BREAD baking

[MommyBird]

How big is your mill that you need a 45lb bucket?!

I buy bulk wheat berries in 45lb buckets. Un-milled, the berries are "alive" and will keep for years if they are kept dry and pest free. Processed flours, even the high quality varieties, are stripped of the most healthy nutrients to prolong their shelf life. The good stuff goes bad fast.

If you buy from a mill whose flour can sit on a shelf for more than a week and not go sour, they have processed out some of the vital nutrients.

I keep three varieties of wheat in 45lb buckets in my pantry. I buy some special varieties and other grains in 5lb pails. I also buy bulk honey for my bread. Next time I order I plan to get 45 lbs of Kamut as I have had such success with it.

I use an electric mill called the WonderMill and a huge capacity mixer called The Elecrolux Assistent. I usually make a six loaf batch which requires up to 15 cups of flour.

I order most of my "Real Bread" making supplies from:
http://breadbeckers.com/

Sue Becker has a great testimony on the site about her family's experience with home milling.

[GLC1968]

I understand the reasoning behind home milling - but I still don't see why you have to mill all the wheat berries at once. In my case, there are only two of us, so I would never mill the whole 45 lb bucket in a single pass. We'd never use it up before it spoiled.

If you are trying to do this on a smaller scale (for a smaller space), why not just mill what you need instead of doing the entire batch at once?

[MommyBird]

I understand the reasoning behind home milling - but I still don't see why you have to mill all the wheat berries at once. In my case, there are only two of us, so I would never mill the whole 45 lb bucket in a single pass. We'd never use it up before it spoiled.

If you are trying to do this on a smaller scale (for a smaller space), why not just mill what you need instead of doing the entire batch at once?

I do not mill the whole 45lbs at once. I scoop out the wheat berries I need for the recipe I am making, mill and store any remaining flour in the freezer. The buckets do not store flour, they store the whole, un-milled wheat berries.

I do mill around ten cups of berries at one time when I make bread. Smaller amounts for tortillas and other uses.

I empty 2-3 of the buckets a year. Wheat berries (seeds, grains) keep for years and it is more economical to buy in bulk than to get a pound here and there at the health food store. I use Gamma Seals on my buckets to make them more moisture and pest proof and easier to open.

We rarely purchase store bread. Only if my schedule has been hectic and I have not gotten a chance to bake.

[NoNo]

Sundried tomato and parmesan loaf:


Inside (sorry about the crappy cell phone picture):


I forgot to brush the top with olive oil and score it, but believe me, it has not affected the taste at all!

[NbyNW]

This thread is so inspiring! Now that my stuff is out of storage I'm looking forward to trying that cast iron pot method!

[GLC1968]

I do not mill the whole 45lbs at once. I scoop out the wheat berries I need for the recipe I am making, mill and store any remaining flour in the freezer. The buckets do not store flour, they store the whole, un-milled wheat berries.

I do mill around ten cups of berries at one time when I make bread. Smaller amounts for tortillas and other uses.

I empty 2-3 of the buckets a year. Wheat berries (seeds, grains) keep for years and it is more economical to buy in bulk than to get a pound here and there at the health food store. I use Gamma Seals on my buckets to make them more moisture and pest proof and easier to open.

We rarely purchase store bread. Only if my schedule has been hectic and I have not gotten a chance to bake.

Ah - got it. I thought you needed the big buckets in order to mill. You just use them to store the berries prior to milling. That makes more sense! I do the same thing - I was just confused by your dilemma of needing to fit a 45lb bucket in a small space.

[MommyBird]

GLC1968-
I had to re-read my posts to see what "small space" you were talking about.
I have a huge pantry in my house, but I do not have a lot of storage space in my Airstream. Trailer, aluminum, twinkie shaped thing.
I use processed flour only while camping because I need the shelf life.
I couldn't figure out why you were so confused. Now I understand.
Sorry for the confusion.

[NoNo]

I have a question to those of you who have made the olive bread. I made it the other day with the olive oil dough and it was fantastic! However, I feel like I need to double the amount of olives they call for, and all of my olives ended up at the top of the loaf. How do you get them to spread more evenly throughout the dough?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I have a question to those of you who have made the olive bread. I made it the other day with the olive oil dough and it was fantastic! However, I feel like I need to double the amount of olives they call for, and all of my olives ended up at the top of the loaf. How do you get them to spread more evenly throughout the dough?

Best done fresh mixed dough, not from fridge-stored (too cold):
After the dough has been mixed and risen for two hours, then pull of your usual amount of dough to make a loaf with.
Put it on the floured counter, and pull-pat it into a rectangle about 1/4" to 3/8" thick. Sprinkle the olive ingredients (i use sliced calamata olives, some pre-soked sundried tom., and some browned garlic or onions) evenly over the rectangle of dough.
Roll the rectangle up from one end, then pull the surface over it to make a ball with a skin of dough that has a bit if tension, careful not to tear holes as you pull the skin. Tuck the edges under the ball, then lay the ball as usual on your corn-meal sprinkled parchment paper. Let rest as usual, then dust top with flour (I use a little strainer to sprinkle the flour dusting), slash with at least 4 or 5 slashes 1/4" deep, and bake. This is how I do it and it comes out pretty well.