Make a distinction

Is finely ground flour better than coarsely ground? There is no clear answer to this question, because it varies considerably per type of flour. For functional flours such as starch and rice, a powder version that is as fine as possible works best. But with nutritional flours such as sorghum and oats, you want to retain as much fibre, protein and micronutrients as possible, and therefore flavour. Even though the water absorption may be slightly less effective.

But it’s not clear cut. Teff for example is different: the seeds are so small that they are not separated into fractions, but are ground in their entirety. So, each type of flour requires a different milling technique, in which the miller must find the right balance between nutritional value, mesh and damaged starch.

But how do you know what to buy if you don’t know anything about it? Ask bakers, buy flour from local bakers, avoid supermarkets (in most cases), buy organic (always tastier and much better for you and the environment), check the fibre and protein content and compare, buy something different and compare.