LE FOURNIL DE SÉBASTIEN: I MILL MY OWN EINKORN, EMMER FLOUR AND WHEAT FLOUR

THE ADVANTAGE OF FRESHLY MILLED FLOUR IS THAT IT PRODUCES VERY AROMATIC BREAD

Einkorn and emmer are the ancestors of modern wheat. These ancient grains have very poor baking properties, making it impossible to use them in the traditional way: in order to make bread from them, you must use freshly milled flour.

Every day, I use my small stone mill to grind the daily amount of flour. The grain is ground in its entirety. The advantage of using freshly milled flour is that you preserve all its aromas and nutritional qualities (such as unsaturated fatty acids present in the germ, and minerals contained in the bran).

Fresh flour is very difficult to work with. This is why millers leave it to rest for 1 to 2 weeks to make it easier for bakers to work with. Unfortunately, that process prevents the use of the natural yeasts present in the grain, as they disappear on contact with the air several days after milling.

I use my freshly milled flour to make three types of bread: l’Intégral (wheat), l’Engrain (einkorn) and l’Amidonnier (emmer). Like all my breads, they are sourdough breads. The long rising process makes them very digestible and ensures they keep well.