fresh ground flour bread recipe

There is truly nothing better than preparing bread from scratch, especially from fresh ground flour. The smell of bread baking from scratch in your home is an experience unlike any other and the taste of it, from fresh-milled flour, is unlike any other bread on the market. In this guide we will discuss how to make bread from fresh ground flour, which not only enhances the nutrition of your bread but the flavour as well.

The Benefits of Using Fresh Ground Flour

To turn out a good loaf of bread, there is nothing more important than the flour with which you work. Fresh-ground flour has several advantages over anything that comes out of the bag in the supermarket.

Nutritional Benefit: Flour made from whole grains retains more of the nutritious bran and germ when you grind it yourself than it does when commercially milled. That’s because large-scale flour milling operations remove the germ and bran, thus stripping baked goods of their nutritious fibre, many vitamins and minerals found in whole grains. Make your own flour and you ensure that your loaf will contain all the nutrients whole grains have to offer.

Flavour: fresh-ground flour artisan bread is stronger flavoured than that made with commercial flour. The oils that are found in grains and are part of the taste are eliminated in commercial milling, and when you grind flour fresh, there is more machinery by which you can eliminate many of those oils.

Variety: When you grind your own flour, you are limited only at the beginning of the bread-baking process – at the farmers market. The rest of the time, you have a blank canvas and the opportunity to experiment with different grains, for example: wheat, spelt, rye or, perhaps, reaching back in time, einkorn and emmer.

Choosing the Right Grain

If you are planning to bake some bread before dinner, the very first step is to pick the right grain for your bread. All the grains are not created equal. Their differences are not just superficial aesthetics but rather lie deep in the structures. Each grain will result in a different bread texture, with varying flavour and nutritional profiles.

Wheat

Wheat is the most common grain used in bread making. The glutinous property of wheat is a protein called gluten that gives the bread structure. So depending upon your need, you may choose from a variety of wheat gluten content:

Hard Red Wheat: extremely high in protein and gluten, used for country bread like whole wheat

Hard White Wheat: Milder than red, this grain produces comparable flour to soft white, but with a slightly sweeter taste that makes it best for sandwich bread.

Soft Wheat: Soft wheat has a lower protein content, and makes better pastry and cake combinations; however, it can be mixed with harder wheat to make softer bread.

Spelt

Spelt is an antique grain with a nutty, slightly sweet flavour, lower in gluten than wheat, and a good choice if you have a sensitivity to gluten, although spelt bread will always be denser than wheat.

Rye

Its dark colour and dense grain produce a sturdy, hearty bread with a resilient flavour, although with less gluten than wheat, it is generally more chewy and dense. Normally a good pal with caraway seeds, you’ll find rye in a variety of traditional European breads.

Einkorn and Emmer

Ancient grains have been cultivated for centuries, and carry the deep, nutty flavours typical of their more ‘primitive’ descent; they are also less glutinous than today’s modern wheat, which means they contribute to a denser crumb coverage, a denser overall loaf with a chewier, more rustic structure. Ancient grains also contain higher levels of protein and other nutrients.

Grinding Your Own Flour

To start with fresh, stone-ground flour, you will need a grain mill. There are a variety of options for mills that you can choose from, such a manual hand-crank mill, or electric mill. You’ll want to keep the following things in mind when choosing:

Capacity: How many batches will you be grinding every day? If you run an artisan bread operation, an electric mill will be much faster when grinding larger amounts, whereas manual mills are for a home or small business baker.

Adjustability: Some mills let you get and customise the level of grind – finer flour, for soft, fluffy loaves, coarser flour, for rustic, artisan-style loaves.

Durability: A good mill will last years and years. Look for one made from metal such as stainless steel or cast iron.

Once you have your grain mill, the process is simple:

Measure the desired amount of grain.

Set your mill to the appropriate grind setting.

Pour the grain into the hopper and start grinding.

Collect the fresh flour in a bowl or container.

And please only grind what you’ll use in a few days, because fresh ground flour has natural oils that can get rancid over time.

Essential Ingredients for Fresh Ground Flour Bread

To make a basic loaf of bread from fresh ground flour, you’ll need: 3/4 c. whole wheat flour3/4 c. white flour1 1/2 tsp salt2 tsp of dry active yeastone scant tsp white or brown sugar1 to 1 1/4 cups of lukewarm waterTo start, add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl. Mix well. Gradually add the water, kneading the dough as you incorporate it. As the liquid is absorbed, add more. After the dough has been worked for about ten minutes, let it rise, covered, for an hour.

ground flour: Whole grain, hard white or whole wheat, whatever you like, or a blend.

1½ cups of warm water: Make sure your liquid is between 105°F and 110°F to awaken the yeast.

2 ¼ teaspoons of active dry yeast: Alternatively, you can use instant yeast.

1 tablespoon of honey or sugar: it sweetens and feeds the yeast.

1 teaspoon of salt: Enhances the flavor of the bread.

2 tbsp olive oil or melted butter: Provides richness and helps to make the crumb tender.

Optional Ingredients

Seeds or nuts: Add a crunchy texture and extra nutrients.

Dried herbs: For a savory flavor, mix in herbs like rosemary, thyme, or oregano.

Dried fruits: Raisins, cranberries, or apricots can add a sweet twist to your bread.

Step-by-Step Guide to Baking Fresh Ground Flour Bread

By now, you have gathered your flour, water, salt and leavening. Let’s bake bread! 1. Mix your water and leavening. 2. Add the flour. 3. Knead. 4. Bulk fermentation at room temperature (about 23˚C, or 73˚F). 5. Shape the dough into your desired loaf. 6. Let it rest for 30 minutes to an hour, until it has fully relaxed. 7. Slice off the overhanging dough. 8. Coil the dough, turn it over, and store it in a banneton or other proofing basket. 9. Store in the fridge from 12 hours to up to five days. 10. Remove from the fridge two to three hours before baking. 11. Preheat your oven to 230 C (446˚F) with a dutch oven or appropriate vessel with a sprinkling of corn meal or flour on the bottom. 12. Carefully turn the dough over and remove it from your proofing basket. 13. Transfer the dough to the dutch oven, cover, and put it in the oven. 14. Bake with the lid on for 30 minutes or until it is well browned enough to indicate the crust is cooked through. 15. Remove the dutch oven and place the bread on a rack to cool. 16. That’s it – you’ve just made bread with fresh ground flour.

Step 1: Activate the Yeast

Comb water, yeast and honey (or sugar) in a small bowl. Stir to mix and let it sit for 5–10 minutes, or until it begins to get frothy, which will tell you that the yeast is alive.

Step 2: Mix the Dough

Put the freshly ground flour in a large mixing bowl with the salt. Make a well in the centre of the flour and add the yeast mixture and the olive oil (or melted butter). Stir the ingredients gradually until the flour has combined and a sticky dough has formed on the bottom of the bowl.

Step 3: Knead the Dough

Turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes. Kneading stretches the gluten strands, creating both the structure and the chew of your bread. The dough will become much smoother and stretchier as the gluten develops. If it seems too stick to your hands, add a bit more flour to the work surface as you go.

Step 4: First Rise

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, drape a clean kitchen towel over it, and rise in a warm, draft-free spot for 1-2 hours or until doubled in bulk.

Step 5: Shape the Loaf

Punch down the dough and allow excess gas to escape. Shape and then place the loaf in a greased pan for a traditional shape (9×5 inch loaf pan) or shape freeform into a round or oval shape for an artisan look.

Step 6: Second Rise

Then cover it with the towel and let it rise a second time, about 30-45 minutes, until the loaf has puffed up slightly.

Step 7: Preheat the Oven

While your bread is on its second rise, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). If you’re using a loaf pan, set it in the middle of your preheated oven. If not, you might want to use a baking stone (or a cast-iron skillet) to get a nice crisp crust on freeform loaves.

Step 8: Bake the Bread

Bake the bread for 30-40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. If you have a kitchen thermometer, the internal temperature of the bread should be around 200°F (93°C).

Step 9: Cool and Enjoy

After they are done baking, remove them from the oven and let them cool on a rack. For the best outcome, cool them completely before you slice them so that your crumb can set fully.