Homemade Maida Recipe – Sharmis Passions

Homemade Maida can be used for making many recipes like flatbreads, snacks, sweets and baking dishes. It is made by extracting milk from soaked wheat, then drying it completely and grinding it into fine powder. The texture is smooth and soft, very similar to store bought maida.

Many people like making Homemade Maida at home because they know exactly what goes into it. It does take little time and patience as the drying process needs good sunlight. Once made, you can store it and use whenever needed for different recipes in your kitchen.

About Homemade Maida

Homemade Maida is prepared from wheat by extracting the milk and separating the starch part. After resting, the thick portion is collected, dried and then powdered. The final flour looks white and soft and can be used in many recipes that call for maida.

The texture of this flour is smooth and very fine after sieving. It blends well in dough, batter and sweets. Since it is made from wheat milk, the flour has mild taste and works well in both sweet and savoury recipes.

You can make this using whole wheat, broken wheat, broken wheat rava or wheat flour. Each version may have slight difference in yield and texture, but the method remains mostly same. It is important to dry it completely before grinding so the flour stays fresh for longer time.

I usually make this during summer when sunlight is good. The drying becomes easier and the flour stores well for many weeks without any issue.

Now lets now learn why maida is unhealthy:

Wheat seed has 3 parts:

• Bran – is the hard outer covering where most fibre content is present.
• Germ – is the nutrient rich embryo that will sprout and grow into a new wheat plant.
• Endosperm – is the biggest part of the grain(about 83%) but is full of starch.

Whole wheat flour combines all 3 parts of the wheat berry. Though maida is made from wheat, it is prepared from only the endosperm which does not contain any nutrients and is only carbohydrate or sugar.

The bran is separated from the germ and endosperm which is then refined by passing through a sieve. It is naturally yellowish due to pigments present in wheat, but maida is bleached by oxygen in the atmosphere or artificially bleached using chemicals and more chemicals are added to give the white color, gluten and elasticity which makes it unhealthy to consume. Info courtesy : google

Homemade Maida Ingredients

• Broken Wheat – I have used broken wheat for making the wheat milk. You can replace it with whole wheat, broken wheat rava or wheat flour.
• Water – I used for soaking, grinding and extracting the wheat milk. It helps separate the starch from wheat properly. You can add little more if needed while extracting second and third milk.

How to make Homemade Maida Step by Step

1.I used broken wheat. You can use whole wheat or broken wheat or broken wheat rava or wheat flour(chapathi flour). Do not use UPMA RAVA.

2.Soak broken wheat in water for at least 2-3 hours. Water level you can add it roughly its ok even its more but make sure water is at least 1 inch above broken wheat.Now transfer it to a mixer and grind it. Extract milk by transferring it to a fine strainer. I had to do it in batches.

3.Press it well with a spoon and extract milk. Now again extract milk by adding more water.I did it thrice in total. First milk will be thick then the successive extracted milk will be slightly runny. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.I had got 2 such mixing bowls full of extracted milk.

4.Keep undisturbed for an hour.You can see clear water floating on top.Slowly drain the clear water alone.Then you will be left out with only thick milk. I got 2 bowls so strained both separately.

5.Now pour the thick milk to a flat bottomed wide tray. Let it dry under the sun for atleast 2-3 days until it becomes dry completely and starts to show splits.Keep covered with a netted cloth or you can use your dupatta too, this way we can avoid flies and dust.I broke them roughly. It took me just 2 days to dry as its summer.

6.Transfer to a mixer jar and powder it finely. I used my small mixer jar to powder it finely so had to do in batches.

7.Sieve it using a fine sieve. Cool down then store.

Store in clean dry airtight container.

Expert Tips

• Soaking – I usually soak the wheat for few hours so it grinds smoothly. Proper soaking helps extract more milk from wheat.
• Milk Extraction – You can extract milk more than once by adding water again. I have found that second and third extraction gives extra starch.
• Resting Stage – Let the extracted milk sit without disturbing it. This helps the starch settle at the bottom while clear water stays on top.
• Sun Drying – Dry it only when there is good sunlight. If moisture remains, the flour may develop smell after storing.
• Grinding Fine – I have used small mixer jar and ground in batches. Grinding well gives smooth flour and easier sieving.

Serving and Storage

You can use for making biscuits, cakes, snacks, flatbreads and sweet, just use it the same way you would use regular maida in recipes. Store the flour in dry airtight container after it cools completely. If stored properly, it stays good for several weeks.

FAQS

1.Can I use whole wheat?

Yes, you can use whole wheat for this recipe. The extraction process remains almost same and gives good results.

2.Why should I dry it completely?

The flour should be fully dry before grinding. If moisture remains, it may develop bad smell while storing.

3.Can I make this without strong sunlight?

Without enough sunlight, the drying may take much longer and affect storage life.

4.How long can I store Homemade Maida?

You can store it for many weeks in airtight container, the flour should be completely dry before storing.

5.Can I grind in batches?

Yes, you can grind it in small batches if your mixer jar is small. I usually do it that way for getting fine powder.

If you have any more questions about this Homemade Maida Recipe do mail me at sharmispassions@gmail.com. In addition, follow me on Instagram, Facebook,  Pinterest, Youtube and Twitter .

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