bread baking with fresh milled flour even tougher. This study looked at how rapid change in moisture levels impacts wheat, and, as a result, the bread made with that wheat. 

Technically, given that gluten forms after flour is introduced to water, freezing your wheat berries shouldn’t impact the gluten structure of your bread too much.

However, introducing moisture (freezing and thawing) your wheat berries can change the balance of moisture in your grains, which can change how those grains mill, what your resulting flour is like, and how your dough hydrates. All of these things will impact how your bread turns out. Best case sicario, you might have inconsistent results. Worst case, your grains will be so impacted that your bread actually doesn’t rise as much.

Not to mention, grains that are frozen/thawed have a chance of harboring mold, mildew, or (funny enough), pests.

Given that I’ve stored grains for over a decade without a single pest issue, I personally just don’t find the risks of freezing wheat berries worth it.

Do farmers freeze wheat berries?

Consider the fact that farmers often store wheat berries in silos and unheated warehouses before packaging and shipping out grains. This means that, technically, grains could have already been frozen before you received them.

The main distinction here is that most (reputable) farmers test and track the moisture levels of grains before they sell them. In order to preserve well, grains should have a moisture level of 13.5% or less. If a farmer probes (tests) grains that are higher moisture than that, they’ll dry the grains until they reach the proper moisture levels.

At home, freezing/thawing wheat berries doesn’t have the same level of control and steps of testing that farmers utilize.

You could easily be eating moldy grains, gum up your grain mill, or change how your bread turns out. All just from freezing your wheat berries.

If you’re curious, this article summarized that freezing temperatures in grain silos didn’t even kill bugs.

Heat, don’t freeze wheat berries

If you’re truly concerned about bugs in your wheat, consider actually heating them instead of freezing them. 

You’ll still need to be very careful doing this, as you’re still messing with the moisture levels of your grains. Try heating your grains at a steady 140 degrees F for at least 15 minutes, then allowing them to cool before putting away.

Learn more about the effect of heating grains to kill bugs here.

Why I don’t freeze my wheat berries

Obviously, everyone needs to do what they’re comfortable with. But at the end of the day, the risks of freezing wheat berries aren’t worth the reward for me personally. Here’s why.

• I don’t have the freezer space. When I’m purchasing grains, it’s always in 50-lb quantities, and often several 50-lb bags at a time. I simply don’t have the freezer space to hold all of those grains at once.
• I’m concerned about mold growth in damp wheat berries. I don’t trust myself to make sure the grains are fully warmed to room temperature and dried before storing them away.
• I order grains from sources I trust, and I leave the moisture levels of my wheat berries to the experts.
• I don’t want to gum up or damage my pricy mill with possibly too-moist grains. That’s an expensive mistake.
• I’ve never had an issue not freezing them. Not to mention, since my grains are stored in individual buckets with airtight lids, even if I did have some form of “outbreak” it wouldn’t spread far. I’d simply have one bucket of impacted grains to deal with, and I’d move on.

More about wheat berries & fresh milled flour:

• How to store wheat berries 101
• Which wheat berries to use (a simple guide)
• Wheat berries for sourdough bread
• Wheat berries: everything you need to know

The post Should I freeze wheat berries? first appeared on Souly Rested.

I’ve been milling my own fresh flour for almost a decade. But it’s only been for a few years now that I’ve been making bread my family actually wants to eat.

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

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

Sandwich bread with fresh milled flour

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

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

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

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

Sandwich Bread made fresh milled flour changed everything

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

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

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

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

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

Why use fresh milled flour to make bread?

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

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

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

Learn about why I mill my own flour here.

Which wheat berries should I make bread with?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What IS a pullman bread pan?

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

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

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

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

What’s a tangzhong?

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to make a tangzhong

To prepare your tangzhong, you’ll need:

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

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

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

While your tangzhong cools, start mixing your bread.

The Best Sandwich Bread with Fresh Milled Flour

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

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

Then add the cooled tangzhong and these ingredients:

• 1/2 cup spelt flour (60 grams) 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons butter (read below)

Instructions:

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

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

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

Print

Best sandwich bread with fresh milled flour (pullman pan)

Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients

For the Tangzhong

• 6 TB milk
• 2 TB hard red flour

For the dough

• 2 cups hard red flour 260 grams
• 1 cup durum flour 145 grams
• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 ½ TB vital wheat gluten

To add with the Tangzhong

• 1/2 cup spelt flour 60 grams
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons butter read below

Instructions

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

Notes

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

What I Use to Make this Fresh Flour Sandwich Bread

The grain mills I recommend

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

More fresh milled flour info:

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

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

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

If you’re wondering how to easily and successfully ferment food, you’re in the right place… it’s officially called lacto fermentation, and it’s also officially easy, if you just have a simple kitchen scale, the right salt, and if you know this basic method I’m going to show you.

How to Ferment Food

I’ve been fermenting our garden surplus for years, but this is also a great way to preserve any bits of leftover raw veggies you have that you bought at the store or farmers market and are lingering in the the recesses of your fridge.

I just put my final jar of fermented cherry tomatoes away for the winter, so I thought I’d sit down and walk through the steps with you. While I’m showing you my tomatoes, know that you will follow this same process for any vegetable.

Fermenting fruit

You can also ferment fruit (in fact, I LOVE fermented fruit), but you follow a different method. Go here for:

Fermenting blueberries

Fermenting peaches

Fermented pears

But the recipe below focuses on fermenting vegetables.

Can I make fermented food at home?

Everyone can make fermented food at home. It’s much easier than you think, as long as you know the right details. Fermentation preserves food by changing the sugars that naturally occur in the veggie into organic acids. And you do that by using the right amount of the right salt (both details are very important… read on for more).

Also feel free to add spices and herbs if your fermenting recipe calls for that.

How does fermentation work?

Salt keeps all the bad microbes from being able to grow on your vegetables and spoil them. Even better, salt promotes the growth of the good bacteria that produce lactic acid. Lactic acid is the secret sauce of fermented food. It’s the magical conversion of sugars to acids.

And lactic acid helps with cancer prevention (ref.), decrease in cholesterol absorption(ref.), and reduction of food allergies (ref.).

And we know that butyric acid–the main energy source for the good bacteria in our gut–is produced while food ferments. ( source )

But that’s not all! Fermentation makes the nutrients that are present in vegetables available, a process called “bioavailability.”

A stark difference from canned vegetables, fermented vegetables retain all their nutrients and vitamins. In fact, their nutritional value increases! ( source )

You see, during fermentation, microorganisms are creating amazing nutrients, like vitamin C, B group vitamins (including the famous B12), and vitamin K.

Does fermenting add nutrients to your food?

Best-selling author, Kristen Shocke explains everything you want to know about fermenting on episode 185 of my show: the Simple Doesn’t Mean Easy podcast.

How to ferment vegetables

How to make a ferment brine

The brine concentration you should use for vegetables depends on the type of vegetable.

Today, I used 4% brine. My tomatoes weighted 41 oz, so that meant I added 1.7 oz of salt. (I measured that out. It was 3 TB.)

 

Can you use tap water for fermenting food?

• Filter it… Use a water filter, such as a charcoal filter or a filtering pitcher, to remove chlorine. 
• Boil it… Bring the water to a rolling boil for at least 20 minutes to allow the chlorine to evaporate. But make sure you let it cool completely before using it for your ferment. 
• Let it sit… Pour the tap water into a bowl and leave it out on the counter overnight to allow the chlorine to naturally evaporate from the water. 

How to make fermentation lids

All you need, in a fermentation lid, is to have a way to keep the bugs out but let the air in. I personally love this fermenting kit that works so nicely with any mason jar. The lid allows the brine to bubble out and the good bacteria in the air to get into my ferments, but it also keeps the bugs out.

Print

How to Ferment Vegetables

Instructions

• Clean your vegetables.
• Weigh your vegetables, then multiply that number by the percentage of brine you want to make (1.5-5%)
• Place veggies in jar.
• Add salt.
• Fill your jar with filtered water and shake gently to agitate the salt to start dissolving.
• Place weight on vegetables, to keep them under the brine. (I use this.)
• Place fermentation lid on jar. (I use this.)
• Let sit for at least 3 days, at room temperature.
• Taste daily. When it tastes the way you want, remove weight (or spring) and fermentation lid, add a high-gauge stainless steel lid that won't corrode from the brine, and place in fridge.

What you need to ferment food

More about Fermenting Food

How to ferment peppers

How to ferment cauliflower

How to make kombucha with a SCOBY

Adding nutrients to your food by fermenting (listen)

The post How to ferment food first appeared on Souly Rested.

I’ve been making ginger tea for years, with many different variations, but this is the exact recipe I always come back to.

This Ginger Pear Tea is quite possibly my favorite homemade tea blend I make. And I make a lot of homemade tea blends.

Ginger Pear Tea Ingredients

3 TB dried pears (I freeze dry organic pears)

3 TB black tea blend 

1 tsp anise 

1 tsp dried ginger root

1 tsp cinnamon chips

1 tsp zinnia petals (optional, see notes below)

Instructions for making Ginger Pear Tea

1. Blend 5 ingredients together by hand in a bowl. 
2. Scoop 1 heaping TB of tea blend into a tea strainer (like this one). Place strainer in a mug and fill mug with hot water. 
3. Let steep for 3-5 minutes. Add sweetener if desired, and enjoy.

Bulk Batch of Ginger Pear Tea

Once you’ve made a small batch and enjoyed a few cups of this tea, you’ll want to mix this larger batch. It almost fills a quart jar. I store all my homemade tea blends in mason jars in a dark cabinet with these lids. The heavy duty seal helps the teas stay fresh and they taste delicious for years.

1 cup dried pears (I freeze dry organic pears)

1 cup black tea blend

5 TB anise 

5 TB ginger

5 TB cinnamon chips

5 TB zinnia petals (optional)

Notes about making Ginger Pear Tea

• I add zinnia for appearance and medicinal benefit. The almost flavorless petals doesn’t change the taste at all. I grow my zinnia, and 15 other plants, in my medicinal drink garden.
• In place of anise (I grow my anise), you can use licorice root–cut and sifted is fine–but I like licorice root chips better. Could also use fennel.

Print

Ginger Pear Tea Blend

Ingredients

• 3 TB dried pears I freeze dry organic pears
• 3 TB black tea blend
• 1 tsp anise
• 1 tsp dried ginger root
• 1 tsp cinnamon chips
• 1 tsp zinnia petals optional, see notes below

Instructions

• Blend 5 ingredients together by hand in a bowl.
• Scoop 1 heaping TB of tea blend into a tea strainer (like this one). Place strainer in a mug and fill mug with hot water.
• Let steep for 3-5 minutes. Add sweetener if desired, and enjoy.

More tea blends you’ll love:

• Make a tea that tastes like coffee!
• Make a black tea blend that tastes like Lipton!
• Make a Masala Chai blend
• Everything you need to know How to Make Tea Blends

The post Easy Ginger Pear Tea first appeared on Souly Rested.

Wheat berries can be confusing. Knowing what wheat berries to use for every baking project will eliminate overwhelm. And, believe it or not, it will also help your breads, cakes, pastries, and anything you make with fresh milled flour turn out even better.

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

Which wheat berries to use

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

Fluffy cakes? Check.

Chewy cookies? In the bag.

Fluffy bread? Done.

Speaking of bread…

What wheat berries to use for bread?

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

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

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

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

Which wheat berries should I use for sourdough?

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

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

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

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

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

What flour should I feed my sourdough starter?

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

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

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

Which wheat berries are best to make cake?

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

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

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

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

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

What wheat berries to use for cookies and brownies

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

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

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

Best wheat berries to use for pie crust and other pastries

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

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

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

Which wheat berries make the best pasta?

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

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

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

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

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

Where to buy whole wheat berries

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

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

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

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

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

Should I buy organic wheat berries?

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

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

Pin this so you have it when you need it!

More about wheat berries and fresh milled flour:

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

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

Lemon desserts are always a hit in my house, but these delicious Lemon Bars, made with fresh milled einkorn flour and fresh squeezed lemons are on the top of the list.

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

Lemon Bars With Fresh Flour

INGREDIENTS

2 ½ cups (350 g) einkorn flour, divided

1 cup butter, cubed

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

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

6 eggs

1 cup lemon juice

Confectioner’s sugar (optional)

DIRECTIONS

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

Notes about baking Lemon Bars with fresh einkorn flour

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

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Lemon Bars with Fresh Flour

Ingredients

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

Instructions

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

Notes

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

Ingredients I use to make Lemon Bars

More fresh flour recipes and resources you’ll love

Fluffy dinner rolls made with fresh flour

Copycat Crumbl Strawberry Pretzel cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies made with fresh kamut flour

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

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

How long does it take for a freeze dryer to pay for itself? I’ve been wondering this, so I decided to do the math, and I was SHOCKED.

We’ve owned this freeze dryer for 5 months. I’ve freeze dried everything from leftover meats to bone broth to pumpkin. We’ve eaten a lot of our efforts and still put away 302 quarts of food. Yes, I actually counted.

• What has it cost us to freeze dry 302 quarts of food?
• How much electricity have we used to freeze dry 302 quarts of food?
• Have we made back the cost of our freeze dryer after 5 months of using it?

Read on for the answers to these questions and more…

How long until a freeze dryer pays off?

I’m not going to make you read my whole cost benefit analysis to fish for the answer. I’ll just straight up tell you… I was SHOCKED. I truly thought it would take years to recoup the costs of buying and running a freeze dryer, but I figured the convenience would be worth the wait. Boy was I wrong.

We made back the full cost of our freeze dryer in 3.38 months. Less than 4 months! What!??? I couldn’t believe it. So I triple checked my math. And it’s true.

A few caveats:

1. I’m of course estimating. I am not an engineer or a math freak. I did not keep documentation of every piece of food I purchased, or the cost of every seed I planted or any fertilizer I spread on my garden. I didn’t monitor the electric usage with every batch or account for any food that I “messed up” with my learning curve as a new freeze dryer owner.
2. I am not adding in the cost of my vacuum sealer for jars, but it was cheap and it’s recharageable.
3. I’m not adding in the cost of 10 new trays I purchased so I could have 2 batches in prep and ready to go in the freeze dryer if I wanted to, but these are standard cookie trays and I can use them in the kitchen too, not just my freeze dryer (one thing I really love about my Large freeze dryer unit.)
4. I’m not adding in cost for food storage. I use mason jars and the canning lids that come with them (they reseal again and again). I did use some mylar bags that came with my freeze dryer, but I haven’t purchased any of those. I’m sure those would skew my savings a lot, but I don’t plan on using many mylar bags. I like the ease of mason jars much better.

Even so, the numbers are amazing. Even if my estimations are skewed and off by a large percentage, even if you personally won’t freeze dry so much food in your first few months or even if you personally won’t find organic, high-quality produce on clearance (honestly, I get most of mine through Azure Standard. Find out more about that option–and how to save $$ if you want to try it–here.)… I think my simple cost analysis and my humble attempt at estimating how long it takes for a freeze dryer to pay for itself proves that everyone should find they’ve recouped their costs in well under one year.

Then everything–all the deliciously preserved snacks, meals, meats, and bone broth–costs you only a few dollars per load.

It’s like you’re saving hundreds of dollars every time you run your freeze dryer.

Not to mention what you’re saving in wasted food, if you’re big on freeze drying left overs like I am.

My freeze dryer paid for itself in 4 months

I know the idea of owning a freeze dryer is daunting. I’ve been there. But for me? My freeze dryer has quickly become one of my favorite tools I own to help me keep my pantry filled with the best food possible.

I’m literally BEGGING you to stop buying expensive snacks. Not only because they’re expensive but guys they’re loaded with ingredients that are wreaking havoc on your body.

Buy a freeze dryer instead.

Here’s my cost analysis on the 9 quarts of deliciously addictive banana chips I preserved last week…

Cost analysis of how a freeze dryer will pay for itself in less than a year

Here’s the story of how I saved almost $180 on our favorite healthy snack.

Last week I spent $3.65 on many large bunches of ripe bananas that I found on the clearance cart in my local produce section (most of them organic). 

I made 9 quarts of freeze dried snacks. 

If I bought this many freeze dried banana slices? It would cost $176.43. I spent $0 on packaging and storage (I reuse mason jars and lids and have a simple vacuum sealer I bought years ago–find it here). And we can liberally enjoy a truly healthy snack anytime, cracking open a new jar whenever we want, all winter long.

Of course we also have jars of freeze dried peaches, pears, apples, blueberry cubes, and plenty of (totally NOT nutritious) skittles and sweet tarts.

I’ve only done the math on the bananas, but I’m pretty sure, based on that, my 302 quarts of food I freeze dried over the past five months (yes, I seriously just went and counted them) have saved me well over $5,000 comparing my cost to purchasing these foods freeze dried. Of course this isn’t taking into account the fact that when I own my own freeze dryer I can totally preserve food the way I want to, the way our family loves it (like our freeze dried tomato sauce), with the exact seasoning and measurements we love… this is food we simply couldn’t buy anywhere else, no matter what the price tag.

Yes, a freeze dryer is worth the investment

With my $3.65 worth of bananas, I saved $19.20 per quart compared to if I bought them at Vitacost. (If I was going to buy them, these are the ones I’d buy.)

I spent about $86 in electric running my freeze dryer over the past 5 months and roughly $12 in oil changes.

Adding in my very rough estimate of food costs I might have spent about $220.48 total expenses for my 302 quarts of food.

Comparing my preserved food, roughly, as best I could, to purchasing similar food, my beautiful jars of snacks, meals, and bone broth are  valued at $5,920.21. 

Take a second and let that sink in.

Almost $6,000 worth of food that will last for well over 2 decades in perfect condition, ready for our family whenever we want or need it. 

Yes, oh yes indeed, I’ve have been won over. I’m convinced that a freeze dryer will pay for itself in well under a year’s time and it is very much worth the investment.

The post How long until a freeze dryer pays off? first appeared on Souly Rested.

Salted Maple Caramel Sauce makes the world a better place. I’m pretty sure there aren’t many plates of baked goods, bowls of ice cream or yogurt, or mugs of tea or coffee that aren’t improved by a few tablespoons of this tastes of heaven.

I can personally attest that this caramel sauce made with all-natural maple syrup, is delicious.

How to use Maple Caramel Sauce

I love to use this maple caramel sauce:

• on cinnamon rolls,
• in a cup of tea,
• drizzled over cookies or ice cream, and
• (my favorite) added generously to a latte.

Not much better than a Salted Maple Caramel Latte if you ask me.

Salted Maple Caramel Sauce

Dive in and make some of this today… your world will be better for it.

I wouldn’t joke about something so good…

Ingredients for Salted Maple Caramel Sauce

1 cup maple syrup

2 TB butter

 1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 tsp Redmond salt

Directions for making Salted Maple Caramel Sauce

1. Boil maple syrup in a medium-sized saucepan with pretty tall sides (it will bubble up a LOT) until a candy thermometer reads 225. (Don’t let it reach the softball stage.)
2. Turn off the heat and add in butter, stirring until it’s all melted.
3. Add cream and salt and stir, just until all mixed.
4. Store in a glass jar in fridge for many weeks.

Notes about Salted Maple Caramel Sauce

• A good candy thermometer is necessary to get this right, but they’re not expensive and they’re handy to have in the kitchen. This is a good one.
• If you choose a pot that’s not quite big enough and your maple syrup bubbles treacherously close to the top of your pan (trust me, it happens quickly!), don’t panic. Have a piece of butter ready to toss in your pot. The bubbles will instantly recede. It’s a simple sugarmaking trick (more about how to make your own maple syrup here) that works every time.
• This caramel sauce is delicious on cinnamon rolls, in a cup of tea, drizzled over cookies, ice cream, yogurt, and (my favorite) added generously to a latte. Not much better than a Salted Maple Caramel Latte if you ask me… iced and hot, both delicious. 

The post Caramel Sauce (Easy Recipe With Maple Syrup) first appeared on Souly Rested.