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corwin6654

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I'm trying to convince SWMBO that we need to get a grain mill. I think I can convince her if she can also use it to grind her own wheat into flour, etc. for baking. I know the grain mills everyone uses have adjustable rollers for crushing the grain, but will they also work for baking purposes? Are there any specific mills anyone knows of that can do this? Thanks for any help guys!
 
corwin6654 said:
I'm trying to convince SWMBO that we need to get a grain mill. I think I can convince her if she can also use it to grind her own wheat into flour, etc. for baking. I know the grain mills everyone uses have adjustable rollers for crushing the grain, but will they also work for baking purposes? Are there any specific mills anyone knows of that can do this? Thanks for any help guys!
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Sorry, but in reality the two styles of mills are designed for different jobs. BTW the Corona type mills are plate mills intended to make cornmeal. They are cheap are can be used for brewing but the two-roller malt mills (Barley Crusher, Monster, etc) provide a much better crush and in the long run are well worth the extra $. Neither of these mills unfortunately is going to do very well making flour suitable for baking and the specialty mills designed for grinding wheat into flour do not work all that well crushing barley malt for brewing. Again, sorry if this is not the answer you wanted to hear but I think your wife the baker would not be happy with the output from a malt mill to bake a cake or bread. Maybe you can wait a bit longer and save up to buy both mills? :mug:
 
If you have a kitchen aid there is a mill attachment that may or may not be adjustable down to flour.

I have a corona-type mill I bought for $23 online. I get very reasonable conversion with it. It kind of sucks hand milling 11 lbs. of grain but it is not the end of the world. You should have a better chance selling her on a $23 purchase than a $200 barley crusher set up.
 
BigEd said:
They are cheap are can be used for brewing but the two-roller malt mills (Barley Crusher, Monster, etc) provide a much better crush and in the long run are well worth the extra $. :mug:
Click to expand...

I call BS on this statement.....

Charlie Papazian's been using his CORONA MILL to get 87% effiicency for as long as he's been brewing all grain...so tell me again how "two-roller malt mills (Barley Crusher, Monster, etc) provide a much better crush and in the long run are well worth the extra?" :rolleyes:

Corona mills have been used in brewing much longer than roller mills have been around, in fact historically they were the ONLY game in town for brewers.

From Graham Sanders, Craftbrewer radio...

Corona mills have gotten a lot of bad press over the years, with claims that they are unsuitable for brewing as the give a very poor crush (i.e. tear the grains rather than squeezing them) leading to flavour and extraction problems. The claims have usually originated from either the manufacturers or owners of the more modern roller mills.
But before roller mills (such as the PhilMill, Valley mill and MaltMill) were available for small-scale brewer, Corona mills were the only ones available. Many brewing books had sections on using and adjusting a Corona type mill. Dave Miller's book from the late 80's had a whole chapter devoted to using and adjusting a Corona mill, and he is often quoted as obtaining extremely high extraction rates from the grain.
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If you like your precious roller mill, enjoy it, but don't spread lies about the others....We have a whole thread of folks who would argue with your unfounded opinions about them.... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-ugly-junk-corona-mill-station-90849/
 
Corwin, this has a simple solution...Buy a mill for your grains with the "thought" that it should work for her baking purposes as well. Then when it arrives and does not work you just say, "Awe shucks, I don't understand why it won't work...and we already used it so I cannot return it. I'm sorry hun."

Problem solved!
 
corwin6654 said:
I'm trying to convince SWMBO that we need to get a grain mill. I think I can convince her if she can also use it to grind her own wheat into flour, etc. for baking. I know the grain mills everyone uses have adjustable rollers for crushing the grain, but will they also work for baking purposes? Are there any specific mills anyone knows of that can do this? Thanks for any help guys!
Click to expand...

Tell her how much money you will save if you can buy grains bulk and crush them yourself.
 
TheMan said:
Corwin, this has a simple solution...Buy a mill for your grains with the "thought" that it should work for her baking purposes as well. Then when it arrives and does not work you just say, "Awe shucks, I don't understand why it won't work...and we already used it so I cannot return it. I'm sorry hun."

Problem solved!
Click to expand...

Hahaha! You know, I kind of thought of that at first, but I just wouldn't be able to lie to her. We have a great relationship built on trust, and I wouldn't want to ruin that for a grain mill, but I can't say that the thought didn't cross my mind.
 
ReverseApacheMaster said:
If you have a kitchen aid there is a mill attachment that may or may not be adjustable down to flour.

I have a corona-type mill I bought for $23 online. I get very reasonable conversion with it. It kind of sucks hand milling 11 lbs. of grain but it is not the end of the world. You should have a better chance selling her on a $23 purchase than a $200 barley crusher set up.
Click to expand...

Sounds like this may be the way to go for me. I can do a $23 mill. I'll have to look at the setups that Revvy posted.
 
Revvy said:
I call BS on this statement.....

Charlie Papazian's been using his CORONA MILL to get 87% effiicency for as long as he's been brewing all grain...so tell me again how "two-roller malt mills (Barley Crusher, Monster, etc) provide a much better crush and in the long run are well worth the extra?" :rolleyes:

Corona mills have been used in brewing much longer than roller mills have been around, in fact historically they were the ONLY game in town for brewers.

From Graham Sanders, Craftbrewer radio...



If you like your precious roller mill, enjoy it, but don't spread lies about the others....We have a whole thread of folks who would argue with your unfounded opinions about them.... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-ugly-junk-corona-mill-station-90849/
Click to expand...

Hey, to each his own. I have my opinion and you are certainly entitled to yours. You'd think I just ran over your dog. :confused: Here's another opinion: Charlie Papazian may be the greatest guy in the world and no one can argue that he did not have a tremendous inpact on the growth of homebrewing but he has been essentially making a living by re-hashing the same book he wrote in the early 1980s. If you like fiddling with a Corona mill and would ever consider trying to grind 20+ lbs of grain with one for a batch of beer who am I to stand in your way. Maybe you should try switching to decaf for a few weeks. :rolleyes:
 
Papazian also likes using a mash tun made up of two homer buckets stacked together with tiny holes drilled in one. Yes, it's cheap and I'm sure Charlie makes better beer than me, and maybe with his skills it is not all that hard to dial in the crush and get through 20# of grain. That said, everything I've read indicates the average Joe will have an easier time with a two (or three) roller mill. My motorized mill gets through the grain bill in 90 seconds or so and I don't have to have any special skills.

The tools don't make the brewer, but they can certainly help the brewer.
 

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