‘Abdul-‘Aziz bin Abu Hazim said:

My father told me: I asked Sahl bin Sa’d: “Did you ever see dough made from well-sifted flour?” He said: “I never saw dough made from well-sifted flour until the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed away.” I said: “Did they have sieves at the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)?” He said: “I never saw a sieve until the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed away.” I said: “How did you eat barley that was not sifted?” He said: “We used to blow on it, and whatever flew away, flew away, and whatever was left we made dough with it.”

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الصَّبَّاحِ، وَسُوَيْدُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ أَبِي حَازِمٍ، حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي قَالَ، سَأَلْتُ سَهْلَ بْنَ سَعْدٍ هَلْ رَأَيْتَ النَّقِيَّ قَالَ مَا رَأَيْتُ النَّقِيَّ حَتَّى قُبِضَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏.‏ فَقُلْتُ فَهَلْ كَانَ لَهُمْ مَنَاخِلُ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ قَالَ مَا رَأَيْتُ مُنْخُلاً حَتَّى قُبِضَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏.‏ قُلْتُ فَكَيْفَ كُنْتُمْ تَأْكُلُونَ الشَّعِيرَ غَيْرَ مَنْخُولٍ قَالَ نَعَمْ نَنْفُخُهُ فَيَطِيرُ مِنْهُ مَا طَارَ وَمَا بَقِيَ ثَرَّيْنَاهُ ‏.‏