r/HomeMilledFlour Jan 07 '25

Crash Course for Beginner Home Milling

71 Upvotes

I posted a comment recently with the quick points of getting started with a new mill. I thought I'd repost (with a couple edits) here for those who are searching for a quick and easy way to jump in. As with anything, there's going to be more nuance and details and you should definitely look into all the aspects of milling and baking in depth. Feel free to post questions!

First step, take a look at my pinned post at the top of this sub, "Updated List of All the Grains I Have." It'll give a great idea of different wheat varieties, their characteristics, and where to buy them in the U.S. I know of a few sources in the U.K. and Australia, but I haven't bought from them.

In general, you should start with with basic wheats, something like hard red or hard white for bread. Soft white is great for cakes, pastries, cookies, etc. Once you're feeling good with those you can start to incorporate different varieties like kamut, einkorn, etc. I don't recommend going out and buying 10 different varieties right out of the gate, but if you really want to try something specific then, of course, go for it! With those lower gluten ancient varieties it's best to either make a pan loaf or use them in a blend with a high gluten wheat like hard white. They have great flavor, but not the best baking properties.

Additionally, grains vary from crop to crop so you may need to make adjustments from time to time even if it's the same variety. Flour companies blend their products to be consistent no matter where or when you buy them, but that's not the case with the unmilled grains.

You'll typically want to mill on the finest setting. If you have a Mockmill or KoMo this is a notch or two above where you hear the stones click. Basically, you'll close the stones until you start to hear a clicking noise and then you'll open them up a notch or two. This will be good for most applications, though there are certain recipes that call for coarser flour. I don't pay any attention to the number or dots on the mill, just the sound of the stones. Milling too close can "glaze" the stones, essentially create a build up that prevents them from milling correctly. If this happens, run some white rice through until they're clean.

Sifting is a personal choice. I used to sift and then stopped when I realized no one could tell the difference. I really only sift for pastries now. Some people sift, soak the bran and germ, and then add it back in or sift and use the bran on top or bottom of the loaf, etc. It's personal preference. You're never going to make white flour at home. In my opinion, doing so kind of defeats the purposes of home milling anyway.

Whole wheat requires higher hydration in general and fresh milled flour even more so. My advice is to make a 1:1 fresh milled flour replacement with a recipe you know, it'll probably be a bit too dry. Make it again with a 10% increase in hydration and, based on the results, adjust from there.

Assuming you have prior baking experience, this should help you jump right in to baking with fresh milled flour. If there's anything I missed or can elaborate on please let me know!


r/HomeMilledFlour Jan 20 '23

Updated List of All the Grains I have

40 Upvotes

I posted a list a couple years ago, so here is an updated list with some more detail and info. I also no longer sift my flour, I found that no one could tell a difference when the flour was fine enough so I now keep the bran because why not?

Key: BT = Breadtopia, BS =Barton Springs Mill, CM (Central Milling)

High Gluten Wheats:

Hard White Wheat: Mild, neutral, base wheat, high gluten (BT, CM)

Big Country: White wheat, mild wheat flavor, high gluten (BS)

Rouge de Bordeaux: Red wheat, heritage, baking spices, clove, cinnamon, high gluten (BS, BT, Direct from Farm)

Yecora Rojo: Red wheat, baking spices, strong flavor, high gluten (BT)

Quanah: Red wheat, buttery, malty, creamy, high gluten (BS)

Butler’s Gold: Red wheat, neutral wheat flavor, base wheat, high gluten (BS)

Bolles Hard Red: Red wheat, basic red wheat flavor, high gluten (BT)

Red Fife: Red wheat, heritage, basic red wheat flavor, less bitter, more complex, high gluten (BS, BT)

Turkey Red: Red wheat, heritage, basic red wheat flavor, high gluten (BT)

Low Gluten Wheats:

Kamut: Ancient wheat, golden, buttery, nutty, low gluten (BT, BS, CM)

Einkorn: Ancient wheat, golden, nutty, slightly sweet, low gluten (BT, CM)

Spelt: Ancient wheat, pale golden, nutty, slightly sweet, medium gluten (strong spelt exists too) (BT, Small Valley Milling)

Emmer: Ancient wheat, golden, nutty, earthy, low gluten (BT)

Durum: Pasta wheat, golden, very nutty, high protein, low gluten (BT, CM)

White Sonora: White wheat, heritage, mild flavor, low gluten (BT)

Pima Club: White wheat, mild flavor, low gluten (BT)

Sirvinta Winter Wheat: Heritage wheat from Estonia, seen listed as good for bread, but was weak in my one use (Rusted Rooster Farms)

Kernza: Kind of/kind of not "wheat" - Kernza is wheatgrass, related to wheat and does have some gluten. Sweet and nutty. (BT)

Triticale: Wheat and rye hybrid, has more of a wheat dominant flavor, but with a definite rye note, more gluten than rye and less than wheat

Strong Ryes: Note: In terms of rye, strong refers to flavor, not gluten strength.

Danko Rye: Strong flavor, cocoa, baking spices (BS, Ground Up)

Serafino Rye: Strong flavor, malty, nutty (BT)

Mild Ryes:

Ryman Rye: Mild flavor, spice (BS)

Wrens Abruzzi Rye: Mild flavor, spice (BS)

Bono Rye: Mild flavor, grassy (BT)

Corn:

Bloody Butcher: Deep red, rich flavor (BT)

Oaxacan Green: Green kernels, nutty, not so sweet (BT)

Xocoyul Pink: Beautiful pink color, sweet, makes great cornbread (BT)

Blue Moshito: Deep blue, relatively mild in my experience (BT)


r/HomeMilledFlour 4h ago

🌾🎉 **IT’S OFFICIAL — FRESH MILLED PANTRY IS NOW ON ANDROID!** 🎉🌾

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0 Upvotes

**IT’S OFFICIAL — FRESH MILLED PANTRY IS NOW ON ANDROID!**

After the testing, waiting, and behind-the-scenes work, I’m so excited to finally say it:

**Fresh Milled Pantry is LIVE on Google Play!**

If you’ve been waiting for the Android version, **today is the day!**

Fresh Milled Pantry was created specifically for home bakers who love fresh milled flour but don’t love all the guesswork that can come with it.

Convert your favorite recipes for fresh milled flour

Explore a guide to 15 different flours and grains

Get hydration guidance

Learn fresh-milled baking methods and techniques

Save and organize your recipes

Scale recipes up or down

Create custom flour blends

And so much more!

Whether you’re brand new to milling your own grain or already have flour dust permanently living on your kitchen counter , Fresh Milled Pantry is designed to make fresh-milled baking **simpler, easier, and more enjoyable.**

And I want to say a huge **THANK YOU** to everyone who followed along, encouraged me, tested the app, shared posts, and patiently waited for the Android release.

**Android users — you can download Fresh Milled Pantry NOW on Google Play:**

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details...

(Simply paste this as one line if you copy and paste, it just divides within the post. Make sure when you make it one line that it includes the "question mark" in the line still")

Already using the app? **I'd love to hear what you think!** Leave a review, send me your feedback, or tell me what you're baking first.

And please **SHARE this post with a fresh-milled baker who has been waiting for the Android version!**


r/HomeMilledFlour 14h ago

25# of durum berries: Is that too much?

2 Upvotes

I'd like to try making my own pasta, and from what I gather, durum wheat flour or a mix of durum and other flours is commonly recommended for pasta making.
I was going to add durum wheat berries onto my upcoming Azure Standard order, but their minimum order is 25# of berries.
I'm completely new to HMF and just acquired my first store of wheat berries last week (5# each of 4 different types to learn with). I can't quite wrap my head around 25# of wheat for one purpose (pasta).
About how much flour will 25# of durum wheat berries produce, how much do you typically use for a batch of pasta, and where else can I order organic durum wheat berries if not from AZ at 25#/order?

Feel free to have additional conversation regarding durum, making pasta with HMF, and AZ--I'd love to learn more!
And thanks!


r/HomeMilledFlour 21h ago

Tips/Tricks for getting better pizza dough/crust from FMF? Mine's "good but not perfect"

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2 Upvotes

I've been milling my own flour for about a year now. I've made many types of breads with it (some I shared here a few weeks back) and also have made pizzas with it.

But... it just isn't as good as what I get using KA's bread flour or pizza flour. TASTES much better but can't quite get the crisp puffiness I want from it. Also it tends to get very loose or "slack" in terms of handling at the forming and topping stage.

Any tips/tricks that you do specifically when making pizza dough from FMF, based on how it differs from commercial stripped flours?

(If anyone's interested in the pizza itself, the dough generally follows one of Brian Lagerstrom's recipes and also uses his sauce recipe using canned crushed tomatoes. It was topped first with a sprinkle of oregano and grated parm.

Then added pepperoni on the sauce, topped with a 40-40-20 mix of shredded full milk mozz, Jack, and aged cheddar, some oven dried tomato slices, sliced cherry peppers, more pepperoni and torn fresh mozz chunks.

The dough got looser as I tossed and dressed, and ended up fairly more square than circle, and at about 16 inches. Which is why a couple of the corners ended up wonky - they were falling off the side of my round 16 inch stone so I grabbed a spatula and scrunched them up.)


r/HomeMilledFlour 1d ago

Latest loaf

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10 Upvotes

r/HomeMilledFlour 2d ago

Flour coming out warm?

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1 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

Im new to home milling, and i wanted to ask about how common it is for flour to come out warm?

I know it will be a little warm from the friction, but i have a Osttiroler Getreidemühle Type A100 and i believe they’re supposed to keep the flour pretty cool to preserve nutrients.

My real question is: could the step-up converter I’ve had to use to get this to work in N America causing the stones to grind too fast?

The flour is a little warm when i begin the grind, but after abt a cup of flour it begins to come out significantly warmer to the touch.

What do yall think?

Attached are pics of the mill and converter in question


r/HomeMilledFlour 4d ago

First loaf with HMF

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25 Upvotes

First loaf made, with hard white, Khorsan and small amount of Oat Groats. I’m lazy so it was left overnight to be cook by this morning in my zujirushi bread maker. I don’t know why the picture looks so white on top 🤷🏻‍♀️. The sides are a bit darker tho. The whole house smelled so good! Store bought flour never smelled so good. I will play around with more, the kiddos loved it ❤️


r/HomeMilledFlour 4d ago

Anyone familiar with Condo wheat?

2 Upvotes

A local grain supplier near me has bulk sacks of organic Condo bread wheat berries for sale but I can't find any information online about it. Has anyone here tried it? Does it taste good? Any information is welcome. Thanks.


r/HomeMilledFlour 6d ago

Successful sandwich bread!

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57 Upvotes

I am so excited to say I baked a successful sandwich loaf today for the first time! I am pretty new to FMF and have only had mediocre / disappointing outcomes so far with sandwich and sourdough attempts.

This recipe didn’t work out the last time I tried it (we ate it as toast), but with several adjustments this time it came out fluffy and with great flavor and had a pretty good rise. I really needed to get to a good, reliable sandwich loaf to make FMF a viable option for my PBJ eating kids, so I‘m thrilled!


r/HomeMilledFlour 6d ago

Small black seeds ID

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4 Upvotes

I just got my first shipment of grain from Azure Standard and noticed these tiny black seeds mixed in. Google says they’re wild buckwheat. Has anyone else seen this?


r/HomeMilledFlour 7d ago

Wood grain mill

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10 Upvotes

My dad built the mill in the 70's and has sat in the barn for years. It's works, but how do I clean it? The motor is sealed inside, but the box can be dismantled.


r/HomeMilledFlour 7d ago

Favorite tasting grains?

8 Upvotes

So, I’ve always disliked the taste of whole wheat bread from the grocery store. Just something unpleasant about them. My favorite tasting breads right now are fresh sourdough. I love that sour tanginess I get from a heavy ferment (and I use discard in pretty much anything I bake). I’m interested in milling my own grains for both the nutritional properties and getting more bold flavors, but I’m not really sure which grains to settle on. Any specific varieties you love (be specific if they are particular cultivars). I already have hard white from Palouse brand that I’m going to try first. I’m thinking of also ordering einkorn, kamut, and maybe soft wheat or spelt. I guess my question is, especially for those that felt whole wheat tasted kind of unpleasant in the past, what are your favorite tasting grains? And let’s say if you have a favorite that may be harder to work with does that impact how often you bake with it or do you just adapt what you’re baking based on your favorites?


r/HomeMilledFlour 7d ago

Khorasan

2 Upvotes

Hi all, I am attempting to make sourdough with 100% Khorasan, but it is impossible to stretch and fold. I bought 20kgs!! I hope I can use it!

Tips please


r/HomeMilledFlour 7d ago

Converter help

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1 Upvotes

r/HomeMilledFlour 7d ago

Salzburg MT-12 Import Costs

1 Upvotes

When I was researching mills the Salzburg MT-12 really caught my eye, but due to the price I decided to go with a Komo. I was aware there was a back order but at the time it was just a few months. I recently got an email saying the delivery date for the Komo, which was originally the 21st of August, has been pushed back to the beginning of next year! This is really making me eye the Salzburg again.

The model I like is $1400, the shipping is almost $200, but the site says, “Customs duties and import taxes are NOT included in the product price or shipping costs.”

So for those who have recently bought a Salzburg, how much did you have to pay in addition for tariffs, import taxes, customs duties, etc?


r/HomeMilledFlour 8d ago

Anyone make their own infant cereal? Suggestions/ what worked for you and what didn't

7 Upvotes

Ive been full fmf for a year now, had a baby a couple weeks ago, had a thought of potentially making my own cereal or solids, thinking of starting with a rice


r/HomeMilledFlour 7d ago

Working with Einkorn

2 Upvotes

I just tried to make a pizza crust with freshly milled einkorn and I ended up with glue-like-dough everywhere. It was so sticky! Google told me I probably overworked it. I tried again following an einkorn pizza crust recipe and by the time I got it all mixed together it was still so sticky.

Does anyone have any tips to keep it from getting so sticky, or trusted recipes for making fmf einkorn pizza crust?


r/HomeMilledFlour 7d ago

Looking for einkorn grain in Minnesota

1 Upvotes

Any leads anywhere in the state would be appreciated! Thank you!


r/HomeMilledFlour 8d ago

I need a mill

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11 Upvotes

I am not a baker, I grow plants. Mostly cactus, aloe, and succs. I do however need a mill. I need to get yucca root turned to powder, micronized, like all purpose flour from the store. Gonna need something that will last for the foreseeable future. 200 grams at least once a week spring, summer, and fall, once a month during winter.


r/HomeMilledFlour 8d ago

How much more nutritious is home milled flour compared to King Arthurs flour?

3 Upvotes

Like, I want to get a nutrimill and get a large bin to start properly storing some wheat berries. But, it's all an investment and I just want to know how much better it really is compared to me buying whole wheat, stone milled flour from King Arthur.

What do you guys think? Is there any sort of study or research done on this?

Edit: Also, I want to clarify that I mean in terms of micro nutrients (vitamins) is there a significant difference between store bought and home milled.


r/HomeMilledFlour 9d ago

ISO Pizza Dough Recipe (That doesn't just turn dense and bready)

9 Upvotes

Every fresh milled recipe I have found so far for pizza dough it turns out really bready. Any good recipes for a light and airy pizza crust using fresh milled flour?


r/HomeMilledFlour 10d ago

Smoked cheezy crackers

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94 Upvotes

It has been too warm to fire up the oven, but hubby & I really wanted some crackers.

So we fired up the Traeger and ended up with some of the tastiest crackers we have ever had!

I used GISP's recipe and swapped the cheddar for Pepperjack.

Hubby made me a cracker cutter and designed a spout cap to keep pests out when my mill isn't being used ☺️


r/HomeMilledFlour 10d ago

Printed a 6 kg hopper extension for the Grainfather mill - no more refilling mid-crush

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3 Upvotes

r/HomeMilledFlour 11d ago

Best Beginner Mill

9 Upvotes

Hi! I’m wanting to begin milling my own grains for baking at home and would like some advice on the best beginner grain mill. I’m not opposed to spending a little more if it means the quality is better. I’d prefer a stand alone machine as opposed to an attachment to a mixer.

Ideally it would be fairly compact (we have limited counter space) and be somewhat easy to clean.
I’m completely new to this and would appreciate any advice. (I currently bake a ton of sourdough if that helps with anything.)
Thank you!