Since becoming gluten-free, I have come a long way. Today, I either make my own flour from scratch or buy individual flours and make my own custom blend. I also produce my own non-dairy milk. This is a long way from when I was buying gluten-free packaged sausage and gluten- and dairy-free mac and cheese from the store. It has been a long journey to get to where I am today. I cannot yet convey what has happened that has brought me to this moment. I started making my own flour because I saw that the gluten-free all-purpose mixes were starting to cause me reactions, and I found that they were made in a facility with soy, nuts, and dairy in some cases. I had discovered an allergen-free flour that I really enjoyed, but it became difficult to get after they discontinued many of their single flours, and I could only find their all-purpose mix. I liked the results of my recipes, so when I couldn't find a suitable allergen-free flour, I started looking into grain mills.

It became clear that if I wanted to bake, I needed to create my own flour. Store-bought gluten-free all-purpose flours are not created equal. Some gluten-free flours are excellent for batters, while others are better for doughs. Because there are different ratios of individual flours (rice, tapioca, potato, etc.), results can vary considerably depending on the brand. I wanted more consistency and versatility in my flours without the concern of cross-contamination with allergens. When I looked into different grain mills, I found that many of them are quite expensive, and many websites don't have free shipping, so I knew it would be an investment—an investment I was willing to make because I knew it would pay off in the long run. I started by looking up YouTube videos to see what other people thought and how they worked.

WonderMill

I started with the Wondermill. It was electric, had a lot of positive feedback, and was less expensive than some other mills.

Here is why I bought the WonderMill 

1. It was less expensive than other mills. I thought it was wise to just try out a mill first. 

2. Claimed it was able to grind most types of grain

3. Ability to be used professionally

4. Available on Amazon 

It stated that it could grind most varieties of grain, including chickpeas, which is a major plus. It was available on Amazon, so I got free shipping, and it came pretty quickly, so I was able to get started trying it out. A second claim is that it is able to be used professionally. I found this claim confusing because while it says on Amazon that it can be used professionally (meaning professional bakers can use it for large amounts of grain) and The WonderMill website specifically says it can grind a 1/2 ton of flour nonstop for 10 hours, once I opened it, the first thing I saw was that it was for household use only—it said it right on the machine and the instructions also said household use only. The machine itself has a really small hole and isn't big enough for large grains like chickpeas to be effectively ground. Chickpeas barely fit in the hole and got caught in the motor, and the motor shut down. You had to shake any lost pieces of chickpea out of the machine. It was pretty much only good for grinding rice, and since 3 out of the 4 things I bought didn't turn out well, I returned the mill.

I will add, however, that if you want to try out a grain mill, would prefer an electric mill, and are looking to use it for grinding foods like rice and foods the size of rice, it’s worth trying it out, particularly if you don't have anything to start with. Buying it on Amazon comes with its advantages. You get fast and free shipping options, and it’s easy to return should you need to. To look into buying the WonderMill you can do that here.

NutriMill Classic 

The NutriMill Classic was the next grain mill I tried. The Nutrimil Plus was on backorder and wasn’t available, and since I had already waited awhile for that one, I went ahead and bought the NutriMill Classic. The NutriMill doesn’t claim to grind as many foods as the WonderMill, but it too has a really small hole, so it's really only good for rice. I tried grinding beans with it, and the beans came out with this odd flavor that I didn't like. The other thing to keep in mind is that none of the grain mills can be washed; they all claim that in order to get rid of any debris from manufacturing, you have to grind at least 2 cups of rice through the machine and then throw it away. I like to wash things, so this was a downer, and it seemed like a waste of perfectly good rice. I ultimately returned this one too.

The NutriMill Classic was good for grinding rice and rice-sized grains, so if you want to try the NutriMill Classic, you can do that here.

NutriMill Harvest

In my last attempt, I bought a Nurtimill Harvest grain mill that was on sale. Once I got it, though, one of the stones was a bit dented, so it didn’t end up grinding even rice flour correctly, so I returned it too. This was a good learning experience, as I learned what I needed for my grain mill.  That being said, there are some advantages to the NurtriMill Harvest when it's in operable condition. It uses corundum milling stones as the method of grinding, and there is more versatility in the coarseness and texture of the grain to choose from. To find out more or to buy the NutriMill Harvest, you can do that here.

KitchenAid Grain Mill Attachment 

I looked to see what my other options were for grain mills, and I found that there were grain mill attachments that you could attach to mixers; there are also commercial grain mills, but those were expensive, and I'm not at the stage of needing a commercial mill, so I researched more into grain mill attachments.

The main warning was to be careful that you don’t tax the motor on your mixer. I was initially concerned because I didn't want to ruin my mixer, but after looking more into it, I went ahead and decided I would try it. I found the KitchenAid mixer has a grain mill attachment, and it was on sale, a significant savings over the electric grain mills, so I bought it. When I opened the box, I found that it had wide openings, so I could try all kinds of different grain with it. It was also washable, which is a big plus. I washed it, let it dry, and then tried it out. I tried it out with rice flour first. I can grind 2 cups of rice at a time, and then I have to let the mixer rest as it starts to get warm after it’s done.

There are a few coarse and fine grind settings. I set mine to fine, and it worked perfectly for rice. Next, I tried chickpeas to see if that worked. It does work, but you have to put it on a coarser setting, and it does put a bit more pressure on the motor than rice does, but it does come out as a finer flour. I tried taking the chickpea flour through again but found that it takes too long and starts to coat the motor to the point where it’s not really grinding anything. Grinding it with the grain mill and then possibly taking it through a blender would work if the texture isn't fine enough for you.

The mixer has high speed settings, but I found that it doesn’t need to go any higher than 4. Just attach the KitchenAid  grain mill to the mixer, put a bowl under the grain mill, and then turn it on. You’ll know when it’s time to turn it off because the grain mill isn’t quiet; it’s quite loud while it’s grinding, but once it’s finished, it will sound a bit softer, and you can then turn it off and shake any excess flour out of the mill. Cleanup is easy. Just shake any excess rice or other grain out of the grain mill. You don’t have to wash it after every use, but you could brush it out if you wanted. It also doesn't make a mess of getting flour everywhere; it goes straight into the bowl, no problem.

I've made rice flour, chickpea flour, and bean flour. You can’t make quinoa flour or any tiny grains, as it’s just too big and the tiny grains would go straight through the grain mill. For milling quinoa and other small grains, try using a high-powered blender like a Vitamix; you can also use the Mockmill. If you have a KitchenAid mixer, you can't go wrong with the KitchenAid mixer attachment. If you're in the market for a new mixer, by all means, you can get the KitchenAid mixer too! To find out more and to buy it, you can do that here.

For help deciding which grain mill is best for your needs, check out this article by Pleasant Hill Grain here.

Grinding your own flour has many benefits, but I think the best reason is that I have gotten away from the cross-contamination that happens with store-bought flour. I have ground freshly made flour, and then I can use it as I need it. If you're looking for gluten-free grains to get started, you can find those here at Azure Standard.

Disclosure: There may be some affiliate links in this post and I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post, not all links are affiliate links, some are just to more Information about the topic. Thanks for supporting The Love Feast Kitchen 

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