02/07/2024
I officially began baking fresh breads when I was 13 years old (family holiday rolls was my primary jam lol), but, it wasn't until 2019 when I began milling whole grains to create nutrient-packed, fresh, whole grain flours for baking, as well as, creating artisan breads to nourish my loved ones and, now, for my vegan bakery. I haven't purchased commercially processed breads since 2019, when I educated myself and was then gifted an amazing grain mill.
Freshly milled, organic wheat is different from wheat flour you buy in the store which has been stripped of key nutrients and is the primary reason so many people cannot tolerate wheat.
By milling/grinding whole grains into flour and using it for freshly baking, the whole grain flour retains an extremely high nutrient profile, including B vitamins, Vitamin E, beneficial fiber and more. Of 44 essential nutrients for life, only 4 of them are missing in wheat: Vitamins A, B12, and C, and the mineral iodine.
The process of commercial milling does not retain all the nutrients. About 86% of nutrients are lost through commercial milling when the bran and germ are stripped away, which are the primary sources of dietary fiber, a crucial nutrient aiding in the prevention and treatment of acute or chronic constipation (which is typically a symptom of another underlying health issue).
Commercially milled flours begin to oxidize rapidly, leaving the bags of flour we see on the shelves at grocery stores and markets, oxidized and nutrient-depleted. Most commercial flours are labeled and marketed as "enriched", DECEPTIVELY giving consumers the impression that vital nutrients which were lost during processing were completely added back into the flour.
"Enrichment” does add an amount of those depleted nutrients (except riboflavin) back to that of the whole grain - to three times the original level - but, compared to the whole grain, the "enriched" product remains urgently deficient in fiber, protein value, and 18 vitamins and minerals.
As a grain-milling, plant-based, bread artisan, there's so much more about this I could speak on, but I'll stop here...for now ☺️. I've included a video of how I freshly milled ancient Kamut whole grains for creating burger buns and my next post will show one of the delicious ways I enjoy serving them.
~Love, Eat, Pray~
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