Interested in grinding my own grains...need some tips

[browneyeNYmomma]

Where do you buy grains for grinding your own flour? How complicated is it to do this? And any recs for a grinder that's not terribly pricey?

[KWinMT]

I uesd get grains for flour at a local store similar to Whole Foods (when I lived in the city). They sell organic grains in bulk.

Now that I live in a rural area, I order grains from azurestandard.com. They have "drop sites" around the country and you can call their customer service dept to find if one is near you. They are sort of a co-op that you have to place a minimum of $50 an order (or pay a service charge) - it's only once a month and they carry all sorts of other organic and earth conscious products (produce, baby food, frozen food, health and beauty products, etc). I like it because I canorder a large quantity of the grains I use the most and save money, but they have smaller portions too if I just want to try something new.

If there isn't a drop site near you, I think there are other programs like it around the country. You may also check and see if local farmers grow any grains you need - they would probably offer great advice on the best way to grind and store each grain.

I grind grains with my food processor (Cuisinart- from Macy's, I think) and I grind just what I need for whatever I'm making or maybe a little bit more since a lot of grains should be refrigerated after they are ground to keep them fresh and I have limited space in my fridge. I do get the finest grind on my grains with a coffee grinder. I grind my 8 mo old sons cereal with the coffee grinder. It is a bit of a hassle because you have to do tiny batches to prevent overheating and make sure you clean the blades really well to prevent clogging, but it gets my grains really fine.

One other tip - if you buy quinoa to grind (one of my favorite to throw in breads and cereal because of the nutrition content) - make sure you know if it has it's saponin coating. I bought some that still had it and it was soooo bitter after I ground it and used it. You have to soak it off for hours!! I find it easiest to buy it presoaked with no coating

I love grinding grains - it gives me a lot of flexibility in my cooking and it really doesn't take too much time. Let me know if you have other questions!

[mercy589]

The grinder can be pricey, but its sooooo easy to use. I get grains at our local health food store, but you can get them online too. I have a nutrimill and have talked about it on my blog here - http://onelittlewordsheknew.blogspot...ch?q=nutrimill

The best part about it is that you can use other grains like kamut, spelt, white wheat, etc that taste lighter but are still whole grain. So far I've made some super tasty Kamut flour tortillas, and awesome spelt shortcake.

[swedishmaiden]

I have a Nutrimill as well and I love it.

And, I also buy my grains from azurestandard.com. Wheat is the only thing I grind. I use hard white wheat for my bread and white pastry wheat for pastries, muffins, and baking.

[browneyeNYmomma]

I didn't realize a food processor could be used for grinding grains, I have a fairly big one that never gets used for anything, I'll have to pull it out! So it sounds like there are many types of grains you can use, I don't even know what some of the ones mentioned are! Is hard white wheat a good basic one to start with? I already make bread but only use a high-gluten white flour, I've tried whole wheat but it always seems so dry and crumbly, maybe fresh groud makes a difference or maybe I just have not found a good recipe.
One other question, how do you store the grains if you buy them in bulk?
Thanks for the advice so far! I'll have to check out azurestandard!

[Farm_Mama]

Originally Posted by swedishmaiden I have a Nutrimill as well and I love it. And, I also buy my grains from azurestandard.com. Wheat is the only thing I grind. I use hard white wheat for my bread and white pastry wheat for pastries, muffins, and baking.

Exactly this. ^^^

Originally Posted by browneyeNYmomma I didn't realize a food processor could be used for grinding grains, I have a fairly big one that never gets used for anything, I'll have to pull it out! So it sounds like there are many types of grains you can use, I don't even know what some of the ones mentioned are! Is hard white wheat a good basic one to start with? I already make bread but only use a high-gluten white flour, I've tried whole wheat but it always seems so dry and crumbly, maybe fresh groud makes a difference or maybe I just have not found a good recipe. One other question, how do you store the grains if you buy them in bulk? Thanks for the advice so far! I'll have to check out azurestandard!

I like hard white for most everything. I do have soft white for cakes and things that you'd normally use pastry flour for.

I do add vital wheat gluten to my bread, it really helps it rise nice and get light and fluffy.

I buy the 50lb bags from Azure Standard and keep the majority of the bag in a big rubbermaid tub. I keep smaller amounts in an easy to access huge glass jar in my kitchen. Grains will store pretty much indefinitely as long as you make sure that bugs can't get in them.

[Minniebees]

We have a professional model kitchen aid, and I'm thinking of getting the grain mill attachment. Does anyone have one of those?