freshly-milled honey-wheat rolls

So I bought a grain mill and my kids think is is hilarious. Not sure why it is so funny. I love it! It definitely adds an extra step to my baking, but after learning more about flour and how it loses all its nutrients so soon after being milled, I decided that it makes sense for me to try to grind my own flour. While I don’t have celiac disease, I know that I am sensitive to gluten. After ingesting products with gluten, I tend to get hives and eczema.

Many of the stories we all hear about people being able to eat pasta in Italy are anecdotal, but there is some real science behind why bread products in the US are hard for some people to digest.

After years of avoiding gluten (and a very pasta-filled enjoyable trip to Italy), I wanted to understand the why, so I dug into some research!

THE SCIENCE

One study in the journal of Food Science and Nutrition, compared grinding whole wheat flour to refined white flour.

For the whole wheat flour, the whole bran, germ, and endosperm together remained in the flour.

The white flour had the bran + the germ sifted out and discarded during the refining process (which is common practice). The researchers analyzed both flours for macronutrients, minerals, and antioxidant content. It showed that when you grind your own flour and use the whole kernel, you retain those polyphenols and antioxidants that are otherwise stripped out. These compounds support gut lining integrity and reduce oxidative stress — both relevant to why some people with gluten sensitivity tolerate fresh-milled flour significantly better than commercial white or even store-bought whole wheat flour.

in 2018, The University of Nebraska compared enzymes between store-bought and freshly ground flour. They found that store-bought flour is stripped of its bran and germ and therefore essentially free of natural enzymes. Whole wheat flour naturally contains four enzymes — lipase, lipoxygenase, polyphenol oxidase, and peroxidase (these are the enzymes that help your gut actually break gluten down!) — that are stripped away when wheat is refined into commercial white flour, removing both nutritional value and the enzymes that help your body break down gluten.

When you grind your own flour and use it fresh within a few days, you capture these enzymes at peak activity before they cause rancidity, giving you a more digestible, nutrient-dense flour with a more relaxed gluten structure that's far easier and more digestible for the gut.

Basically, as we know, the less processed the food, the better our body is able to digest!

So now the fun part! Making bread and eating it!*

*freshly milled flour is not safe for people with true celiac disease.

Freshly-Milled Hard Wheat Rolls

Makes 6-8 rolls

Ingredients

• 3½ cups freshly milled hard wheat flour (from about 3 cups wheat berries)

• 1¼–1⅓ cups warm water (105–110°F)

• 2–2½ tbsp honey

• 2 tbsp organic extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tbsp organic apple cider vinegar

• 1½ tsp sea salt

• 2¼ tsp yeast (1 packet active dry or instant)

Instructions

Step 1 — Autolyse
Mix flour and 1¼ cups warm water until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest 30–45 minutes. This step is key for stretchy, non-tearing dough with fresh-milled flour.

Step 2 — Add remaining ingredients
Add yeast, honey, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar. Mix until fully incorporated. If the dough feels stiff, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until soft and slightly tacky.

Step 3 — Salt and knead
Sprinkle in sea salt and knead by hand or mixer (on level 2) for 10–15 minutes until smooth and elastic.

Step 4 — First rise
Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and rise in a warm spot 60–90 minutes until doubled.

Step 5 — Shape
Divide into 12 equal pieces and shape each into a tight ball with a smooth top. (you can sprinkle some olive oil on top to help with sticking)

Step 6 — Second rise
Cover and rise 30–45 minutes until puffy. Preheat oven to 350°F toward the end of this rise.

Step 7 — Bake
Bake 15–18 minutes until lightly golden and hollow-sounding when tapped on the bottom. Tent loosely with foil if tops brown too quickly.

Step 8 — Finish
Cool slightly on a rack.