Fresh flour basics
Milling grain at home
Fresh flour is not a lifestyle garnish. It changes flavour, aroma and how your dough behaves. The right mill lets you turn whole grain into flour exactly when you need it.
Why mill fresh?
Whole grain protects the germ, oils and outer layers until the moment it is cracked open. Once milled, flour begins to lose aroma and the exposed oils become more fragile. Milling just before baking keeps the flour lively, nutty and more expressive.
Stone mills vs steel mills
For bread and fine baking flour, corundum-ceramic stone mills are usually the best everyday choice. They produce fine, even flour from dry grains such as wheat, spelt, rye, rice and maize. Steel mechanisms are more tolerant of oily seeds and spices, but they usually do not produce the same fine baking flour.
Bread flour, pastry flour, fine milling, everyday baking.
Oily seeds, spices, coarser meal, flexible hand use.
How fine should the flour be?
For bread, start fine but not powdery. For pancakes and cakes, mill finer. For porridge, cracked grain or a rustic loaf, open the setting slightly. A good mill lets you adjust continuously, so it is worth testing with a small handful before milling a full recipe.
What not to mill in a stone mill
Avoid oily seeds such as sesame and linseed unless the manufacturer explicitly allows them. Oils can clog the stone surface. Keep grain dry, clean and free of stones.