flour and the hundred year wars

Some six centuries ago, the ruling dynasties of France and England got into a long-running feud known as the Hundred Years’ War.  Shakespeare wrote a play, Henry V, about it.  That may seem a long time to settle a difference, but it was nothing when you consider the Flour War of our time.  Here are some highlights of this modern conflict:

• A new kind of flour was introduced in the 1880s, made with roller mills instead of the traditional millstones.  The roller mills efficiently removed the bran and germ, yielding flour that was fluffy and sweet but missing most of the nutrients.  Because it was modern, everybody wanted it.

• In a few decades the traditional water-powered stone mills found in most towns were made obsolete.  The roller mills were more efficient and because the flour had a long shelf life (weevils couldn’t survive on it), the nation could be supplied from a few large factories using the railroads.

• A few wise people opposed the new flour, arguing that something vital had been removed.  They were right; scientists would later uncover the role of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and other nutrients. The health problems that followed were simply bandaged over:

- Enriched flour:  At the start of World War II an alarming number of recruits were not healthy enough to serve so synthetic versions of three B complex vitamins, plus iron, were arbitrarily returned to flour.

- Folic acid:  In 1998 folic acid (a precursor to vitamin B9) was added to reduce the incidence of neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida.  For details look here.

• Over time, a growing stack of scientific studies documented the many health benefits of eating whole grains.  A summary collected by the Whole Grains Council can be seen here.

• As a result, over a century later, concerned mothers and cooks in growing numbers are now shunning refined flour and returning to whole grains.  The government has even seen the light, sort of.  The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 calls for at least half of grains consumed to be whole. 

Though it isn’t quite over, we can learn a lesson from the flour war:

1. When a natural food is industrialized, it can take a generation or so for the health consequences to be confirmed.
2. Another generation is required for scientists to gather enough evidence to establish cause and effect.
3. A final generation is required to wean the public off the offending food. 

Do you see our predicament?  In the century it can take to detect, prove, and remedy a dietary error, a multitude of new mistakes can be introduced.  Unless we change this paradigm, things just get worse.  Previously we suggested this rule:  Do not eat new food-like inventions less than a century old. “Wait a minute,” you might say.  “That means we eat what our great-grandparents ate because most of the invented foods turn out to be unhealthy!”  Yes, that’s pretty much how it is; fortunately there are a lot of great traditional foods. 

This brings us back to whole grain flour, which you can now buy from companies like Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur Flour.  I value these companies and their healthy products, including whole grain flours.  However, a reader pointed out that grinding wheat into flour exposes the nutrients to oxidation and spoilage during storage.  The best practice, he inferred, is to grind your own flour close to the moment of use.  My father did this; I remember him setting up a manual wheat grinder each week when he made bread.  I know he got a good workout because he was pretty strong, right up to his death. 

I checked the whole grain flours in my pantry for expiration date and then called the companies to ask how they decided when it was too old to use.   One company sold their flour in a paper bag with a one-year “use by” date.  The other company had a plastic liner in their bag to help protect the flour, which gave a one-year “sell by” date plus six months’ storage in your home.  Then I got a surprise: Both companies told me that flour should be stored in the refrigerator or, better yet, the freezer.  “But that instruction isn’t on the bag,” I rejoined (you’ll recall I had the flour in my pantry).  There was an awkward silence.  I was a little concerned as my flours were about four months old when I bought them so they were currently six months old and had never been protected by refrigeration.    

All this made me even more curious to understand how they decided when flour was too old to use.  Thinking it would help, I explained I wrote a nutrition blog.  Whoops.  That was the end of the conversation; I was routed to a public relations person at one company and a quality manager at the other.  One never called back, the other called back after a week.  I don’t fault them too much; working people often have many demands on their time.  I don’t have the final answer to how they judge when a product is too old to use but was given the impression it had more to do with taste than the viability of the nutrients.  (A bitter taste and rancid odor are classic signs that flour’s essential fats have been oxidized.)  When I learn more I will share it.

King Arthur referred me to a good study on the benefit of using fresh-ground flour at this site (please ignore the plug given to the wheat grinder used, it’s not our intention to endorse any product).  Bread was baked using two kinds of whole flour: freshly ground and store-purchased (older, but age not given).  The result?  The fresh flour rose faster and tasted sweeter than the older flour, which had a “bitter tang”.   Taste was reason enough to use fresh-ground flour but I had read earlier how yeast was used to study the action of vitamins.  From this work it made sense that whatever made yeast grow better might also be more nutritious for humans. 

This is probably the end of the flour posts, so here is the bottom line: 

1. Store-bought whole grain flour is always healthier than the white stuff. 
2. For occasional use, purchase whole grain flour but store it in your freezer or refrigeration.  Observe the expiration date.
3. For regular bread making, grind your own wheat.  If you don’t have your own grinder, work out a solution with your friends.  (Women are so good at this!)

I didn’t see this at first, but here is a last thought:  Refined flour was a mistake but the Industrial Revolution that caused it also brought us the solution: affordable wheat grinders we could use in our own home.  (It’s quite convenient: your ancestors likely spent half-a-day each month or so hauling their wheat to the local mill and had to give 10% to the miller as a fee.)

Please share your experience with home-ground flour.

Need a reminder? Download our Healthy Change reminder card. Print and fold, then place in your kitchen or on your bathroom mirror to help you remember the Healthy Change of the week.

Comments

[Sacha]

Shanna,

I've only used red wheat, and I have no problems with it rising. I think that adding the wheat gluten helps. I've heard that white wheat has a milder flavor but is nutritionally the same as red. It's not as easy to find as red.

3 c. water
2 T. each molasses and honey
1/4 c. oil
1 1/2 T. yeast
1 T. salt
1/4 c. wheat gluten (helps it rise better)
2 T. wheat germ (optional)
2 T. lecithin (optional, helps keep loaf moist)
1 c. oatmeal (optional)
5 1/2 - 6 c. flour (It will depend on if you use oatmeal or not.)

I usually mix them in order as listed. As long as the flour's last, that's what counts. Once you have a nice dough (sticky, but pulling away from the sides of the bowl), then knead it on an oiled counter. You don't need much oil, just enough so it doesn't stick. Shape 2 loaves and put in loaf pans. Let them rise in a warm oven until they reach the tops of the loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 30 min. For a thicker crust (which I love!), preheat the oven while the loaves are still inside.

I really like this bread. I usually make a few extra loaves and freeze them, then pull them out to thaw the night before I plan on using them.

*Usually, bread recipes say to let it rise twice. I think having freshly ground, finer flour helps to make it rise well enough that you only need to once. These loaves are not at all dense. I especially love this bread as toast. Let me know if you have any questions.

[Nicole Buhler]

If we all ground our own wheat by hand we would be a lot skinnier! If we all grew everything we ate like our grandpa's did - there would be a lot less obesity. That being said - i use an electric grinder - its messy - so i only do it once a month and store the unused part in the freezer. BTW Awesome whole grain cookbook: KING ARTHUR whole grain baking. I wrote my senior thesis on the inadequacy of the dietary recommendation to make 1/2 your grains whole - we should be eating all of our grains whole (not that i do! i love cookies with white flour!)

[E]

Perfect is the enemy of good. I happily buy whole wheat flour and store it in the refrigerator.

[Kiasa]

We use Bob's Red Mill whole wheat flour to make bread every week. But now I'm thinking of getting the vitamix grinder. (we have the standard juicer, but I think we need a different attachment to grind wheat.) Since I make bread so often we go through flour pretty quick. A friend of mine (who had used my recipe) was complaining that her bread didn't rise like mine and wasn't as sweet as mine either. Now I know why! I'll start storing my wheat in the freezer.

I fondly remember helping my mom grind wheat. I loved how it transformed so quickly.

[Amanda D]

My father-in-law makes and sells a wheat grinder and has told me that any wheat that I grind should be kept in the fridge or the freezer to prevent nutrients from leaking out. I always put it in a gallon sized ziploc and put it in the fridge. Love grinding and baking my own bread but haven't done it in awhile.

[Amy Foulger]

I love grinding and baking with fresh whole wheat! I use a recipe similar to the blender pancakes already posted (but I significantly decrease the oil) for making pancakes, waffles and my family's favorite - crepes!! Use buttermilk instead of milk for the pancakes and waffles! Omit leavening for crepes.

[Shanna]

Thank you LC! I made the Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes (in a Vitamix) for the first time today. The recipe is definitely a keeper! I put semi sweet chocolate chips in them while they cooked so that they were yummy enough that my children didn't need syrup. I have found that we consume less sugar that way. My kids loved these pancakes!

Kate- Thank you for your pizza crust recipe! I am going to try it this week.

Sacha- I purchased all of the ingredients for your Bread Recipe and I can't wait to try it. Where do you buy your gluten? I couldn't find any at the grocery store. Thanks for posting the recipe!

[Sacha]

Shanna,

I find gluten in bulk at Winco. I know they sell it in cans at Walmart if yours has a food storage section. If you can find it in bulk, it's much cheaper, about a dollar a pound.

[Shanna]

Sacha,

Thank you for the bread recipe! I have now made it twice and we all love it. The first loaf was gone within 5 minutes of coming out of the oven! I think we were all ready for mom to finally take the leap and make some homemade bread!

The second time I used 3 T. of honey and 1 T. of Molasses just to see how the flavor changed. The flavor was a little lighter. I think I may need to knead the dough a little longer and let it rise longer. I did not use any of the optional ingredients or the gluten (couldn't find it.)

Thanks again!

[Anna]

Skip -- eventually we would like to be able to buy a grinder, but for now we buy flour at the store. I would love a post that explains the differences between the types of whole wheat flour. I'm confused about the health factor on "white whole wheat flour" and also different types of whole wheat flour (like pastry flour or bread flour). I'd love a follow up post on types of whole wheat flour :)