History of Commercial Flour
History of commercial flour
How flour processing changed, and what was lost
For most of history, flour was milled from the whole grain. In the late 1800s, new mills made it easy to remove the bran and germ for a whiter flour with a much longer shelf life. Here’s a short history of commercial flour, and why we went back to the whole grain.
Bread through history
Bread has fed people for thousands of years
Grains have been a staple food for many civilizations, and bread is one of the oldest prepared foods we know of. In the United States, the main bread grain is wheat.
About 14,400 years ago
The earliest bread we know of
In 2018, researchers reported finding charred remains of flat bread-like foods at a hunter-gatherer site in northeastern Jordan. They concluded that making bread-like foods predated farming by at least 4,000 years.
The first book of the Bible
Bread in Genesis
Bread appears early in the Bible. In Genesis 3:19, Adam is told, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread.”
Whole grain wheat
A nutrient-rich grain
Whole grain wheat is often described as having 40 of the 44 essential nutrients. The Whole Grains Council notes that the bran contains important antioxidants, B vitamins and fiber. Read about fiber in fresh flour.
What our customers tell us
Why this history matters to us
Many of our customers tell us store-bought bread left them feeling bloated or dealing with headaches or acid reflux, and that they feel better with fresh flour. Individual experiences vary. Read the health benefits of fresh flour.
From stone mills to enriched flour
A short timeline of commercial flour
Here’s a brief overview. Historians disagree on some of the exact dates and details, so treat these as approximate.
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Ancient times
Bread from early grains
Archaeologists have found charred remains of flat bread-like foods in northeastern Jordan dated to about 14,400 years ago (PNAS, 2018).
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For centuries
Stone mills
Stone burr mills ground the whole kernel. A Nebraska State Historical Society leaflet explains that they couldn’t completely remove the bran and germ, so stone-ground flour was more likely to spoil as the oil in the germ turned rancid.
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1870s–1880s
Roller mills and purifiers
Steel roller mills spread across American milling. According to the same leaflet, purifiers “removed the bran and germ with a blast of air,” and rollers were many times faster than stone burrs.
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1906–1912
Wiley’s fight over bleached flour
The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 was the country’s first federal food purity law. Dr. Harvey Wiley, head of the Bureau of Chemistry, the agency that later became the FDA, tried to apply it to “the adulteration of flour with bleach chemicals,” according to a reprint of his autobiography from Selene River Press. Wiley reportedly considered chemically bleached flour an adulterated food, but powerful commercial interests undercut his efforts.
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1940s
Enrichment begins
In 1940, a national nutrition committee recommended adding thiamin, niacin, riboflavin and iron to flour. The FDA set a standard for enriched flour around 1941, and a 1943 War Food Order required flour sold across state lines to be enriched, according to the National Academies.
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Today
Enriched white flour
U.S. enriched flour must contain added thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid and iron. Fiber, vitamin E and many other nutrients from the bran and germ aren’t part of enrichment.
Shelf life and supply chains
Why commercial flour changed
The germ holds a small amount of oil that can turn rancid over time. Removing the bran and germ gave white flour a much longer shelf life, which made it easier to mill in huge batches and ship across the country. That was a win for supply chains, but much of the grain’s fiber, vitamins and minerals went with the bran and germ.
Today, many white flours are also bleached or treated, and they may sit in warehouses and on shelves long after milling. We believe that adds up to flour that’s far from the whole grain it started as.
Choosing your flour
What to look for in your flour
These are the questions we found ourselves asking when we started looking closely at our own flour, and what changed when we started milling our own.
Fresh flour you mill at home answers each of those questions differently.
Go deeper: The problem with sifting · Fresh flour vs. refined flour · Does flour lose nutrients after milling?
In their own words
What customers say about switching from store-bought flour
Here’s what Unsifted® customers share, in their own words with first names only.
Leaving store-bought flour behind
“I was hesitant at first to use it because I have not enjoyed the grainy texture of whole wheat flour from the store. … It has an amazing but subtle nutty flavor, and bakes up light as air!”
“Then I switched to Unsifted Basic Berry Blend and never looked back!”
“Their blends are delicious and their recipes help me to replace store bought items in a timely and simple way that works with my busy family life!”
Taste and feeling good about it
“It's so much better tasting and so much better for your body.”
“Feel great about what you feed your family and know you’re supporting an honest business.”
“And, both wheat Berry blends result in tender and flavorful baked goods.”
Why we started Unsifted®: Read Sarah and Keira’s story
Back to the whole grain
The Unsifted® Difference
We believe the best flour is the whole grain, milled fresh in your own kitchen, with nothing sifted out and nothing added back. Our two whole grain blends are organically sourced from certified organic farmers and curated for great flavor, nutritional diversity and reliable results. Every Unsifted® recipe tells you how much grain to mill, so you don’t have to learn about grain varieties to succeed with fresh flour.
Unsifted® Basic Blend
A high-protein blend that mills into bread flour for soft, lofty breads, sourdough, pasta, pretzels and more.
Unsifted® Dessert Blend
A mild, low-protein blend that mills into pastry flour for fluffy pancakes, cookies, cakes, biscuits and more.
Unsifted® Starter Kit
Everything you need to mill and bake with fresh flour in one box: the WonderMill® grain mill, both blends, a getting-started guide and recipe cards.
Fresh flour recipes
Every recipe is written for 100% whole grain and tells you how much grain to mill. Plug and play.
Questions
History of commercial flour FAQ
When did flour become refined?
Flour has been sifted to some degree for centuries, but refining changed quickly in the late 1800s, when steel roller mills and purifiers spread across American milling. They separated the bran and germ far more completely than stone mills, according to a Nebraska State Historical Society leaflet. Historians disagree on some of the exact dates.
Why did commercial mills remove the bran and germ?
Mostly for shelf life and speed. The germ contains oil that can turn rancid over time, so removing it gave white flour a much longer shelf life, which suited large mills and long supply chains. Read the problem with sifting.
When did enriched flour start in the U.S.?
In the early 1940s. A national nutrition committee recommended adding thiamin, niacin, riboflavin and iron to flour in 1940, the FDA set an enriched flour standard around 1941, and a 1943 War Food Order required enrichment for flour sold across state lines, according to the National Academies. See what enrichment adds back and what it doesn’t.
How old is bread?
Very old. Researchers reported in 2018 finding charred remains of flat bread-like foods in northeastern Jordan from about 14,400 years ago, before farming began. Bread also appears early in the Bible, in Genesis 3:19.
Is fresh flour the same as stone-ground flour?
Not quite. Stone-ground describes how flour is milled. Fresh flour means whole grains milled shortly before you bake, with nothing sifted out. The WonderMill® in our Starter Kit is designed to mill without overheating your flour.
Does fresh flour contain gluten?
Yes. Freshly milled wheat contains gluten. If you have celiac disease, a wheat allergy, or a gluten sensitivity, talk with your doctor first.
Keep exploring
More from our Learn library
Quotes on this page come from customer reviews on unsifted.com, in customers’ own words with first names only. They describe individual experiences, and results vary.
Information published by Unsifted.com is no substitute for medical advice. For questions or concerns, please consult your health care provider for your own specific individual nutritional and medical needs. For more information, please visit our disclaimer page.