Stone-ground Flours: Hidden Properties | Oliomoro

The term mill derives from the Latin molĕre which means to grind, the ancient process of mechanical shattering of solid bodies. From the most rudimentary systems gradually it evolves in using of two stone wheels (the millstones) placed in a horizontal position of which one is fixed and one rotating: the grain enters from an opening in the upper part through the “tramoggia”, a large funnel placed above the cylinder which also acts as a container for the beans. The millstones, the large circular wheels of natural stone (of which the most appreciated is the flint of French La Ferté-sous-Jouarre), are hand-hammered. The “rabbigliatura” (beating, grinding of the mill) is the most important and difficult operation that the miller must perform to guarantee the perfect grinding of the wheat in a traditional Stone Mill: not to "burn" the flours, the stones, heavy about 15 quintals per couple, must be hammered periodically to obtain the right degree of roughness in the center and, gradually, the right sanding to the outside, which vary depending on the type of cereal to be ground. After grinding, the flour is passed through a sieve, called “buratto”, which separates the bran from the “cruschello”. The advantages of this grinding derive from the low speed of the mobile wheel that keeps the temperature low during milling and ensures that the flour does not overheat, preserving its organoleptic qualities to the best.

Now let's see how a grain of wheat is made, or better, a grain kernel, to fully understand the merits of stone grinding:

• BRAN, constitutes about 14% of the grain, is the outer cuticle, serves to protect the grain and is composed of several layers (tegument, pericarp and aleuronic layer). It contains mainly fiber, but also B vitamins, minerals and phenolic compounds.

• ENDOSEMEN, constitutes about 83% of the grain, is the central part and provides the nourishment to the germ. It is composed of starches, proteins and small amounts of B vitamins.

• INTERNAL GERM, constitutes the remaining 3% of the grain, constitutes the future sprout that will give rise to a new plant. It is rich in polyunsaturated fats, B vitamins and group E vitamins, minerals, phenolic compounds and antioxidants.

During the Stone Grinding the germ and the essential oils of the grain of wheat are kneaded with the starchy part, giving the flour a coloring on the ivory white with dark beige punctuations. Then there is the refining, called “abburattamento”: the flour comes out of the millstones and enters a cloth cylinder, called “buratto”, where the separation of the bran and the “cruschello” is made by whipping. Through sieves with different meshes, the sifting rate is determined and the amount of flour obtained is measured by milling 100 kg of wheat: the higher this index is, the more the flour is raw. Starting from wholemeal flour, with an extraction rate of 100% (darker and rich in bran), it reaches the flour "0" with an extraction rate of about 75% (whiter and without bran). In the Stone Grinding the whole grains are ground, then the germ and the external coating (bran) are mixed with the remaining part of the grain, obtaining a flavor, an aroma, a digestibility and nutritional properties superior to the traditional Grinding with Cylinders

Here are the flours resulting from the various phases of the Stone Milling of soft wheat:

• Wholemeal Flour:made with all the grain, it is the most complete from the nutritional point of view;

• Semintegral Type 2 Flour: made with a good part of bran, it is still quite rich in proteins and fibers;

• Semi-Integral Type 1 Flour: progressively with less bran and less protein compared to that of type 2;

• Type 0 Flour: it is the first choice flour, white, with many starches and few proteins. 

And the Type 00 Flour? The 00 Type Flour comes just from the grinding of the endosperm, that is the innermost part of the grain: it is free of bran, is made up almost exclusively of starches, and is the poorest from the nutritional point of view, having the lowest levels of proteins, minerals, vitamins and fiber. This is obtained exclusively from Cylinders Grinding, where the grain is peeled from the aleuronic layer up to the inner layer, arriving at a very deep purification that depletes the flour, however already shocked by the overheating of the high grinding speed.So the Stone Mill, as much as it can grind the grain more or less finely, will never produce a very refined Flour Type 00 but always a Type 0, 1, 2 and Integral.

-> See the video of Adriano Petacchi - Frantoio Moro ofBeating Millstone: click here