Bread gets a bad rap. From those who avoid gluten to those who avoid carbs, it doesn’t make it into lunchboxes like it used to, and at restaurants, many forgo the breadbasket altogether. Moving to a small town, my eyes have been opened to the nutritional benefits that come from milling your own flour and making your own bread. Freshly milled flour is high in fiber and filled with 26 vitamins and minerals, but once milled, the nutrients don’t have much of a shelf life, which is why flour—and bread for that matter—can’t tout those stats.

Now, I’d like to introduce you to my friend Melinda who bakes bread each week for her family here in our small town. The truth is, she not only made this look delicious, but easy too. So, I decided to buy a flourmill and give it a whirl. The result was a huge success, and my family couldn’t get enough of all the homemade goodness—bread, rolls, hamburger buns, hot dog buns, and tortillas—with pasta next on my list! I quickly sent Toni photos, and she insisted that Melinda and I share the joy of freshly milled flour and its health benefits on The Monday Menu. We hope you enjoy!

Nutritional Value of Bread Made with Freshly Milled Flour:

• Fiber promotes digestive health benefits, moving toxins and waste from the body
• Vitamin A supports skin, bones, immune system, and vision
• Vitamin B supports a healthy nervous system
• Vitamin E and potassium support heart health
• Iron supports blood function

Here you see the whole grain on the left, which is composed of everything to its right. White flour, on the other hand has been stripped of all the good stuff to the left.

Thank goodness for this machine! You put the grain in the top of the mill, and it grinds into healthy flour in minutes!

Melinda scoops the freshly milled flour into her Bosch mixer. I use a basic KitchenAid, which also does the trick.

Now, she adds the ingredients: yeast, water, salt, oil, and honey to the freshly milled flour. For tortillas, it’s even simpler: you add water, oil, and salt.

The final product may not last long piping hot out of the oven, but your house will smell great, and your family will have satisfied tummies.

Milling flour and baking bread doesn’t have to be a thing of the past. The tradition can live on in your home, and you’ll be surprised what a huge hit it is with guests and friends alike. It’s definitely worth the investment.

Made with love!

Kathryn