Mixer or Grain Mill?
First of all, let me say that this is my first post on The Fresh Loaf. What a wonderful community! I am hoping you can help me with my dilemma.
I am in the fortunate position to buy a new 'toy' for my kitchen. I am torn between a KoMo grain mill or an Ankarsrum mixer.
I love the idea of a grain mill, and live in an area where I wouldn't have any trouble getting good wheat berries, and the idea of fresh milled grain going into my bread ( and my family's bellies) is just so appealing.
On the other hand, the Ankarsrum mixer looks amazing, and I would think it is more versatile and might get more use than a grain mill. I have a KA and am happy with it for some tasks, and unhappy with others.
if you could buy one of these two items, which one would you choose? And why?
Thanks! Slainte
I'd choose the Assistent.
Within the reach of 3 minutes by bicycle I have a shop that has a Komo or Hawos and any amount of berries you purchase will be milled for you. (Even "a quarter pound" or as I would order "twelve point five decagram".)
Within the reach of 15 to 20 minutes I even have at least 3 more of those shops.
With 1,50€ for organic whole *** flour at the discounter and 2€ to 2,50€ per kg organic freshly milled flour, the price for buying a mill would never amortise. Especially as I like to buy the grains already cleaned from ergot.
On the other hand, the fidibus 21 costs less than 250€. The Assistent at least twice as much. Without any of those shops near and with a working KA I'd maybe take the fidibus.
1 or 2 loaves a a week and totally unhappy with the crumb that results from mixer bread, slap and folds and stretch and folds being so easy there is no question a mill is the better choice, But if you bake a lot of white bread and the size of the bakes is larger then the mixer is fine too. It all depends what you plan to do when making bread. The great thing is that you can mix dough by hand but grinding it that way .....is problematic:-)
A KoMo is a very expensive mill and the Ankarsrum isn't cheap either. Since you have a KA I would go for the mill first but It probably doesn't matter much. Maybe you should just get both, bite the bullet, and tell loved ones you still love them but no presents this year :-)
So now ever option is open and am glad that I could lend a lessened underrating to your dilemma :-)
Happy mixing, grinding and baking!
Artisan bread or brioche, bagels, etc? I love my new Komo- I do the Tartine style boules mixing via stretch and fold by hand so I don't use my mixer- having fresh flour from exotic grains is way more useful for me. Grains are more shelf stable than whole grain milled flour. But if you want to make large batches of bagels, brioche and shred-able white loaves and the like-they are hard to do by hand I have found - not impossible, but hard. But it would be almost impossible to mill flour by hand. In any case, have fun with your new toy!
A mixer does nothing for the taste of your bread and you already have one!
Grain Mill. You can knead dough without a mixer but you can't mill grain without a mill, but of course you don't necessarily need a Komo and can get a manual one.
I have a Komo and love it. My grains store for up to 2 years and are available any time freshly milled.
made for the KA? Have never used one myself so can't vouch for the quality, but as you already have the mixer it might be worth the experiment in expanding its capabilities.
There is a taste advantage of home milled flour over store bought (as many TFL posters have said over the years) and the Komo mill gets good reviews on TFL. The Komo is adjustable so you can crack grain (and use the cracked grain as a soaker in a bread recipe or make your own breakfast cereals). Fresh milled flour and grits can definitely take your breads to a new level, and as long as you can get grains at a reasonable price and bake bread on a regular basis I think you'd get good use for it.
The major advantage of the Ankarsrum mixer for *bread* baking is it's ability to knead larger batches of dough. If you bake only a few loaves at a time, hand kneading techniques such as "slap and fold" or "stretch and fold" are effective substitutes for machine kneading.
You said "I have a KA and am happy with it for some tasks, and unhappy with others" so, not knowing where your KA mixer fails you, it's hard to figure out whether Ankarsrum would solve your problems with the KA mixer. There have been comments on the Ankarsrum by TFL posters in the past, so it might help your decision if you posted more detailed info on what you'd hope to do with the Ankarsrum that you can't do with your KA mixer and see what other owners have to say.
Do post back to tell us what you decide to buy. Best of luck.
Thanks, everyone, I really appreciate all these perspectives!
As for bread, I bake a variety. My current favourite bread is an 80% hydration baguette from the Weekend Bakery website. However, my family's favourite is bagels. And then there are all the other 'in between' breads, like the whole wheat-oats-pecan-cranberry bread I made last weekend.
i have to admit, I *love* the look of the Ankarsrum. The clean lines and retro feel are so very appealing to me. if I get it, I know I will use frequently, as it is good for so many other things I like to bake. I actually went to a store in my town, as they sell these mixers, but they did not have one on display (just through the webstore) -- it would have to be special ordered. And their policy (which makes no sense to me) is that, if you place a special order, the item is non-returnable and non-refundable. I *think* I would like the red, but I wouldn't really know until I opened up the box -- there are some reds I love, and some that just don't work for me. I can't spend that much money on something, not knowing if I would love it.
Yes, a grain mill can be purchased for the KA (or the Ankarsrum, for that matter). The reason I like the KoMo is because of the milling mechanism that uses stones. That just seems more natural to me, for whatever reason. And it too is so aesthetically pleasing!
Toronto flour, did you get your mill at Grainstorm? I'm near London, and maybe the next time I am in TO I'll stop at that store and see what the mills look like in person.
The suggestion to just get both is by far the best! Lol!!
And if you buy via their website?
At least in the EU there should be a 14 days that you can return the machine.
I'm in Canada ...
Their policy so doesn't make sense to me. If I buy the mixer, I may as well order it to the States, as there are American online stores that would gladly let me return it (and with taxes and duties, probably be cheaper too). Just makes me sad as I would be happy to support my city's businesses and the policy makes it challenging.
Not too long ago there was a post here by a member who had purchased her new Ankarsrum from Jalyns.ca, the Canadian distributor for both Ankarsrum and Komo. Evidently, she had a very good experience dealing with them. You may want to check out her post, HERE.
Thanks so much, everyone! I've decided I definitely need both, lol! Now just to figure out the purchase details. I know I will get a lot of use from the mixer, and am confident I will use a grain mill frequently as well. Exciting times! Your help is greatly appreciated!