Grain mill

[wy0mn]

Can anyone give me an honest review for home grain mills?
These things aren't cheap & I won't invest the money if they are junk.

Thanks
Lex

[elh]

We purchased Diamant about 10 years ago. Put a 1/2/ horse motor on it and it works wonderful. It was expensive even then but one family will not wear it out.

[Shamrock1121]

There are good things and not-so-good things about all grain mills, which is why I have a bevy of them - one doesn't do everything I need done, so you may also need other mills or attachments to do a wide variety of milling if you really get into it, like I have.

If you are looking for only one mill for general use flour, I'd suggest an impact (also called a micronizer) type mill - a Nutrimill. It mills quickly and it mills flour from super-fine to coarse. You MUST have fine flour if you want to use the flour for pastry, cake, and quick breads. Coarse flour only makes coarse bread and baked goods and I don't think you'd care for the results. The Nutrimill will also mill corn into a fine corn meal.

It's just as important to know your grains/beans/seeds that you will use as it is what mill you purchase. If you consider wheat only, I keep hard wheat (white and red varieties, as well as winter and spring varieties) for yeast and sourdough bread. Soft white wheat for things that require less gluten development (pastry, cake, cookies, etc.), and durum wheat for pasta making. But I also use a large number of other grains/seeds/beans for milling. I also bake all breads and baked goods using freshly milled grain/seed/bean flour. I use very little commercial flour.

I have an old Whisper Mill (the original impact mill) - which is now called a Wonder Mill and use it a couple times a week (or more) and have used it for over a decade. When it quits, I'll order a Nutrimill. These mills are self-cleaning and easy to set up, use, and store.

In order to make flakes, coarse flour or farina, and chopped grain, I use a (hand-crank) Marga Roller Grain Mill. I make my own multi-grain cereals (for cooked cereal and added texture to bread), and cream of wheat or rice with this machine, as well as flakes - oat flakes, or spelt, triticale, etc. I also make my own bulgur by cooking wheat and drying it in the oven. I use the Marga Roller Grain Mill for coarsely chopping it.

Most mills can't do the tiny seeds or oily seeds, so I also have a Seed Mill (hand) to process things like teff, amaranth, sesame, poppy, and flax.

I also have a Corona Corn Mill (hand) for processing corn meal or coarse flour. I like medium or coarse corn meal, and there's nothing more wonderful than cornbread made with freshly-milled corn meal.

Another mill I have is a Family Grain Mill as my back-up mill. I would use it should the electricity be off for any length of time, although I also have the electric motor to run it as well. You can also get different attachments for this mill, including a flaker, so it's a good investment when you consider it's diversity. The flour from this mill is not as fine as I'd like - you have to pass the grain through the mill and then pass the flour through again to get a fairly fine flour.

Using a hand mill may sound so "back-to-nature", but I assure you it gets old real fast. It takes me anywhere from 3 hours to all day (sourdough bread takes longer than yeast bread) to make bread and when I had a hand mill, it took 30-45 minutes of milling to get enough flour milled. Now that I have carpal tunnel in both arms as well as tennis elbow and arthritis in my fingers (I was a professional knitter and crocheter for too many years), milling by hand isn't a good option for me.

I'm making 100% whole wheat bread this morning and it took me a couple minutes to mill the flour with my impact mill.

You also have to consider where are you going to store or attach a mill. Bigger mills are more difficult to use and store.

Hubby made me a grain cart (on wheels) that has a thick wooden top where I can clamp my mills/grinders when I use them, and then store them underneath when not in use. The Whisper Mill/Wonder Mill and Nutrimill do NOT require any type of clamp - they are easy to use on any flat surface, are lightweight, small and easy to store and are self-cleaning (you need to wash the container the flour falls into, and the lid on it on a Wonder Mill - but that's it). I also have a shelf for a variety of grains/beans/seeds vacuum-sealed in canning jars on the cart. The grain cart stores out of the way in a corner of my kitchen.

If you get a mill that has to clamp or screw to a solid surface, you need to think about that. You also need to store mills in a dry location. Some have metal parts that can rust. If it's a hand mill, you want the mill to be at a level that makes milling by hand easy-to-do.

Make sure you have extra grinding burrs for your mill if you choose one with burrs. Burrs occasionally break or pieces of them can shred (especially if you get a small stone in your grain that passes through the mill), so you need the extra set so that you can continue milling.

Stone mills are even more tiresome. If you get grain that's a bit on the damp side you can glaze the stones over - have to remove and clean them, so having an extra set is also a good idea. Stone mills are also famous for chipping and breaking if you aren't careful to use triple-cleaned grains/seeds/beans. The stones are usually made from manmade stone.

A mill that mills with stones or burrs will not mill as fine a flour as a micronizer mill, but many stone mills do a really good job on the flour. I'd avoid a burr mill for flour for pastry/cake. The flour from them are just too coarse.

Emergency Essentials is offering the new Wonder Mill Junior Hand Grain and Flour Mill that looks pretty good for occasional or emergency use ($219.95 - reg. $295.95), or if you use part commercial white flour as well as whole wheat. But if you are serious and make all your bake goods and use nearly all wholegrain flours, you'd really enjoy a Nutrimill (around $269.99-$279.99) and would get more use out of it.

-Karen

[bee_pipes]

Wow! Thanks a lot Karen. This is a good rundown from somebody using these mills. I have been looking at reviews on the web with the intention of "someday" taking the plunge - it's nice to see a quick summary like this. Of particular interest was the part on how long it took you to make enough flour and how much time it added to your baking.

Regards,
Pat

[WRTN]

I have been looking at grain mills but with so many out there clueless as to which is the best mill to buy.

Let me echo Pat's comments. Thanks!

[RangerRick]

We have a Family Grain Mill as primary as it does a good job with the manual crank and also has an adapter that does well on Sweeties Kitchen Aid so rather we are on or off grid we're grinding. We also have a corona which isn't worth the effort.

Rick

[wy0mn]

Absolutely wowed!
Gotta have my gal read this, shes the culinary artiste. I used to brag about my cooking skills, until I married a better cook.
Flour, another of those things I've taken for granted. I jokingly showed her a pic of a metate the other day, remind me NOT to do that again.
Thanks again.
Lex

[lostinthewoods]

Anyone use a Vitamix to grind flour. That is supposed to be one of their claims to fame, it'll do anything even grind flour.

lost

[karlsgunbunker]

Anyone use a Vitamix to grind flour. *That is supposed to be one of their claims to fame, it'll do anything even grind flour.

lost

My brother used to do it.
Started with raw wheat and ended up with dough.
I don't know the specifics but the bread was very good.
He was in college at TAMU and on a very limited budget.
He made bread for the family every day with the Vitamix.
I think his inlaws gave it to him.

[aprilconnett]

So before I invest this HUGE amount of $$$, I would like to try milling my own flour. I need to know if it is something I will actually do, or if it is a phase I am going through. Can I use my Magic Bullet or an inexpensive coffee grinder to get started?

april

[Shamrock1121]

So before I invest this HUGE amount of $$$, I would like to try milling my own flour. *I need to know if it is something I will actually do, or if it is a phase I am going through. *Can I use my Magic Bullet or an inexpensive coffee grinder to get started?

april

I wouldn't use the Magic Bullet. Blenders are completely different than mills and you'll never get flour fine enough for baked goods. Fine flour is THE key to all bake goods you'll make with any kind of flour. The hard grains could also scratch the plastic of the cover. Check the owner's manual and see if they even recommend using it for grain.

A coffee/spice mill is a better choice, but you can only do small amounts at a time and avoid large items like corn or garbanzo or fava beans (fava bean flour is often added to Italian breads). When you need 3-5 cups of flour to make bread, it's not going to be a fun task. I use my coffee/spice mill for flax (2-3 cups per week - which I add to nearly all baked goods and our morning smoothie). It's also a fairly good mill for small amounts of rice flour or some soft grains like buckwheat when you only need a small amount of flour.

Check at your local County Extension Office and see if they have a grain mill you can use. I know ours has an old Magic Mill. They let people come up to the office and mill some flour to take home with them. Just remember to store the freshly-milled flour in your freezer and use it within a week or you'll defeat the purpose of using it - the high amount of nutrients only found in freshly-milled flour.

Take a look at Sue Greggs web site - www.suegregg.com - for recipes that use whole grains without having to mill them into flour. She has recipes for Blender Corn Bread that uses whole dried corn and Blender Pancake that you can use a variety of grains.

Some health food stores will also mill grains into flour for you. So that might be another source for giving it a try.

-Karen

[karlsgunbunker]

I bought one of these.
http://www.majorsurplus.com/Cast-Iron-Grain-Grinder-P14098.aspx
Same kind my parents had when I was a teenager.
My job was to grind the wheat.
The flour is not as fine as some of the more expensive mills but you can grind it twice for finer flour.

[aprilconnett]

Shamrock,

Thank you so much for your reply. Money is incredibly tight at my house. The trailer we bought could politely be termed a "fixer-upper", so any spare change goes there.

I already use store bought whole wheat flour, but like you said, most of the goodness is gone by the time I even buy it. I just have always preferred the taste. I found a bread machine at a yard sale, and I actually use it. Especially now that we have figured out that hubby is allergic to high fructose corn syrup. I like knowing what goes into my food.

Whole Foods has the whole wheat berries, but no in-store grinder. That is the only health food store I know of in our area. I will definitely call the local coop. ext. I would never have thought of that. Is there any brand of coffe grinder that would work better? I was in a store today and they had a coffee grinder for $80. It said on the box that it had "burr gears"? Or would I be OK with the $15 model from the Evil Empire (aks Wal-Mart)?

Thank you so much for all of the info so far. I made hubby read all of it before I informed him that I want to do this. He's also putting me off about the soap making supplies. I think he wants to see if I will forget that I want to try these things. hehe

One more question (for now): If I grind oats into flour, do I still have the one-week window? I threw some into the Magic Bullet the other day and I had flour in 30 seconds. I put some into the bread that day. Yummy.

april

[Shamrock1121]

Shamrock,

Thank you so much for your reply. *Money is incredibly tight at my house. *The trailer we bought could politely be termed a "fixer-upper", so any spare change goes there. *

I already use store bought whole wheat flour, but like you said, most of the goodness is gone by the time I even buy it. * I just have always preferred the taste. *I found a bread machine at a yard sale, and I actually use it. *Especially now that we have figured out that hubby is allergic to high fructose corn syrup. *I like knowing what goes into my food.

Whole Foods has the whole wheat berries, but no in-store grinder. *That is the only health food store I know of in our area. *I will definitely call the local coop. ext. *I would never have thought of that. *Is there any brand of coffe grinder that would work better? *I was in a store today and they had a coffee grinder for $80. *It said on the box that it had "burr gears"? *Or would I be OK with the $15 model from the Evil Empire (aks Wal-Mart)?

Thank you so much for all of the info so far. *I made hubby read all of it before I informed him that I want to do this. *He's also putting me off about the soap making supplies. *I think he wants to see if I will forget that I want to try these things. hehe

One more question (for now): If I grind oats into flour, do I still have the one-week window? I threw some into the Magic Bullet the other day and I had flour in 30 seconds. *I put some into the bread that day. *Yummy.

april

Sorry I missed your questions April....

I'd NEVER spend $80 for a coffee/spice mill :o, I'd save up and get a grain mill instead, and purchase a cheap coffee/spice mill in the meantime, or look for one at garage sales or thrift stores. I wouldn't plan on doing a lot of grain milling in a coffee/spice mill, but they usually do a great job on flax, which I add to everything I bake.

Here's my "easy" savings program and perhaps you will find it helpful towards funding some of your wishes and wants. I budget and pay myself $20 per month for giving myself a haircut and put it into the savings account ($240 a year). That's the amount I would have been paying someone else to do it. Add to that, I save all my $1 bills - an idea I heard Neal Boortz talk about on his radio program years ago. This is how I save for Christmas/Emergency Fund. Because I use cash only (a weekly budgeted amount) for general household and grocery purchases, it's easy to accumulate the $1 bills. I added $50 to the savings account this month, and $78 last month, to give you an idea of how it accumulates. If you normally use a debit or credit card for such purchases, this idea won't work as well for you as it does for me.

Here's another point to ponder... I posted this in another thread (RECIPES - Bread & Biscuits, I think). Freshly milled whole wheat flour is costing me about 15 cents for 3 cups of flour - enough for a 1.5-pound loaf. How much are you spending on commercial whole wheat flour? You can make approx. 80 loaves (1.5-pound loaves) with a bushel of wheat.

I assume you are milling OATMEAL, and not whole oat grains (aka oat groats), in your blender. It's really unnecessary to mill oatmeal for adding to bread. It readily breaks down and is a common add-in to yeast breads. Be careful and don't add too much oat flour - your bread will be gummy.

Here's a snack cake recipe that uses ground oat flour (ground from oatmeal). I mill oat flour from whole oat groats for maximum freshness and nutrition, just like I mill wheat. Because oatmeal is already processed, the oat flour milled in the blender will keep just like the oatmeal would. The nutrients have already degraded once the grain was crushed and the bran was broken on the whole grain. Once again, because you are using a processed food, it lacks much of the nutrients present when freshly milled from the whole grain.

Banana Crunch Cake

Crunch Topping:
3/4 c. oatmeal (quick or old-fashioned, uncooked)
1/3 c. firmly packed brown sugar
2 T. butter or margarine, melted
2 T. chopped nuts (I usually use pecans.)
1/2 t. cinnamon

Combine all ingredients; mix well.

Cake:
1/2 c. butter or margarine
2/3 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 c. mashed banana
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 c. ground oat flour*
3/4 c. all-purpose flour (I use freshly-milled soft white wheat, rye or spelt flour, but regular whole wheat flour will also work)
1 t. salt
1 t. soda
1/2 c. chopped nuts, if desired
(I also add 3 T. flaxmeal)

Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy; blend in banana, eggs and vanilla. Gradually add (by hand) combined dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition. Stir in nuts. Pour into greased 9-inch square baking pan; sprinkle crunch topping evenly over batter. Bake in preheated moderate oven (350°F) 40-45 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

*How to make your own Ground Oat Flour:

1. Place 1-1/2 c. oatmeal (quick or old-fashioned, uncooked) in a blender or food processor.

2. Blend or process for about 60 seconds. Makes about 1 c. ground oat flour.

3. Store in tightly covered container in cool dry place up to six months (or in the refrigerator or freezer).

4. Use for baking, breading, thickening or dredging and browning. When used in baking, substitute up to but not more than 1/3 of the all-purpose flour called for with oat flour.

-Karen

[humbug]

Karen the banana cake sounds really good. I am putting it on my baking list this week.

[aprilconnett]

Thanks, again.

Could I get oat groats from Whole Foods? I am assuming that I cannot put them in The magic bullet, either? I might be fooling myself, but I use "old-fashioned" oats thinking they are not as processed as other oatmeal.

I have seen a coffee grinder at WM for around $15-$20. It claims to have three levels of grind. I haven't been on the side of town that has the Goodwill store. They usually have better "junk" than the Salvation Army. Where I struck out.

I cannot begin to thank you enough for answering all of my questions. I know I am not exactly a "homesteader" since I live in a trailer park, but would like to do what I can.

april

[Shamrock1121]

Thanks, again.

Could I get oat groats from Whole Foods? *I am assuming that I cannot put them in The magic bullet, either? *I might be fooling myself, but I use "old-fashioned" oats thinking they are not as processed as other oatmeal. *

I have seen a coffee grinder at WM for around $15-$20. *It claims to have three levels of grind. *I haven't been on the side of town that has the Goodwill store. *They usually have better "junk" than the Salvation Army. *Where I struck out.

I cannot begin to thank you enough for answering all of my questions. *I know I am not exactly a * "homesteader" since I live in a trailer park, but would like to do what I can.

april

I was a "homesteader" in a trailer park for years because that's the best we could do while we were so dang poor, poverty level would have been a step-up for us ;). Nothing wrong with that, other than owning a mobile home is akin to owning a dead horse when it comes time to get rid of it. That and their value is always going down so that makes them a bad investment in most cases.

I really don't know if you can get oat groats at Whole Foods. I've never been in one and the closest one is 4 or 5 hours away. I live out in the middle of nowhere in small-town-ville - out in the middle of pastures full of cattle and wheat fields.

Yes, you've been fooling yourself about oatmeal, most people are.... Just as most people fool themselves about commercial whole wheat flour.

But I digress... Anytime you break the seed coat - the bran - on grain, the nutrition quickly comes in contact with oxygen and this eventually destroys the nutrition. The seed oils quickly degrade and go rancid once in contact with oxygen. That's why it's important to mill and use grains as-soon-as-possible after milling for maximum nutrition.

Old-fashioned and quick rolled oats are a processed food, even though they are a whole grain food. They have been softened slightly by steaming, then flattened between steel rollers. Once the seed is flattened, the bran on the grain is destroyed, the oils and nutrition quickly begins to degrade from exposure to oxygen.

Quick-cooking oats are made the same as old-fashioned rolled oats, except they have been cut into three or four slices before being flattened by steel rollers. This reduces the cooking time. In other words, they are made the same as old-fashioned rolled oats, just cut into smaller pieces.

Steel-cut oats are a trendy "health" food ever since Oprah announced she eats them. Bob's Red Mill couldn't keep up with production, because that was the kind Oprah ate. Although this type of oatmeal is the least processed, it has the same problems as the others. The oat is sliced lengthwise with sharp steel blades so they will cook a bit quicker than whole oat groats. The problem, once again, is that the bran on the grain has been cut and the nutrition and oils degrade from exposure to oxygen.

This is why I make my own steel-cut oats, oat flakes or oat flour from whole oat groats. So I can have the most nutrition possible from them. I freshly-mill/flake all our cooked cereals (cream of wheat, cream of rice, or multi-grain cereals).

Another recipe...this one uses whole oat groats, not oat flour. You can substitute millet for the buckwheat, if you like.

Oat Groat Pancakes

Source: The Splendid Grain - by Rebecca Wood.

(Note: I add 2 T. of whey, yogurt or kefir to this recipe along with the milk to achieve a reduction of the phytic acid in the grain.)

2/3 c. oat groats
1/3 c. buckwheat groats, toasted (Kasha)
1-1/4 c. milk or soy milk (I add 2 T. whey, yogurt, or kefir)
3 large eggs
2 T. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 t. sea salt
2 T. Sucanat or light brown sugar (I use 2 T. Agave Nectar)
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. grated nutmeg

Combine (put in the blender, but do not blend yet) the oats, buckwheat, and milk (and whey, yogurt, or kefir) in a blender container. Cover with the lid and let soak refrigerated overnight or for 8 hours.

(The next morning.) Blend until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and process to combine. Preheat a griddle. Drop the batter by the ladleful onto the griddle and bake for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden. Serve hot with the usual pancake accompaniments.

-Karen

[bookwormom]

I think I posted this already, but it might bear repeating. since I do not have a mill, (I bought a vita mix instead since it has more functions) I started soaking grains, anywhere from overnight to a couple of days until the
wheat is thinking of sprouting. this now soft and wet wheat I put in the bender and blend to a mush. maybe this would work with your magic bullet April. I add salt and yeast, have to add some flour to make a stiffer dough for bread, so it is not 100% fresh wheat, still much cheaper and much better than storebought. It makes the absolut best pancakes. I grind the wheat, using a bit more liquid, add salt, egg and baking powder and am ready to go. I am hankering for a mill, but for right now I am doing the best I can and it works out very well.

[msta999]

Anyone know how good a Oster kitchen center is as far as being used as a mill? I found a used one for 75.00, but don't know anything about them.

[aprilconnett]

You guys are not gonna believe this!!! I am so excited!!!! We were on the way to giant Goodwill downtown, and discovered a NEW thrift store en route. I was looking at the junk, just to see what they had. (In actuality, I was looking for a stick blender to make soap.) What I found was . . . aprilMagic Mill III grain mill. For only $3.00!!!! I did a happy dance in the store.

I have some questions, though. DO I really need a filter to put in it? How about the cup on the inside?

[Deberosa]

You guys are not gonna believe this!!! *I am so excited!!!! *We were on the way to giant Goodwill downtown, and discovered a NEW thrift store en route. *I was looking at the junk, just to see what they had. *(In actuality, I was looking for a stick blender to make soap.) *What I found was . . . aprilMagic Mill III grain mill. *For only $3.00!!!! *I did a happy dance in the store. *

I have some questions, though. *DO I really need a filter to put in it? *How about the cup on the inside?


What a great find! Sorry, I don't know anything about them but someone here will for sure. That is the kind of thing I am hoping to find in my shopping!

[wy0mn]

Product Review:
Smart Cook manual grain mill. (eBay cheapie)
Heavy crude cast iron, coated with 10W40.
Compression spacer broken within 5min of assembly.
End of review.

Sometimes we pay for the lessons we learn, whether its in a formal setting or not.

I still want a manual one for off-grid, non-inverted power.

[Shamrock1121]

Product Review:
Smart Cook manual grain mill. (eBay cheapie)
Heavy crude cast iron, coated with 10W40.
Compression spacer broken within 5min of assembly.
End of review.

Sometimes we pay for the lessons we learn, whether its in a formal setting or not.

I still want a manual one for off-grid, non-inverted power.

Been there, dun that!!! Only I purchased 2 that were a piece of crap before getting one that was actually worth anything, and it's been well worth the price.

I ordered a Nutrimill this morning from Emergency Essentials, along with a few other things. They were having a Mother's Day Special on them and Pleasant Hill was out of them (manufacturer not keeping up with this "Y2K" demand).

-Karen

[AllAmerican]

Wow, Sure am glad I bought my Nutrimill from Pleasant Hill Sunday night. I have been milling my wheat with a friend's Nutrimill and have had WONDERFUL results with it and decided to spend the $249.99 for it. BTW, I THINK my bread might actually turn out alright. I will update y'all on the other post after I bake em.

[wy0mn]

I might be able to fix this P.O.S., and I may not. Who makes a good manual grainmill?

[Shamrock1121]

I might be able to fix this P.O.S., and I may not. Who makes a good manual grainmill?

wy0mn,

Are you going to use it on a regular basis or is it just for if the SHTF?

I have a Family Grain Mill as my manual back-up mill and also got the motor base for it:
http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/family_grain_mills.aspx.

You'd be happy to have the motor if you are going to use it on a regular basis. It will do a pretty good job (just be sure to pass the flour through twice). But you can also mill by hand - nice to have options.

I've been eyeing the Wondermill Junior Deluxe: https://www.usaemergencysupply.com/emergency_supplies/wondermill_junior_deluxe.htm

I think that little mill has a lot of potential (especially the deluxe model over the basic model). You can mill all kinds of things with it because you have 2 types of heads - stone and stainless steel burrs. I'd suggest purchasing an extra set of both heads - they can break or a piece chip out.

I haven't seen it in person, don't know anyone who has or has used it, but I don't think I'd hesitate to invest in this little mill. It just has a lot of the "better" features and seems well-engineered. I've been tempted to purchase it since I saw it for the first time a couple months ago. May designate some of the Tax Rebate for it.... ;)

-Karen

[wy0mn]

With MY Karen, I'd end up using it full time! Shes a great cook and fresh flour would be an ingredient par excellence!
I'm a tinker, and I'm quite certain I can rig a manual mill to a stationary bicycle... gotta have some plan for the extra calories :) .
Thanks for the lynx, I'll have the hussy check them out.
(Sheee, I didn't say that! I haven't built a doghouse yet.)
Lex

[DavidOH]

Thanks Lex for posting this. I've been thinking about it too.

THANK YOU Karen for your information, and the great links.

http://beprepared.com/category.asp_Q_c_E_462_A_Wheat+Grinders

http://www.lehmans.com/jump.jsp?itemID=708&itemType=CATEGORY&iMainCat=701 &iSubCat=708&show48=1

[Shamrock1121]

Thanks Lex for posting this. I've been thinking about it too.

THANK YOU Karen for your information, and the great links.

http://beprepared.com/category.asp_Q_c_E_462_A_Wheat+Grinders

http://www.lehmans.com/jump.jsp?itemID=708&itemType=CATEGORY&iMainCat=701 &iSubCat=708&show48=1



I clicked on Lehman's web site and looked at their price for wheat. I bought a 25# bag of Prairie Gold Wheat for $5 last Thursday at Wal-Mart and Lehman's are charging $34.95. I'd suggest getting it directly from Wheat Montana - http://www.wheatmontana.com/ $12.08

-Karen

[Bruenor]

Hi everyone. I'm slowly working my way up to buying my own grain mill. Right now I'm on the "Learn how to bake something that looks like bread" step using commercial flower. Once I determine if I should even be allowed near baking equipment, I plan on moving my way up to freshly milled flour.

I do have a quick question. From what I understand, you mainly have a hand-crank mill for small/emergency use, but there are also mills that hook up to a motor of some kind for high volume production. Do you think it would be possible to hook the mill up instead to a bicycle, have one person on the bike and another feeding the grain into the mill? My thought is that, for the times when you don't have electricity available, this would be a lot quicker and require less effort than cranking the mill by hand.

Any thoughts?

[Shamrock1121]

Hi everyone. *I'm slowly working my way up to buying my own grain mill. *Right now I'm on the "Learn how to bake something that looks like bread" step using commercial flower. * Once I determine if I should even be allowed near baking equipment, I plan on moving my way up to freshly milled flour. *

I do have a quick question. *From what I understand, you mainly have a hand-crank mill for small/emergency use, but there are also mills that hook up to a motor of some kind for high volume production. *Do you think it would be possible to hook the mill up instead to a bicycle, have one person on the bike and another feeding the grain into the mill? *My thought is that, for the times when you don't have electricity available, this would be a lot quicker and require less effort than cranking the mill by hand.

Any thoughts?

Here you gooooooooooooo... - Karen

http://countrylivinggrainmills.com/country7.html

http://www.kansaswindpower.net/Country_Living_Grain_Mill.htm (look towards the bottom of the page)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YpwLP3bv8k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHFddrwvQIQ

[wy0mn]

Awesome & funny Karen! Thank you.
I'm a great believer in bicycle powered HPV & machinery. But having seen this in operation... I may play with a flywheel & treadle (like Grannys sewing machine); you could sit at your kitchen station & reach things easier I think.
I repaired my castiron mill, its operational once more :) .
Lex

[gsb]

Does anyone have an opinion on the "Back to Basics Grain Mill" from Walton Feed 55.00$? I bought a 20.00$ one off ebay and it dosen't seem to grind fine enough. I am new to home ground grain. What kind of texture should it have? Mine was like fine sand after 3 time threw the mill. Coarser than corn meal. Is this how it should look? Any help would be great. This mill will fit my budget.

[Shamrock1121]

Does anyone have an opinion on the "Back to Basics Grain Mill" from Walton Feed 55.00$? I bought a 20.00$ one off ebay and it dosen't seem to grind fine enough. *I am new to home ground grain. *What kind of texture should it have? *Mine was like fine sand after 3 time threw the mill. *Coarser than corn meal. *Is this how it should look? *Any help would be great. *This mill will fit my budget.

The Basic Grain Mill was my first piece-of-crap mill and not even worth $20. You have to run the flour back through the mill again and even then it's only good for chicken feed or home-milled cream of wheat for cooked cereal.

It takes finely milled flour to make a fine-grain loaf of bread (like the commercial bread we are used to). It would never make flour fine enough for making a cake or pastry (remember - man shall not live by bread alone ;). With the Basic Grain Mill all you get is coarse flour and all you'll end up with is coarse bread. That and it takes 2 people a LOT of time to mill enough flour to even make one loaf of bread.

If you are going to make bread using this machine, run the grain through, then run the flour through the mill again. Use the two stage process for breadmaking by Sue Gregg. The overnight soak will aid the bread process a LOT when using coarse flour!

www.suegregg.com/about/whitetowhole.htm - scroll down and click on The Two Stage Process


I milled 5 pounds of wheat this morning in about 30 seconds using my old Whispermill. It would have take several hours of hard work with the Basic Grain Mill.

-Karen

[gsb]

Karen I decided to get a mid range mill. I bought a Blendtec kitchen mill that according to the tracking number should be here today. :D So my next baking day will be with home ground wheat. :D I hope i made a good choice?.!

[Shamrock1121]

Karen I decided to get a mid range mill. I bought a Blendtec kitchen mill that according to the tracking number should be here today. :D So my next baking day will be with home ground wheat. :D I hope i made a good choice?.!

:D ANOTHER CONVERT!!! WOO HOO!!! It's not a mill I'm familiar with, but I sure hope you get great results.

Be sure to get a pair of ear-plugs to wear while milling. Most electric mills will "kill" your ears. My first mill was horrible and I made the kids leave the kitchen when I milled and I ALWAYS wear ear plugs.

Here's a link for my favorite whole wheat cookie recipe:

Whole Wheat Sugar Cookies
http://kansaswheat.org/general.asp?id=470

Kansas Wheat Commission
(for more recipes, many recipes use whole wheat)
http://kansaswheat.org/general.asp?id=171

-Karen

[gsb]

Karen, my wife is the sweet baker, I will have her try these, i Like sugar cookies. My bread has turned out great, big loafs, fluffy, great tasting. But i still buy white bread flour i really llike white bread. Thanks for the tips.

[aprilconnett]

Thanks for the sites!!! I have not been happy with the taste of my 100% whole wheat bread the last two times I have tried it in the breadmaker. Still using store bought wheat flour til I can order the parts for my mill. I need to bake bread today, and I will use the recipe from the site you posted. You truly are an inspiration!! Thanks for all that you post and explain to us beginners.

[High_Desert]

After several months of waiting, (backorder), my Nutrimill showed up last night. Another big step for us. IF I can make my own bread this year AND the tomatoes live, it will be a banner year. ;D

Thank you Karen for all the help you give us all.

HD

[aprilconnett]

Got the parts for my grain mill, today!!! I am so excited. Now, I have to buy wheat to mill.

[WRTN]

The wife's birthday is coming up in September and she loves to bake cakes, bread, and various things as a hobby and to teach the girls. I ordered a Nutrimill and a Back to Basics Hand Crank Manual Grain Mill Model # 555 as an SHTF emergency backup and for courser stuff like corn bread. I ordered it from Basic Living through Amazon.com

http://basicliving.com/index.php


I will post our impressions once we have run a few batches of grain through it.

[EarthMother]

Anyone know how good a Oster kitchen center is as far as being used as a mill? I found a used one for 75.00, but don't know anything about them.

I had an oster kitchen center for a few years. While a good mixer/blender I don't think it will hold up under heavy use. When the Oster motor burned I bought the smallest commercial Kitchen Aid mixer and it does any chore I need done. I am trying to decide on getting the milling attatchment or going out and buying a grain mill. I thought that I read a post here on the Kitchen Aid not being able to grind very much flour. Does anyone know about the kitchen Aid grain attatchment?

[plumbersfriend]

There are good things and not-so-good things about all grain mills, which is why I have a bevy of them - one doesn't do everything I need done, so you may also need other mills or attachments to do a wide variety of milling if you really get into it, like I have.

If you are looking for only one mill for general use flour, I'd suggest an impact (also called a micronizer) type mill - a Nutrimill. *It mills quickly and it mills flour from super-fine to coarse. *You MUST have fine flour if you want to use the flour for pastry, cake, and quick breads. *Coarse flour only makes coarse bread and baked goods and I don't think you'd care for the results. *The Nutrimill will also mill corn into a fine corn meal.

It's just as important to know your grains/beans/seeds that you will use as it is what mill you purchase. *If you consider wheat only, I keep hard wheat (white and red varieties, as well as winter and spring varieties) for yeast and sourdough bread. *Soft white wheat for things that require less gluten development (pastry, cake, cookies, etc.), and durum wheat for pasta making. *But I also use a large number of other grains/seeds/beans for milling. *I also bake all breads and baked goods using freshly milled grain/seed/bean flour. *I use very little commercial flour.

I have an old Whisper Mill (the original impact mill) - which is now called a Wonder Mill and use it a couple times a week (or more) and have used it for over a decade. *When it quits, I'll order a Nutrimill. *These mills are self-cleaning and easy to set up, use, and store. *

In order to make flakes, coarse flour or farina, and chopped grain, I use a (hand-crank) Marga Roller Grain Mill. *I make my own multi-grain cereals (for cooked cereal and added texture to bread), and cream of wheat or rice with this machine, as well as flakes - oat flakes, or spelt, triticale, etc. *I also make my own bulgur by cooking wheat and drying it in the oven. *I use the Marga Roller Grain Mill for coarsely chopping it.

Most mills can't do the tiny seeds or oily seeds, so I also have a Seed Mill (hand) to process things like teff, amaranth, sesame, poppy, and flax.

I also have a Corona Corn Mill (hand) for processing corn meal or coarse flour. *I like medium or coarse corn meal, and there's nothing more wonderful than cornbread made with freshly-milled corn meal.

Another mill I have is a Family Grain Mill as my back-up mill. *I would use it should the electricity be off for any length of time, although I also have the electric motor to run it as well. *You can also get different attachments for this mill, including a flaker, so it's a good investment when you consider it's diversity. *The flour from this mill is not as fine as I'd like - *you have to pass the grain through the mill and then pass the flour through again to get a fairly fine flour.

Using a hand mill may sound so "back-to-nature", but I assure you it gets old real fast. *It takes me anywhere from 3 hours to all day (sourdough bread takes longer than yeast bread) to make bread and when I had a hand mill, it took 30-45 minutes of milling to get enough flour milled. *Now that I have carpal tunnel in both arms as well as tennis elbow and arthritis in my fingers (I was a professional knitter and crocheter for too many years), milling by hand isn't a good option for me. *

I'm making 100% whole wheat bread this morning and it took me a couple minutes to mill the flour with my impact mill.

You also have to consider where are you going to store or attach a mill. *Bigger mills are more difficult to use and store.

Hubby made me a grain cart (on wheels) that has a *thick wooden top where I can clamp my mills/grinders when I use them, and then store them underneath when not in use. The Whisper Mill/Wonder Mill and Nutrimill do NOT require any type of clamp - they are easy to use on any flat surface, are lightweight, small and easy to store and are self-cleaning (you need to wash the container the flour falls into, and the lid on it on a Wonder Mill - but that's it). I also have a shelf for a variety of grains/beans/seeds vacuum-sealed in canning jars on the cart. The grain cart stores out of the way in a corner of my kitchen.

If you get a mill that has to clamp or screw to a solid surface, you need to think about that. *You also need to store mills in a dry location. *Some have metal parts that can rust. *If it's a hand mill, you want the mill to be at a level that makes milling by hand easy-to-do.

Make sure you have extra grinding burrs for your mill if you choose one with burrs. Burrs occasionally break or pieces of them can shred (especially if you get a small stone in your grain that passes through the mill), so you need the extra set so that you can continue milling.

Stone mills are even more tiresome. If you get grain that's a bit on the damp side you can glaze the stones over - have to remove and clean them, so having an extra set is also a good idea. Stone mills are also famous for chipping and breaking if you aren't careful to use triple-cleaned grains/seeds/beans. *The stones are usually made from manmade stone.

A mill that mills with stones or burrs will not mill as fine a flour as a micronizer mill, but many stone mills do a really good job on the flour. *I'd avoid a burr mill for flour for pastry/cake. *The flour from them are just too coarse. *

Emergency Essentials is offering the new Wonder Mill Junior Hand Grain and Flour Mill that looks pretty good for occasional or emergency use ($219.95 - reg. $295.95), or if you use part commercial white flour as well as whole wheat. *But if you are serious and make all your bake goods and use nearly all wholegrain flours, you'd really enjoy a Nutrimill (around $269.99-$279.99) and would get more use out of it.

-Karen

Hi Karen,

I also have a Family Grain Mill and wondered what kind/size of motor you use with it. My DH is willing to do that for me, but says he thinks it will take a pretty good sized motor to do the job. And you are right, it is a lot of work to grind all that wheat by hand. Actually, I'm going to go do that in a few minutes and put some bread on to rise for tomorrow. Read about a new recipe. Just gotta try it.

[Shamrock1121]

Hi Karen,

I also have a Family Grain Mill and wondered what kind/size of motor you use with it. *My DH is willing to do that for me, but says he thinks it will take a pretty good sized motor to do the job. *And you are right, it is a lot of work to grind all that wheat by hand. *Actually, I'm going to go *do that in a few minutes and put some bread on to rise for tomorrow. *Read about a new recipe. *Just gotta try it.

I got my FGM several years ago through Tropical Traditions when they had a special on the "combo" (included the Hand Operated Base AND Motor Base as well as the mill) for $199.

http://www.householdtraditions.com/family_grain_mill.htm

Cris Enterprises, Inc. has other information for motor options.
www.grainmill.com

Since the FGM is my back-up mill, it doesn't get used much. If I was to have to spend over $200 for a motor base, I'd get a Wonder Mill or a Nutrimill instead, and keep the hand-powered FGM as a back-up for when you are without electricity.

If you do get the motor base, you may also want to get some of the other attachments - meat grinder, flaker, etc. so you can get a lot of use from the purchase of the motor.

-Karen

[WRTN]

The wife made some pizza dough from some locally grown wheat last Saturday. It was good but has a nuttier taste and does not rise nearly as much as the bleached store bought flour.

Overall for her first try at making pizza dough, I think she did a great job. It took her a long time to refine down a good receipt for pizza dough using the store bough flour; I am sure she will do the same with the home milled flour.

Another point to consider was that this was wheat flour and I am not exactly sure what is in the store bought bleached flour. I am sure the home milled flour is much better for you .

The Nutrimill does a good job of making a nice fine flour. One thing to remember is to be damn sure the catch hopper is FULLY seated so you can read the "YES" marking on the base. If you don't seat the flour hopper correctly so the rubber seal and filter is tight and works well...........I'll just say the Nutrimill puts on quit a show blowing flour everywhere. ;D

The mill is not near as noisey as I expected. It was pricey but so far works very well. It will probably never pay for itself but in the event of SHTF or a shortage, it will be VERY handy.

I highly recommend it. I think if you are considering buying one, better get one while the "gettin's" I expect the prices of them to go up in the not to distant future as our economy inflates the prices of everything.

[Shamrock1121]

The wife made some pizza dough from some locally grown wheat last Saturday. *It was good but has a nuttier taste and does not rise nearly as much as the bleached store bought flour. *

Overall for her first try at making pizza dough, I think she did a great job. *It took her a long time to refine down a good receipt for pizza dough using the store bough flour; *I am sure she will do the same with the home milled flour. *

Another point to consider was that this was wheat flour and I am not exactly sure what is in the store bought bleached flour. *I am sure the home milled flour is much better for you . *

The Nutrimill does a good job of making a nice fine flour. *One thing to remember is to be damn sure the catch hopper is FULLY seated so you can read the "YES" marking on the base. *If you don't seat the flour hopper correctly so the rubber seal and filter is tight and works well...........I'll just say the Nutrimill puts on quit a show blowing flour everywhere. * ;D

The mill is not near as noisey as I expected. *It was pricey but so far works very well. *It will probably never pay for itself but in the event of SHTF or a shortage, it will be VERY handy. *

I highly recommend it. *I think if you are considering buying one, better get one while the "gettin's" I expect the prices of them to go up in the not to distant future as our economy inflates the prices of everything. *

Congratulations on your new Nutrimill and your new adventure into wholegrain baking. *Here are some suggestions and a couple good recipes at the bottom.

1. *If you are using hard RED wheat, it has an acidic taste from the dark bran, compared to it's more mild counterpart, hard WHITE wheat. *For the most part, I store and use white wheat. *I use my hard red wheat mostly for cereal or making bulgur at home. *I like that acidic flavor in them. *

Folks who are not fond of the taste of whole wheat products would probably find whole wheat flour milled from WHITE wheat, more to their liking - mild flavor and it's also a little sweet. *Red and White wheat grains are alike in every respect with the exception of the color of the bran. *Consider the WHITE wheat to be the albino of wheat. *There are 1, 2, or 3 genes that determine the bran color. *The original Hard Turkey Red was really dark, very acidic, and there were 3 genes that determined that dark color. *Todays modern versions have 1-2 genes that determine the color, and WHITE wheat has no genes for a colorless bran.

2. *For pizza and bread dough you need a high protein wheat to get a good rise. *My most recent wheat purchase was 13.1% which is excellent for bread/pizza. *If the protein level is below 11%, you may want to use it for quick breads/cookies/cakes where you need a lower-gluten (protein) flour, or add some Vital Wheat Gluten to "beef-up" the protein content a bit and aid the rise in yeast breads. *But too much gluten will make the bread tough.

3. *It's also a good idea to add a small amount of ascorbic acid powder (vitamin C - found at health food stores) to ALL yeast breads made with freshly-milled whole wheat flour. *This aids in gluten-development. *About 1/8 t. per 2 cups of flour. *There is a substance in the germ of the wholegrain flour called Glutathione which breaks down the gluten (which accounts for those short, squatty loaves of 100% whole wheat bread). *Ascorbic acid will help to counteract the negative effects of Glutathione.

4. *You may not need as much whole wheat flour as you would commercial white bleached/unbleached flour you normally use in your pizza dough recipe. *The whole wheat flour will soak up more hydration (because of the bran) than white flour does - leaving you an under-hydrated dough if you don't adjust the flour or the liquid. *It's better to err on the side of a well-hydrated or wet dough. *You may like the results better if you use half whole wheat flour and half white flour.

5. *The whole grain has three parts to it, the germ, bran, and endosperm. *The germ - where the important germ oil rich in vitamin E is located, the bran - where just under the inner side of the grain - under the bran coat - much of the nutrients are located as well as nearly all of the fiber, and the plump inside portion - the endosperm - where most of the starch is. *White flour is milled only from the endosperm with the fiber- and nutrient-rich germ and bran removed.

Here are a couple great whole wheat cookie recipes for using all that whole wheat flour.... :D

Whole Wheat Sugar Cookies
http://kansaswheat.org/general.asp?id=470

Whole Grain Oatmeal Cookies
http://www.kswheat.com/upload/2008%20KS%20Wheat%20Comm%20Recipes.pdf *(Scroll down a bit.)


-Karen

[High_Desert]

*

The Nutrimill does a good job of making a nice fine flour. *One thing to remember is to be damn sure the catch hopper is FULLY seated so you can read the "YES" marking on the base. *If you don't seat the flour hopper correctly so the rubber seal and filter is tight and works well...........I'll just say the Nutrimill puts on quit a show blowing flour everywhere. * ;D

*
Whew, I thought I was the only one that had that happen! ;D

I am very happy with mine also. We are on our 8th pizza and they keep getting better every time. The best part is we are having fun. Good Luck!

HD

[Klapton]

Anyone ever use the Grain Mill attachment for a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer? Linkie (http://www.shopkitchenaid.com/product_detail.asp?HDR=attachments&T1=KTA+KGMA&.)

I've used the shredder/grater attachment, and the meat grinder, and liked them both. Although, I've never put the meat grinder to any really HEAVY use (like grinding up a deer, hehe.) Just enough to make meatloaf or something.

Any input would be wonderful, thanks.

[Montanaflat]

Try checking out a Country Living Grain Mill for your non electric mill. It is not as costly as the Diamont but it does a wonderful job. We even grind our own peanut butter, coffee, corn etc. I have it mounted to my island and use it all the time.
I also have an Ozark Mill stone grinder (but I don't think you can find it any longer. Mine is 20 years old and I still use it.
Karen knows a lot about grinders...Yeah Karen ! ! !

[Shamrock1121]

Anyone ever use the Grain Mill attachment for a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer? *Linkie (http://www.shopkitchenaid.com/product_detail.asp?HDR=attachments&T1=KTA+KGMA&.)

I've used the shredder/grater attachment, and the meat grinder, and liked them both. *Although, I've never put the meat grinder to any really HEAVY use (like grinding up a deer, hehe.) *Just enough to make meatloaf or something.

Any input would be wonderful, thanks.

I had to look for the old post on the subject:

http://www.backwoodshome.com/forum/yabb/forum.pl?board=foo-bread;action=display;num=1217979815

Hope that gives you the information you need.

-Karen

[cameron]

Karen, Thanks for the link to the recipes. I recently purchased a nutrimill and am currently in the learning stages about using fresh milled flour. My first grind was Sunday and I used it to make rolls. They tasted good but did not rise.

Looking back over your posts I have already learned a couple of things to do (and not to do).

Thanks!

[Klapton]

Thank you for the info! We don't currently mill our own stuff. I might get one just to be able to do my own if I felt like it, and just to have the full set of attachments. (I know that's kind of silly).

Unless you are growing your own grain, what are the advantages of milling your own? Cheaper? Tastier? Healthier?

[Shamrock1121]

Thank you for the info! *We don't currently mill our own stuff. *I might get one just to be able to do my own if I felt like it, and just to have the full set of attachments. *(I know that's kind of silly).

Unless you are growing your own grain, what are the advantages of milling your own? *Cheaper? *Tastier? *Healthier?

I'd suggest you get the flaker attachment too, if you're going to get the mill. If you get into milling, you can also make your own flakes. Flakes cook faster than whole grains, so you can make your own oatmeal for breakfast cereal, as well as a lot of other grains.

I live in the middle of wheat country and have gotten free wheat from friends/family, but I purchase most of it (25#-100# at a time) to control the wheat type, protein content, and try to use chemical-free grains as much as possible.

Advantages - everything you mentioned, and more.

Freshly milled wheat is the only way to get the entire package of 25 vitamins, minerals and proteins and all the fiber. Grain is naturally preserved in it's "coat" (bran). Once the bran is cracked, the nutrients quickly degrade and the germ oil begins to go rancid from exposure to oxygen. Some studies have shown vitamin loss begins as quickly as 3 hours after milling (when left at room temperature).

Commercial whole wheat flour tastes like road dust with a hint of bitter rancidity to me, compared to freshly-milled. I'd suggest if you are going to use commercial whole wheat flour - DON'T! Save your money and use unbleached flour and add flaxmeal (that you can mill at home in a coffee/spice mill) to all your baked goods. At least you'll avoid the free-radicles from the rancid oils in commercial whole wheat flour. (FYI: Rancid oils don't have to SMELL rancid to BE rancid.) The flaxmeal will add a lot of fiber and nutrition.

If you rely on commercial whole wheat flour, with the exception of a few brands, it's nothing more than white flour with some of the bran raked back into it to make it "brown". They remove the germ (sometimes by "law" they have to remove it) so the flour will have a longer shelf life.

Even if you get brands that ARE milled from the whole grain, it's only remaining health value by the time you purchase it is from the fiber. When commercial whole wheat flour is warehoused and shelved for many months, it's lost most of the B Complex and C vitamins.

$$$ I can bake a loaf of 100% whole wheat bread for about 50 cents (naturally, it depends on the price paid for the wheat).

I make all our baked goods. I use and mill a wide variety of grains, seeds, and beans to add to baked goods, not just wheat. I use them whole; as well as milled them into flour, flakes, chopped grains, cooked cereal and cereal blends (make my own cream of wheat/rice, multi-grain cereal blends). I make my own bulgur. I never purchase commercial cereal for breakfast food. There's something like 17 cents worth of grain in a $4 box of puffed and processed "crap" - laced with inorganic minerals and chemical vitamins (think I'll pass :P).

Spelt, kamut, soft white wheat, hard white and red, spring and winter wheat, triticale, durum wheat (for pasta), rye, barley, oats, teff, amaranth, buckwheat, corn, flax, rice, millet, sorghum, quinoa, sesame, poppy seeds, chia seeds, and a large variety of beans.... (off the top of my head).

I sometimes add flour milled from small white beans to increase protein in foods. I mill pinto beans and black beans into flour for "instant" refried bean mixtures (instead of soaking/boiling beans, you mix the bean flour with water and it cooks into refried beans in a few minutes). Bean and split pea flour can be used for instant soup mixes.

Hard Wheat has the incredible shelf life of decades, while flour has a 6-month to 1 year shelf life. Try and plant more flour to make more.... Having whole grains in emergency storage is a GOOD thing and advised in the emergency preparedness and survival manuals. These are great foods for self-sufficient living.

Grains/beans/seeds of all kinds can be used in lots of ways. It's important to know those ways if you're serious about self-sufficient living or have them in your emergency storage. Even more important to know how to use these whole foods BEFORE you need them, so I use them everyday.

-Karen

[Klapton]

Wow! That's a LOT of great info! Thanks!

I suspect you have done plenty of study about this stuff! Are there any books on this stuff that you could recommend? (Speaking of preps -- fat lotta good your wonderful internet post will be when TSHTF, hehe.)

[Shamrock1121]

Wow! *That's a LOT of great info! *Thanks!

I suspect you have done plenty of study about this stuff! *Are there any books on this stuff that you could recommend? *(Speaking of preps -- fat lotta good your wonderful internet post will be when TSHTF, hehe.)

I have a notebook I've vacuum-sealed in a FoodSaver bag and keep in my emergency kit that has information and recipes for using my "emergency" foods. *I'm an old-fashioned person, if I think something is important, I'll print it and stick it in a file.

I have a large group of books about using all kinds of grains, but the best one is The Splendid Grain by Rebecca Wood. *You can probably find this book at your local library, or have them get it through inter-library loan.

Home milling: *Book- *Flour Power The Complete guide to 3-minute home flour milling - by Marleeta F. Basey

Prudent Food Storage - Common Storage Foods
http://athagan.members.atlantic.net/PFSFAQ/PFSFAQ-3-1.html

Advantages of Home Milling and Baking
http://www.nutritionlifestyles.com/homemill.htm

-Karen

[cubcadet]

I have used a Little Ark for years and I motorized it, so it`s pretty easy to use, although the mill isn`t the most efficient. It does make fine flour and has both steel and stone wheels. See below.

http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp2/cubcadet1/000_0634.jpg
http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp2/cubcadet1/000_0635.jpg

[Jamie]

What a neat thread! I have a champion juicer with the grain mill attachment. It works very well. I also bought a vitamix and saw the whole bread making video. It probably works. I have a big family and always make 6 -9 loaves at a time. I also make sourdough only but have been wanting to try a sprouted grain bread. I haven't been brave enough to do it yet though. Any advice?