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Is it Possible to Create the Flour Types at Home?

Got-to-Baguette-Up's picture
Got-to-Baguette-Up

Is it Possible to Create the Flour Types at Home?

Hello,

I have been baking with regular bread flour and whole wheat.  The flour types available from online suppliers like Central Milling are too impractical, and I can't find stuff like '00' flour, type 65, 85, etc.  

I've heard that the European method of creating the flour types is through sifting milled wheat berries, so I was wondering if anyone had any experience in doing such a thing.  

Thanks!

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

can mill any grind and sift anything out of their flours a d keep them separate - bran, germ and many many levels of what they call patent flour.  72% extraction will all of the germ and bran removed is what millers call straight flour and all of their white patent flours are further extractions from that.  Then they have all kinds of lab equipment and technicians that grade and test their flours for all kinds for things like ash content, protein content, what kinds of the 60 enzymes and proteins are present in what quantities so they can add in what ever is needed  not to mention enriching the flour with various minerals vitamins etc.

No home miller I know will invest the millions to be able to do these things.  I feel pretty good about at sifting out some of the bran from the grains I mill to get an 80% high extraction flour of some unknown qualities but I do use every part of the milled grains in every bake I make anyway.  I just want to make bran levain and get the bran wettest the longest and attacked by the acid of the sourdough for as long as possible to get a whole grain bread with a better, softer, moist and more open crumb, better overall flavor and more sour.

Milling at home to make white patent flour bread is a total waste of time and money.  It is way better and cheaper to buy white flour.

DaveMc's picture
DaveMc

How have been able to get to 80% extraction rates when grinding your own wheat berries?  I am very happy with my Komo grinder when using hard red or white berries (or rye berries) for my artisan breads but less than satisfied when trying to get something close to AP flour for "lighter" dough (for brioche, cookies, pizza, Japanese milk bread).  I haven't done better than about 91% extraction -- grinding the berries as fine as I can and using #20, #30 and #50 sieves.  What technique did you use to get to 80%?  Thanks for your time!  I'd prefer not to keep purchasing AP flour if I can figure out a way to get close to its performance with my supply of wheat berries. :)


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Mr. Waffles's picture
Mr. Waffles

There's essentially no way to create the sames flours at home. As dabrownman points out, there's no home substitute for a roller mill. HOWEVER, for "artisinal" bread purposes, home milled/bolted flour is vastly superior to any bagged flour you could buy. There's the freshness element, of course, but the ability to keep the germ in the flour is the major factor.

My obsession is 18th century brioche and ale yeast/barm-leavened breads. I've repeatedly done the same recipes with bagged flour and freshly milled/bolted wheat berries -- both always from Bob's Red Mill (conveniently a 10-minute drive from my house). Not only is the flavor difference vividly apparent to me, but it's clear to others I've had taste the bread.

Any instance where you'd be using whole wheat, "white" bread flour, "white" AP, or pastry flour is something you could improve upon with home milling/bolting.  Granted, you need a higher-end grinder, #70 or #100 mesh sieves, and the time/patience to bolt, but the end product will elevate your bread to another realm.

Mr. Waffles 

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

fresh flour to make bread.  Once you taste an 80% high extraction bread where you milled and sifted at home, you will never go back to 'white' bread ever again.

ColbaltBlue's picture
ColbaltBlue

Ahh, do you have a recipe? This sounds incredible!

the hadster's picture
the hadster

Hello all:

I'm new to milling and would like to make my own bolted flour. What size sifters do you use? 

singingloon's picture
singingloon

I do it all by milling heirloom berries (mostly bought from Breadtopia) in my Mockmill - stone ground - and sift with a simple hand held 40 mesh sifter also from Breadtopia. Get great sourdough loaves with long fermentation. Taste and nutritional quality is superior to store bought flour.