Freshly Milled Flour Sandwich Bread

This whole wheat sandwich bread recipe is made with 100% fresh milled flour.  It is a simple homemade bread recipe to help you learn the basics of yeast bread with freshly milled flour.  While freshly milled bread can be a learning curve, let me show you how easy it can be.  Having one go-to recipe for a simple freshly milled sandwich loaf is essential in every kitchen.

First off let’s talk about wheat berries.  Wheat berries come in a large variety.  For this recipe, you will want to use a hard wheat.  This recipe works with both hard white wheat berries and hard red wheat berries.  Hard wheat has a nice high protein content when milling our own flour.  Fresh milled wheat berries function completely differently than white flour or whole wheat flour you would pick up at the store.  The first time you try a loaf of bread that is 100% freshly milled grains you will be so impressed with its flavor and texture.  I love the flavor hard white wheat has and tend to use it the most for my bread flour.  

Do I need a grain mill?

Yes and no.  This recipe will work just fine with any store-bought stone-milled red or white flour.  It is important to know that grains lose a lot of nutrition over time so buying something off the shelf will not have the same flavor or nutrition as freshly milled flour if you are trying to test the waters before purchasing and committing to a grain mill then I understand because for two years I did the same thing! 

Yeast breads are a great place to start baking some delicious bread.  Unlike sourdough baking which can feel more advanced you don’t need to maintain a sourdough starter and can be made the same day.   When I need some homemade sandwich bread I am going to make some yeast bread loaves over a loaf of artisan bread.  If you are in a pinch for some quick bread I have a One Hour Bread recipe HERE.

What you will need:

–Grain mill *
–Stand mixer with dough hook attachment *

-Digital scale (optional)-Large mixing bowl
-Hard red or white wheat berries
-Active dry yeast/ instant yeast 
-Butter
-Honey 

-Egg

-Plastic wrap
-Loaf pan
-Sunflower lecithin (optional) 

How to make Freshly Milled Sandwich Bread

To make this fresh milled wheat bread recipe, first thing you will need to do is weigh out your grains before you mill them.  This is optional, you can just guess but if you want the best results and not to waste your grains it is best to weigh them before you mill them.  Weigh out about 650 grams of wheat berries (about 3 and 1/2 cups) this makes about 5 1/4 to 5 1/2 cups of freshly milled flour, set aside.  If you need to mill your wheat berries before baking or have any left over you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge until the next day.

In a large mixing bowl combine 1 3/4 cup hot (not boiling but hot/very warm) water, 1/3 cup of melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, salt, egg, and lecithin (optional).  Add in 3 cups of fresh flour and mix.  Slowly add in the rest one cup of flour at a time.   Once combined, sprinkle the yeast on top.  

Using dough hook attachment let knead on medium speed for 5 minutes until dough. Shut the mixer off and let the dough autolyze for 10 minutes, turn your mixer back on and knead for another 5-7 minutes.  Place the dough in a grease bowl and cover with plastic wrap or towel and allow to rise.

 The first rise usually takes about 1.5-2 hours but can take less time or longer depending on the yeast and wheat berries you use and the temperature of your kitchen.  You want the dough double in size.

After the dough has risen, remove the dough from the bowl.  Divide into two equal loaves.  Prepare two greased bread pans or you can use parchment paper.  Shape loaves and place them in pans.  If you want to see how I shape my loaves you can watch me do it on the video above! If you also want to make these into dinner rolls you can just keep dividing and place in a glass pan.

The second rise usually takes about 1- 1.5 hours. You will want the loaves to rise above the loaf pan.  Once they have risen above you can preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 35 minutes, if you are using a glass pan you might need to leave it in for 35-40 minutes depending on your oven.  You will want the center of the loaf to be 190 degrees before you take it out. 

How to store.

This bread is best on the day of and the day after.  I find freshly milled bread does dry out very fast.  Come day three our bread is mainly used for toast or french toast.  I store my bread in beeswax wraps, plastic wrap, or plastic bread bags.  If I know the bread is not going to be eaten the day of or after I will wait until it is completely cooled, wrap it in plastic wrap and tin foil and put it in the freezer that same day.  When I am ready for us to use that frozen loaf I will take it out and let it thaw at room temperature. 

Baking with Freshly Milled Flour

When learning to bake with fresh ground flour there are a few important things to remember.  First off, this is not all-purpose white flour and will not behave the same.  I have made a lot of bread over the years and whole grain flour can be tricky because no two wheat berries bags are the same.  If you have berries that were harvested after a wet and rainy year you will need extra flour.  Same if it was after a dry season you will need less flour.  This opens the door for some failed loaves.  It can be hard to know what you are looking for to get good results.  

Second, because your own grain is a completely different product so is the bread!  Freshly milled wheat bread has a depth of flavor, it might be more dense and not store as long.  This is why so many recipes add in vital wheat gluten or lecithins.  Because of store-bought bread, we are so far removed from what real whole grain bread looks and tastes like.  Hear me well when I say I do love a slice of homemade white bread from time to time but truly that is not bread.  It has become a filler food with little to no nutritional value.  Even though it’s delicious and easier to work with.  When we mill our own wheat we reap the amazing benefits of whole grains that have sustained people for hundreds and thousands of years.

That being said switching from all-purpose flour to 100% freshly milled recipes can be hard.  This transition doesn’t have to happen all at once.  You can mix flour to make the bread dough easier to work with, less dense, and create a less intense flavor.  Some of my favorite recipes like my kamut sandwich bread take this approach.  This is also really helpful for all you mamas out there with picky eaters.  I never want anyone to feel like they are not allowed to use any white flour ever.  If you are even doing half and half you are still reaping lots of benefits and some is always better than none.

Troubleshooting and FAQ: Freshly Milled Sandwich Bread

-Loaf didn’t rise?  Sometimes this can be your yeast.  Be sure to always store your instant and dry active yeast in the fridge.  If you are wondering if your yeast is still working you can test it in bowl.  Simply add a cup of warm water and a teaspoon of yeast, whisk and let it sit for a few minutes.  If it gets foamy and bubbly it is still alive!  If not, you might need to make a trip to the grocery store.  

The bread was small and dense? This can be a few things but not allowing it mix or rise enough.

-Top collapsed in the oven?  This happens when you over-proof your loaf.  You don’t want that second rise to go too long and it can be a learning curve to know when each proof is done.  You will have to adjust these times to the temperature and climate of your home and season.  For me, in the winter my times are a lot longer than a hot summer day. 

-Dry and crumbly?  Most freshly milled recipes will call for vital gluten or some form of lecithin.  The reason for this is to help the bread have more stretch and flexibility and hold moisture.  As I mentioned above sometimes we need to remember that this is not an all-purpose flour and we will reap different results because we are working with a different product.  Usually I do not use these conditioners in my recipes but I know my bread will be eaten the day it is made.  

If you like this recipe be sure to check out my other freshly milled recipes

-Chocolate chip Kamut Muffins
-Kamut Sandwich Bread
-Freshly Milled Sourdough

-Freshly Milled Spelt Waffles

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