Question 1

Can you use freshly milled flour for cakes?

Accepted Answer

Yes, soft white wheat milled fine and sifted through a #60 mesh produces a flour that works in any cake recipe. The key is sifting to remove enough bran for a tender crumb and adjusting hydration slightly since freshly milled flour absorbs liquid differently than refined flour.

Question 2

How do you convert all-purpose flour to cake and pastry flour?

Accepted Answer

Mill soft white wheat berries on the finest setting, sift through a #60 mesh sieve, and weigh out 120 grams per cup called for in your recipe. For an even more delicate crumb, remove one to two tablespoons of sifted flour per cup and replace with one tablespoon of cornstarch or tapioca starch.

Question 3

Can I use freshly milled flour instead of all-purpose flour in cakes?

Accepted Answer

Yes, with two adjustments. Use soft white wheat instead of hard wheat, and sift with a fine mesh sieve to remove bran. Soft white wheat is lower in protein than hard wheat, which gives cakes and pastries the tender crumb that all-purpose flour produces. For a full conversion walkthrough see Converting Recipes to Freshly Milled Flour.

Question 4

How do you adjust a cake recipe for fresh-milled flour?

Accepted Answer

Weigh the flour at 120 grams per cup, sift with a #60 mesh sieve, and start with the original liquid amount in your recipe. Rest the batter five to ten minutes before adding more liquid, and increase by one tablespoon at a time if the batter still feels too thick after resting.

Question 5

Do you need to sift fresh milled flour for cakes and pastries?

Accepted Answer

Sifting is strongly recommended for cakes and pastries. Bran in unsifted flour adds weight and interrupts gluten development in ways that produce a denser, grittier crumb. A #60 sieve removes enough bran to give you the light, tender texture that cakes and pastries need while keeping the character of fresh milled grain intact.

Question 6

Why do cakes sometimes turn out dense with freshly milled flour?

Accepted Answer

Dense cakes with freshly milled flour usually come from one of three things, using hard wheat instead of soft wheat, skipping the sifting step, or adding too much liquid too soon. Soft white wheat sifted through a #60 mesh and mixed with the original liquid amount before any adjustment resolves most density issues before they start.

Fresh Milled Flour Recipes

How To Make Cake & Pastry Flour from Freshly Milled Flour

How to Bake Sourdough With Freshly Milled Flour | Beginner Guide

How to Make All-Purpose Flour from Freshly Milled Flour

Strawberry Shortcake Recipe, Biscuit-Style with Fresh Milled Flour

How to Make Bread Flour Blends from Freshly Milled Flour

How to Convert Recipes to Freshly Milled Flour

Freshly Milled Einkorn Dutch Baby Pancake

Fresh Milled Flour, Sourdough & Cozy Cottage Living