As water wheels and windmills were de¬
veloped to supply grinding power, milling
became a community enterprise. Grinding
stones were developed that broke the grain
gradually instead of pulverizing it all at once.
Methods were perfected for separating the
different portions of the grain by sifting and
bolting. These developments in milling pro¬
duced a more highly refined flour with longer
storage life, and mills were established that
served large areas.
Now the whole milling process is highly
developed. Steel rollers have been substi¬
tuted for the grinding stones. The grain is
run through rollers set at graduated distances
apart. This breaks the grain gradually and
makes possible quite complete separation of
the bran and the germ portions from the
endosperm, before the latter is pulverized to
the fineness of a flour. This method of mill¬
ing, known as the gradual-reduction process,
is used in the manufacture of most of the
wheat flour on the American and European
markets. The product is white flour, of
which there are many grades according to the
method of milling and blending the numerous
flour streams which result from the different
stages of the milling process. Information
on the steps in milling wheat is helpful in
understanding the definitions of different
grades of flour.
Cleaning is the first step in milling and an
important one. All imperfect grains, weed
seed, and any foreign material adhering to
the grain must be removed before the grain
is broken.
Breaking or gradual reduction is accom¬
plished by passing the cleaned grain through
a series of corrugated rollers at graduated
distances apart. These rollers run toward
each other, but one travels much faster
than the other. The grains are held in the
grooves of one roller while they are sheared
off by the grooves of the other.
After passing through each set of rollers,
the pulverized grain is sifted to separate the
bran and the germ from the middlings, that
portion of the endosperm which breaks into
granular masses. The break flour, which is
formed from the softer portion of the endo¬
sperm when the grain is broken, also is sep¬
arated. The number of rollers varies, de¬
pending upon the size of the mill. The
smaller mills may have as few as four or five
rollers, while the larger mills have more. As
the result of this gradual breaking and sift¬
ing the following products are obtained:
Bran, the cellulose portion with as much
of the endosperm as may adhere to it.
Shorts, which contain the germ, some
bran, and the adherent endosperm portion.
As many streams of break flour as there
have been break rollers.
Middlings, the coarsely ground endo¬
sperm.
The final crushing of the middlings is ac¬
complished by passing them through smooth
rollers, and the flour from these reductions is
collected in as many streams as there are
smooth rollers.
Blending of the flour is accomplished by
combining flours from the different streams.
The first break flour comes from the softer
portions of the endosperm and, therefore,
contains a higher proportion of starch and a
smaller proportion of the gluten-forming
proteins than later ones. The flour from the
last break stream has more gluten, but the
gluten is poor in quality.
Page 255
Presented as published in 1935. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
As water wheels and windmills were de¬ veloped to supply grinding power, milling became a community enterprise. Grinding stones were developed that broke the grain gradually instead of pulverizing it all at once. Methods were perfected for separating the different portions of the grain by sifting and bolting. These developments in milling pro¬ duced a more highly refined flour with longer storage life, and mills were established that served large areas.
Now the whole milling process is highly developed. Steel rollers have been substi¬ tuted for the grinding stones. The grain is run through rollers set at graduated distances apart. This breaks the grain gradually and makes possible quite complete separation of the bran and the germ portions from the endosperm, before the latter is pulverized to the fineness of a flour. This method of mill¬ ing, known as the gradual-reduction process, is used in the manufacture of most of the wheat flour on the American and European markets. The product is white flour, of which there are many grades according to the method of milling and blending the numerous flour streams which result from the different stages of the milling process. Information on the steps in milling wheat is helpful in understanding the definitions of different grades of flour.
Cleaning is the first step in milling and an important one. All imperfect grains, weed seed, and any foreign material adhering to the grain must be removed before the grain is broken.
Breaking or gradual reduction is accom¬ plished by passing the cleaned grain through a series of corrugated rollers at graduated distances apart. These rollers run toward
each other, but one travels much faster than the other. The grains are held in the grooves of one roller while they are sheared off by the grooves of the other.
After passing through each set of rollers, the pulverized grain is sifted to separate the bran and the germ from the middlings, that portion of the endosperm which breaks into granular masses. The break flour, which is formed from the softer portion of the endo¬ sperm when the grain is broken, also is sep¬ arated. The number of rollers varies, de¬ pending upon the size of the mill. The smaller mills may have as few as four or five rollers, while the larger mills have more. As the result of this gradual breaking and sift¬ ing the following products are obtained:
Bran, the cellulose portion with as much of the endosperm as may adhere to it.
Shorts, which contain the germ, some bran, and the adherent endosperm portion.
As many streams of break flour as there have been break rollers.
Middlings, the coarsely ground endo¬ sperm.
The final crushing of the middlings is ac¬ complished by passing them through smooth rollers, and the flour from these reductions is collected in as many streams as there are smooth rollers.
Blending of the flour is accomplished by combining flours from the different streams. The first break flour comes from the softer portions of the endosperm and, therefore, contains a higher proportion of starch and a smaller proportion of the gluten-forming proteins than later ones. The flour from the last break stream has more gluten, but the gluten is poor in quality.