I’ve been milling wheat into flour for over a decade.
Why Make Your Own Flour?
REASON #1 TO MAKE FLOUR – IT IS SO HEALTHY
“Of the 44 known essential nutrients needed by our bodies and naturally obtained from foods, only 4 are missing from wheat–vitamin A, B12, and C, and the mineral iodine.” – Sue Becker (Source)
Does this not rock your world?
There are only a handful of superfoods that can basically sustain life.
Freshly milled wheat is one of them.
When you grind whole wheat berries into fresh flour you have a food that is magical.
In addition to providing an excellent source of fiber, protein, iron, several vitamins, and minerals, when you grind the wheat berries for immediate use as flour, that flour contains 40 more nutrients than store-bought, bagged flour.
Bagged flour has a multitude of problems-
- Bagged flour is virtually void of nutrition. Flour begins to oxidate immediately after being ground. After as few as 3 days, ground flour loses almost all of the vitamins and nutrients.
- Bagged flour is processed. Without some sort of preservation process, flour goes rancid fairly quickly. In order to sustain shelf-life, the flour sold in stores must be stabilized.
- Bagged flour has edible parts removed. Again, in order to increase shelf-life, the oily parts of the berry are removed, thus removing some of the most significantly healthy components of the grain.
Beginning with whole wheat berries and grinding them yourself is the best way to obtain flour.
What are Wheat Berries?
If you were to walk out into a field of wheat, pick a stalk and shake the head, what comes out are the wheat berries. They are whole, unprocessed, and fantastically pure.
Wheat berries are the edible part of wheat kernels, and include the germ, bran, and endosperm of wheat. One of the qualities that make the wheat berry so different from other foods is that the berry is the seed and the fruit of the wheat plant.
Since wheat berries have not been processed, the berries retain all of the grain’s vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.
If properly stored, wheat berries can last for decades. While ground flour loses nutrients and shelf life relatively quickly, wheat berries basically do not expire.
Wheat berries are the little kernels of goodness that you will be obliterating into fluffy flour to make all things ‘bread.’ I use fresh-milled flour for just about everything I bake. If a recipe calls for “flour” I usually reach for the fresh-milled stuff.
There are literally dozens of grains available for sale. Once you break into the world of grinding grains it is amazing how many options there are. Rye, corn, rice, barley, oats, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, lentils, dried beans, seeds, and even nuts. It is hard to believe that the grocery store sells “flour” when there are so many different types of flour that can be made.
REASON #2 TO MAKE YOUR OWN FLOUR – SELF SUFFICIENCY
Did you know that right after Walmart ran out of toilet paper and hand sanitizer in the spring of 2020 they ran out of flour?
It’s true.
One day we will be telling our grandchildren about the flour shortage in 2020.
When you make the switch to grinding your own flour you are no longer dependant on the local store to supply your food. When volatile times happen, you can smile knowing there are 200 pounds of wheat safely stored in your closet.
What is even better is that whole grains basically never expire. If they are kept in a cool, dry environment they will keep for decades.
You only need 2 things to start grinding flour today
- A mill
- Some wheat (whole berry)
GET A MILL
The home grain mill is the appliance that will obliviate tiny hard wheat berries (also called kernels or grain) into fluffy warm flour.
You can use a hand crank model that uses elbow grease or you can get an electric one. The electric models are more expensive but worth every penny. They will do all the hard work for you AND will produce a finer, softer flour for your baking. Finer flours make the lightest, fluffiest, softest breads.
Some folks use blenders and coffee grinders to mill wheat into flour, but I can assure you that this approach is not a long-term solution.
Although these appliances may be able to ‘pulverize’ hard grains into smaller pieces – they can not create the ultra-fine flour desired for baking the softest, lightest bread.
Furthermore, when you use an appliance that is meant for smoothies for grinding kernels, it is going to take its toll on the apparatus.
A high-end, electric grain mill will run you about $200 and is well worth the investment. I’ve been using mine since 2007 and it produces a super fine flour perfect for making bread. My favorite is the Nutrimill. All about my favorite mill here. Buy one just like it here.
BUYING WHEAT BERRIES
I love the array of options available once you have a grain mill.
In the stores, they sell “flour.”
On planet earth, there are literally dozens of grains that can be used to make flour. Once you own a grain mill, you can grind whichever grain suits you.
There are a couple of basic categories in the wheat world.
Hard or Soft
Hard wheat generally contain more protein and gluten and are great for making yeast breads (loaves, rolls, buns)
Soft wheat is whiter, lighter, and softer. It is great for pastries, cakes, muffins, scones or any soda bread. Soft wheat does not work well for loaves or yeast breads. It does not have a high enough gluten content.
Red or White
Red or white wheat berries refers to the color of the wheat. Hard red berries are darker and nuttier in flavor.
White white berries are lighter in color and produce a lighter, loaf.
Spring or Winter
Spring or winter refers to the growing season of the wheat.
GETTING STARTED
If you are just getting started, you can get by with 2 simple wheat berries –
- Hard White Wheat – For the first-timer, white is what I would choose. If you can’t find any white, red will do just fine. White will just be more like what you are used to eating.
- Soft White Wheat – Soft wheat berries make the perfect flour for delicate baked goods. Biscuits are a prime example of why God made soft wheat. No other flour will cooperate in a biscuit. Trust me, I’ve tried.
Where on earth does one buy whole wheat berries?
Walmart is the easiest answer. No clubs. No co-ops. No minimum orders. If you want all the gory details about where and how and why I get my wheat berries from a semi at a truckstop in 50-pound bags go here.
If you just want to get some grain to mill… now… I’d try Walmart. I am beyond impressed with Walmart’s growing selection of organic & nonGMO foods. If you visit their website & search for wheat berries you should find several options. Hard white is my favorite for baking & yeast breads. Soft white is a pastry flour that works for quick breads. Soft white will not work for buns, breads or anything with yeast.
Some Walmarts even stock whole wheat berries right on the shelf in the store. Other Walmarts don’t carry whole grain in the store but you can still get some; just scoot over to Walmart’s website you can order whatever you want and pick it up at your local store for free.
HOW TO START GRINDING!
Grinding wheat berries could not be easier. If you know how to grind coffee beans, you can grind wheat. It is the same.
Pour the grains into the hopper, turn on the mill, and fresh flour will shoot out the bottom.
That’s it!
Once you have that warm, perfect flour you can start crafting the healthiest baked goods in the world.
How to Store Wheat Berries
As long as you store wheat berries properly, they can stay fresh for decades.
Store wheat berries in a cool, dry place in an air-tight container with a well-fitting lid.
I store mine in food-grade 5-gallon buckets with gamma-seal lids in our basement.
PRESERVING NUTRIENTS
I usually grind as much flour as I need for baking that day. Once your flour is made into baked goods, the nutrients are preserved. You do not need to worry about the bread, muffins, pancakes or pastries losing vitamins and nutrients.
How to Store Fresh Flour
Once grains have been milled into flour, the oxidation process begins. Because freshly milled flour loses nutritional content so rapidly (in as little as 72 hours) it must be baked into food (which preserves nutrition) or kept in cold storage.
In order to get the most nutrition from fresh flour –
- Keep room temperature 1-2 days (although the nutrients begin to oxidate as soon as the wheat berry is ground, so if you aren’t going to use it that day – refrigerate it or freeze it)
- Keep in refrigerator up to one week
- Keep in the freezer up to 6 months
I never store flour in the refrigerator. I always put any extra flour in the freezer in a container with a tight-fitting lid (or zip-top bag).
Here are some of my favorite recipes for fresh flour:
- How to Make Bread With Fresh Flour
- Homemade Slider Buns
- Pizza Crust
- Doughnuts
- Flour Tortillas
- Homemade Pasta
- Homemade Crackers
- Iron Skillet Apple Pie
Fresh flour has filled our lives with so much goodness. It has given us health. It has given me traditions to pass down to my children. It has given us meals, celebrations, and so many memorable family dinners.
Here’s some more information on freshly milled flour that may be helpful:
How to Grind Flour on the Cheap
Bread Making Supply List – What You Need, Where to Buy, What it Costs
Electric Grain Mill – An Introduction
You Should Grind Your Own Flour – 4 HUGE Reasons
Congratulations to all of you getting started in the world of fresh flour. I know you are going to have fun and improve your diet. I can’t imagine my kitchen without a grain mill.
Seriously thinking about investing in some breadmaking, lifechanging, kitchen tools?
Go HERE first. You should consider a membership here. You’ll get an inside look at store-bought bread and flour. You’ll have instant access to the entire bread-making course. You’ll get hundreds of awesome recipes that work with fresh-milled flour.
I think a grain mill and a bucket of wheat berries is a fantastic addition to any kitchen or homestead. You will be able to produce one of the healthiest foods on the planet. You will be prepared should there ever be a flour shortage. You will have a new self-sufficient skill to add to your resume!
Happy milling,
Candi
