Anyone Mill Their own flour?

Matthew · March 03, 2016, 06:08:03 AM

I picked up this stone grain mill yesterday on Kijiji. Doesn't look like it was ever used. The quality, fit & finish is superb, not to mention it's weight. To great of a deal to turn down. Does anyone here mill their own flour?

Matt

barryvabeach · March 03, 2016, 06:52:03 AM

Matt, yes, I mill, typically either red spring hard wheat or winter white hard wheat, though on occasion I sprout the grains, then dry them, then mill, it gives a sweeter flavor when using white berries. I think you will be quite happy with the taste of home milled, it tastes fresher. Nice machine.

texmex · March 03, 2016, 07:15:10 AM

Oooh, so envious. Great find!

pizapizza · March 03, 2016, 12:05:25 PM

ive been looking at mils to mill my own flour for pasta, havent pulled the trigger yet

ccarracing · November 03, 2016, 07:02:51 PM

Matt, do you have anything to add that you have found out? Maybe this has been resurrected in another thread, but I'm new on this forum and looking for home milling recommendations for neo pizza dough. Primarily I'm doing sourdough breads, but looking at what grains I either have or might acquire to give me full capabilities for pizza too.....understandably almost anything can work, but preferably I would not blend in ANY production flours, as it appears many do to achieve the "most perfect crust". I'm looking for a great crust, not competing for the title of best pizza crust dude!

Matthew · November 04, 2016, 04:25:00 AM

Quote from: ccarracing on November 03, 2016, 07:02:51 PM
Matt, do you have anything to add that you have found out? Maybe this has been resurrected in another thread, but I'm new on this forum and looking for home milling recommendations for neo pizza dough. Primarily I'm doing sourdough breads, but looking at what grains I either have or might acquire to give me full capabilities for pizza too.....understandably almost anything can work, but preferably I would not blend in ANY production flours, as it appears many do to achieve the "most perfect crust". I'm looking for a great crust, not competing for the title of best pizza crust dude!

You have to play around with various grains & see what works best. In order to get very fine flour you will have to sift it in various stages using different sifters which is very time consuming. I mill for breads only, not pizza. I use Red Hard Wheat, Durum, Spelt, Red Fife & Barley Malt.

ttony604 · December 03, 2016, 01:45:02 AM

I was looking into both manual and electric stone mills from Salzburg. Hard to replicate 00 flour it seems, it not just fine fine dough. I am looking for a way to sift the flour after grinding. Any recommendations?

misterschu · December 06, 2016, 05:08:11 PM

I've used a L'equip vital mill and Lee household mill. the vitalmill didn't grind the bran as fine, so it was easier to sift out and i found it more necessary. To get like an 85% extraction i just used a large sieve I found at H-mart that was pretty fine mesh. To get more serious you can buy sifters of various mesh sizes on ebay.

Something like this: http://www.webstaurantstore.com/12-stainless-steel-rim-sieve/407SIV12.html will catch large pieces of bran and a small amount of unground endosperm/germ. There are some sized meshes here: http://korin.com/s.nl and more on ebay, just search mesh sieve

Timpanogos Slim · February 05, 2023, 08:39:19 PM

Necrobump! I bought a vintage electric stone mill.

I grew up eating incredibly dense bread made 100% from mostly freshly milled hard red wheat. Dad has gotten better at his bread over the years - and i like his bread - but it is nigh medicinal and it is not my bread.

My dad has used at least two iterations of the mill that was sometimes called "magic mill" and sometimes "k-tec kitchen mill" and still exists and can be bought for a few hundred bucks:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002LLOKBG/?tag=pmak-20

It uses steel blades basically like movie film shutters and sounds like an actual literal jet engine spinning up on the counter in front of you. Your pets will flee and dogs a block away will bark.

But it is small and convenient compared to the All-Grain A-22 i found on amazon marketplace for $80.

The all-grain uses carborundum stones and is a little taller than a 5 gallon bucket. I know this because it came with a 5 gallon bucket that was modified to accept the flour outlet and has had most of the lid replaced with a large pad of foam rubber. The All-Grain design depends on air pressure to push the grist out, so the container has to breathe. I might get some cotton broadcloth and fab up a bag that i can tie on, and get rid of the bucket.

It's no louder than my stand mixer.

I ran about a pound of hard white wheat through it tonight, set near to the max fine setting but not all the way, and then ran it through a 50-mesh sifter because i am a fan of fresh-ground flavor not so much a fan of fiber in my bread or pizza dough.

I'll try closer to the max fine setting next time. What made it through the mesh is recognizable as soft fluffy flour, and what didn't is coarser than say cream of wheat or malt-o-meal.

I may try cooking the coarse bits up as a breakfast gruel.

fitzgen · February 06, 2023, 11:05:06 AM

I have a Mockmill kitchen aid attachment. Works well enough. Sometimes I kinda wish I got the standalone model, as I assume it would be more efficient, but I don't really need another motor on my counter.

What do people do with all their extra bran after sifting? I was mixing some of it into oatmeal, but I don't eat enough oatmeal to keep up with how often I'm milling.

HansB · February 06, 2023, 12:27:17 PM

Quote from: fitzgen on February 06, 2023, 11:05:06 AM
I have a Mockmill kitchen aid attachment. Works well enough. Sometimes I kinda wish I got the standalone model, as I assume it would be more efficient, but I don’t really need another motor on my counter.

What do people do with all their extra bran after sifting? I was mixing some of it into oatmeal, but I don’t eat enough oatmeal to keep up with how often I’m milling.

I have the 100, it does mill much finer than the KA attachment. On the occasion that I use 85% extraction I use the bran as you, on oatmeal. I also sprinkle it on the top of loaves pre-bake and on the surface of the baking vessel.

Timpanogos Slim · February 06, 2023, 02:06:25 PM

Quote from: fitzgen on February 06, 2023, 11:05:06 AM
I have a Mockmill kitchen aid attachment. Works well enough. Sometimes I kinda wish I got the standalone model, as I assume it would be more efficient, but I don't really need another motor on my counter.

What do people do with all their extra bran after sifting? I was mixing some of it into oatmeal, but I don't eat enough oatmeal to keep up with how often I'm milling.

I wonder if a large excess could be mixed with water and then dried on say a silpat perhaps creating a larger mass, then broken up and added to the bird feeder.

Edit: Bran flakes. I'm talking about making bran flakes. And then feeding them to the birds. All due respect, I realize a lot of people like it, I've never been a fan of putting extra crud on the crust.

barryvabeach · February 06, 2023, 08:44:45 PM

Nice mill, I had a few of them years ago. It is not all that hard to rig up a gallon pitcher, with a fabric lid, and have the grain fall into that. For the coarser bran, you can always put a little in the bottom of a banneton ( after you have dusted with rice flour ) and it will give a nice look to the top of the loaf.

fitzgen · May 05, 2023, 04:52:29 PM

Quote from: HansB on February 06, 2023, 12:27:17 PM
I have the 100, it does mill much finer than the KA attachment. On the occasion that I use 85% extraction I use the bran as you, on oatmeal. I also sprinkle it on the top of loaves pre-bake and on the surface of the baking vessel.

Small update: I got a Mockmill 100 from a local cottage baker who upgraded to the 200, and this thing is so much better than the KA attachment. Grinds much finer and much faster!