You might notice that in most of our recipes, white flour is substituted with Whole Wheat flour. You can purchase whole wheat at the store, but this past summer I made what I like to call "The best investment of 2009"; in an electric wheat grinder.
I did a lot of research and compared popular brands like the Nutrimill and Magic Mill, and also compared attachments for the Kitchenaid Mixer and Bosch Mixer. I even looked into blending wheat in blenders such as the Blend Tec and Vita Mix. In the end I decided on a K-Tec Kitchenmill (made by Blend Tec) for the following reasons:
1. I love the compact design and how easy it is to store this machine. So many grinders are heavy and bulky and also difficult to clean.
2. The clear container that catches the wheat makes it easy to know when you've reached your capacity and need to empty the box.
3. Price. There are other grinders that are in this price range, but I was able to put together a bulk order (10 orders or more) and purchase these with family and friends for $140 including tax! What a deal!
4. Reputation. I asked around to several people who I knew were grinding their own wheat, and it appeared that the Kitchenmill was the grinder of choice among those who do this all the time.
So WHY grind your own wheat? I decided to start doing it for a few reasons. First I had several buckets of wheat just sitting in my food storage that I didn't know how to use and certainly wasn't planning on rotating, this was a good way to make good use of those buckets of wheat. In the long run, you are going to save a lot of money grinding your own wheat. But most importantly, NUTRITION! That's what this blog is all about anyway! You cannot deny that freshly ground whole wheat is a far better option nutritionally than bleached out white flour. Here's some info to back that up:
What Is Wheat And Why Would You Want To Use It?
Wheat is the world's most important grain crop and ranks first among the grains for its nutritional value. When used in its entirety, wheat is an excellent source of fiber and many critical B-vitamins. Wheat germ is one of the richest sources of vitamin E if used when freshly milled, before oxidation takes place.
http://www.grainmiller.com/1-Tips-For-Making-Homemade-Bread.html
Why use freshly ground wheat?
The richest source of Vitamin E is found in the germ of the wheat kernel. Milled wheat loses its Vitamin E very quickly due to oxidization. This is the reason why the bread we buy really has nothing of value for us. It has been stripped of the vitamins provided in the wheat. Within about 72 hours of milling, 90% of over 30 nutrients are gone.
http://www.grainmiller.com/1-Tips-For-Making-Homemade-Bread.html
What are the differences in red and white wheat?
Red and white wheat are nutritionally equivalent, and contain the same healthy levels of whole grain fiber. Tannins and phenolic acid in the outer bran of the red wheat commonly used to make whole-wheat flour can give it a bitter taste. White wheat doesn't have those compounds.
For more information see:
http://www.wheatfoods.org/_FileLibrary/Product/43/White%20Wheat.pdf
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-03-16-white-wheat_x.htm
So in all honesty, I don't grind my wheat fresh every time I bake with it. Instead, I keep a large bucket in my pantry filled with ground wheat, then when I run out, I pull out my bucket of wheat kernels, grind enough to fill the bucket in my pantry and use that til it's gone. Maybe someday when I'm done raising kids I'll grind it fresh every time, but for now, I know that the nutritional benefits of even month old ground wheat are far better than what we were getting in the past baking with white flour. Watch for upcoming tips on converting recipes using white flour, to a wheat flour. A safe place to start is to use 1/2 white, and 1/2 wheat. Usually you can substitute that way without altering the outcome too much.
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