One of the questions we are asked most often about home flour mills is also one of the most sensible: can I mill this?
Once you have a domestic stone mill on the worktop, it is tempting to look at every jar in the cupboard as a possible flour. Wheat, rye and spelt are obvious. But what about dried maize? Chickpeas? Buckwheat? Linseed? Coffee beans?
The good news is that home milling gives you ... Read more
Folic Acid & Flour: What Bakers Need to Know
You may have noticed something new appearing on flour bags recently, namely folic acid. Although it won’t become a legal requirement until December 2026, many UK millers have already begun including it, so bakers are starting to see “folic acid” listed among the fortification ingredients.
If you’re wondering why it’s ... Read more
Welcome to the BakeryBits Christmas Gift Guide for 2025!
This year it's my turn to create the gift guide! I’ve gathered a selection of my favourite new finds, timeless essentials and handy accessories that no busy kitchen should be without. With larger gifts at the top then smaller stocking fillers to delight further down!
Over the past year, I’ve been bringing fresh, creative ... Read more
Bready or Not: Spooky Sandwiches for Halloween!
We’ve been raising the dead (and our dough) to bring you some frightfully fun baking ideas that’ll make your kids smile when they open their lunchbox this Halloween.
Using our Simple Yeasted Loaf recipe we added a ghoulish twist, a heaped teaspoon of Farina di Carbone to turn our loaf jet black and perfect for spooky creations.
We ... Read more
I’ve always bounced back and forth about breadmakers. They’ll never turn out a rustic, crusty, hand-shaped sourdough, but they do make a very decent loaf — one that’s far better than anything you’ll find in the supermarket. Why? Because you’re in control of what goes in. No mysterious “improvers” to keep it soft for weeks, no extra water to bulk it out — just flour, yeast, water, ... Read more
An A–Z guide to bread baking and flour terms
Bread baking and flour milling come with a surprising number of technical terms. What is hydration in bread? What does W value measure? Is strong flour the same as bread flour? How does 00 flour differ from plain flour?
This BakeryBits baking glossary explains common and specialist terms used in artisan bread baking, sourdough fermentation and ... Read more
A common question for anyone starting with a home mill is:
“If I mill white wheat, do I get white flour?” Or put another way:
“Can I make proper white flour at home?”
The answer is yes – but not in the way you might think.
When you use a home mill,
you’re stone-grinding the entire grain: the starchy endosperm, the bran, and the wheatgerm.
That means the flour ... Read more
Does Tap Water Affect Sourdough Baking?
A quick answer: yes, it can. Chlorine, Chloramine, it's all in the water.
Most of the time tap water is fine. If you are using a really good flour for your starter like our go-to Mulino Marino Type 00 Soffiata, but your sourdough starter isn’t bubbling as expected or your dough feels sluggish, your tap water might be part of the problem. Many UK ... Read more
A Beginner’s Guide to Sourdough Starter
A healthy sourdough starter is your passageway to a well-risen, flavourful loaf. Keep it fed and watered, and you’ll be well on your way to success. Here are our suggestions and top tips to achieve this.
What is my starter made from?
Your starter is made from just flour and water, which goes through a cycle of natural bacteria and yeast feeding ... Read more
A Beginner’s Guide to Bread
Welcome to the wonderful world of bread.
In this blog, we hope to prepare you for a fun time in the kitchen making your first loaf of bread. We will share top tips, suggested ingredients and essential equipment as well as a simple first recipe. Whether you're starting a sourdough journey or baking a yeasted loaf, this is the place to be.
Ingredients:
First ... Read more
