We've talked about the benefit of whole grains.
Now is the time to make your own.
It's the only way to know what nutrients your flour has.
Use
Any grain, nut, or bean that can be ground- wheat, barley, oat, rye, quinoa, corn, rice, almond, garbanzo.Look for...
wheat berries, rye berries, whole oats
Consider what you're baking...
General whole grains- Spelt, Emmer and Einkorn (all versions of wheat)For yeast breads, hard red (winter or spring) wheat are best.
Quick breads (like muffins, pancakes, and waffles) use soft white-Spelt, kamut, and triticale
Grind
The only catch is that you will need a new toy- a grain mill.
here's a great article to help you choose one. We suggest you check amazon as they have the most customer reviews and are great with returns.
Now pour your grain, nut or dry bean into your mill and grind to your desired fine setting.
Amounts
you will make 1.2 to 1.5 times the original amount
Storing
Fresh flour can go bad very quickly.
Keep your flour in a cool, dark place. Whole wheat flour will go bad in a month.
If it changes color or smells off, toss it.
Place a bay leaf in with the flour to prevent bugs.
Keep it in the fridge or freezer to last longer. We only keep our flour in the freezer as it will keep for years and we can keep various kinds to use.
don't use it right away, let it sit for a time before using it. It will behave more like store bought flour. (like old stale flour) until you get used to using fresh stuff.
It's more for the yeast to feed on as well, so experiment and enjoy the fresh real food taste.
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