Guide to Grains

Grains by Category: Choosing What Fits Your Baking

The best grains to buy aren’t determined by rules—they’re determined by what you actually bake. Start with the foods you make most often, then expand as your confidence grows.

Pasta Grains

The hardest grains with the highest protein.

Pasta relies on strength rather than leavening.

• Best: Durum wheat

• Ancient: Khorasan (Kamut), Emmer

Bread Grains

Strong grains that build a resilient gluten network.

• Best: Hard white wheat, hard red wheat (spring or winter)

• Ancient: Einkhorn, spelt, rye, plus pasta grains

Pastry Grains

Softer grains for tenderness and lightness.

• Best: Soft white wheat, soft red wheat

• Ancient: Spelt, barley, rye, gluten-free grains

All-Purpose Flour (Freshly Milled)

For baked goods that are tender yet stable, blend hard and soft grains—often a 50/50 mix.

Einkhorn deserves special mention.

Its softer gluten structure makes it an excellent all-purpose flour when freshly milled, offering both tenderness and structure without complexity.

Start with the grains you use most, then expand as your baking evolves.

How Much Should I Mill?

• 1 cup of flour is ~ 125 grams

• weigh the grains or the flour - doesn't matter

• use a gram scale for less dishes and better baked goods

Where Do I Find Grains?

• local store with bulk food bins

• Janie’s Mill

• Guardian Grains

• Bluebird Grains

• Barton Springs Mill

• Grand Teton

  Grandview Grainery

  Great River Organic Milling

• Country Life Natural Foods