This recipe is my most requested, and for good reason! If you’ve ever tried to make a classic artisan loaf with fresh milled flour, you probably got very frustrated. Either the dough was super dry and unmanageable, it didn’t rise like your AP loaves did, or you find it’s gummy and inedible.
This is so common, because fresh milled flour behaves SO differently than all purpose, sifted flour. Fresh milled flour is THIRSTY and requires a lot more hydration, and because it is heavier, it requires more starter. I trialed probably 10 different FMF artisan loaf recipes before I perfected my own. I hope this recipe is the one you’ve been searching high and low for, and you didn’t have to make a bunch of duds first like I did!
Disclaimer: This is a recipe written assuming you already have a general concept of baking with sourdough. If you are a newbie, please feel free to message me on Instagram and I will do my best to help you!
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Hard white and Hard red wheat (I really enjoy the Central Milling berries – I order them on Amazon!)
- A healthy, strong sourdough starter. See notes for the ratios I use to feed a healthy FMF starter.
- Salt (Redmond’s Real Salt is the GOAT)
- Filtered water
Tools you’ll need:
- Mill for your wheat (I love my Nutrimill mill! – this link will give you $20 off)
- Stand mixer (optional, but I prefer using this over stretch and folds)
- Stainless steel bowl
- Tea towel
- Wooden spoon
- 9×5 Sandwich pan or Banneton for proofing (I love using these stainless steel pans)
- Kitchen scale
- Cookie sheet
- Unbleached parchment paper
- Digital thermometer
Tips for success:
- Autolyse your dough for a good hour before adding in starter and salt! This will allow the water to fully absorb into the flour. Most people struggle with difficult dough with FMF because they do not autolyse long enough.
- If using your mixer, mix low and slow so you can develop gluten but not break it down by getting the dough too hot.
- Your dough should be pliable but not firm. Squishy but not wet!
Why bake with fresh milled flour?
Fresh milled flour offers several health advantages over store bought, shelf stable flour. When wheat berries are freshly milled, they retain their nutrient rich bran and germ, which contain fiber, B vitamins, vitamin E, healthy fats, and minerals like iron and magnesium. Commercial flour has these components removed during processing and sits on shelves for months, losing nutritional value as the oils in the germ oxidize and vitamins degrade. Shelf stable flour also has many harmful ingredients added to it, like bromine, synthetic folic acid and preservatives.
Because fresh milled flour is whole grain by nature, it provides more sustained energy and better blood sugar stability compared to refined white flour. The natural oils and enzymes are also intact, which can make baked goods more flavorful and aromatic. It’s healthy AND delicious!
The BEST fresh milled flour Artisan Loaf Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Feed your sourdough starter 9-10 hours before bake. This time will vary based on your home's temperature, but I like to feed mine before I go to bed, around 10pm. When I wake up my starter is nearly ready to use and hasn't started falling yet. See recipe notes for starter feeding info.
- Weigh your wheat and mill it.
- In a large bowl (or in your mixer) add your water to your wheat. This will make a shaggy dough. Let your dough autolyse for 45mins-1 hour so the water can absorb into the flour.
- After autolysing, add in your starter and salt. If you are using your mixer, mix on level 2 until you reach windowpane. In my mixer, this takes 5-7 minutes. If you're doing stretch and folds: – Mix salt and starter in well so they're fully mixed in. – Do a stretch and fold every 30 minutes for a total of 3 S&F.
- Let your dough bulk ferment. The time for bulk fermentation can vary widely depending on the temperature of your home. With fresh milled flour, you do not want to go by the 'let the dough double in size' rule of thumb. I have found observing the dough and it's feel is a better indicator if the dough is ready. This usually looks like +25-50% of the original dough size. FMF easily overproofs and cause a sticky, messy dough that is hard to keep shape. This will result in flat loaves.
- After your dough is bulk fermented, you have two options for the second ferment.1. Sandwich loaf: Line your sandwich pan with parchment paper. Shape your dough into a sandwich loaf by stretching into a rectangle, folding in the sides, and rolling gently into a loaf. Gently place into your lined pan and let rise on the counter. I let mine rise to about 1" above the pan before baking. You can either pop it in the fridge for a cold proof overnight (this will result in a deeper richer 'sourdough' flavor). 2. Banneton: Line your banneton with a tea towel. Using a round or oval (batard) banneton, shape your loaf for the shape you're using. (there are a ton of tutorials for shaping on youtube!). After shaping, put into the fridge to cold proof. I always cold proof my banneton loaves because they're likely to keep their shape better when it's time to bake. I cold proof for at least 4 hours – this tends to be enough time to bring down the dough temperature enough to bake.
- Preheat your oven to 430 degrees. Fill a stainless pan (I use one of my sandwich loaf pans) with very hot or boiling water. Put the water at the bottom of your oven to create a steamy oven.
- Once your oven is preheated, do the following with your loaf:– Sandwich loaf: put straight in the oven. I have found when the loaf is proofed well (why we let it rise on the counter!), it does not need to be scored. Also in my experience, if the loaf is nice and tall in the pan, it probably has bubbles at the top and will cause the trapped air to release and make the loaf fall. – Round or oval loaf: Gently plop your loaf on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Dust with rice flour and score your loaf.
- Bake at 430 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Next change your oven temp to 400 degrees and bake for another 15-20 minutes. I like to rotate my loaf (loaves) so everything is evenly baked.
- Bake until your bread reaches 205 degrees in the center.
- Take out of the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Let fully cool to avoid gumminess in the center.
- Enjoy!
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