This is for Lisa, who wanted to know about grinding wheat.
I have been grinding wheat, rye, barley, triticale, corn, and
anything else I can comfortably stuff in my grain mill for about 2
years now. I have a Nutrimill. It's not so loud, as far as grinders
go, and I can easily adjust the fineness of the end result. If you
are getting started trying out freshly ground wheat, I suggest
checking at your local natural foods store and seeing if they can
grind for you onsite. You can get a small amount that way and see if
you like it. In my area, there are Whole Foods, Wild Oats, and
Vitamin Cottage. That way you can see if it will be worth the
investment of a grain mill.
I would suggest starting with hard white wheat, and having it ground
pretty finely. Red wheat has a stronger taste, and if you are trying
to sneak it past kids, the milder flavor of white wheat will go over
better. The harder wheat has higher protein, which you will need to
avoid doorstop whole wheat loaves.
My favorite book for whole grain baking is the Laurel's Kitchen Bread
Book. Baking with whole grains is different from using white flour
and their recipes are designed accordingly. Following their recipes
will result in tasty, nicely textured whole grain breads. If you
want to try that one out before buying, check your library. If they
don't have a copy in their system they can get it through an interlibrary loan.
You're on the right track with wanting freshly ground flour. Wheat
kernels can be stored indefinitely, but once the kernel is ground,
the wheat's oils are released and they go rancid quickly, resulting
in a very disappointing loaf. Get your flour fresh and keep any
unused portion in the freezer.
I wouldn't bother with hand-powered grinders. Yes, they are cheaper,
but they are a bear to clean, take forever to produce any useful
amount, and many can't adjust the fineness of the grind. The
inaccurately named Whispermill sounds like an airplane taking off and
many users end up in the garage wearing hearing protection. My
Nutrimill is only as loud as your average vacuum. Apparently the
technology doesn't exist yet to grind grain without a fair bit of
noise. I think there is a grain mill attachment for the KitchenAid
but I don't know anything about it.
Good luck and have fun. Not that I'm a purist, I still use plenty of
white flour too, but whole grain baking is a lot of fun and it's
worth exploring. Email me if you have more questions.
Erin in Colorado