The Mill and The Mixer

There have been several questions about the mill I recommend. First, please know that I am not trying to talk anyone into buying any of these things. There are a couple of machines I will recommend. There are many more and because I haven’t mentioned them does not mean they are not great . . it simply means I know nothing about them.

The Mill:

This is like most things – almost any time you ask someone what they recommend, it’s going to be what they have and what they are used to. I have never heard anything bad about any of the products I will mention today. Again, that doesn’t mean the products I don’t mention are products I would not buy. I’m on several milling and whole wheat bread groups on Facebook and, while I don’t pay real close attention, I don’t hear anything mentioned about poor quality mills. My suggestion is to buy something that fits your budget because having a mill of good quality but maybe not the most expensive is better than having no mill at all.

Most of the websites that sell mills will list the items the mill can safely handle and may list a few that should not be put into it. Think about what you’re wanting to do and . . say grinding popcorn is important to you, then find a mill that will grind popcorn.

Also, the links are the places I’ve shopped and had great service. There are plenty other places that have great service. There are no affiliate links in this post so I’m not getting a dime off anything you may purchase. And, if you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them if I can.

The prices listed by each item will be the price currently shown in that link.

KoMo Classic – $549

This is the mill that I use and the mill I got for Chad. Both were purchased in 2015. Mine has been used a bit more than Chad’s but neither of us have ever had a problem with it. On average, I would say I use my mill three or four times per week – for bread, muffins, biscuits, pancakes, etc. I would buy this mill again if I needed a new mill. I will add that a small contributing factor to my choosing this one is that it’s pretty and I love the workmanship. When I move EVERYTHING off my countertops, this mill always stays out.

I have friends who waited almost a year for one of these mills. I see that Pleasant Hill Grain has them in stock right now . . according to their website.

I don’t think any of the mills are hard to use. You would be able to open the box and immediately mill the grain into flour. I will make a separate post on baking with whole grains.

Family Grain Mill – Check Price on Website

This is the grain mill I started with and used for about 7 years. The only reason I switched to the KoMo is because I wanted a mill that had more options for the grind. I made great bread using this mill but knew I could get a finer grind with the KoMo. If you go to the link in the heading, you will see a chart with all the options/packages for the hand crank mill. If you go a little farther down, you will see the options for the motorized mill.

The cost for this mill will depend on the package/options you choose. I kept this mill because I bought the hand crank. I believe there’s a good possibility we may have serious electrical grid issues in this country and I will want to be able to make bread and other things I make with the use of a mill and whole wheat flour. I did add the flaker head and still use it. As with flour, oats – whether still cut, rolled, quick cook or instant, do not last that long. As with most any whole grain, whole oats will probably last way longer than I’m going to be around. I can flake oat groats, making them into rolled oats and I do this the morning we’re going to eat them. The nutrients are best when any whole grain is consumed either as whole grain or immediately after processing. I use the Family Grain Mill with the flaker head at last twice a week.

Wondermill – $299.95

This is the mill that Sue Becker of Bread Beckers uses and loves. She knows more about mills than I will ever know. I trust her and wouldn’t hesitate to use this mill if I needed a less expensive mill. I cannot tell you the difference in it and the KoMo, besides price but if Sue Becker loves it, I’m sure any of us would too.

Mixers:

I feel certain someone will challenge me on this but this is my opinion. A Kitchen Aid or other regular kitchen type mixer is not going to hold up to making freshly ground whole wheat bread. These doughs need to knead for 10 to 15 minutes to develop the gluten. The dough is heavy. I have an older Kitchen Aid from back when they were work horses made by Hobart. I used it for the first six years of making whole wheat bread from home milled flour and that took a toll on the mixer. Once I got the Bosch mixer, Vince did take the Kitchen Aid apart and replace some parts but it still isn’t totally right. Someone may say their Kitchen Aid is doing fine. That’s great but for most of those mixers, they cannot hold up to that kind of use. There is a Kitchen Aid that I saw that has 500 watts, weighs 32 pounds and is a 7 quart size and it is $600. Just do your research before buying a mixer. The Bosch and the Ankarsrum mixers are definitely up to the job.

Note: I can’t tell you how much I love my Bosch mixer but there are limits. I’ve talked to friends who have the Ankarsrum and it’s the same thing. They are perfect for kneading dough but I do not use the Bosch for making cookies, whipped cream, meringue, etc. I only use it for dough! So, a regular kitchen mixer doesn’t perform as I would like for the dough and the bread mixer doesn’t perform as I would like for other things so I will always have two mixers . . as long as I’m making bread. So . . even if you decide to get a new mixer for your bread, don’t get rid of the old one.

Bosch Universal Plus – $429

The blurb says this one has 500 watts, weighs 11-1/4 pounds and has a 6-1/2 quart bowl. It is made in Germany and has a 3 year warranty on the motor. If the lower wattage bothers you, please read the “Note” on the Pleasant Hill Grain website.

I do love this mixer. It’s super easy to clean and it does a fantastic job. It isn’t heavy at all. The bowl is plastic but I haven’t seen that as being a problem. If you consider the Bosch, check out the accessories. I have the blender, the baker’s package, the sifter. Not listed with the attachments but Bosch also has a package that includes a slicer, a grater and a shredder. LOVE this! I use it all the time. The pieces have a “leg” and that fits into the 6.5 quart bowl and you can fill that bowl all the way up with sliced, grated or shredded produce.

Ankarsrum – $749

I have never used this mixer, never even seen one in real life. I have friends who have them and love them. It has a 600 watt motor, and a 7 liter (which is about 7.5 quart) bowl. It has a 7 year warranty on the motor and it is made in Sweden.

Grains:

There are so many types of grains out there. When I first started, probably the first three years, I only knew about hard red, which now that I know about other grains, the hard red is one of the grains I use the least.

Grains can be purchased at Amish or Mennonite markets, from Bread Beckers, from Azure Standard, Pleasant Hill Grain. Check prices!! Include the shipping cost so you’re comparing apples to apples. I get some from a Mennonite grocery nearby but mostly I buy from Azure Standard.

In the beginning, you may want to buy the small bags of Bob’s Red Mill grains at your grocery store until you decide which grains you prefer.

Do not buy a whole lot of any one type of grain until you know that you’re going to enjoy milling your own flour and making the bread and that you like that particular grain.

Most storebought whole wheat flour is not the same as home milled whole wheat flour. Also, there are plenty of articles available that state how quickly nutrients are lost once the grains are milled. Some research suggests 40+% of the nutrients are gone after 24 hours and 95% are gone within three days. Are you buying flour and using it within 24 hours of it being milled? I can’t. What about three days after it was milled? How much nutrition is in the products we make from flour with no nutrition?

One last thing – grains that are properly stored will last many, many years. I have wheat vacuum sealed in half gallon jars that I bought in 2008 and it’s still great. All of my grains are stored in 5 gallon buckets with Gamma Seal lids with oxygen absorbers. Of course, as soon as we open a bucket and more air goes into it, the oxygen absorbers have been spent but once we open a bucket, we use it pretty quickly. Grains need to be stored away from light, away from moisture and where mice or bugs cannot get into them.

I think I’ve shared all I know and probably more than you wanted to know but if there are questions, leave them in the comments please and I will respond there.