The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Sifter

Papist's picture
Papist

Sifter

Can anyone recommend a good sifter.  I was using what I had but it doesn't catch a whole lot.  Is there a finer sifter on the market?  Should I sift out as much as possible or just a little?  Can anything by done with what I sift out or is it just good for the trash?  thanks

proth5's picture
proth5

but first I must know what you are sifting, how much you are sifting, and what you are intending to accomplish by sifting.  With a little more input, I could supply a more appropriate answer.

Papist's picture
Papist

I grind spelt flour for sourdough bread and english muffins.  I was told that sifting would produce a better result.  I guess I grind about 8 cups per session.  I just bag what's left for the next use.  Ideally I wouldn't need to sift at all.  I ahve a fantastic manual grinding that grinds extremely fine but it's too much work.  So I use electric which is much less fine but still decent.  Thanks for any help.

charbono's picture
charbono

How much bran you take out depends largely on how light a loaf you want versus how much fiber you want in your diet.  Some of the tastiest breads have some of the bran removed.

You can trash the bran you remove.  You can re-grind it.  You can apply it to the surface of the loaf.  You can toast it; add it to cereal; etc.

It’s not necessary to have a cranked sifter.

For your quantity, a wide-mouth strainer may be optimum.  In various stores I’ve found strainers with 11, 16, 20, and 32 openings per inch.  16 and larger are pretty common.  I typically use the 20 strainer and re-grind.

For larger quantities, you can look at the mining classifiers.

For the widest selection of mesh sizes, look at the test sieves.  I also have some of those.

proth5's picture
proth5

Gave a complete answeer.  I'll only add that I have been very successful using soil classifiers for sifting.  I got mine from www.lmine.com they have done yeoman's work for me.

Papist's picture
Papist

Is that bran I sift out "wheat germ"?  Also, does it need to be soaked or anything?  I heard that eating it without predigesting doesn't do us much good?  Have I been misinformed?  Can I put that bran back through my electric grinder? 

Thanks for the link, I'm a little confused though.  I couldn't find a soil classifier?  Would they be under sifters?

MangoChutney's picture
MangoChutney

Wheat germ is the part in the middle of the grain, inside all of the starch that makes flour (endosperm).  The germ is the part that would sprout into a new wheat plant if it was moist, using the endosperm for food until the roots were developed.  Bran is a fiber-containing covering over the starchy endosperm, which protects it from the air until water soaks everything and makes the germ sprout.  The hull encloses everything, and consists of fiber and cellulose.  The hull protects the seed from physical damage.  We usually don't eat the hulls, although more or less pure fiber can be extracted from them and this is used in cooking.  Fiber by definition cannot be digested by us, but it is beneficial.

proth5's picture
proth5

follow the link, you will find the things I speak of under "Keene soil classifiers".  What you sift will contain both bran and gern.  How much of each - well, that depends on how you mill and temper your grain.  Some electric mills will allow you to re mill the sifted material - others will not - so you might wish to contact the manufacturer of your mill to find out.