It's Not Just The Grain, It's The Grind
Sunrise Flour Mill uses a limited-production, high-velocity impact mill called a Unifine Mill. Instead of grinding the grain, the mill shatters it into minute particles, which produces a super-fine and fluffy flour.
The system pulverizes the grain on impact - resulting in minimal starch damage, and a more optimum and uniform flour particle size.
This is a technology that may seem new, but is actually an old flour-processing technique.
Here is a brief summary:
Englishman John Wright first developed the Unifine mill in England during the late 1930s, only to have it bombed during World War II. He took the idea to the United States, eventually meeting with Washington State College engineers where he shared a vision of a milling system he believed would revolutionize the world’s flour milling industry.
Washington State developed a prototype mill in 1947 that worked flawlessly. It gained international attention and fascination. People were so impressed with the mill’s ability to pulverize the grain so efficiently in a single pass, and generate such fine flour.
However, the publicity brought stiff resistance from the flour milling industry that was based around centralized production of white flour using roller mills.
Interest in the mill subsided until a local farmer, Leonard Fulton, stepped in and personally funded the fabrication of three mills.
Without an aggressive marketing program, the mill and its highly nutritious super-fine flour never reached the masses.
The interest in whole grain and high extraction flour simply wasn’t there at the time.
The world of baking had moved speedily into the desire for quick, white, commercial bread.
Good news! The mill technology has now been reborn through Leonard Fulton’s grand-nephew, the late Steve Fulton, and Sunrise Flour Mill has one of the first five produced.
Here at Sunrise Flour Mill we have found “it's not just the grain, it's the grind!” The super-fine grind of the Unifine Mill will allow many people who may have struggled with whole wheat baking to find success.
This makes baking with Sunrise Whole Wheat Flour much easier than baking with whole wheat flour from the grocery store. Bonus: since it is milled from heritage wheat, it is more digestible too. Win win!
We began our journey into Unifine Mill starting with two of our most beloved grains, Turkey Red and White Sonora heritage wheats.
Heritage Whole Wheat: Some people have great success using 100% Whole Wheat Flour in their bread baking. 100% Whole Wheat bread… It’s not likely where you will start, but it’s a good goal. In the meantime, start by taking out a percentage of your White Flour and replace it with Whole Wheat. You can add some heritage wheat to any of your baked goods to boost the nutritional value.
Heritage Whole Wheat Pastry Flour: Recommended for non yeasted baked goods such as cookies, muffins, and quick breads- It’s the only flour I use for these products! It makes a dynamite bechamel or gravy.
All for now,
