Hi Andrew. I mill my own flour, bake whole wheat bread, scones, other desserts with slight adjustments. Before milling I was always weighing my flours, regular and gluten free. Still seems odd not to weigh fresh milled flour but it doesn’t work the same. I just lightly spoon the flour into my measuring cups. Sometimes have to add extra liquid to adjust for the flour density. Having issues using my bread machine as well, machine over works or not at all. I know, but I love my bread machine.
Also, your recipes include measurements for flour weights but doesn’t work for fresh milled flour. And I’m so wanting to make some of your bread recipes. Looking forward to your fresh milled flour classes. Any hints to try before then? Thanx for your dedication.
I guess what I’m doing is equating say, a cup of all purpose, store bought flour weighs about 250gms. But a cup of fresh milled flour weighs differently. My very first loaf of bread using milled flour turned into a brick. I weighed my flour to the specs of a store bought flour. Quickly learned that was not the right thing to do. At that time could not find any info on how much a cup of fresh milled flour weighs. Gave up on that. I’m getting it now. The light bulb is getting much brighter!
My other question is, is all-purpose flour (I’m assuming it’s store bought) the same as milling soft wheat berries? My desserts call for all purpose flour. I just spoon soft wheat flour into measuring cup for amount needed and have not had really any issues. All has turned out fluffy. Can soft wheat be used as all purpose for bread baking?
I think you are noticing the difference between the *grains* that make up the flour and not the flour itself. It sounds like the flour you are making needs more water than the one that you used to use. That's a difference in the *absorption rate* of the flour, not the fact that it has been freshly-milled. I'd recommend mixing 100g of the reliable flour and the % of water in a reliable recipe (ie, if it is 75% hydration, use 75g water). Then add enough water to 100g of your freshly-milled flour to arrive at something with a similar consistency. That will tell you the % difference (ie, if you need 80g water, you want to add around 5% more water than any recipe calls for).
Hello hello! Writing you with lots of loafy love from Chicago. I'd like to sing the praises of Brian Severson Farms in Dwight, IL (https://qualityorganic.net/). They grow heirloom, organic, non-GMO grains and everything is stone-ground on-site. All of what they offer is so flavourful and fresh and always makes for incredible eating. I haven't sifted through (lol sifted) the glut of glorious information you've already shared, but a handy chart with interchangeable whole grain flour options (ex: if you're using AP flour, use this much of it and this much water. if you're using whole wheat flour, use this much of it and this much water...etc).
Not like that, to my knowledge! But I spent most of the pandemic in my home state of Michigan for family reasons, and I've only recently returned to NY. But I was lucky to be in MI for the rollout of a new milling operation in our mostly rural area. I'll probably use this via mail order to support them (and the products are really good).
It's in Zeeland (west side of the state). I bought from the New Mission Milling stand at the Holland Farmers' Market. They also process grain for Shady Side Farm, also in Holland; Shady Side sells spelt and einkorn flour and heirloom beans at the market.
I do have a home mill that I would like to use more. I've recently started using more rye flour in things other than traditional rye breads and am really enjoying it and would like to expand my use of other grains and learn more about adjusting formulas when using flours other than what is called for. A lot of my flour comes from Maine Grains in Skowhegan, Maine and Ground Up Grain in Massachusetts. I usually use the high extraction flour from Maine Grains as my "all purpose" flour and have great success with it. Looking forward to you home milling workshop!
Kathryn - the class will be fun, but fairly quick and dirty, with more focus on the cookies than the milling. More of an intro to people who have no idea of it rather than a comprehensive one. But I will do a more serious class of my own that is focused on milling at home and breads sometime soon afterwards.
Funnily enough I got into bread baking in part because I had access to excellent and unusual flours through the NYC Greenmarket. But they recently abolished their grain program. There is some flour available from individual vendors, and some stores (and of course mail order), but it's a big adjustment compared to seeing something new at the grainstand and taking it for a test drive. The enhanced degree of difficulty also makes it hard to stay motivated to bake, especially when there is so much good bread available in the city, but when I do throw together a loaf I love doing it (just baked the discard English muffin bread yesterday, my husband's favorite)!
I really like the idea of milling at home, but in an apartment with limited space, and less access to grain than I used to have, it's unlikely to happen soon.
Not exactly, but I think the logistics of coordinating with the various farms were challenging, and the nonprofit that runs the markets wanted out. Some people who worked at the grain stand tried very hard to keep it going, but the market group wasn't having it, for reasons I'm not clear on. I have put myself on a mailing list for this issue, started by the grain stand workers; I think the hope is to get some kind of storefront at some point, but I don't know how difficult it will be. There are about a gazillion vacant storefronts in the city right now, so this should be doable, but we'll see.
It's really depressing. NYC seemed to be ahead of the curve on this. You can still buy some of the products in some stores, but I haven't seen, say, Oland or Red Fife flour out there, and it was a lot easier to get grains, flour, and beans at a one-stop, in-person shop.
Hi Andrew and fellow Loafers! No home milling here. I can only add up to about 10-20% of WW before my daughter (and husband, TBH) feels like it's too much and stop eating voluntarily, but so my main source of WW input is the 10ish% that is standard in most basic/country sourdough loaves that I make (e.g. the Basic Sourdough from Tivoli Road Baker and Wordloaf's The Loaf 2.0). That said, I want to give a shout-out to Janie's Mill (https://www.janiesmill.com/), the local farmer-miller company that I ordered from in the early days of the pandemic when I couldn't get flour otherwise. They have a great story and are really doing good work and care about their home baker customers! Their whole wheat was amazing, and the high extraction flour has been great to work with as well (and also receives a warmer welcome from the family than other WW variations!). I would love to up my WW/high extraction consumption and order from them on a more regular basis! Along those lines, I purchased the baking books Southern Ground and Heritage Baking this year, both of which feature primarily using WW or high-extraction blends in their recipes, and look forward to trying more recipes from those books! So definitely am interested in the WW deep dive for this year! Hope everyone stays safe and healthy.
I do not mill my own flour. I have no desire to have another kitchen appliance, or more supplies that then require either storage space or a commitment to use before they go bad or pick up bugs. And I am not overly fond of most bread or other baked goods with too much whole wheat content. There, I said it. Am I going to get booted out of the group?
No judgment here! I do like whole grain things more than the rest of my family, but I doubt most of the things I've eaten in the past are 100% WW. I feel like it is a bit of an acquired taste and probably not enough is done most of the time to temper the bitterness (I think it can be taken down a bit with some added acid like citrus juice?, or using white WW or high extraction flour instead). And honestly, without adding more vital wheat gluten, the texture of regular fluffy bread is hard to recapitulate with high WW. It just gets crumbly. But I do love higher WW content breads with Nutella or other chocolatey spreads, I think it's a nice pairing! I think if you want to see if you can find recipes you might like more, I think they probably exist, but all bread is bread! You should make bread that makes you happy.
I’ve tried many, including those that use OJ. They don’t work for me. Get above about 20% WW and both the flavor and texture are such that I’d rather go without. (I’m super sensitive to all tastes bitter, which may have something to do with it.) As for your pairing suggestion: IMO, you’re wasting the Nutella if you put it on such a baked good. I’d be happier eating it off a spoon.
I totally understand where you’re coming from. It sounds like you’ve given it the benefit of the doubt many times, too! To be honest, 20% is still quite a lot of WW; whenever I get up to 20% in my sourdough loaves (sometimes accidentally, bad math), my family definitely notices and responds by letting me eat all of it by myself 😂. 10% is their magic ratio- it’s enough for me to really notice the flavor that it’s not all white flour, but everyone happily eats it! In my experience so far, switching to high extraction, white whole wheat, or spelt flour does help minimize the bitterness (i.e. I can sneak a little more in before anyone notices!), but that doesn’t solve the texture issue. I’ve played with vital wheat gluten in the past for whole wheat recipes, but not enough to confidently tell you that it overcomes the issue. Anyway, I’m here with you in the under 20% WW baking zone; it’s a delicious place to be! And I love your response about the Nutella, I think many/most people would agree with you on that one! I love it too, but I think I would have a hard time eating it straight, is so intense and sweet for me. That’s why works well for me on toast that has a more hearty profile to balance it out. Thanks for responding and for the conversation!
*Freshly milled* whole wheat actually tastes good, even to people who typically hate whole wheat (my mother, for example). I make fluffy rolls, chewy bread, pizza, muffins, pancakes with 100% whole wheat and it’s actually better than white flour! Home milling is kinda like joining a cult but it’s a fun cult 😂
Hey folks! I've been milling at home this past year, sourcing grain from local distributors when possible, but I'm often stuck ordering Great River Milling products on Amazon if I want more specific grains (i.e. hard red spring wheat or durum). Great River products are organic and work great, but I'd prefer to support a local producer in VT or Quebec -- super open to suggestions! Here in Montreal, La Milanaise has a variety of good stuff, but it can be difficult to find certain grains in quantities less than 50lbs.
Most of my milling has been for sourdough bread, but more recently I've started experimenting with pasta dough. I made fresh egg spaghetti using 100% fresh milled soft wheat, sifted to ~85% extraction. The flavour of fresh milled flour (even sifted) in pasta is so pronounced that it asserts itself as the star vs a vehicle for the sauce. I'm inclined to try a simple aglio e olio next time...
So in addition to sourdough bread (esp. with durum because I have like 20 lbs of berries), I'd be very interested in recipes for fresh pastas and complementary sauces, as well as pastries... especially things like laminated doughs and choux pastry using fresh milled and/or whole grain flour, cause I love a good challenge!
I'm excited to see what you're going to share around the use of whole-grain flours over the coming months. I've been home milling with a Mockmill for the past few months and have been loving the more intense flavors in my breads. I also use sifted flour from Ground Up Grain in Central Massachusetts. I'm always on the lookout for new ways to source interesting whole grains that aren't too prohibitive in terms of shipping costs. Luckily I live in the Boston area and so have relatively easy access to Elmendorf to pick up the grains that they feature.
I have recently purchased some flour from Ground Up myself! I haven't used it myself yet (as part of the purchase was for a larger Yankee Swap gift of some sourdough starter and flour) but am excited to try for sure!
I'll join the crowd and share my excitement for more whole grain content! I've been doing a series of test bakes with The Loaf, Loaf 2.0, and Loaf Classic incorporating more and more whole grains (hard white wheat and rye) in various ratios, and I feel like I'm still not really "getting" how they are changing my approach. I would say that hard white wheat had changed the way I think about the color and flavor of whole grain bread in a very positive way. Oh well, more testing :)
I don't home mill (yet), probably in large part because I live just a few miles from Grist and Toll, who I would recommend to anyone - https://www.gristandtoll.com/
Hi Andrew, I was gifted a Mockmill 200 for my birthday in Spring '21. Been making all of our naturally leavened bread for years and was surprised to learn and keep learning (!) what a game changer freshly milled flour is. I do sourdough and dried yeast depending on what I'm baking. Yesterday I made a 100% whole wheat challah with flax and quinoa from Uri Scheft's book, Breaking Breads. Pretty amazing.
I've made that Challah recipe as well, I loved it. Also tried a sourdough version which came out pretty well too. I heard he's opened a store in downtown Boston but haven't had a chance to check it out yet.
I was at Bakey for the first time in December. That's when I bought the cookbook. Stopped in for breakfast and ended up spending a lot of $$. Everything was amazing. Can't recommend it enough.
When you made the Challah, what ratio of flour did you use? I used 100% unfiltered freshly milled whole wheat.
I was at Bakey for the first time in December. That's when I bought the cookbook. Stopped in for breakfast and ended up spending a lot of $$. Everything was amazing. Can't recommend it enough.
When you made the Challah, what ratio of flour did you use? I used 100% unfiltered freshly milled whole wheat.
Despite living not far from there, and having the book, I still haven't made it to Bakey! I keep planning to, then I realize I already have bread here. Gonna try to go soon, though.
I buy all my flour and whole and cracked grain from Janie’s Mill which has already been mentioned here. I don’t mill my own but use the whole and cracked grain as additions to breads or as hot cereal or other edible. I just this morning baked two loaves of Seeded Schwartzbrot, a recipe from Mastering Bread by Claire Kopp McWilliams and Marc Vetri that uses JM’s Whole Kernel, Spelt and Dark Rye flours (all 100% extraction) in addition to sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
I make a version of your English Muffin Bread with 100% whole grains! I am wanting to get better and making full on 100% Irish whole grain breads, and am so looking forward to a class Ill be taking next month with Terri Ann Fox at River Run Ferments :D
I recently got a Mock Mill 200 and just baked off my first 100% fresh milled batard this morning. I sourced most of my berries from Breadtopia, and some from Barton Springs Mill. This bake was 50% hard white spring (sifted to about 70% extraction), 25% Rouge de Bordeaux (sifted to 85%), 20% spelt (unsifted) and 5% Ryman rye. I pre-fermented 10% of the flour. Pretty robust fermentation.The oven spring was a little less than I usually get, but nice crumb and incredible flavor.
I have a mockmill attachment to my KitchenAid and use it daily! I started feeding my starter Sir Bobby Farts-Alot with fresh milled whole grain flour every night and the dude just went off like there's no tomorrow! But, if you would only use freshly milled whole grain to feed your starter, I bet a coffee grinder would work for that too. I also add about 100g of freshly milled whole grain to my sourdough -- usually a mix of hard red & white wheat, rye, or sometimes Kamut or Triticale -- if I have those on hand. I've also used spelt and like the softness it gives the bread. I get those grains either from Breadtopia online or our local organic food store (Marlene's). My breadflour I purchase directly from Cairnspringsmills in Burlington, WA. It's a roadtrip that we combine with a brewery visit and growler refill. I buy 50lbs of flour and fill 3-4 growlers. :) Other than that, I also use my grains as whole cooked grains. I made a BLORF mix the other day :) = Barley, Lentils, Oatgroats, Rye, Farro. I stuck 150g of each into the pressure cooker and cooked them for 20 min - no salt, just water. It was awesome and totally versatile. Got the idea from nutritionfacts.org. Dr. Greger -- he makes a BROL = Barley, Rye, Oats, Lentils
It seems as if the attachment for the KitchenAid (in my case it would be a countertop Hobart which takes KitchenAid attachments) would be a good solution to having yet another appliance. My Hobart sits on the counter so that might be convenient. Sound like you’re happy with it — any reservations?
Only one: If I want to make a 100% whole grain milled loaf my KitchenAid would probably run hot million 500g. I haven't tried that. I usually only add 75-100g per loaf. My KA is 20 years old. We all run hotter the older we get! 🤣
My goal this year is to include some amount of whole grains (either in a soaker or flour) in every bake, including my pastry bakes. While I use commercial flour (mostly King Arthur), I also try to use locally milled grain whenever possible. Meadowlark Organics is a flour that has given me great results. I’ve also really enjoyed using some flour from Anarchy Acres, particularly the Turkey Red. Now though, Meadowlark is available at my local coop which I was thrilled to see so will be purchasing that on a more regular basis. The books Mother Grains and Grist have been huge inspirations recently.
Hi Andrew. I mill my own flour, bake whole wheat bread, scones, other desserts with slight adjustments. Before milling I was always weighing my flours, regular and gluten free. Still seems odd not to weigh fresh milled flour but it doesn’t work the same. I just lightly spoon the flour into my measuring cups. Sometimes have to add extra liquid to adjust for the flour density. Having issues using my bread machine as well, machine over works or not at all. I know, but I love my bread machine.
Also, your recipes include measurements for flour weights but doesn’t work for fresh milled flour. And I’m so wanting to make some of your bread recipes. Looking forward to your fresh milled flour classes. Any hints to try before then? Thanx for your dedication.
Cindy - what do you mean by "your recipes include measurements for flour weights but doesn’t work for fresh milled flour"?
I guess what I’m doing is equating say, a cup of all purpose, store bought flour weighs about 250gms. But a cup of fresh milled flour weighs differently. My very first loaf of bread using milled flour turned into a brick. I weighed my flour to the specs of a store bought flour. Quickly learned that was not the right thing to do. At that time could not find any info on how much a cup of fresh milled flour weighs. Gave up on that. I’m getting it now. The light bulb is getting much brighter!
My other question is, is all-purpose flour (I’m assuming it’s store bought) the same as milling soft wheat berries? My desserts call for all purpose flour. I just spoon soft wheat flour into measuring cup for amount needed and have not had really any issues. All has turned out fluffy. Can soft wheat be used as all purpose for bread baking?
I think you are noticing the difference between the *grains* that make up the flour and not the flour itself. It sounds like the flour you are making needs more water than the one that you used to use. That's a difference in the *absorption rate* of the flour, not the fact that it has been freshly-milled. I'd recommend mixing 100g of the reliable flour and the % of water in a reliable recipe (ie, if it is 75% hydration, use 75g water). Then add enough water to 100g of your freshly-milled flour to arrive at something with a similar consistency. That will tell you the % difference (ie, if you need 80g water, you want to add around 5% more water than any recipe calls for).
I’m getting it now. Thank you very much for explaining.
And who said we don't need math???
Hello hello! Writing you with lots of loafy love from Chicago. I'd like to sing the praises of Brian Severson Farms in Dwight, IL (https://qualityorganic.net/). They grow heirloom, organic, non-GMO grains and everything is stone-ground on-site. All of what they offer is so flavourful and fresh and always makes for incredible eating. I haven't sifted through (lol sifted) the glut of glorious information you've already shared, but a handy chart with interchangeable whole grain flour options (ex: if you're using AP flour, use this much of it and this much water. if you're using whole wheat flour, use this much of it and this much water...etc).
I don't mill at home but I do have a wonderful local mill, Baker's Field in Minneapolis, where I buy most of my flours. https://bakersfieldflour.com/#eat-together
I am envious!
do you have anything nearby?
Not like that, to my knowledge! But I spent most of the pandemic in my home state of Michigan for family reasons, and I've only recently returned to NY. But I was lucky to be in MI for the rollout of a new milling operation in our mostly rural area. I'll probably use this via mail order to support them (and the products are really good).
I am in Michigan. Where is this mill that you like?
It's in Zeeland (west side of the state). I bought from the New Mission Milling stand at the Holland Farmers' Market. They also process grain for Shady Side Farm, also in Holland; Shady Side sells spelt and einkorn flour and heirloom beans at the market.
Hope you're able to check them out!
I do have a home mill that I would like to use more. I've recently started using more rye flour in things other than traditional rye breads and am really enjoying it and would like to expand my use of other grains and learn more about adjusting formulas when using flours other than what is called for. A lot of my flour comes from Maine Grains in Skowhegan, Maine and Ground Up Grain in Massachusetts. I usually use the high extraction flour from Maine Grains as my "all purpose" flour and have great success with it. Looking forward to you home milling workshop!
Maine Grains is a great source for organic locally grown heritage whole grains. Highly recommend!
Kathryn - the class will be fun, but fairly quick and dirty, with more focus on the cookies than the milling. More of an intro to people who have no idea of it rather than a comprehensive one. But I will do a more serious class of my own that is focused on milling at home and breads sometime soon afterwards.
Funnily enough I got into bread baking in part because I had access to excellent and unusual flours through the NYC Greenmarket. But they recently abolished their grain program. There is some flour available from individual vendors, and some stores (and of course mail order), but it's a big adjustment compared to seeing something new at the grainstand and taking it for a test drive. The enhanced degree of difficulty also makes it hard to stay motivated to bake, especially when there is so much good bread available in the city, but when I do throw together a loaf I love doing it (just baked the discard English muffin bread yesterday, my husband's favorite)!
I really like the idea of milling at home, but in an apartment with limited space, and less access to grain than I used to have, it's unlikely to happen soon.
That's a bummer about the Greenmarket! Do you know why?
Not exactly, but I think the logistics of coordinating with the various farms were challenging, and the nonprofit that runs the markets wanted out. Some people who worked at the grain stand tried very hard to keep it going, but the market group wasn't having it, for reasons I'm not clear on. I have put myself on a mailing list for this issue, started by the grain stand workers; I think the hope is to get some kind of storefront at some point, but I don't know how difficult it will be. There are about a gazillion vacant storefronts in the city right now, so this should be doable, but we'll see.
It's really depressing. NYC seemed to be ahead of the curve on this. You can still buy some of the products in some stores, but I haven't seen, say, Oland or Red Fife flour out there, and it was a lot easier to get grains, flour, and beans at a one-stop, in-person shop.
Hi Andrew and fellow Loafers! No home milling here. I can only add up to about 10-20% of WW before my daughter (and husband, TBH) feels like it's too much and stop eating voluntarily, but so my main source of WW input is the 10ish% that is standard in most basic/country sourdough loaves that I make (e.g. the Basic Sourdough from Tivoli Road Baker and Wordloaf's The Loaf 2.0). That said, I want to give a shout-out to Janie's Mill (https://www.janiesmill.com/), the local farmer-miller company that I ordered from in the early days of the pandemic when I couldn't get flour otherwise. They have a great story and are really doing good work and care about their home baker customers! Their whole wheat was amazing, and the high extraction flour has been great to work with as well (and also receives a warmer welcome from the family than other WW variations!). I would love to up my WW/high extraction consumption and order from them on a more regular basis! Along those lines, I purchased the baking books Southern Ground and Heritage Baking this year, both of which feature primarily using WW or high-extraction blends in their recipes, and look forward to trying more recipes from those books! So definitely am interested in the WW deep dive for this year! Hope everyone stays safe and healthy.
Yes! Janie’s Mill!
I do not mill my own flour. I have no desire to have another kitchen appliance, or more supplies that then require either storage space or a commitment to use before they go bad or pick up bugs. And I am not overly fond of most bread or other baked goods with too much whole wheat content. There, I said it. Am I going to get booted out of the group?
No judgment here! I do like whole grain things more than the rest of my family, but I doubt most of the things I've eaten in the past are 100% WW. I feel like it is a bit of an acquired taste and probably not enough is done most of the time to temper the bitterness (I think it can be taken down a bit with some added acid like citrus juice?, or using white WW or high extraction flour instead). And honestly, without adding more vital wheat gluten, the texture of regular fluffy bread is hard to recapitulate with high WW. It just gets crumbly. But I do love higher WW content breads with Nutella or other chocolatey spreads, I think it's a nice pairing! I think if you want to see if you can find recipes you might like more, I think they probably exist, but all bread is bread! You should make bread that makes you happy.
I’ve tried many, including those that use OJ. They don’t work for me. Get above about 20% WW and both the flavor and texture are such that I’d rather go without. (I’m super sensitive to all tastes bitter, which may have something to do with it.) As for your pairing suggestion: IMO, you’re wasting the Nutella if you put it on such a baked good. I’d be happier eating it off a spoon.
I totally understand where you’re coming from. It sounds like you’ve given it the benefit of the doubt many times, too! To be honest, 20% is still quite a lot of WW; whenever I get up to 20% in my sourdough loaves (sometimes accidentally, bad math), my family definitely notices and responds by letting me eat all of it by myself 😂. 10% is their magic ratio- it’s enough for me to really notice the flavor that it’s not all white flour, but everyone happily eats it! In my experience so far, switching to high extraction, white whole wheat, or spelt flour does help minimize the bitterness (i.e. I can sneak a little more in before anyone notices!), but that doesn’t solve the texture issue. I’ve played with vital wheat gluten in the past for whole wheat recipes, but not enough to confidently tell you that it overcomes the issue. Anyway, I’m here with you in the under 20% WW baking zone; it’s a delicious place to be! And I love your response about the Nutella, I think many/most people would agree with you on that one! I love it too, but I think I would have a hard time eating it straight, is so intense and sweet for me. That’s why works well for me on toast that has a more hearty profile to balance it out. Thanks for responding and for the conversation!
Melissa: no, not booted, but we might just smother you with whole-grain love and indoctrinate you into the cult of whole grain someday...
*Freshly milled* whole wheat actually tastes good, even to people who typically hate whole wheat (my mother, for example). I make fluffy rolls, chewy bread, pizza, muffins, pancakes with 100% whole wheat and it’s actually better than white flour! Home milling is kinda like joining a cult but it’s a fun cult 😂
Hey folks! I've been milling at home this past year, sourcing grain from local distributors when possible, but I'm often stuck ordering Great River Milling products on Amazon if I want more specific grains (i.e. hard red spring wheat or durum). Great River products are organic and work great, but I'd prefer to support a local producer in VT or Quebec -- super open to suggestions! Here in Montreal, La Milanaise has a variety of good stuff, but it can be difficult to find certain grains in quantities less than 50lbs.
Most of my milling has been for sourdough bread, but more recently I've started experimenting with pasta dough. I made fresh egg spaghetti using 100% fresh milled soft wheat, sifted to ~85% extraction. The flavour of fresh milled flour (even sifted) in pasta is so pronounced that it asserts itself as the star vs a vehicle for the sauce. I'm inclined to try a simple aglio e olio next time...
So in addition to sourdough bread (esp. with durum because I have like 20 lbs of berries), I'd be very interested in recipes for fresh pastas and complementary sauces, as well as pastries... especially things like laminated doughs and choux pastry using fresh milled and/or whole grain flour, cause I love a good challenge!
I'm excited to see what you're going to share around the use of whole-grain flours over the coming months. I've been home milling with a Mockmill for the past few months and have been loving the more intense flavors in my breads. I also use sifted flour from Ground Up Grain in Central Massachusetts. I'm always on the lookout for new ways to source interesting whole grains that aren't too prohibitive in terms of shipping costs. Luckily I live in the Boston area and so have relatively easy access to Elmendorf to pick up the grains that they feature.
I have recently purchased some flour from Ground Up myself! I haven't used it myself yet (as part of the purchase was for a larger Yankee Swap gift of some sourdough starter and flour) but am excited to try for sure!
I'll join the crowd and share my excitement for more whole grain content! I've been doing a series of test bakes with The Loaf, Loaf 2.0, and Loaf Classic incorporating more and more whole grains (hard white wheat and rye) in various ratios, and I feel like I'm still not really "getting" how they are changing my approach. I would say that hard white wheat had changed the way I think about the color and flavor of whole grain bread in a very positive way. Oh well, more testing :)
I don't home mill (yet), probably in large part because I live just a few miles from Grist and Toll, who I would recommend to anyone - https://www.gristandtoll.com/
Hi Andrew, I was gifted a Mockmill 200 for my birthday in Spring '21. Been making all of our naturally leavened bread for years and was surprised to learn and keep learning (!) what a game changer freshly milled flour is. I do sourdough and dried yeast depending on what I'm baking. Yesterday I made a 100% whole wheat challah with flax and quinoa from Uri Scheft's book, Breaking Breads. Pretty amazing.
I've made that Challah recipe as well, I loved it. Also tried a sourdough version which came out pretty well too. I heard he's opened a store in downtown Boston but haven't had a chance to check it out yet.
I was at Bakey for the first time in December. That's when I bought the cookbook. Stopped in for breakfast and ended up spending a lot of $$. Everything was amazing. Can't recommend it enough.
When you made the Challah, what ratio of flour did you use? I used 100% unfiltered freshly milled whole wheat.
I was at Bakey for the first time in December. That's when I bought the cookbook. Stopped in for breakfast and ended up spending a lot of $$. Everything was amazing. Can't recommend it enough.
When you made the Challah, what ratio of flour did you use? I used 100% unfiltered freshly milled whole wheat.
Despite living not far from there, and having the book, I still haven't made it to Bakey! I keep planning to, then I realize I already have bread here. Gonna try to go soon, though.
It's pretty amazing.
I buy all my flour and whole and cracked grain from Janie’s Mill which has already been mentioned here. I don’t mill my own but use the whole and cracked grain as additions to breads or as hot cereal or other edible. I just this morning baked two loaves of Seeded Schwartzbrot, a recipe from Mastering Bread by Claire Kopp McWilliams and Marc Vetri that uses JM’s Whole Kernel, Spelt and Dark Rye flours (all 100% extraction) in addition to sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
I make a version of your English Muffin Bread with 100% whole grains! I am wanting to get better and making full on 100% Irish whole grain breads, and am so looking forward to a class Ill be taking next month with Terri Ann Fox at River Run Ferments :D
I want to take that class with you!
I cannot wait and I here by nominate her as a guest contributor :D
She would be welcome any day! (As would you, for that matter. I *know* we'd love to hear you talk about the intersection of painting and baking.)
I recently got a Mock Mill 200 and just baked off my first 100% fresh milled batard this morning. I sourced most of my berries from Breadtopia, and some from Barton Springs Mill. This bake was 50% hard white spring (sifted to about 70% extraction), 25% Rouge de Bordeaux (sifted to 85%), 20% spelt (unsifted) and 5% Ryman rye. I pre-fermented 10% of the flour. Pretty robust fermentation.The oven spring was a little less than I usually get, but nice crumb and incredible flavor.
The Rouge de Bordeaux is a favorite of mine!
I have a mockmill attachment to my KitchenAid and use it daily! I started feeding my starter Sir Bobby Farts-Alot with fresh milled whole grain flour every night and the dude just went off like there's no tomorrow! But, if you would only use freshly milled whole grain to feed your starter, I bet a coffee grinder would work for that too. I also add about 100g of freshly milled whole grain to my sourdough -- usually a mix of hard red & white wheat, rye, or sometimes Kamut or Triticale -- if I have those on hand. I've also used spelt and like the softness it gives the bread. I get those grains either from Breadtopia online or our local organic food store (Marlene's). My breadflour I purchase directly from Cairnspringsmills in Burlington, WA. It's a roadtrip that we combine with a brewery visit and growler refill. I buy 50lbs of flour and fill 3-4 growlers. :) Other than that, I also use my grains as whole cooked grains. I made a BLORF mix the other day :) = Barley, Lentils, Oatgroats, Rye, Farro. I stuck 150g of each into the pressure cooker and cooked them for 20 min - no salt, just water. It was awesome and totally versatile. Got the idea from nutritionfacts.org. Dr. Greger -- he makes a BROL = Barley, Rye, Oats, Lentils
It seems as if the attachment for the KitchenAid (in my case it would be a countertop Hobart which takes KitchenAid attachments) would be a good solution to having yet another appliance. My Hobart sits on the counter so that might be convenient. Sound like you’re happy with it — any reservations?
Only one: If I want to make a 100% whole grain milled loaf my KitchenAid would probably run hot million 500g. I haven't tried that. I usually only add 75-100g per loaf. My KA is 20 years old. We all run hotter the older we get! 🤣
Thanks, Sabine — that’s very helpful
My goal this year is to include some amount of whole grains (either in a soaker or flour) in every bake, including my pastry bakes. While I use commercial flour (mostly King Arthur), I also try to use locally milled grain whenever possible. Meadowlark Organics is a flour that has given me great results. I’ve also really enjoyed using some flour from Anarchy Acres, particularly the Turkey Red. Now though, Meadowlark is available at my local coop which I was thrilled to see so will be purchasing that on a more regular basis. The books Mother Grains and Grist have been huge inspirations recently.