Sometimes my husband just shakes his head when he walks past me, and I’m never sure why. Recently he confessed, “I’m still sort of in disbelief that you make flour in our basement.”
It’s a big step to go from buying flour to buying 50-pound bags of bulk whole grains and grinding them in your own home (maybe not always in the basement). It does add a few minutes to my bread baking and other grain-based recipes, and the cost of a grinder alone is a commitment as well.
Why bother?
What Happens to Grain After it is Milled into Flour?
Whole grains are very stable and usually don’t spoil, since they don’t have much moisture content and are protected by their own outer layer. As a seed, they’re designed to be preserved at least until next year’s planting and usually well beyond for the proliferation of the species.
However, once milled, the protective coating is smashed to bits and some of the sensitive insides are exposed to air, which changes everything.
Many sources, including my contact at Pleasant Hill Grain, the sponsor of our Nutrimill giveaway, quote that wheat flour loses 40% of its vitamin content in the first 24 hours after milling and 85-90% after 2-3 more days. Here’s a little more in-depth science on what happens:
- Unsaturated fats in the wheat germ oxidize/go rancid.
- B Vitamins are destroyed by light and air.
- Beneficial enzymes start working and play themselves out.
- Vitamin A is diminished.
- Vitamin E, which is an antioxidant that helps to protect flour from oxidation, deteriorates once milled, especially if the conditions become moist.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Please see the comments for a rebuttal and revision of this information from a well-read passerby, especially this comment and this one. Sounds like the vitamin loss is less significant than I was told and read. There is a lot of misinformation, about nutrition especially, on the Internet. I don’t want to play a part! Soooo…it’s possible that freshly ground grain isn’t a zillion times healthier than not-freshly-ground flour, but it still keeps me in charge of my food. Also, the commenter does say that the vitamins in “enriched” white flour are possibly about equal to that of freshly ground grain, but I’d rather have the natural vitamins than synthetics any day. As usual, it’s up in the air again!
How Long Can you Store Freshly Ground Wheat Flour?
Again, many experts would say “Use it right away!” However, I for one simply cannot grind flour every time a need a few Tablespoons to feed my sourdough starter, so I store extras in my refrigerator or freezer. The freezer is best, but there’s a bit of a space premium on frozen air in my house.
- At room temperature: As little as 2 days, but some sources say up to 5 days would be okay. If your flour is already “soaking” in a recipe, don’t worry about rancidity. Other processes have already begun!
- In the refrigerator: 10 days
- In the freezer: up to 30 days
- Some sources at this very comprehensive source set the standard for flour storage at 15-60 days, but they also admit rancidity has been found as early as two days after milling. Fresh is best!
The Scary Rat Experiment
In Germany in 1970, scientists conducted a rat feeding study to examine the value of whole grains. Rats were fed half of their food in the form of bread or flour. They were separated into five groups:
- fresh, stone-ground flour
- bread made with fresh, stone-ground flour
- fresh flour stored for 15 days
- bread made with the 15-day stored flour
- white flour
After four generations of rats, those in groups three and five were infertile. Only groups one and two maintained appropriate fertility. (Not sure about group four…) Four generations of rats is equivalent to about 100 years for the human race. I don’t think I need to connect many dots for you or help you with the math of refined baked goods and the surge of commercial flour vs. home milled. How many people do you know who have struggled to conceive?
Buying Healthy Whole Wheat Flour
What if you don’t have access to a grain mill to grind you own flour? It’s just not realistic that everyone can achieve this. Buying commercially milled flour doesn’t have to be scary.
First, commercial flour generally has the wheat germ removed, since that’s the part with the unstable oils that would cause the whole thing to go rancid. You might miss out on a few vitamins and nutrients, but avoiding the risk of rancidity is worth it.
When you purchase flour at a store, try your best to buy from a store with a high turnover rate, so you can at least hope that your bag of flour hasn’t been sitting on the shelf for a very long time. When you get it, freeze it right away.
I like to look for “certified chemical free” flour from mail order sources. Here in Michigan we have some access to Country Life Naturals, where they have some really nice flour.
In the store, it’s important to avoid potassium bromate, often added to flour as an enhancer. It’s pegged as a cancer risk and banned in many other countries (but not the U.S.). You can tell if your store whole wheat flour is unbromated if it states it on the package (like King Arthur brand) or by calling the company. I checked with Gold Medal for you, and they assured me their whole wheat is unbromated.
Did you see the other post for today? A $149 value giveaway that will help you learn to grow bacteria (yum!) and boost your family’s nutrition! Check it out. Nutrimill giveaway coming tomorrow morning at 6 a.m.!
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I’ve talked about this with my husband, since he grinds his own grain for making beer (not to flour consistency, apparently you’d need a different machine than the one that lives in my garage). Yes, in an ideal world I’d grind my own flour. But in an even better world I wouldn’t be eating bread at all. Meh, what can ya do.
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AmandaonMaui Reply:
February 17th, 2011 at 3:21 pm
You can do it if you want to. It’s all about really wanting it. Just decide that you’re not going to eat anymore bread, and don’t. Don’t buy it, don’t make it. You can make the choice and you have the power to stick to it.
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Any thoughts on gluten free grains, getting the whole grains, and grinding them?
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KristinaD Reply:
February 17th, 2011 at 5:35 pm
Is the kind of grinder the same for wheat as for gluten free like rice or teff? I can buy teff grain and brown rice and even millet.
Also, for bean flour, do you grind the unsoaked beans (like garbanzo beans)? Same for oat flour?
And what about those claims of ‘finely ground using special machinery to keep it cool so as to not loose nutrients’? Are these just marketing?
I realize it is not an answer for your question, but really just more questions.
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Katie Reply:
February 21st, 2011 at 3:26 am
Kristina,
Katie
All good questions!
1. yes, you can grind rice and teff and such with a Nutrimill.
2. I haven’t done beans yet – don’t know why – but you’d either have to grind unsoaked beans or soak or sprout beans, then dehydrate them fully before drying.
3. the claims are quite accurate, as it would be possible for some mills to overheat the flour, causing sensitive nutrients (Vitamin E comes to mind) and fats to oxidize.
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Katie Reply:
February 21st, 2011 at 3:34 am
Amanda,
Katie
I know it’s possible, and a lot cheaper than buying GF flours! I keep meaning to mill brown rice and see what it looks like. Not sure what to make with it though… A grain grinder would be an extra “must” for me if we were GF, just because those GF flours do tend to be so expensive, whereas the whole grains are not always so.
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When I first heard about flour losing its nutrients after its been milled I was floored. Once we are able to, we will get a grain mill. Its the on the top of my list for my Christmas gift. I also knew that you could mill your flour and freeze it, but can you believe I’ve never thought about freezing the flour I buy at the store to try to preserve any of the nutrients left.
Thanks for that tip.
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Oliver James Reply:
February 15th, 2012 at 10:27 am
Chris. It doesn’t matter to try and maintain and or preserve the nutrient value of the flour. Unless one plans to eat the flour raw, all flour is used for baking or frying etc. This completes the death gauntlet for plants and subsequent flour and their nutrients. Try this at home. Take a seed and bake it for an hour at 350 degrees. Then plant it and see what happens. Nothing will grow. Your bread has zero nutrients left. It will never decompose because it is no longer organic matter. Take another seed, pummel it into flour, add a little water and ball it up and bury it – again, nothing will grow. Enjoy your bread. Just make sure your sandwhich has lettuce and tomatos in it if you want nutrition.
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So, when the bread is heated while cooking, does that destroy the nutrients in the wheat? I have always wondered if the point of preparing the grains (sourdough, soaking) is only for making the grains easier to digest OR if it is for increased nutrients? It just makes sense that heating the grains would lessen the nutrient properties. At minimum, I guess using freshly ground grains for bread would ensure the flour used is not rancid, but I am wondering if going through the process of home milling is worth the time if the nutrients are killed during the cooking process. I hope this makes sense – any one have information on this?
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Katie Reply:
February 21st, 2011 at 3:32 am
Carol,
That’s a very good question. I suppose some nutrients like Vitamin E must be damaged or diminished or destroyed in the baking process, but the E does its job keeping the flour happy and healthy before you bake with it, I believe. Many fats are only denatured with time/light/oxygen or at temps well over the 200F internal temp your bread will get to.
Now I’m kind of curious to find out more. It would be really interesting to see a study comparing the nutrients in freshly ground flour vs. the nutrients in a baked loaf of bread.
Some properties of the grains will not be affected by heat, and many of them are enhanced by souring or soaking, so I still think it’s worth it. Plus, if you can’t digest it well anyway, what’s the point of eating the bread?
Great question – you got me wondering!
Katie
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Jennifer Reply:
February 14th, 2012 at 11:32 pm
Katie, Did you ever get or find this comparison on bread from freshly milled grain after baking and the nutrients?
[Reply to this comment]
Oliver James Reply:
February 15th, 2012 at 10:29 am
You are ABSOLUTELY correct.
Cutting and pasting here (of myself): It doesn’t matter to try and maintain and or preserve the nutrient value of the flour. Unless one plans to eat the flour raw, all flour is used for baking or frying etc. This completes the death gauntlet for plants and subsequent flour and their nutrients. Try this at home. Take a seed and bake it for an hour at 350 degrees. Then plant it and see what happens. Nothing will grow. Your bread has zero nutrients left. It will never decompose because it is no longer organic matter. Take another seed, pummel it into flour, add a little water and ball it up and bury it – again, nothing will grow. Enjoy your bread. Just make sure your sandwhich has lettuce and tomatos in it if you want nutrition.
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I am intrigued by the rat experiment. Do you have more information on that data? I’d love to see it!
)
However, I will add my 2 cents to this discussion:
1) when I first switched from baking w/ whole wheat flour off the shelf in the store to grinding my own (and yes, as Katie says, it is one of those “big steps”), I couldn’t believe how rancid the bread made with the grocery store flour tasted. It was unbelievable!
2) I have read in numerous places that freezing flour destroys vitamin E (like we needed something else to be concerned about
3) Country Life Natural Foods, here in Michigan, delivers on trucks to a pretty wide area (free of charge w/ a minimum order) and they will deliver via UPS outside of that. We used to order from them when we lived in OK for 2 years. They are VERY reasonable and have a wide selection outside of grains.
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Katie Reply:
February 21st, 2011 at 3:29 am
Adrienne,
Click on the sources above for pretty much everything I found on the study.
Love Country Life!
Katie
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I think the BEST thing to do if you don’t want to grind your own is find a friend who might help you out.
hehehe.
I tend to grind per project — as needed, BUT, I will usually end up with a little extra (like 1/4 c.) and freeze that. This flour is what I use to feed a sourdough starter or add a little extra as I’m kneading or flour a cutting board. Kind of the best of both worlds. My MAJOR projects are ground fresh but my small ones are from the freezer. When we’re eating grains, anyway.
I do definitely think it’s worth it! There are too many experiments like that rat one (I hadn’t heard that one in particular) for my comfort. Rats fed on any aspect of a traditional Western diet either died, became infertile, or grew cancer within 4 generations. We’re rapidly approaching that in our lives and people don’t even see it…. But I do! I’m about the only person I know who hasn’t struggled with SOME aspect of infertility. And I did not grow up on real food so in some ways I got lucky.
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For small amounts of flour as well as flax and other oily seeds, I use my Thermomix from Vorwerk. Wonderful!
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I’m hoping that buying sprouted spelt flour keeps some of the nutrients more in tact, yes? Based on the price, I hope so. (Running to put her SS flour in the freezer…)
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Katie Reply:
February 21st, 2011 at 3:27 am
Melanie,
Katie
Sprouted flour is much more nutritious than regular whole grain flour, but yes, get that stuff in the freezer! It’s just as sensitive, if not moreso.
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I would love to grind my own flour eventually. I will have to try storing my flour in the freezer from now on…
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If one is buying organic flour, do we still have to look for the “Certified Chemical Free” label?
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Adrienne Reply:
February 17th, 2011 at 11:27 pm
No, they are different animals. Companies w/ the CCF label say that sometimes their designation is superior to organic since organic crops could be tainted by chemicals on nearby crops. This is all part of the confusion of “organic” certification. Wheat Montana’s grain is CCF but I believe that I heard that they are going to have an organically certified grain soon too. I always bought theirs and had great success with it.
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Katie Reply:
February 21st, 2011 at 3:21 am
I’m so glad Adrienne is backing me up on this! She’s right, CCF is just a less expensive way for me to get pretty much organic (close enough for me) grains.
Katie
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( jason ) Reply:
February 21st, 2011 at 10:36 am
Now you’ve got me curious. My buying club has organic wheat berries for about $.75 per lb. (on a 50 lb. bag), plus a per order shipping fee, usually around $2.50. Which would make it $.80, if I didn’t order anything else.
How does that compare to what you are able to find? The couple links for CFF that I clicked on, were more expensive.
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Katie Reply:
February 22nd, 2011 at 4:14 am
Jason,
Katie
I’m curious too! I always got the flour CCF, 10# for $6.50 or 50# for $25.50. The wheat berries are just regular and organic: 50# for $23.50 and $30 respectively. I pick up from the store or get free shipping on a huge order at my raw milk farm. Country Life Naturals in Mich: http://www.clnf.org/onlinecatalog/index.html I’m interested what others pay around the country though!
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I ended up buying a grain mill early on in my changes to healthier food, mainly because I discovered that my bread with freshly ground flour rose so much better! We did a side by side comparison at a friend’s house with her freshly ground flour and my King Arthur flour. After that, I was convinced! I bought a Vitalmill, which is only half the price of the Nutrimill, and so far I like it. It is probably slightly more difficult to open and maybe to clean, but it works great!
Just recently I’ve started having a “baking day” when I make bread, I also make pizza dough to freeze and tortilla dough to freeze or refrigerate, and sometimes even cookies. It doesn’t take a lot more time and doesn’t make too many extra dishes and I’m not grinding wheat more than once a week. I do usually grind some extra flour to freeze to make waffles or pancakes later in the week.
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I never realize that freshly milled flour would make a difference to the taste of foods and even health! Thanks for the informative post! I’ll look at flour the same way ever again.
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I recently started sprouting my wheat and then grinding it. However, it doesn’t seem to grind as well in smallish, Kitchen Aid attachment. It takes significantly longer to grind the sprouted wheat compared to the regular stuff. Do I need to let it dry longer? It seemed completely dry, but I could be wrong
.
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Katie Reply:
February 21st, 2011 at 4:09 am
Dusti,
Katie
I’ve only milled sprouted flour once or twice, but I think it really depends on how long your sprouts are. I don’t think you’re alone in finding that it takes longer. Kate at http://www.modernalternativemama.com/ or Kimarie at http://thecardamomspod.com are experts you could ask!
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This is a whole new world for me…I want to grind flour!
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My ultimate favorite recipe using whole grains is my 100% Whole Wheat Bread.
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@ Katie~ You said that commercial flour has the germ removed…but that isn’t the case if we are buying whole wheat flour right?
Ugh. I’m flipping out on how much of the nutrients are lost so quickly in flour. I thought milling your own at home was *nice* and quaint. I had no idea that it was truly a health necessity almost. I guess I may be looking into a grain mill soon!
Amy
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Katie Reply:
February 21st, 2011 at 1:53 am
Amy,
Katie
Actually, I do mean whole wheat flour. Even “whole” wheat flour isn’t quite whole, out of necessity. Good question, though!
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Great article! I put a link to it on my Tumblr site because I think “ordinary people” will feel more confident about making changes after reading the article.
One question which I wanted to research is that if the wheat germ is taken out of commercially milled flour, is it okay then to buy the bottled wheat germ and add it back in again?
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Katie Reply:
February 21st, 2011 at 4:23 am
Barb,
Interesting thought – the trick would be getting wheat germ that’s not already rancid, but reconstituting like that ought to work otherwise.
I’m nothing if not ordinary, I see that as a compliment!
Katie
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Barb@A Life in Balance Reply:
February 22nd, 2011 at 9:56 am
Okay, so how would I know the wheat germ is not rancid? I would think that wheat germ sold in a vacuum-packed jar is more likely to be okay than wheat germ sold in a plastic package or in bulk. I’ll see what I can find out about this.
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Barb@A Life in Balance Reply:
February 22nd, 2011 at 10:06 am
I think using wheat germ is a bit more complicated than I originally thought! According to this article: http://www.drkaslow.com/html/wheat_germ_oils.html, the extraction process can damage the wheat germ and basically make the wheat germ useless. So, while wheat germ has many health benefits, I’m thinking that relying on it to add nutrition back into white flour or whole wheat flour is a bit tricky, and expensive.
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Hi Katie,
Found your article trying to research some claims that are all over the web, namely that “90% of nutrients are lost in milled grain after 72 hours”.
We grind our own grain and greatly enjoy home baked bread! Yum. There’s no doubt it is more healthy as well as tasty.
BUT, as someone with university training in feed grains and animal nutrition, is saddens me that so many good people do not realize they are really misusing the facts.
The reason we have grains in our diet is not primarily for vitamins. Grain is for energy and fiber and also proteins. Certainly the vitamins are important, but not the essential thing that grains add. The “main” reason we eat grains is not for vitamins. Though the vitamins come in the package are help the overall ingestion of these important nutrients.
To say that we lose 90% of nutritional value after 72 hours, and then not qualify that statement is simply misinformation. We lose a significant amount of certain vitamins (and this is noteworthy), but that’s only a very small part of the nutrition of grain. We do not lose 90 % of the starch, fiber, protein, energy, etc. Actually, through milling grain, we gain nutrients that would absolutely be inaccessible were the grain not milled. So this makes the above statement even more disturbing (if left unqualified.)
Don’t know if my point is clear. I would hope folks like you could be more careful in the way you make broad sweeping statements like the ones described above.
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Katie Reply:
February 25th, 2011 at 3:27 am
Dane,
I really appreciate your information and the personalization you took to share it. I strongly dislike being a part of misinformation! I edited the post just now – would it be more accurate to say “% of the vitamin content” rather than “nutrients”?
Now I remember reading a rebuttal of the “90% of nutrients” statement that addressed the protein, starch, etc and how that cannot be lost. I must have inadvertently glazed over it and not ingested the meaning of the information. I do understand what you’re saying, and again, totally appreciate you helping to make my information accurate.
Just out of curiosity – what’s your family’s motivation for milling your own grains?
Thanks!!
Katie
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Dane Reply:
February 25th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
Katie,
Actual data is hard to come by in really supporting any claims about what percentage of vitamins deteriorate in the first few days after milling grain. Vitamins do oxidize and deteriorate due to light. But as to how much, I have not had success finding actual research data. However, there is lots of data available regarding what cooking does to vitamins. Here’s the link to an informative article and a chart that details how various methods of cooking affects minerals, vitamins, etc. of different foods. The chart I believe is from USDA research compilations: http://nutritiondata.self.com/topics/processing
In summary, it would NOT be safe to even say that “90% of vitamins deteriorate after 72 hours.” Because there are several vitamins that are much more stable than others, and frankly, are not severely affected by oxidation and light, or even cooking later.
The safe thing to claim about fresh milled whole grains and the breads we make from them is that they are fresher, have more fiber, and naturally occurring vitamins. Also, they taste much better and if you buy grain in the bulk, home baked bread is much cheaper than store bought.
One last issue about comparing home ground and baked bread to store-bought bread (even white bread-yuck!), is that white bread has “enriched” flour in it. That means that the vitamins lost when the fiber and germ are removed in the processing, are added back from other vitamin sources, as a supplement to the flour. These supplemented vitamins may be less palatable than the naturally occuring forms, but are still mostly effective in meeting dietary needs for those vitamins. What does this matter? Only that it is not necessarily even accurate to claim home milled and baked bread has “more nutrients” than store bought bread (with enriched flour). The problem with store bought bread is not mainly a vitamin issue (in my opinion), it’s the other preservatives and additives that are put in there.
Honestly, for those of us who eat a healthy, rounded diet, and who perhaps take a daily multi-vitamin, we urinate away more vitamins each day than we gain from home milling our flour. Again, breads have been called “the staff of life” for thousands of years, not for their vitamins but their carbs, proteins, and fiber.
Btw, we make our own bread primarily for the taste and then for the cost. Our kids consume this healthy stuff like some kids eat candy! Nothing like hot bread right out of the oven. It’s one of the real wonders of life!
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Katie Reply:
February 28th, 2011 at 3:59 am
Thank you, Dane! I did what I could with the post and directed readers to your comment for the best information! Appreciate your time – Katie
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Michelle Reply:
August 30th, 2011 at 3:53 pm
One comment re: the enriched flour. There are 35-40+ nutrients that are in whole grain wheat, but are replaced with only 5 vitamins. I liked the point you made. It was helpful – I am researching into milling my own grains. Thank you for sharing.
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Oliver James Reply:
February 15th, 2012 at 10:32 am
It doesn’t matter to try and maintain and or preserve the nutrient value of the flour. Unless one plans to eat the flour raw, all flour is used for baking or frying etc. This completes the death gauntlet for plants and subsequent flour and their nutrients. Try this at home. Take a seed and bake it for an hour at 350 degrees. Then plant it and see what happens. Nothing will grow. Your bread has zero nutrients left. It will never decompose because it is no longer organic matter. Take another seed, pummel it into flour, add a little water and ball it up and bury it – again, nothing will grow. Enjoy your bread. Just make sure your sandwhich has lettuce and tomatos in it if you want nutrition.
[Reply to this comment]
On page 15 of her book, Flour Power (which can conveniently be found on the front page of my website LOL), Marleeta Basey has a chart for you from the USDA — Nutrient Comparison of Hard Red Spring Wheat Berries vs. Unenriched White Flour vs. Enriched White Flour.
Examples:
fiber – 12.2 gr vs 2.7 vs 2.7
calcium 25 vs 15 vs 15 mg
potassium 340 mg vs 107 v 107
selenium 70.7 mcg vs 33.9 vs 33.9
vitamin E 1.01 mg vs. 0.06 vs 0.06
manganese 4.06 mg vs 0.682
etc.
The few enriched items have MORE in the new version than the original, but the other 15 of the 22 major nutrients reduced have no compensation made. And there’s skepticism as to whether the enriched version of the nutrients is as easily assimilated into the body.
BTW, on the issue of baking heat vs. milling heat:
“Won’t those vitamins be destroyed anyway in a 400-degree oven? …the fermentation process in breadmaking involves enzymes that protect vitamins during baking. In the case of the B-vitamin thiamin, only 5 to 35 percent is lost in baking, because starch provides some protection. Recently discovered powerful antioxidants in the orthophenols of wheat survive the baking process.” p. 14
I did a cost comparison a while back and determined that I could make whole-grain bread with fresh, “whole” ingredients and no “stuff I don’t recognize” for under 60 cents a loaf at the time of the post. Comparing this to the store price tag of the least expensive whole-grain bread in our discount grocery, a home mill pays for itself in as little as thirteen weeks, estimating that our family would consume some equivalent of one loaf of bread a day. Now, I re-ran my numbers yesterday with updated grain pricing, olive oil, raw honey etc. increases and it came out to 90 cents a loaf, but I’m sure the storebought price has gone up significantly, too, so I’m guessing the time to return on investment is pretty much the same.
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Katie Reply:
May 27th, 2011 at 11:47 am
Vicki,
What awesome information! Thank you so much for sharing, especially the cost breakdown. 13 weeks! Not long at all…
Katie
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Dane,
Would you mind posting some recipes for bread that you use with the freshly milled flour? We also mill our own flour, but have not found a bread recipe that I love yet. Thank you!
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
January 19th, 2012 at 10:58 am
Jennifer,
Katie
You’ll want to check here:
http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2011/01/04/introducing-seeking-the-perfect-homemade-whole-wheat-bread/
Some good options!
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If it is of help, I have a photo tutorial with bread recipe (and another for cinnamon rolls!) at my site at http://www.everydayhomemaking.com, as well as an article on whole grains with lots of links to read various “takes” on the nutrition aspect.
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Guy’s, it doesn’t really matter which type of flour you use – all nutrients will be brutally damaged when your flour is put into the oven at 350F for an hour, or boiled, or baked, or fried etc etc. How are we always leaving out the endgame factor? We effort getting all the nutritiously dense products and safe organic products and they we just kill the nutrients any way. The milling process is far less damaging than the things that go on in the kitchen.
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