Home bakers, I have three methods for how to make flour without a grain mill! Packed with more nutrition and flavorful than store-bought flour, you’ll also save money! Using freshly milled flour is perfect for homemade bread.
I have a really hard time spending money on appliances that I don’t need because:
a) they serve one purpose
b) take up more room than I have available
c) or cost A LOT of money
That’s why I don’t own a yogurt maker. Or a quesadilla maker. Or a juicer.
- I use a heating pad to make yogurt. My standard cast iron skillet for quesadillas. And I have a super-cool Blendtec that will pulverize anything I feed it, including an iPhone.
- That Blendtec is actually the first thing on my list of things to grab if the house is on fire. I use it every single day. Sometimes twice a day.
- My lovely, red Kitchen Aid stand mixer (a wedding gift) is number two. I use it at least once a week and really saves time in breads and desserts. And it’s red, my favorite color.
Now neither of these are must-haves. You can make high-protein smoothies just fine with any standard blender (which we used for a long time, without a lid mind you, before getting the Blendtec). You can use a simple hand-held mixer, like what Walmart offers for $5 on Black Friday, for cakes and cookies, and your own two arms for bread dough.
When it comes to grain, you need something a little stronger than a mortar and pestle so I poked around my kitchen to see what might work.
How to Make Flour Without a Grain Mill
1. Coffee Grinder
A coffee grinder is one of those must-have appliances for die-hard coffee drinkers. I mean, it’s seriously just better that way.
It doesn’t have to be a fancy grinder. This basic coffee grinder will work just fine.
To get a finer grind, run the wheat berries through two cycles on the grinder. My grinder has an auto-timer and shuts off when the cycle is complete. If yours does not shut off automatically, grind for 45 seconds and then repeat.
You will need to sift out a few larger pieces with a fine mesh sieve. But you are left with a fairly decent whole-grain flour that’s on the coarser side.
Note: If your grinder is a bit aged like mine, you may notice it getting a bit warm during the process. Just take your time, letting it rest and cool as necessary. If you know you’ll be needing the flour for bread baking immediately, you may want to grind it a day or two ahead of time. See the tips below on proper storage.
2. Food Processor
If you don’t have a coffee grinder, you probably have a food processor. You may have even received one like this for your wedding or Christmas. Don’t let it collect dust any longer and put it to use grinding your grain for fresh bread!
When I tried mine, it worked similarly to the coffee grinder. I had to run my berries in it twice to get the powdery grind needed for baking. There was a little bit left over when sifted.
3. High Powered Blender
Using my blender is my favorite solution to my no-grain-mill problem, especially since it can turn an Apple phone into dust.
As you read above, I use often use my blender multiple times per day. Blending protein smoothies is my favorite way to start the day. And I use it for my kids’ favorite snack, chocolate chip cookie dough hummus. Even tomato soup and pancakes can be made in a blender!
A blender like the Blendtec is quite an investment, but one I highly recommend considering its various uses.
Grinding grain in a high-powered blender works amazingly well. I sifted the flour after I was done to make sure it was all ground and barely got any bits left over. It was the best grind I got out of any of these three methods.
One thing to consider with these non-mill methods of grinding. These machines aren’t designed for grinding hard grain. If you use any of these appliances for lots of other things, you might wear out your blades quicker than desired.
Once you determine if grinding your grain fresh works for you, I suggest saving up for a mill. (We ended up getting this grain mill after a while.) This will save your other appliances and also give you a better grind of homemade flour.
Tips on Making Flour
- 1 cup of whole berries yields approximately 1 1/4 cups of freshly milled flour. Bagging and shipping flour make it settle before you find it at the grocery store. Freshly ground flour is light and fluffy.
- Measurements of flour in most recipes refer to settled flour. You can prepare your flour in advance to account for this, or gently tap the measuring cups to settle the flour within the cup.
- Freshly milled flour contains all parts of the berry, including the fat. Store any unused flour in an airtight container, in the freezer, for up to 30 days to prevent the flour from going rancid.
- If you want a white flour texture, follow this tutorial on homemade all purpose flour.
FAQs for How to Make Your Own Flour
Is it worth it to make your own flour?
Absolutely! When you mill your own flour, it will be as nutritious as it can be! The taste is more flavorful than store-bought flour.
Is it cheaper to mill your own flour?
Milling your own flour will save you a lot of money in the long run. Wheat berries can be cheaper than buying the same amount (in weight) of flour. Although, this depends on what is available in your area. It’s worth checking out!
What type of wheat berry should you use?
There are several types of wheat including hard white, hard red, soft white, and white wheat to name a few.
Why Fresh Milled Flour?
You may be wondering why freshly milled flour is desirable when whole wheat flour is readily available at the stores. When you grind fresh flour, you retain the highest amount of nutrients available in the grains. The entire bran (outer coating), which has a lot of nutrients, remains with the flour.
Now, I know whole wheat flour at the store is darker in color like the wheat you grind at home, but oftentimes companies will refine all their flour and then add it back in the bran to make it “whole wheat”. Similar to how they enrich all-purpose white flour.
This defeats the purpose of whole-wheat flour being less refined and more nutritious. Don’t get me wrong though, there is a time and place to buy pre-ground flour! I’ve been in that boat as well before we could regularly grind our own grain. When you soak the flour or make homemade sourdough bread this helps you regain some of the nutrients that turn dormant after grinding.
Another reason grinding your own flour is better is because of the cost. It is much more cost-effective to buy bulk grain and do the work yourself. Palouse Brand has good prices on bulk grain. Also, check your area for a local coop. That is often the best way to get the most from your dollars.
If you are looking into getting a grain mill, I highly recommend the Mockmill Grain Mill. You can find my review here.
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Hi, I’ve been making my own oat flour with a coffee grinder for a couple of years now but wondered how the harder grains would go. I was looking at both barley and rice to grind in the coffee grinder but not sure if that would be able to take the hard knocks … though coffee beans are hard.
Thanks I think I will try my food processor to get the barley (to start with) small then go into the grinder. Cheers
I think starting with something a bit more robust, like a food processor, is a good idea. Coffee beans are hard, but we don’t know how hard in relation to whole grains. Better safe than sorry!
young lady new to your site this oldman gives you a thumb up job well done very nice keep up the outstanding work. god bless loner
Hello and thank you for your awesome blog. Would love to know which model of Blendtec you have and love?
Hi Sidney! I have the Classic Blendtec model:
https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/BlendtecHome
I’ve used the Designer series too, and love them all!
Which grain mill is recommended?
Hi Oded – I recommend a NutriMill: http://amzn.to/1Q9ODgD
I’m coming into the discussion late, but thought it important to share my experience. All I wanted was to crack some spelt & kamut berries for bread making, just a few, so I tried my coffee grinder. Hadn’t found your webpage yet, so hasten to add that I’m not blaming you! Previously had used the grinder for coffee, spices and seeds – in other words, nothing hard. I thought I was a genius for about two days, then felt something strange in my mouth as I ate a piece of the multigrain sourdough I’d made. It was a small piece of plastic from my coffee grinder, an old Braun KSM2 no longer on the market, so I can’t replace it. I’m sad but don’t feel I can use it for anything else now but the softest seeds and spices. And I’m leery about that! The bottom rim of the lid has lots of nicks and uneven spots now, not just the bite out of it for the piece that ended up in my mouth. That’s why I’m researching milling now, along with brand options for a new coffee grinder. Sometimes penny-wise really is pound-foolish?
I’m sorry you ran into issues with your coffee grinder Carol! I didn’t have these issues, and the grains didn’t cause pitting in any of my appliances. I’ve heard that they COULD, but haven’t experienced it myself. Bummer! I hope you find a mill you like. I now have a Wondermill and have heard good things about the Nutrimill too!
Thanks for the reply and condolences, Tiffany. The Braun was old and much-used, so that’s possibly why I ran into those issues. I had noticed that the plastic lid seemed to be drying out, especially after I began grinding flax seeds on a regular basis last year. I found a new coffee grinder today that looks good, not terribly expensive — the Hamilton Beach custom grind. I’m thinking that my current milling needs just aren’t worth the purchase of a separate appliance, These are test breads, though, so who knows? I may get a mill later. For now, I’ll try cracking the grains in the new grinder, but carefully! If the coarse setting pulverizes them too much, there’s an on-off button I can use for short bursts. Here’s hoping!
I’ve got my fingers crossed for you Carol!
I used my nutribullet (grind attachment) to make kamut flour from the grain, and it worked great. Didn’t even have to use my food processor. Thank you for the wonderful idea!
I like Brie was wondering the same thing, but also, I have the grinder attachment (for meat and bread) for my kitchen aid and was wondering if you thought that would be a sufficient replacement for the coffee grinder?
Can you simply use the food processor? Will that work? I wanna try it today but I don’t have a coffee grinder or a grain mill.
You can try that too Brie! I didn’t have a food processor at the time, so I wasn’t able to test. If the grains are still too big, run through a blender after the food processor.
I’m saving up for the mill attachment to my KitchenAid stand mixer. It is smaller for storage, and I know my mixer will be around for years to come – it’s already been in service since 1993.
I knew it! I figured there had to be a way to grind wheat without a special appliance (after all, Ma Ingalls did it with a hand coffee grinder), but I didn’t want to risk breaking anything. You took that risk, and I thank you.
You’re welcome!
Love the article – so fun and true!!! Thanks for gearing it toward REAL people who live on a limited budget! Please post info. about ANCIENT strains of wheat – the ones low in gluten, high in vitamins, etc. that are still actually good for us and the best to buy. Thank you and God bless!!
JAM
Thanks JAM! I’ve made a note to visit ancient strains of wheat when we re-visit the rest of carbs again (haven’t even touched sugar yet!). Thanks so much for the reminder!
I had started grinding my own grain in my vitamix but my loaves were always a disaster. I was trying to do too many things from scratch and also using sourdough starters too. So now I have a bread machine and standard yeast I might try this again. Although I’ve been told the wheat grain here in the UK is much lower in protein than the USA and so not as good in bread. I’ll have to try it again though. Thanks for the reminder!
This is genius! Thanks for sharing!
I subscribe to both newsletters and liked both on FB. THANK YOU
You’re welcome Jill – be sure to enter in the rafflecopter form to get credit for both entries in the giveaway!
I only have one of those baby coffee grinders. I think I may lose my mind if I did it this way. Then again I’m always up for a challenge 😉 I’m one of your newer followers and love what I am reading so far!
Thanks for joining the ride Richelle!
My grinder may be a “baby” too. Here’s what it is on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BRLXUI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000BRLXUI&linkCode=as2&tag=dontwasthecru-20
Not super powerful by any means, and doesn’t grind much more than 1/2 cup at a time, but hey – it gets the job done for now! 😉 ~Tiffany
Oops! Can’t resist adding one more point, and that is CONSISTENCY in size of flour particles. For example, a low/coarse setting will give the largest pieces for use in making cream of wheat or gritty corn (I grind popcorn) for hot cornmeal mush cereal. On the other hand, a high/fine setting is great for cakes and other pastries. I use a setting somewhere in between for bread. I’m sure you can achieve the differences in coarseness of your flour using the appliances that you are currently experimenting with, but the mill totally takes the guesswork out of it. -Joy
I hadn’t thought about differences in grinding settings before. I can definitely vouch for the fine settings for cookies, but you have me curious on the medium setting for bread. Does it come out with a “heartier” texture? Like it’s a version of the seedy 9-grain bread? ~Tiffany
Yes, definitely a difference when you grind at a med. to coarse setting vs. fine. I choose med. to coarse because I know the larger pieces of bran/germ in the flour will create more cleansing fiber. The bread comes out more hearty for sure, but not really seedy. On the other hand, I often have company who are not used to whole grain ANYTHING. In that case, I will often mill hard white wheat (with some Kamut mixed in) on “fine” and they usually LOVE the bread and are very surprised when I tell them it is made with 100% whole grains! If you want seedy bread, why not add seeds? I love millet, flax, sesame, and sunflower seeds added in, and I have also heard of adding CRACKED wheat to the dough (although haven’t personally tried that one yet).
I have to chime in (you knew I would, didn’t you?) If I could only grab one appliance, it would be my grain mill!!! I love my mill more than my mixer (because, as you said, I could knead my dough by hand if I had to!) It is a lot of money, but SO worth saving up for in my opinion! There are several reasons, but here are a few that come to mind 1) you will eventually burn out motors on coffee grinders or food processors that are not made to grind foods that are quite so hard (especially the hard wheat grains, popcorn, or dry beans). My grain mill has been going strong for almost 9 years! 2) It is a pain to have to wash out/clean two appliances every time you mill – not to mention that it is tedious to grind batch after batch of flour for recipes. I only wash the bowl of my mill about once a week. Otherwise, I just use a stiff brush to clean out the dust between times. 3) The time and hassle to mill will discourage you from wanting to use freshly milled flour FREQUENTLY, which is what will give you the optimal nutrition you want. Believe me, the mill has more than paid for itself in our household with six to feed – I make EVERYTHING using this flour (and no, I don’t work for Nutrimill or Wondermill! (-:) Finally, I know it takes up space, but I found there were a couple of countertop items that I was more than happy to boot out when the mill entered my life (microwave, for one!) I have been happy to give it a place of honor in my kitchen, because you know what? It has really become a conversation piece. A lot of people have passed through my kitchen and learned about using whole grains/freshly milled flour after inquiring about this unusual appliance. “What’s THAT????” That being said, I do applaud you for finding alternate ways to grind grain. If I didn’t have a mill, I would grind grain with a ROCK if I had to! (just kidding!) But I do encourage you to save up for a mill … you will never regret it! -Joy
Yes Joy, I had a sneaky suspicion you’d offer your wonderful first hand knowledge on a grain mill!! Your experience and opinion is definitely valued!
You’re right on burning out the motors on smaller appliances. I had to give my coffee grinder a bit of rest after a few minutes. The grinder I used is actually our spare, so I’ve dedicated it to grains only, removing some of the cleaning requirements. The small food processor isn’t used too often, so I brush it out well and plan to clean it before and after I use it for something else (if/when that happens). I could make room for the mill if I cleaned out and sold a few things on a shelf… which would in turn help me save up for a mill, lol.
I do hope one day to have a mill, and buy also my grains in bulk and grind them to serve ALL of my purposes. I’ll let you know when that happens Joy – I can see you cheering me on from afar! 🙂 ~Tiffany
Hip hip hooray! (-:
Kudos for kicking out the microwave. I did the same. The other thought I had is the concern about a higher heat from these coffee grinders that could affect the quality of the flour. I have a Wonder Mill Jr. Hand crank. It’s great but tiresome. I plan to keep it in case I need it, but an electric replacement is needed. I think I’ll go with an attachment for my kitchen aid mixer.
I do think the use of a coffee grinder is ingenious, and thought of it too, hence findng this thread. I would use it as a short term fix and consider budgeting for the mill when possible. Thanks ladies.
What type of mill are you using ? Could you recommend one?
Hi would you mind saying which model of the grain mill you use? I have a tough time deciding…thanks for being so generous with the information
Hi Kerry! I’m not Joy, but this is the one we saved up for and invested in, and still have several years later! http://amzn.to/2qjBHiK
I’ve also been drooling over a grain mill! I think I would use it a lot just with bread baking alone. I can’t stretch finances that way yet so it’s on my wish list :)(and a vitamix)
I think I’m with you Raquel – I have no doubt that it would be used regularly, but it’s just not in the budget at the moment. C’mon Swagbucks, lol!
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
You’re very, very welcome! 🙂
Wow!! This is so cool! I have been drooling over a grain mill for a while but just can’t fork over the money for something, like you said, that only serves on purpose. I can’t wait to try this out!!
And I’m currently trying to decide if I should get a blendtec or vitamix…aaag! LOL
Jami, Do you have a Costco nearby? We saw demonstrations of both Blendtec and Vitamix at our local Costco and that’s how we made our decision. My opinion may be skewed, but I sure do LOVE my Blendtec! 😉
If you are not able to afford a brandy new machine, there are used REFURBISHED models that cost less.
I wouldn’t have bought a brand new carpet cleaner because of the cost, but after doing my research I settled on a model I wanted. It just so happened that a local sew ‘n vac store had a used refurbished machine. I bought it back in 2010, I still have it and I love that thing!
The good thing about a refurbished model is that it is gone through, tested and given individual attention so you KNOW it works! Sometimes a person will buy a machine, use it once and decide not to keep it. It gets returned and checked to see if it’s defective. If it can be fixed, it’s cleaned, repaired and tested. Then resold at quite a savings! I can tell you that I’m okay with this and I actually prefer a refurbished machine.