Usually, most people think that they can only use regular wheat flour to make flour-based recipes. However, there are many types of wheat flour that you can try, such as stone ground flour.
If you have never heard of stone ground flour before, you may be curious as to what stone ground flour is. I did the research, and here is what I learned!
What Is Stone Ground Flour?
Stone ground flour refers to any type of wheat flour where the whole wheat kernels were ground with stone mills. Usually, the whole wheat kernel’s germ and bran are kept during the grinding process. Normally, you can find stone ground flour in artisanal bread recipes because stone ground flour offers a coarser texture than other flour variants.
If you want to learn if stone ground flour is better for bread, if stone ground flour has gluten, and what you can substitute for stone ground flour, keep reading!
What Is Stone Ground Flour Made Of?
Generally, stone ground flour is made from whole wheat kernels, but the exact type of whole wheat kernels can vary. However, what makes stone ground flour stand out is the bran and germ of the kernels are kept when the whole wheat kernels are ground with stone mills.
Is Stone Ground Flour Coarse?
Usually, stone ground flour is coarse because of the process stone ground flour goes through. Stone ground flour has coarser and larger particles because the stone mills used to grind the whole wheat kernels do not grind as finely as roller mills.
What Is Stone Ground Flour Used For?
Typically, the main purpose of stone ground flour is in bread manufacturing. Most artisan bread recipes will call for stone ground flour because stone ground flour can offer a better texture to some bread recipes.
Moreover, stone ground flour is often used for bread because of its gluten content. Depending on the brand, stone ground flour can have up to 15% gluten.
Due to the high gluten content, stone ground flour is rarely used for other baking recipes. For instance, stone ground flour is not good for cake recipes because stone ground flour will make the cake too dense and chewy.
Is Stone Ground Flour Better For Bread?
Normally, deciding if stone ground flour is better for bread will heavily depend on the recipe you want to make. While stone ground flour is well-loved for artisanal bread, that does not mean stone ground flour will be great for every bread recipe.
For instance, some quick bread recipes are meant to be very light, fluffy, and soft. If you were to use stone ground flour for this recipe, you would wind up with a heavy and hard loaf.
However, most standard bread loaf recipes may fare well with stone ground flour. This is especially true if the bread recipe requires a lot of gluten.
What Is The Difference Between Stone Ground Flour And Whole Wheat Flour?
Generally, stone ground flour and whole wheat flour are different mainly because of how they are milled. Whole wheat flour is normally milled with roller mills whereas stone mills are used to grind stone ground flour.
Due to the difference in milling, stone ground flour is coarse while whole wheat flour is fine. However, whole wheat flour and stone ground flour usually have the same gluten levels, which can range from 11-15% gluten.
What Is The Difference Between Stone Ground Flour And All-Purpose Flour?
Typically, the main difference between stone ground flour and all-purpose flour is the parts of the wheat kernels that they retain. Stone ground flour contains the bran and germ whereas all-purpose flour only contains the endosperm.
Moreover, stone ground flour and all-purpose flour are milled differently. All-purpose flour is usually milled with roller mills, which creates fine flour while stone ground flour is milled with stone mills to make coarser flour.
Additionally, all-purpose flour and stone ground flour has different levels of gluten. Most types of all-purpose flour have 8-11% gluten whereas stone ground flour can have up to 15% gluten.
Is Stone Ground Flour Better Than Regular Flour?
Technically, stone ground flour is not better than regular flour. Regular flour is more versatile because you can use regular flour in almost every recipe.
However, some people prefer stone ground flour to bake bread, especially if it is an artisanal bread recipe. Stone ground flour’s coarser texture can add a lot more dimension to bread recipes.
Moreover, some people like stone ground flour because stone ground flour has a strong flavor. However, this flavor can overwhelm some people, which is why some people will prefer regular flour or bread flour.
Is Stone Ground Flour Bleached?
Generally, most types of stone ground flour are unbleached. However, some brands may bleach their stone ground flour to create a paler appearance.
Does Stone Ground Flour Have Gluten?
Stone ground flour does have gluten because stone ground flour is made of whole wheat kernels, which contain gluten. Moreover, stone ground flour contains a lot of gluten since stone ground flour has around 11-14% gluten.
What Can I Substitute For Stone Ground Flour?
Generally, the best substitute for stone ground flour is bread flour or whole wheat flour. These flours have a lot of gluten, which will help you achieve a chewy and dense texture.
Have a look at our other articles to learn about what seasoned flour is, what sesame flour is, and what starch flour is.
Conclusion
Stone ground flour is flour that is ground with stone mills, which creates a coarser texture. Normally, stone ground flour retains the bran and germ of the whole wheat kernels, which gives stone ground flour a stronger flavor.
Usually, stone ground flour is used to create bread recipes, particularly artisanal bread. Stone ground flour is often not used to create other recipes due to how heavy and coarse stone ground flour is.