Flour & Meal Products from Historic Mills
The following are some products made in various types of grist and flour mills. A mill may grind certain flours, depending upon availability of various grains and the market for different types of flours. Some products listed are ground only by seasonal availability, such as buckwheat. Grains ground from the early days of the milling industry, used the traditional millstones. With the advent of the roller mill to the milling industry, larger flour mills came into being. However, the use of metal rollers to mill grain, generated unnecessary heat, which burns out essential nutrients. Besides the modern flour mills, there are a vast number of small grist mills, still operating today. Some use roller mills, while a great number of them use the traditional millstones. They carry on other process of flour production with old wooden machinery, often manufactured before the turn of the 1900's. There is a marked difference between the products ground on a millstone and that which is ground the modern way with a roller mill. The slower ground "old process" flour and meal is soft to the touch, because the particles are ground an not flat and sharp, and contain all the germ. In the "new process" roller ground flour and meal the germ is largely removed from the flour and meal. These products may be organic and nonorganic. Some flour and meal products produced at an old mill are: 1. Bolted Yellow or White Corn Meal-Which is fine ground corn meal, which has been bolted to remove some of the larger particles of corn bran. The color and taste will vary depending upon the type of corn ground. (sift or bolt through a 16 to 18 mesh screen) * 2. Unbolted Yellow or White Corn Meal-which is coarse corn meal, unbolted to contain all the parts of the corn kernel.The color and taste will vary depending upon the type of corn ground. (not sifted or bolted) * 3. Roasted Corn Meal (light to dark) A product of central and eastern Pennsylvania, in which corn is ran through a peanut roaster. When ground it makes the corn meal have a very nutty aromatic flavor and taste. (sift or bolt through a 16 to 18 mesh screen) 4. Corn Flour-Which is finely ground corn and bolted through a fine wire screen to remove the gluten, the grits, and bran to become a fine light corn flour. A flour which ranges from white to a golden yellow, in color. Corn flour is produced from finely ground kernels of corn. Corn flour is also referred to as corn meal in some mills, and is most often added to pancake mixes. (sift or bolt through a 32 mesh screen) * 5. Yellow or White Corn Grits-Commercial grits have the germ and bran removed, the bolted grits have the finer particles sifted out. In grinding corn meal the coarser particles which are separated in the bolting are used as cereal. (sift or bolt corn flour through a 32 mesh screen, and sift grits through an 16 to 18 mesh screen) * 6. Corn Bran-The bolted bran flake particles of corn bran, are bolted from the corn meal, flour, and grits products. (tailings) * 7. Corn Gluten-A type of gluten which is the nutritious part and product of corn, most often used in animal feed. 8. Graham Flour-This flour contains all the elements of the ground wheat, it is unbolted to produce Graham flour. It is ground from hard or soft wheat and is high in gluten, which is characteristic of graham flour. Some times Graham flour can also be ground from rye kernels. (not sifted or bolted) * 9. Wheat Gluten-A type of gluten which is the nutritious part of wheat flour. 10. Gluten Flour-A wheat flour with the starch removed, ground from spring or winter wheat which is high in gluten. 11. Durum Wheat Flour-A wheat flour which is low in gluten content. Also known as pasta flour. 12. Whole Wheat Flour-This is ground from either soft or hard spring wheat and makes a good bread flour. The flour is bolted through a wire screen, so only some of the larger pieces of bran are removed. Bran in bread dough will keep the bread from raising as much. The wheat kernel ground between the millstones, the flour is not exposed to high temperatures as roller milled flour, thus preserving essential nutrients. Hard spring wheat is milled to produce the best whole wheat flour. (sift or bolt through a 16 to 18 mesh screen) * 13. Unbleached "All-Purpose" White Flour-This is ground from a blend of hard and soft wheats and is finely bolted to produce a cream-colored unbleached flour. The cream-color comes from finely ground particles present in the flour, which is removed in commercial flours. The flour is ground from a blend of 50-50 or 70-30 of soft to hard wheats to produce an "all purpose" flour. A flour with most of the bran and wheat germ removed. This flour has not been artificially bleached with harmful chlorides, much better than bleached white flour. The flour has been naturally bleached white. (sift or bolt through a 32 mesh screen) * 14. Cake and Pastry Flour-Soft winter wheat is used for all-purpose pastry flour. The soft winter wheat makes a good flour. There is a lower amount of gluten which makes it better for cakes and pastries. It can be sifter finer and whiter than hard high gluten wheat flours. (sift or bolt through a 64 mesh or finer screen) * 15. Whole Wheat Cereal-This is a cooked cereal product produced from hard spring and soft winter wheats. It is bolted to remove only the larger particles of bran, to give it a uniform texture. (sift or bolt white wheat flour through a 32 mesh screen, and sift whole wheat cereal through a 16 to 18 mesh screen) * 16. Quick Wheat Cereal-A cooked wheat cereal product from soft winter wheat to produce a creamer, whiter cooked cereal. It is bolted to remove only the larger particles of bran, and to give it a uniform texture. (sift or bolt unbleached white flour through a 32 mesh screen, and sift quick wheat cereal through a 16 to 18 mesh screen) * 17. Wheat Grits-Wheat grits are similar to cracked wheat but are finer in texture. 18. Cracked Wheat-This is cracked hard spring wheat, unbolted for the cooking of cracked wheat. In milling each kernel of wheat is cracked or split into about 4 to 5 pieces.* 19. Cracked Wheat Flour-This is unbolted wheat flour containing all the elements of wheat along with cracked and whole wheat berries for cracked wheat breads.* 20. Wheat Bran-The bolted flake particles of wheat bran, bolted from the other wheat products. Hard spring wheat is labeled wheat bran while soft wheat bran is labeled "miller's bran." This is the outer covering of the wheat kernel. In the production of white flour, the bran particles is always removed. (tailings) * 21. Bran Flour-Finely ground particles of bran which is in the form of flour. 22. Bread Flour-Ground from hard spring wheat and bolted to produce an unbleached bread flour. It will produce a cream-color bread, which contains the high gluten. (sift or bolt through a 32 mesh screen) * 23. High-Gluten Flour-Ground from hard spring wheat with more moisture added and bolted to produce an unbleached bread flour. It will produce a browner bread, which is higher in gluten. (sift or bolt through a 32 mesh screen or finer) * 24. Wheat Germ-This is bolted raw wheat germ, is ground and bolted from hard spring wheat. The part of the wheat kernel which is the wheat germ. Wheat germ is sold in raw and toasted forms.* 25. Wheat Germ Flour-This is finely ground raw wheat germ into a flour product. The flour because of its short shelf life needs to be kept refrigerated. 26. Middlings-Are particles coarsely ground wheat mixed with some bran. Middlings is often referred to as a mediocre grade of flour. As the old saying goes "fair to middlin," comes from various grades of bolted flour, perhaps a person feeling fair or fine to mediocre. (sift or bolt wheat flour through a 32 mesh screen, and sift middlings through a 16 to 18 mesh screen) * 27. Rye Flour (light to medium)-This is finely ground and bolted rye flour, which produces a "light" rye flour and bread. This flour is lower in gluten and is primary used in making rye breads. (sift or bolt through a 32 mesh screen or finer) * 28. Pumpernickel Flour-Coarse ground and bolted rye, contains the gluten and parts of the rye for better bread making. It is a darker richer flour and is a meal texture. Pumpernickel flour is not commonly commercially produced by mills. (sift or bolt through a 16 to 18 mesh screen) * 29. Rye Meal-This is ground rye with the bran bolted out which contains the elements of rye "light" flour and the coarser pumpernickel flour together. The rye kernels are ground to a coarse texture into a meal form, used similar to rye flour or whole wheat flours. (sift or bolt through a 16 to 18 mesh screen) * 30. Bohemian Rye Flour-This flour contains 50-50 mixture of rye and wheat kernels which is bolted as an unbleached flour, which the middlings and bran have been removed. (sift or bolt through a 32 mesh screen or finer) * 31. Cracked Rye Flour-This is unbolted rye meal with whole and cracked pieces of rye kernels for making cracked rye bread.* 32. Whole Rye Flour-This is ground rye four with only the rye bran removed by bolting similar to whole wheat flour. (sift or bolt through a 16 to 18 mesh screen) * 33. Rye Grits-This is fine rye kernels which is cracked and used as a cereal. 34. Rye Bran-The bolted flake particles of rye bran, bolted from the rye flour products. (tailings) * 35. Oat Flour-A finely ground hulled oat kernels to produce a fine bolted oat flour. Oat flour can be used like any other flour. (sift or bolt through a 32 mesh screen)* 36. Oat Meal-The term refers to a number of different types of ground oats. Such as rolled oats, oat flakes, oat porridge, etc. The proper application of the term is finely ground kernels of oats. The oats are ground into oat flour. The finer flour is bolted and coarser particles are separated which are called oat meal. Oat meal is used primarily as a breakfast cereal. (sift or bolt oat flour through a 32 mesh screen, and sift or bolt through a 16 to 18 mesh screen) * 37. Old-Fashioned Oat Meal-A cooked cereal produced from hulled oats ground on millstones, as opposed to modern steel cut or roller oat meal. The stone ground meal cooks like a porridge. (sift or bolt through a 16 to 18 mesh screen) * 38. Whole Oat Flour-A type of flour made out of oats similar to whole wheat flour, with the oat bran sifted out. (sift or bolt through a 16 to 18 mesh screen) * 39. Oats, Flaked-In the milling the oat kernels they are crushed or flaked. The flaked oats are similar in appearance to rolled oats, but in milling they are not exposed to the high temperatures , which occur in rolling oats. So they retain more nutritional value than rolled oats. 40. Oats, Rolled-In milling the oat kernels they are hulled and flattened with a roller mill. There is high heat generated from the smooth steel rollers, making them less a nutritional value, but makes them quicker to cook. 41. Buckwheat Flour (light to dark)-A finely ground and bolted through a fine wire screens from whole buckwheat. Buckwheat is an herb with alternative leaves and clusters of pinkish white flowers and triangular seeds. Buckwheat honey comes from honeybees pollination of the flower. The hulled seed of buckwheat is used as a cereal grain "kasha" , but contains no gluten as the other grains, but is higher in protein than soybeans. Buckwheat is most often referred to as the poor man's crop, simply because your not going to get rich growing it. To plant an acre of buckwheat it requires a bushel weighting 48 pounds. The yield on an acre of buckwheat is anywhere from 30 to 50 pounds rate per acre. So sometimes you might not get as much out of an acre as you put into it. Buckwheat is a grass like herb, the buckwheat plant produces a three cornered seed, known as buckwheat. Buckwheat is used in much the same manner as other cereal grains. Stone ground buckwheat flour is most often used in pancake mixes. (sift or bolt through a 32 mesh screen)* 42. Buckwheat Cereal-A cooked cereal produced from the ground buckwheat. It is bolted to remove the larger buckwheat hulls and finer flour. (sift or bolt buckwheat flour through a 32 mesh screen, and sift or bolt through a 16 to 18 mesh screen) * 43. Buckwheat Grits-Coarse ground particles of buckwheat used as a breakfast cereal. (sift or bolt buckwheat flour through a 32 mesh screen, and sift or bolt through a 16 to 18 mesh screen) * 44. Buckwheat Middlings-Contains coarse particles of coarsely ground buckwheat and small particles of buckwheat hulls, most often used as a animal feed. (sift or bolt buckwheat flour through a 32 mesh screen, and sift or bolt through a 16 to 18 mesh screen) * 45. Buckwheat Pancake Mix-A dry mixture to which water is added. the mix contains all the ingredients to make pancake batter. Pancakes made of buckwheat flour is the most popular use of buckwheat in the United States.* . 46. Hunter's Cereal-This is a mixture of 30-70% wheat cereal to buckwheat cereal, it is named hunter's cereal, because hunters would take it on hunting trips.* 47. Buckwheat Hulls-The outer covering of the buckwheat seeds, used as a fertilizer, the stuffing for Japanese pillows and dolls, and hunters use it to cover their scents in setting animal traps. (tailings) * 48. Barley Flour-This is ground from pearled-hulled barley kernels, bolted into a flour, used for breads and added to soups. The The best barley flour is ground from whole hulled barley. This being the most nutritious form of the barley grain. The whole hulled barley still bears the bran coating, which must be removed by bolting. (sift or bolt through a 32 mesh screen) * 49. Barley Grits-A Coarse ground form of the whole barley kernel. (sift or bolt barley flour through a 32 mesh screen, and sift or bolt barley grits through a 16 to 18 mesh screen) 50. Peanut Flour-Finely ground peanuts into a flour. which is available in roasted and unroasted forms. The roasted form has a more nuttier taste than the unroasted variety. 51. Peanut Meal-The coarser particles which are bolted from the peanut flour. 52. Lima Bean Flour-Flour made from dried lima beans. 53. Rice Flour-The whole grain of rice is finely ground into rice flour, made from either white or brown rice, most often white rice. (sift or bolt through a 32 mesh screen) * 54. Rice Grits-They are the coarser ground particles of rice which is separated by bolting. (sift or bolt rice flour through a 32 mesh screen, and sift or bolt rice grits through a 16 to 18 mesh screen) * 55. Soy Flour-A flour ground from soy beans. Soy flour is available in toasted or raw varieties. The raw soy flour is bland in taste, and is white in color. The toasted soy flour is a good rich yellow color and has a nutty flavor. 56. Soy Grits-Made of lightly roasted soy beans which is coarsely cracked into soy grits. 57. Soy Meal-The coarser particles of ground soy beans which are ground to a meal texture. Soy bean meal is often used as an animal feed. 58. Self Rising Pancake Flour-A product in which is a self rising pancake batter by which all the dry ingredients are added at the mill. This is usually white flour or corn meal based, but can be made of rice flour to be gluten free. 59. Self Rising Buckwheat Flour-A product in which all the dry ingredients are mixed and added in the mill. This product is a self rising pancake batter mix. (percentage formula 2/3 buckwheat flour, 1/6 white and or whole wheat flour, and 1/6 corn meal or corn flour) 60. Buttermilk Pancake Mix-A product in which all the dry ingredients are added at the mill. Most often this is a white or wheat based flour mix. (*) Indicates products that I made while I worked as the miller at Peirce Mill, Rock Creek Park, Washington, D.C.
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