Super Soft Fresh Milled Sandwich Bread Recipe

This fresh milled sandwich bread is soft and fluffy, without the use of emulsifiers like sunflower lecithin!  Using freshly milled hard white wheat and raw honey, this recipe is one that is bound to be a favorite in your house like it is in mine. 

I’ve been milling my own grains sporadically since 2022.  Fresh milled grains seemed like the logical “next step” to up my baking game from sourdough.  One thing I noticed quickly is the stark difference between the texture and density of fresh milled breads and bakes compared to store-bought flour.  I’ve been on a quest to develop recipes using fresh milled flour that hold their own against recipes made with store bought flour, and this recipe does just that.  My 16 year old son even said it was better than store bought bread!  If that isn’t an accomplishment, I don’t know what is!

Why Fresh Milled Grains?

Fresh milled grains are getting a lot of hype lately, and for good reason.  They’re packed with amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, and fiber.  When you mill your grains at home, you unlock all of these benefits!  Store bought flour on the other hand is processed to prevent it from spoiling.  Flour that contains the germ will go rancid very quickly because of the high oil content.  Flour you find at the grocery store would be rancid by the time you purchased it if they didn’t process it because it typically sits on the shelf for several weeks before being purchased.  

Top Benefits of Fresh Milled Flour:

• Superior Nutrition:  According to Nutrimill, conventional flour is missing around 30% of the grain kernel.  The parts removed (the bran and germ) happen to be the most nutritious parts of the grain!  The bran is mostly fiber (think bran flakes or bran muffins).  The germ is known as the “nutritional powerhouse” of the wheat berry containing healthy fats like vitamin E, minerals, and antioxidants.  The endosperm on the other hand, is mostly starchy carbohydrates. When you mill your flour at home, you preserve all parts of the wheat berry and therefore all of the nutrition as well.  
• Complex Flavor: You may have heard fresh milled grains described as “nutty” in flavor, and they really are.  There’s a depth of flavor that you just don’t get with conventional flour, even whole wheat varieties. 
• More Filling: Because fresh milled flour retains the bran and the germ it’s more filling!  The bran if full of fiber which is filling on its own, but the nutritional density of the germ also leads to satiety.  

Choosing Your Grains

When you start baking with fresh milled flour, you will quickly realize how many different types of grains there are that you can mill!  When you make breads like this fresh milled sandwich bread recipe, you will need to use a hard variety of wheat berry.  For this recipe, I use hard white wheat, but you can also use hard red wheat for a deeper flavor.  “Hard” varieties of wheat have a higher protein content and therefore gluten content allowing them to retain their structure as they rise.      

You can substitute other whole grains and ancient grains like spelt, einkorn, or kamut in a 1:1 ratio.  These grains do tend to have lower gluten content lending to a smaller rise though.  You can mix some ancient grains with your hard wheat varieties to add flavor but still reap the benefits of gluten development and therefore bread rise.  For example, I really enjoy the flavor of kamut, so I like to mix 50% hard white wheat with 50% kamut when I make my bread recipes.   

Once you’ve chosen your grain, you’ll need a home grain mill to grind the wheat berries into flour. I use a Nutrimill Harvest which is a stone mill, and have it set to a fine setting to make my bread recipes.  No matter what type of mill you have, for best results you will need to have the grind size set to fine to get a light texture in your bakes.  

Step-by-Step Recipe: Fresh Milled Sandwich Bread

Equipment: 

• Measuring cups and spoons or a kitchen scale. (I only use a kitchen scale now to ensure the accuracy of my bakes)
• Grain mill
• Stand mixer with dough hook attachment.
• Plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel
• 9×5 bread pan

Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm water (240 g) water should not be hot or boiling as this can kill the yeast.  
• 1/4 cup honey (50 g) – can also use sugar 
• 1 envelope active dry yeast (2 tsp or 7 g) – can also use instant yeast
• 3 1/2 cups fresh milled hard red or hard white wheat (420 g)
• 1/3 cup avocado oil or olive oil (75 g)
• 1 tsp salt (5 g)
• 1 large egg 

Instructions:

1. Activate the Yeast: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm water and honey, then sprinkle in the yeast. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until it becomes frothy and bubbly.
2. Mix the Dough: Once the yeast is active, add your oil, egg, fresh milled flour and salt. Mix on a low speed such as a level 2 on a Kitchenaid mixer until combined or about 2 minutes.  
3. Knead: Once the dough is roughly combined, turn your mixer onto level 3 (medium low) and continue to knead for about 10 minutes. Your dough will be ready when it is not sticky to the touch and it passes the windowpane test. The windowpane test is when you can stretch the dough to the point light passes through without breaking the dough.  
4. First Rise: Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour or until it doubles in size.
5. Shape: Once the dough has risen, punch it down, then transfer to a lightly floured surface and shape it into a loaf. Place the dough into a greased or parchment paper lined 9×5-inch loaf pan.
6. Second Rise: Cover the loaf pan with the towel again and let it rise for another 30-45 minutes, or until the dough has risen just to the rim of the pan.
7. Bake: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake the bread for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
8. Cool & Enjoy: Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Tips for the Best Fresh Milled Sandwich Bread

• Knead Your Dough Thoroughly: I’ve found that proper kneading really makes or breaks my fresh milled bakes. While it’s entirely possible to knead the dough by hand, I find that the best way to ensure that I’m achieving proper gluten development and gluten structure is to knead with a stand mixer. Pay more attention to the structure of the dough than the time it takes to knead it. The key to ensuring that you have proper gluten structure is when your dough passes the windowpane test.  
• Prevent the Top from Getting Too Brown: If you find the top of your bread is browning more than you’d like, you can make a cover using aluminum foil or a second bread pan.  Whichever method you prefer (foil or two bread pans) you’ll simply cover the pan with plenty of space for the bread to rise for the first 20 minutes of baking. Then, remove the cover and allow the bread to bake for the remaining 20 minutes. Another option is purchasing a pullman-pan which keeps the bread covered for the entire bake.  
• Up the Flavor: Rub the top of your cooked loaf with butter while it’s still warm. This adds another level of flavor that is just divine! 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Do I need a grain mill?

A: Yes, you’ll need a grain mill to turn your wheat berries into flour. There are many types of grain mills from electric to manual. My first grain mill was a MockMill attachment for my KitchenAid mixer. I liked it, but it takes a long time to mill the grains. I’ve since upgraded to a Nutrimill Harvest which is still a stone mill, but grinds the grains in a fraction of the time.

Q: Can I use regular store-bought flour for this recipe?

A: Absolutely! If you don’t have a grain mill, you can use store-bought whole wheat flour to make this recipe. The flavor won’t be as robust, and you won’t get the nutritional benefits of using fresh milled flour though. I do not recommend using all-purpose flour for this recipe because the moisture content will be too high for this type of flour. 

Q: What type of wheat should I mill for sandwich bread?

A: For any type of bread, I recommend using hard white wheat berries or hard red wheat. Each of these varieties have a higher protein content than soft varieties meaning they will have better gluten development. Hard white wheat is slightly milder in flavor than red. If you’re just getting started with home milled flours, you may prefer the white variety over the red, as it’s more similar to the flavor of store bought flour.

Q: How do I store fresh milled flour?

A: Fresh milled flour is best used right away. If you happen to mill too much flour and need to store some for later, place it in an airtight container like a Ziplock bag. According to Farm Fresh Wheat you can store your flour like this at room temperature for about 3 days, in the refrigerator for 4-7 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Storing in the freezer helps to preserve the natural oils in the flour, but fresh milled flour begins losing its nutritional value within hours of milling. 

Q: Can I replace the yeast with a natural yeast such as sourdough starter?

A: No, this recipe is not calculated for using your sourdough starter. Baking sourdough with fresh milled flour has a much steeper learning curve than white flour from the grocery store. If you’re looking for a great sourdough sandwich loaf, try my recipe here!

Q: My bread turned out too dense—what did I do wrong?

A: Your bread could be dense for a few reasons. With fresh milled flour, it’s likely due to not having enough liquid or not kneading the dough well enough. This recipe works great in my kitchen, but your environment does play a role in how your dough absorbs moisture. If your bread turns out dense, try replacing the water with milk to add some additional fat, or increase the water by 20 g (about 1 Tbs).  

You’ll also want to ensure that your dough in kneaded to the point it can stretch without breaking. This means the gluten is properly developed.  

In addition to moisture and kneading, you will also want to make sure you allow the dough to fully rise during both proofing stages. Proofing is when air pockets are trapped within your dough causing it to rise and giving it a lightness. 

Q: Can I freeze fresh milled sandwich bread?

A: Yes! Once fully cooled, slice the bread and store it in a freezer-safe bag or container. This way, you can easily pull out a slice or two whenever you need it. Just pop it in the toaster or let it thaw at room temperature before using.

Q: Is fresh milled flour gluten-free?

A: No, fresh milled wheat contains gluten.

Q: Why don’t you use sunflower lecithin?

A: I don’t use sunflower lecithin in my fresh milled bakes because I want to make delicious breads and bakes without having tons of specialty ingredients. Using fresh milled flour is going back to the way our ancestors baked bread. I can guarantee that back in the day, they didn’t add anything fancy to it. Sunflower lecithin is an emulsifier which allows the oil and water to mix more readily. Some bakers use it because it evens out the hydration in the crumb. I don’t use sunflower lecithin in my fresh milled baking, as I don’t find it necessary. 

Why Fresh Milled Sandwich Bread is a Game Changer

This fresh milled sandwich bread is an absolute game changer. You will never want to go back to store-bought bread again!  The first time you try this recipe using your own flour you will forever be a convert to homemade bread!

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