From personal experience, I'd suggest Wheat Montana wheat. Prairie Gold (hard white spring wheat) and Bronze Chief (hard red spring wheat) - www.wheatmontana.com/.

Heartland Mill, Inc. in Marienthal,KS www.heartlandmill.com/
I get spelt, rye, corn and oat groats from them.

Bob's Red Mill is also a good source for a large variety of grains/seeds/beans that I mill.

Improve your whole wheat bread by using a sponge method, rather than a straight (aka direct) method. Allow the sponge to rest at least 2-1/2 hours, or up to 12 hours for best results.

Because of the differences in protein amounts in wheat, as well as the moisture content, you can't go by recipe amounts - cup or weight measure - for flour. The amount of gluten (protein) is what determins how much hydration it needs. It's still all about the "feel" of the dough. It's better to err on the side of a well-hydrated wet dough than a dry dough. Only add as much flour as it takes to achieve a nice soft dough - PERIOD. Your exact measurements account for very little in bread making.

Always add 1/8 t. ascorbic acid powder (aka vitamin C powder) per loaf to yeast breads made with 100% whole wheat flour or wheat germ in them. There is a substance called Glutathione in wheat germ which breaks down the gluten, which contributes to those short, heavy loaves of whole wheat bread. Bran is like a sponge and it absorbs a lot of hydration which also contributes to the heaviness of the loaf. Bran has sharp edges and it can cut the gluten strands. You can help correct some of these problems by using the ascorbic acid powder and using a sponge method. My 100% whole wheat bread is nearly like white bread in texture and rise.

By adding ascorbic acid, it helps to counteract the negative effects of Glutathione. Ascorbic acid not only helps prevent the gluten bonds from breaking down, it helps to repair gluten bonds. Don't add ascorbic acid if you are making sourdough bread because it's acidic enough and the ascorbic acid is unnecessary.

FYI - Grain is triple cleaned, NOT washed. It removes foreign matter with air and screens so you end up with like-sized grains.

Triple Cleaning Stages:
1. Air Screen - selects grains by width and length using screens.
2. Indent - selects grains by weight using circling indent tubes.
3. Gravity Table - selects grains by density.

Some grains are even gone over with a metal detector for any possible metal particles.

I'd suggest "Flour Power" The complete guide to 3-minute home flour milling by Marleeta F. Basey. There is a newer or up-dated version of this book, so look for it as well.

-Grainlady

I can't thank you enough! I was thrilled to read your information because you described my failed bread to a "T", lol.

Have a great day and thanks again!

Grainlady, would you please post your recipe for WW bread? I have a grain attachment that goes on my Champion Juicer. (Got both on eBay at a bargain.) I've tried several recipes & my WW bread is a little heavy on the 2nd day. I started using Vital Wheat Gluten & that helps a little.

Thanks.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge, Grainlady. This is something I've thought I'd experiment with at some point as well and I learned a lot through reading your post.

I got this recipe from a friend who has been working with wholegrains and milling her own flour much longer than I have. The addition of ascorbic acid is my contribution that she incorporated that made a big difference in the bread. Pleasant Hill Grain distributes a similar recipe for the bread machine, although I think theirs includes lecithin and perhaps some other add-ins like gluten (which I think are unnecessary if you use a quality high-protein grain for flour).

I add "odd" ingredients like homemade kefir, agave nectar, coconut oil, and chia seed gel (a mixture of chia seeds and water), but I'll give you the "normal" version. I'm completly convinced my additions are what keeps this bread fresh for at least a week, unlike "normal" homemade enriched loaves of bread. We use one small loaf of bread a week, and it's fresh all week.

I make the dough in a Zojirushi bread machine, but my friend said a friend of hers uses the same recipe and makes it by hand (or perhaps uses a stand mixer). I'm also convinced (as are the fine folks at King Arthur Flour who also make dough in a Zojirushi), that a bread machine makes superior bread dough - beats by hand and stand mixer, especially 100% whole wheat bread. This recipe may be a bit cryptic for beginners, but it's the best 100% Whole Wheat Flour Bread recipe I've ever made.

-Grainlady

100% Whole Wheat Flour Bread

Sponge:
3/4 c. buttermilk (I use kefir.)
3/4 c. warm water
2-1/2 c. freshly milled white whole wheat flour (Prairie Gold from Wheat Montana is our favorite - hard red wheat can also be used)
1/4 t. ascorbic acid powder
2 t. SAF-Instant Yeast

Place all the ingredients in the bread machine pan and put it on the QUICK Dough cycle and use this cycle to mix the ingredients ONLY - DO NOT go through the entire cycle.

When the ingredients are all mixed together, unplug the bread machine and allow the mixture to sit for at least 2-1/2 hours, or up to 12 hours (or overnight). My friend keeps it at room temperature for 12 hours, covers it and keeps it in the refrigerator for another 12 hours. The longer the sponge, the lighter the bread. I normally use at least a 2-1/2 hour sponge - sometimes longer.

After the waiting period...
Mix together:
2 T. coconut oil (or vegetable oil or butter)
1/4 c. honey (I use agave nectar)
1 egg
(1/2 c. chia seed gel)
and stir these into the sponge.

To the top of the sponge, add:
2-1/4 c. whole wheat flour
add 2 t. salt on top of the flour

Set the machine on DOUGH cycle. Check the dough after 5 minutes or so and make sure the dough is formed into a nice soft ball that is sticky to the touch. Add more water or flour as necessary to get the correct hydration. Allow it to go through the entire DOUGH cycle.

Remove the dough from the bread machine pan and process as usual. Scale the dough to make the correct size loaf/loaves for the dough amount. I usually make more than one thing from this recipe - loaf/pecan or cinnamon rolls/dinner rolls/burger or hot dog buns, etc.....

NOTE: I also add 1/2 c. multi-grain cereal (looks like chopped whole grain - it's often used for cooked cereal and comes in 5-, 7-, 11-grain combinations). I add it to the dough at the add-in beep (towards the end of kneading). This adds some "tooth" (crunch) to the bread.

What is Chia seed gel? and what type of multi grain cereal do you use? Thanks in advance for your help with this.

mgr7fun -

Chia seeds - One of the best kept scerets in nutrition. Chia is a desert plant that yields a small seed that is a little larger than poppyseeds. The same one that made Chia Pets famous. The seeds range in color from very light to dark brown.

Chia gel is a mixture of the seeds and water. I usually make a mixture of 1/3 c. chia seeds and 2 cups water. After it sets, the mixture is a gelatinous "gel". Not only is it high in nutrition and fiber, but it's a secret ingredient in my homemade bread that helps to keep the moisture in the crumb of the bread. In most homemade breads the moisture tends to migrate quickly from the crumb to the crust leaving the crumb dry a day or two after it was baked, and the bread stales quickly when the moisture migrates out the crust. Adding chia gel to my breads helps keep it soft and "fresh" for a much longer period of time.

I mill my own multi-grain mixtures using one of a couple mills I own, but if you have a grocery or health food store that carries Bob's Red Mill products (www.bobsredmill.com), they produce a variety of multi-grain cereal mixtures. They come with different mixtures 5-,7-, 11-grain mixtures - any of these will work. It looks like whole grain that is chopped up and is used as a hot cereal. The 7-Grain variety contains: wheat, rye, triticale, oats, oat bran, barley, rice and flaxseed.

-Grainlady

I get my wheat and spelt berries at whole foods in their bulk bins. Are those ok?

Have you ever had a problem with bulk bins? Do you compare prices from other sources? Our little health food store bags up grains from large 50-pound bags and puts them in 1- and 5-pound bags and then charges outrageous prices for them. It's cheaper for me to purchase large quantities.

A problem I can see with bulk bins is when the staff puts the wrong kind of wheat (or other grains that look like wheat) in the bin - or the only marking for the product is "WHEAT". How do you know what you have?

"WHEAT" just doesn't cut it.... I just purchased 100-pounds of Hard White Winter Wheat that has a protein level of 13.1. That tells me much more than just "wheat".

I need to know if it's hard or soft. Hard for yeast breads -- soft for cakes/pastry/cookies/quick breads, homemade bulgur, mixed-grain cereal blends for homemade cooked cereals, Rejuvelac, etc.

I also prefer the mild-flavored WHITE wheat to the more acidic RED wheat varieties, but that information isn't always provided; and unless you know your wheat, you might not know what's what just by looking at it.

Is the wheat "certified organic" or "chemical-free"?

Spring Wheat and Winter Wheat are also points of information. Hard Spring Wheat is generally a larger grain and has more endosperm than Hard Winter Wheat. Therefore you get more flour and less bran from Spring Wheat than Winter Wheat - BUT - there is usually more gluten in Winter Wheat because of it's longer growing season than Spring Wheat.

Durum, yet one more variety of wheat, makes the best wholegrain pasta because it's higher in gliadins than glutenins (the two proteins that make up what we call gluten); but durum wheat doesn't work for yeast breads or other baked goods.

I live in a small town and don't have access to places that have "bulk bins" like Whole Foods, but in the few stores I've purchased from bulk bins when we've been traveling, I always wonder how old IS the stuff in the bins? What kind of turn-over do they have?

-Grainlady

Grainlady, if you purchase in such large bulk, where do you store all the grain? It would need to be in airtight containers. My garage gets too hot in the summer. Also, I would be afraid to keep it in plastic as it may leach. Any suggestions?

Grainlady, what would you suggest to use in place of the chia gel? I was just looking at ordering Chia for a few reasons..1) it's a great food for my desert tortoise in the winter when dandelions and home grown greens aren't as acessable LOL 2) it's a super food for humans and 3) I just tripped across information from a blogger I follow that was touting the chia gel benefits!
So it is on my to get list.
I just ordered more coconut oil, been sneaking it in the boys smoothies in the morning and using it with butter to pan fry things. :o) I think though that next order will need to be the gallon bucket. LOL

I need to scrounge around estate sales and the thrift store for a mill(can't quite swing the purchase of a new one right now)..I'd really rather mill my own..because buying Bob's organic white and white whole wheat is getting expensive!
I just purchased 25lbs from Azurestandard, I think it was the Montana Wheat White. And it was far cheaper per pound than 5lbs of Bob's every other week!

Also like Christine asks..what are you storing all these grains in?

christineny and terri pacnw - Stored grain keeps best in a cool, dry, dark environment, and we have a room in the basement set up primarily for food storage. We follow a food storage plan similar to what Mormons follow. Grain/beans/seeds are stored in food-grade 5-gallon buckets, vacuum-sealed FoodSaver bags, and quart and half-gallon canning jars that are also vacuum-sealed with a FoodSaver. The vacuum-sealed bags (about 5# wheat per bag) are placed in a plastic tote and stacked (about 50# per plastic storage tote).

If you are concerned with using plastics, then a FoodSaver can be used with a lid attachment to store things in glass canning jars. FoodSaver also have "universal lids" that can work on a large variety of of containers. This makes nearly anything you want to use a "canister". I use a lot of these lids (which come in 2 sizes).

There is no substitute for chia, to my knowledge. I order them 5-pounds at a time to keep the price lower. I often share the purchase with a friend. They last a long time because you tend to use them by the tablespoon.

Good luck finding a mill, terri. I'd suggest a Whisper Mill (which now goes by the name Wonder Mill), or a Nutrimill. Try saving your dollar bills for a year, and use them towards the purchase of a new mill.

I live in "farm country", and according to some new reports the other day, it sounds like the days of cheap wheat are long gone. But knowing that, it means purchasing wheat will be cheaper than purchasing flour. It costs over $8 to produce a bushel of wheat. Since there are other cash crops that are cheaper to produce, you may actually see a fall in wheat production. At least as long as fuel is so expensive.

-Grainlady

Soo Hmmm...a brand new ORANGE bucket from Home Depot isn't food grade huh? LOL
I'll have to see if I can get a pickle bucket from the farm. We use them to pick berries into for the cannery.

I was looking at the prices of the mills..I am going to start putting some money aside for one!

terri - Food grade plastic containers will have an embossed goblet and fork emblem on the bottom. If you use a non-food grade container (which I wouldn't suggest), at least place the grain in food-grade plastic bags first (like Zip-Lock Bags), before storing in non-food-grade plastic buckets.

Avoid previously used containers that may have contained a substance that had fat in it, like plastic milk jugs (the fat in the milk) or recycled plastic 5-gallon buckets that contained shortening/oil from a restaurant. Plastic and fat are similar in composition and tend to meld together (they become one) to the point you can't get all the "fat" cleaned out of the jugs or buckets no matter how hard you try, or what you use to clean them with (and you need to avoid cleaning anything with chemical cleaners that you use for food storage). Once your plastic milk jugs or shortening/oil buckets are full of wheat/grain, the remaining fat that is clinging to the plastic will go rancid.

Foods and mills associated with home food storage have been back-ordered because of the run on these things since spring. In May, the manufacturer for Nutrimills wasn't able to keep up with demand and they were back ordered for several months. Most places weren't able to fill wheat orders until AFTER harvest. BTW, you don't want to use new-crop wheat. It's best used after a year or two in storage.

If you have an LDS Church around you that has a cannery, they can seal grain in #10 (large coffee can size) steel cans and hermetically seal the grain in. They may also be a source for a mill, as well as grains.

-Grainlady

Thank you for all the info as usual!

I'll see if I can get a bucket from one of the bakeries in town...that stored only dry ingredients...

My pantry flour jug holds about 15lbs..And I go through that in less than a month. So I wouldn't need to store to long term the 25lbs..so the giant ziploc is a good idea but if I up my next order to 50...then the food grade bucket(s) will be key.