Here are a few more little tips I have learned to show myself ‘why to bother’:

• It takes no more time than grabbing a bag of dead flour. Throw the grains in the Nutrimill, turn it on and by the time I’ve gathered the other ingredients for the recipe, the mill is done.

• Even the Nutrimill has saved us money! We eat pizza every Friday night. We used to order 3 Large pizzas from Papa Johns, Dominos or Little Caesars. At the tune of between $30-$40 any given Friday. Now I make pizza crusts ahead of time and use fresh ingredients (and I might add less fats/grease) and make 3 16 inch pizzas for $10.00 total! In less than three months, we had paid for the mill on pizza nights alone!

• Last but not least, you don’t have to start our as a purist. If you HAVE to add, change or substitute a pinch here and there to get your family to eat the freshly milled grains that are so packed with nutrients, then just do that until you have experimented enough to use only the grains you mill. Using even 3/4 of a cup of freshly milled wheat vs. the usual ‘dead bagged flour’ gives your family more fiber, E and other phyto nutrients than they can get from fast foods or frozen waffles.

Relax. EnJOY it!

Now not only are you convinced because of these little tips, but your friends and family will see the confidence in you and not worry that you will soon begin brushing your teeth with sugar or go back to believing the world is flat, just because you mill grains at home. Milling grains at home is not old fashioned, it just makes good sense.

Best Blessings!
Donna

http://www.millersgrainhouse.com/store

Go Green with the WonderMill Jr. Deluxe

Play with your food!

Sure there are some hard and fast ones like: Yeast breads need yeast. Too much salt is pretty gross. But for many ‘rules’ there are acceptations.

Take things like altitude and humidity into consideration. A loaf of bread baked at 3500 feet above sea level will not be the same as one baked AT sea level. Tweak a recipe.

Most recipes are written for sea level and adjusted for differing altitudes. Don’t let that keep you in a box though, break out of the rules of recipes and tweak. Just keep good notes (that’s my downfall, I often play but forget what I did when it worked!).

Have fun. Learn by playing with your food.
Just be prepared to be VERY creative if it doesn’t work out and not waste it by tossing it in the trash.

Best Blessings and enJOY learning more!
Donna

If you already read Part One of this tip, then you may or may not have peaked the curiosity of former nay-sayers. You may still need more explanation for why you are thinking of or currently milling at home. After all, inquiring minds want to know.

The second tip to answering the questions of why you bother to mill at home is the benefits of cost and storage. Sure, we can buy ‘whole wheat bread’ at the store. Sure, ‘dead bagged flour’ lasts for a good while. Are these reasons to dismiss home milling all together? Hardly! In fact, look closer and you can see why milling at home is better.

Health benefits aside, which is the MOST important one in my opinion, storage and cost come up on the convenience end of considering milling at home. The ‘whole wheat’ loaf of bread we can buy in the store is not only made of old, processed whole wheat, but by the government regulations only has to be at least 51% – or mostly whole wheat – to be labeled as such. I digress, this is also a health reason. The cost of said loaf is approximately $2.29. A home milled, fresh WHOLE GRAIN flour, loaf of bread costs me about $.75 to make and that is using all organic (a bit pricier) grains and sugar. Also, I know what is exactly in that loaf!

Storage is the other thought. Admittedly, my fresh baked loaf does NOT last as long , not due to shelf-life but that we eat it so fast (no one in the house can resist cutting into a warm loaf when they smell it), but the grains last for years! ‘Dead bagged flour’ can’t say that. Either weevils, mites or simply staleness can render a dead bag of flour useless in mere months. The Creator made a perfect protection for that grain, the husk. There have been grains found in pyramids that were over 4000 years old that when planted, they grew just as they were intended. How’s that for storage. Just keep the grains in a sturdy container and from getting wet and you can store them for years. I don’t think you will be needing them in 4000 years though.

Best Blessings!
Donna Miller

http://www.millersgrainhouse.com/store

The Wonder Mill

Here is a breakdown of wheat types and which recipe to use them:

~ HARD wheat is best for breads and items that require high rising.
~ SOFT wheat is best for pastries and flat breads such as pancakes, tortillas and biscuits.
~ Both types can be mixed equally to make a light texture for all purpose flour.

Color effects the flavor of the flour not the consistancy:

~ REDS will have a more ‘nutty’ (to me it’s almost a bitter) flavor.
~ WHITES are usually just lighter tan or almost golden and have a smoother taste.
~ Both can be mixed equally to make a deliciously light bread without a bitter result.

Muffins, pancakes, cookies and biscuits can all be made from blending types and colors.
Loaf breads have the best result by using a HARD (either color) type only. It contains the most gluten for the rise of yeast bread.

Happy Milling!!
Best Blessings,
Donna Miller, Owner of MILLERS GRAIN HOUSE

Freshly Milled Whole-wheat Hotdog Buns

The Basic “Fool Proof” Bread Recipe we send out second in our newsletter series can be shaped into:

~ Burger Buns
~ Hot Dog Buns
~ Hoagie Buns
~ Bread Sticks (filled and twisted or just plain, warm and toasty)
~ Bread Bowls for Chilli and Soups
~ and SO many more potentials….

Even once made they can become other things if not used up:
~ Croutons (any of the above)
~ Garlic Bread (best for the hot dog/hoagie buns)
~ Toasted Crackers (slice thin [if not split for burger or hot dog] and butter/toast)
~ Open Faced Cheese Bread (Top with mixed cheeses and broil) to go with soups

So even as simple as the ONE recipe may be. Don’t get stuck with it ALWAYS just being a loaf of bread! Shape and use it in multiple ways!

Best Blessings!~
Donna Miller

Donna Miller is an author, teacher and entrepreneur. Her favorite roles are that of wife and mother to three home-school graduates. The Millers own and operate Millers Grain House which offers Organic and Chemical-free Whole Grains, Bosch Mixers, the NutriMill, instructional tutorials, recipes and more.

Answers:
What this sounds like is one or more of the following:

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If it split somewhere in the top of the loaf (like the center ‘erupted’ at the top) it could be one of two things…
1. There was a bubble that was somewhere near the top of the loaf and it broke through the surface exposing the more bubbly inside. To avoid this, just make sure all bubbles squeak out when you are flattening to roll into the loaf for its second rise.
2. Or it could be too active of yeast. If you have recently opened a new package or are trying a new type of yeast it may be overly active compared to what you are used to using. Try cutting back by ¼ of a teaspoon in the next try.

If the loaf top split from the bottom (like a roof lifting off) it could be one of two things…
1. The yeast thing again but also add in this second one…
2. Too warm of a rising place. When the loaf rises too fast (in too warm of an area) the top tends to warp and then separate in the baking.

As to the lopsided loaf part, just make sure that the ends when tucked in are not bigger on one side than the other – this (or the ‘too warm/fast’ of a rise) will make a loaf with one end too high. ????? ?????? ??????? 3d ????? ??????

Last, but not least, sometimes weather can effect home baking. Moisture in the air and barometric pressure can play with it. Just remember, even if it’s not pretty, you can still eat it!