ABSTRACT
In practical milling, there was no exact prescription of flour yields, since much depended on the weight and quality of grain, the mill machinery, and the art and judgement of the operator. On average a bushel of wheat weighing 60 lbs might be expected to produce from 47 to 52 lbs of flour of all descriptions (giving extraction rates of from 78 to 87 per cent),3 though usually the miller would concentrate on producing one type only from each bushel. The extraction rates normally achieved by Mr Saunders, miller of Market Lavington in Wiltshire,4 are reasonably representative. From 1 Winchester quarter of wheat weighing 58 lbs per bushel he extracted:
320 lbs of ‘Wheaten’ bread flour (69 per cent) or 344.5 lbs of ‘Standard Wheaten’ bread flour (74 per cent) or 373 lbs of flour suitable for ‘Household’ bread (80 per cent).
