Objective To investigate the production procedures for moderately processed wheat flour, with the aim of improving milling efficiency, reducing raw material loss, and enhancing flour quality.Methods The milling process was conducted by regulating key steps (wheat conditioning, sifting, bran milling, and roll spacing adjustment). Flour quality was comprehensively evaluated based on flour yield and flour characteristics to determine the optimal moderate processing procedure.Results The roll spacing adjustment-non-conditioning process yielded the highest flour output (72.05 g/100 g), representing an increase of 8.96% compared to the control group and 14.24% compared to the non-conditioning process. Moreover, the protein content of flour obtained through the roll spacing adjustment-non-conditioning method increased by 7.97% compared to the non-conditioning method. Milling processes involving increased roll spacing, such as roll spacing adjustment-non-conditioning, roll spacing adjustment-second sifting, and roll spacing adjustment-second bran milling, resulted in increases in total phenolic content by 56.85%, 53.76%, and 40.38%, respectively, compared with the same processes using smaller roll spacing. The highest short-range ordered structure of wheat starch was observed under the roll spacing-adjusted bran milling process.Conclusion The roll spacing adjustment-non-conditioning process is the optimal moderate processing method for achieving overall superior flour quality. Appropriately increasing roll spacing during milling is a feasible strategy for moderate wheat processing, which can enhance the total phenolic and ash content of flour while reducing its whiteness.