Recently, I have begun a fun and incredibly eye-opening journey of fresh milled flour. Today I want to tell you all about it! It has changed my way of thinking about bread, it has changed my way of thinking about nutrition and it has already improved my health in the two short months I have been eating this way.
Fresh milled flour is simply the process of purchasing grain, or wheat berries, and milling it into flour with a grain mill. Although I am just getting started and have so much to learn, I was inspired to take action when I heard about all the abundant nutrition that bread alone contains when the flour is freshly milled versus the standard shelf-stable flour.
About a year ago, I started to see information popping up here and there about fresh milled flour. There have been a lot of “homesteader” type practices coming back on the scene lately. I actually love that! Yet, I have learned that milling grain into flour is so much more than just the latest modern trend. When I read about the drastic and devastating rise in illnesses that began in America after the invention of the steel grain mills back in the 1900s, I was blown away.
When the steel grain mill was invented, it made the coveted white flour readily available to everyone, instead of only to the wealthy. In order to make their bread fluffy, white and shelf stable, they sifted out the most healthy and vitally nutritious parts – the bran and germ – and then added bleach and other chemicals to preserve the flour. This process allowed the flour to be stored on a shelf for a long, long time. We shockingly lost 90% of our nutrition when this happened. Unbelievable! The giant steel grain mills came on the scene replacing personal ones and they began mass producing shelf stable flour. America became vastly stricken with sickness shortly after, in which health officials deemed “white bread disease.” However, little was done to remedy the problem.
“No man shall take the mill or the upper millstone to pledge: for he takes a man’s life to pledge.” – Deuteronomy 24:6
Fresh milled flour is packed with nutrition. Additionally, each essential nutrient works hand-in-hand with the others to provide so much benefit to our bodies. Did you know that one serving of bread made from fresh milled flour contains 40 of the 44 vitamins and minerals we need per day? The only thing lacking from fresh milled flour is vitamins A, C, D and the amino acid lysine. Isn’t that amazing? Now it makes sense why Jesus spoke so much on bread in the Bible – even comparing himself to the bread of life. We need bread! We need it the way it was meant to be eaten!
I am the bread of life.” John 6:35
When I read about the top three health issues that are most benefited from consuming fresh milled flour I was even more convinced to try this new way of living. I myself, thankfully, do not suffer from any diagnosed health issues. However, with the way we have been eating in America most of my life, I know that it is just a matter of time before I begin to experience my fair share. The top three health concerns that studies have proven to be greatly reduced by eating fresh milled flour are Heart Disease, Type 2 diabetes and weight loss. Wow!
Fresh milled flour baked into breads, bagels, rolls, muffins ( you name it!) changes everything we were ever taught about bread. We have all thought that bread was the worst part of our diet, but it can actually be the most nutritious, if we mill our own grain.
A few months ago, my mom and dad came home from their summer trip back east where they were introduced to a wealth of knowledge on fresh milled grain. They watched a video taught by a woman named Sue Becker and said their eyes were opened to the truth. I have since watched the same video and it changed my life, too! Now, I am the proud owner of my very own grain mill. So far I have made something like 2 dozen loaves of homemade bread (with flour I milled myself), along with a few batches of cookies, a couple batches of brownies, sourdough loaves, an apple cake, bagels, banana bread and tortillas. I am greatly looking forward to trying out new recipes for muffins, biscuits, rolls, pancakes, pie crust, pizza crust and pasta! Anything made with flour, really.
On a good baking day I am covered in flour with dishes in my sink but my heart is full. I am as happy as can be as I experiment with all of these fun new recipes full of the best nutrition. Take a look at some of the fun I have been having!
Milling your own grain is a bit more time consuming and does require some up-front investment. Yet, I have found that when your health is concerned it is best to invest in proper nutrition versus pharmaceuticals that mask the symptoms of our bodies crying out for help.
Fresh milled flour needs to be used right away. It actually looses its nutritional value the longer it sits without being baked into a recipe. The grain (or wheat berries) are storable for years. However, once you mill the grain into flour, it needs to be used right away. Because of this, baking with fresh milled flour also takes a little more planning than usual. It may be a few extra steps but let’s not forget it was in the name of convenience that we gave up such great nutrition in the first place. Now we need to rewind time a little and regain what was lost. Our health.
I’m excited to have started this new way of living by milling my own flour to make life-sustaining bread along with many other recipes in the future. This bread satisfies like no other. It satiates and fills me up like I have never quite experienced before.
I wanted to share this journey with you incase you, like me, heard about it but did not fully understand the true benefits behind it. Or maybe you just need a little encouragement to take the plunge.
If any of you are interested in the video that convinced me to begin this amazing journey, you can watch it here:
In addition, this link will help explain which types of grain are best to use and why. This will help you get started.
You can check out this website to purchase wheat berries and so much more (if they have a drop-off location near you). https://www.azurestandard.com
And last but not least, this is the grain mill I have purchased. I really love it! https://a.co/d/ghKxELi
You’re invited to learn along with me on this journey of eating a much healthier and more nutritious lifestyle.
Thank you to my sister Jenny for sharing about this and thank you Dad for the gift of the bread machine. You both paved the way for me on this delicious journey!
Let’s get milling!
Be Blessed, friends!
~ Stephanie
“Give us this day our daily bread” Matthew 6:11
For His Glory, By His Grace 
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