How To Mill Grains & Grind Wheat
As you know I love to grind wheat and teach people how to make bread because I’m so passionate about it. To me, whole wheat is the staff of life. It’s been around for thousands of years.
You can grind it and make healthier bread than you can buy in the store. When we make it we know what’s in our bread. Today I am sharing a review about a wheat grinder and grain mill I have wanted for years.
Let me tell you before I begin that this KoMo wheat grinder was sent to me by Pleasant Hill Grain to do a review on it. It was a “cartwheel moment” for me! I was giddy for days waiting for it to arrive in the mail.
Today I am sharing my own opinion about this wheat grinder. You may recognize the name of the company because that’s the company where I buy all my colored buckets, Gamma lids and so much more. I’m sure you have seen me mention that awesome company several times over the years.
When I taught bread classes at a local kitchen store I wanted one of these KoMo Mills so bad. The store had just received a shipment of them and the whole staff was going crazy over it because it could grind wheat so much faster than any other wheat grinder we had ever seen before.
First of all, this KoMo grain and wheat grinder uses 360 watts of power. This is critical to me because if we have a power outage I can still use my solar generators to power this machine to grind my wheat or whatever grain I need to work with (I will share the grains you can mill shortly).
Grind Wheat The Easy Way:
When the delivery truck came to deliver this KoMo Grain Mill/Wheat grinder it was neatly packaged in a very sturdy box, and after removing the KoMo it was pretty much ready to turn on. One exception is if you want fairly fine flour like I do the hopper must be empty.
I quote from the KoMo book “To locate the finest setting, turn on the mill with the grain hopper EMPTY, and rotate the hopper clockwise in the ‘fine” direction until you hear the millstones grinding against each other.” End of quote. Can you see the silver bar on the front of the mill?
The fine setting is the farthest on the left and the coarse setting is on the far right side. You can turn the hopper during grinding to make a coarser flour or cereal texture. Remember the hopper must be empty in order to have the finest flour setting.
That’s how I like whole wheat flour. You can also see the black circle above the silver bar. My KoMo is set to the finest setting as you can see because it’s set all the way to the left side.
The first thing you need to do is run at least several cups of whole wheat berries through the mill and discard the flour. This will ensure the initial cleanout of the mill before grinding for consumption. Be sure and have a bowl ready to collect the flour.
What I really like about the KoMo is the cleanup. Oh my goodness, all you do is make sure you have all the wheat kernels ground and turn it off and wipe out the spout.
My current electric wheat grinder I have to clean the bowl, the lid, the separator cup, the filter, and the inside of the unit where I place the bowl. I never wash this other unit because I use it so often. I do clean the wheat “dust” so it doesn’t get on my counter.
This KoMo unit has 360 Watts and will grind 8-9 ounces per minute. Oh my goodness, I swear it’s faster than that! I didn’t have a timer, but this baby is so much faster than the wheat grinder I use now.
Here is my whole wheat bread recipe: Whole-Wheat-Bread-For-Two Recipe or if you want to make more loaves: Whole-Wheat-Bread Recipe
This statement is from the Pleasant Hill Grain website:
I quote “The KoMo Medium grain grinder will mill dry grains, including soft or hard wheat, oat groats (dehulled oats), rice, triticale, Kamut (TM), Spelt, buckwheat, barley, rye, millet, teff, quinoa, amaranth, sorghum and dent (field) corn.
It will also grind lentils, dry beans (pinto, red, garbanzo, kidney & more), and dried, non-oily spices. It isn’t suitable for herbs, oilseeds like flax or sesame, popcorn, or fibrous materials.
The grind of the KoMo Medium grain mill is continuously adjustable from fine flour to coarse meal and cracked grain simply by turning the hopper bowl to align its index mark with the graphic scale on the front of the mill. As with all KoMo grinders, cleanup is minimal and easy, and access to the milling chamber takes just a moment and requires no tools.” End of quote.
Pleasant Hill Grain Mill Comparisons
If at all possible save your money to buy a wheat grinder-grain mill. Wheat is the staff of life. If you can make bread you can survive almost anything. One of my favorite things about this wheat grinder is its size. It can sit right on my kitchen counter and I can grind just enough for some muffins.
This unit is very attractive to look at and makes the kitchen area look clean and well-organized. The wood grain color is a positive addition to ANY kitchen, believe me.
The clean-up is a dream as I said before. Thanks for learning the steps to be prepared for the unexpected. May God bless your family for your efforts. Linda
Copyright Images: Depositphotos_163559720_m-2015
I eat the Keto lifestyle, so nearly 100% of my baking is done with almond flour. Will this unit grind almonds?
Hi Pam, almonds are a different kind of beast so to speak. You can make almond flour or almond meal by using a Vitamix blender or food processor. My own opinion, I would buy the almond flour so it’s super fine for baking. You can make it super fine but it will take some work. This unit will not work on almonds. Linda
Oh that grinder is beautiful. Unfortunately, on my fixed income, I cannot see myself ever purchasing one. I like the idea of grinding my own wheat for homemade breads but the price is prohibitive for myself and the little bread I do make.
That being said, Linda, what much less expensive grinder would you recommend? I am also thinking that in a grid down situation, a hand mill would suit better? Or are there electric mills that also have a hand mill option?
Hi Leanne, I actually have three wheat grinders. Two electric and one hand crank. The NutrilMill is a good one, I have used it for many years. It only grinds wheat for flour, not cereal. It’s really based on how much hand cranking you are up to. The hand crank ones are VERY hard to crank and I have one that is about $800.00 and will make cereal, and grind many food items. It’s all about the $$$ you want to spend and the strength you have. I have solar units to power up my wheat grinders. I would hope you could trade a loaf of bread for some ground wheat. Yes, we need to be self-reliant, but we must be ready to barter as well. Linda
Linda,
The Wonder Mill Junior is a bit pricy; but, you can get a bicycle chain attachment for it and pedal your grain into flour.
The first mill I owned was this one. I gifted it to a friend; but, it works well enough for a crank style mill and is under $50.00.
Hand Operated Grain Mill by VICTORIO VKP1012
https://www.amazon.com/Hand-Operated-Grain-VICTORIO-VKP1012/dp/B0018P54TS/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_79_bs_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=GQZZ7RCF5A80SCBHZA6H
In a pinch thes will take a lot of hadn cranking; but, you’ll be getting exercise and making food during a time when you may not have better things to be doing than making food. Don’t forget to keep some yeast or sourdough starter on hand also.
Linda, that is a beautiful grain grinder. Thanks for the link to the wheat bread for two recipe. What is dough enhancer and what happens if I don’t have any to use?
Hi Debbie, dough enhancer makes the bread soft and fluffy! It is optional, just so you know. If you don’t use it the bread will still be delicious but a bit denser. That’s okay!!! Linda
Oh, Linda! That grain mill is gorgeous! Will have to put that on the want list for sure!
Just a reminder for those working with limited budgets to check online auction sites (like Ebay), also Craigslist, local estate & garage sales and thrift stores. I have seen a few grain mills at estate sales. And I just found a very good bread maker for under $10 at a thrift store. It was the brand I had been looking for! Will be making my first loaf Monday!
Happy New Year, my friend!
OH my gosh, BDN, you found a breadmaker for under $10, I’m screaming through the computer girlfriend!! I love thrift stores and garage sales. I’m so excited for you!!!! Thanks for sharing this awesome news! Great tips for all of us! Happy New Year! Linda
While I get some things from Pleasant Hill, I get most of my colored buckets and gamma seal lids from a local provider (https://www.usplastic.com) because they have an outlet store only about an hour from here and I get to browse / shop / touch things, LOL
I started out with a “Back to basics” and a ”Victoria Commercial Grade Manual Grain Grinder with High Hopper – Table Clamp Hand Corn Mill, Cast Iron grain mill” many years ago and recently gifted the Back to Basics to a friend. That leaves us with The Victorio that I may yet gift to someone, the grinder for the Kitchenaid stand mixer, an electric powered Blendtec, and a “Wonder mill junior.” .
While the meat grinder for the mixer works great, the grain mill isn’t as good as a dedicated one like the Blendtec or the Wonder Mill. I don’t care much about the power used by the Blendtec, since I have whole house standby power in a pinch, and if things get really bad, the Wonder Mill can be hand cranked.
I have to smile when you state:
Since it seems that the whole world is now on a gluten free kick; hut, thankfully not me or the wife.
Hi Ohio Prepper, I have had people tell me that wheat is not the staff of life. I still believe it is. Mark and I eat whole wheat bread sandwiches every day. I’m glad we don’t have gluten issues. Have you seen the ingredients in the gluten-free bread or food? YIKES!
Linda,
The wife is lactose intolerant and other than fats I can eat pretty much what I please.
I would also call wheat the staff of life for the western world, with rice being the same for the east. Those other ”strange”</ grains, seeds, and legumes like chick peas (Garbanzo Beans) are I think of Middle Eastern origin, with Chia, Quinoa and maize (corn) from south and central America. Locally we can also find Millet, Barley, Oats, Spelt and Sorghum. As it turns out, Ohio has a lot going for it.
I don’t know if people who claim to be gluten sensitive actually have celiac disease or are just trying to be trendy.
I plan to try planting Buckwheat this upcoming spring.
I have and I’m really glad gluten does not affect me.
Ohio Prepper, you are so lucky you have outlets close to where you live! I love getting tips! Linda