Author: Sue Becker
Publisher: Robert Rose
(2016)
As someone working off a teaching assistant (and soon to be university
student)’s income, I don’t often go out of my way to purchase tools with only a
single use or purpose. I grew up making bread at my mother’s hip, and since I was
blessed with a high powered professional stand mixer as a gift, making bread
(almost) every week has remained my passion. I’ve always loved artisan-crafted
baked goods, and used to buy stone-ground flour from a local mill – which tasted
fantastic but commanded a hefty price. When Sue Becker’s book The Essential
Home-Ground Flour Book arrived on my doorstep, I was intrigued – although devoid
of a mill. Luckily, this book managed to help solve that problem (and many
others) along the way, all while offering inspirational recipes I couldn’t wait
to try.
So, you’ve decided to mill your own flour. Why, what type of
mill should you choose, and just how do you go about it? Part One of Home
Ground Flour is 93 pages worth of information on the subject, from the
benefits of doing it at all (read: cost, nutrition and flavour) to the history
of milling, suitable grains and finally the actual devices themselves. It was
Chapter 4 – Tools and Equipment for Home
Flour Milling (p.37) – that intrigued me the most. I knew about burr mills
for coffee and spice grinding, but never used micronizing ones. If I win the
lottery, one of those super-powered, lightning fast beasts is definitely on my
wishlist! Instead, I lucked out with a great deal on a Mockmill, a
stone-grinder style of attachment for my mixer – and the purchase of a
(relatively) high priced tool is something no
cookbook, blog or cooking show has ever convinced me to consider.
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| Basic Whole Grain Pizza Dough (p. 174) |
Once equipped, and having read the entire first part
(including the incredibly beneficial tip boxes lining the margins), I armed
myself with a kilo of barley grains and got to work. According to Becker, I had
enough grain to mill 6 cups of flour – which was almost dead on. I also tried
my hand at grinding farro, spelt, brown rice and even lentils (note: don’t
grind anything not approved by your mill’s manufacturer!). I transformed a
bunch of the barley flour into various loaves of bread that weren’t found in
this book, but immediately noticed a difference in the way the dough behaved
and tasted. Freshly milled flour, provided the grains aren’t stale, made for a
slightly sweeter, more tender loaf in my experience, and with cookies you could
really taste the nuttiness of the grain all the way through (perfect with
oatmeal doughs!).
Finally, I got around to a few of my ear-marked choices in Home
Ground Flour. The first was a batch of Apple
Cinnamon Muffins (p. 182). I used a combination of locally milled sprouted wheat
flour and home ground farro, which was a lovely complement to the flavours of
the (again, local) honey that exclusively sweetens them. Each bite was peppered
with bits of apple and the spice wasn’t overwhelming, which is always
refreshing for a muffin recipe! Next, as a preparation for one of my upcoming
Home Economics classes, I made a few batches of Basic Whole Grain Pizza Dough (p. 174). If you need convincing as
to how much yeast loves freshly exposed endosperm, this is the recipe – the dough
rises impressively fast, and doesn’t taste unpleasantly “yeasty”. Even though
there’s no sugar in the dough, the baked crust had a hint of malty, almost
honey-like flavour. Definitely a keeper in my book.
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| Mini-Pizza with Basic Whole Grain Pizza Dough (p. 174) |
I can’t wait to keep experimenting with Sue Becker’s The
Essential Home-Ground Flour Book. It has not only provided a solid base of
information to start me off on my home grinding journey, but also opened my
eyes to the true differences between the bag from the store and right from the
grain. If you appreciate bread (making and
eating), want to support local grain farmers or simply have a desire to eat
more nutritiously, check this book out. You will not be disappointed.
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| Apple Cinnamon Muffins (p. 182) |