When we first started our homesteading journey, our NutriMill grain mill was our first “big” purchase. I was so excited to have a tool to enable me to provide wholesome foods from ground wheat for my family. Now, I just had to learn how to use it.
How to Grind Wheat in a Grain Mill
I first started out using modern day organic soft and hard white wheat. I used soft white for baked goods and biscuits and the hard white for breads. Over time I learned about the health benefits of ancient grains that have not been hybridized. These ancient grains are easier to digest and hold more nutritional value.
I’ve also discovered that I have wheat sensitivities. Modern wheat, even organic, causes me to have inflammation and skin issues. I have found that Ancient grains do not HAVe these negative effects on me. Some of my farm kids have had the same reactions with modern wheat as well. We decided to switch to Spelt a while back. I’m very interested in trying out Einkorn. I’ve heard wonderful things about it.
Grinding your own wheat ensures that you are getting fresh flour that is still packed with nutrients. Flour loses its nutrients quickly and can actually go rancid in a short time period. I typically grind just what I need at the time. If I do have some extra, I store it in the freezer to help it stay fresh longer. Don’t fret if you don’t have a grain mill yet and have to buy your flour. Just store it in your freezer to preserve it longer.
Let’s get started
First things first- I measure out my wheat berries. One cup of berries yields about one and a half cups of flour. I add the berries to the hopper on my grain mill.
Now, I set my grain mill settings. This can vary depending on what type of wheat or grain you are grinding. For the wheat berries that I’ve used, I like to set my feed rate to very slow and my motor on high.
The grinding process is VERY noisy, and takes several minutes. The wheat berries will slowly go down until the hopper is empty.
Once the grain has completely fed through, I wait about fifteen seconds longer to be sure all of the wheat berries were ground. I turn the motor off and remove the bowl. The grain mill bowl has a lid that twists off and has a rubber ring to keep it sealed. I like to make sure the ring has flour on it or else it can be difficult to remove the lid. It also has a small filter that I clean after each use.
Now, I have yummy fresh ground flour to use in all sorts of delicious foods. I store any leftover flour in a large baggy in my freezer. I usually set it out to warm up for a couple of hours before use. Ice cold flour and oils or butter don’t mix very well. Ask me how I know.
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I like that you mentioned that grinding your own wheat ensures that you get packed flour full of nutrients. My wife and I are considering making gears using our newly bought cutting set for milling. We could use someone from the industrial field to help us out on this.