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About Marriage’s

HOW WE MILL…

Using time-tested techniques and drawing on the knowledge of six generations of master millers, we are committed to milling flour that elevates every bake. But how is flour made? From start to finish, the milling process of turning a single grain of wheat into flour can take up to three days. Keep reading to discover more about where flour comes from and how we mill our high-quality flour.

1. INTAKE & TESTING

At Marriage’s, the majority of wheat we use is grown within 30 miles of Chelmer Mills. That’s because our local area has the ideal soil and weather conditions for growing premium wheat, with the right levels of protein and moisture. You can find out more about our farmer suppliers  here. Since external factors can still impact the quality of wheat, we need to thoroughly inspect each lorry load that arrives at the mill. That way, we can make sure the wheat we use will produce high-quality flour that performs every time. As soon as the wheat arrives at Chelmer Mills, our quality control technicians test a sample in our laboratory. By running a series of tests, we can make sure that its protein content, gluten quality and moisture levels all meet our rigorous technical specifications. We also measure the density and confirm the variety. These tests allow us to evaluate the wheat and adjust the milling process to produce consistent flour that our bakers can rely on.

How we mill at Marriage's Millers

2. CLEANING & BLENDING

The first stage of the milling process involves the wheat being passed over a coarse screen to remove unwanted objects like straw, chaff or seeds that may have been picked up during harvest. We blend the different categories of wheat together and weigh the wheat in preparation for cleaning. Fine sieves remove foreign particles while the destoner removes any small stones. The wheat then undergoes a process known as conditioning, where the grains are dampened and stored while the moisture is absorbed. This toughens up the bran skin and makes it flexible before we start making flour. This process can take up to 72 hours. Once conditioned, the wheat is weighed and undergoes two further cleaning processes to remove any remaining dust. Finally, the wheat is sorted mechanically by a colour sorter to eliminate any remaining impurities.

3. THE MILLING PROCESS

When it comes to milling flour, there are two processes our master millers will use; modern roller milling and traditional millstones. Each method is slightly different, but both processes produce high-quality flour with distinctive properties for a unique bake.

Flour in hand

HOW IS FLOUR MADE WITH ROLLER MILLING?

Invented over 150 years ago, roller milling technology has enabled millers to separate different parts of the wheat grain with higher accuracy. The result is pure, high-grade white flour. Our millers continually test the flour they are making to ensure it meets the right specifications, after which the quality control technicians do more detailed tests on each batch.

ROLLER MILLING FOR WHITE FLOUR:

The clean wheat passes through a series of rollers which shear open the wheat grains. The wheat germ and bran can then be separated from the white endosperm by sieving. The semolina travels on to reduction rolls to be milled into white flour, while the bran is taken away and can be used for things like horse feed.

ROLLER MILLING FOR WHOLEMEAL FLOUR:

The early process is the same as white flour, passing the wheat through the rollers to shear open the wheat grains. However, once the semolina has been milled into white flour, the bran and germ that have been removed are then re-introduced.

HOW IS FLOUR MADE TRADITIONALLY?

At Marriage’s, we have some stoneground flours which are milled the old-fashioned way, by grinding the whole grain between horizontal Victorian French Burr stones. When stone grinding flour, a chute carries the cleaned wheat into the middle of a set of millstones.

The top stone, or runner, rotates while the bottom one, the bed, stays still. As the wheat goes into the middle of the stone, it spreads and is cut and ground by the grooves on the stones. When the hopper of wheat runs low, we have a little bell that rings out to warn our millers so they can fill back up and continue making flour.

4. STORAGE & PACKING

Here at Marriage’s, we supply quality flour to professionals and home bakers alike. Once the flour has been expertly milled, it is stored in silos before being put into sacks or bulk tankers for bakeries, and small paper bags for home bakers. We also test samples from these bags and sacks to make absolutely certain that the flour meets our specifications and has been packed into the correct bags.

5. TEST BAKING

At the end of the milling process, our onsite technical baker tests our flours by using our expertly milled flour to bake loaves every week. This ensures that each variety delivers consistently high performance you can rely on. This also gives us an opportunity to explore and develop delicious new recipes that make the most of the individual characteristics of each flour.

MILLING QUALITY FLOUR SINCE 1824

Drawing on our heritage and expertise, our master millers work to ensure that all our flour meets the highest standards. Whether you own a professional bakery or want to elevate your everyday bakes at home, Marriage’s milling process produces quality flour for results you can rely on.

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