March 3, 2011 - 7:38am
Grinding your own grain
Hi
Does anyone in here grind their own grains?
I've been contemplating even growing my own wheat, but I'm seeing a lot of people saying it's not worth the hastle.
Where would I buy grains from? I'm assuming I'd need durum wheat and a grinder (which looks too expensive for me, but people ground wheat long before electricity so it's possible).
Just curious for more information.
Thanks
Craig
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... there's a "grains and milling" section, under "Gear", in this forum :)!
Thank you
grinding wheat for flour on these pages. Some, like flourgirl, grind their own wheat.
For me, the taste of freshly ground grains is superior to anything that one can buy pre ground.
Hassle is as hassle does. Since I don't have the option of my own grain (and one would end up storing grain anyway) I don't know if I would see a big difference from growing my own wheat. But it would be cool.
I happen to live on the edge of the great grain producing regions of the USA, so I could grow the kind of wheat that is popularly used for bread. Your climate may not be right for that type of wheat. but even here in the USA with its great Midwestern "bread basket" an interest is sufacing in using local grains that were not formerly considered desireable for breadmaking and adapting techniques to produce bread.
This is of great interest to me - and I have high hopes of attending some classes/seminars on this topic in the near future.
Electric mills are actually quite economical and you may wish to look at those. Hand grinders - well - you can spend more money on those than electric - my beloved Diamant is an example...
I wish you well with your exploration of milling!
Thanks for that.
It's something I never even considered because I didn't know about it, but now I've thought about it I really love the idea of creating my own flour then baking with it.
It's definitely a subject which interests me too, keep in touch with your findings :)
I was contemplating grinding my own wheat and a friend loaned me her mill and some wheat berries. I made a couple of whole wheat loaves and was hooked. The flavor was superior to the other whole wheats I had made using the best flours I could find. Perhaps there's someone around you that would either loan you their mill or grind some wheat for you to bake right away.
FF
Sounds fab :)
Thanks FF
Hi Daisy
It all sounds very cool.
My mam lives in Whickham, if you go to google maps and type in sunniside, you'll see the fields I mean - it's pretty much a few housing estates in the middle of farmer's fields (great for my hayfever hehe).
I'm a BIG fan of keeping seeds, a big fan of it - I've only just had the confidence to start it all, my partner and I tried it for the first time last year and mostly it was a success!
Some of it is still a mystery to me, but I suppose that unfolds in time.
Strange to hear you found chillies to be demanding, I always found them to be quite independant little things :)
Aye, everything I remember from allotments was to do with an owld shed and parrafin lamps haha old men tending their vegetables to avoid their wives.
Bliss haha
(for my partner too haha)
I just love it all, I love the thought of things growing, and I love caring for them, I love collecting the seeds to try again, and I love using them in cooking too.
Really in my opinion it's what we're supposed to be doing - to live, it's how "god" planned it.
I have a deep fascination and admiration for nature.
Thanks for your message
Craig
Hi
I always buy my hard wheat kernels/berries from my local health food store, and mill/grind them as wanted when I bake whole wheat bread....
unfortunately there isn't the choice of variety here Niagara Peninsula,, Ontario as there is in the states, and postage is ridiculous.
I mill the berries in the grain mill that links to my Kenwood mixer, the mixer I bought back from UK and had the motor changed.. fresh ground is superior to shop bought.. enjoy it when you do.... qahtan
I understand that one of my favorite wheat varieties is grown there on the peninsula. Red Fife is very hard to get and expensive here. Perhaps you can locate a farmer or granery.
Thanks qahtan
That's encouraging.
Do you not sieve the broken grain to keep the bran and the germ separate?
I read that "3 types" of flour come from one wheat grain - they get separated and sold back to us in 3 bags, the bran the endosperm and the germ - different types of flour and fineness (if that's a word).
Aparrently the bran has all the vitamins, and the endosperm is what is ground down to make white flour, and it's a starch (I think) to feed the germ - I think rye is the germ but I could be so incorrect that I'll be strung upside down and have my feet beaten with sticks.
I really do very much like the idea of making my own flour - it feels immediate, honest, more wholesome, it gives me the feeling that I will have understanding of the process more too.
I read a post where someone had used raisin yeast, so one day I may even make my own yeast too.
Time will tell :)
Thank you for contributing to this topic.
Best wishes
Craig
http://www.walkmillflour.co.uk
In case you didn't know -
I'm just mooching about looking online about grain mills etc
http://www.walkmillflour.co.uk
In case you didn't know -
I'm just mooching about looking online about grain mills etc
When I mill my hard wheat berries I use the whole thing,, I don't filter out any of the bran/germ/whatever cos thats what I want Whole Wheat. try, see if you can find a hand mill fairly cheap after all you don't want to mill tons of the stuff, just mill as you want..... qahtan
Just bought a Pico flour mill.Does anyone know where I can buysieves of different mesh size in the UK?.