Simple Sandwich Bread Recipe With Fresh Milled Flour

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This simple sandwich bread recipe with fresh milled flour is the perfect basic recipe for your everyday sandwich bread. This recipe is easy, quick, full of vital nutrition and doesn’t have a long list of ingredients. I will walk you through the recipe step by step – and don’t worry – if you are a beginner at bread-making, stick with me – you will be baking delicious and health loaves of bread in no time!

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Making Sandwich Bread With Fresh Milled Flour

Whether you have made bread before or not, this recipe can be mastered by anyone. And don’t be scared off by the fresh milled flour part – I assure you that is the easiest part! Once you acquire a grain mill, you can have fresh milled flour at the push of a button. It’s really that easy. 

My favorite grain mills and other bread-making supplies can be found in our shop, here!

Fresh Milled Flour Sandwich Bread Versatility

This fresh milled sandwich bread recipe is the perfect basic recipe. I am a firm believer in not having a bunch of different dough recipes for different applications. This fresh milled dough is the perfect jumping off point. From here you can make cinnamon raisin bread, cinnamon swirl bread, cinnamon rolls, bread sticks, dinner rolls and the list goes on and on. 

Bread Pans and Sizes

I like to use stainless steel bread pans for my sandwich loaves. My favorite size is the 9 1/4″ x 5″ stainless bread pans. I buy mine from amazon. 

If you want to go for a more traditionally sized loaf of bread, try the 2 pound pullman pan.

Do I Need To Use Vital Wheat Gluten or Sunflower Lecithin In Fresh Milled Bread Recipes? 

For many years I used both of these ingredients in my fresh milled bread recipes. I still keep them on hand, but over the last 6 months or so, I have been experimenting with leaving them out. One reason is that it’s hard to find organic vital wheat gluten and sunflower lecithin. Another reason is that I have found a few other tricks to help me get soft bread without the additives.

I am all about simplifying. And if I can make great bread with less ingredients – I am all about it!

Ingredients to Make Simple Sandwich Bread with Fresh Milled Flour

• 2 cups very warm water
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 4 1/2 -5 cups fresh milled flour(I like to use a blend of 50/50 hard red and hard white wheat for this recipe)**
• 1 tbsp. instant dry yeast
• 2 tsp. lemon juice

Instructions for Simple Sandwich Bread with Fresh Milled Flour

1. Grind wheat berries to make fine flour
2. To the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add water, salt, oil, honey, lemon juice and 4 1/2 cups of flour.
3. Mix until well combined and then turn off the mixer and allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes(this will allow the flour to absorb the liquids)
4. After 10 minutes, begin to mix the dough with the paddle attachment and add the yeast.
5. **Take a good look at your dough here. Has it bulked up and began gathering in the middle of the bowl? If so, it’s time to begin kneading the dough with the dough hook attachment. If it’s really wet still, start adding more flour until the dough bulks up and starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Try not to exceed 5 cups of flour total, but 5 1/2 is okay too. The less flour the better, as long as you get the right consistency. 
6. Once the dough is the right consistency, begin kneading the dough. With a machine this usually takes 7-10 minutes
7. After kneading, the dough should be smooth and elastic. Place in a warm spot for it’s first rise until doubled in size.
8. once doubled, separate dough in half and shape into loaves
9. spray pans with non-stick spray
10. place loaves in greased pans
11. cover and allow to the loaves to go for their second rise until double in size, again.
12. once doubled in size in the bread pans, preheat oven to 350* F
13. cook loaves for 25-35 minutes depending on your oven and loaf size.
14. loaves are done when the tops are golden brown and the loaf is cooked through.
15. allow to cool before cutting
16. ENJOY!

How To Store Fresh Milled Sandwich Bread

PLASTIC BAG: Once your bread has completely cooled and sits at room temperature, you may store it in a plastic resealable bag. This will retain moisture and prevent it from staling.

FREEZE IT: If you find that you don’t plan to eat your bread within 3-5 days, freezing your homemade bread is a wonderful long-term solution.The key to properly freezing baked goods is to limit their exposure to air. To properly store your homemade bread in the freezer, wrap your loaf of bread as tightly as possible with foil or plastic wrap and then store it inside a freezer-safe plastic bag.

USE A BREAD BOX: A bread box can properly regulate the moisture levels around the bread, keeping it preserved for longer. Avoid allowing your bread to touch the sides of the bread box, and make sure you let your bread cool completely before storing.

Do not store your bread in the refrigerator or on top of the refrigerator. Whether in a plastic bag or not, storing baked goods near any appliance that emits heat or a harsh light is a bad idea, as the warmth will dry out your bread quicker than bread that is stored properly. The top of your fridge is an especially bad place, yet often ill-advised, that causes your bread to dry out and mold. Storing bread inside the refrigerator is a bad idea for similar reasons, but the staling happens much faster than at warmer temperatures.

What Is Freshly Milled Flour?

Most simply, freshly milled flour is a grain that has recently been milled into flour. The time to be considered freshly milled is up to your own discretion, but I only mill as much flour as needed for the recipe because the longer the flour sits, the more nutrients it loses. Milling is the process of turning grain berries into flour. The most commonly milled grains include hard white wheat berries, soft white wheat berries and ancient grains. Just about any grain you may think of can be run through a mill to make flour. 

So If Wheat Is Good For Us, Why Is Bread Bad For Us?

Bread has gotten a bad reputation, and you can thank commercial milling for that. Most often store-bought bread contains refined flours, these flours are stripped of their key nutrients in the name of a longer shelf life. This makes commercially milled refined flour harder for our bodies to digest, as it is missing the 40 of 44 essential nutrients our bodies need. That’s a whopping 91% of the type of nutrients our bodies need to be healthy!

Most commercially refined flours only contain a few nutrients and most of them are synthetic. No wonder there is so much debate on whether or not bread is good for us. Now that we know refined flours are lacking all of those wonderful nutrients, and we have the knowledge that 100% whole wheat contains 40 out of 44 of them, you should consider the benefits of switching to a whole grain rich lifestyle. Diets high in both whole wheat and whole grains are linked to a lower risk of chronic conditions like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

Is It Worth Milling Your Own Whole Grains At Hom

Absolutely! The health benefits alone are enough to ditch grocery store-bought flour for good. Milling your own grains at home allows you to get as
close as possible to the highest nutritional value that can be derived from these grains. And don’t discount the size of the kernels, the germ is the smallest
part of the kernel yet contains the highest density of nutrients! 

Nutrients found in the kernels are bran that is high in fiber, proteins, and enzymes that
aid in digestion. That smallest part of the kernel I mentioned earlier contains fatty acids and vitamin E.

In comparison, commercial milling removes 30 percent of the wheat kernel, removing the most nutritious part of the grain.

Why Is Freshly Milled Flour Yellow?

Contrary to popular belief, freshly milled flour is light yellow, not white! The grain takes it color from xanthophylls naturally present in wheat.

(Fun fact: different types of xanthophylls have been shown to have neuroprotective effects!)

That pure white color you see from commercially milled flours is the result of removing the bran and germ entirely(in other words, the vitamins!). And with certain brands, white flour is the result of bleaching(ew!)

Why You Should Avoid Cutting Bread Fresh Out Of The Oven

I know, I know. Fewer things are better than sliced warm bread straight from the oven. As tempting as it is, you are better off waiting until it has cooled to retain its soft and light texture. If your bread is cut before it has fully cooled, you’re losing that moisture trapped inside the crust and you are left with a texture that is tough, chewy, and crumbly.

Can I Substitute With Active Dry Yeast?

Although active yeast and instant yeast can typically be substituted for one another at a 1:1 ratio, I have not personally tested it myself for
this recipe. If you try using active yeast, make sure you activate the yeast first. I love using instant dry yeast for all of my yeast recipes.

Can I Freeze My Homemade Sandwich Bread?

If you find that you don’t plan to eat your bread within 3-5 days, freezing your homemade bread is a wonderful long-term solution.
The key to properly freezing whole wheat bread is to limit its exposure to air. To properly store your homemade bread in the freezer, wait for your bread to completely cool to room temperature, then wrap your loaf of bread as tightly as possible with foil or parchment paper and store it inside a freezer-safe plastic bag.

Do You Have To Sift Freshly Milled Flour?

No you definitely don’t have to sift freshly milled flour. I get so many questions about sifting the fresh milled flour and a lot of people think that sifting the flour is the only way to get a light and well-risen loaf of bread. My past 13 years of experiences with fresh milled flour says otherwise!

I’m here to tell you, you don’t need to sift any of the grain to get a nice fluffy loaf of bread. 

Just follow my directions and recipes and you will be in great shape. 

What Meals Can I Pair With Fresh Milled Whole Wheat Bread?

Anything! This recipe makes the perfect whole wheat sandwich bread. From French Toast topped with maple syrup and fresh fruit, to a B.L.T. featuring aoli and feta. The combinations are endless!

However, despite the many uses this whole wheat bread recipe has, you may find yourself with a few pieces of this sandwich loaf leftover. Here is a Tuscan White Bean Soup Recipe that pairs day-old bread with a hearty vegetable soup.

Does Refrigeration Really Ruin Bread?

Although it is perfectly healthy to store a homemade loaf of bread in the refrigerator, the cold temperature will cause your whole wheat loaf to lose flavor and moisture. This is because of the retrogradation and recrystallization of starch, and starch retrogrades faster at lower temperatures. When bread is stored correctly, it’ll last much longer.

What Is The Difference Between Fresh Milled and Regular Flour?

When choosing to mill your own flour for the first time, you will be shocked by the difference in depth and flavor you achieve using freshly milled flour compared to store-bought flour. 

This includes the comparison of store-bought bread to freshly milled bread.The best way to look at the differences is to compare their taste, cost, and nutrition.

TASTE: Milling your own flour at home is a way to ensure you are getting the freshest flour one can produce. By using the freshest flour, the result yields a creamier texture, more body, and a fully complex flavor profile. And in this recipe, delicious bread! Because you are using whole grains, the bran and germ add a bit of a sweet taste. Freshly milled flour will always give you a much fuller aroma than using commercially made flours, and won’t have that yucky aftertaste that occurs when the fats in store-bought flour have aged.

COST: When compared ounce to ounce, home milled flours tend to be cheaper, sometimes at a fraction of the cost, than their store-bought counterparts. With the extra cost of nutrients lost in the milling process, using a mill to make your own flours is an easy and cost effective choice.

NUTRITION: Freshly milled flours are packed with nutrients. Using the whole grain allows you to reap the full benefits of its name. Bran, responsible for fiber, B vitamins, iron, and digestive enzymes. Endosperm, responsible for its complex carbs, protein, and small amounts of B vitamins and minerals. And finally the germ, which contains essential fatty acids, vitamin E, B vitamins, antioxidants, minerals and phytonutrients.  

Is Fresh Milled Flour Healthier?

Yes! Not only does milling your own flour produce a fresher quality and flavor, but a superior nutritional profile as well. Aside from whole wheat flour, which contains all three parts of the wheat kernel, most commercial flours are made after the removal of the bran and germ. This diminishes the value of the flour, as a large proportion of its natural vitamins are absent. Beneficial nutrients are lost such as thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, folic acid and iron. To compensate for the loss of nutrients, commercially made flour is then enriched with the nutrients freshly milled flour already contains – but the “enrichment” is made of synthetic vitamins, ones that our bodies likely can’t even assimilate properly. 

Helpful Links & Products

Grain Mills

Freshly Milled Bread Course

Bread Knife

Apron

Sourdough Starter Kit

Sourdough Starter

Bread Pans

Wheat Berries

Yeast