Whole Grains

Stonemill Bakehouse mills their whole grains just prior to baking to deliver fresh baked quality artisan bread that consumers can trust is made with the whole grain — bran, germ and endosperm. Nothing is removed. Fresh milled flour is not only more flavourful, but also more nutritious as the flour is used for baking within 24 hours of milling, maintaining the integrity of the nutrients. When conventional flour is ground and stored for extended periods of time the natural oils in the grain can begin to oxidize within a few days of milling and the B vitamins start to break down. To ensure Stonemill products are made with the best ingredients, the flour temperature is kept below 46°C during the milling process to avoid oxidization.

Sprouted Grains

At Stonemill Bakehouse, the whole wheat kernel is sprouted for 48 hours. Each wheat kernel grows into a new shoot. The live sprouts are then gently mashed into the dough with all elements — bran, germ and endosperm — remaining in the process.

After sprouting, the grain begins to convert into a plant. This process (malting) transforms some of the starches into naturally occurring sugars which eliminates the need for added refined sugars.

The starches and sugars are used up as fuel sources for the new shoot. This helps to reduce the more readily available carbohydrates of the grain which in turn reduces the amount of carbohydrates in the final product (The Glycemic Index (GI) Newsletter; December 1, 2005; University of Sydney, Australia).