A Beginner's Guide to Better Basics Freshly Milled Flours

If you're new to Better Basics Milling, this is your go-to resource for seamlessly incorporating our freshly milled flours into your home baking. 

This chart outlines the top uses for Better Basics Milling flour in various baking categories and is your key to consistently achieving fantastic results. But don't stop there—once you get the hang of it, the possibilities are endless in the world of baking with freshly milled flour. 

 

What sets Better Basics Milling's freshly milled flours apart? 

Unlike typical shelf-stable flours that undergo heavy processing to create a uniform product, our flours are pure and free from additives. 

Standard flours found in most stores are heavily processed, stripped of their natural nutrients, and then injected with additives for nutrition, stability and consistency. This industrial process aims to create a product that behaves predictably every time. However, this comes at the cost of the flour losing its natural essence—the unique characteristics that freshly milled flour retains. 

Our freshly milled flours, on the other hand, preserve the integrity of the grains. They are unadulterated, maintaining all the natural nutrients and flavors. The difference is palpable; the aroma, the feel, the taste is incomparable to what we find on our grocery store shelves. Working with freshly milled grains results in a dynamic, nutritious, and easily digestible product, though it might take a bit of experimentation to transition. 

 

Where to start?

I have created many recipes on our recipe blog to help transition to our freshly milled flour. But again, don't be scared to jump in and try your favorite recipe with our freshly milled flour. Use the chart above to find which flour is best for your recipe. 

I have found most of my recipes substitute 1:1 especially when using Red Fife Multipurpose. However, so many things must be taken into consideration when baking as you may know. Most commonly I see that our flour may need a bit more hydration, it is trial and error sprinkled with a bit of patience. One thing I can promise, it will always taste amazing!

Our Flours

All of our flour is either whole grain flour OR sifted whole grain flour - depending on the flour you choose, we remove a portion of the larger bran particles from the flour to create a lighter flour.

 

Better Bread Flour

A sifted flour and staple in our collection, our Better Bread Flour as you may have guessed is our go-to "bread flour." Its robust gluten content makes it perfect for sourdough, yeasted bread, pizza dough, and even flaky pastry dough. 

 

Red Fife Multipurpose Flour

A sifted flour and considered our most versatile "all-purpose" flour, Red Fife Multi Purpose is a baking hero. Made from our favourite heritage red fife grain with the large particles of bran sifted out, Its softer gluten strength makes it ideal for cookies, cakes, and pastries. You can also use it for sourdough, although it may require a bit more finesse to develop the desired strength. Easily substitute it 1:1 with all-purpose flour for most recipes.

 

Whole Grain Wheat Flour

Partnered with our Better Bread Flour, this adds depth to your bread recipes. While a loaf made solely with Whole Grain Wheat Flour can be dense, it's an excellent substitute for whole wheat flour in various recipes. Try it in cookies and pancakes, adjusting for the hearty whole grain texture.

 

Whole Grain Red Fife Flour

Our Red Fife Multipurpose counterpart, this flour contains 100% of the grain.  Similar to our Whole Grain Wheat Flour, this variant offers the goodness of whole grains made with our beautiful heritage red fife grain. Use it as a seamless replacement for recipes calling for whole wheat flour, and explore its versatility in your baking creations.