Q & A: How to Mill Your Own Flour
Learning how to mill your own flour is surprisingly easy, sustainable, and a fantastic way to eat healthier. For those not in the know, milling your own flour is, basically, the process of turning grains into flour. All done right at home so you can have flour on hand for cooking and baking, at any time!
Milling about, milling your own flour
Milling your own flour can sound like a big undertaking at first. At least I know that was how I felt when I first started delving into the seemingly obscure art.
The steps to milling your own flour (once you have the right gear) are quite simple.
Steps to mill your own flour
1. Choose your grain
Wheat berries, rye, barley, spelt, oats, corn, and a few others are all options. Some grains will make better food products than others so be sure you’ve chosen the right grain for what you’re planning to cook!
2. Find the right mill
Electric mills can cost a pretty penny (somewhere from $100-1200) but will save you time and energy. Hand-cranked mills will cost you much less money (ranging around $25-$80) but will, in turn, cost you more elbow strain and sweat. But those looking for a more soulful attachment to the homegrown food lifestyle might not want to balk so readily at the hand-cranked mill.
Keep in mind that, usually, electric mills will be better at creating finer flour whereas hand-cranked ones will be better at developing coarse flour. Personally, we prefer the Komo Mill for anyone looking to take a deep plunge into milling their own grain.
3. Mill away!
Once you’ve got your grain and mill of choice, hop into the hopper (the cup/funnel looking part) located at the very top of the mill. A generally useful rule of thumb is that ⅔ cub of your grain of choice will equal 1 cup of flour. Take care to experiment with a small amount of grain first before trying a large load that may not fit your flour needs. Then, tinker with your mills settings (if there are any) as needed.
The benefits of milling your own flour at home
Milling your own flour at home comes with many satisfying, soul-feeding rewards.
Health! Milling your own flour puts the reins in your hands. Want to optimize the health of your flour by choosing the perfect grain and the perfect amount of additives and preservatives for your health needs? No problem. For many, the exciting part about milling your own flour is the option to leave out all those pesky additives. Many of which are outright outlawed in the EU for their health risks.
Here comes the money: Want to make as much or as little flour you want to meet your needs? Milling your own means you're in charge of the quantity and very size of the grain you’re working with! The grains you purchase to turn into flour are going to be cheaper than any store-bought flour you find. So, one of the key benefits of milling your own flour at home is just another way to save some cash as you build a more sustainable life for yourself.
Sustainability. Making your own flour cuts way back on all the costs and resources that typically come into the fray to bring flour to your nearest store. No more gas-chugging trucks zooming down the freeway or extra packaging materials; no more food products being wasted, spoiled, or thrown out because of overproduction, damage, or what-have-you. Milling your own flour at home is super environmentally friendly, is all.
Sweet, sweet, sustainability
Buffing out the hard edges of the more wasteful aspects of our lives happily so many times comes with a suite of benefits for ourselves. No one says the environment has to be the only thing with something to gain! Learning how to mill your own flour is no different from many other sustainability choices.
One more fact about the mills of the past
The mill used to be the social hub for an entire town. Everyone bringing their grain to the mill, to be made as needed. Many people wonder how it is that Europeans can be so healthy while eating so much wheat. Truth is, most of their bread is made daily whereas, in the states, most flour has been sitting on a shelf for 6 to 12 months before you make your purchase. All with the help of preservatives that would be better left out of the mix altogether. Milling your own flour cuts out those preservatives!