If you’ve been reading here long, you know that I’ve done quite a bit of struggling with the idea of soaking grains for better digestion.  I learned so much several years ago from reading Nourishing Traditions about eating real, whole foods and the importance of healthy fats and well balanced nutrition.  Sally Fallon, author of Nourishing Traditions, feels very strongly after much research that it is important to soak oats, wheat flour, and most other grains in something like whey, yogurt, kefir, cultured buttermilk, lemon juice, or vinegar for at least seven hours to allow the enzymes to break down and neutralize the phytic acid so that our bodies can digest the grain.

My initial reaction after reading Nourishing Traditions was to feel that I absolutely had to soak all of our grains before I made any breads, muffins, pancakes – everything! - otherwise I was being a horrible mother.  The book wasn’t condemning, I just took everything I read in it straight to the heart, and had a huge desire to do everything right as I transitioned our family into healthy eating.  I never really came up with a soaked bread we liked and many of the soaked muffins and such just had a funky flavor, but I kept trying anway.  I had to soak – I had to soak – I had to soak. And if I didn’t soak, I felt guilty – like I was feeding my kids junk food.  Sounds extreme, but that’s how I felt about it.

As time went on, I began to feel very overwhelmed by the need to soak all of our grains.  Was anything really wrong with me simply stirring up and baking some muffins without first soaking the grains?  Why did healthy cooking have to be so difficult?  On top of that, my family didn’t really love the taste of my soaked grain baked goods.  Truthfully, neither did I.  Keeping up with soaking became a tedious chore for me, especially as my life became more full with my family and with keeping up with the work on this site.

Somewhere in there, I read this article from Bread Beckers, detailing why soaking grains is not necessary.  It is a well researched, well written article.  And it made me question so many things I’d learned about soaking grains.

As I’ve wrestled with this through the years, I received many questions about soaking grains from you, my readers.  Here I am wavering on my conviction on this subject and you are wanting my thoughts and opinion on the matter.  I don’t want to steer anyone wrong!  I don’t want to be the authority on this subject!  I’m not saying soaking grains is right.  I’m not saying soaking grains is wrong.  Shucks, I don’t even really know what I’m saying.

I’m saying I’m tired.  I’m saying I’m a little overwhelmed by all the conflicting information out there about what it truly means to eat a healthy diet where grains are involved.  I’m saying that I give up on trying to have all the answers about grains.  Soaked grains, sprouted grains, no grains at all?  I don’t want to cop out, I just want simplicity and balance.  I wish I could provide you with something more solid.

For our family, at this point I have landed on eating whole grains, mainly freshly ground grains, and trying to work in a nice variety of them.  For the most part, I am not soaking my grains right now.  And I don’t feel guilt over it.  Mostly.  ;)

I’m doing the best I can for my family and I feel peace with this decision.

So what are your thoughts about soaking and sprouting grains?  I’d love to hear where you have landed on this subject.

I think I have now figured this thing out.  And I’m posting it here because, for the life of me, I could not find any answers when I did any internet searches.  And believe you me, I did some big time internet searches.  To the best of my knowledge, the following information is accurate, or at least it is as close as I could figure with what was left of my brain reserves after this week.  I used Montana Gold, Chemical Free, Hard White Wheat in my calculations.

1 pound of wheat = 2 cups of wheat
2 cups of wheat = 3 cups of flour

For me, since I currently pay $0.39/pound of wheat, this breaks down to:

3 cups of flour = $0.39
1 cup of flour = $0.13

And now, I shall go take a long, long nap, because even though it shouldn’t have been nearly that complicated for me to figure out this information, it sent my brain into a crazy tailspin.  My apologies to every one of you who got pulled into my confusion this week.  I’m planning to continue sharing more of my Real Food – Low Cost calculations next week – after my nap.

As you can imagine, the grain and flour picture taking thing was fun.  We all know that my fanciest and finest accessory is flour in my hair and on my jeans.  This gave me opportunity to look my best at a soccer game Saturday afternoon.  Yes, somehow I managed to get freshly ground flour at the bottom of my left pant leg by my shoe.  It takes talent, people.

I’ve talked bunches about how I love grinding my flour in my Nutrimill.  You can read through all of the posts in my Grains and Grain Mills section to learn more about whether or not a grain mill saves money, which grain mills I prefer and how to grind flour in a grain mill.

There really is no comparison between store bought whole wheat flour and freshly ground whole wheat flour.  I have found that all of my baked goods taste best when made with freshly ground hard white wheat.  I also discovered, after I saved up and purchased a grain mill six years ago, that I made my money back on it within six months.  It’s very cost effective to grind your own wheat, not to mention the fresher the flour, the more nutrients it contains.

If you still aren’t ready or able to buy a grain mill, I suggest that you try to find whole wheat flour at the store that is made from white wheat.  I’m just starting to see this flour pop in up local stores, so this is encouraging.  (Before, I only saw them if I went out of town to a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.)  I’ve used and recommend King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat Flour or better yet, try to find an organic variety like this one.

Okay, now a few pictures to show you some differences between red and white wheat, and the flour they each produce.

First, a lovely picture of wheat kernels (or berries).  On the left you will see Hard Red Wheat – on the right you will see Hard White Wheat:

See, they are both whole wheat kernels, they are just a different variety.  This should answer all those questions about whether white wheat is as healthy as red wheat.  The answer is yes.  They are both good for you.  They are just different kinds of wheat.  Red wheat produces a darker, heavier, stronger flavored flour.  Some like it – I don’t prefer it.  White wheat produces a much milder, easier to work with flour.  In many recipes, when I use Hard White Wheat, it’s hard to tell that the baked good is even made with whole wheat flour.  I love hard white wheat.

Next, I ground both some red wheat and some white wheat.  It may be difficult to tell the difference in the two pictures that follow, but if you look real closely, I think you’ll see a difference.

First you will see a picture of my beloved hard white wheat flour.  Notice that it is white in color with a few specks of light brown throughout.  It almost looks like white flour, but nope – all of those wonderful nutrients are all still there in the flour.

Second, we have the Hard Red Wheat Flour.  Do you see that the brown in this flour is darker and a little more reddish brown in color?  This will produce a darker, whole wheat baked product.  It’s still tasty and obviously still very good for you – just a little heavier tasting.  I had happened upon a great deal on some red wheat, which is why I have any at all!  I occasionally mix my red and white together to make it easier for our family to eat the red wheat.

One more thing:  You can also purchase Soft White Wheat.  Once ground, this becomes “whole wheat pastry flour” which can be used in any baked good that does not require the use of yeast.  You must use a hard grain for yeast breads. Pastry flour is great for muffins, cookies, quick breaks and cakes.  However, since my hard white wheat still works fine for these products, I usually just use it for all of my wheat baking.  It’s easier that way!

(You can read this post to learn great sources for purchasing grain.)

Your turn to share:  What’s your favorite kind of wheat flour?  Have you taken the plunge to grind your own grain yet?  Ever found yourself at a soccer game with flour on your pant leg?

For those of you who are new to “soaking grains” and have emailed me with questions of confusion as to what this means exactly…I thought I would take the time to explain it a little bit better, and to show some pictures of what a bowl of “soaking grains” looks like!

First, let’s talk a tiny bit about why soaking grains is important.  Because I’m not good at remembering big words and how to use them, here is a quote from the Nourishing Traditions cookbook about soaking grains:

Phosphorus in the bran of whole grains is tied up in a substance called phytic acid.  Phytic acid combines with iron, calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc in the intestinal tract, blocking their absorption.  Whole grains also contain enzyme inhibitors that can interfere with digestion.  Traditional societies usually soak or ferment their grains before eating them, processes that neutralize phytates and enzyme inhibitors and, in effect, predigest grains so that all their nutrients are more available.

In Laura’s terms:  When you soak your grain, your tummy will feel better and the nutrients in the grain will be better used by your body.

If you’ve been reading here long, you know that I’m a little bit on the fence when it comes to soaking grains.  Sometimes I’m a soaker…sometimes I’m not.  It depends on the day and what recipe I’m using, but I do try to soak my grains if I can.  There are different schools of thought behind soaking grains and you can read my thoughts about it (and other people’s ideas and comments) here.  Matt and I have come to the conclusion that we don’t need to go into panic mode if I don’t get around to soaking our grains.  Right or wrong…that’s where we’ve landed.  I really like the pressure this has taken off of my brain.

Now, having said all of that…I would like to share what “soaking grains” really means.  Ultimately, it means that you are soaking the whole grain that has already been ground into flour .  (You can/should also soak oats or cornmeal.  Oats are soaked the same as flour.  Cornmeal requires a different variety of soaking, which I’ll discuss in a separate post.)

The soaking of said flour or oats needs to be done in an “acid medium liquid” for 12-24 hours, or at least overnight.  This means, you can soak your flour or oats in:

• Any cultured dairy product such as buttermilk, yogurt or kefir.  You can read about how I easily and inexpensively make these products here.  Or…
• If you are not able to use dairy products in your family, you can instead use water with 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar in place of the buttermilk, yogurt or kefir.

The flour doesn’t need to “go swimming” in the liquid.  It simply needs to be wet.  In any of my recipes that give soaking instructions, I will share the exact measurements of flour and/or oats and liquids needed for soaking.  On my site, I have instructions for soaking:  Whole Wheat Waffles, Simple Soaked Pancakes, Breakfast Cookies, Breakfast Cake, Poptarts, Pizza Pocket dough, and others that I’m likely forgetting at the moment.  :)  I also describe how to soak my Whole Wheat Tortillas in my Totally Tortillas ebook.

Here is what my Simple Soaked Pancakes look like in the morning after I’ve stirred together the flour and buttermilk the night before.  See the little bubbles that formed?  That means we’ve accomplished kind of a “sourdough” effect.  Perfect!  Next, I mix in the remaining ingredients and make the pancakes.  (And then the fam will eat the entire triple batch before I have a chance to grab one if I’m not on top of my game.) 

This is what my Whole Wheat Tortillas look like once I’ve mixed them up and left them to “soak”.  This recipe with soaking instructions is so simple because I put them all together, they soak, then they are ready right away for me to roll them out and cook them!

Soaking grains isn’t difficult at all…it just requires a little bit of planning ahead!

Some other frequently asked questions about soaking grains include:

Do I need to soak my flour even if it isn’t freshly ground in a grain mill?

Yes, even if it is store bought whole wheat flour, it is best to soak it if you can.

Do I need to soak my white flour?

Nope.  The reason it’s white flour is because the bran and the germ have been taken out.  The bran is what needs to be soaked in the first place.  Since that’s not there…no reason to soak!

What other questions do you have about soaking grains?  Are you a soaker?

I want to take some time to address some of the many whole wheat flour questions I receive from those of you making the switch from white to brown.  So many of you email me to say “I wish we liked whole wheat flour…we just don’t.  What ideas do you have?”  or “When I bake with whole wheat flour, my food often feels and tastes heavy and grainy.  My kids won’t eat it.”  or “Laura, you look really good with flour in your hair, what’s your secret for getting it right there on your bangs?”  Just kidding about that last statement.  Thankfully.

My suggestion (and hear me out on this, because I think I know all of your arguments) is…okay actually I have two suggestions:

1. Use a Grain Mill to grind fresh flour.
2. Use Hard WHITE Wheat.

Here’s the deal:  I have NEVER liked store-bought whole wheat flour.  Still don’t like it very much.  The idea of switching to whole wheat flour to me was NOT appealing and I DIDN’T want to.

Until I had a piece of my friend’s bread made with freshly ground hard white wheat flour.  That was all the evidence I needed.

I really didn’t believe her when she said that the bread was 100% whole wheat.  It didn’t taste whole wheat.  It didn’t look whole wheat.  It didn’t feel whole wheat.  Oh, but did it ever smell and taste good.

It was at that moment (after she answered more of my questions and after I talked it over with Matt of course) that I decided that I would save any extra money we had toward getting my own grain mill.  The problem was…we had NO extra money to save toward a grain mill. 

What I Did:

I started buying Hard White Wheat and letting my friend grind it for me.  She was so sweet to do this, and it worked, but it certainly wasn’t convenient.  I then began making these soft pretzels to sell at our local farmer’s market to save for my Nutrimill.  It took just a few weeks before I had enough money saved.  I ordered my Nutrimill right away!  That was five years ago, and I’ve gotta say that saving up for and buying my Nutrimill was SUCH a great investment.  My whole family thinks so. 

Why Freshly Ground Flour Made from Hard White Wheat is Different (and tastes so good):

Well, fresh flour is…fresh.  It’s amazing the difference in taste you’ll notice when you eat bread and other goodies made from flour that has been freshly ground.  The whole wheat flour from the store is a little on the old side and is likely even to be rancid.  It is usually often made from RED wheat.

Which leads me to my second point about why freshly ground flour from hard white wheat is different and tastes so good:  White wheat is lighter in texture and color than red wheat.  Whole wheat flour made from Hard White Wheat produces lovely bread, tortillas, pizza crust, muffins…everything you need flour for.

The Question of the Hour:

But Laura, doesn’t white wheat turn into white flour?

Ah, I didn’t get that at first either.  But NO, it absolutely doesn’t.  Hard White Winter Wheat is simply a different variety of grain.  Hard Spring Red Wheat has the same nutritional value as Hard White Winter Wheat…but white wheat makes (in  my opinion) a nicer and more palatable whole wheat flour.

I think you’ll notice a big difference.

(White flour that you buy at the store, by the way, is flour made by sifting out the bran and germ after the grain has been ground.  This was originally done to give it a longer shelf life.  Now, unless otherwise noted, the white flour is bleached to make it whiter.  Yum.)

What Do I Suggest?

See if you can find someone who has a grain mill and will let you try out freshly ground flour made from hard white wheat.  Hey, if you come over to my place, I’ll let you try some of mine!  (I may even share my secret of getting flour in my hair.)

If you like it (the freshly ground flour…not the flour in my hair), I recommend doing a little something to save up for a grain mill.  I love my Nutrimill!!!  Here’s a video of me showing how to use the Nutrimill.  I love Paula’s Bread as your go-to source for purchasing a Nutrimill.  She offers great prices and offers wonderful customer service.

And…you may want to look into this online Bread Class offered by Lori.  She teaches you to use freshly ground flour to make a perfect loaf of bread…and other great baked goods too!  It’s a very helpful class!

Lastly…I will recommend that if you just aren’t able to grind fresh flour right now, try to find store bought whole wheat flour made from white wheat, labeled, White Whole Wheat.  King Arthur has a nice variety.  It’s not quite the same (because it isn’t fresh), but it’s the best store-bought flour I’ve used.

Those of you who’ve been grinding your own flour…share what you love about it!  How were you able to make the investment to get a grain mill?  Which is your favorite grain mill and wheat to grind?

(You’ll find more posts I’ve written about grinding grain, where I recommend getting grain, which grain I recommend and ALL kinds of grainy questions answered in this section!)

Disclaimer:  No one here is going to force you to grind your own flour, eat white wheat or get flour in your hair.  If you like flour make with red wheat, enjoy!  If you can’t afford a grain mill, this is not a guilt trip.  I’m just answering many readers’ questions.  Hopefully you all found it helpful.  And hopefully you are much cleaner bakers than I am.  Not only is there flour in my hair, it is also on my kitchen floor and counter tops.  I need to go clean my kitchen. 

I’ve talked about how I love freshly ground flour and about how I love my nutrimill.  You’ve all helped me share about great sources for organic or chemical free grains.  I’ve even written a letter to your husbands trying to convince them that getting you a grain mill is a fabulous idea.

But I’ve never taken the time to show you how a grain mill works.  Is it hard to run?  Does it take a lot of time?  Do you work up a sweat using it?

The answer to all three questions is a definite no! 

So many people have mentioned to me things like “I don’t know how you have time to grind your own flour.  I barely have time to cook, much less make the flour for my baked goods.”

You’re welcome to continue to think that because I grind my own flour, I am a modern day wonder woman.  Or, you can watch this video clip and learn the truth…

Did you see that?  I put in the wheat, turned on the machine…and then I walked away and made lunch and did some dishes.  Then I came back and had freshly ground flour.  It doesn’t get any easier than that.  And wow, this flour tastes more delicious than any you’ve ever had (in my opinion)!

I just noticed that Paula’s Bread has Nutrimills on sale right now!  Paula’s fabulous to work with!

Any other questions about grain mills and how they work?

Actually…I picked up 1,000 pounds of wheat because my friend Anne went with me and she was also crazy enough to have ordered ten – 50 pound bags of wheat.

So there we were, heaving twenty – 50 pound bags of wheat into the back of my husband’s truck.  We looked really cute.  I’m sorry you missed it.

Matt and the boys weren’t home when we got back, so Anne and I got to lift them all over again while we carried them into our house (and then into her house). 

Here are all twenty bags stacked in the back of the truck.

I had so much fun interviewing myself back on this post, I thought I’d interview myself again, based on any questions you might have concerning my 500 pounds of wheat:

Me:  Wow, Laura.  500 pounds of wheat?  Are you crazy?

Me again:  Do you even have to ask?

Me:  Why did you order 500 pounds of wheat?

Me again:  Because I heard of a local gal ordering a big truck load of Wheat Montana.  Apparently if you get enough people together to divide a truck load of their wheat, you can save a bunch of money.  I usually order my wheat from Azure Standard, but sometimes it doesn’t come in.  I never like running low on wheat.  It’s not like I can just run to the store and get more, you know?  So I ordered…a lot.

Me:  So, what in the world are you going to do with all that wheat?

Me again:  I grind my own flour and make from scratch all of our bread, tortillas, pancakes, waffles, bagels, cookies, brownies, quick breads and anything else that requires flour.  I LOVE baking with freshly ground flour.  It tastes incredible and is SO much healthier for us.

Me:  How long will 500 pounds of wheat last you?

Me again:  I’m thinking it should last about one year.  I ordered 10 bags based on the fact that we go through almost 50 pounds each month. 

Me:  You go through almost 50 pounds of wheat in a MONTH?????

Me again:  Well, there are six in our family.  Five out of six are male.  Four out of six eat like grown men.  Plus, we have a LOT of company.  Plus, I love to bake for others.  Plus, we almost never buy any grain products from the store.   Plus, no…that’s all.

Me:  Will the wheat keep that long, or are you afraid it will go bad?  Where are you storing it?

Me again:  Wheat will keep for YEARS.  As long as I keep it dry, it’ll be fine.  I’m keeping it in a room that was once a garage, and is now just a storage room. 

See?  It doesn’t take up THAT much space.

Me:  Can we see the rest of your storage room?

Me again:  Are you kidding?  That room is by far the scariest in my house.  Nobody gets to go in there.  They’d lose all respect for me if they saw that mess.

Me:  How much did 500 pounds of wheat cost you?

Me again:  I paid $210 for all of it.  That makes it about 42 cents per pound.  A great price for organic wheat!

Me:  What kind of wheat did you get? 

Me again:  It came from Wheat Montana…and I ordered Hard White Wheat.  I LOVE that stuff!!

Me:  Why wasn’t Matt there to help you with all of that terrible, back breaking labor? 

Me again:  Oh, he offered.  He actually had the day off when I needed to go pick it up.  But, I really wanted him to have some time with the boys.  Plus, I hadn’t spent time with my friend Anne for months.  I kinda wanted the get-away.  Besides, I’m much stronger than I look.

Me:  No you’re not.

Me again:  Okay, I’m not.  But it really wasn’t that hard.  I got a good workout. 

Me:  Will you keep us posted on how long the wheat lasts you and what all you’re making with it?

Me again:  I’ll tell you more than you ever wanted to know.

Speaking of which…what else would you like to know?
 

First and foremost, let me tell you that you all have fantastic wives.  They are among some of my most favorite people ever.  Way to go and congratulations on choosing such a fine woman to be your help-meet.

And now I’d like to take a moment to encourage you to strongly consider purchasing a Grain Mill for your wife (for Christmas, or tomorrow would also be fine).  I know how much she’d like one.  I know how much she’d use it. 

And the best news for you…I know how much you’d like the breads and other foods she’d make for you with the freshly ground flour her Grain Mill produces.

What?  You don’t like whole wheat?  I understand.  But listen…the whole wheat flour that your wife’s new grain mill creates is like NONE other you have ever had.  You’re likely to not even recognize that your bread is whole wheat.  I promise.

Just think.  After your wife serves you some hot homemade bread straight from the oven, she can experiment with other delicious whole wheat recipes like these whole wheat pretzels…whole wheat cinnamon rolls…whole wheat donuts…cinnamon swirl bread…

And while you think that you couldn’t possibly love your wife more than you do at this very minute…I think you will fall even more in love with her (even if she does have streaks of flour in her hair) after she bakes these delightful treats for you.

One of the best parts of owning a grain mill is how much MONEY it saves.  Your wife knows how much you love to save your hard earned money.   She’d be happy to use her new Grain Mill to help you save money.

Don’t know where to start looking for a Grain Mill or which Grain Mill to get?  No problem.  Just go read this.  Don’t know where to buy the grain for your Grain Mill?   Gotcha covered.  Go read this.

Have more questions?  Email my husband (coppinger6 at gmail dot com).  He will tell you everything you need to know.  He’s really, really happy that we got a Grain Mill.  I think he also thinks I look cute with flour in my hair. 

Or maybe he’s just used to it.

Sincerely,
Laura at Heavenly Homemakers

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Which Grain to Use:

• I try to find organic or chemical free grain.
• My very favorite grain to use is Hard White Organic Wheat.  I like it much better than Hard Red Wheat.  It has the same nutritional value, but when you use hard white wheat, it hardly seems like you’re eating whole wheat at all!  Hard red wheat seems to make my recipes a bit heavier.
• You can use Soft White Wheat to make pastry flour (for use in cookies and muffins) and Hard White Wheat for yeast breads.  BUT I just use my hard white wheat for everything. It’s just simpler…I only have to have one kind of wheat on hand…and it just tastes good.
• I also love kamut and spelt…but don’t use them as much, usually because they cost a bit more.
• I grind my own corn into corn meal.  This makes the BEST cornbread and cornbread muffins.  I love freshly ground corn!
• You can grind rice and make rice flour if you like.  It is actually recommended that you grind a cup or so of rice every few months through your mill just to clean it out!  (I’ve GOT to remember to do that!)

Where to Find Good Quality Grains:

• First check around locally.  Check out Local Harvest to find out if there is a good source of grains near you.
• I almost always order my wheat, corn and rice from Azure Standard.  If you live in an area where there is an Azure Standard co-op delivery, I highly recommend purchasing this high quality grain from them.  You can still order independently from Azure Standard, but shipping may be high.
• Tropical Traditions has several varieties of very high quality grains.  Watch for “free shipping” days and take advantage!
• Paula’s Bread sells a few different varieties of grain on her site.  She’ll ship it to you, or you can go pick it up if you live near her in Oklahoma.
• Pleasant Hill Grain happens to be right up the road from me!!  I was excited to see the shipping is FREE on orders over $99!!!!
• Wheat Montana has great prices on wonderful wheat (I used to be able to get their wheat from Wal-mart for a great price).  Shipping from their site is pretty pricey.
• Healthy Food Mall is worth checking into.  Their costs are higher for the grain, but shipping seemed more reasonable.
• Don’t forget Amazon. I’ve never bought grain from them because shipping is high, but I keep checking there to see if there’s a reasonable option.

Grain will last for a long time. If you come upon a good resource for wheat, I say buy a LOT.  It will store safely for years without going bad!

Okay everyone with a grain mill!!  Share where buy your grain and where you live so that others in your area can learn from you!
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This post is linked to Frugal Fridays.

Now…IF you decide to invest in a grain mill…which one should you buy?  There are all kinds of varieties out there.   Here are a few that I know something about:

I have a Nutrimill. 

I’ve never had a different kind of grain mill, so I don’t have much to compare it to…but I LOVE my Nutrimill.  Everyone I’ve talked to that has one LOVES them.  The only complaint I’ve ever heard about Nutrimills is that it is a bit hard to clean them.  My answer to that is:  Clean them? 

While I do clean mine occasionally…I find it hardly worth the effort.  I use mine almost daily and while I sort of wipe off the outside a bit after each use…I don’t find it necessary to thoroughly clean it very often.  (Also, if you run rice through them occasionally, that will clean the inside!)

While the Nutrimill grinds the flour it does not heat the grain in the process, preserving all of the nutrients in the grain.  I’ve ground wheat (hard and soft), spelt, kamut, buckwheat, rye, corn and rice with my Nutrimill.   It does give the option of grinding at a finer or coarser setting…although I’ve never found that changing the setting makes much difference.   My flour is usually quite fine and I love it.

A friend of mine has a Whisper Mill.

If you own a Whisper Mill maybe you can offer a different opinion about it, BUT my friend really DOESN’T like it.  She says, “It takes up a LOT of space.  The two pieces make it hard to store… you have to hook up the ‘bucket’  with a plastic arm that breaks easily. Mine has never ground anything bigger than wheat very well.”  Anyone else have an opinion on the Whisper Mill?

If you have a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, you can purchase this attachment for it. 

Any of you grind your flour this way?

I’m also very interested in investing in a hand grinder…just in case we would ever need to grind grain without electricity.  Here’s one I’m looking at.  Do any of you have experience with hand grinders and want to recommend one?

Several of you mentioned a Vitamix on this post. 

Sounds like there are mixed reviews on this one.  It seems that if you grind a large amount of flour, it takes too long in the Vitamix.  On the other hand, you can do other things with the Vitamix, making it a more multi-purpose investment.  Read the comments here if you’re interested in learning more about the Vitamix.

Where should I buy my Grain Mill?

I would recommend looking at your options of grain mills at Amazon (you can maybe even find a used one) OR check out Paula’s Bread. 

Paula’s Bread has ALL kinds of great kitchen products and several varieties of grain mills.   Read about Paula’s family here and consider supporting her business if you’re looking to purchase a grain mill!  Her prices are very reasonable.  I’m very impressed with all of the products she carries.  (Side note:  Paula’s Bread is a sponsor of mine, but she did not pay me anything extra to write this.  I just really love her site and wanted to point you there in case you hadn’t seen her ad on my sidebar!)
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If you have a grain mill, please share what kind you have and why you like it or dislike it!!! 
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