The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

What flour mill should I buy?

prof_stack's picture
prof_stack

What flour mill should I buy?

I've been making bread for many years, but now want to become more knowledgeable of the different parts of the process and also use fresher ingredients.

I bake once or twice a week, making dense rolls or loaves.  I want to get a flour mill to get fresh flour from wheat and rye berries.

On one side are mills like the Nutramill and Wondermill.  On the other are mills like the Wolfgang.  I'm not considering a hand mill.

Any information or suggestions would be appreciated.  Thanks!

subfuscpersona's picture
subfuscpersona

If you can be more detailed about your needs, you will get better advice. Here are a few questions...

> what's your price range for a mill?

> how much flour (by weight, not cups, if possible) do you want to mill at a time?

> do you want to mill beans as well as grain? do you want to mill small grain such as amarinth or millet?

> do you want to mill coarse flour or grits as well as fine flour? (example: coarse grits for hot breakfast cereal)?

> do you want to make your own high extraction flour (this involves milling, sifting out bran, remilling the sifted flour)

> do you want to mill field (aka dent) corn (many mills can handle popcorn - which millers can use instead of field corn - but some mills can't handle field corn)

These are some questions I come up with; if you can think of others (and include your answers), that would be great.

Also, search on TFL b/c there have been many discussions of grain mills and a number of good reviews by members.

You might also take a look at help choosing a grain mill

prof_stack's picture
prof_stack

 

If you can be more detailed about your needs, you will get better advice. Here are a few questions...  THANKS for your thoughtful reply!

> what's your price range for a mill?  Up to $800

> how much flour (by weight, not cups, if possible) do you want to mill at a time?  Enough to make 1-2 good sized loaves, but using white flour as needed.

> do you want to mill beans as well as grain? do you want to mill small grain such as amarinth or millet?  Hadn't thought about that.  Small grain milling would be good.

> do you want to mill coarse flour or grits as well as fine flour? (example: coarse grits for hot breakfast cereal)?  I'm a hot cereal fan, so YES to this question.

> do you want to make your own high extraction flour (this involves milling, sifting out bran, remilling the sifted flour)  NO

> do you want to mill field (aka dent) corn (many mills can handle popcorn - which millers can use instead of field corn - but some mills can't handle field corn)  NO

These are some questions I come up with; if you can think of others (and include your answers), that would be great.

Also, search on TFL b/c there have been many discussions of grain mills and a number of good reviews by members.  Thanks for the tip.  I did a cursory search but obviously need to get more familiar with this site.

You might also take a look at help choosing a grain mill  I will check it out.

mizrachi's picture
mizrachi

I'm a big fan of the Komo Fidibus Classic, otherwise known in the USA as the Wolfgang/Tribest mill.  I've never made fresher, more delicious whole wheat bread.

subfuscpersona's picture
subfuscpersona

First, I forgot to ask where in the world are you :) - my recommendations are for the USA (not that you couldn't buy the mills I'll name outside the US, I'm just not informed enough to give international info).

Since you want to make grits and perhaps mill small grain, I'd think your best bet  is the Tribest (aka Wolfgang, aka KoMo, aka Fidibus, aka Hawo) OR the Retsel. Both these mills are electric and adjustable, so you can mill from fine to coarse or even get grits. Tribest/Komo has an attractive wooden housing and has several models (with different capabilities and prices). The Retsel just has one model and is more utiilitarian (and possibly a little larger, if that is an issue). You would want to avoid micronizer mills like the Nutrimill or Whisper Mill because they cannot produce coarse flour or grits (they're fine mills for what they do, they just cannot do that).

Both the recommended brands have enthusiastic owners who are members of TFL. Try using the search feature in upper left of this site and enter a brand name.

Do check out the ability of the mill to handle very small size grain (I personally don't know if the brands I mention can do this). Should you want to mill popcorn, also check whether these brands can handle popcorn without having to get additional stones (popcorn tends to be high moisture, which can give some stones trouble, depending on the material the "stone" or milling plate is made from). I believe that these brands cannot handle beans/legumes without alternative stones (but you're not interested in milling bean flour, so that's irrelevant for now).

The Retsel is USA made. If you're comfortable with eBay, Retsel mills appear on eBay fairly regularly and generally sell there for about $400 to $450; shipping within the continental US will run about $50.

The Tribest / KomoFidibus is sold internationally (which is why it has so many alternative names). There is a range of models, starting at about $400.

Both these brands have good reputations for quality construction, durability, flexibility & ease of use. They're easy to clean.

Best of luck in your research. If you do narrow your search to these two brands, there is, as I've said, a wealth of info on TFL from actual users. These members can answer any more specific questions you may have.

prof_stack's picture
prof_stack

Thanks guys for the help.

After a lot of researching and such, yesterday I ordered from Pleasant Hill Grain the Nutrimill and Bosch Mixer (with blender) combination package.  I can use my Corona mill for cereal grits and small grain.  I also have a Schmidling Malt Mill for grinding as needed (I made beer for 20 years, but that hobby is no more, thank the Lord.)

I did bid on a new OLD stock Retsel on ebay but only succeeded in doubling the price for someone who truly wanted it.  The Restel website is off-putting and the need to "special order" the Mil-rite with steel plates seems archaic.  But I like the Retsel and might get a used one when one comes available.

The Wolfgang / Tribest / KomoFidibus being German made greatly interested me.  I use German old-school hand grinders for my home-roasted coffee beans. 

So, I'm looking forward to next Tuesday and a ramping up of the bread making hobby.

flourgirl51's picture
flourgirl51

You will not be sorry that you got this combination. The Nutrimill can handle most types of grains ( although it is a bit noisy) and the Bosch is a real workhorse. It does a great job of kneading dough and thorough mixing. Pleasant Hill Grains is a wonderful company. I have been doing business with them for years.

prof_stack's picture
prof_stack

The Nutrimill and Bosch mixer arrived today.  I left work at noon and got them unpacked and washed.  I even read most of the instruction manuals!  :)

After running 2 cups of flour and disposing it, I put wheat and some rye berries into the hopper and let it work.  The Nutrimill is noisier than the Riccar vacuum cleaner I bought Sunday.  But it is not deafening, eh?

The Bosch mixer quickly put my Kitchen Aid mixer to shame with how easily it handled the very thick dough for these rolls (brotchen style).  After shaping and allowing to rise on the baking (pizza) stone for about 75 minutes, they got slashed, egg washed with oatmeal on top, and baked for 50 minutes at about 360F.  The solitary roll above the 8 was one of 4 baked in a glass baking pan which sat above the baking stone.  Notice how it is flatter, but not broken up.  The rolls were about 125g each before baking.

For the first time with this equipment these are fine, but now there is more to learn about getting them to rise without splitting apart. 

Thanks all for your help in this thread.

 

Mary Fisher's picture
Mary Fisher

" do you want to mill beans as well as grain? do you want to mill small grain such as amarinth ... ?"

What an interesting question. I'd never have thought of grinding amarinth, never thought of baking with it either although I've used many other cereals. Thanks.

While I'm here, is it possible to use a hand grinder? Anyone any suggestions for one in UK?

I keep thinking of using my coffee grinder but it does a very small amount at a time - enough for a jug of coffee but not a loaf of bread!

LLM777's picture
LLM777

I have heard people say they use a coffee grinder for grains and spices but every time I tried it, there were always pieces left not ground and it definitely wasn't fine enough, worked for coffee but nothing else. A high powered blender (blend-tec or vita imix) would work though.

I use amaranth all the time in ezekiel bread and also muffins. It's a gluten free grain with a better profile than millet. I am also going to experiment with popping it in an air popcorn machine for different recipes from a new health book called Thrive.

It's amazing what they come up with next. :)

Mary Fisher's picture
Mary Fisher

OK, I'll accept that. 

Are you saying that blend-tec or vita imix are types of hand grinder?

Next time I make bread I'll try the amarinth tip, thanks.

LLM777's picture
LLM777

Blend-tec and Vita Mix are regular blenders used to make things like smoothies and shakes. They are just more powerful than ones you could buy at the local Walmart.

Make sure you use other grains with the amaranth to get the rise you want in bread or muffins. I use no more than about 10-15% in overall flour combination; otherwise, it gets really gummy.

Mary Fisher's picture
Mary Fisher

So they're not really grinders, suitable for making flour? I've tried 'grinding' grain in various machines but they don't give a fine enough result.

I'm sorry I mis-typed 'amaranth', I DO know how it's spelt! Yes. I would always use a 15% flour with other grains.

I've been researching English 'muffins' and have come to the pc armed with three authoritative books. It's difficult to condense what's said though. I'll certainly be starting a new thread :-)

 

LLM777's picture
LLM777

No, they are not grinders but it works on the same order as a coffee grinder. I don't have a grinder yet. I either borrow my friend's or I put the grain in the blender to grind it. It works very well on everything but whole wheat, leaving it coarse. I will eventually get a grinder (hopefully Christmas) but for now it's working out fine.

By the way, I liked your pun.  amaranth...spelt...  :)

Shabnamdogra's picture
Shabnamdogra

There are lots of company which are selling atta chakki in India. I have also bought a atta chakki last month and my experience was very good. I purchase from vmp atta chakki company, they were also giving one year warranty with 1 year free service. They also provide atta chakki for dealership. You can also visit there website - http://www.vmpattachakki.com/ 

Neeraj Agarwal's picture
Neeraj Agarwal

Choosing the best atta chakki for your home is very easy if you know your requirements and understand the features of the atta chakki you want to buy online.

Below are some of the key parameters that you should know for a better selection of your home atta chakki.

Budget:

The first thing you should consider before buying any domestic atta chakki is your budget. If you are not sure how much to spend on atta chakki, keep reading further; you will soon know everything.

Type of atta chakki:

You can choose between two types of atta chakki.

Atta chakki with stone and stone-less atta chakki.

Most people buy stone-less atta chakki that are fully or semi automatic. Both atta chakkis are good, but stone less atta chakkis are a better choice for homes due to less maintenance and noise level.

Capacity:

According to the family size, you should choose the capacity of the atta chakki. Small atta chakkis are not useful when you have a joint family or more family members.

Features:

There are lots of features available in varieties of atta chakki. Some of the features that you should look into before deciding the best atta chakki for home.

Vacuum cleaning

Some atta chakkis come with a vacuum cleaner so that you can clean the atta chakki with the inbuilt vacuum cleaner. In that case, you can save cleaning time.

Auto clean

Auto clean is a function. As per my opinion, this is an important function, and you should always buy atta chakki with an auto clean feature.

2-in-1 grinding facility

There are some home atta chakki available online that have a 2-in-1 facility. Such atta chakki can grind wheat grains along with many other grains and masalas. If you want to have fresh and pure masalas at home, I highly recommend you buy the 2-in-1 atta chakki.

Safety

Almost all manufacturers provide basic safety features like door locks, auto-off, etc. Always make sure to check safety features before buying a domestic flour mill.

There are a few more parameters that you may like to check to get the best atta chakki for home. I have explained all the other parameters in my article on the best atta chakki for home use in India.