The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Bosch Grain Mill Attachment:

Francine's picture
Francine

Bosch Grain Mill Attachment:

Greeting's,

I posted this question last week and when I checked back, I realized that I posted in the wrong place; see what happens when you don't post for here for awhile? <grin> 

I have not been able to post in quite awhile; however, now that I'm back, I'm looking to purchase a grain mill.  I have on occasion been using my Vita Mix to grind specialty grain's.  The problem I have with using my Vita-Mix is, I think the flour temperatures  at times borderline potential nutrient loss; in spite of my freezing the grain in advance. I already have the Universal Plus Bosch Mixer, and Home Grain Mill makes a grain mill attachment for this machine; it would save me a great deal of money if the attachment was worth purchasing.  My question is this, has anyone in the group used this combination? If so what do you like or don't like about using the  attachment? Has anyone compared this attachment to other available grain mills? Are you satisfied with the degree of fineness that you achieve using this attachment? Does the flour temperatures get hot when grinding wheat?

Thank you so much for your input.

Cheers,

Francine

 

Nickisafoodie's picture
Nickisafoodie

While you are waiting for feedback on the Bosch, check out these  links: one for the Wondermill, second and third comparing the Wondermill and Nutrimill.  These two brands are among the most widely used.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEG1fI636dw&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn4QqTiQYD0&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48AhWYqBKAk&feature=related

These mills are in the category of high speed impact mills and  likely will be much faster and perhaps cheaper than the Bosch grinder attachment.  It would be worth contacting the dealier that sells both mills and the Bosch machine to get their feedback (see first link). 

I have had a Whispermill (formerly Wondermill) with heavy use for 15 years with excellent performance.  The day mine goes I will buy the same again.  Many posts on this site prefer the Nutrimill given lifetime warranty vs. 6 years on the Whispermill and the Nutrimill's larger capacity (and larger storage area needed given larger size).   Both are about the same noise level (90db or so!) and speeed in terms of through put.  Both have adjustments for the fineness of the flour.  Mid adjustment on the Whispermill produces a fine flour.  Both keep the flour temperature at cooler levels to preserve nutrients.  Both are priced the same at $269 or so and would vastly superior to a $150 burr type mill.  One drawback is they can leave a tiny bit of dust.  I prefer to grind in the garage, and use a leaf blower after to get rid of the scant wisp of flour dust that does escape.

You won't go wrong with either- assuming of course that you think you may want to go that route after comparing to the capabilities of the Bosch grinder attachment.  I say this as I have a kitchen aid grinder attachment that was painfully slow compared to the design of a high speed impact mill.   The Kitchen-aid burr mill is useful for cracking grains which is something the high speed impact mills above cannot do.   The kitchen-aid attachment cannot deliver the output of the high impact mills.  Thus my speculation that the grinder you are thinking of may be similar to the kitchen-aid attachment in design and thus slower output.   Good luck.  Use the search box too in the upper left corner and you will see many postings on grain mills...

nicodvb's picture
nicodvb

Nick,

can you tell me if the flour that you obtain from the Whispermill at finest setting still contains bran that can be sifted off or if the bran is finely ground too? (does it pass through the sieve?).

When I grind my wheat using a conbination of mixer+coffee grinder+ sieve  in  multiple passes I can get 92-93% extration flour with the bran finely ground (absolutely no spikes), what is left is middlings/fragments of berry, but it takes ages!

Thanks.

Francine's picture
Francine

Thanks Nick!

I guess I will just have to wait a month or so and save up for the Nutrimill; I thought that I would maybe  saving some counter space too , if I went with the Bosch attachement; however, I just took another look at the attachment again, and it really is not that small either.  The Bosch attachment would actually be a bit less; around $119.00 plus adapter $30.00.  I will hold off another month and purchase one of the larger machines; anyway that will give me a month to figure out where I will keep it...

Cheers,

Francine 

Nickisafoodie's picture
Nickisafoodie

Is siftable a word?

When using the middle setting (and certainly more so for the finest) the bran particles are hard to differentiate from the flour, perhaps only in the very slightest sense - but way too fine to sift out.  I prefer leave all in.  I also add more!  Thus using a typical 70% whole grain and 25% AP flour - I usually add 5% oat bran.  I want the heart healthy fiber.   I find that this recipe, even though it has added bran in addition to the existing is lighter than a 100% whole wheat loaf and likely has slightly more fiber than 100% whole wheat - and I get light airy results when making a loaf style bread that is well mixed and developed.  I have also used same recipe with higher hydration Tartine style breads with excellent results.  Hydration is 68% to 75% depending on recipe. 

The reason I say middle setting is it takes longer on the fine setting and the results are not drastically different, i.e. a fine output.  I have not tried a course setting to see if large bran flakes can be intentionally put forth - which in theory would allow one to sift out the flakes.   You would then have to give another pass on the fine setting to grind the rest, all of which is not my preference.

Lots of people say the bran is sharp and punctures the gluten development, but I have found this not to be the case:  Given I use sourdough combined with 25-50% preferment (i.e. with the preferment usually an overnight soak) depending on the recipe I have no issues with the bran, rising or indigestion.  In fact the 5% I add is not ground, as it comes from the store as is.

RE speed: Two minutes to grind a quart of whole grains.  Hope this helps...

Francine's picture
Francine

Nick,

You add AP flour to your fresh Grind; I was going to order some Soft White Wheat next month. Should I be supplementing my fresh milled flour with AP or Artisan Flour?  

Thank you,

Francine

LeadDog's picture
LeadDog

I felt the Home Grain Mill didn't make a fine enough flour for me.  I used it about 6 months and sold it.

Nickisafoodie's picture
Nickisafoodie

Francine, before you decide on the Nutrimill, suggest looking at Kodiakhealth.com website - they state that the Wondermill is the #1 mill.  They sell Nutrimill too and Bosch products.  Give them a call given they are a dealer and repair shop too - and likely can give reasons as to why they prefer one over the other and the tradeoffs to keep in mind.  For example the Nutrimill can grind 22 cups (will you really ever grind this much at once?) of flour, but is larger in terms of storage space needed.  It can also grind course compared to others, but another feature that for me I don't need, but for others I could see it as being useful from time to time.  So figure out your needs and go forth... 

You will be glad you waited and saved!

Francine's picture
Francine

Now that  my new mill will be ariving shortly for those of you using the Nutrimill, will I need to sift my flour after I grind it before making my bread?   I also ordered 50 lbs, Rye and 50 lbs Hard Red Wheat from Honeyville Grain.  Has anyone else used Honeyville Grains; if so how did you like it? I want to order some Soft White Wheat from them next month.  Also, there is a new sifter attachment for the Bosch Universal Plus Mixer; has anyone in this group used this new attachment yet and how do you like it?  Now I'm going to sit here like a five-year-old waiting for Christmas to arrive.  Thank you in advance for any tips and advice. 

Cheers,

Francine...

Nickisafoodie's picture
Nickisafoodie

Hi Francine, I add white flour to my whole wheat to provide a lighter texture typically 20-30%.  Not all bread recipes benefit from high gluten.  AP gives a softer mouth feel and ability to easily pull a piece away.  Hi gluten will make a chewier bread.  The whole grains I buy are  already very high in protein (13%) so adding AP is perfectly fine.  White wheat is not at all a substitute, it is whole wheat with a lighter outer color and still has bran, germ, etc that typically make up 14% of the grain with the remaining 86% being the endosperm that is ground into the white portion of flour.  Sifting alone will not give you the light texture that AP would.  

Thus my choice of AP flour in trying to make a soft child friendly loaf.  Try a few bakes before you order up.  a bit of milk in the recipe and butter or oil also adds softness to the bread. Good luck with the mill!