Grain Mills?

On Friday, I posted about my fresh ground Rye bread that I made for Thanksgiving, and Deb had this question:

I very much want a grain mill. My friends all think that I am strange. I am so glad to find someone who uses a grain mill. Does the bread really have a different taste?

I think so! I would have never guessed it years ago, but then I was at a friends house for a weekend, and she had fresh ground wheat bread. I was amazed at the flavor. I guess we just don't realize just how rancid the oils in the flour get when you buy it pre-ground. If it sits too long it gets an off flavor, which is what most people don't like about wheat bread.

White flour was originally marketed because whole grain flour, with the germ and the bran, didn't stay fresh for long, and also for cosmetic reasons. Back then, people didn't realize that just because the fiber/bran was indigestable didn't mean that it wasn't important. We now know that the bran/fiber cleans out the instestines. The germ seemed to cause the flour to get an "off" taste after a few days or weeks of being ground. That is because all of the oils in the kernels are found in the germ of the grain, and it is full of vitamin E and other vitamins. Later, makers of flour created "enriched" flour, with vitamins artifically put back into the flour to correct some of the health issues that seemed to appear after white flour became predominant. Those oils are best when fresh, but old oil tastes pretty yucky.

I tend to see the kernel of wheat as another sign of God's perfect balance in the foods He has provided--lots of fiber, natural oils with the vitamins which those oils help our body to absorb better, and of course the starch portion of the kernel, all working together. When the Bible speaks of our daily bread, they don't mean Wonderbread ;), but rather bread that was made of fresh ingredients, and made fresh daily or nearly daily. If you had bread in Bible times, you had enough. That's why it is so profound for Jesus to declare Himself the BREAD of LIFE...He is enough for daily sustenance!

I can't even describe to you the difference in flavor between a loaf of bread made with store bought flour, vs. a loaf of bread made with fresh ground wheat (especially the Prairie Gold White Wheat, from Wheat Montana). It is sweeter, with a mild, pleasant flavor. I buy my wheat from a bulk food store near us called Country View Bulk Foods. Just yesterday, I bought 50# of wheat for $18.25. That's just $0.37 per pound!

I guess the real proof is the fact that my husband likes it. No, prefers it!
With Rye, I don't see that big of a difference, though I like to grind the rye with the caraway seeds for added flavor. But maybe I don't notice the taste because when I make Rye bread, I usually add flavorings like Caraway, dried minced onions, and dried minced garlic, whereas the wheat bread I prefer sweeter, with honey.

I also think it is easier to work with the flour. Other friends have said the same thing, though most of what I've read about it says it shouldn't make a difference. When I knead the different kinds of bread, fresh ground flour just seems to respond differently to kneading. I find it becomes more elastic with less effort. Understanding the whole science of bread making, I know that the freshness of the flour shouldn't make a difference (it is the gluten, or protein, in the flour that makes bread become elastic through kneading), but it does. Obviously Prairie Gold works best because it is 18% protein (very high gluten), but I notice this in any fresh flour, including the rye.

For the record, though, I do still use white flour somewhat...mostly I like wheat when I make cookies, or when I do different kinds of baking, but white seems to work better for birthday cakes for example, and for biscuits, and that sort of thing. I even make white bread sometimes, or use white flour for pizza, pancakes, French Bread, and so forth...though I've used wheat too.