Last weekend, I picked up some organic wheatberries.
I looked at them, there in the container, for the past few days, and I’m not gonna lie. The concept of turning
…was a teeny bit overwhelming. However, since I just ordered 50 pounds of wheatberries, I decided I better get to it!
I’m in the process of researching a hand-cranked grain mill, which will be my next large purchase. For today, however, I used the dry canister of my Vitamix.
I started with 2 cups of wheatberries.
It took about 30 seconds on the variable speed to reach this consistency.
The processor doesn’t require anything more than the flip of a switch.
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And about 30 seconds on high to make 3 cups of nutty-smelling fresh flour.
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2 cups of wheatberries turned into 3 cups of wheat flour once ground.
I used the bread recipe found here for a 100% whole wheat bread, with one tweak – I didn’t want to use honey so I used Muscavado sugar ( a raw form of brown sugar).
Many websites recommend sifting your freshly ground flour, but I forgot that step. Apparently it helps the bread to rise better. Note for next time, as this loaf turned out to be very dense.
After kneading the mixture for 15 minutes, the result was a very gritty-textured ball of dough. I began to feel a little worried because this felt so foreign from the “silky” bread dough I have become accustomed to working with. I’ll also note that it didn’t for a ball the way manufacturer’s flour does – I formed the dough ball myself while kneading it.
I followed the instructions precisely, baking the bread for 20 minutes uncovered, then tenting foil over the loaf to keep it from over-browning for the last 15 minutes of baking. When it came out of the oven, I brushed butter on the outside, which is supposed to keep the crust a bit softer.
I was very pleasantly surprised! The loaf rose fairly well, although it was very dense. The flavor was fresh and almost nutty, and the texture was totally different than bread made with commercial flour. Rosie and I both pronounced the experiment a success. Next time, I’m going to add an extra half teaspoon of yeast and I’ll remember to sift the flour before using it.
I have a grain mill (Nutrimill) that makes gorgeous flour with wheat berries (or rye berries … or brown rice etc). I actually think that the 100% whole wheat bread that I make with this flour, is almost as “silky” as those made with commercial flour, but tastes so much better. Your Vitamix may not have “milled” the berries, but only broke them up. It’s also likely that some heat was introduced by grinding them in your Vitamix, which kills a lot of the nutritional value of the wheat. I too am in search of a hand-cranked mill. Have you done any research on types available?
Hi Janice!
Thank you for the input. I don’t think I introduced heat because I only used 30 second intervals when grinding. Hmmm….perhaps I should have ground it a bit finer? I’ll try that for next time.
I’m pretty sure that I’m going to get the Wondermill Deluxe Jr. That is the one that Sheila, from Surviving Survivalism, recommends and it’s a bit more affordable. Here’s a link to a site…http://www.thewondermill.com/ – I’ll be ordering mine here in Canada, though, to save on shipping and duty fees. The other one that is highly recommended is the Country Living Grain Mill. It’s about double the price, however, and really not in the budget for me. 🙂
Thanks for reading!
~ D
Thanks so much for the information! This is the same hand-crank mill that my husband had liked … so it’s nice to have you confirm his opinion. I see that the place we get our organic wheat from, is also a distributor, and I’ve asked them for a price. Thanks again … and great blog! Janice
You’re very welcome! 🙂
~ D
I just made bread from wheat berries I bought from Whole Foods. I used the dry blade container. It did get warm. I allowed it to cool down a bit. I made the bread in a bread machine using a King Arthur Flour recipe. I did add Bob’s Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten (no one in the family is sensitive to gluten). The loaf was perfect. It was lighter than I thought it would be and had the best flavor. The vital gluten might be what you need to get a good rise.
I buy my wheat berries from a 4th generation farmer. He recommends letting the flour rest for 2 weeks after grinding. This is an important step if you want the loaf to rise properly.