From Readers Glennis & Jim G.
I would also like to ask about wheat mills. I have a Corona mill with stone burrs that I tried to grind wheat with. I followed the instructions and I made the most beautiful loaf of wheat bread. It looked and smelled just wonderful. With great anticipation, I sliced into it, but what a disappointment—It was like eating bread with sand mixed into it. I had to throw the bread out as it was impossible to eat it. I put the mill away and have not tried to grind flour since.
My question is: Is there any hope for this mill or should I forget about it and get another mill and, if so, what are the recommendations for a good mill at a good price?
Dear Readers: I have never used a grain mill so if any of you have used one, would you please comment and let us know what you think? I would appreciate it!
Thanks! Tawra
Photo by: thermionics
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You asked about hand mills and most of the responses have been to recommend electric mills.
I do have a K-tec mill I use. But I also have a “Back to Basics” hand mill that I use. Generally speaking, a hand mill will not grind the flour as finely as an electric mill will. It has to do with how fast the grain is milled and how close the teeth are set.
I had a Corona mill and got rid of it because it was hard to turn and really didn’t grind the flour all that well. I also bought a “Little Ark” and was VERY disappointed in it. We were told that it was an easy to turn mill and it is NOT also, there was no way to contact the company as every number on their paper work (that was in the packaging) was no longer working.
The Back to Basics mill will grind the grains to a flour, but it’s not a really fine flour like my electric mill is. However, it was $50 vs about $160 or so (I bought mine used, so I don’t know the current price of this model.) As someone else suggested, I mill my flour 2 times to get it fine enough. I have ground both popcorn and wheat in it. It’s not nearly as hard to turn as my Corona and Little Ark were/are and it is easier than either of those items to bolt to the tv tray I use to hold the grinder while I grind.
I think that you need to run several batches of wheat through the Corona and see if that gets the stones to settle down a bit and quit shedding grit. I’d also check different settings and see if one of them grinds a flour that will work. You should not have grit in the bread, even when the flour isn’t ground as finely as you’d like it to be, because the water and heat in making bread should soften any larger-size bits of grain. The other thing you can do is try soaking the grain a bit before you grind it. I would Google “grinding soaked grains” for help (I know people do it, I just don’t know the conversion on how may cups of soaked ground wheat makes a cup of regular flour.)
HTH
My reply has an ambiguous comment in it.
The Back to Basics mill I bought last year cost $50. The K-tech was purchased used 5 years ago and I don’t know what they are now selling for.
I have a Corona mill and use it whenever I make bread. I bought it used and the person I bought it from attached a motor to it with a reduction gear which slowed it down to the speed a person would crank it at. I use the stones, I’ve never attempted to use the steel plate. The only problem I’m having is that the stones in time crack. If anyone out there can solve this problem for me I would be very grateful. I find it grinds my grain quite fine and don’t have to put it through the second time. In reading comments in the past it was recommended not to fill the hopper but to put in a small amount and keep adding to it as it grinds. That way the grain is fine and no need to put it through again.