Farm-to-Table with Gold Medal Flour

Food Editor, Betty Crocker Kitchens

July 03, 2012

Hey, Kristen here!

The idea of Farm-to-Table has become more and more popular over the last few years, but it’s been a core value of the Gold Medal team for decades. I recently joined a group of bloggers on a tour to see exactly how a grain of wheat becomes a sprinkle of flour.

Here’s the story…

Where it all begins: Fields of Wheat

We started our journey at the very beginning of the process with a trip to a wheat field where we spoke with 4th generation farmer, Jay Armstrong. He passionately discussed seed selection, planting practices and finally, harvest.

If meeting the man behind the wheat wasn’t enough, we each got to hop in the combine and help harvest our very own 2 acres of wheat—check out my driving skills!

Next stop in the farm to table process: the flour mill.

From Wheat Berries to Flour: A Trip to the Mill

Once the wheat berries were loaded into semis they were taken directly to the Gold Medal Flour Mill in Kansas City, Missouri. Here workers turn berries into to the great flour you find at the supermarket.

Everyone we met at the mill was passionate about flour; I could’ve listen to them talk for hours! We met with Kurt for Wheat and Flour 101, then we put on our protective gear and headed into the mill to see all of the action. My favorite part was the packaging. Watching those machines work was memorizing!

From Flour to Flavorful Treats: Adventures in the Kitchen

With freshly milled flour in hand we headed to the kitchen to bake up fresh, tasty treats! We got to work in the charming Culinary Center of Kansas City where we created cookies, pies, and bars—all from scratch and all from freshly milled flour!

We wrapped our wonderful few days with bellies full of baked goods and a new found respect for the process it takes to create such outstanding flour. And now we know, when Gold Medal says farm to table fresh, they mean it!