On 2/23/05 2:05 PM, "Dusty" > wrote:

> I have a question for those of you with home mills, do any of them permit
> you to separate the flour? By that I mean; can I "dial-in" that I want
> "white flour", or is it always--by definition--"whole grain"?

Dusty,

That would be a nice unit indeed. About the only way you can "dial it" to
white, or some version approaching white, is shake it through a sieve
system. Sieves, and shakers if you want to get techy, can be found at Fisher
Scientifics' web site. The sieves are not expensive. The shakers can be. I
believe the site searches better using the keyword: screen.

> Also, is the difference between bread made with freshly milled flour really
> noticeable? Or is it more a matter of: "I have a my own flour mill next to
> my 6-digit precision scale...nah, ni, na, ni, nahnaaa?"

A good question. For me, it's not so much a flavor issue as a freshness
issue. Everything I read says, aged flour gives better dough handling
characteristics. But the germ oils oxidize quickly. So it becomes a
tradeoff: extensible dough vs. potentially rancid oils.

> As most of you know, I eschew the use of most of today's modern
> technological advances in my baking. But I'm looking at this issue from a
> health and nutrition point of view. I think there's a gain to be made
> there...but I'm not sure if it's worth it. I like whole wheat bread, but
> I'm not a fan of 100% WW--tends to be too dense for my liking.

Well, it is certainly an acquired taste. I like to cut the whole wheat with
spelt which is why whenever a noobie wants a recipe to practice on I
recommend Kenneth's venerable Poilane formulation. Lots of flavor, modest
density.

> As an aside, does anybody know of someplace in the bay area (left coast,
> USA) where I might be able to purchase some freshly milled flour for
> testing, before I spring for a mill? I Googled but didn't come up with
> anything useful...
>
Can't help you there. But if you own a KitchenAid mixer, Ebay usually has a
number of resellers carrying the grain mill attachment. It's usually $85. It
works well and if you looking for health benefits, it does a fine job
cracking grain for hot cereals. If you like fresh cornbread, it is
indispensable.

Will