Wheat Berries: The Start of a New Adventure
Philip has a preparedness mentality that drives him to prepare for the future. Therefore we prepare for not only the known circumstances but also for the unknown. Keeping a stocked pantry is just one of the means we prepare for both scenarios. I wanted to dive into grinding my own flour for a few reasons. Wheat berries store easily for long-term storage. When properly stored in an airtight container they can be stored for 30 years! They are compact and easily fill a bucket without wasted space. Plus, who doesn’t love fresh hot bread made with nutritious grain?
What are Wheat Berries?
Wheat berries are the edible portion of the entire wheat kernel. Wheat kernels contain three parts: the bran, the wheat germ, and the endosperm. The bran is the hard, outside layer. This is nutrient-rich and full of dietary fiber. Another part of the wheat berry is the germ. It is full of nutrients and oil. Lastly, there is the endosperm which is primarily starch. For my fellow science nerds, this is an image of the anatomy of a wheat berry with a breakdown of its nutrients.
How To Use?
Wheat berries are used as a whole grain form of wheat. Cooked whole and used like rice as a side dish. Some people add to soups the same as barley. Some cultures use cooked berries as cereal. My favorite way to eat whole grains for breakfast is in cream of wheat!
Most commonly, whole berries are ground into fresh flour. When flour is ground at home, all three parts of the kernel are included, making the flour more nutrient-rich than commercial all-purpose flour. Store-bought flour only includes the endosperm. This extends the shelf life, removing the oil that can make flour go rancid, but it also strips it of its nutritional benefits. Fresh milled flour ground at home is considered whole wheat flour. Since it contains all parts of the wheat berry. A home mill makes it easy to grind your own flour at home using premium grains.
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Types of Wheat Berries
There are many different types of wheat berries. I started with four varieties that I experimented with. Hard white wheat berries, soft white wheat berries, hard red wheat berries, and einkorn. Each type of wheat has a unique flavors and protein content.
After years of baking with fresh ground flour, my go-to grains are hard white wheat. I found hard red too strong in flavor and like the milder flavor of the hard white wheat in breadmaking. Soft white wheat for everything other than breadmaking. Along with spelt berries and Khorasan wheat also known as kamut both of which I mix with other grains to save money.
Hard Wheat
Hard wheat berries are the best choice for making bread. The bran of white wheat is lighter in color than red wheat and has a milder flavor. Red wheat berries have a robust flavor. The mild flavor of white wheat is widely preferred over the bold flavor of red wheat. Hard wheat berries have a higher protein content called gluten. Gluten is what causes bread dough to stretch. Without gluten, the dough would tear. The high protein content of hard wheat berries makes them ideal for bread making. You may also see wheat labeled as red winter wheat or red spring wheat. This refers to the growing season it was planted. While both are nutritious grains, the grains have different nutrition profiles due to the growing season.
Soft Wheat
Soft wheat berries are used for making pastries and cakes. It has a lower protein content or gluten content which produces lighter and more tender baked goods. Soft wheat comes in red and white wheat berries as well, but the milder flavor of the white wheat berries is more like conventional all-purpose flour and is generally preferred over red berries.
Ancient Grains
Einkorn, spelt, and Khorasan (kamut) are ancient grains. Modern wheat has been highly bred through traditional plant breeding techniques to produce better yields, and weed and pest resistance. Some people who experience gluten sensitivity issues with modern wheat can tolerate other types of grain.
Spelt and kamut are my favorite ancient grains. Spelt adds a nutty flavor to baked goods without the sensitivities that many people experience with nuts. Khorasan, commonly called kamut is a rich buttery grain perfect to mix with your grains for breadmaking. It’s my favorite grain to use when making cream of wheat!
Einkorn is extremely rich in vitamins and essential nutrients. While you can bake a 100% einkorn loaf, I find it dense. For best results mix the grains with hard white wheat. Each versatile ingredient adds to the flavor and nutrition profile of your home-baked goods.
Fresh Ground Flour
Whole wheat berries are rich in fiber and essential vitamins. They contain 40 of the 44 essential vitamins necessary for life to include B vitamins, essential amino acids, and folic acid. Using healthy whole grains ensures I’m baking with flour that is loaded with whole-grain goodness!
After I select the varieties of wheat that will best meet my baking needs, I grind the flour in small batches when I need it. Unlike white flour from the grocery store, fresh ground flour needs to be kept in an air-tight container in the fridge once it is ground. My grain mill allows me to grind the exact amount of flour to meet my needs. Flour can be ground in a number of ways. A fine light flour for baking, or a more coarse flour to create a delightful chewy texture in baked goods.
Best of all, I know that the flour I am using takes advantage of the full health benefits of whole-grain wheat berries.
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Tools of the Trade
There are different types of grain mills for home use, learn about them here. Philip gave me a beautiful Harvest Nutrimill for Christmas. I have been experimenting with it over the last few weeks and learning how to use fresh ground flour. Since this is whole wheat flour, containing all three parts of the grain, it is a bit different to use than conventional all-purpose flour. Be prepared that despite decades of baking experience, there is a learning curve to using fresh ground flour. The best part of experimenting, is we get fresh bread frequently! It pairs beautifully with our fresh raw honey and homemade jams or fresh butter.
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About the Author: Barbra-Sue Kowalski grew up on a small hobby farm. She was always drawn to farm life, however, she was stuck in an urban life far from her roots. Barbra-Sue was a single mom for 13 years, raising her 3 children on her own. She met Philip in 2018 and they married in 2021. Between the two of them, they have 5 grown children and 5 grandchildren. These empty nesters are following their dreams! As they both turn 50, they are building their off-grid homestead to live the life that they dream about. Learn more about Philip and Barbra-Sue here. Contact them here. To leave a comment on this post, please scroll down.
I too have started storing wheat berries. Instead of an electric mill, I got my hands on a hand crank style of mill…nice and quiet to use when children nap…or so they can help! Thanks for sharing 😉
I didn’t know there were different types like this! Super informative and helpful for understanding what makes each type different from the others. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for this! I am so interested in grinding my own flour.
Love this! Ive been wanting to try for a year now, maybe ill take the leap 🙊
This is something I want to try someday!
How exciting! My husband got me a grain mill as well and I’ve just loved milling wheat berries of all kinds to bake with! Soft white wheat is the trickiest for me for some reason, I really have to adjust a recipe or it turns out way too wet. So I usually stick with hard white, red, or einkorn!