Flour is as necessary and valuable as it is delicate. Therefore, it is very important to know how to store flour to prevent environmental conditions or external pests from altering its flavor, color and texture to the point of making it unusable.
Where to store flour
The best method for storing flour is to store it in an airtight container, preferably glass, and keep it in a dry, light-free and cool place.
In fact, exposure to light, heat, moisture and oxygen is the greatest enemy of flour storage.
Additionally, using an airtight flour storage container will also prevent pest contamination and the absorption of unpleasant odors.
The ideal temperature for storing flour even for long periods would be between 10°C and 15°C; within a home pantry, room temperatures (up to 20°C/22°C) for short-term periods not exceeding two months are tolerated.
To sum up: the perfect solution for storing flour is an airtight container, in a closed pantry, in a cool place in the house.
How to store quality flours
Full-body flours, such as Capoccia Bio stone-ground flours, are not refined like industrial flours, but contain all parts of the cereal grain: its germ, endosperm, and bran.
They also include the more precious but particularly perishable nutrients that are more severely compromised by external elements such as light, oxygen and moisture.
Moreover, in order to maintain the wholesomeness of flours, we do not use antioxidants or preservatives to extend their shelf life.
Therefore, these recommendations on how to store flour, its environment and containers are even more important in the case of our organic flours.
Finally, it becomes more difficult to store flour in summer, when temperatures exceed 25 degrees.
If it is not possible to store a quality flour in a cool environment, it is therefore recommended to purchase it in small quantities, consuming it as soon as possible.
Pests: mill moths, mealworms and flour moths
An additional problem of storing flour, and other foods such as cookies, pasta, nuts, seeds, legumes, is the contamination by pests.
Flour pests, which manifest themselves either by the presence of small, spiderweb-like textures or moths in our pantries, are more likely to attack quality flours made from untreated organic grains, especially in warmer weather.
If flours are stored inside improperly closed or inadequate containers, such as simple paper or plastic bags, pests can easily enter them and lay eggs.
But flour storage can also be threatened by mites, cockroaches or other organisms, for which the good rule of regularly cleaning the flour containers, the pantry and the kitchen areas always applies.
Cleaning can be done using natural substances such as a mixture of water and white vinegar.
Among the ” homemade” remedies for flour preservation we can also find the use of essential oils, lavender, eucalyptus, neem and melaleuca soaked in cotton balls and placed in the pantry, or the use of bay leaves, or
orange peels with the addition of cloves.
Flour shelf life and expiration
To store flours, the expiration dates on the packages should be strictly followed.
Full-body flour such as ours, retaining more of the nutritional properties and the original elements of the grain, is more delicate than the refined industrial flour,
and typically has a lower average deterioration time.
In order to preserve their nutritional properties unaltered, although the shelf life may be longer, we always recommend a storage time of no more than 6 months.
For flours packaged in plastic and ATM this period can be as long as 18 months.