The Fresh Loaf

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Nutrimill for grinding polenta

rjerden's picture
rjerden

Nutrimill for grinding polenta

 

What's the experience using the newer type Nutrimill on its coarsest setting to grind corn for polenta?

Unless I go to an Italian store, or buy on-line at exorbitant prices, I can't find the real thing. Most polenta made in the U.S. is ground from dent corn, and it's usually a coarser grind than than Italian polenta, which is ground from yellow or white flint corn. I really like the white flint corn that they use in the Friuli region to make polenta, and I was considering trying to grind white popcorn (which is a type of very hard flint corn), but I don't know what kind of results to expect from the Nutrimill.

The other possible issue is that I might get an uneven grind, with some very fine granules, like corn flour, and some very large granules, like grits. This would then require an additional step of sieving out the fine and coarse granules. However, it also might be OK even with an uneven grind.

I'm interested in doing my own milling for bread primarily, probably be white wheat only, likely a mixture of soft and hard for the type of breads I make, which are lower gluten artisan breads. I would also grind durum wheat. It's important that I get as fine a grind as possible in order to reduce the size of the bran particles to get the extensibility I need, so the Nutrimill looks like a good possibility. However, I would also like the flexibility to grind corn evenly for polenta.

Anybody have experience with the newer Nutrimill, which has some adjustment capabilities?