It was back around 2007 when I first started milling our flour. For a while, I knew it was more healthy and better for us but I loved white bread and during the years, there would be times when I was making 100% fresh milled flour bread for a few weeks, but then I’d go back to white bread. I’m happy to say that we don’t even have storebought flour in the house any more. Everything I make is with fresh milled flour.
I can hardly eat bread now that’s been made with white enriched type storebought flour. We had burgers out the other day and the buns were fresh and good but it just wasn’t the same as a bun made from fresh milled flour.
This morning I wanted to make a Dutch Baby for breakfast. Vince asked if I was using storebought flour. Nope. Hopefully never again.
All the ingredients for this went into the blender for about 20 seconds and then it was baked. I prefer Dutch Babies to pancakes because the batter is poured into a hot skillet and baked for 20 or so minutes and it’s done. With pancakes, I’m scooping, flipping and even if using the griddle, it’s still kind of a pain getting them all done at the same time. Usually I’ll make a whole recipe and we only eat about 1/3 of them the first time, so I have to cook the rest of them, which takes time – not a lot but some!
This is the time of year when we’re trying to use up all the blackberries and blueberries out of the freezer before it’s time to pick and preserve more of them. Blackberries aren’t my favorite but we have them so I’m going to use them. I ended up making a syrup by cooking down the blackberries with a bit of Allulose, adding a bit of cornstarch/water slurry, vanilla and cinnamon.
The best news is that we only used 1/4 of today’s Dutch Baby so we’ll have leftovers for three more breakfasts!
For anyone who has been thinking about milling your own flour, here are a few tips:
- You can buy an inexpensive mill and if you love milling and want to upgrade, you can buy a more expensive one. My first mill is the Family Grain Mill. Do some research. Some mills have a few cons but I feel confident that any mills being sold by Pleasant Hill Grain would be good. After a few years and knowing I would be using my mill for many years, I wanted a finer flour and switched to a KoMo Classic. Also, watch some of the “famous” bread makers and see what they’re using. They can use any mill they want so, chances are, they love the mill they’re using. Check out Grains in Small Places, Lovely Bell Bakes and Grains and Grits.
- Your Kitchen Aid, even though it may work for a while, cannot hold up to the rigors of fresh milled flour if making bread a couple of times a week. Lovely Bell Bakes has some info about the tools needed to get started here.
- Grains – If you live near Amish or Mennonite groceries, most sell grains in 50 pound bags. Some may even sell smaller quantities. I mostly buy my grains from Azure Standard these days.
There’s more to learn and I’ll always be happy to answer questions.
What are your thoughts?