Healthy Flour and Bread

Our organic wholemeal stoneground flour is made with particularly selected types of wheat. We mill it here at the farm, and it is stoneground to keep the minerals and vitamins of the wheat grain.

All about grain

For thousands of years, grain and grain products have been one of the most valuable sources of nutrition. Whole grain provides almost all the nutrients we need for our dietary requirements. Carbohydrate (starch), fat and proteins in cereals provide the body with energy. Vitamins and minerals are needed, to regulate body functions such as the metabolic process and nerve and muscle functions.

Fibre is also very important for digestion, because:

- it stimulates the functioning of the bowels,

- it satisfies hunger while remaining in the stomach,

- it can help to prevent diseases of the large intestine.

Not all flour is the same

When refined flour is produced commercially (generally the types 405 or 610), the germ and the outer layers of the grain are removed prior to grinding. This flour consists almost entirely of endosperm, i.e. the floury part of the kernel. It contains hardly any vitamins, minerals and fibre. This processing ensures a much longer shelf-life of the flour and results in the much favoured white colour. In past centuries, only the wealthy were able to afford buying refined flour. Ever since, it has been a symbol of a higher standard of living. Even dietetics promoted this trend at the beginning of this century. They believed the outer layers of the kernel to be merely superfluous fibre.

Today, however, it is recognised that the modern diet is often lacking important nutritional requirements due to the high consumption of products made of refined flour. On the other hand wholemeal flour contains significantly more vitamin B-complexes, more vitamin A, E, and niacin. It also contains more of the minerals potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron.

Nowadays it is very important to increase the intake of iron and vitamin B, since the average intake is less than recommended. Dishes made from wholemeal flour can provide sufficient quantities of these nutrients. A complete range of vitamins and minerals can only be found in wholemeal flour.

The reason stoneground flour is held to be superior is that the stones produce just enough heat to warm the wheat germ oil in the grain, allowing it to spread throughout the flour – imparting goodness and flavour. In modem roller milling, the valuable benefits of this part of the grain are lost. After a few moments grinding, the flour, as it drops into the bin, is just warm to touch and smells wholesome and fresh.

Taste for yourself

Share our harvest! You can buy Sheepdrove Organic Farm’s wholemeal bread flour by mail-order, direct from the farm. Occasionally loaves of bread are on sale at our family butcher shops.