For years, I’ve baked with store-bought flour, thinking it was the most convenient option and healthy as well, especially since I bought a good quality wheat flour. But recently, I made the switch to fresh milled flour, and I may never go back! If you’ve ever wondered whether milling your own flour is worth it, let me share what I’ve learned and why I’ve made this change.
What Is Fresh Milled Flour?
Fresh milled flour is simply whole grains that have been ground into flour right before use. Unlike store-bought flour, which is processed and stripped of key nutrients, fresh milled flour retains all the goodness found in the whole grain, including the bran, germ, and endosperm. This makes a huge difference in both nutrition and flavor.
The Benefits of Fresh Milled Flour
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1. Superior Nutrition
Store-bought flours are heavily processed, removing the nutrient-rich bran and germ to extend shelf life. Unfortunately, this also removes essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and healthy oils. Fresh milled flour, on the other hand, keeps all these nutrients intact, giving your body what it was designed to digest—real, whole food.
Some key nutritional benefits of milling flour yourself include:
- Higher fiber content for better digestion
- More vitamins and minerals, including but not limited to B vitamins and vitamin E
- Healthy oils that promote heart and brain health
- No preservatives or chemical additives
2. Better Flavor
If you’ve ever tasted fresh milled flour in bread, muffins, or pancakes, you know there’s no comparison. The flavor is richer, slightly nutty, and more complex. Store-bought flour tends to be bland, while whole grain flour, freshly milled adds depth and character to baked goods.
3. Increased Digestibility
Many people find that fresh milled flour is easier on their digestive system. This could be because it retains natural enzymes that help break down the gluten and starches in the grain. Some who struggle with bloating or discomfort after eating wheat have found that using fresh milled flour makes a difference. In fact, even some people who have been gluten free for years have found they can not just tolerate, but thrive from eating bread, pancakes and more made from fresh-milled flour. Obviously everyone is different, so proceed with caution if you have a severe gluten sensitivity.
4. More Control Over Ingredients
Milling your own flour allows you to choose high-quality grains and avoid the unknowns in commercial flour, such as bleaching agents, synthetic nutrients, and preservatives. You get to decide whether to use organic, non-GMO, or ancient grains like einkorn, spelt, or kamut.
5. Longer Shelf Life for Grains
Flour has a relatively short shelf life, especially whole wheat flour, which can go rancid within months. However, whole grains can last for years when stored properly. Milling flour as needed means you always have fresh flour without worrying about it spoiling. Especially if you’re into building a prepper pantry like I am, you’ll appreciate how easy it is to store whole grains, and how long they’ll last.
6. More Variety and Experimentation
With fresh milled flour, you can experiment with different grains beyond traditional wheat. Try spelt, rye, barley, or even gluten-free options like millet or buckwheat. This opens up a whole new world of flavors and textures in your baking.
Is Fresh Milled Flour Difficult to Use?
One of the biggest concerns people have when considering fresh milled flour is whether it will change their baking process. The truth is, there is a slight learning curve, but it’s not as complicated as it seems.
- Hydration Needs: Flour that is freshly milled absorbs more liquid than store-bought flour, so you may need to slightly increase the water or other liquid in your recipes. It’s best to do so a little at a time, until the dough is the right consistency.
- Texture Differences: It produces a more rustic texture, but this can be adjusted depending on the fineness of the grind.
- Gluten Development: Because it contains the whole grain, gluten development may be slightly different, but techniques like autolyse (letting dough rest before adding in the yeast) can help.
Overall, once you get used to the differences, baking with flour you mill yourself becomes second nature.
Pro Tip: When making yeast bread, you want to use grains with a high gluten content. I typically use hard red wheat and hard white wheat for most of my yeast bread. For making cookies, cake, pancakes, muffins, etc. be sure to use a soft white wheat. (The link is for the one that I use, from True Leaf Market.) If you’re overwhelmed by all the options – or if you are overwhelmed by the cost of everything, I recommend starting with just hard white wheat and soft white wheat.
I recommend learning from people who have been using fresh-milled flour for a long time. It’s especially helpful to follow recipes that use fresh-milled flour rather than trying to convert recipes made from store-bought flour. Here are two of my favorite books for using fresh milled flour (both are available on Amazon).
What You Need to Get Started
Switching to fresh milled flour is easier than you might think. Here’s what you’ll need:
A Grain Mill
This is the key piece of equipment. There are many options, from manual mills to electric mills that make the process effortless. Here are a few of my top recommendations that you can pick up on Amazon.
- Nutrimill
- Wondermill
- Vitamix Dry Grains Container – This is what I’m currently using. I went with this option because I already had a Vitamix blender and this was a less expensive way to start. It has been working fine for me, though I to have to grind small amounts of grain at a time. If you do not already have a Vitamix blender, I recommend using one of the other options linked to above.
Whole Grains
Look for high-quality wheat berries or other grains from a trusted source. You can buy grains on Amazon and in fact it’s a great place to buy small amounts of different types of grains to experiment. But when you’re ready to buy grains in bulk, I prefer these two companies:
Note that True Leaf Market has many grains in smaller quantities ranging from one-pound to five pounds so if you want to experiement, that’s a good way to go. (You’ll see the different quantities available on the pages for each individual grain.) Pleasant Hill Grain has one-pound samples available.
Storage Containers
To keep your grains fresh, store them in airtight containers in a cool, dry place.
If you purchase grains from Pleasant Hill Grain or True Leaf Market, in many cases the grains are sold in 5-gallon buckets. If you’ve ever bought grains in 5-gallon buckets, you may have struggled to get them open. I know I have! Because of that, I recommend getting a bucket wrench (Amazon). If you choose to stick with the lids that come with the buckets, you’ll need a rubber mallet (Amazon) to hammer them shut. Since this is a bit of a pain, I recommend storing the grains long-term in 5-gallon buckets, and storing smaller amounts in food storage containers such as these available on Amazon. Another option is to pick up screw on lids (Amazon). Those are a bit pricey, so I’m gradually buying them so that eventually I’ll have them for all of my buckets of grains.
A Mixer
While you can technically knead dough made with fresh milled flour by hand, it will give you a workout! While I haven’t tried using a Kitchen Aid mixer, I have heard that they often burn out when using fresh milled flour. Because of that, it’s better to get a mixer such as the Nutrimill Artiste, Bosch, or Ankarsrum Mixer. I personally recommend the Nutrimill above the others simply because it does a good job at a more reasonable cost compared to the other mixers.
Pro tip: If you have a Zojirushi Bread Machine like I do, you can also use it to knead your dough. Note that some have had great success not just kneading the dough in the Zojirushi, but also baking bread made with fresh milled flour. I purchased my Zojirushi bread machine from Pleasant Hill Grain, but you can also get it on Amazon.
Please note that to have sucess with it, you need to use customized programs. The video below from Grains and Grit shows just how to do it!
Final Thoughts: Is It Worth It?
For me, switching to fresh milled flour has been 100% worth it. The combination of better nutrition, richer flavor, and greater control over ingredients has transformed my baking and overall health. While it takes a little extra effort, the benefits far outweigh the inconvenience.
If you’re on the fence, I encourage you to give it a try! Start small—buy a simple grain mill, experiment with fresh milled flour in your favorite recipes, and see if you notice a difference. Once you do, you might never go back to store-bought flour again.
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💬 I’d love to hear from you!
Have you tried this yourself? Have a question or tip to share? Leave a comment below — your experience or question could help someone else, too!