Have you ever heard about canning flour? I hadn’t considered it to be honest, until someone brought it up to me the other day. I looked into it, and it makes sense.
First, our household’s using flour goes in waves. We use it many days a week for a few months, and go through it quite a bit. We’re going through a dry spell though, so it can stay in the cupboard for quite some time. So, I never really know how much to keep on hand, because the next time we get into a baking frenzy it may not be any good.
Second, I know that I can store it in airtight containers, which helps to improve the shelf life. But airtight containers can be voluminous, particularly if you have plenty of flour to store.
It makes a lot of sense for our household to can it in individual jars that can sit all together on a shelf, or spread them out to suit your space problems. And, this might just as well be for yours. Please note that this approach offers shelf life for a total of 5 years, depending on how cool and dry your storage room is during that period.
A side tip before we start: freezing meal will also help destroy weevil eggs which may or may not have reached a bag of meal before you even bought it. Start so until it’s practical, or even if you don’t intend on canning.
Related: Turning Flour into Hardtack Biscuits With Over 100 Year Shelf Life
Supplies
The supply list is a simple one, with many of the items probably already on hand. Take a look:
- Flour
- Canning jars and lids
- Funnel
- Clean paper towel to wipe the jar rims
- Oven mitts or towel
- Marker to date the jars.
This method can be achieved with any size bag or flour bags as you wish. The size of the jars has to make sense for your unique needs. When you’re going through a lot of flour, so it would be better to have bigger bottles. However if you didn’t use it so much but found a good deal on flour, then smaller jars would fit.
Instructions
This process is so simple, you will wonder why you haven’t done this before now! Before beginning, make sure to sterilize the jars and lids, and thoroughly dry them before adding the flour. Any moisture in the jars or lids at all, and you could ruin the batch.
Preheat the oven to 215° Fahrenheit. Fill each sterilized jar, using the funnel, to the rim.
Tap down the jars to settle the flour so you can get more in each one. Fill it to the rim again. Repeat this step until you are sure the flour is settled down as much as it will go.
Place the filled jars on a baking tray or pan, so they don’t tip, then place in the oven WITHOUT lids. Heat for 90-120 minutes.
Once time is up, carefully remove each jar from the oven, one at a time. With a paper towel, wipe just the rim, so there isn’t any flour residue that could prevent a good seal.
Place the lid on and tight it. Leave them out on the counter for several hours or overnight to cool completely, and the lids should seal.
Let it cool before placing in a cool and dark storage space. Once they are cooled, you can also use a marker to write down the date you canned this batch. This will help to know when the shelf life is nearing its end.
And, that is it! You can safely keep your abundance of flour for a few years, without taking up so much bulky space that airtight containers can bring.
