Have you ever tasted a slice of delicious whole wheat bread right out of the oven? It is probably one of my favorite foods! Whole wheat baking totally changed my opinion of whole grains because baking from scratch tastes so much better!
My journey to baking with whole wheat flour started several years ago when our oldest son was diagnosed multiple with more learning disabilities. We decided to try medication to help with some of his issues. While the medicine worked, it also had some nasty side effects.
After much debate and we decided to take him off the medicine. We decided see if some drastic diet changes would have a similar effect as the medication.
Years ago, I relied heavily on convenience food, so it was pretty easy to start cutting out all the prepackaged food and start cooking and baking from scratch. After a year or so I heard a talk by Sue Becker on the benefits of grinding your own grain to make bread and other whole grain foods. I’m typically a skeptic, but her talk convinced me that grinding my own grain was the next step in our family’s healthy lifestyle.
I purchased a Nutrimill 
and began grinding grain to make fresh homemade bread. (After my nurtrimill died I purchased a Wondermill) I was not an experienced bread maker when I started, but it only took one loaf to convince me I made the right decision.
Fresh ground wheat is so much different than a bag of whole wheat flour. 100% whole wheat bread made from your own wheat does not taste like the burnt, dense bread you find at the store either.
I started making 100% whole wheat loaves that were light and delicious. My kids, who normally balked at a piece of whole wheat bread, could eat a whole loaf in one sitting.
To understand the health benefits of milling your own grain here are some facts about freshly milled grain.
- There are three main layers: the bran, the germ, and the endosperm.
- The bran is the outer layer where all the roughage that helps move unwanted poisons and toxins through your system is found. The bran also contains numerous vitamins, minerals, and proteins.
- The germ is the health center of the grain, overflowing with vitamins B and E, as well as unsaturated fat and protein.
- The endosperm is the starchy white center. Whole grains contain almost 90% of all the vitamins, minerals, and protein you’ll ever need. However, commercially milled products don’t offer you those nutrients.
- Why? Once milled, the oils found in the bran and germ oxidize and turn rancid within 72 hours. So for commercial purposes, both the bran and germ—and all the nutrients contained within them—must be removed in order to give products a shelf life.
When you grind your own wheat you are getting the freshest flour possible with the biggest health benefits. The cost initially is high (when you consider the price of a mill) but the cost of ingredients for whole wheat bread is around a $1.
I also use fresh whole wheat flour to make pancakes, waffles, biscuits, bagels, cookies, cakes, pizza, muffins and a variety of other items. The baked goods are light and fluffy even when I use 100% whole wheat in recipes. I also use leftover bread to make whole wheat bread crumbs.
Getting started is expensive. An electric mill costs around $250. I also use my bread machine
to make my dough and then bake the bread in the oven. This is not a necessity but it does make the job a little easier.
Whole Wheat Baking Tips
Use the right type of grain for the recipe.
Hard Red Wheat: This grain is has the most protein of all the grains and should be used in breads and rolls. It has a slightly bitter flavor and is also darker in color.
Hard White Wheat: This grain has less protein than hard red wheat and is lighter in color. It is best for non-yeast baked goods like muffins, pancakes, waffles, etc.
Soft White Wheat: This grain also has less protein and should never be used an any bread recipe. It works well in cakes, pie crusts, and pastries.
Kamut: This grain has a rich nutty flavor and is perfect in waffles and pancakes.
Don’t add extra flour.
Too much flour in your dough will make your bread heavy and dry. Try oiling your hands to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers. Also, flour changes with the humidity in the air. Because flour absorbs liquid from the air, in the humid months try adding a little less liquid in your recipes.
Sift the flour before baking.
As I mentioned previously, commercial bread has the germ and bran removed from the flour to give the bread a longer shelf life.
With whole wheat baking, if you sift the flour and then add the germ and bran back into the mix as you are kneading the bread the bread rises higher and is lighter. You are still getting all the nutrients of homemade bread, but it is fluffier than without sifting.
Use orange juice in your recipes.
Orange juice is acidic and that makes the yeast happy. Especially in sweet breads, where the sugar tends to inhibit the yeast, a tablespoon of orange juice can help give the yeast a little kick.
Many of you have asked for my whole wheat sandwich bread recipe. I use hard white wheat in this recipe and it makes great sandwich bread as well as dinner rolls. I also use this recipe for pizza dough, adding parmesan cheese, garlic, and Italian seasoning before I knead it.
Let the batter rest before baking in non yeast recipes.
The bran and germ in whole wheat flour is coarse, allowing it to rest helps it to absorb more of the liquid in the recipe making a lighter baked good in the end. (This works great with muffins and pancakes too!)
Substitute slowly with new recipes.
If you are new to whole wheat baking and are using recipes that typically call for white flour, don’t replace all the white flour with whole wheat flour right away. Slowly increase the amount of whole wheat flour (and reduce the white flour) in the recipe to make sure the recipe still works with the new flour.
Avoid a burnt crust by tenting.
If your crust is cooking too quickly try “tenting” it halfway through the baking cycle. Take a sheet of foil and cover the bread making a tent shape with the foil. For a softer crust, brush your loaf with butter soon after you take it from the oven. The crust will stay soft for days.
Enhance your loaf.
If you want to enhance your loaf consider adding dry milk or substituting potato water for water in bread recipes. You can also add potato flakes to a recipe. Potatoes add starch to the loaf which keeps the bread moist longer. Dry milk also keeps your loaf moist and fresher longer.
Which is better whole wheat flour from the store or grinding your own?
Most people who are selling grain mills and wheat berries will tell you that fresh ground wheat starts to lose important vitamins as soon as 24 hours after grinding. If this is true, then flour from the store, including King Arthur flour would have significant vitamin loss by the time you purchase it.
This information is disputed by many and after doing a lot of research I haven’t found a clear answer in regards to how quickly or how many vitamins are lost. As a personal preference I think fresh ground whole grain flour gives breads and baked goods a lighter taste, whereas some of the whole wheat flour sold at the store produces heavy loaves. I’ve also found that I can substitute 100% fresh ground whole grain flour in recipes, whereas when I’m using store bought whole wheat flour I still need to use a little white flour to get the desired results.
As far as store bought whole wheat flour, King Arthur is my first choice because they are the closest thing to fresh ground flour. Many flours remove the bran and germ, then add it back in later which changes the nutritional content of the flour by doing so. They also have the best results in baking compared to the other brands I have tried. I definitely think King Arthur flour is a great place to start for those wanting to try out switching to whole wheat without committing to buying a mill, 50 pounds of grain, and other supplies.
The only option better than using King Arthur Flour is to check and see if one of your local health food stores will grind wheat berries for you in the store. This method is may be more expensive than King Arthur, but it would be a good way to see if you think there is a difference in buying whole wheat flour and grinding it yourself.
My No-Fail Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
Whole Wheat Bread (No Fail Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 tsp salt
- 4-4 1/2 freshly milled hard spring wheat flour sifted
- 1 teasp orange juice
- 1 Tbs yeast
Instructions
Bread Machine Directions:
- Add all the wet ingredients to the bottom of the bread machine loaf pan.
- Then add dry ingredients.
- Add the yeast last.
- Use the dough setting unless you want to bake it in the bread machine.
- Shape into the desired pan and let rise again until doubled.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
Mixer Instructions
- Combine all the wet ingredients.
- Add yeast, salt, and half the flour.
- Knead the dough until smooth.
- Slowly add the rest of the flour.
- Knead for about 10 minutes.
- Let rise until doubled.
- Shape into the desired pan and let rise again until doubled.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
I make this recipe in my bread machine by adding all the wet ingredients and then all the dry ingredients. Add the yeast last. I use the dough setting, but if your machine has a whole wheat setting you can use that too and bake it right in your machine.
If you are making this recipe by hand combine all the wet ingredients. Then add yeast, salt, and half the flour. Mix until the dough is smooth. Then add the rest of the flour. Add the flour slowly so you don’t use too much. Knead for about 10 minutes. Let rise until doubled. Shape into desired pan and then rise again until doubled. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. This will make 2 loaves of bread or two large pizzas.
Our family has enjoyed fresh bread and other whole grain products for almost four years. I can start a loaf of bread in under ten minutes and the entire hands on time is under 20 minutes. Making bread is not difficult once you get the hang of it, and this skill can be taught to your kids as well.
My whole family agrees it is hard to beat the taste of fresh homemade bread from the oven.
How to get a perfect looking loaf.
If you are baking your bread in the oven it’s easy to get a beautiful, perfectly shaped loaf of bread with this simple trick.
Roll out the dough into the shape of a rectangle after the first rise. Make sure your rectangle is not wider than your loaf pan. Then roll the dough up like a cinnamon roll. Place it in the bread pan. This will give your bread a nice even shape through the second rise and baking.
When your bread is finished baking brush your loaf with melted butter. It will keep your crust nice and soft.
Additional information: Merrilee asked where I purchase my grain. I purchase my grain from the Bread Beckers or Quail Cove Farms which is a co-op on the Eastern Shore that delivers to my area once a month.
The wheat comes in 50 pound bags so I only order every few months. The price of grain fluctuates significantly but depending on where you live you can purchase grain for about $1 a pound for organic and about $0.60 a pound for non-organic.
Once you have tried fresh, whole grain baked goods it is hard to go back to store bought!
Courtney says
wow this is awesome. i don’t have a mill and not sure if hubby will get me one, but oh my goodness i wish i was like this. he wont let me get a bread machine cause he doesnt think i will use it but i would love one, someday right!
Tasha says
It’s like you read my mind! I was going to ask you about this very subject! Thank you!
Merrilee says
This may be a dumb question, but where do you get your grains to put through the mill?
Thanks!
Michelle aka Applie says
We love our fresh ground whole wheat breads, waffles,tortillas… you name it. I wore our bread machine out a few years ago and now I make our dough in a mixer. My biggest problems are muffins, so I’d like to know what that muffin is you have pictured. Mine are dense and heavy. My girls don’t know the difference, so they think the muffins are great. LOL Ignorance is bliss.
TheHappyHousewife says
That is a cinnamon and brown sugar muffin, not the healthiest but still whole grain. I use soft white wheat for muffins and other non yeast products. I think they turn out fluffier when I do.
Amy Walton says
As you know, I’ve given up flour of any sort for Lent. Being a carb fanatic who works out daily, this has been a real challenge, but it’s forcing me to increase my fruit, veggie, and protein sources. Ezekiel Bread (no flour, just sprouted grains) is saving my sanity. Thanks for sharing this, Toni, because I just may purchase a grinder once Lent’s over.
I’ll keep you and the little on in my prayers!
Michelle aka Applie says
I found the muffin recipe. 🙂 I am going to make these this morning. The recipe doesn’t look any different than what I use, so we’ll see how it turns out. Thanks for the recipe.
Wendi says
I get my grain from Quail Cove too! I love my nutrimill. I currently use the bread recipe on Tammy’s Recipes – we love it. But I may have to try yours too, just to mix it up a bit.
MB says
Wow, this sounds really cool. This would probably save me a fortune too, over the long haul. We eat a ton of bread and I like to buy organic whole wheat. I think I might start saving for one of these while I investigate further. The time factor is the thing for me. I guess I should at least attempt my bread maker before I consider this though! Ha!
Snow White says
very cool. when you buy your grain in bulk, how do you store it? And, after it’s ground, do you need to refrigerate it?
momstheword says
I have a bread machine and a mill and am embarrassed to admit that I am currently using neither….(blush). Got to break it out!
Loved the Star Wars cake and am happy that your mom is able to come out and help! Praying for that precious baby girl to grow!
jolyn says
You are inspiring. I have still to make the leap to making bread from scratch; grinding my own grain feels like that much further away. But I’m not giving up on myself and am so grateful for blogs like yours to help inspire me.
Bree says
Thanks you so much for this information! My mom used to mill wheat and make bread etc… I never paid attention or was interested, now I wish I had! Thanks again for your wealth of info…
Buffie says
I would love to try this. My main holdup is the cost of the mill. Well, that and finding time to actually make the bread. It seems like the health benefits alone would make it worth trying.
Rebecca Bailey says
We are currently grinding wheat & making our own bread. I’ve been doing 1/2 fresh ground wheat and 1/2 white flour. I’ve been so nervous to go to whole wheat for fear the bread would get too heavy. I will definitely try your way to see how it goes. Just one question, where do you buy Lecithin & Gluten?
Rebecca says
Oh man, the nutrimill sounds so nice/fancy. We have a 30+ year old grinder that came from the MIL and she got it secondhand. But hey, it works. I just keep the beast in the garage since its huge and heavy.
Houstonmom says
I started grinding wheat last November and have not purchased a store loaf of bread since. Now that I’ve had this good stuff, the other tastes gummy and sticky. I’m with you on this one. Good post.
Sherry says
I would so love a grain mill attachment to my KitchenAid. Guess I need to add it to my wish list! I’ve heard so many great things about using fresh ground whole wheat. 😀
Amanda from Faith, Food and Family says
This is really neat. I have never thought of grinding my own flour. One of these days I might have to try and get a mill. It’s something I’d need to save for a bit for. That pizza looks very yummy!
God bless,
Amanda
Amanda says
I baked my own bread for a long time alternating between my bread machine and my kitchen-aid mixer, but after learning about how much nutrients are lost w/ store bought flour I quit. My HUSBAND got to reading the Bread Beckers website and is anxious for us to start grinding our own wheat. $$ is an issue right now so I am praying for the funds to buy a mill and grain.
I have a muffin recipe that we all LOVE using wheat, millet & honey. Makes a moist, healthy muffin. I’d love to share the recipe.
Niki says
I have been researching this, problem is we cannot get wheat here (atlantic canada) as soon as I can secure a source I will be looking into this. What kind of what berries do you get?
Melissa Cain says
Do you have a good recipe for biscuits using fresh ground flour? Which grain do you use? I use Kamut, Spelt, and Soft White Wheat for my bread and it is very light, but I have not had very good results with biscuits.
Tonya says
Just got a bread machine this weekend and will be starting soon! I tasted some your mom made a week or so ago–it was delicious!
LauraBeth Oliver says
I made this today and I LOVE it! Best sandwich bread recipe I’ve tried, and I loved the ingredient listing. I made only two small changes to adapt to our household: 1) I don’t have a mill, so I used store-bought whole wheat flour and 2) I don’t keep lecithin on hand, so I substituted 2 eggs. I’ve been looking for a sandwich bread recipe that would keep my husband from longing for soft store-bought wheat bread (with ingredient listings a mile long), and I believe I’ve found it. Thank You!
Giovanna Hammond says
Hello,
Through browsing your site, I found your bread-making posts great. I believe I read in one of your posts about grinding grains using your Vita Mix. I need some advice. I own a Vita Mix and can get the dry blade for a third of the price of a mill in order to mill my own grains. What do you think? Is it a better investment to just go ahead and get a (dedicated) mill?
Thanks in advance.
Barry Lomax says
Excellent article,
I grind my own grains and find everything said to be true. I have even seen people with wheat5 sensitivites do fine with freshly ground wheat, especially if it is fermented into sourdough. Grain mills are great but a bit expensive. I use a Vitamix blender and it grinds grain into flour in about 20 seconds. I have a special blade for that but I find that the regular blade works fine and almost as well.
Laurie says
I just started grinding my own wheat. LOVE IT…won’t go back!!! Question here is….can I use the same recipes as I would store bought white flour? Or do I need to make adjustments?
I’m currently using a hand grinder and am dying for the Nutrimill! lol
Lisa Grace says
Thanks for sharing this. I just bought a grain mill attachment for my KitchenAid and want to start grinding my own flour to bake with. I have been running into denser loaves even when using store bought, but look forward to trying the sifting you referenced (also, thanks for sharing THAT post, too!).
Do you find it saves you a lot of time/effort to have the bread machine do the mixing and rising? I don’t have one, but have thought about looking into getting one many times, as rising bread takes us a VERY long time in this home for some reason (even when I do it in the oven or microwave). It’s an older home and a wee bit drafty, so I am guessing this is the cause. What would you suggest?
nancy says
I also fresh mill my whole wheat(s) but am confused as to why you call for sifting your hard white before using in the bread recipe. With the sifting, a seperation of flour and grain occurs and I wonder if you dont lose the nutrients as well?
TheHappyHousewife says
You don’t lose any nutrients because you are putting it all in the bowl. Sifting just makes the bread rise better and have a lighter texture.
Lilia says
I made this recipe today by hand. I don’t have a bread machine. The taste was great the only thing was that I didn’t have enough to make 2 loaves I only was able to make 1. How do you make 2 loaves with this recipe?
Julia G. says
I also bake with freshly milled grains, and for everyone that commented that they went to the store and purchased whole wheat flour off the shelf to make this recipe you’ve missed the point. Freshly milled grains contain the germ, the essence of the grain that’s removed in the milling process because it contains oil and will cause the grains to become rancid if they sit on a store shelf. But it adds flavor that you’ve never experienced, and takes baking back to what it once was and should be today. In its simplest terms, it’s a gift for the health of your body and your soul. Thank you for sharing.
Alicia says
Does your bread rise good? I tried your recipe and my bread did not rise good. Any suggestions?
Toni Anderson says
Did you check the expiration date of the yeast? Old yeast can impede the rising process.
Kris Dobbins says
I noticed there is no lecithin in your recipe. Is that correct?
Toni Anderson says
If I have it I use it, but if I’m out I’ve made it without and it turns out fine.
Sharla says
Just got my grain mill and this is the first bread I made. We all LOVE IT! Oh my word, so great. Thank you!
Jessica Schafer says
I’m excited to try your method of sifting and then returning the bran to the mix. I was wondering about the high oil and honey content for this loaf, though. I’ve been making whole wheat loaves with just 2 Tbsp. each of oil and honey. If I were to keep my normal quantity of oil and honey, would you recommend I increase the water for this recipe? I’ve used 1.5 cups of water like you, but just 4 cups of flour. Also, you mentioned that measuring by weight is more accurate – do you have a weight measurement for the flour in this recipe? I’ve been using 120 g. of grain to make up 1 c. of flour but I’m too lazy do measure to see if it’s exactly right.