How to Make Bread Flour Blends from Freshly Milled Flour

ByEmily Rider Updated
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Getting a reliable loaf from bread flour made with freshly milled flour comes down to two things, choosing the right wheat and knowing which blend fits the bread you are making.

Both blends here use hard wheat as the base, one at 100 percent for artisan loaves and sourdough that need structure and height, and one blended with soft wheat for the kind of tender sandwich bread that slices cleanly and holds together well.

If you are new to milling your own flour, Mill Your Own Flour at Home walks through the full milling process, Best Whole Grains to Mill helps you choose between hard red and hard white wheat, and Converting Recipes to Freshly Milled Flour covers hydration once your blend is ready.

If you’re new to baking with freshly milled flour, The Cottage Mill has step-by-step guides and a resource library where you’ll learn how to mill flour, choose the right grains, and start baking with confidence.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Two blends, one for every bread you bake – a 100 percent hard wheat blend for artisan loaves and sourdough that need strength and height, and a softer sandwich blend that gives you a tender, sliceable crumb for everyday bread without sacrificing rise.
  • Hard wheat is the reason your bread rises – both blends are anchored in hard wheat because gluten development is what gives bread its structure, and once you understand how much to use and why, the whole process starts to make sense.
  • Specific ratios, not guesswork – gram weights and percentages are given for both blends, so you are weighing and milling with a clear target instead of adjusting mid-bake and hoping for the best.
  • Sifting and soaking, both covered – if you want a lighter crumb through sifting or prefer softening the bran with a hot soak, both approaches are here so you can choose what fits your kitchen rhythm.
  • Works with sourdough and yeast – both blends perform reliably, whether you are feeding a sourdough starter or reaching for active dry yeast, so you are not locked into one style of baking.

Ingredients

  • Hard wheat berries, red or white – the structural base for both blends; hard wheat is high in protein and provides the gluten strength that gives bread its rise, elasticity, and ability to hold its shape through baking.
  • Soft white wheat berries – used only in the sandwich blend at 20 to 30 percent; soft wheat lowers the protein content just enough to relax the crumb and reduce chew without collapsing the structure that hard wheat builds.

Variations of Different Bread Flour Blends

  • Kamut or spelt accent – replace 20 percent of the hard wheat in either blend with Kamut for a buttery, slightly sweet flavor, or spelt for a nuttier, more complex loaf; keep hard wheat at 80 percent minimum to maintain enough gluten structure for a reliable rise.
  • Rye boost for sourdough – swap 10 percent of the hard wheat for rye to deepen flavor and support faster fermentation in sourdough loaves; rye adds tang and a more open crumb without significantly reducing structure at this ratio.
  • Sifted version for a lighter crumb – run either blend through a #40 or #50 sieve after milling to remove a portion of bran; this produces a higher-rise loaf with a finer crumb while keeping the character of fresh milled flour intact; remember to mill 30 to 50 percent extra grain before starting to account for bran removal.
  • Hot soak method for unsifted flour – heat the liquid from your recipe to about 180°F, pour it over all of the flour, and rest 30 to 60 minutes before mixing; this softens the bran so it interferes less with gluten development and produces a lighter result than unsifted flour without sifting.

Recipe Tips

Weigh your wheat berries before milling – if you are not sifting, weigh the berries before milling, since milling does not change the total weight; this gives you an accurate flour amount without a second weighing step after milling.

If you are sifting, always weigh after – sifting removes 30 to 50 percent of the flour weight, depending on the sieve used; weighing before sifting means you will end up with significantly less flour than the recipe calls for, so mill extra grain and weigh the flour after sifting to confirm your final amount.

Hard red and hard white wheat are interchangeable by weight – both have similar protein levels and perform the same way in these blends; the difference is flavor and color, not structure, so choose based on the loaf you are making rather than worrying about swapping one for the other.

Mill each grain separately for better blending – milling hard and soft wheat together can produce an uneven grind since the two grains have different densities; milling them separately and whisking together afterward gives you a more consistent blend throughout the batch.

Rest the dough before adjusting anything – freshly milled flour absorbs liquid more slowly than refined flour; a 20 to 45 minute rest after mixing almost always resolves dough that feels dry or stiff without adding extra liquid; for full hydration guidance, read this post: Converting Recipes to Freshly Milled Flour.

Check for doneness earlier than the recipe suggests – freshly milled flour contains natural oils and sugars that cause faster browning; begin checking several minutes before the original bake time ends and rely on internal temperature and visual cues rather than time alone. Use the blend the same day for best results – freshly milled flour performs best within the first few days after milling when the natural oils are freshest; if you need to store it, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to one week or freeze for up to three months; for full storage guidance, read this post: How to Store Freshly Milled Flour.

Instructions

  1. Choose your blend – decide before you mill whether you are making the Maximum Rise and Structure Blend for artisan and sourdough breads, or the Soft and Tender Sandwich Blend for everyday loaves; the wheat ratio changes between the two so it helps to have this settled before you start measuring.
  2. Measure the wheat berries – for the Maximum Rise and Structure Blend, measure 100 percent hard wheat berries, hard red, hard white, or a 50/50 combination of both; for the Soft and Tender Sandwich Blend, measure 70 to 80 percent hard wheat berries and 20 to 30 percent soft white wheat berries; always weigh for accuracy rather than scooping by volume.
  3. Decide whether you will sift – if you plan to sift, mill 30 to 50 percent more grain than your target flour weight before you start; sifting removes bran and reduces the total flour yield, so milling extra grain upfront means you will end up with the right amount after sifting; for full sifting guidance, see Sifting Freshly Milled Flour.
  4. Mill each grain on the finest setting – mill hard wheat and soft wheat separately on your grain mill’s finest setting for the most even grind; milling them separately also gives you better control over the final blend ratio.
  5. Sift if using that method – run the freshly milled flour through a #40 or #50 sieve to remove a portion of bran; this improves rise and softens the crumb while keeping the character of fresh milled flour intact; weigh the flour after sifting to confirm your final amount.
  6. Combine the flours – whisk the milled flours together thoroughly in a large bowl until fully blended; even combining ensures consistent gluten strength and baking behavior throughout the batch.
  7. Weigh the finished blend – weigh out 120 grams per cup called for in your bread recipe; this is your reliable starting point for any conversion from a recipe written for refined bread flour.
  8. Use now or store – use the blend the same day for best performance; if storing, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to one week or freeze for up to three months; bring to room temperature before mixing into your recipe.
  9. Mix into your bread recipe – add the blend to your recipe as you would any bread flour, mix with the original liquid amount first, rest the dough 20 to 45 minutes before adjusting hydration, and expect to increase liquid by 5 to 10 percent if using unsifted flour.

Storage

  • Same-day use – freshly milled flour performs best the day it is milled when the natural oils are at their freshest; if your baking schedule allows, mill and use the blend in the same session for the most consistent results.
  • Short-term refrigerator storage – store the finished blend in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week; label the container with the blend type, grain variety, whether it was sifted, and the date milled so you always know what you are reaching for.
  • Long-term freezer storage – the finished blend freezes well in an airtight freezer-safe container or bag for up to three months; portion into recipe-sized amounts before freezing so you can pull exactly what you need without thawing the entire batch.
  • Bring to room temperature before using – cold flour from the refrigerator or freezer affects how the dough comes together; set the flour out 30 to 60 minutes before mixing for the most consistent hydration and gluten development.
  • Store blends separately – the Maximum Rise and Structure Blend and the Soft and Tender Sandwich Blend behave differently in recipes; storing them in clearly labeled separate containers prevents mix-ups and keeps your baking results consistent batch to batch.

Note: For a complete guide on storing freshly milled flour short and long term, read this post: How to Store Freshly Milled Flour.

A Cottage Milling Note

I’ve been milling my own grain since the late 1990s, and I still remember the first time I learned how simple it was to make flour blends from freshly milled flour in my own kitchen. That discovery changed my baking forever.

My Grandmaw Nub always said the best baking starts with the simplest ingredients, and that wisdom rings true every time I reach for freshly milled wheat. This is the same method I use in my own cottage kitchen, and it’s the one I love teaching home millers like you.

Once you try it, you’ll see just how easy and rewarding it is to create your own cake & pastry flour, all-purpose flour, bread flour blends, and self-rising flour at home.

FAQ

Use hard red or hard white wheat berries at a 1:1 ratio by weight, 120 grams per cup, and increase hydration by 5 to 10 percent after a 20 to 45-minute rest. The Maximum Rise and Structure Blend in this guide is built specifically for this substitution and works reliably in any recipe that calls for bread flour.

Mill hard wheat berries on the finest setting, weigh out 120 grams per cup called for in your recipe, mix with the original liquid amount, and rest the dough 20 to 45 minutes before adjusting hydration. For a complete conversion walkthrough, read this guide: Converting Recipes to Freshly Milled Flour.

 It can, and most home millers use it right away. The rest period that matters is after mixing the dough, not after milling the flour. Freshly milled flour absorbs liquid more slowly than refined flour, so the dough needs 20 to 45 minutes to fully hydrate before you assess texture or add more liquid.

Yes. Follow the standard order for your bread machine: liquids first, then flour, with yeast last. Use this blend as you would any bread flour in the recipe, and if your machine has a dough-only setting, use that and remove the dough after the kneading cycle for the best results with freshly milled flour.

No, sifting is optional. Unsifted flour produces a heartier, denser crumb with more whole grain character. Sifting with a #40 or #50 sieve removes a portion of bran and produces a lighter crumb with better rise. For a complete guide on when and why to sift, see Sifting Freshly Milled Flour.

Hard white wheat is the most versatile starting point, with a mild flavor, light color, and enough protein for strong gluten development. Hard red wheat produces a deeper, nuttier flavor and works beautifully in sourdough and rustic loaves. Both perform reliably in these blends; the choice comes down to the flavor profile you want in your finished bread.

Yes, both blends work reliably with sourdough starter. The Maximum Rise and Structure Blend supports the long fermentation and strong gluten development that sourdough needs, and the Soft and Tender Sandwich Blend works well in sourdough sandwich loaves. For sourdough-specific guidance, read this post: Baking Sourdough with Freshly Milled Flour.

Soft wheat is low in protein and does not contribute to gluten development the way hard wheat does. Going beyond 30 percent soft wheat reduces structure more quickly and can result in a loaf that doesn’t hold its rise or slices cleanly. Keeping soft wheat at 20 to 30 percent gives you the tender crumb you want without sacrificing the structure the bread needs.

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Bread Flour Blends from Freshly Milled Flour

Author: Emily Rider
These two bread flour blends are made from freshly milled hard wheat berries, one for artisan and sourdough structure and one blended with soft white wheat for a tender sandwich crumb.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time:5 minutes
Milling & Sifting:5 minutes
Total Time:10 minutes
Course: Milling, Flour Blends
Cuisine: American, Cottage Style
Servings: 1 1 Cup of Bread Flour

Equipment

  • 1 Grain Mill
  • 1 Digital kitchen scale
  • 1 Large mixing bowl
  • 1 Whisk
  • 1 #40 or #50 Sieve *optional
  • 1 Air Tight Container *Freezer Safe

Ingredients

Maximium Rise & Structure Blend

  • 1 cup Hard wheat berries (red or white) 120g

Soft & Tender Sandwich Blend

  • ¾ cup Hard wheat berries (red or white) 90g
  • ¼ cup Soft wheat berries (red or white) 30g

Instructions

  1. Choose your blend – decide before milling whether you are making the Maximum Rise and Structure Blend for artisan and sourdough breads or the Soft and Tender Sandwich Blend for everyday sandwich loaves.
  2. Measure the wheat berries – for the Maximum Rise and Structure Blend, weigh 120 grams of hard wheat berries; for the Soft and Tender Sandwich Blend, weigh 90 grams hard wheat berries and 30 grams soft white wheat berries.
  3. Decide whether to sift – if sifting, mill 30 to 50 percent more grain than your target flour weight before starting; sifting removes bran and reduces total flour yield so milling extra grain upfront ensures you end up with the correct amount after sifting.
  4. Mill each grain separately – mill hard wheat and soft wheat on the finest setting separately for the most even grind and better control over the final blend ratio.
  5. Sift if using that method – run freshly milled flour through a #40 or #50 sieve to remove a portion of bran; weigh the flour after sifting to confirm your final amount.
  6. Combine the flours – whisk the milled flours together thoroughly in a large bowl until fully blended for consistent gluten strength throughout the batch.
  7. Weigh the finished blend – weigh out 120 grams per cup called for in your bread recipe as your reliable starting point.
  8. Use now or store – use the same day for best performance or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to one week or freeze for up to three months; bring to room temperature before mixing.

Notes

Choosing your wheat – hard white wheat produces a milder flavor and lighter crumb; hard red wheat produces a deeper, nuttier flavor; both work in either blend and can be used interchangeably by weight.
Sifting note – sifting removes 30 to 50 percent of flour weight depending on sieve size; always weigh after sifting, not before, and mill extra grain to account for bran removal.
Hydration reminder – freshly milled flour absorbs more liquid than refined flour; add liquid gradually after a 20 to 45 minute rest and increase by 5 to 10 percent if using unsifted flour.
Bread machine use – add liquids first, then flour, with yeast last; use the dough-only setting when possible and remove dough after the kneading cycle for best results.

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Emily Rider

Home miller since 1999 with fresh-milled flour & sourdough experience. Sharing from-scratch recipes and traditional kitchen skills, rooted in the seasons and inspired by everyday cottage living and seasonal rhythms.

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4 Comments

    1. Hi Ronna,

      Great question. When using a bread machine, always follow the standard order: liquids first, then flour, with yeast last. When using this freshly milled flour blend, you can treat it just as you would bread flour in any bread machine recipe.

      For the exact recipe I use in my own bread machine, you can find it here:
      https://themoderndaycottage.com/how-to-mill-flour-at-home/
      Simply use this blend for the flour called for. It makes our weekly sandwich bread without fail.

      I personally use the dough setting only and remove the dough as soon as the mixing and kneading cycle is finished. I don’t let it sit or rise in the machine, as the heat can cause freshly milled flour to ferment too quickly due to its natural nutrients.

      From here, the second rise is completely optional. I like to let the dough rest in a lightly oiled bowl for about 30 minutes because I find it develops a richer flavor, but you can absolutely skip this step if you prefer.

      If you choose to skip the second rise, simply remove the dough from the machine, shape it, place it into prepared loaf pans, and let it rise until the dough is 1–2 inches above the rim of the pan. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

      If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out. I’m always happy to help.

      Warmly,
      Emily

      Reply

    1. Hi Sandy,

      Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a kind note. I’m really glad the post felt easy to follow and genuinely helpful, that’s always my goal here at The Modern Day Cottage. Knowing it made the process feel more approachable truly means a lot. Happy baking, and I’m so glad you’re here.

      Warmly,
      Emily

      Reply