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Grinding Your Own Flours and Using Whole Grains
This tutorial on grinding flours from
whole grains is written by Allison of Some the Wiser. Welcome, Allison!
It is such a good idea to grind your own flours.
But as someone who once thought microwavable rice packets were a “good” meal (it was college, forgive me), I know it may seem like an unnecessary step.
I can tell you, however, that it is well worth the small amount of extra effort it requires.
Although grinding whole grains into flour can sound daunting, it is really quite simple and very rewarding.
Grinding your own flour opens new doors in the kitchen and will elevate all of your grain recipes to a new level of delicious.
5 Reasons You Should Grind Your Own Flour from Whole Grains
Flavor:
Freshly ground flour is lighter, more moist, and has a fresh nutty flavor that commercially milled flours lack.
The homemade breads, muffins, and pastries I make with freshly ground flours are alwaysΒ less denseΒ and more flavorful.
Even freshly ground wheat tastes sweeter and lighter than its commercial counterpart.
Variety:
The grain possibilities are endless when you grind your own flours!
Instead ofΒ just Wheat, alternative whole grains like Spelt and Triticale become more affordable andΒ tasty options.
Availability:
Grains like Kamut and Teff can be difficult to find inΒ flour form, butΒ it’s easy to grind your own.
Even Popcorn kernels and Steel Cut Oats can be easily ground into flour and used in all your baking recipes.
It is fun to experiment and add new grains into favorite recipes for new flavors and textures.
Cost:
Whole grains store well and can be bought in bulk.
Buying grains in bulk and grinding them as you need them saves money, especially when buying specialty grains.
Nutrition:
To extend their shelf life, commercially milled flours have the germ removed.
The germ is the part of the grain that contains all the nutritious oils, vitamins (B and E), and minerals.
When you grind your own fresh flours, youΒ use the germ and bran and can reap all the taste and health benefits that they offer.
How to GrindΒ Your OwnΒ Flour from Whole Grains:
Grinding your own flour is as simple as purchasing a grain mill.
With a good electricΒ grain mill in your kitchen, grinding flour from whole grains takes just minutes.
There are a number of high quality grain mills on the market to choose fromΒ (see the Good Life Eat’s review of the Nutrimill here).
The most important thing when purchasing a grain mill is to pick one that is tough, preferably one with a good long warranty.
A Few Whole Grain + Grinding Tips:
Grind only what you can use.
Once a grain has been ground into flour it begins to lose its nutritional value very quickly.
If you do grind a little extra, store it in a tightly sealed container in the freezer and use within a few days time.
Whole grains store well and for long amounts of time.
To keep it free of bugs, store it in a tightlyΒ sealedΒ container in a cool dark place.
You can place a few bay leaves in with the grain to help repel bugs naturally.
When buying grains in bulk, 50 lb food grade buckets work well for long term storage.
Have fun experimenting.
Try unfamiliar whole grains and enjoy the new flavors.
Practice replacing small amounts of White flour or Wheat flour in recipes with more nutritious flours like Kamut or Spelt.
Look for new recipes and cookbooks that incorporate a variety of grains.
A few of my favorite grain cookbooks are:
- Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole-Grain Flours
by Kim Boyce
- Feeding the Whole Family: Cooking with Whole Foods
by Cynthia Lair
- The Tassajara Bread Book
by Edward Espe Brown
Recipes Using Whole Grain Flours
- 5 Grain Pancakes with Flax
- Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins
- Golden Kamut Shortbread
- Multi-Grain Banana Bread
- Whole Wheat Spelt Muffins with Peaches and Coconut Cream
- Quinoa, Oats and Spelt Cookies
- Zucchini Quinoa Bread
Have you tried grinding your own flours?Β What are some of your favorite wholeΒ grains?
Charlie Passacantando says
Could you a good coffee grinder to grind the whole grain?
Rae says
In recipes and on packages of store bought whole grain flour I always see recommendations to replace only 1/4 to 1/2 the flour in the recipe with the whole grain flour. Whenever I try replacing more than that my baked goods become dense and heavy. You said that cooking with freshly ground whole grains gives you less dense bread products; is there a special trick to using only whole grain in a recipe that calls for all purpose or bread flour, or does using freshly ground grains instead of pre-packaged make that much of a difference? Also, can you recommend where to purchase whole grain wheat in bulk? Thanks!
Rae says
Oh, and could you please give me an idea of how much whole grain wheat you would grind to make a pound of flour? Thanks!
Nolan says
@Rae, Don’t know if it will take. Not signed in. Just purchased 25kg each of spelt, wheat and buckwheat organic grains from a website called realfoods. Arrived today in good order. Nolan from Dublin.
Glenda says
I love grinding my own wheat’s, grains, and beans, to use in cooking and baking, I use my coffee grinder to grind most of the time I do have a hand grinder however the coffee grinder works just fine…..I also put about a 1/2 cup of diatomacious earth (food grade) into each 4 gallon bucket of grain to keep bugs out.
Jamie | My Baking Addiction says
Great guest post – I’ve always been curious about this process. These photos are gorgeous!
Sneh | Cook Republic says
Very nice indeed. Reminds me of childhood, we used to take our own mix of grains to the mill. I wonder if grain mills are available in Australia. Need to check out what options we have. Thanks!
Taposh says
These are amazing pics
Robyn | Add a Pinch says
Love this post! Such great information.
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
I’ve always wanted to try grinding my own flours, it’s wonderful to see how easy it can be. Thank you!
Casey@Good. Food. Stories. says
This is something I should be doing more often, you’re right. I’ve ground whole grains in a Vitamix before – I wonder how it compares with the grain mill.
Amanda says
My confession: I have always WANTED to, but never knew how!! Thanks so much for this informative post Katie!
Pam says
When I was young, I had a hand grinder clamped to the kitchen counter and always made my own flour. As the years progressed and time seemed to be of some importance, I ended up not doing that anymore. Your post made me remember how wonderful things do taste when hand ground… Thanks.
Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction says
What a great idea… I have to try this! π
Kati Mora says
This is such an interesting post! Incorporating whole grains into your day is so important for health. I especially love the high fiber content whole grain foods often have. Most people don’t get enough fiber into their day so finding new ways to incorporate it is such a good thing.
Peggy says
Great piece! Definitely going to look into a grain mill =)
Sues says
What an awesome tutorial… Have a blast in Mexico!! π
Bev Weidner says
So interesting! I love this!
paket says
Love this post! Such great information.