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Milling

"We regard flour milling as a multi-dimensional process. The same wheat, differently milled,   will produce two totally different flours."

PRECISION MILLING

The wheat berry is highly varied and complex. It was not designed by nature for ease of milling but as a complex matrix of starch and protein in a durable, protective shell. For the flour miller to deliver the full potential of a wheat, he has to carefully disassemble what nature has put together. If the miller does the job clumsily the resulting flour will under-perform.

It is not difficult to see why the milling process is so important and why physical attributes of flour controlled by the miller can affect the finished product. Control of starch damage and particle size, the elimination of bran particles and careful selection of flour streams all impact on flour quality.

VERSATILE AND RESPONSIVE

Over the last few years we have been developing and refining our milling capabilities so that we can exert the maximum degree of control over these critical areas. The result is flour mills that are versatile and responsive as any mill in the UK.

SINGLE WHEAT GRISTS/FLOUR BLENDING

Carr's Flour Mills was one of the first mills in the world to adopt computerised flour blending. Rather than mill a blend of wheats, we mill single wheat-types and the combine base flours using highly accurate batch blending. The benefits are enormous.

It means that each wheat is milled exactly as it needs to be rather than compromising the process by handling a mixture of very different wheats at the same time. At Carr's we have been milling single wheat grists for over 20 years. It underpins our whole approach to flour milling.

PARTICLE SIZE CONTROL

Take any process that involves mixing a powder with water. The way in which the mix develops will be crucially governed by the particle size of the powder. Nowhere is this more striking than in dough and batter development.

We therefore consider it a crucial part of our job to be able to produce flours of a consistent particle size across a wide spectrum but also within a narrow range, i.e. wherever along a particle size spectrum a specific flour falls, the variation from the mid-point is tightly controlled.

Laboratory analysis and the results of our customers have clearly demonstrated our ability to control flour particle size with a high degree of precision.

STARCH DAMAGE

This is closely related to particle size. Millers and bakers have long understood its significance with regard to water absorption but it actually goes far deeper than this. Nearly 70% of the wheat berry consists of starch. While traditional attention has focused on the functional properties of the protein, cereal chemists are increasingly recognising the part played by starch.

It is an aspect of flour quality that Carr’s monitor and control carefully.

FLOUR STREAMING

The milling process is the progressive removal of layers of endosperm from the outer casing, the bran. Our mill segregates these streams and is able to exclude specific streams if necessary.

By controlling critical aspects of the milling process such as particle size, starch damage and flour streaming Carr's Flour Mills is able to produce flours of unrivalled quality and consistency.

HIGH PERFORMANCE FLOURS- NATURALLY

Our aim is always to unlock the full potential of a wheat and to produce a flour that performs naturally in a way that might only otherwise be achieved through the use of additives and improvers. This allows the end user to achieve cleaner labels and secure significant reductions in recipe costs.

SPECIALITY PRODUCTS

We can also perform a range of specialist operations including heat treatment, de-branning and cereal flaking. These processes, on their own and in combination, allow us to manufacture a wide range of flours and cereal products. Our technical innovation has contributed hugely to our greater understanding of the wheat berry.

CONTINUOUS LEARNING

We do not have all the answers, yet! One of the most exciting parts of our job is that there is much still to learn.

However, we are confident that years of experimentation and development has allowed us to design and build mills which are well equipped to meet the demands of our customers whatever their brief.

"Carr's Flour Mills is able to produce flours of unrivalled quality and consistency."