Fed up with failures from poor performing flour, I decided to make the effort and head to the flour mill.

How many small towns can say they still have a working flour mill? We have one in Nijmegen called “De Witte Molen” (the white mill).

Yes, it’s a real Dutch windmill. And yes, it still works. They mill a variety of grains into flour almost every day and supply flour and other products to several bakeries in town, including the one that I work at.

Jez let me go unsupervised one Saturday about a month ago. I wanted everything. And bought almost everything. I should probably have been more selective, but I couldn’t contain my excitement.

I walked away with 5kg of whole wheat flour and 1kg each of Kamut flour, spelt flour, barley flour, corn flour, buckwheat flour, oat flour, rice flour, and rolled oats. I packed 13kg of flours on the back of my bicycle and rode back up the hill, feeling re-energised and motivated to use all these new wholegrain flours.

Jez said, “what the?! Who let you loose at the mill?” I just grinned.

So far I’ve only tried the whole wheat flour, Kamut flour, barley flour and oat flour. But I’ve been pleased so far. They have been behaving like good flour should.

They all have much shorter shelf lives though, because more of the nutritious outer layers of the grains are incorporated into the flour including the bran and germ, so they go rancid faster than highly processed and refined white flour which only contains the endosperm.

So, I’d better get baking! I’m excited to pack more flavour, texture, colour and nutrients (such as vitamins, minerals, protein, fibre) into my baked goods.