Grinding Freshly Milled Wheat Berries for Homemade All-Purpose Flour

This post contains affiliate links. Please read our disclosure HERE.

There’s something incredibly fulfilling about Grinding Wheat Berries for All-Purpose Flour in your own kitchen. In this post, I’m walking you through how I create two all-purpose flour mixes by grinding wheat berries at home, perfect for yeast and non-yeast recipes.

Grinding your own flour from whole wheat berries opens up a world of freshness and flavor. I use an electric stone grain mill to grind everything from hard red wheat to soft white wheat berries, and blend them into a homemade mix that replaces ap flour in nearly all of my recipes.

This fresh ground flour works beautifully in everything from sourdough bread to simple white bread, and even delicate pie crusts and fluffy, tender cakes.

Using your own grains also allows you to control the balance of higher protein content from hard wheat and the softer texture of low-moisture grains like soft white wheat, spelt, and rye.

If you’re buying in bulk from brands like Azure Standard or Bread Beckers, this becomes not just more nourishing—but more affordable over time.

These blends are flexible enough to be used for bread flour, cakes, or cookies, and has become a baking staple in our cottage kitchen for years. Plus, there’s something special about knowing your freshly milled cup of flour is as wholesome as you can get in your own kitchen.

Why You’ll Love Learning How to Make Your All-Purpose Flour

• It’s custom-built for your bakes. You decide the grain, texture, and flavor profile. Whether you want a loaf with more chew or a cookie with softness, your blend becomes a reflection of your baking style.
• It’s fresher and more flavorful. Unlike store-bought flour, this blend hasn’t been sitting on a shelf for days to months. You’ll taste the natural sweetness of the grain and the depth that comes from its healthy oils.
• It works across recipes. Use your flour for sandwich bread, biscuits, cookies, muffins, or anything in between. You can even tweak the ratio depending on whether you’re baking a crusty loaf or a tender cake.
• It turns flour into a cozy ritual. Milling flour becomes part of your kitchen rhythm. Like kneading dough or stirring a pot of soup, it centers you in your space.

How to Blend Wheat Berries for All-Purpose Flour

All-purpose flour, whether store-bought or homemade, is made by blending flours from both hard and soft wheat varieties. Hard wheat offers protein for strength and structure, great for yeast-risen doughs. Soft wheat provides tenderness and moisture, ideal for cookies, cakes, and quick breads.

Freshly Milled Flour 101: Weigh It, Don’t Scoop It

If you’re baking yeasted breads with freshly milled flour, there’s one golden rule: weigh your flour.

Let’s start here—120 grams of flour equals 1 standard cup in most recipes using store-bought all-purpose flour. But freshly milled flour? That’s a different story.

Because it hasn’t been packed, processed, or sifted, it’s fluffier—full of bran, germ, and natural oils. This means that if you’re using a measuring cup instead of a scale, you’ll need 1 ¼ cups of freshly milled flour to equal what a recipe means by “1 cup of flour.” That’s due to all that wonderful airy volume fresh milling gives.

How Much Grain to Mill?

• Un-sifted flour: Mill exactly what you need. If your recipe calls for 120 grams of flour, grind 120 grams of wheat berries.
• Sifted flour: You’ll lose about 20–30% of the weight during sifting (as the bran is removed). So if you need 120 grams of sifted flour, start with 150–160 grams of wheat berries.

Important Reminder: Fresh flour behaves differently. It’s more delicate, has more personality, and it loves precision. Using a digital scale is your best friend when baking with freshly milled grains. Measuring cups can throw things off, especially when volume shifts with air and moisture.

Below is a handy guide for mixing your own homemade all-purpose flour blends depending on what you’re baking:

How to Make Homemade All-Purpose Flour (For Yeasted Breads)

For Yeasted Breads

• Grains to Use: Hard red wheat, hard white wheat, optional kamut, spelt, or rye
• Amount to Grind: 120g = ¾ cup wheat berries
• Flour Yield: ~1 cup freshly milled flour (120g)
• Notes: Kamut adds chewiness; rye adds a deep, earthy flavor. Always weigh for accuracy.

Freshly milled, all-purpose-style flour starts with weighing the grain, not measuring by cup. This is essential for consistency, texture, and baking success, especially in yeasted recipes.

Here’s how to make one cup of freshly milled flour (120g) perfectly suited for yeasted breads like sandwich loaves, rolls, or artisan loaves.

Instructions:

1. Weigh Your Grains First Using a digital kitchen scale, measure out a total of 120 grams of whole grain berries.
2. Choose Your Grain Blend for Yeasted Breads: This blend balances structure (gluten strength) and flavor. Here’s the perfect trio:
   • 50g Hard Red Wheat – adds strength, hearty texture, and structure
   • 50g Hard White Wheat – adds softness and mildness
   • 20g Kamut, Spelt, or Rye – adds chew or depth (optional, for added personality)
3. Mill Your Grains Pour the full 120g blend into your grain mill and process until fine.
4. Yield: You’ll end up with approximately 1 cup of flour (120g)—ready for any yeasted bread recipe.

Cup-for-Cup Swap (By Weight)

• Grains to Use: Any combination
• Amount to Grind: 120g of freshly milled flour = 120g AP flour
• Flour Yield: 1:1 weight swap
• Notes: Most accurate method—perfect for consistent results.

Cup-for-Cup Swap (By Volume)

• Grains to Use: Soft wheat or high-moisture grains
• Amount to Use: Use 1¼ cups freshly milled flour for every 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• Flour Yield: Adjusted by volume
• Notes: Fresh flour is fluffier and more airy—volume is not consistent. Weighing is best!

How to Make Homemade All-Purpose Flour (For Non-Yeast Bakes)

For Non-Yeast Bakes

• Grains to Use: Soft white wheat, spelt, rye, optional einkorn
• Amount to Grind: 120g = ¾ cup wheat berries
• Flour Yield: ~1 cup freshly milled flour (120g)
• Notes: Use moisture-rich grains for soft, tender results—great for cookies, muffins, and cakes.

When baking without yeast, you want a flour that bakes up soft, delicate, and moist. This custom blend of freshly milled grains is just what your muffins and cookies have been waiting for.

Instructions:

1. Weigh Your Grains First: Start by weighing a total of 120 grams of whole grain berries.
2. Choose Your Grain Blend for Non-Yeasted Bakes: This combo brings softness, mild flavor, and a tender crumb:
   • 60g Soft White Wheat – light, mild, and naturally lower in gluten
   • 40g Spelt – adds moisture and slight sweetness
   • 20g Rye or Einkorn – boosts flavor and softness
3. Mill Your Grains Pour the entire 120g blend into your grain mill and grind until fine.
4. Yield: This will yield approximately 1 cup of freshly milled flour (120g)—perfect for non-yeasted bakes.

Why This Blend Works

• Soft white wheat provides a gentle base without toughness.
• Spelt makes bakes moist and lightly nutty.
• Rye or einkorn deepens the flavor and keeps things tender.

Tip: Non-yeasted bakes are often more forgiving, but still benefit greatly from using a scale over measuring cups.

Cup-for-Cup Swap (By Weight)

• Grains to Use: Any combination
• Amount to Grind: 120g of freshly milled flour = 120g AP flour
• Flour Yield: 1:1 weight swap
• Notes: Most accurate method—perfect for consistent results.

Cup-for-Cup Swap (By Volume)

• Grains to Use: Soft wheat or high-moisture grains
• Amount to Use: Use 1¼ cups freshly milled flour for every 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• Flour Yield: Adjusted by volume
• Notes: Fresh flour is fluffier and more airy—volume is not consistent. Weighing is best!

Sifting Information

• Grains to Use: Any blend
• Amount to Grind: Mill 150–170g to yield approx. 120g sifted flour
• Flour Yield: ~1 cup sifted flour
• Notes: Sifting removes bran and lightens the texture. Expect 20–30% weight loss. To learn more about when and why I choose to sift my freshly milled flour, I have just the post for you: Sifting Fresh Milled Flour: When It Matters Most.

Use this guide as your go-to when you’re deciding what combination to grind based on your recipe. I keep soft red and white wheat, hard red and white wheat, kamut, rye, spelt, and einkorn in glass containers so I’m always ready to mill on demand and bake whatever the day calls for.

• Use a kitchen scale. Volume measuring is inconsistent with freshly milled flour.
• Know your grain. Hard grains are better for structure (like bread), soft grains for tenderness (like cakes or cookies). But you can use a mix in your breads, just use more hard wheat than soft wheat.
• Sifting isn’t just fluff. It changes the weight, nutrition, and texture. Add extra grain to offset the loss.

Disclaimer: This post shares and reflects my personal experience baking with freshly milled flour at home for over 26 years. It is intended for informational and inspirational purposes only. Please use your best judgment and consult a qualified professional for any dietary or health-related advice.

Tips for a Perfect Homemade Flour Mix

• Store flour properly: Keep freshly milled flour in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 60 days. Use airtight containers with twist-top lids to lock in flavor and freshness.
• Add oat flour for softness: Blend in 1 tablespoon of oat flour to add a creamy, tender texture—especially lovely in cookies, muffins, and scones.
• Adjust liquids as needed: Freshly milled flour tends to absorb more liquid than store-bought. If your dough feels dry, add liquid 1 tablespoon at a time until it comes together smoothly.
• Play with blends: There’s no perfect formula—experiment with different wheat varieties until you find your favorite. It’s part of the cozy charm of baking from scratch.
• Rest sticky doughs: Flours like rye and spelt have higher moisture content and may feel sticky. Let your dough rest for 5–10 minutes before shaping to allow the moisture to even out.
• Add einkorn for a buttery flavor: A small amount of einkorn flour (10–20%) gives bakes a naturally rich, buttery taste. It’s a perfect addition for non-yeasted recipes like muffins or tea cakes.
• Use soft wheat solo: Don’t be afraid to use 100% soft white or soft red wheat for non-yeasted bakes. It creates a light, tender crumb that’s perfect for pancakes, cakes, and quick breads.

FAQs for Grinding Wheat Berries for All-Purpose Flour

Can I use just one grain for all-purpose flour?

Yes, hard wheat alone can work beautifully for yeasted breads, while soft wheat works well in non-yeast recipes. Blending gives you flexibility and improves results across a wider range of recipes.

Is this the same as store-bought bread flour?

Not quite. Bread flour typically has higher gluten and protein levels. But by using hard wheat, malted barley flour, and optionally adding vital wheat gluten, you can achieve very similar performance at home.

Can I grind flour in a food processor?

You can, but it may not produce a fine flour texture. An electric or manual grain mill or wheat grinder gives more consistent results for everyday baking needs.

What’s the shelf life of fresh flour?

Homemade flour is best used within one week, stored in the refrigerator, or stored in the freezer for up to two months in an airtight container. Always smell and feel your flour before baking to ensure freshness.

How do I know if I need to adjust the amount of flour?

If you’re using cup measurements instead of weight, always increase flour slightly (about ¼ cup more) when using soft wheat or sifting. Measuring by grams is the best option for accuracy.

Let’s Keep Baking Together — One Loaf at a Time

If this post got you curious about exploring more homemade staples, I’ve written a whole guide on what whole grains to use for milling flour at home. It’s a wonderful resource for anyone looking to stock their pantry with intention and start from scratch with confidence.

Whether you’re baking a loaf for a friend or filling your kitchen with the scent of fresh bread, there’s a quiet joy in knowing exactly where your flour came from—and that it was made with care.

If you try this mix, I’d love to hear how it turns out. Tag me @themoderndaycottage or share your bake with our cozy baking community!