Just a speculation but I suspect whole grains would suffer some deterioration over time, while polished ones would not. I know brown rice does not keep as well as white rice does. That said keeping it sealed in the freezer would probably help. Perhaps @doughboy can answer this from experience.
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True, the oil in bran and germ tends to go rancid. That can be slowed with refrigeration or freezing but there are limits
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@ebethsdad: Haha I feel you probably know more than I do based on your loaves!
@WireMonkey-- That said my understanding is a mix of what @ebethsdad and @robert said. The lifespan of grain on the shelf seems to be 6 months if you a baker or 10-30 years if you are a prepper. It really depends on how you store it. I use Vittles Vaults and have had them stored in my garage for over 6 months now and have not noticed a difference in the quality of the grains. Depending on how avid of a baker your mom is 50lbs might be a lot or a little. My guess is if she is milling her own stuff already and has an FTCāer in the family she could use up her grain pretty quickly 
.
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Great links, thank you! Iām curious if thereās much difference between a self-defrosting freezer versus a chest freezer or similar.
Iām probably overthinking this.
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Thereās a big difference between a freezer and your refrigeratorās frozen food storage compartment.
Most grains are stored for most of the year after the annual harvest and ground as needed. How does the industry store them?
Okay, but freezers also come in self defrosting and non self defrosting versions which was a distinction I actually learned (kid you not) working in a wheat laboratory. We had to purchase non-defrosting freezers explicitly because the defrosting cycles can have adverse effects on the contents
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No first-person experience with this company, but several ābakingā family members swear by their wheat berries/flours and I just ordered lentils and garbanzos. (In case youāre looking for yet more options.)
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Oooh, yes, thank you!
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Do they still make refrigerators with non-self-defrosting frozen food storage compartments? I didnāt see any when I was shopping for a new fridge, and I looked at a lot because theyāre almost all badly designed and shoddily made
Or youāre talking specifically about freezers?
Iāve learned a few things about KitchenAid mixers.
This spiral design is a superior dough hook. It solved my problem of dough climbing the hook.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083DNNWM3
The dough hook should be used only at speed 2.
I have to remember to use this thing. When I make a double batch of bread (1 kg. flour, 690 g water) it throws a little flour out of the bowl.
https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KSM35PS-1-Piece-Pouring-Shield/dp/B01J1HYAQM
I ordered a six-quart mixer because they were cheap and my five-quart was in the shop so long with no response to my email or calls that I thought we were never going to get it back. I liked the 600 a lot, the more powerful motor seemed more suited for kneading stiff dough, but it didnāt work for small amounts, for example, the whisk just stirred three eggsaround iin the bottom of the bowl without breaking the yolks. Great choice for a big household.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007W2ED70
Iām thinking of getting one of these.
https://www.amazon.com/Home-Food-Grade-KitchenAid-Bowl-Lift-Attachment/dp/B07W84BC5H
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Anyone own or tried one of these puppies?
https://faribon.it/en/grinder-for-domestic-use/faribon-600
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Are they distributed in the US? In the UK they cost almost $3000.
One of my sisters-in-law has a home mill. I canāt remember why. A Swiss friendās mom had one she used to grind a variety of grains and seeds to make muesli every day.
https://shop.kingarthurbaking.com/items/nutrimill-plus-whisper-quiet-grain-mill
Iām sure you can order one if interested. Few domestic chefs featured on the site
https://faribon.it/en/what-they-say-about-us Bianco et al.
Sharing some grain and flour resources I stumbled across for all you bakers.
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If you have a Vitamix you can get a special container to mill grains, 48-ounce Dry Grains Container with SELF-DETECT - Blender Containers. I havenāt done this yet, but may in the future.
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I will add to the mix The Mockmill even though I feel like you folks probably already know about it.
I own one of the older models. It is very well built and dependable. I use it a few times a week to make fresh flour for my starter and loaves.
That Faribon seems to have the added benefit of separating the bran from the flour which has me feeling 
. Sighā¦someday.
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I missed this thread the first time around!
Any tips on rustic boules? I like Forkishās recipe better than Tartineās (which always turns into a runny, stickymess). I donāt know what it is about my starter, but it does not like temps > 80 deg, which is much lower than what Forkish or Robertson recommend.
I think the other problem is that I bake bread like 4-5x/yr, and I think one must do it on a regular basis to really get a āfeelā for it.
FYI for all: the Paul Hollywood ciabatta recipe is fairly easy and turns out good bread.
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Any other good no knead sandwich loaf recipes? Iāve been making this bread * maybe 2-3x a week since March and am getting a little bored of it. I usually halve the recipe, and do roughly 1/3 AP, 1/3 bread flour, 1/3 whole wheat and after the initial rise Iāll add leftover cooked oatmeal and/or quinoa.
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