One of the sweetest parts of sharing traditional cooking online is seeing all of you begin to experiment confidently in your own kitchens. As more and more people joined me on this baking journey, I realized I needed a simple way to describe the approach I was teaching.
That’s when I began using the phrase: The Maslin Method.
To learn more, watch the following video, then scroll down to read more about The Maslin Method and The Maslin Method Baking School Series.
The Maslin Method™, Maslin Flour Blends™, and The Maslin Method Baking School™ are original terms created by Mary Bryant Shrader to represent a traditionally-inspired approach to baking with a blend of whole grains to create nourishing baked goods where different grains are intentionally combined, each bringing its own unique nutrition, flavor, and character to the finished bake.
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Table of Contents
- A Quick Glance
- The Birth of the Term “The Maslin Method”
- What Are Maslin Flour Blends?
- The Heart Behind The Maslin Method Baking School
- Why These Terms Matter
- Looking Ahead in The Maslin Method Baking School Series
- More Maslin Method Videos
- Grand Teton Ancient Grains
- Grind Your Own Flour with the Mockmill
- The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
- The Modern Pioneer Pantry
- Start Your Traditional Foods Journey
- Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
- Kitchen Academy Videos
- Shop for My Favorite Items
A Quick Glance
Mary created The Maslin Method to give home bakers a simple, memorable way to:
- Understand traditional grain blending
- Create Maslin Flour Blends, and
- Bake nourishing whole grain breads with more confidence.
The Birth of the Term “The Maslin Method”
The word maslin itself is a very old historical term. Traditionally, maslin referred to mixed grains—often wheat and rye grown or milled together. Our ancestors understood that blending grains was practical, economical, and often produced wonderful bread.
However, I needed more than just a word to describe the broader traditional baking philosophy that uses maslin. That’s why I coined the phrase: The Maslin Method.
The Maslin Method is not simply about mixing two grains together. It’s about returning to the old-fashioned wisdom of combining grains in ways that make baking more approachable, more flexible, and often more nutritious too.
What Are Maslin Flour Blends?
As I continued teaching, another phrase naturally followed: Maslin Flour Blends.
I created this phrase to describe the flour mixtures we use throughout this baking series.
When many modern bakers think about bread, they often imagine using only one flour—usually modern sifted flour, such as all-purpose flour or bread flour. But historically, home bakers frequently blended grains depending on what they had available in the pantry, what grew well locally, and what flavors and textures they enjoyed most.
That spirit of flexibility is at the heart of Maslin Flour Blends.
What Makes Maslin Flour Blends?
A Maslin Flour Blend might include:
- Hard red wheat, einkorn, and barley
- Hard white wheat, spelt, and rye
- A heritage wheat, emmer, and oats
There’s no single “perfect” formula.
Instead, The Maslin Method encourages home bakers to learn the personality of each grain and discover combinations that work beautifully for their own kitchens and families.
And perhaps most importantly, these blends often create doughs that are gentler and easier to work with than using one single whole grain flour alone.
The Heart Behind The Maslin Method Baking School
For this series of videos, I realized we weren’t simply sharing recipes. We were building a way of learning together.
That’s how the phrase “The Maslin Method Baking School” came to life.
I wanted this series to feel welcoming and encouraging—like gathering together in a cozy kitchen with cups of tea, flour-dusted aprons, and loaves rising nearby. This school isn’t a rigid culinary place of learning. It’s a traditional baking school rooted in old-world kitchen wisdom.
What The Maslin Method Baking School Teaches Us
Together, we’re learning:
- How to work with a variety of grains, including ancient grains
- How to mill whole grain into fresh-milled flour
- How to create nourishing breads
- How to make dough easier to handle
- And how to bring traditional baking back into everyday home life
In many ways, The Maslin Method Baking School is really about rediscovering confidence in the kitchen.
Why These Terms Matter
Some of my sweet friends told me you searched online for these phrases and couldn’t find them anywhere except here in my kitchen.
And the answer is simple: You found these phrases here because they began here.
I created these terms as teaching tools to explain a traditional baking style in a simple and approachable way. Sometimes we need language that helps us describe what we’re learning together. These phrases are part of the shared vocabulary of our wonderful baking community.
Honestly, that feels very special to me. Because what we’re building together is more than just a collection of recipes. We’re preserving old-fashioned kitchen wisdom for a new generation of home bakers.
Looking Ahead in The Maslin Method Baking School Series
As we continue through this series together, we’ll keep exploring:
- Grain blending
- Fresh milling
- Traditional dough techniques
- Whole grain baking
- Ancient grains
- Sourdough methods
- And practical ways to make homemade bread part of everyday life
Little by little, loaf by loaf, we’re bringing these beautiful traditions back into our modern kitchens.
And I couldn’t be happier to be on this journey with all of you! 🤗
More Maslin Method Videos
Baking with Whole Grains: The Maslin Method, Grain Mills, and America’s Bread Basket
Explore whole grain baking with The Maslin Method, fresh-milled flour, grain mills, heritage wheats, and more.
A Sweet Season of Celebration and New Beginnings with The Maslin Method Baking School Series
Celebrate the close of a heartfelt book tour and the exciting launch of The Maslin Method Baking School for traditional baking.
How to Bake The Modern Pioneer Flagship Maslin Hearth Loaf
Bake a nourishing whole grain hearth loaf with the Maslin Method using blended flours for balanced flavor, texture, and structure.
Grand Teton Ancient Grains
Check out the organic berries and flours available from Grand Teton Ancient Grains. I love their high-quality Einkorn, Emmer, Spelt, Millet, and more you can get to create nutritious and delicious baked goods.
Exclusive Newsletter Discount Code
Sign up for my Mary’s Nest newsletter for an exclusive discount code you can use on your order of berries and flours. This discount is available for a limited time, so be sure to stock up on the Ancient Grains you would enjoy using to bake delightful breads, desserts, and more.
And if you’re looking for a grain mill to make fresh flour from your wheat berries, I recommend the Mockmill electric grain grinder. (See below.)
Grind Your Own Flour with the Mockmill
When it comes to electric grain mills, after I did A LOT of research, I decided to buy a Mockmill. And am I so happy I did! The Mockmill is a very affordable but beautifully crafted German-made mill that stone grinds grain with settings ranging from 1 to 10—fine to coarse ground grain.
Learn more about Mockmill electric grain mills for making fresh flour and their Flake Lover’s Flaker that flakes whole grain in minutes. (This is not a sponsored post. I bought the Mockmill products that I show you, and I’m a happy user of their devices in my kitchen.)
- Get the Mockmill 100 Stone Grain Mill (Same product I show you in my unboxing video.)
- Mockmill 100 Grain Mill unboxing
- Flake Lover’s Flaker from Mockmill in action (Using this device, you can flake whole grain in minutes.)
Order YOUR COPY Now!
The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
Seasonal ingredients, traditional techniques, and nourishing recipes. Over 85 traditional, from-scratch recipes! Discover for yourself how you can use simple ingredients and traditional techniques to cook the modern pioneer way.
Order YOUR COPY Now!
The Modern Pioneer Pantry
Simple ingredients, timeless techniques, and a well-stocked pantry. Discover over 100 nourishing recipes to preserve food and turn pantry staples into homemade meals. Build a wholesome, traditional pantry—just like a modern pioneer!
Start Your Traditional Foods Journey
Sharing my passion for traditional cooking goes beyond my YouTube cooking school—it also comes to life in the pages of my cookbooks. Both of my books, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook and The Modern Pioneer Pantry, are proudly published by Penguin Random House.
The first is filled with time-honored recipes to help you create a traditional foods kitchen, while the second is your complete guide to home food preservation. Order both books today to start or continue your traditional foods journey.
Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
For an extensive list of the traditional foods you can make and purchase to stock your pantry, be sure to download my free 36-page Traditional Foods Pantry List. This comprehensive eBook is full of links to recipe videos, helpful articles, and more!
Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
Are you looking for more traditional foods videos? If so, I invite you to join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy. Members of this optional paid YouTube community get access to exclusive videos and other members-only perks. Plus, your YouTube comments include a special members-only badge.
Kitchen Academy Videos
Why We Should Incorporate Mackerel Into Our Diet
Easy and nourishing ways to enjoy mackerel into your meals.
The Gentle Power of Fermented Beverages—All Year Long
Learn how fermented beverages gently support digestion year-round, shifting with the seasons to nourish the gut through traditional, living drinks.
How to Make Oatmeal Higher in Protein (The Old-Fashioned Way)
Turn simple oats into a hearty, protein-rich porridge.
Stay in Touch with Mary’s Nest
- Subscribe to My YouTube Channel for Traditional Foods Videos (Free) - When you subscribe, be sure to click on the notification bell that will let you know each time I upload a new video.
- Subscribe to Mary’s Traditional Foods Newsletter (Free) - Get a free 36-page eBook for signing up: How to Stock Your Essential Traditional Foods Four-Corners Pantry.
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy - For more detailed videos and exclusive members-only perks, join my YouTube membership community.
- Order The Modern Pioneer Cookbook - Get a hardcover book of Mary's nourishing recipes from a Traditional Foods Kitchen. This bestselling cookbook is published by Penguin Random House with their DK imprint.
- Order The Modern Pioneer Pantry - Get Mary's latest hardcover cookbook about preserving food and making delicious meals from your Four Corners Pantry. Mary's second cookbook is also published by Penguin Random House.
I look forward to having you join me in my Texas Hill Country Kitchen!
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