All about grain grinding – The Frugal Girl

[ad_1]

A reader emailed me just lately to ask if I had a publish devoted to the topic of wheat grinding, and I found that I actually don’t.

Entire wheat sandwich bread: my most typical use for freshly floor flour

There are numerous snippets about it in varied Q&A posts*, however I assumed his thought of placing it multi function spot was an ideal thought.

*posts like this one, which additionally covers spiritual frugal bloggers!

I haven’t blogged a lot about grain grinding as a result of I don’t think about it to be a excessive precedence within the frugal life.

(Cooking at residence as an alternative of consuming out? THAT is a precedence.)

However since I preserve getting questions, I figured a publish could be good to have.

(In case you’d relatively watch a video of me answering grain questions, right here’s a grain grinding YouTube video. In case you want to learn, effectively, preserve scrolling!)

Why do you grind your individual complete wheat flour?

Primarily it’s as a result of complete wheat doesn’t keep recent very lengthy as soon as it’s floor.

What number of instances has your complete wheat flour gotten a rancid odor and style? It doesn’t take lengthy until you retailer your flour within the freezer.

I additionally discover that recent floor wheat flour has a milder taste than store-bought complete wheat flour. Recent flour simply tastes higher.

fresh ground whole wheat flour

And since I grind it myself, I can simply grind as a lot as I would like with out having to fret about safely storing the additional.

(Wheat berries may be saved just about indefinitely.)

Additionally, shops usually solely carry one form of complete wheat flour. However in case you purchase the wheat berries, you may get no matter form you need; white complete wheat, onerous pink wheat, and so on.

Lastly, it does seem that the more energizing the flour, the extra vitamins it should have (see this paper by the EAP at McGill College).

What grain grinder do you employ?

For a marriage present again in 1997, I acquired a Whisper Mill, which is now not made.

Whisper Mill

The WonderMill is sort of similar to what I’ve, and you should purchase a reconditioned mill for lower than $250.

This machine is pretty quiet (although each grain grinder is considerably loud), it produces very wonderful flour, and mine has been working for over 23 years.

How a lot does a grain grinder price? Is it value it?

Truthfully, from a frugality standpoint, I’m unsure it does.

A mill usually prices about $250 (much less for reconditioned), so it’s not a small funding. You’d must grind numerous complete wheat flour from frugally-sourced wheat berries for it to make monetary sense.

complete wheat buttermilk pancakes

I feel there are reputable causes to purchase a grain grinder, however I don’t assume it’s one thing you should purchase for frugal causes.

Fortunately for me, I used to be gifted with a grinder, so my solely price has been the wheat berries.

To save cash, you might attempt to discover a secondhand grain grinder. I’d think about, like treadmills, grain grinders are one thing folks purchase with good intentions after which by no means use.

So, perhaps somebody in your space is promoting one cheaply!

What else are you able to grind in a grain grinder?

I’ve solely used it for wheat, however you too can grind rice, corn, quinoa, amaranth, beans, and legumes.

This may very well be tremendous useful if you wish to make gluten free flours, equivalent to rice flour. In case you use it for that function, I think about the grain grinder would pay for itself fairly rapidly.

complete grain white pizza

The place do you purchase wheat berries?

I purchase it in 50 pound baggage from a neighborhood co-op.

To make this remotely cost-effective, that’s actually what you should do; shopping for wheat berries from the bins at your native Entire Meals goes to be way more costly.

wheat berries

Google to see what wheat shopping for choices can be found the place you reside.

How do you retailer wheat berries?

I’ve a big food-grade bucket that I preserve my wheat in, however I’ve additionally saved it in tremendous massive glass jars earlier than.

I freeze my wheat after I first get it, simply to kill any eggs hiding out within the grains*, after which I retailer it at room temperature.

*When your grains/flours get bugs in them, it’s often as a result of they had been already in your grains earlier than buy. That’s unavoidable, however in case you freeze your grains for 4-7 days (I hear conflicting recommendation on the size of time vital), then you definitely’ll kill any hitchhiker eggs.

Any food-grade, air tight storage container will work.

What do you employ complete wheat flour for?

Recent-ground complete wheat flour works wonderful in any recipe calling for complete wheat flour. Right here’s an inventory to get you began. And naturally, you need to use store-bought complete wheat flour in any of those recipes too.