Our Grinder

Heya heya!

So Dash made a recent change in our home that I am very pleased with.
It has to do with our grinder.

A bicep-builder and grain-grinder all in one!

We have this wheat grinder, see, that I bought last summer.
I was initially inspired by Ella Rose's preschool teacher who said that she can grind her own flour and bake fluffy whole wheat bread with it, without having to cut it with "baker's flour" or anything! Such is the magic of fresh ground flour.

Although it cost a pretty penny initially, it's cheaper to buy sacks of whole wheat berries and rather than pre-ground wheat so it pays itself back eventually -- in a carbo-happy household like ours, it's sooner than later. :D

And the flour that it produces...incredible.
Like, really, anything that's been ground up and then sitting in a bag for potentially months is just  powder compared to the freshly ground wheat we get. I know that sounds so snobby, but it's true! (come by for a taste sometime~!)

Anyway, the big change that entails this grinder is that it is now indoors.
It used to be out in the workshed, but when the weather gets particularly cold, it takes a whole lot of motivation to stand out there in the chilly workshed and grind wheat for 20 minutes.

We cover it with a tarp when we're running a load, juuuust in case.

So Dash fashioned a kind of slab that fits over our laundry sink, bolted it in place, and viola! Grinder in the comfort of our own home. Now to rig up a system so that we can listen to the radio with earplugs while we grind -- it is definitely a noisy affair and tuning into NPR during a grind is good for the body and the mind!

Already, Dash has whipped up some pancakes with some home-ground wheat...and they were so good! It's like they have a lot of body, if I had to describe it.

In a household like ours, we eat a lot of flour-based things. Here is a sampling of what we bake from scratch with it:

- tortillas
- crackers
- cookies
- pancakes
- sandwich bread
- burger buns
- rolls
- cornbread
- cakes

That's all I can think of at the moment...
What's cool is we could grind other grains chickpeas and rice to produce gluten-free flours (which we have been known to do in the past). I am really looking to expand our grain repertoire this year.

Look at all those little grains of wheat...so cute!

What grains do you buy for your family? Would you ever consider grinding it yourself?? It's a great workout to boot! :D

Well, until next time take care and Happy Grinding!!