Thank you for this video. I am new to milling my own grain . I am usually using part hard white wheat and part all-purpose and I have had trouble with my bread turning out too dense. This video has helped tremendously...Thank you and God bless...Sherri-Payette Idaho
Perfect timing for this topic! I don’t think I’m kneading long enough and I used too much flour because it was too sticky. I will definitely the wet hands next time
Yeah I know I was always hesitate to knead for so long because I thought it was too much. But it’s not. And when I started wetting my hands that definitely helped 😄
My bread falling....until I started grinding my own wheat, I never had an issue with this. It doesn't happen a lot but it has happened twice. One of the loaves I made today fell. Rrrrr!! I hate it when that happens. Thanks for your video.
Use whole grain spelt yeast bread I grind myself. Middle drops 2/3 way baking. I hand knead twice. It rises well first time. Punch down and reknead. It then rises ok in pan but drops in middle during last half time. I make 2 loaves in standard glass pan and parchmt paper.
Sorry you're having difficulty. I wish I could answer every question on here!! Are you in our exclusive membership group, The Grainie Bunch? I do troubleshoot one-on-one in there. Check it out: www.grainsandgrit.com/thegrainiebunch
I probably could and I think I have done that before. However, for rye bread what gives it that rye bread taste is the caraway seeds. I know this because I thought I was making a rye bread before but I didn’t have any caraway seeds. Bread tasted fine, but not like rye bread ha Come to find out those caraway seeds are NOT optional! 😄
Hi Felicia, thank you for all the tips. My first few loafs I used your technique with instant yeast and they all turned out wonderful but tried two with dry active yeast and did not get as good of a rise. Just curious do you use instant or active dry yeast? If using active I might just need to let it rise a little longer. Thank you for all your help!
I just found a new way to keep my bread from rising properly. (Leave it to me!): Forget to add salt...! Still edible, very flat, didn't brown on top. Hey, but I'm getting there!
I have problem with the crumb. It's perfect except that when I eat my sandwich my bread drops tiny crumbs. I use the 20 minutes sponge, basically the same recipe only I use only 6 cups of fresh milled red wheat flour, But I do add fresh ground Flax seed too. For 2 loaves I use 2 1/2 c warm water with 2 c of fresh milled flour,11/2 TBL yeast and mix in my Bosch for 20 min. Then add in my 1/3rd cup oil 1/3 c honey and 2 cups of flour with 2 1/2 tsp salt then add 2 more cup of flour with 1/2 of ground flaxseed in my coffee grinder and let this mix for a bit then add in addition flour up to 1/2 cup and let it knead for about 7-8 min, and I always get my windowpane test. After weighing my halved dough pieces making sure they are just about even then rollout and shape put in pan and them rise only once then bake. They are beautiful and soft but then like I said I get those tiny crumbs like its dried out. But yet it is soft. I don't understand this. Thanks for the way to shape. Now to get rid of those pesky crumbs. :/
Hmmm, it is normal to get some crumbs but it shouldn't be a ridiculous amount unless the bread is drier. I have also never made the bread with flaxseed so there is a chance that is changing it in some way. Where are you storing your bread? In the fridge? On the counter?
@@GrainsandGrit Try soaking your flaxseed after it is ground overnight with a small amount of non-chlorinated water before adding this will help keep the seeds from robbing moisture from the bread dough and will increase the digestibility of the seeds as well. Hope this helps.
Uh-oh. Sorry you're having difficulty. I wish I could answer every question on here!! Are you in our exclusive membership group, The Grainie Bunch? It's an incredibly supportive community, and I do troubleshoot one-on-one in there. Check it out: www.grainsandgrit.com/thegrainiebunch
FELICIA, I live in Alberta, Canada. All my bread is made with red hard wheat that I source from a local organic farmer. (SO AWESOME!). I find that all the recipes I follow (yours, bread beckers, etc) cause my dough to be SO wet and sticky, I have to add nearly 2 cups extra of flour. If I don't do that, my dough is impossible to work with; It sticks to everything. I have tried to add flour - then it's too dense. I have tried to use less water...still dense. I have used vital wheat gluten and sunflower lecethin....dense. I have then experimented with allowing my dough to just be sticky. I get a better result, initially, but by the next day - dense and dry. argh. I LOVE that you adressed my issue, but the solutions are definately not working for me. THe ONLY thing I have NOT done is knead for 20 minutes. I find I have to knead longer than what Sue Becker suggests (in her recipes), but if I go longer than 10 minutes, my dough gets sticky again and it looks like I've gone too far in kneading. I never am able to achieve the 'window pane' readiness - except on the hottest of days with stickier dough. I have all but given up. What do you think may be going on with my situation?
Oh goodness that sounds SO frustrating!! Ok a few questions: 1) I assume in Canada, it’s not getting super hot not humid? 2) From what it sounds like, you are kneading and mixing the dough by hand? 3) Have you ever tried wheat from another farmer with the same results? I definitely want to help you get to the bottom of this!!
I have the same issues as Grace! I gave up making bread for over a year because I so frustrated! For 6 mo, when I first started with milling and using Bread Beckers recipe, it was PERFECT. Every time. Wonderful to work with when the bread machine finished kneading and rising. It was light and soft, not sticky. It rose and baked perfectly. I went through 75# grain since then and it is sticky. I tried by hand, mixer.. I’ve tried different yeast, ordering some different grain, less water, etc. And it also doesn’t rise at ask in the oven. It doubles when rising, but won’t rise anymore in oven. I even tried a pan of water in the bottom of oven yesterday but did not help. My bread would be on the day of baking but by the next day, it was dry. I baked two loaves this week because I want to get back to this. The dough is sticky but lends a decent loaf and has been good the next day so far. But the lack of rising in the oven?
@@GrainsandGrit THANK YOU for your reply! 1. OK, Central Alberta (yes, 🇨🇦) is definately dryer than Florida, but we will have HOT days in July. Not like Florida, but hot enough for us to dream of AC, that's for sure. 2. I have been working my dough by hand up until recently (and I just watched your video on small spaces/no mixer and that is SO helpful. Just recently started using the stand mixer with dough hook - less frustrating, and allows me to do other things during the kneading process! 3. I don't want to search for another farmer for my organic hard red because I'm getting it so cheap ($30/50lb bag of hard red wheat berries). I actually go to his farm and pick it up so I can see the farm. Having a relationship with this local grower is so important, especially during these times. I do get all my other grains from a retailer in the city though, and I guess I could, (for experimenting sake) try another source, but let me tell you what's happening now!!! 2 weeks ago I thought, "...good grief, I'm not working that hard for a loaf that comes out to dry and dense, it's going to proof sticky as it is and THAT'S IT!" An hour later, I go to de-gas and the dough is literally perfect - just like in your videos. The final result was pillowy-soft bread! I stored it in a Ziploc freezer bad, and left it on the counter. The next day, it was still soft! Haha! I made beautiful bread for the first time in the 5 months that I've been making bread! The the lesson I've learned is this: let the dough be sticky, use oil on your hands to help handle the dough - or use a mixer with dough hook, add only up to a 1/2 to 3/4 cup extra flour, AND be patient! So, your video on kneading dough by hand in your small kitchen really confirmed my conclusions. THANK YOU SO MUCH for that video. You have become my best friend in the fresh home milled bread making world. Seriously.
@@kyleefeagan7126, I've never experience my loaves rising in the oven during baking, lol. You're not alone. Yes, whole grain bread milled at home is a different experience. I'm never going back, though. That store bought stuff can't compare to the flavourful loaves we're making at home
Something I found helpful with the kneading (mixer or by hand) to make it less sticky is to ‘autolyse’ the mixture. Mix flour, water and yeast until just moist and let sit covered for 20 minutes. This allows the flour to absorb the water and the bran to soften not requiring much if any additional flour. Thanks for the video and all the tips!
Ah so you do the entire dough? In my regular bread recipe, I proof my yeast, part of my flour, and water for about 15 minutes then add the rest of the ingredients and flour and knead. Good tip though!
Savannah V, I am letting my flour, water, salt, egg, honey and lecithin autolyse right now! I was concerned about adding the yeast this early, so I'm just letting it sit for 30 minutes b4 I go to add it and the rest of the flour.
@@gracef244 Hi Grace, I add all the ingredients (yeast included) except the salt, then let it autolyse for 20 to 30 minutes, mix in salt and let rest for another 10-15 minutes. This helps give the flour enough time to absorb the liquid and gives the yeast a head start before the salt can slow it’s growth. I’m interested in how the lecithin works for you, haven’t tried it yet, it’s been hard to find around here. I hope it helps.
I solved the problem with dense bread. Now I wonder how I solved it? The recipe I'm using is not the same as before. The difference is I add milk instead of only water. I also use a flour with less protein. Only 10% but it works perfect for 70% hydration. Slap and fold. The bread becomes light with a nice texture. I'm not sure if my technique is better or it has anything to do with the flour or milk. I tried the same recipe with 65% hydration and the result was just as good. Then I kneaded it the traditional way.
I've been baking for a few months with hard red and white grains. It's been hit and miss but Sue Becker's basic loaves came out pretty good. Yesterday, tried my first loaf of milled sourdough kamut with some added AP flour and small amount of yeast. It took a long time to get it to windowpane and still was a bit shy of it. I folded the loaf as you recommeneded. The loaf rose well and looked great after baking. Waited to cool and when I sliced it, had a hole throughout and was a fail. I ate an end piece and it had a wonderful flavor and I was so disappointed. Gave to neighbor to feed her chicks. Could it of been something else? Thanks so much. Working with AP/bread flour is so much easier but I understand, not as healthy. I really want to make a decent loaf sandwich bread with whole grains!
Thank you so much Felicia. I have only had these problems of dense bread and caving in when using my Zorjirushi bread machine, which I’ve only used twice once came out dense heavy and caved in. the second time was nice and light and soft, but it caved in again. Thank you BTW I get a little frustrated with knowing how to tell that the dough has been kneaded enough. It turns out too wet most of the time because I’ve heard not to add all the flour all at once because it’ll stiffen up and sometimes I have kneaded it 15 minutes or more in my Ankarsrum, which is a great mixer. So how to tell if under kneaded or over kneaded. Im new to baking btw
Sorry you're having difficulty. I wish I could answer every question on here!! Are you in our exclusive membership group, The Grainie Bunch? It's an incredibly supportive community, and I do troubleshoot one-on-one in there. Check it out: www.grainsandgrit.com/thegrainiebunch
My bread looks fine on the outside. It rises in the oven but becomes heavy and dense. I bake it for at least 40 minutes. My own theory is that I didn't knead the dough enough. I usually make wet doughs like 70% hydration. I don't put much yeast in but enough to make bubbles after a few hours.
Love your videos, watched this one months ago, and thankfully have never had a loaf turn out bad. My issue is that my machine will only knead the dough so long before it gets too stiff and heats up the kitchen aid (which my wife always says not to kill her mixer) mixer, so I just let it rise for an hour- and thankfully it has always turned out well. You have been a great help for me (71 year old man who has started baking my own bread from grinding it) so I thank you! PTL
My dough is beautiful! Stretchy, light, and smooth. It doubles in the rise. I machine knead for 15 minutes. But, when l bake and slice the bread it is very crumbly and dense. I use a mixture of hard white, hard red, and spelt grain combination. I use the "Jack" fold shaping.
Sorry you're having difficulty. I wish I could answer every question on here!! Are you in our exclusive membership group, The Grainie Bunch? It's an incredibly supportive community, and I do troubleshoot one-on-one in there. Check it out: www.grainsandgrit.com/thegrainiebunch
My biggest problem: Bread machine bread sinks after cooled. I put a little extra yeast in (2 1/2 tsp instead of 2 tsp) and set it for an extra 10 minutes rise. I think it over proofed? I thought that whole wheat would be dense, but it actually isn't -- it has more oil (germ), and I really find it soft! Love this!
It could also be the heat of your water (over 110* could kill your yeast) OR insufficient gluten (protein) in your wheat. Here's what happened to me recently: I purchased hard red wheat berries from 2 diff sources. With 'first' source of wheat berries, my bread rose fabulously. But. When I used up all of that and switched to the other brand, my bread would not rise. Though I'm new to grinding my own flour, I'm not new to bread making. I bought new yeast and trouble shot everything else it could be including using a thermometer for the temp of my 'hot' water. Finally, I purchased some vital wheat gluten and added 1 teaspoon in the 3rd loaf of 'trouble shooting' bread loaves. My bread rose as before. I wrote the company I bought it from telling them of my issue. They need to know their source of wheat is not producing wheat with the protein (a.k.a. gluten) advertised on the package; if it had that amount of protein (gluten) my bread would've risen as before without have to add gluten.
My biggest problem with making bread is that I forget I have fresh baked bread and if goes bad before we use it. I’ve started to solve it by storing bread on the counter
Sorry you're having difficulty. I wish I could answer every question on here!! Are you in our exclusive membership group, The Grainie Bunch? It's an incredibly supportive community, and I do troubleshoot one-on-one in there. Check it out: www.grainsandgrit.com/thegrainiebunch
Hi Felicia. I made your loaf bread recipe. It raised really well....too much actually. If it gets wayyy to tall while in the oven should I use 3 loaf pans or did I do something wrong when proofing yeast?
making whole wheat bread, 1rst rise i left it overnight to rise and it did nicely,then i formed and shaped to the bread pan, no rise i dont understand why?
So sorry you're having difficulty. I wish I could answer every question on here!! Are you in our exclusive membership group? I do troubleshoot one-on-one in there. You can learn more here: bit.ly/3ta2LTc
@GrainsandGrit I saw it done by a bread maker online. He called this scalding the grains. It makes the bread rise faster, be softer, and last longer. I love khorasan wheat and do this every time now.
My problem is that both times it rose it went made and rose a lot and became mega sticky and fluffy/floppy. It stuck to everything! Nightmare. Did it get too hot when proving maybe?
I do not sift unless I’m going a very light baked good like biscuits and cakes. Just know you’re not going to make white flour at home ha I think I only sift out about 10-20% of the bran when I sift if that.
Newbie here to freshly milled grains. I made my first loaf - a sourdough loaf that I've made for years with store-bought flour. I followed my recipe using freshly ground hard white wheat and could tell right away something was different. The dough was very dense and in the end the loaf didn't rise like usual during baking. Watching some of your other videos I now realize that I either added too much freshly ground flour or not enough water. For this recipe there are three stretch and folds an hour between each, so I'm not kneading it all at one and allowing to rise. Then it sits in the fridge over night. Would you suggest less flour or more water in this situation? I don't want to abandon this loved recipe because I'm now using whole grains. Thanks a million!
I have a bread proof button for my oven, sometimes i just leave the bread in the oven after it has risen, while i preheat the oven to bake it, is that wrong to do? Should i take the bread out of the oven, after proofing it, and then put it back in the oven to bake it after the oven is preheated? Sometimes my bread comes out great, lately its been falling, or not risen alot. I changed yeast brands, trying to go no gmo, thats when my bread started being different lol.
I'm just starting off and I get confused on measuring the flour, if one cup of wheat berries grind into 1 and 1/2 cups of flour what am I using in the recipe am I measuring 1 cup of berries or 1 cup of flour. 😥help
Great question! If the recipe states “flour” that means you are measuring the actual flour after its been milled, not the wheat berries themselves. Just like you would measure out flour if you were using all purpose flour 😄 I think the main reason we tell people 1 cup of grain is about 1 1/2 cups of flour so you’ll know roughly how much grain to mill to get the right amount of flour so you don’t mill way more flour than you need. Hope that makes sense!
My biggest thing I'm finding is that my bread is bursting, usually just at the level of the pan on the side, as it is baking. Most videos I see are using white flour, and not home milled grains.
I have an issue that I'm really struggling with to find an organized option that will work. Maybe you or mutual followers can offer some helpful options. I have just about all the different berries to mill and/or whole grain flours. I have a small kitchen workspace; limited countertop space as well as storage space... my smallest bedroom is my pantry, which is a bit out of the way when baking/cooking. My appliances, tools, and ingredients are scattered abroad... yeast, berries, bread pans, Bosch, bread machine, mill. It takes do long getting everything together that I'm worn out after making/baking/clean up/replacing everything. I'm physically challenged so it takes a lot to get motivated as often as we need bread available. Cramped bakers, what do you do?
I have very limited counter space as well, but I do have some floor space, so I bought a used microwave cart on wheels. I put my mixer and grain mill on top, then put as many of my baking supplies as I could on the shelves underneath. Except for my grain, which I keep on the landing that leads to the basement. This way, most of my supplies are in one place or close by, and I can keep my mill and mixer out, ready to go.
SUPER helpful!! One question…..can you cut your bread recipe in half? My kitchen Aid I don’t think will hold all that flour! Please LMK and also if I can what size pan should I be using
Thank you very much for this video. I have just started practicing making bread from freshly milled grain this weekend. I made 4 loaves and at least 20 mistakes lol. My bread does rise nicely, but still too dense. I don't have a bread machine or a mill. I use my ninja blender to mill the grain half a cup at a time. Horrible! Gotta get a mill soon lol. I knead by hand. 2 mistakes I know I made (thanks to this video) are kneading too little (10 minutes, which should have been 15-20) and pulling from several different recipes. I need to stick to ONE recipe and also need to knead twice as long (because I'm hand-kneading). I'm learning, but not quite ready to invest a ton of money yet because I'm not a huge bread fan. My husband eats a ton of bread, but he is NOT interested in this "healthy" bread I'm making lol! Just found you, just subscribed, thank you thank you thank you!
@@GrainsandGrit Thank you! Also, just a quick update: I did apply your advice from this video and I got some yummy, soft, fluffy goodness now! Thanks again.
I mill my own wheat flour. Every time I make my bread it rises good and I put in a hot oven then it falls. I'm so disappointed. I bake at 350 I also roll my dough like you do and every time it falls. Help
Sorry you're having problems with your player, but it seems to be on your end. I can't replicate the sync problem on mine; works fine. Maybe try a different browser?
My biggest problem with fresh baked bread is waiting for it to bake so I can slice it open and devouring a slice slathered in non-dairy butter! (Sadly, I'm lactose intolerant.)
So sorry you're having difficulty. I wish I could answer every question on here!! Are you in our exclusive membership group? I do troubleshoot one-on-one in there. You can learn more here: bit.ly/3ta2LTc
I made my first loaf of bread using your recipe. Hard red, hard white, new yeast. Rose beautifully, came out of the oven beautiful. Waited til it was cool to cut. Cut slices and they fell apart. Help.
Uh-oh. Sorry you're having difficulty. I wish I could answer every question on here!! Are you in our exclusive membership group, The Grainie Bunch? It's an incredibly supportive community, and I do troubleshoot one-on-one in there. Check it out: www.grainsandgrit.com/thegrainiebunch
Felecia Please Help Me! Is freshly milled grains suppose to taste more gritty and dry and dense than using regular flour? I’m trying to convert others in the house how much better freshly milled grains are for us but the taste and texture has not been a big hit! I got the nutrimill and so far I’m just not thrilled with it. It clogs up constantly and the flour is very warm. I have to take it apart and do my best to brush out the flour that is trapped in and beside the stones. If I try to run it through a second time then I really run into trouble. I wish I would have just got the wonder mill. Any tips?
Ugh, no fun when things don't turn out well! Ok, so with the Nutrimill Harvest I have learned a few little tricks. 1) When you first got it, did you grind white rice in it first? The instructions that come with it say to do this to clean out any bit of debri and clean up the stones, just in case. 2) I recommend brushing off BOTH stones (consult your manual for how to remove the bottom stone), then grinding 1 cup of white rice through it. Then try to mill as usual to see if that improves it. 3) Freshly milled grains, when milled fine enough, shouldn't be gritty and dry. I know with my Nutrimill Harvest, I turn it on, then adjust the stones just to where they sound like they are squeaking together. I then immediately put in my grains. I find this makes the finest flour. It's possible you may not be grinding the grain fine enough. If this still doesn't work, remember the Nutrimill Harvest does come with a warranty. I would contact them to verify you don't have a faulty machine. :-) Also, I'm here to help further if this doesn't help!
@@GrainsandGrit Thanks girl! I was grinding spelt when it got all clogged up. I will read the manual and try to disassemble today and get it cleaned out. If it still does it, I’m calling the company! So happy to hear that home ground flour is not suppose to be grainy! I do adjust to hear the stones grinding together. If I adjust any finer than just hearing them, then nothing comes out. I love love love your real life videos! Keep them coming! By the way, I was born and raised in FL too. Moved to the Mountains of North Ga and love it.
@@donnaparrish370 Oh North Georgia is beautiful! But my heart is definitely in Florida! Oh and one thing I forgot to mention, was to make sure your grains are dry. Is it possible your spelt was a little damp? That will clog up mills FOR SURE!
@@GrainsandGrit it is making me crazy! I love challah bread and every time I think I have a whole wheat recipe that will work it just comes out not right. It is too much flour or just about too moist to make the ropes. I have a buck of bread flour that is constantly calling my name and I keep trying to do it with the whole wheat but the flour I know turns out amazing!
@@GrainsandGrit I have been using the hard white wheat. I am wondering if maybe I need to try a half and half with the bread flour and see how that goes it it improves the bread until I get the hang of it
You can certainly try that. Using regular bread flour makes it easier. Once you get a good idea about how it should feel and look, switch back to all freshly milled 😄
My milled bread often browns and looks great, but it is too soft and a bit damp-like texture. Using hard white wheat berries. The rise is great. Baking 38 minutes.
@@ronmiller5046 Ok your temp is fine, bake time is fine. Only two things I have to suggest, based on this is 1) let your bread stay in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then take it out to place on a cooling rack to cool and 2) make sure you're not slicing it while hot. Bread needs to completely cool down when before slicing. Your bread also will be cooking a bit more while cooling down. If you're slicing it before it's completely cooled, it may be a little moist and soft in the middle. For #1, I find my loaves stay a bit wet if I leave them in the loaf pan after baking for too long. I hope this helps!
Grains and Grit I am baking today. I am trying a red and white hard berry mix for the first time. I will make sure to follow not cutting. I may have been cutting too soon.
@@ronmiller5046 That is one of my favorite combinations! Let me know how it turns out. I know it's so tempting to cut into that bread when it's nice and hot, but don't ha
If it didn't proof, sounds like your yeast is bad or the water was too hot and it killed it. That's the whole point of proofing - to test the yeast. Try again, but in the meantime you can use that dough as a flat bread but it's not going to rise without yeast.
