Fresh flour: tips for success

Last Updated on February 26, 2025 by Michelle

It’s no secret that fresh flour is becoming popular. In fact, in my research for this post, I was shocked to find that web searches for fresh milled flour categories are HIGHER right now than they were in 2020. That’s wild.

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

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

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

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

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

Why should I use fresh flour?

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

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

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

How to get started with fresh flour

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

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

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

How to make fluffy bread with fresh flour

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

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

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

Heavy duty mixer great for bread dough. Use code SOULYRESTED to save $$.

bosch mixer shop — A more affordable, yet still heavy-duty mixer. Use code “soulyrested”

Add fat & sweetener to your doughs. My favorite way to make super fluffy sandwich bread, rolls, and cinnamon rolls is by making a brioche-style dough. Adding extra fat and sugar to the dough makes a softer end product.
Experiment with adding a tangzhong to your doughs. Tangzong has been a game-changer for my fresh milled flour products. Basically, a tangzhong is a method of cooking a small amount of your flour with milk until it creates a thick paste. This creates a much softer end result. It’s basically magic, if you ask me. My basic tangzhong “recipe” is 1/3 cup whole milk with 2-3 tablespoons of fresh milled flour, whisked together in a sauce pan over med-high heat until it thickens into a paste. Add that to your regular bread dough (that amount would be good for 1-2 sandwich loaves worth of dough), and watch the magic.
Knead your doughs well. Even sourdough. There’s a common misconception about fresh flour doughs that they’re delicate and can easily be over-kneaded. But I personally have yet to over-knead a dough. In fact, I’ve found that making sure I knead my dough for long enough has made a big different in the gluten development in my doughs, and therefore makes my bread better. I’ve found that it takes longer to properly knead fresh milled doughs and develop gluten than it would with store bought flour doughs. Knead that dough, baby.

Fresh flour tips for baked goods

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

For muffins, cakes, cookies, and other baked goods, try adding 1.5-2 times the amount of baking powder than a recipe calls for. This will help your baked goods get better rise and have a better texture.

Make sure your flour is milled finely enough to not make your baked goods gritty. If you’re struggling to get a certain kind of grain filled finely, try using a different type. As an example, Einkorn tends to produce very fine flour, while Kamut tends to stay a courser texture. Especially for more delicate baked goods like puff pastries, cakes, or shortbreads you really want to make sure your flour is nice and fine. Alternatively, read more about reasons you might want to sift your flour here.

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

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

Thoughts about fresh flour tips

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

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

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

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