A Beginner’s Guide to Milling Flour at Home
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Milling flour seems like one of those outdated, old-fashioned skills we don’t need anymore, but every home can benefit from a grain mill! In this post, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about making flour at home, from choosing the right grains to using your mill (or other kitchen appliances) and more!
For years, I’ve lusted over the grain mills on the kitchen counters of my favorite bloggers and Instagram accounts. Something seemed so timeless about making your own flour, but the sticker shock was a little too much for me.
Many quality grain mills are between $200-1,000, so they aren’t exactly cheap, and you don’t want to waste your money on anything low quality since it just won’t last.
A few months ago, Nutrimill gifted me a Harvest grain mill to try out, and since then, I’ve been milling and baking up a storm. There’s definitely a learning curve to working with freshly milled flour, and I realized I needed to break it all down for my readers (especially since I want to share recipes with fresh milled flours, too!).
My goal in this post is to break down everything you need to know from A to Z without telling you too much. To make this post a little easier to navigate, I’m including a table of contents with quick links to different sections.
If you find that you need to dig deep into one topic or come back later for more information, they’ll help you jump around.
Why you should mill your own flour at home
- You can’t buy flour this fresh unless you live next to a mill
- Since the flour was milled immediately before baking, it still retains all of its nutritional benefits
- Real whole grain flour contains the bran, germ, and endosperm, which is stripped from storebought stuff
- Noticeable difference in flavor and texture
- Can grind a variety of grains, including ancient grains like einkorn, kamut, etc.
- Mill grains from your own garden or farm
- Can be cheaper (depending on the quality of the grains)
- Much more convenient than it used to be
- Completely unbleached – no additives here!
Best Grain Mill for Home Use
Of course, this post is for home bakers. I don’t know anything about industrial filling or any of that. I’m only knowledgeable about home-milled flour.
In general, there are three main categories of grain mills:
Manual or hand mills
These are the most traditional options and would be right at home in a pioneer kitchen two hundred years ago. These generally attach to a table or counter, and then you either crank or turn the wheel to grind your wheat berries.
I started with one of these a couple of years ago. I found a secondhand Kornkraft mill on Facebook Marketplace for about $50, which was a steal since they retail for $200-300. It has a little dial you turn to adjust the fineness of the flour. It definitely worked, but this little thing took forever. We could sit there cranking away for hours to make enough flour for a single recipe!
It ended up in a spare closet pretty quickly, but not all manual grain mills are that slow.
For example, Lehmans sells the gold standard of a manual grain mill called the Diamant Grain Mill. It’s absolutely beautiful and can be yours for the low, low price of $999…
Electric Grain Mills
This is what I have and what I recommend for the average person. No, it will not work in a power outage and, therefore, isn’t great for people who want to be totally off-grid, but they require basically no labor and you can have plenty of freshly milled grains in just seconds.
There are quite a few brands out there, but these are the most popular:
- Nutrimill (I have the Harvest mill, which uses stones to grind the grains, but they also sell impact mills that are more affordable)
- Mockmill
- KoMo Classic
- Wondermill
You can also purchase a grain grinding attachment for your KitchenAid mixer.
When choosing an electric mill, it helps to understand which types of grains it can mill. Stone-ground mills generally only work with non-oily grains like whole wheat berries, rice, etc. They cannot be used with sunflower seeds, peanuts, or other nuts or seeds to make peanut butter or pastes.
Milling flour without a grain mill
If you don’t have the cash to throw at a regular mill but still want to grind some grains for a quick batch of bread or something, try these:
- High powered blender (I mean high power! Vitamix or Ninja would be good here)
- Spice or coffee grinder
- Food processor (in some cases)
The challenge is that you cannot control the fineness of the grind, but they work in a pinch.
My Recommendation
If I were to throw my own cash at a grain mill, I have to say that I would stick with what I have. You can save a little cash by buying the Nutrimill Classic grain mill for between $200-300 or their brand-new Impact Grain mill for just $199. This is by far the most affordable electric grain mill from a reputable brand and is a stellar option for people on a budget.
Save $20 on a Nutrimill grain mill
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How do grain mills work?
Several of the options above make stone-milled flour, which is made by rotating two dense stones together, crushing the whole wheat berries into a powder. They can be adjusted to either make coarse-grind flour or fine flour for baking breads and such.
You can also process grains using rollers or burrs, but stone-ground flour is a common phrase for a reason! It’s a very traditional flour milling method people have been using for centuries (if not longer).
Since grain mills process the whole wheat berry, they still include all parts of the wheat berry. Ready for a little science lesson?
- Bran: This is the shell-like outer layer of the wheat kernel known for being very high in fiber (think bran muffins). It is sifted out in white flour, which is part of why it is so pale.
- Germ: This is the tiny little part of the seed that starts growing in the right conditions. This part is higher in fat, which also contributes to rancidity. Be sure to store your fresh whole grains properly to minimize spoilage.
- Endosperm: This is the main part of the wheat kernel and the part that produces white flour.
How do you make flour?
You’ll typically need to follow a process like this (the order varies depending on the type of mill):
- Choose the right whole wheat berries for your baking project (see tips below).
- Set the fineness of the grind.
- Turn on the mill or start cranking.
- Pour the berries into the chute.
- Collect the fresh flour in a container below or next to the mill and use right away or store in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
If needed, you can run some rice through the mill to clean it, but you generally do not need to. Do not wash stone mills and always follow the care instructions provided by the manufacturer!
Best Grains for Milling Flour
Have you ever seen wheat berries for sale at your local bulk store? I used to buy emmer or farro at health food stores to cook for grain bowls and such. When you mill your own flour, you’re always starting with whole grains, like the whole berries I mentioned, but you don’t want to use just any ol’ berry.
It’s essential to choose berries suited for the type of recipe you want to make.
Although there are many, many, many types of wheat out there, let’s keep this simple. If you only want to buy two types of grains, start with these:
- Soft White Wheat – standard white flour for everyday baking (pastries, chocolate chip cookies, waffles, muffins) as they are lower in protein and gluten.
- Hard White Wheat – great, mild-tasting option for breads and doughs due to their higher protein content and gluten. This is closest to white bread flour but still contains all the bran.
Just because the flours about are white, don’t think they’re the same as the bleached flour from the store. They’re still whole wheat flour and will act like whole wheat in recipes.
Want to take it a step further? Grab these as well:
- Soft Red Wheat – stronger, nuttier flavor and great for everyday baking (cookies, scones, pancakes, muffins, etc); also great for cooking whole to add to salads.
- Hard Red Wheat – classic whole wheat flavor and ideal for breads and doughs. Think of this as your whole wheat bread flour.
Spring vs. Winter Wheat
This usually refers to red wheat, specifically the harvest season. You don’t need to worry about this right away.
Spring wheat is very high in protein and makes a great whole wheat bread flour. It has a strong, nutty flavor and does better with yeast than traditional chemical leavening agents (baking soda, powder).
Winter wheat is slightly lower in protein yet still has a great flavor, so it’s popular for muffins, waffles, etc.
You can also grind durum wheat, rye, einkorn, and other whole wheat berries. Azure has some specialty sprouted berries, like red fife and emmer, but if you’re new to working with whole grains, keep it simple. Get comfortable with white or red wheat, then start experimenting!
Note: Most grain mills can process other types of grains like rice, oats, barley, and more. Be sure to read your manufacturer’s information first to avoid damaging your machine.
Where to Purchase Wheat Berries for Milling Flour
There are quite a few places to shop these days. I’m partial to Azure Standard, but if that’s not convenient for you, there are lots of other options, too. You can also often find wheat berries in the bulk section at most grocery stores, like Winco or Whole Foods.
- Azure Standard – My go-to source for all grains
- Palouse Grains – Not organic, but I’ve tried several of their grains and they’re all great quality.
- Grand Teton – Family-owned with lots of ancient grains like Khorasan, millet, emmer, and more
- Barton Springs Mill
- Bluebird Grain Farms
Is it cheaper to mill your own flour?
Yes and no.
Compared to regular white bleached flour at the store, milling your own flour doesn’t make sense financially. You can often find conventional white flour for 50 cents per pound.
However, organic flour is much more expensive, and freshly milled flour is nearly a luxury item due to the high price tag.
Compare these prices from Azure:
- Hard white wheat berries are $64.22 for 50 lbs ($1.28 per pound).
- Organic whole white wheat bread flour is $75.95 for 50 lbs ($1.52 per pound).
The price difference is minimal, but the freshness cannot be compared. Wheat berries will last for a very long time, while the flour needs to be used within about 6 months to a year.
I’ve seen freshly milled organic whole wheat for closer to $3-5/lb, which is significantly more expensive.
How to Store Wheat Berries
This is key! You don’t want your wheat berries to go rancid in storage; otherwise, that really defeats the purpose. Since I purchased smaller amounts, I stored some in the fridge and some in half-gallon mason jars in the pantry.
If you’re a serious bread baker and go through a lot, get yourself an airtight, food grade bucket with gamma lids and store at room temperature (not in a hot garage or shed), ideally a cool, dry, dark place, like a pantry.
Tip: Write the date on the bucket when you open the bag to keep an eye on freshness.
When properly stored, whole wheat berries can last for years! Since regular store-bought flour generally only lasts about 6 months, this is a major difference.
How to Store Freshly Milled Flour
After milling, I generally like to keep my fresh flour in an airtight container in the fridge. Since the whole grains include the germ, they tend to go bad faster than store-bought stuff. You can absolutely keep it at room temperature for a few days but I like to just pop it in the fridge.
- Try to use it within about a week for maximum freshness.
- Keep it in an airtight container to avoid absorbing any smells.
I’ve created an entire post about the best supplies for home milling! It goes even more in depth about the products I use, where I get them, and why I love them.
Baking with Fresh Milled Flour
If you have some baking experience, switching to fresh flour won’t be too big of a change. However, it’s definitely not the same as using regular all purpose flour.
First, fresh milled flour contains every part of the wheat berry, including the coarse outer layer that is normally removed from regular all purpose.
It’s also extremely absorbent and requires more water than regular recipes (generally about 10-15% more).
Sometimes, you’ll need to add extra add-ins (like sunflower lecithin, ascorbic acid, vital wheat gluten, etc) or change your technique (tangzhong method!) to improve texture and flavor.
The autolyse stage is key. You generally need to let the flour sit in water – without the yeast or sourdough starter – to hydrate. Some fresh milled recipes call for a long, occasionally overnight autolyse, so follow your recipe to a T!
For some bread recipes, it’s best to sift out the bran, let it autolyse, then add it back in for texture and fiber.
I recommend milling your flour as fine as possible, as this is ideal for most baking purposes. If your flour is not fine enough, mill it again until it is! (Be sure to check your mill’s instructions, though. Not all can mill flour twice.)
You’ll also typically need to knead the dough for a bit longer than regular store-bought flour. This is due to the lower gluten content. Focus on passing the windowpane test, not hitting a certain number of minutes.
A note on stand mixers for freshly milled doughs
I recommend a high-powdered stand mixer that can deal with stiff, heavy doughs, like a Bosch or a KitchenAid Pro-Line mixer with a DC motor. These are no longer available, but you may be able to find some secondhand or snag a professional-level mixer.
Lower-level KitchenAids often burn up from the effort of kneading heavy doughs, so be cautious. Bosch is rated to withstand up to 14 lbs of whole grain dough, so it’s really the best option for people working with freshly milled grains.
Feel free to play around with cracking wheat or other grains by grinding them quickly on a coarse setting.
Measure out a little more of the wheat berries than you need to compensate for the small amounts that are lost in the milling process.
If you want a softer, more tender flour, sift out the bran and germ (and save it for bran muffins or other recipes).
Related fresh milled flour recipes
Break out the mill and get baking with these tasty treats!
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I’ve just purchased soft wheat to make rolls etc. I’d like to put it in 6 gallon buckets in my food storage. what would be the right amount of wheat berries per bag for 2 loaves at each baking. so like 6 cups of wheat berries before grinding or what do you suggest.