Surprise! It's a Grain Mill!!

I'm so excited to share this news with the world....

I officially grind my own grains!! I mill my own Flour!! I make by bread from "scratch"!! I can finally say that I know what fresh flour smells like!!! And I could not be more enthusiastic about this new venture!!

 Okay, I'll try to keep my giddiness under control so I can write this post.

My love of freshly baked bread all started when we bought our little corner of the world to begin our homesteading. The first thing I knew that I needed to learn, to be a true producer instead of consumer, was making our own bread. I had never before even considered making this part of my routine. I didn't even know what exactly yeast was or how it worked...But I wanted to learn.

I started out learning how to make bread without a bread machine. I figured that this would give me a better understanding of the whole process, and it did. It was so rewarding to send a warm loaf of freshly baked bread over to the neighbors house for the first time. Especially with a batch of freshly made butter, which is what I did. It was amazing-Learning how to make bread and wanting to do it so often that we had more than enough to share!

After doing it that way for a few weeks, my sister offered me a bread maker and I figured I'd give it a go. The bread however was not up to my expectations. It made a tall square loaf with a hole up the middle! What?! That's not what homemade bread is supposed to look like at all! So I took the advice of a friend and starting doing it half in the machine and half in the oven. It works beautifully and makes it more practical for me to keep a fresh loaf on hand. I'll give you guys my recipes for that in one of my upcoming posts. For now I have to get back to the topic at hand...My new grain mill!!!

I was totally surprised by my husband this Christmas when he let me know that he was buying me a present this time whether I approved it in the budget or not...it was happening and I wasn't aloud to complain. This is especially sweet since my husband usually doesn't do gifts. Back rubs are kind of his thing on my special days and I have never found reason to complain about that..I love them! But this Christmas he just wasn't sticking to the usual arrangement and he told me very matter of fact-ly that there was nothing I could do about it. I was excited and a little bit puzzled at what it could be. I don't ask for much and certainly never anything too expensive. After he ordered it (at my sisters house, on her account and paid her by check...sneaky, eh?) I'd told him I needed the amount so that I could balance the checkbook. When he told me the amount, I almost died!  What in the world could he be getting me that costs so much??

Well you guessed it. It was a grain mill!!!!! But not just any grain mill- It was a Kitchenaid Mixer with a grain mill attachment. 

Oh.My.Gosh.

A Kitchenaid and a grain mill...I know, I know- It's a little bit more exciting than a back rub, I'll give him that credit, but already knows that. Actually, this is how the rest of our week played out:

Me: "Justin, you forgot to take out the trash again!!"
Justin: "Hun...I got you a grain mill!"

See? he's a pretty smart guy. It worked for like a week...and then I remembered that I had carried, delivered and nursed all 3 of his babies so clearly I win the "who did what for whom" game! Not that the mill gift isn't high up on the awesome list. It just takes second place to the miracle of birth.

Bet you didn't think you'd find that in a flour post...hah!

Getting back to the point here-
I couldn't believe that this wonderful man had not only gotten me this gift, but that he had remembered me commenting on a blog post over a year ago about grinding flour. I had NEVER said to him that I wanted a Kitchenaid...but man, did I ever!!

 

 Here are some pictures I snapped in action last evening as I was grinding my wheat berries.

 

 

My beautiful wheat.

My grain mill

 

My grain mill-in action

 

And my fresh wheat flour.

 

I would recommend anyone who already makes homemade bread to seriously look into a mill. The flour is really a lot cheaper for me to grind myself than to buy it packaged, so I figure eventually the cost will even out.(but that's just my way of making the cost "feel" better) Plus the health benefits are priceless.

 

 I had read a lot recently about the benefits of eating fresh flour and that even the healthiest grocery store flours need to have preservatives added as flour does go rancid. To read more about that and wheat in general, read this: http://thewholetruth.org/Health_Wheat_FAQ.asp

 

I buy my wheat berries at a local Mennonite store and keep them in a food grade bucket so I'm not having to run a few times a week to get more, However I don't buy so much that I can't use it within a short period of time. You'll have to see what works best for you.

 

Do any of you mill your own flour? What kind of grains do you use? I'm just learning myself so I'd be interested in hearing any combinations of grains that work well for you. I love learning from those who are experienced!!

 

Have a good day everyone and Happy Baking!!