Seven years ago, our family made an investment in a grain mill. Since then, I’ve been on a mission to find the perfect grain combinations for various baked goods. Different grains have very diverse qualities, flavors, and benefits. I’m thrilled to share what I’ve learned so far, through much trial and error, and my hope is to inspire you to be bolder in experimenting for yourself.
What is Flour?
In order to understand different grains and their unique compositions, we need to know what is the difference between the most common flours sold in our supermarkets and how they get from a grain of wheat to flour.
The wheat grain or wheat berry, in other words, is composed of three main parts: bran, endosperm, and germ. Our common white flour is made from the starchy endosperm, the least nutritious part of the grain. The nutrient-rich bran and germ are removed through chemical and mechanical processing primarily because these are the most perishable parts and would not be practical for businesses’ production and shelf life. To counter this, many flours are enriched with iron, thiamine(B1), riboflavin(B2), niacin(b3), and folic acid(B9) to supplement the loss of nutrients in the white flour. Unfortunately, these nutrients are only a few out of many that were originally present in the wheat berry which get added back.
What is the Difference between different flours?
Bleached vs. Unbleached
Some flour is bleached with chlorine or peroxide by manufacturers to give it a whiter appearance and softer texture. Using unbleached flour can alter the texture slightly because it has a higher protein content.
Enriched vs. Fortified
Enriching flour is the process where nutrients that were originally present in the grain but were taken out during the milling process, are added back. Fortifying is adding certain nutrients like calcium which are not naturally present in the grain.
Bread Flour
Bread flour has the highest content of protein and is milled from a variety of wheat berries called Hard Red Wheat. Higher protein content equals higher gluten which makes it ideal for bread baking.
All-Purpose Flour
All-purpose flour is a combination of hard and soft wheat berries. It has less protein than bread flour but more than cake flour.
Pastry Flour
Pastry flour is high in starch, low in protein. It is milled from soft white wheat berries and is ideal for pies, biscuits, and cookies.
Cake Flour
Cake flour has the lowest amount of protein and is high in starch. It is great for cakes because of its high starch content.
Which grain should I use?
Here is a list of grains I use regularly:
Hard Red Wheat, Soft White Wheat, Barley, Emmer, Spelt, Kamut, Einkorn, Rye
Gluten-free grains:
Oat, Corn, Rice, Millet, Teff, Sorghum, Buckwheat, Amaranth
For more information on the different grains and their uses see my post 20 Grains You Need in Your Kitchen.
Combinations and ratios for Baking?
WHEAT
Bread: Hard Red Wheat-at least 50%, another variety of wheat-25%, Gluten-free grain- no more than 25%.
Understanding: The leavening for bread is yeast or starter which both rely on gluten-rich flour to get the proper structure in the finished loaf.
Quick Breads, Muffins, Pancakes: Use at least 50% of a wheat variety that contains a substantial amount of gluten (hard red or soft white, emmer, spelt, einkorn or kamut)and 50% of any other grain.
Understanding: Quick breads, muffins, and pancakes are more forgiving when it comes to relying on the gluten amount for structure because they all contain leavening like baking soda and/or baking powder.
Pastry Dough: Use 50% of a mild grain (soft white wheat, einkorn), 25% of a mild gluten-free grain (oat, rice, sorghum), and 25% stronger flavored gluten-free grain (millet, corn, amaranth).
Understanding: pastry dough relies on gluten to hold together and withstand being rolled out.
Cakes: Use 50-75% soft white wheat, 25-50% oats for a mild, soft taste in cakes.
Understanding: Most cakes rely on whipped eggs or leaveners like baking powder for structure. Using a soft mild grain will ensure that your cake layers aren’t competing with your other flavors of frosting and toppings.
Cookies: For most cookies, I would use milder grains in combination with grains that contain gluten. Buckwheat flour works great when paired with anything chocolate.
Understanding: Cookies are very different in structure and texture so it will depend on what is the desired texture- chewy, crunchy, soft, gooey… to determine what grains to use.
Crepes: Multi-grain crepes can be made with equal amounts of soft white wheat, einkorn, oats, rice, millet, sorghum. Note: this is one recipe where I would highly recommend adding about ½ teaspoon guar gum to about 2 cups of flour for extra binding.
Understanding: Crepes have no leaveners but do rely on gluten for elasticity as they are cooked into a paper-thin crepe and need to withstand being flipped, rolled, filled.
GLUTEN-FREE
Bread: To make up for the lack of needed structure in gluten-free grains in making bread, the use of starches, binders and other alternative methods like a roux base or presoaking helps to be able to get a fine-structured loaf.
Quick Breads, Muffins, Pancakes: You need to replace the needed gluten with starch and binders and also take into account the natural properties of each individual grain. Amaranth, rice, and buckwheat have a tendency to become sticky and gooey once they are combined with a liquid. Corn, oats, and millet should be combined with other binding grains, binders, and starches to hold up. A good two-grain combo is sorghum and rice together.
Pastry Dough: Use binding grains and starches unless a recipe specifically says otherwise.
Cakes: Mild grains like rice, sorghum, and oats work great in cakes. Add about ¼ of starch to your total flour amount.
Cookies: Buckwheat flour works great when paired with anything chocolate.
Understanding: Cookies are very different in structure and texture so it will depend on what is the desired texture- chewy, crunchy, soft, gooey… to determine what grains to use.
Crepes: Equal amounts of oat, corn, millet, sorghum, rice, amaranth. I add about 1 teaspoon of guar gum to about 2 cups of flour for extra binding. Also, add about a ¼ cup of one of the starches to about 2 cups of your total flour amount, my favorite is tapioca starch.
Adding natural binders
Guar Gum vs. Xanthum Gum– Guar gum comes from a plant, whereas xanthum gum is laboratory produced. My personal preference is guar gum.
Starches: Cornstarch, tapioca starch, potato starch, arrowroot starch- All of these can be used to help with structure in baking gluten-free, just use in moderation. One of my favorites is tapioca starch, which comes from a cassava plant that is naturally starchy and contains many nutrients.
Psyllium Hulls-A soluble fiber that comes from the seeds of an herb called Plantago ovata. Because of its natural viscous qualities, it works well as a binder in baked goods, especially breads and muffins.
Flax Seeds or Meal– Flax seed meal is a 2 in 1 winner; binder in baked goods and a healthy way to get beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. Flaxseed meal can be added to most breads and pastries.
Chia Seeds-In addition to being highly nutritious, chia seeds absorb water well and make a perfect binder in foods. Use whole or grind into a flour using a blender or a coffee grinder to add in breads, muffins, and cookies.
Milling Flour at home-Where to start?
I own a Wolfgang Classic grain mill which I have been very happy with for 7 years. Unfortunately, this exact grain mill is no longer in production. If you are new to whole grains and to the whole idea of milling your own at home, start with purchasing fresh milled whole grains to experiment and see what you like. Many people have had success in milling flour using their high-speed blenders like Vitamix and Blendtec. There are also Kitchenaid grain mill attachments, hand crank, and electric mills.
Recommended brands and sources
Flours
Bob Red Mill
Arrowhead Mills
Grains
www.azurestandard.com
www.aspenmoonfarm.com
www.bluebirdgrainfarms.com
www.bobsredmill.com
www.arrowheadmills.com
www.pleasanthillgrain.com
Grain Mills
us.mockmill.com
www.pleasanthillgrain.com
Web Sources
www.globalhealingcenter.com
www.livestrong.com
whatscookingamerica.net/Bread/FlourTypes.htm
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318707.php
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