Why should you grind your own flour when there’s perfectly good flour available at the grocery store and online?
We’re all so busy that there has to be some seriously good incentive to warrant taking on another chore.
So here are the three main reasons why I own a grain mill:
1. Freshly Ground Grain Is Healthier
Once the grain is ground, and the protective layer of germ has been broken, it begins to lose its nutritional value. You can store it in the freezer of course, but it’s already been ground for who-knows-how-long before you got it. If you grind your own, you know exactly how fresh it is, and you can have it either baking in the oven, or chilling in the freezer within minutes.
Commercial grinding processes also generate a high level of heat which, of course, destroy much of the nutrition.
See source.
2. Freshly ground grain tastes better
Flour doesn’t just lose its nutritive value as it ages, it loses its taste too! This is perhaps most pronounced with wheat since it has the most flavor, to begin with – and if you’ve ever had bread made from freshly ground wheat, you know what I’m talking about! – but it’s also true of gluten-free flours.
In fact, it can be argued that flavor loss is an even more important factor with gluten-free flours, since they tend to be a bit on the bland side in the first place. In order to make the best gluten-free baked goods, you need the best flour. And the best flour is freshly ground.
3. Grinding your own grain is Cheaper.
And we’re talking mega cheaper!
The question may be asked, “how can you afford to buy a grain mill?” But the question really should be, “how can you afford not to?” Particularly for us gluten-free folks. You can buy whole rice at the grocery store many times cheaper than you can buy rice flour. I did an actual price breakdown a while back, and it’s pretty staggering! See Cutting the Cost: Grinding Vs. Buying
Essentially, I’m saving $2-3 per pound of flour! That’s pretty significant.
Well worth the time it takes, and the square foot of cabinet space the grinder takes up, don’t you think?
Related reading: Why I Bake With Guar Gum, and Easy, Inexpensive Gluten-Free Flour Mix
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[…] I’m still beating this drum – I always will. You can save a lot of money by grinding your own flour, and you can make time to do […]