Home-Milled Buckwheat Flour
Join our Randwick location’s Head Chef, Stéphane as he walks through the milling process.
At Four Frogs, we’re committed to using high quality, fresh ingredients that are true to the authentic recipes of our Grandmothers back in Bretagne. When we opened Four Frogs, we wanted to merge the flavours of France with the fresh produce of Australia. Milling our own buckwheat flour ensures that we use the highest quality flour for our galettes.
There are lots of reasons why we mill our own buckwheat flour, so we’ll share a few with you.
5 reasons we mill our buckwheat in house
It’s gluten free
Buckwheat is a naturally gluten-free, whole grain. This makes it an ideal choice for people who are on gluten-free or gluten intolerant diets.
To preserve its nutrients
The flour loses 70% of his nutrients after 72 hours being milled, so we need to use it quickly. In house milling allows us to use it between 24h and 72h after being milled.
Buckwheat is very nutritious. It’s rich in B vitamins, as well as phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and manganese. In fact, buckwheat contains higher levels of zinc, copper and manganese than other cereal grains. The protein in buckwheat contains the eight essential amino acids – and buckwheat is also high in lysine and a great source of the essential fatty acid Alpha-Linolenic Acid.To control the origin of the buckwheat
Our buckwheat is produced near Orange, NSW by Bio-Oz farm specialising in this grain. Their buckwheat is of high quality, which is hard to find. At Four Frogs, we do support local farmers.
To Promote digestive health
Buckwheat is high in soluble fibre and helps to slow the rate of glucose absorption. It’s also a potential source of resistant starch (a type of starch that escapes digestion in the small intestine).
To have a unique flavour
We mill the buckwheat with the hull still on. The hull is the dark shell of the seed. It brings the crispiness and stronger flavour we strive for, with a hint of bitterness.
If the flour isn’t milled properly, then the galette can be harder to make. It may break easily, which we want to avoid.
The milling process makes all the difference
We imported our milling machine from Austria, from a specialised supplier. Milling isn’t just pressing a button; you must check the air and grain humidity and constantly adjust the stones so you always get the same perfect final product. Our chefs are experts, and know how to mill the flour just right for our galettes.
