14 Feb
Whole Grain

Baking with freshly ground whole grain flour

If you have little kids at home you must definitely be loving to bake some delights for them.  Baking is better with freshly stone grounded whole grain flour both in terms of taste, aroma and nutrition.

Previously, consumption of baked goodies was considered unhealthy owing to higher carbs and calories in them. However this has changed now a days with people opting out of refined flour and sugar and choosing healthier alternatives like, whole wheat flour and jaggery as nutritious and tastier options.   

Now you can choose to freshly stone grind the grains of your choice with Hawos Flour mills right on your own kitchen slab and have an unending supply of healthy and unadulterated flour at your fingertips. Turning baking into a tastier and more importantly, a healthier indulgence

Now since you are aware of the enhanced taste, healthier option and prudence of freshly milled flour, let’s talk about how baking with freshly milled flour performs better than packed or stored flour.

  1. Stored flour get compacted and dense over time, while freshly milled flour is light and fluffy. All what you need is an adjustment in measurements depending on what are you baking. 
  2. With Hawos Flour mill you have the flexibility of adjusting the coarseness of the flour.
  3. One can grind exactly how much is required, for example if one needs 200gm of fresh flour, 200 gm of whole wheat berries can be milled. The weight remains constant while converting the grain to flour, but volume will change. In this way, one can be more informed about the measurements of ingredients accurately. Using fresh ingredient will consequently make baked goods fresh every time and conveniently at that.
  4. Wholesome nutrients in the freshly milled flour help in the proliferation of yeast, which make the fermentation faster.
  5. Freshly stone ground flour absorbs considerably more amount of water, which undoubtedly leads to addition its nutrition value.
  1. When baking a loaf the bread, it will have tighter crumb.

The stone ground method of milling can be used for all of baking needs with different grains. Choosing the particle size of the flour is one more convenience that comes with these mills.   

In a nutshell: Give a treat to your taste buds with delicious home baked cakes, breads and more in a healthify way with stone grinding Hawos Flour mills”.

“Eat Fresh, Live Longer”

11 Feb
Uncategorized

FDA DEFINES GLUTEN-FREE

It’s official: FDA has defined how the term “gluten free” can be used on food labels. This ruling has been a long time coming; Congress asked FDA to set a standard in 2004 and FDA published a proposed rule in January 2007–and here we are, 9 years later, with a ruling!

According to the new rule, foods may be labeled with the words “gluten free” if the food is inherently gluten-free and/or if it contains less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten.

This level came as no surprise, as it was the level talked about for some time, and is in line with levels already adopted by Canada and the european union. Because the 20 ppm level has been talked about for so long, most commercial products on the market are thought to be already observing the “new” FDA definition.

The rule becomes effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register, but foods currently in the pipeline may still appear on grocers’ shelves for up to a year, as long as their labels are truthful and not misleading. The new standard is voluntary, which means that gluten-free foods are not required to be labeled as such – just that, if the term gluten-free is used, it must meet this definition.

FDA is not mandating any particular format or positioning of these words on the label; they’re not part of the Nutrition Facts Panel, for instance. There’s also no official government logo or symbol being proposed.

Just as we saw “cholesterol free” slapped on fruits, vegetables and other foods with no cholesterol a few decades ago, we can now expect “gluten free” to appear on foods that are inherently gluten free, as companies try to cash in on interest in gluten free foods. (FDA gives the example of bottled spring water.) In the case of gluten, however, labeling makes more sense. Cholesterol doesn’t cross-contaminate nearby foods, and we’ve never heard of anyone who gets sick if they accidentally eat a tiny amount of cholesterol. 

It’s different with gluten. Although gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and triticale) is not a problem for most people, an estimated one percent of the population has celiac disease, a condition in which even small amounts of gluten can cause serious health problems. Another small percentage of people have what’s called non-celiac gluten sensitivity; while they do not react to gluten as seriously as do celiacs, they feel better when they avoid gluten. Even foods inherently gluten-free – including most whole grains – could be contaminated with gluten during processing or manufacturing or even during the growing process. 

So this ruling is good news for everyone with gluten intolerance of any level. The Whole Grains Council is delighted that the FDA has at long last finalized this important standard.