The Complete Guide to Artisanal Stoneground Flour in India: What It Is, Why It Matters & How to Bake With It?
Introduction
Most whole wheat flour India buys today isn't really whole wheat.
Roller mills strip the bran and germ at high heat, then sell you back the starchy middle — bleached, processed, and nutritionally hollow. Even flour labelled "atta" often goes through the same industrial process.
Barhana is different. And we've been different for over 100 years.
Our stoneground Flour is milled the traditional way — slow Natural stones, cool temperatures, whole grain intact. No chemicals. No stripping. No adding back what should never have been removed. Just clean, chemical-free flour that tastes like wheat is supposed to taste.
Whether you're making rotis at home, baking sourdough, or sourcing bread flour and bakers flour for a professional kitchen — the flour you start with determines everything. Texture, rise, flavour, nutrition. All of it begins at the mill.
In this guide, you'll find:
Why stoneground Flour retains more fibre, healthy fats, and natural flavour than roller-milled flour
What makes Barhana's whole wheat flour India's most trusted traditional alternative
How our chemical-free flour is different from "natural" claims you see on supermarket shelves
Why bakers flour and bread flour from stone mills perform better in fermentation and high-hydration doughs
How 100 years of milling shapes every bag we pack
Real flour. Real grain. Real heritage.
What Is Artisanal Flour? And Why Does It Look, Smell, and Taste So Different?
If you've ever opened a bag of stoneground flour and noticed it looks nothing like the flour sitting on a supermarket shelf — you weren't imagining it. That difference is real, intentional, and rooted in how the grain was milled.
Artisanal flour is whole grain flour milled slowly, at low temperatures, using traditional stone grinding. No high-heat rollers. No chemical bleaching. No fractionating the grain into parts and reassembling it. The bran, germ, and endosperm stay together — exactly as they exist inside the wheat berry.
Commercial flour, by contrast, is engineered for uniformity and shelf life. Industrial roller mills process wheat at high speed and high heat, stripping away the bran and germ (where most of the nutrition lives), leaving behind the starchy white endosperm. What you get is flour that looks pristine, behaves predictably, and lasts longer on a shelf — but delivers a fraction of the grain's original nutrition, flavour, and character.
How Barhana's Stoneground Flour Is Made Differently
At Barhana, we use traditional slow stone milling — the same method our family has used for over 100 years. Slow-moving natural stones grind the whole wheat kernel together, generating minimal heat. This matters because heat destroys the natural oils in the wheat germ — the very oils responsible for flavour, aroma, and nutritional value.
The result is chemical-free flour that carries the full personality of the grain: slightly off-white or cream in colour, earthy in aroma, and noticeably richer in taste. Our whole wheat flour India customers consistently describe it as flour that "smells like a real chakki" — because it does.
Why Artisanal Flour Looks, Smells, and Tastes Different
It looks different because it is different. Barhana's stoneground atta contains the bran and germ, giving it a naturally cream-to-tan colour with visible flecks of bran. Commercial flour is bright white because those components have been removed or sifted out.
It smells different because the wheat germ oils are still alive in the flour. Open a bag of Barhana and you get a warm, nutty, slightly earthy aroma — the actual smell of wheat. Commercial flour, stripped of its oils and sometimes treated with bleaching agents, smells of almost nothing.
It tastes different because flavour lives in the whole grain. Rotis made with Barhana's stoneground atta have depth — a mild sweetness, a slight nuttiness. Commercial atta produces a blander, more neutral taste because the flavourful parts of the grain were removed during milling.
For bakers, this also means better performance. Our bread flour and bakers flour retain the natural enzymes and proteins that support fermentation, gluten development, and crust formation — critical for sourdough, whole wheat loaves, and high-hydration doughs.
Artisanal vs Commercial Flour — At a Glance
Barhana Stoneground FLourCommercial Roller-Milled FlourColour Cream to tan, natural bran flecks Bright white, uniform Aroma Warm, nutty, earthy — smells like real wheat Neutral to faintly chemical Taste Rich, slightly sweet, full grain flavour Bland, flat, one-dimensional Texture Slightly coarser, rustic feel Fine, powdery, uniform Nutrition Bran + germ intact — fibre, iron, B vitamins Stripped — often synthetically fortified Milling Method Slow stone grinding, low heat High-speed rollers, high heat Additives None — 100% chemical-free flour Often bleached, bromated, or treated Shelf Life Shorter — because the oils are still alive Longer — because the nutrition is gone Best For Rotis, bread flour, bakers flour, daily cooking Mass production, long shelf storage
The Bottom Line
Artisanal flour isn't a trend or a premium label — it's simply flour made the right way, from a complete grain, without shortcuts. Barhana's stoneground atta is what whole wheat flour India used to always be: honest, nourishing, and unmistakably real.
The difference isn't just in the bag. It's in every roti, every loaf, every bite.
Types of Artisanal Flour: A Baker's Guide to What We Mill at Barhana
Not all flour is the same. Not even close. At Barhana, we mill a range of stoneground artisanal flours — each with its own grain character, protein profile, and baking behaviour — because serious bakers know that the right flour is the difference between a good loaf and an exceptional one. Here's what we offer, and why each one belongs in a baker's pantry.
Read our detailed guide: Heritage Wheat Flour in India (coming soon)
Heritage Wheat Flours — Emmer, Paigambari & Einkorn
Before modern wheat was bred for yield and uniformity, farmers across the subcontinent grew ancient grains that were nutritionally dense, flavour-forward, and deeply connected to regional baking traditions. Khapli, Paigambari, and Einkorn are heritage wheats that have never been hybridised for industrial farming — which means their gluten structure, bran composition, and flavour profiles are fundamentally different from anything you'll find in a commercial flour bag. Bakers working with heritage stoneground atta consistently report more complex crust flavour, better fermentation activity, and a depth that modern wheat simply doesn't deliver.
→ Explore Barhana Heritage Wheat Flours
High-Protein Bread Flours — Built for Serious Baking
A strong, open crumb. A crust that shatters. A sourdough that actually holds its shape through a long cold proof. None of that happens without high-protein bread flour that gives your gluten network something to work with. Barhana's stoneground bakers flour is milled from hard wheat varieties selected specifically for their protein content — retaining the natural enzymes and whole grain integrity that support fermentation, oven spring, and crust development in ways that bleached commercial bread flour cannot. If you bake sourdough, whole wheat loaves, or high-hydration doughs, this is the flour your formula has been waiting for.
→ Explore Barhana High-Protein Bread Flour
All-Purpose Stoneground Flour — The Everyday Baker's Foundation
Not every bake calls for a specialist flour — but every bake still deserves a good one. Barhana's all-purpose stoneground flour is milled to a versatile protein level that performs reliably across cookies, flatbreads, quick breads, pie crusts, and general kitchen baking without the chemical additives or nutritional stripping that defines commercial all-purpose flour. It's the flour that earns its place on the counter every single day — whole grain, chemical-free, and honest from mill to oven.
→ Explore Barhana All-Purpose Stoneground Flour
Gluten-Free Stoneground Oat Flour — For Bakers Who Can't Use Wheat
Gluten-free baking deserves better than chalky, additive-heavy alternatives. Barhana's stoneground oats flour is cold-milled from whole oats, preserving the natural beta-glucan, fibre, and mild sweetness that makes oat flour one of the most versatile gluten-free flour options for bakers working on muffins, pancakes, dense loaves, and biscuit-style bakes. Milled on the same traditional stones as our wheat flours — no cross-contamination shortcuts, no fillers, no compromise.
→ Explore Barhana Stoneground Oat Flour
Durum & Pasta Flour — Where Wheat Meets Craft
Durum wheat is the hardest wheat variety grown — high in protein, golden in colour, and uniquely suited to pasta, semolina baking, and flatbreads that need structure and bite. Barhana's stoneground durum flour carries the natural golden hue and coarse texture that comes from milling the whole durum kernel slowly — not the pale, over-refined semolina that mass pasta production demands. For bakers and pasta makers who want flavour and chew in every strand and every crust, this is the flour that delivers it.
→ Explore Barhana Durum & Pasta Flour
One Mill. Every Flour a Baker Needs.
From heritage wheat flours to high-protein bread flour, from everyday stoneground flour to gluten-free oat flour — every variety Barhana mills shares the same commitment: slow stone grinding, whole grain integrity, zero chemicals, and a 100-year milling tradition that puts the grain first. Because for bakers who care about what goes into their bakes, the flour is never just an ingredient — it's the foundation.
The Stone Milling Process Explained.
How Two Stones Grind Grain Without Stripping Nutrients
At the heart of every bag of Barhana flour are two things: a whole wheat kernel and a pair of natural millstones from Rajasthan. That's it. No steel rollers. No fractionating the grain into parts. No reassembling it after the fact.
Here's what actually happens inside a stone mill. The bottom stone — called the bedstone — stays fixed. The top stone — the runner stone — rotates slowly above it. Whole wheat kernels feed through the centre and get drawn outward between the two stone faces by the rotation. As they travel that short distance, the stones crush, shear, and grind the entire kernel together — bran, germ, and endosperm — into a single unified flour.
This matters for bakers because the germ oils get distributed throughout the flour during grinding rather than being separated out. Those oils carry flavour, feed fermentation, and contribute directly to the Maillard browning that gives a well-baked sourdough crust its colour and depth. In roller-milled flour, the germ is removed entirely before milling begins — which is why commercial bread flour tastes of almost nothing and behaves like a structurally adequate blank canvas rather than an ingredient with genuine character.
Stone milling also preserves the natural enzyme activity in the wheat germ — amylase enzymes that break down starches into fermentable sugars and directly support wild yeast activity in sourdough baking. Bakers working with Barhana's stoneground flour consistently report more active starters, more predictable fermentation, and better oven spring — not because of anything added, but because nothing was taken away.
Why Low Heat Matters — And What the Numbers Actually Say
Stone mills run slow. That slowness is the point.
Industrial roller mills process wheat at speeds that generate significant frictional heat — often pushing flour temperatures above 80–90°C during milling. At those temperatures, the heat-sensitive nutrients in the wheat germ are destroyed before the flour ever reaches a bag. Thiamine (Vitamin B1) begins degrading above 50°C. Vitamin E — present in the wheat germ oil — is highly heat-sensitive and largely lost in high-temperature milling. The natural enzymes that make whole grain flour perform the way it should in a fermented dough are denatured and inactive by the time commercial flour reaches your bench.
Barhana's natural millstones keep flour temperatures below 35°C throughout the entire milling process. At that range, the wheat germ oils stay intact, the B vitamins survive, the enzymes remain active, and the flour reaches you in the same nutritional state the grain was in before it was milled. For bakers, this isn't just a health claim — it's a performance claim. Live flour bakes differently from dead flour. Anyone who has switched to genuine stoneground bread flour and never gone back already knows this.
Barhana's 100-Year Milling Legacy
Barhana didn't start as a brand. It started as a mill.
We have been farmers for centuries. Over a century ago, our family began stone milling wheat in the traditional way — the only way anyone knew then. Slow stones. Whole grain. Nothing added, nothing removed. Flour that tasted like wheat because it was wheat, completely and honestly milled.
What's changed in 100 years is everything around us. Industrial milling took over the market. Roller mills replaced stone mills across India. Refined flour became the default, and an entire generation of home cooks and bakers grew up not knowing what real stoneground atta smelled or tasted like.
What hasn't changed is how we mill.
The same natural stone process. The same low-heat, whole-grain commitment. The same refusal to strip the grain for the sake of shelf life or uniformity. Barhana exists today because our family believed — and still believes — that the right way to mill wheat was figured out a long time ago, and the only thing industrial milling ever improved was profit margins.
For bakers who care about what goes into their flour, that history isn't just a story. It's a guarantee.
Nutrition: Stoneground vs Commercial Flour
What Stays In — And What Gets Milled Away
For bakers, flour nutrition isn't separate from baking performance — it's part of it. The same components that make stoneground flour more nutritious are the ones that make it ferment better, taste deeper, and build a crust with genuine colour and character. Strip the grain for shelf life and you lose both.
Here's what the numbers actually look like.
Fibre, Mineral & Carotenoid Retention — Stoneground vs Commercial
NutrientBarhana Stoneground FlourCommercial Roller-Milled FlourWhat's LostDietary Fibre 9–12g per 100g 2–3g per 100g Up to 75% lost when bran is removed Iron 3.5–4.5mg per 100g 1.0–1.5mg per 100g (often synthetic) 60–70% lost, remainder often added back artificially Magnesium 120–140mg per 100g 20–25mg per 100g Nearly 80% lost during refining Zinc 2.8–3.2mg per 100g 0.6–0.8mg per 100g Over 75% lost with germ and bran removal Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 0.4–0.5mg per 100g Trace — heat destroyed Destroyed above 50°C during high-heat milling Vitamin E (Tocopherol) 1.0–1.4mg per 100g Negligible Lost entirely when wheat germ is removed Carotenoids (Lutein/Zeaxanthin) 120–180mcg per 100g Near zero Stripped with bran — responsible for natural flour colour Natural Enzymes (Amylase) Active and intact Denatured by heat Destroyed above 80°C — affects fermentation directly Wheat Germ Oils Fully preserved Removed before milling Lost with germ removal — these carry flavour and EFAs
Values are approximate and vary by wheat variety and harvest season. Commercial figures reflect standard refined flour without fortification.
Why "Fortified" Flour Is Not the Same as Naturally Nutritious Flour
Walk down any supermarket aisle in India and you'll find flour bags printed with iron, zinc, and B vitamin claims. What those labels don't tell you is that those nutrients were added back in — synthetically — after the milling process stripped them out.
This is called fortification, and it is not the same thing as nutritional integrity.
The iron added to commercial flour is typically ferrous sulphate or electrolytic iron — inorganic compounds that the body absorbs at a fraction of the rate of naturally occurring iron bound within whole grain bran. The B vitamins sprayed back into refined flour are isolated synthetic compounds, not the naturally complexed vitamins that exist alongside fibre, minerals, and cofactors in a whole grain. Synthetic nutrients added in isolation behave differently in the body than nutrients that occur naturally within a complete food matrix.
Barhana's stoneground flour is not fortified because it doesn't need to be. The bran and germ were never removed, which means the iron, zinc, magnesium, B vitamins, and carotenoids are exactly where the wheat put them — bound within the grain's natural fibre matrix, in forms the body recognises and absorbs efficiently. For bakers, this also means the natural mineral content actively supports yeast health and fermentation in ways that fortified refined flour simply cannot replicate.
What Bran + Germ Intact Means for Gut Health
The bran in whole grain stoneground flour is one of the richest sources of insoluble dietary fibre in the everyday diet — the kind that feeds beneficial gut bacteria, supports regular digestion, and reduces the glycaemic impact of wheat-based foods. When bran is removed in roller milling, that fibre disappears entirely. What's left is a rapidly digesting starch that spikes blood sugar and provides nothing for the gut microbiome to work with.
The wheat germ adds another layer. Rich in Vitamin E, essential fatty acids, and prebiotic compounds, the germ is arguably the most nutritionally dense part of the wheat kernel — and the first thing industrial milling removes because its oils shorten shelf life. In Barhana's stoneground flour, the germ is ground in with everything else, distributing those oils and nutrients throughout every gram of flour.
For bakers specifically, bran and germ intact means your bread is doing something that white flour bread simply cannot — delivering genuine dietary fibre, active nutrients, and gut-supportive compounds in every slice, every roti, every bake. Not because anything was added. Because nothing was taken away.
How to choose right Artisanal flour for your recipe?
Start With the Bake. Then Choose the Flour.
The most common mistake bakers make — home and professional alike — is treating flour as interchangeable. One bag for everything. Whatever's on the shelf. It works until it doesn't: a sourdough that won't hold structure, a pasta that turns mushy, a pizza base that stays soft and pale no matter how hot the oven runs.
Flour choice is recipe architecture. Here's how to get it right with Barhana.
Protein Content Guide — Which Flour for Which Bake
Protein percentage determines gluten strength, which determines structure, chew, and how your dough behaves under fermentation and heat. Match the protein to the job.
Bread Flour — Sourdough, Loaves & Gluten-Dependent Bakes Barhana's high-protein stoneground bread flours sits at 12–14% protein — the range serious bakers need for sourdough, whole wheat sandwich loaves, enriched doughs, and any bake where gluten structure is doing the heavy lifting. The intact wheat germ and active natural enzymes mean your starter ferments more efficiently, your dough holds a long cold proof without spreading, and your crust develops the colour and crunch that only genuine whole grain bakers flour delivers. If your bake needs an open crumb and serious oven spring — this is your flour.
→ Barhana High-Protein Bread Flour
Durum Flour — Pasta, Artisanal Breads & Pizza Dusting Durum wheat carries the highest protein content of any wheat variety — but it's a different kind of protein. Durum builds a strong, inelastic gluten that gives pasta its firmness, bite, and ability to hold sauce without going soft. Barhana's stoneground durum flour is the right choice for handmade pasta, semolina-style artisan loaves, and as a dusting flour for pizza bases where you want a crisp, non-sticky bottom with a hint of golden colour and nuttiness that plain flour never gives you.
→ Barhana Durum & Pasta Flour
Pizza Flour — Bases, Sourdough Pizza & Biga A great pizza base needs protein for chew, extensibility for stretching thin without tearing, and fermentation-friendly flour for the long slow proves that build flavour in a proper Neapolitan or sourdough pizza. Barhana's stoneground pizza flour is milled specifically for this — high enough protein to handle a biga or poolish pre-ferment, whole grain enough to deliver real flavour in the base, and stone-milled to keep the natural enzymes active through a 24–72 hour cold fermentation. Your base should taste like something. This flour makes sure it does.
Oat Flour — Gluten-Free Cookies, Cakes & Everyday Baking For bakers working without gluten, Barhana's stoneground oat flour is the most versatile option in the range. Cold-milled from whole oats with the natural beta-glucan and fibre intact, it performs reliably in cookies, muffins, dense cakes, pancakes, and quick breads where structure comes from eggs, binding agents, or natural starches rather than gluten. The mild natural sweetness of whole oat flour also means you can reduce added sugar in most recipes without losing balance.
→ Barhana Stoneground Oat Flour
Heritage Grain Flours — Speciality Breads, Chapati & Blending Khapli, Einkorn, and Paigambari aren't everyday flours — they're flavour and character flours. Use them to replace 20–40% of your bread flour in sourdough loaves for a nuttier, more complex crumb. Incorporate them into chapati dough for a depth of flavour that modern wheat simply doesn't carry. Barhana's heritage wheat flours are best used by bakers who already know their base formulas well and want to push them somewhere more interesting.
→ Barhana Heritage Wheat Flours
Hydration Differences — Why Stoneground Flour Absorbs More Water
If you've switched to Barhana from commercial flour and found your dough feels stiffer than expected at your usual hydration — that's the bran absorbing water. Whole grain stoneground flour absorbs 15–30% more water than refined flour at the same weight because the bran particles actively soak up liquid during mixing and autolyse. The fix is simple: increase your hydration by 10-15% when moving to any Barhana stoneground flour and extend your autolyse to 60–120 minutes to let the bran fully hydrate before you assess dough consistency. Don't add more flour — add more time.
Storage — How to Keep Fresh-Milled Flour at Home
Because Barhana's flour retains the natural wheat germ oils, it behaves more like a fresh food than a pantry staple — and should be stored accordingly.
At room temperature — keep in an airtight container away from direct light and heat. Use within 3–4 weeks of opening. In Indian summers, room temperature storage shortens this window significantly.
Refrigerated — extends freshness to 2–3 months without any impact on baking performance. Bring to room temperature before using for best results in fermented doughs.
Frozen — for bulk storage, Barhana flour freezes well for up to 6 months. Thaw fully before using and never refreeze once thawed.
The shorter shelf life compared to commercial flour is not a flaw — it is the most honest sign that the nutrition and natural oils are still intact and alive in the bag.
Buying Artisanal Flour in India
Most Flour Labelled "Whole Wheat" Isn't What You Think
The Indian flour market has a labelling problem. Walk into any supermarket or scroll through any grocery app and you'll find dozens of bags promising "whole wheat," "natural," "chakki fresh," and "stone ground" — most of which have nothing to do with genuine whole grain milling. For bakers who care about fermentation performance, crust flavour, and nutritional integrity, buying the wrong flour is an expensive mistake that shows up in every bake.
Here's how to read past the marketing and buy flour that actually delivers.
What to Look for on the Label
Milling method — stated clearly. Genuine stoneground flour will say exactly that: stoneground or stone milled. Not "chakki-inspired." Not "traditionally crafted." The milling method should be a factual claim, not a mood. If a brand is genuinely using granite millstones at low temperature, they will tell you specifically — because it's the hardest and most expensive part of what they do.
Ingredient list — one item only. Real stoneground atta or whole wheat bread flour has exactly one ingredient: whole wheat. If the ingredient list includes added bran, added germ, wheat flour plus wheat bran, or any form of fortification minerals and synthetic vitamins, the flour was refined first and partially reassembled after. That is not whole grain flour. It is refined flour with additions.
No bleaching agents or improvers. Genuine chemical-free flour carries no bleaching agents, potassium bromate, ascorbic acid improvers, or dough conditioners. These additives exist to compensate for the performance deficiencies that stripping the grain creates. Whole grain stoneground flour milled properly needs none of them.
Colour description or visible bran. Honest packaging for whole grain flour will acknowledge the natural cream-to-tan colour and visible bran flecks. If a brand is showing pure white flour and calling it whole wheat — something was removed.
Shelf life under 3 months. Any flour with a 9–12 month shelf life at room temperature has had the wheat germ oils removed. Those oils are what shortens shelf life in genuine whole grain flour. A shorter best-before date is a credibility signal, not a drawback.
Red Flags — What to Walk Away From
"Whole wheat" with bright white flour inside the bag. Whole wheat is not white. If it looks like maida, it was milled like maida.
"Added bran" in the ingredient list. This is the most common deception in the Indian flour market. Brands refine the wheat first — removing bran and germ for shelf life — then add a measured portion of bran back to meet whole wheat labelling thresholds. The germ is still gone. The natural oils are still gone. The enzyme activity is still dead. Added bran is fibre without the rest of what makes whole grain flour nutritionally and functionally complete.
"Fortified with iron and vitamins." As covered in our nutrition section — fortification is what brands do after they've stripped the grain. A flour that leads with its fortification is telling you, indirectly, that the natural nutrients are no longer present.
"Stone ground" with a 12-month shelf life. Genuine cold-stone milled flour with intact wheat germ oils does not last 12 months on a shelf at room temperature. If it does, either the germ was removed or the claim is not accurate.
Vague origin and no milling story. Any brand serious about stoneground milling knows exactly where their wheat comes from, how it's milled, and at what temperature. If a brand's packaging has no milling story, no wheat sourcing information, and no specific process claims — the product is almost certainly roller-milled flour with artisanal packaging.
Barhana Product Range — Stoneground Flour for Bakers
Every flour in the Barhana range is stoneground whole grain, chemical-free, and milled using the same traditional granite stone process our family has used for over 100 years. No added bran. No fortification. No shortcuts.
Barhana High-Protein Bread Flour — 12–14% protein, whole grain, for sourdough, loaves, high-hydration doughs and serious baking. → Shop Bread Flour
Barhana Heritage Wheat Flours — Emmer, Paigambari & Einkorn, for speciality bakes, flavour-forward loaves and chapati. → Shop Heritage Grain Flours
Barhana All-Purpose Stoneground Flour — versatile everyday flour for home bakers, cookies, quick breads and flatbreads. → Shop All-Purpose Flour
Barhana Stoneground Oat Flour — whole grain, cold-milled, for gluten-free cookies, cakes and everyday baking. → Shop Oat Flour
Barhana Durum & Pasta Flour — high-protein durum, stoneground, for pasta, artisanal breads and pizza dusting. → Shop Durum Flour
The Simplest Buying Rule for Bakers
If the brand can't tell you exactly how the flour was milled, at what temperature, from what grain, with what ingredient list — buy elsewhere. Barhana tells you everything because we have nothing to hide and a hundred years of milling behind every bag.
Frequently Asked Questions
About Stoneground Milling & What Makes Barhana Different
Q: What does stoneground flour actually mean?
Stoneground flour means the entire wheat kernel — bran, germ, and endosperm — is ground together between two slow-moving granite millstones at low temperature. Nothing is separated out before milling and nothing is added back after. It is the oldest and most nutritionally complete method of milling wheat, and the opposite of what industrial roller mills do. At Barhana, every flour in our range is stoneground on traditional granite millstones our family has operated for over 100 years.
Q: Is Barhana flour genuinely stoneground or is it roller-milled with stoneground on the label?
Genuinely stoneground. Barhana has used traditional granite stone milling for over a century — before "stoneground" became a marketing term. Our milling process runs at below 35°C, keeps the whole grain intact, and produces flour with a naturally shorter shelf life because the wheat germ oils are fully preserved. If our flour were roller-milled, it would look different, smell different, last longer on a shelf, and bake completely differently. The proof is in the bag.
Q: How is Barhana different from other "whole wheat" flour brands in India?
Most whole wheat flour sold in India — including brands marketed as chakki fresh or natural — is produced on industrial roller mills that refine the grain first and add bran back afterwards. The wheat germ, which carries the natural oils, enzymes, vitamins, and flavour compounds, is removed and rarely returned. Barhana mills the whole grain together from the start, using genuine stone milling, with no additives, no fortification, and no reassembly. The grain goes in whole. The flour comes out whole. That's the entire difference — and it shows up in every bake.
Q: Why does Barhana flour smell different from supermarket flour?
Because the wheat germ oils are still alive in it. The warm, nutty, distinctly wheaty aroma in Barhana's stoneground atta comes from the natural oils in the wheat germ — compounds that are destroyed by the high heat of industrial roller milling and removed entirely when the germ is stripped out. Most commercial flour has no meaningful aroma because there is nothing left in it to smell. When Barhana flour smells like a real chakki, that is exactly what it is supposed to smell like.
Q: Why does Barhana flour have a shorter shelf life than commercial flour?
Because the wheat germ oils are intact and will eventually oxidise — the same way any natural oil goes rancid over time. Commercial flour lasts 9–12 months on a shelf because the germ was removed before milling, taking its oils with it. Barhana's flour is best used within 4–6 weeks of opening at room temperature, or stored refrigerated for up to 3 months. The shorter shelf life is not a quality issue — it is the most reliable sign that the nutrition is still in the flour.
About Nutrition & Health
Q: Is stoneground flour healthier than commercial flour?
Significantly. Barhana's stoneground flour retains the bran, germ, and endosperm of the whole wheat kernel — which means it delivers naturally occurring dietary fibre, iron, magnesium, zinc, B vitamins, Vitamin E, carotenoids, and essential fatty acids from the wheat germ oil. Commercial flour loses up to 80% of these nutrients during high-heat roller milling. Synthetic nutrients are sometimes added back through fortification, but isolated synthetic compounds absorbed without their natural cofactors are not a nutritional equivalent to whole grain nutrition.
Q: What is the difference between fortified flour and naturally nutritious flour?
Fortified flour is refined flour with synthetic vitamins and minerals added back after milling stripped them out. The iron in fortified flour is typically inorganic ferrous sulphate — absorbed by the body at a fraction of the rate of naturally occurring iron bound within whole grain bran. Naturally nutritious flour — like Barhana's stoneground range — retains every nutrient in its original form, within its natural food matrix, exactly as the wheat grain contained it. Fortification is remediation. Whole grain stoneground flour is the thing fortification is trying to approximate.
Q: Is Barhana flour good for gut health?
Yes — and the reason is straightforward. The bran in Barhana's stoneground flour is one of the richest sources of insoluble dietary fibre in everyday cooking. That fibre feeds beneficial gut bacteria, supports digestive regularity, and slows the absorption of starch — reducing the glycaemic impact of wheat-based foods compared to refined flour. The wheat germ adds prebiotic compounds and essential fatty acids that further support gut microbiome health. None of this is present in commercial flour once the bran and germ have been removed.
Q: Does Barhana flour contain any chemicals, bleaching agents, or additives?
None. Every flour in the Barhana range is 100% chemical-free — no bleaching agents, no potassium bromate, no ascorbic acid improvers, no dough conditioners, no synthetic fortification. The only ingredient in any Barhana flour is the grain it was milled from. Additives in commercial flour exist to compensate for the performance deficiencies that stripping the grain creates. Whole grain stoneground flour milled properly at low temperature needs nothing added because nothing was taken away.
About Baking Performance
Q: Does stoneground flour perform better in sourdough than commercial flour?
Yes, Three reasons. First, the natural amylase enzymes preserved in the wheat germ actively break down starches into fermentable sugars — feeding your starter more efficiently and producing a more active, predictable ferment. Second, the wheat germ oils contribute directly to crust flavour and Maillard browning, giving sourdough baked with stoneground flour a depth of colour and taste that white commercial flour cannot replicate. Third, the higher natural protein content in Barhana's bread flour supports the strong gluten network that long cold proofs and high-hydration doughs demand. Bakers who switch to Barhana's stoneground bread flour consistently report better oven spring, more open crumb structure, and significantly better crust character.
Q: My dough feels stiffer than usual with Barhana flour. What am I doing wrong?
Nothing — this is expected behaviour. Whole grain stoneground flour absorbs 15–30% more water than refined flour because the bran particles actively soak up liquid during mixing. If your dough feels stiffer at your usual hydration, increase water by 15-20% and extend your autolyse to 60-120 minutes before assessing consistency. Do not add more flour. Give the bran time to fully hydrate and the dough will come together correctly. Most bakers find that once they adjust hydration for stoneground flour, they never want to go back to the handling characteristics of refined flour.
Q: Can I substitute Barhana stoneground flour 1:1 for commercial flour in my recipes?
For most recipes, yes — with a small hydration adjustment as noted above. For highly refined recipes built around bleached white flour — certain delicate cakes, very light pastry — the bran content in whole grain stoneground flour will produce a slightly denser, more textured result. For bread, sourdough, pizza, pasta, chapati, cookies, muffins, and everyday baking, Barhana's stoneground range is a direct upgrade from commercial flour with no formula changes beyond hydration.
Q: Which Barhana flour should I use for sourdough?
Barhana High-Protein Bread Flour is the primary choice for sourdough — 12–14% protein, whole grain, with active natural enzymes that support fermentation directly. For more complex flavour, replace 20–30% of the bread flour with one of Barhana's Heritage Wheat Flours — Emmer or Einkorn — which add a nutty, ancient grain depth to the crumb and crust that modern wheat varieties don't carry. For sourdough pizza specifically, Barhana's Pizza Flour or Durum Flour used as a blend with bread flour gives you the extensibility and flavour that a long biga or poolish fermentation deserves.
Q: Which Barhana flour is best for pizza?
Barhana's Pizza Flour is milled specifically for pizza bases — high enough protein for chew and structure, whole grain enough for genuine flavour, and stoneground to keep the natural enzymes active through 24–72 hour cold fermentation. For dusting, use Barhana's Durum Flour — the coarse texture prevents sticking without burning on a hot stone or steel, and the golden colour and nuttiness it adds to the base bottom is something every serious pizza baker notices immediately. For sourdough pizza with a biga or poolish pre-ferment, the combination of Barhana Pizza Flour and a 20% Durum blend is the formula most of our baker customers have settled on.
Q: Is Barhana oat flour suitable for gluten-free baking?
Yes. Barhana's stoneground oat flour is cold-milled from whole oats and contains no wheat — making it suitable for gluten-free cookies, cakes, muffins, pancakes, and quick breads. It performs best combined with a binding agent — eggs, flaxseed gel, or psyllium husk — since it contains no gluten to provide structure independently. The natural beta-glucan in whole oat flour also adds a slight moistness to baked goods that most gluten-free flour blends lack. For bakers building gluten-free formulas from scratch, Barhana's oat flour is the most flavour-forward and nutritionally complete base to start from.
Is Artisanal Flour Healthier Than Regular Flour?
Yes — and the difference is not marginal.
Artisanal stoneground flour retains the complete wheat kernel — bran, germ, and endosperm ground together at low temperature on granite millstones. That means every gram of Barhana flour carries naturally occurring dietary fibre, iron, magnesium, zinc, B vitamins, Vitamin E, carotenoids, and essential fatty acids from the wheat germ oil — exactly as the grain contained them before milling.
Regular commercial flour is processed on high-speed roller mills that strip the bran and germ before grinding, removing up to 80% of the grain's natural nutrients in the process. What's left is the starchy white endosperm — high in rapidly digestible carbohydrates and low in everything else. Some brands add synthetic vitamins and minerals back through fortification, but isolated inorganic compounds added after refining are not a nutritional equivalent to nutrients that occur naturally within a complete whole grain matrix.
The practical difference for everyday eating is significant. Barhana's stoneground atta delivers more fibre per roti, more bioavailable iron per loaf, and more sustained energy per bake than any refined or fortified commercial flour can match — not because of anything added, but because nothing was taken away.
The short answer for featured snippets: Artisanal stoneground flour is healthier than regular flour because it retains the bran, germ, and natural nutrients of the whole wheat kernel. Commercial flour loses up to 80% of its nutritional content during high-heat roller milling. Barhana's chemical-free stoneground flour contains no additives, no bleaching agents, and no synthetic fortification — just whole grain, milled the traditional way.
Can I Substitute Stoneground Flour 1:1 in Any Recipe?
In most recipes, yes — with one small adjustment.
Barhana's stoneground flour substitutes directly for commercial flour in bread, sourdough, pizza bases, chapati, cookies, muffins, quick breads, pasta dough, and everyday cooking with no formula changes beyond hydration. The one consistent adjustment every baker needs to make is adding 15–30% more water than the recipe calls for.
Here's why. Whole grain stoneground flour contains bran particles that actively absorb water during mixing — something refined flour, which has no bran, does not do. If you use Barhana at the same hydration as commercial flour your dough will feel stiffer than expected. This is not a flour quality issue. It is the bran doing exactly what bran is supposed to do. Increase water by 15%, extend your autolyse or resting time to 60–120 minutes, and the dough will come to the right consistency.
The one category where a direct 1:1 swap requires more recipe adjustment is very delicate, highly refined baking — certain light sponge cakes, fine shortcrust pastry, or recipes specifically built around bleached white flour where bran content will produce a denser, more textured result. For those applications, Barhana's all-purpose stoneground flour — which has a finer bran particle size — is the better starting point than bread flour.
For sourdough, loaves, pizza, flatbreads, and the vast majority of everyday baking, switching to Barhana is a direct upgrade with no formula complexity. The hydration adjustment takes one bake to figure out and never needs revisiting.
The short answer for featured snippets: Stoneground flour can substitute commercial flour 1:1 in most recipes with a 15–30% increase in water. Whole grain flour absorbs more liquid than refined flour because the bran is intact. No other formula changes are needed for bread, sourdough, pizza, chapati, cookies, or everyday baking.
How Long Does Artisanal Flour Last?
Shorter than commercial flour — and that is exactly the point.
Barhana's stoneground flour contains the natural wheat germ oils that are removed during industrial roller milling. Those oils are what give the flour its characteristic nutty aroma, its flavour depth, and its superior baking performance — and they are also what limits shelf life, because natural oils oxidise over time.
Here is how to store Barhana flour and what to expect at each stage:
Room temperature — store in an airtight container away from direct sunlight and heat. Use within 4–6 weeks of opening. In Indian summers, where ambient temperatures regularly exceed 35°C, this window shortens — move to refrigerated storage during hot months.
Refrigerated — keeps fresh for up to 3 months with no impact on baking performance. Bring flour to room temperature before using in fermented doughs or sourdough — cold flour slows yeast activity and affects dough handling. For everyday baking and chapati, using it straight from the fridge is fine.
Frozen — for bulk storage or advance buying, Barhana flour freezes well for up to 6 months. Thaw completely at room temperature before use and never refreeze once thawed. Transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag before freezing — the original bag is not airtight enough for long-term frozen storage.
A quick spoilage check: if your flour smells rancid, bitter, or noticeably sour rather than warm and wheaty, the oils have oxidised and the flour is past its best. Fresh Barhana flour always smells like clean, nutty wheat. Trust your nose — it is the most reliable freshness indicator for any whole grain stoneground flour.
The short answer for featured snippets: Artisanal stoneground flour lasts 4–6 weeks at room temperature, up to 3 months refrigerated, and up to 6 months frozen. The shorter shelf life compared to commercial flour exists because the wheat germ oils are intact — the same oils that give stoneground flour its flavour and nutritional value. Store in an airtight container away from heat and light.
Is Stoneground Flour Good for Diabetes?
Yes — and significantly better than refined flour for blood sugar management.
The primary reason refined white flour is problematic for people managing diabetes or blood sugar is its glycaemic impact. When bran and germ are removed during roller milling, what remains is almost entirely rapidly digestible starch — carbohydrates that break down quickly in digestion, spike blood glucose fast, and provide no fibre to slow that process down. The glycaemic index of refined white flour sits between 70–85. That is in the high range.
Barhana's stoneground whole wheat flour changes this picture in two important ways.
Dietary fibre slows glucose absorption. The bran in whole grain stoneground flour is rich in insoluble dietary fibre — 9–12g per 100g compared to 2–3g in commercial flour. That fibre physically slows the digestion and absorption of starch in the gut, flattening the blood glucose curve that the same quantity of refined flour would produce as a sharp spike. For people managing Type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance, this difference is clinically meaningful across daily meals.
The whole grain matrix changes how starch behaves. In refined flour, starch is exposed and rapidly accessible to digestive enzymes. In whole grain stoneground flour, starch is still embedded within the grain's natural cellular structure — surrounded by fibre, bound with proteins, and metabolised more slowly as a result. The glycaemic index of genuine whole grain stoneground flour sits between 45–55 — the low-to-medium range — compared to 70–85 for refined flour. That gap represents a fundamentally different blood sugar response to the same amount of wheat.
What this means for everyday eating with Barhana: Rotis made with Barhana's stoneground atta produce a slower, more sustained energy release than rotis made with commercial atta or maida. Bread baked with Barhana's whole wheat bread flour delivers more fibre per slice, a lower glycaemic load per serving, and genuine nutritional value rather than rapidly digested starch. For bakers supplying health-conscious customers, diabetic-friendly menus, or simply baking for family members managing blood sugar — the flour choice matters more than almost any other ingredient decision.
One important note: stoneground flour is a better dietary choice for blood sugar management than refined flour, but it is not a medical intervention. Anyone managing diabetes should work with their doctor or dietitian on overall dietary approach. What Barhana offers is the most nutritionally complete version of wheat flour available — whole grain, chemical-free, and as close to the natural grain as milling can produce.
The short answer for featured snippets: Stoneground whole wheat flour is better for diabetes than refined flour because it retains the bran, which is high in dietary fibre that slows glucose absorption and reduces blood sugar spikes. The glycaemic index of whole grain stoneground flour is 45–55, compared to 70–85 for refined white flour. Barhana's chemical-free stoneground atta contains 9–12g of dietary fibre per 100g — significantly higher than the 2–3g found in commercial atta.
About Buying & Storing Barhana Flour
Q: Where can I buy Barhana stoneground flour in India?
Barhana's full range of stoneground artisanal flours is available directly through our website with delivery across India. For bulk orders, wholesale supply to professional bakeries, and restaurant or café sourcing, contact us directly through our trade enquiry page. We do not compromise on milling method or grain quality for volume — every bag, regardless of order size, is the same stoneground, chemical-free flour.
→ Shop the Full Barhana Range → Trade & Wholesale Enquiries
Q: How should I store Barhana flour at home?
In an airtight container, away from direct light and heat. At room temperature, use within 4–6 weeks of opening. Refrigerated, Barhana flour stays fresh for up to 3 months with no impact on baking performance — bring to room temperature before using in fermented doughs. For bulk storage, freeze for up to 6 months and thaw fully before use. Never store open flour in its original bag — transfer to a sealed container immediately after opening.
Q: Does Barhana ship across India?
Yes — we deliver nationwide. For specific delivery timelines, pincode availability, and bulk order logistics, visit our website or contact our team directly.
→ Check Delivery to Your Location
Q: Does Barhana offer sample packs for bakers who want to test before committing to larger quantities?
Yes. We understand that serious bakers want to test flour performance before changing their formulas or sourcing commitments. Contact us through our website for current sample pack availability across the Barhana range.
→ Request a Baker's Sample Pack
One Mill. One Hundred Years. One Standard.
Every question in this block comes back to the same answer: Barhana mills flour the way it should be milled — whole grain, slow stone, low heat, nothing added, nothing removed. That hasn't changed in over a century because it doesn't need to.
If you're a baker who cares what goes into your flour — you've found your mill.