Nutrimill, Wondermill and Wolfgang Mill Demonstration
It’s hard to beat freshly milled whole grain flour when you want to maximize the nutritional value and flavor of your bread. Milling your own grain has other practical advantages as well. The long shelf life of whole grain berries allows you to buy more economically in bulk and reduces the risk of running out of flour when fresh home baked bread can’t wait any longer.
When you’re in the market for a grain mill, there are, of course, numerous models to choose from across a wide price range. We’ve opted to carry a few of the most popular models and compare them in these videos. We hope the videos at least give you a decent feel for what the mills are like.
For more details: Grain Mill Store
Feb 2012 Update: Thanks to Debi for sharing her extensive experience with grain mills and milling whole grain.
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I am told the ceramic burrs on the German mill are synthetic and partially aluminum. Is this true?
I read the very same thing…
Thanks for the review of the mills. It was very helpful.
suggestion – place your grains in freezer for several hours or overnight before grinding..should keep the temperature lower if that is a concern.
Could you do a video on the hand driven mills?
Hi Jacob,
It’s high on our to do list.
Thanks,
Love your site.
Jacob
Thank you so much for this video! It answered many of my questions; I loved the tip about keeping the grains in the freezer to prevent heating the flour. However, I’ve been reading reviews and some people say that the Nutrimill “blows” a fair amount of flour and that while the Wondermill did not do so when the lid was applied correctly, it was hard to get the lid to fit on properly and also, hard to get it off. You didn’t seem to have any problem with either “blowing” or getting the lid on and off. Did you notice anything in regards to these issues?
Thanks for your help!
I’ve never seen a problem with flour dust on any of them but it does take a bit of strength to take the lid on and off on the Wondermill. It’s probably not going to be an issue for the vast majority of people.
Have you ever tested the VitaMix blender for it’s grain-grinding ability? I noticed that it comes with a special container for grain/dry foods.
1. Can’t thank you enough for your website and all the amazing videos and info! I’ve tried you recipes and have so much fun!
On the topic of grain mill, I know you talked about how hand mills on in a category in and of themselves… I’m curious if you’ve ever tried the Country Living Grain Mill.
I have this mill and I’ve fallen in love with taste and texture of the fresh milled flour, but I could use your help with the rising! I can’t seem to get a consistent rise on the bread using whole spelt grain. I’ve tried with a sourdough starter (homemade) as well as commercial yeast. It will start rising well (controlled the air temp) but usually when it’s in its final proof I see the lack of activity. Today, the bread seemed to fall during baking.
Do you think its because of the flour? It’s not nearly as fine as store bought… I use a little barley malt syrup to give it a little help at first, using your whole spelt sourdough recipe.
thanks again!
Well, besides the normal challenges of getting a good rise out of whole grain doughs, it’s possible you’re letting your dough proof too long. When dough rises ok but then falls during baking, that’s what it tells me. Try to catch the timing of the rise so that you’re baking it before it has reached it’s full height. This only required modest psychic abilities
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Breadtopia,
I’m new to bread making. Thus far, I’ve been using the 5 minute a day approach and it’s great for my lifestyle. BUT, I want to learn more. So, I have been doing reading to learn how to work with the ancient grains. This leads to lots of questions, too. For example, would a sourdough bread need xanthan gum to help with the rise? I’m sure my question indicates my level of ignorance but since I don’t know the answer . . .. I ask.
Xanthan gum is called for in many gluten free bread recipes, but it’s not necessary to get a good rise with any wheat based bread, ancient or otherwise. As long as your starter is healthy, you should be fine with the basics – flour, water, salt, starter.
This was an excellent video. I am about to start a project that requires milling my own grains and I have no idea what to buy. You saved me a lot of research and mistakes.
Thanks a million!
Hello,
I like nuts and because I do not eat meats, I am looking for a small electric grain mill to grain nuts that I eat as my meals (add to my oatmeal, or soup). Is it possible for you to direct me to purchase one which is easy to use, not too expensive and durable? Is it possible to find one from any store instead of online? I like almond, macdamia, peanut, or sesame seed, flex seed, etc. I do not make bread. Can I just use electric Coffee Grinder?
Thank you very much.
FYI,
I bought a hand operated mill recently, (Country Living Grain Mill). I do enjoy hand milling my grain–I can almost hear the radio over the grinding. The flour made is every bit as good a grind as what I bought in the store (any brand) . I am certain the Wonder Mill Junior would do as well for half the price. It certainly looks like it in the video reviews and I like that you can grind nut butter if you want. Nothing wrong with that warranty either:
Warranty: Your Wonder “Junior” is covered by a Limited Lifetime Warranty for six full years from the date of purchase except for the stone burrs which are warranted for one year, and the stainless steel burrs which are warranted for a full lifetime.
THANK you for taking the time to do this comparasion…finally I can make a decision on which mill to buy! Thank you!!!
This review was very timely. I have just started watching Fusion Grain with Chef Brad and he uses the NutriMill for grinding grains and beans. I like the fact that the WonderMill has a smaller footprint as I have a small kitchen and an unconscionable number of kitchen machines. The differences between the two don’t seem that great and beside the smaller footprint, I like the fact that you don’t have to start it before adding the grain or beans.
Thanks for the reviews. I tried your No Knead recipe 2 days ago and with the exception of my stove running hot (I need to get a thermometer into it for a true measure), it was a great success!
In your reviews, you were taking the temp of the flour. What effect does over-heating the flour cause? Is it an issue with caramelizing or cooking the sugars and starches in the flour?
Thank you for your time,
Joe
Hi Joe,
The issue of over heating the flour is a concern among some that it may compromise the nutritional value of the flour. The increase in temperature of the flour from milling is not enough to effect its baking properties.
Hi
I would like to ask if you have any experience with the electric machines with the diferent electricity (220)in my country,israel.
Thanks
Sharon
Thanks for the video – that was very informative. Also, thanks for the tip on freezing the grain before grinding to reduce the heat of the finished product.
Thanks, this was very interesting. Do you have any experience with grain mill attachments for stand mixers to make flour?
Thanks,
Yoav
Hi Yoav. The mill attachment made for the Kitchen Aid mixer is probably the most popular. I think it’s pretty easy to find customer feedback on it with a Google search. I have no direct experience.
Eric
Be careful with the Kitchen Aid. The mill attachment is very tough on the mixer. Now that kitchen aid has moved to cheaper parts, the mill can kill the gears in the mixer. I thought I was very careful with mine and yet my mixer died about the 4th time I used the mill. For the cost of the mill and the repairs, go with a stand alone grain mill rather than one on the mixer.
Judi is absolutely right. My Kitchen Mill attachment just burned out the gears on the mixer. Speaking with the repair company this is extremely common. The bill was $115.
This was extremely helpful!
Thanks for the demo of grain mills. My wife and I are looking for a hand mill. Can you comment on the quality of the ground flour with the Wonder Deluxe? Does it give a fine and consistant product? Time to grind isn’t a factor as we don’t have anything better to do anyway…
Thanks.
Hi Robert,
The grind on the hand mills I’m familiar with, including the WonderMill Jr., is perfectly adequate for most baking needs, but never quite as fine as an electric mill. And even the electric mills aren’t typically quite as fine a store bought.
It’s kinda hard to describe the texture since the variation isn’t huge. You really have to feel it.
thank you for the comparisons it helped
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