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Do you want to start grinding your own wheat? Have you been given some wheat berries and you have no idea what to do with them? How to grind wheat is a quick and easy guide to get you started on your whole wheat flour journey.
Why Grind Your Own Flour?
There are two main reasons to grind your own flour, the cost and the health benefits. Save money by grinding wheat berries into flour and always have flour available.
What are the Health Benefits of Whole Wheat Flour?
According to Mayo Clinic some of the nutrients found in whole grains are:
- Vitamin A.
- Vitamin B-1, also called thiamin.
- Vitamin B-2, also called riboflavin.
- Vitamin B-3, also called niacin.
- Vitamin B-6, also called pyridoxine.
- Vitamin B-9, also called folate.
- Vitamin E.
- Iron.
- Magnesium.
- Phosphorus.
- Selenium.
Which can lead to health benefits such as lowering blood pressure, lowering bad cholesterol and helping with weight control.
What is the difference between All-Purpose Flour and Whole Wheat Flour?
Whole wheat flour is simple wheat berries that have been ground. Everything including all of the nutrients that are in the wheat berries are in freshly ground flour. Because of this whole wheat flour should be used in a few days of being ground, stored in the fridge up to a week or frozen so the it does not go rancid.
All-purpose flour on the other hand is whole wheat flour that has had the germ and brand removed. This creates a nice white flour that is shelf stable for pert near forever. However it also means that it has little to no fiber and nutrients. This is why most all-purpose flour is enriched, the nutrients found in whole wheat flour are replaced with synthetic nutrients and vitamins.
What Are The Different Types of Wheat Berries?
The main thing to pay attention to is whether a wheat berry is hard or soft. This refers to the amount of protein in the grain. The higher protein content allows for better gluten development needed to produce good bread.
Soft wheat is best for pastries, cookies, cakes, biscuits and anything you don’t want to develop lots of gluten. Hard wheat is best for breads.
White wheat vs. red wheat refers to the a slight color difference in the wheat. I find that red wheat produces a slightly courser flour than white wheat does. But most people don’t notice a difference other than products made with red wheat flour is slightly darker in color.
Spring wheat vs. winter wheat refers to when the wheat is planted. This does not really matter to the home baker. Use which ever is available for a good price when you need to buy wheat berries.
Where Do I Buy Wheat Berries?
You can buy them off Amazon I have linked the one I used for a while. You can usually find a better deal at a bulk food store or through a natural food co-op. However I bought it off Amazon for over a year because that is what worked best for us at the time.
Are All Whole Wheat Flour Products Heavy?
No. They can be if the whole wheat flour is not treated properly. Using soft wheat when making pastries, cookies and cakes will help them to not be heavy. Learning how to use whole wheat is both easy and also something that you can spend years perfecting. Whole wheat is more of an art than a science. A great book to help with this is Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book, this is the cook book that my mom used all of my growing up and it is wonderful.
Is It Hard To Use Whole Wheat Flour?
No it is not. Growing up I started making 100% whole wheat flour bread at the age of five. By the age of nine I had started a business of selling the bread I made. It is easy enough for a child to learn.
Remember just because you start using whole wheat flour does not mean that everything you make needs to be made with 100% whole wheat.
Mixing in up to 1/3 of the total flour of all-purpose flour can help when you are transitioning to using whole wheat flour.
Is It Difficult to Grind Wheat?
No. Grinding wheat is as simple as flipping a switch and filling a hopper. You just need a grain mill and wheat berries.
What Setting Should I Use On The Mill?
I use the pastry setting on my mill to get the best results. Play around with yours to see what type of flour you like to use. Most people like to use the bread setting for most of their baking needs.
How to Grind Wheat Berries into Whole Wheat Flour
First get your mill out. Make sure that you have the canister connected all of the way and the lid is on the canister. Check to make sure there is nothing in the hopper of the mill.
Have your wheat berries by your mill than turn your mill on. Once it has reached top speed (this takes a second or two) fill the hopper completely full with berries.
Allow it to finish grinding completely and reach top speed again(you can tell by the fact that it doesn’t get any louder) then turn off immediately.
Detach canister and use flour or store flour in the refrigerator.
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There is nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread!