Milling fresh flour at home allows you to enjoy the superior flavor, nutrition, and freshness of whole grains compared to store-bought flour. This guide covers the essentials of milling flour, including equipment, grain selection, milling process, storage, and tips for success. Bookmark it or Print it out so you can have it handy in the kitchen.
Why Fresh Milled Flour
When I tell others I mill my own flour, they either look at me like I have three heads or I am living in the stone ages haha. I do live in the country and have a farm but we can’t grow wheat here in Florida. If we could, I definitely would be growing it! After many years of being sick, I turned to fresh milled flour. My gut was a wreck and lacking so much nutrition. Contrary to what is being said (even with functional doctors), real wheat straight from the field is so good for us.
• Nutrition: Fresh milled flour retains the grain’s bran, germ, and endosperm, preserving vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats that degrade in commercial flour. I’ll discuss more on the nutrition of real wheat down below.
• Flavor: Whole grain flour has a nutty, robust taste.
• Customization: Control grain blends, texture, and freshness.
The Kernel of Wheat
Sometimes called the wheat berry, the kernel is the seed from which the wheat plant grows. Basically, each tiny seed contains three distinct parts that are separated during the milling process to produce flour.
Endosperm
The endosperm comprises about 83 percent of the kernel weight and is the source of white flour. The endosperm contains the greatest share of protein, carbohydrates and iron, as well as the major B-vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin and thiamine. It is also a source of soluble fiber.
Bran
Bran makes up about fourteen and a half percent of the kernel weight. It is included in whole wheat flour and can also be bought separately. The bran contains a small amount of protein, large quantities of the three major B-vitamins, trace minerals and dietary fiber — primarily insoluble.
Germ
Germ is about two and a half percent of the kernel weight. The germ is the embryo — or sprouting section — of the seed, often separated from flour in milling because the fat content (10 percent) limits flour’s shelf-life. The germ contains minimal quantities of high quality protein and a greater share of B-complex vitamins and trace minerals. Wheat germ can be purchased separately at stores and is part of whole wheat flour.
Whole Grains vs. Refined Grains
Whole Grain Benefits
- Whole grains offer a “complete package” of health benefits, unlike refined grains, which are stripped of valuable nutrients in the refining process.
- As stated above, all whole grain kernels contain three parts: the bran, germ, and endosperm. Each section houses health-promoting nutrients. The bran is the fiber-rich outer layer that supplies B vitamins, iron, copper, zinc, magnesium, antioxidants, and phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are natural chemical compounds in plants that have been researched for their role in disease prevention. The germ is the core of the seed where growth occurs; it is rich in healthy fats, vitamin E, B vitamins, phytochemicals, and antioxidants. The endosperm is the interior layer that holds carbohydrates, protein, and small amounts of some B vitamins and minerals.
These components have various effects on our bodies:
- Bran and fiber slow the breakdown of starch into glucose—thus maintaining a steady blood sugar rather than causing sharp spikes.
- Fiber helps lower cholesterol as well as move waste through the digestive tract.
- Fiber may also help prevent the formation of small blood clots that can trigger heart attacks or strokes.
- Phytochemicals and essential minerals such as magnesium, selenium and copper found in whole grains may protect against some cancers.
Refined Grains
The invention of industrialized roller mills in the late 19th century changed the way we process grains. Commercial milling strips away the bran and germ and leaves only the soft, easy-to-digest endosperm. Without the fibrous bran, the grain is easier to chew. The germ is removed because of its fat content, which can limit the shelf life of processed wheat products. The resulting highly processed grains are much lower in nutritional quality. Refining wheat creates fluffy flour that makes light, airy breads and pastries, but the process strips away more than half of wheat’s B vitamins, 90 percent of the vitamin E, and virtually all of the fiber. Although some nutrients may be added back by fortification, other health-promoting components of whole grains such as phytochemicals cannot be replaced.
Do you ever buy flour that says “Enriched” Flour? Well, don’t. The word enriched just means they have added synthetic forms of the nutrients back into the flour. The millers did this because people were getting sick from having a B1 (Thiamine) deficiency called Beriberi. That was an illness that affected both the cardiovascular and nervous system. Pellagra, a vitamin B3 (Niacin) deficiency, was a horrible skin disease. Specifically, they both lead to death back then. This all started happening in the early 1900’s when the millers decided to remove the bran and the germ from the flour. It was and still is sold to pet and livestock feed companies for an ingredient in feed.
We shouldn’t be consuming altered food. Eating real food like fresh fruits, vegetables, grass-fed meat and nutrient dense grains (straight from the field), is what God gave us to consume. This is why I started milling my own flour 14 years ago. Wheat is a near perfect food.
(taken from my ebook, Make Simple Sourdough Bread)
Choosing Grains
Wheat
Hard Red/White Wheat: High protein (12-15%), ideal for bread.
Soft Wheat: Lower protein (6-10%), best for pastries, cakes, etc.
Durum: For pasta or semolina.
Non-Wheat Options
Rye: Dense, tangy flavor for sourdough.
Spelt: Nutty, slightly sweet, easier to digest.
Corn: For cornbread or tortillas.
Oats: For baking or oatmeal (hull-less varieties).
Buckwheat: Gluten-free, earthy flavor.
The above pages are taken from my ebook: Make Simple Sourdough Bread (using freshly-milled flour)
Sourcing
Accordingly, buy from local farms, co-ops, or reputable suppliers (e.g., Azure Standard, Guardian Grains, Sunrise Flour Mill, BreadBecker’s). Ensure grains are clean and free of debris or mold. I always buy organic/non-gmo grains. I even ask the farmer/company to make sure they are:
1. No Tillage: tillage breaks down the fungal network in the soil which is essential for raising fully self sustaining plants.
2. No Fertilizers either organic or synthetic.
3. No Seed Treatments
4. No GMO
5. No Insecticide
6. No Fungicide
7. No pre-harvest desicant
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Milling Your Own Flour
Learn How to Grind Your Own Flour
This post will show you exactly how to grind wheat and turn it into yummy nutritious flour.
Fresh Milled Flour Recipes
Here are a few recipes that have fresh milled flour in them. The breads I used hard white wheat and/or khorasan and the cakes I used fresh milled soft white wheat. Type “Wheat” in the search bar (to the right of this post) and you’ll find all kinds of recipes I make with fresh milled flour.
Watch The Video: Milling Your Own Flour
Storage
Whole Grains: Store in airtight food grade containers in a cool, dry, dark place (e.g., pantry or basement). Never store your grain buckets in the garage or a shed as they will attract bugs. Use this lid to prevent pantry bugs. Grains, left whole and intact, will last indefinitely. In fact, whole grains are the only whole food that does not have to be processed in any way before being stored. Some grain suppliers use either carbon dioxide or nitrogen gas when packing grains in buckets. This will ensure that the packaged grains are bug-free.
Fresh Flour: Contains oils from the germ, so it spoils faster than commercial flour. Just like an apple or an avocado turns brown, fresh milled flour goes through an oxidation process starting 48 hours after it’s milled. Mill your flour fresh every time you want to bake something. Alternately, you can mill the flour and freeze it for up to 14 days. This will ensure it retains the nutrients. Bring to room temperature before baking. Note the milling date and grain type on each container.
Where To Buy Grains
I have been a co-op leader for BreadBecker’s since 2016. We order 3x a year. If you ever get a chance to visit their store, I highly encourage you to go. It’s in Woodstock, GA and you’ll spend hours in there browsing through all of their goodies. If you are local to me, send me an email at [email protected] for more information on joining our co-op.
Because I bake year-round, sometimes I run out of my grains. I have found a few companies that I trust to fill in the gap until my next order is ready to arrive through BreadBecker’s. I have researched all of them and they meet my standards. All organic, non-gmo, no glyphosate, no fertilizers, and no pesticides. These family owned companies even have fresh milled flour. More about this down below.
Azure Standard – They sell 5lb bags to 50lb bags. Azure Standard also is a big organic grocery store and they deliver to a town near me every month. I hardly go to the big box grocery stores anymore.
Sunrise Flour Mill – (receive 20% off, no code needed)
Guardian Grains – (receive 15% off, enter code: lhsimpleliving)
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Which Grain Mill To Use
There’s a few grain mills I recommend. First, you have to decide if you would like an electric or manual one. I personally have an electric one but the manual one is on my list to buy. What if you had a power outage for a few days? I know for a fact I’d be lost without homemade bread lol.
Electric Grain Mills – I have the Wondermill and I’ve owned it for 13 years now. It works great and I have no complaints about it. This is the model I have HERE and I received this Harvest Mill (Use code: LHSIMPLELIVING for $20 off) recently that I’m really loving so far.
Manual Grain Mills – I know of two manual mills. The reviews are really good on both of them. The Country Living Manual Mill and the Wondermill Jr. are the two I recommend for manual mills. The Country Living Mill is the only hand-operated grinder on the market that utilizes two industrial-grade ball bearings. Many grinders use only one large bushing. Still, the Country Living Mill has two sealed ball bearings that are spaced apart. This increases the stability of the drive shaft and reduces bearing strain.
The Wonder Junior (I have this one) produces more flour per handle revolution than the Country Living Grain Mill. It does this for half the price too. The Wonder Junior gives you more options. It can mill several types of grains, nuts into nut butters, coffee, flax, and many other items. These are not possible in more expensive grain mills. Plus, it’s a good arm workout haha.
Can I Buy Fresh Milled Flour
You can, but you need to know a few things before you do. If you have a friend that mill’s their own flour, you can go pick up a bag from them the same day it’s milled. Just plan on either baking with it that day or freezing it.
There are some millers who use a Unifine Mill. It processes the entire bran, germ, and endosperm of the grain into a nutritious, whole-grain flour in one step. Instead of crushing or cutting the grain, the Unifine process uses a high-speed rotor with a single-pass impact system to instantly pulverize the kernels of grains, never subjecting them to the high temperatures common in regular grain milling. Using the entire grain without any heat means the valuable nutrients of ancient grains are retained, so the whole grain flours have longer shelf-life, better flavor, and more nutrition. In fact, Unifine flours are packed with many times the nutritional value than commercial roller-milled flours and stone ground flours — they contain almost four times as much dietary fiber, more than twice as much potassium, and three times as much magnesium.
Keep Reading
With the Unifine Milling process, the result is a texture lighter than traditional wheat flour, but with all the benefits of the whole grain and its natural oils. Unifine flours are ideal for fine-textured breads. Note that Unifine flours require a little more liquid than other flours, because the oil molecules remain intact.
Here are some of my favorite places to buy flour. Why am I buying flour if I mill my own? Basically, if we are going on a trip, instead of bringing my mill and grains, I just buy a 5lbs bag of flour and take it with me. It’s just as good as me milling it and it retains all the nutrition. Easy peasy.
Azure Standard – They sell 5lb bags to 50lb bags. Azure Standard also is a big organic grocery store and they deliver to a town near me every month. I hardly go to the big box grocery stores anymore.
Guardian Grains – (receive 15% off, enter code: lhsimpleliving)
Sunrise Flour Mill – (receive 20% off, no code needed)
Extra Tip
I always try my best to bring something that contains my flour in it for me to snack on when we are traveling. I love a good restaurant but I will pay for it when I get home if all I do is eat out. Being prepared keeps me satisfied. My go-to is making dinner rolls or hamburger buns and freeze them. They are perfect to just eat as a snack or I’ll serve them with something I’m making for dinner that night. We love staying in air bnb’s, allowing us to prepare our own meals. If you stay at a hotel and eat their breakfast, just bring a roll and make an egg sandwich with it.
Tips For Success
Start Small: Mill only what you need for a recipe to ensure freshness.
Experiment with Blends: Combine grains (e.g., 70% hard wheat, 30% rye) for unique flavors. My favorite loaf bread recipe is 50% hard white wheat and 50% khorasan.
Adjust Recipes: Learn how to substitute all-purpose flour with fresh milled flour in your favorite recipes. Type “FLOUR” in the search bar on my website for all kinds of recipes using fresh milled flour.
Baking Tip: Make sure your yeast is fresh. When you combine it with water, it should be nice and bubbly. This is my favorite yeast I use.
Maintenance: Regularly check your mill for wear, especially burrs or stones, and follow manufacturer cleaning guidelines.
Sourcing Local Grains: If you’re in a rural area, connect with local farmers or grain co-ops for fresh, regional grains.
Closing
I hope you found this beginner’s guide helpful and you feel encouraged to start milling your own flour. Even if you aren’t ready to take the plunge, keep this guide handy and start with the fresh milled companies I shared with you. I know you will be starting your journey into real whole wheat nutrition soon and your family will love it. Tag me over on Instagram when you start making bread. I’d love to see how you are doing. You can also email me at [email protected] if you have any questions.
Resources:
https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w23730/w23730.pdf
https://nutritionsource.hsps.harvard.edu/whatshouldieat/wholegrains
The history and processes of milling
Wang J, Chatzidimitriou E, Wood L, Hasanalieva G, Markelou E, Iversen PO, Seal C, Baranski M, Vigar V, Ernst L, Willson A, Thapa M, Barkla BJ, Leifert C, Rempelos L. Effect of wheat species (Triticum aestivum vs T. spelta), farming system (organic vs conventional) and flour type (wholegrain vs white) on composition of wheat flour – Results of a retail survey in the UK and Germany – 2. Antioxidant activity, and phenolic and mineral content. Food Chem X. 2020 May 4;6:100091. doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2020.100091. PMID: 32420543; PMCID: PMC7215096.
www.wholegrainscouncil.org
The Essential Home-Ground Flour book by Sue Becker
Medical Disclaimer:
The content on our website is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice. It is also not intended to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician. All readers/viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Wendy Walker, NTP (Little House Simple Living) and the publisher of this content do not take responsibility. This applies to any health consequences that might occur. It applies to any person reading or following the information in this educational content. All viewers of this content should consult their physicians. This is especially true for those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications. They should do this before beginning any nutrition, supplement or lifestyle program.
Wendy Lea Walker, NTP
Nutritional Therapy Practitioner
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