Freshly ground flour - why doesn't it taste different??
Hi, so happy to have found this forum! I recently purchased a Komo Classic grinder so I could grind my own organic wheat berries for my whole grain bread baking. I have used it for the first time and baked a loaf using the same recipe I have used with commercially ground organic whole wheat flours. I feel embarrased to say this, but I didn't taste any difference between this and what I was making with the commercial flour. I would not give up this gorgeous grinder for anything and will always mill my own flour, so my question is, could maybe the source of the berries be the issue? The bags are not dated, so I don't know how old the berries are (purchased from Breadtopia) and wondered if you had suggestions for other sources that might have better or fresher berries? I used the organic hard red spring wheat berries. Let me know what source of berries you like to buy from and if the bags are dated. Maybe I can taste a difference with different berries. Thank you!
I responded to your cross-post here
Hi, It has been so many years (at least 40) since I ever used store bought whole wheat flour that I don't remember if there was a difference in taste. But the taste was never my motivation for grinding my own wheat. What motivated me to grind my own wheat is the benefits of fresh wheat germ. The oil in wheat germ starts to turn rancid very quickly after the wheat kernel is broken open. I believe (could be wrong) that even "whole wheat" flour you buy at the store has the germ removed - or if it hasn't been removed it would be rancid.
The only way I know of to get fresh wheat germ is to mill your own wheat (or buy fresh wheat germ direct from the miller on the day it was milled - and I don't know any mill that will sell small quantities that way).
With freshly milled wheat, you can actually get away with less (or no) added oil. though I still do add oil or butter - but I can bake without adding any. I'm quite sure that if you baked with store bought wheat flour (not adding oil) and baked with fresh ground (not adding oil) you would notice a difference in texture (with the fresh ground behaving more as though you had added the oil - due to the wheat germ oil present)