For thousands of years, grain and grain products have been one of the most valuable sources of nutrition. Whole grain provides almost all the nutrients we need for our dietary requirements. Carbohydrate (starch), fat and proteins in cereals provide the body with energy. Vitamins and minerals are needed, to regulate body functions such as the metabolic process and nerve and muscle functions.
Fibre is also very important for digestion, because it stimulates the functioning of the bowels, satisfies hunger while remaining in the stomach, can help to prevent diseases of the large intestine, is low in calories and thus can be helpful when on a diet.

Not all flour is the same. When refined flour is produced commercially, the germ and outer layers of the grain are removed prior to grinding. This flour consists almost entirely of endosperm, ie the floury part of the kernel. It contains hardly any vitamins, mineral or fibre. This processing ensures a much longer shelf life of the flour and results in the much favoured white colour. In past centuries, only the wealthy were able to afford to buy refined flour. Ever since, it has been a symbol of a higher standard of living.
Even dietitians promoted this trend at the beginning of the century. They believed the outer layers of the kernel to be merely superfluous fibre. Today, however, it is recognised that the modern diet is often lacking important nutritional requirements due to the high consumption of products made of refined flour. On the other hand, fresh wholemeal flour contains significantly more vitamin B complexes, more vitamin A,E and niacin. It also contains more of the minerals potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron. These days it is very important to increase the intake of iron and Vitamin B, since the daily intake of these is often below the recommended levels. Some common grains are listed in the table below.

Is it easy to use a Kitchen Grain Mill?
Grinding grains at home takes as little as a few minutes for a loaf of bread... and with a bread maker, is an economical and easy way to have healthy and tasty breads and baking. Buying and storing grains is also very simple - making the whole process enjoyable. It really is a wholesome activity.

Why use a Kitchen Grain Mill?
Commercial milling removes nearly 30% of the the most nutritious parts of the whole grain. Within 72 hours, whole grain flour has lost over 80% of vitamins. Mold and bacteria also quickly combine to further reduce nutrients and taste. The wheat germ oil quickly becomes rancid, leaving the flour flat at first, and then bitter. We have forgotten what fresh flour really is.
A kitchen grain mill allows you to make fresh flour at home for your bread making and cooking, giving you the best nutrients and taste.

What grains can I mill?
Stone and steel milling of Wheat, Rye, Spelt, Barley, Oats, Millet, Corn (Maize, not popcorn), Durum Wheat, Long Grain Rice, Round Grain Rice, Buckwheat, Linseed, Chickpeas, Dried Peas, Yeast Flakes, Coffee, Quinoa, Amaranth. Other clean grains of a similar size (that are dry and low in oil content) can be milled with care in stone mills. Please refer to the listing for each model and Contact Us if you have specialty uses.

What Spices can I grind?
Stone grinding includes Coriander, Fennel, Cloves, Fenugreek, Caraway, All Spice (pimento or Jamaican Pepper), Pepper Corn, Mustard Seed on coarse setting, Dill, Nigella (Black Cumin), the
seeds of Green/White/Black Cardamon. Please Contact Us for specialty uses.

Can I mill nuts and seeds?
Yes, with the hand mill steel burrs you can mill seeds like sesame, poppy, flax etc. With stone grain mills, linseeds can be milled 100% on medium-fine or fine when mixed 50:50 with hard wheat.
Nuts are generally too high in oil content to grind on fine. Please Contact Us for specialty uses.

Is grain easy to source and store?
Yes, there are many Traditional, Organic and Bio-Dynamic growers in Australia.
Grain is easy to store in your home. Consult your supplier on storage. See Grain Suppliers

How much flour do I get from the grain?
When whole grain milling, you get the same amount of flour from the grain measured by weight.
Volume increases approx 50% e.g. 1 cup of wheat grain makes approx. 1 1/2 cups flour

Does it take a long time to make flour?
No. The time depends on the output of your grain mill - from 40gms per minute for stone hand milling,
up to 600gms per minute with electric models.

Why is Grain Moisture important?
Milling of grain requires grain-moisture of less than 14% to prevent the milling surfaces from binding.
Moisture should be between 15-25% for flaking (rolling) as found naturally in oat groats.
Try the knife test - place a knife blade flat down over a grain and press down hard. if the grain cracks, it is usually dry enough to mill. Iif it just squashes without a "crack", it is probably too damp to mill and should be dried out before milling.

Is cleaning a grain mill easy?
Yes, cleaning a grain mill is a simple task. For regular milling and flaking, cleaning is not a necessity, but you may clean your grain mill as often as you want :
1) coarse mill a tablespoon of rice between sessions to clean the grinding surfaces. (stone mill)
2) remove the hopper and upper milling chamber and brush/vacuum out.
3) Run on coarse and vacuum the output spout. *NB no liquid cleaning allowed.
Cleaning timber housings is done with a dry cloth, and occasionally with Linseed Oil.

Why the differences in Warranty ?
Warranty varies with manufacturers according to their own ideas of what is reasonable.
With such high design and build quality of the European stone mills, the number of warranty problems is so small as to be of hardly any consequence. With well over 2 thousand Schnitzer sales in the last 9 years, warranty issues have been under 0.1%, with the other brands of Hawos and Komo of equal quality.

Can I get spare parts and service?
Spare parts and service are readily available to Australia.