Stone Grinding

Until modern roller milling (described below) was invented, wheat was made into flour by grinding it between two large stones. Once the grain was ground, it was sifted to remove some of the bran. This sifting is called bolting. Bolted flour is lighter in color and finer in texture than whole wheat flour, but of course some of the flavor and nutrients are removed with the bran and germ. In specialty markets, one can still find stone-ground flour, especially unbolted whole wheat flour, and other stone-ground meals, such as cornmeal.