Fresh Milled Flour: What to Know Before You Bake

Fresh milled flour is made from whole grains ground fresh in our stone-mill. Unlike conventional white flour, fresh milled flour includes all three parts of the grain kernel.

Bran: the outer layer, rich in fiber

Germ: the nutrient-packed core containing healthy fats and vitamins

Endosperm: the starchy middle that makes up most of the flour

Our hard red and hard white wheat flours are a 96% extraction rate, meaning 96% of the wheat berries are in the flour. We sift off 4% of the largest pieces of bran in order to create a lighter flour with more baking versatility. Our purple barley flour is 100% whole grain; nothing has been removed.

Keeping all parts of the grain included in the flour gives baked goods more flavour, more texture and a heartier feel. It does also mean the flour behaves a bit differently when you bake with it, so we’ve included some tips to help!

• Generally, fresh hard wheat flours can be substituted for all purpose flour 1:1. This of course will vary by recipe, use your dough or batter as a guide.
  
• If possible, measure your flour by weight when grams are provided in a recipe as opposed to by volume. One cup of fresh milled flour generally weighs approximately 130g.
• Fresh milled flour absorbs more liquid than all purpose flour, so you may need to adjust hydration levels and play around with your recipes before you perfect them. Alternatively, use recipes that have already been written with fresh milled flour in mind.
• If the dough seems a bit wet, it can be beneficial to let it rest for 15-30 minutes to allow the flour time to fully hydrate before determining whether to add additional flour. This is especially helpful with yeast doughs.
• It may take longer to knead fresh milled flour bread dough for proper gluten development – be patient and keep going.
• Start with a 50/50 blend of half all-purpose and half fresh milled flour to ease into it until you get a feel for how the flour works in your recipes.
• Pancakes and muffins are a great place to start using fresh milled flour, these recipes are generally more forgiving and turn out great.
• Fresh milled flour does behave differently in dough than all purpose flour. Recipes may turn out denser than you’re used to – this is where all that extra nutrition is packed in!

There is a learning curve to baking with fresh milled flour, but it’s a game changer once you get the hang of it. Your baked goods will have better taste and improved nutrition and you will have the satisfaction of making something truly wholesome from scratch!

Fresh milled flour is best used fresh! For peak nutritional value, fresh milled flour is best used within 7-10 days. Your flour does not become unusable after this time period, it’s nutritional value, flavour and freshness just starts to gradually decline. If you don’t plan to use your flour right away, it is best stored in a cool, dry place, or alternatively, sealed well in the freezer.

Hard Wheat Flour (red or white): High in protein, best for doughs needing a strong gluten structure like bread, rolls and pizza dough. Hard white wheat flour has a naturally lighter taste and colour than hard red wheat flour.

Purple Barley Flour: Lower protein content, great for pastries, cakes, muffins and cookies. Although purple barley flour isn’t ideal on its own for baking bread, try combining it with hard wheat flour for an upgrade to your bread and sourdough!

For more baking tips and tricks and recipes, be sure to connect with us on Facebook and Instagram! @expeditordrygoods