Grinding - Wheat, Corn, Coffee Beans

Grinding your own grains is a simple process. Many of our products such as our wheat berries, corn, and coffee beans are used by grinding before use. In this blog, we will talk about some of the basics when it comes to grinding.

Equipment

There are several different options for mills depending on what you are grinding. Manual mills are simple and cost-effective, but they are also more difficult to work on harder grains. Food processors work for softer things like oats, but won't work to make a fine consistency of flour, and you may experience clumps. Electric grinders are super useful tools that can cut down on your grinding time significantly, and can spare you the headache of having to grind by hand.
When choosing your equipment, it is important to keep in mind what kind of grind you are looking for. If you want a more coarse grind, like for coffee beans or cornmeal, a manual grinder will do the trick. If you are wanting a flour consistency, an electric grinder will produce a better quality grind. You can also use a manual grinder to grind flour, but you may have to run it through a few times to ensure there are no clumps


In some cases, you might need a specific consistency grind for your product. For instance, our coffee beans. Coffee beans may need a specific consistency grind depending on your preferred style of brewing. Grinding the beans fresh before you brew adds more flavor to your drink than buying already ground coffee. Ground coffee loses flavor the longer it is exposed to oxygen, so the fresher the better.

Our dried corn can be used to make corn flour or cornmeal. These are two very different consistencies of grind. Cornmeal is what is used to make cornbread and grits, so it is a coarse grind. Using a handheld grinder will help you to make sure you don't over-grind your cornmeal. When you are wanting a flour consistency, any electric grinder will do the trick.  

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