August 26, 2008
Milling Your Own Gluten-Free Flour
If gluten-free baking is something you’re going to be doing long term and you’re interested in saving money, here’s something for you to consider. Buying a grain mill is expensive at the outset, but it will pay for itself before long. I bought a Whisper Mill, which is now called WonderMill
, soon after I was diagnosed and have been very happy with it. There are other brands out there which I’m sure are very good also. Don’t be fooled by its name, the Whisper Mill is not quiet, but it is not as loud as some.
Here is a picture of the mill with white rice in the hopper, and another picture of the flour. I turned on the mill, filled the hopper with rice, mixed up some frozen juice while it was milling, and about the time I finished the flour was done. It couldn’t be easier.
Since writing this post, I have begun milling sorghum. You can read about it here.
, soon after I was diagnosed and have been very happy with it. There are other brands out there which I’m sure are very good also. Don’t be fooled by its name, the Whisper Mill is not quiet, but it is not as loud as some. Here is a picture of the mill with white rice in the hopper, and another picture of the flour. I turned on the mill, filled the hopper with rice, mixed up some frozen juice while it was milling, and about the time I finished the flour was done. It couldn’t be easier.
So let’s talk about money. The Whisper Mill will cost you $240 plus shipping. How much money you save on flour depends on how much you use and how much you pay. This week I bought a 10 pound bag of white rice for $5.99. That’s only 60 cents a pound! I bought some brown rice in smaller bags for $1.37 per pound. If you look at how much you are paying per pound ($4 for white rice?) plus shipping, it’s a lot of savings.
So far I have only used the mill to make rice flours including white rice, brown rice, white sweet rice, and brown sweet rice. The brown rice flours I keep in the freezer. If you have a mill and use it to make other gluten-free flours, I’d love to hear from you.
So far I have only used the mill to make rice flours including white rice, brown rice, white sweet rice, and brown sweet rice. The brown rice flours I keep in the freezer. If you have a mill and use it to make other gluten-free flours, I’d love to hear from you.
Since writing this post, I have begun milling sorghum. You can read about it here.
Labels: gluten-free diet
# posted by Linda @ 8/26/2008 
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I never thought of milling rice! What a great idea! It is so much cheaper to buy rice in bulk rather than the flour. Thanks for sharing this one!
Toni
http://thehappyhousewife.com
Toni
http://thehappyhousewife.com
Great to know. I've been wondering about milling gluten free flours. I don't have a grain mill yet but have been contemplating soem for awhile. I'll be anxious to hear about other ventures in milling gluten free.
I have a Nutrimill that I use for gluten free flours. I have done rice, sorghum, millet and corn as well as beans. Definitely worth the investment!
# posted by 
: October 07, 2008
: October 07, 2008
How fine does it get the rice flour? I've been using either the Authentic Foods superfine white rice flour or superfine white rice flour from a Middle Eastern store near me. They're both much finer than the Bob's Red Mill. Almost as powdery as wheat flour.
# posted by : November 04, 2008
: November 04, 2008
On the finest setting it is somewhat powdery. Definitely finer than most rice flour. I usually set it a little above that, and I don't have trouble with baked goods being grainy. I think adding sorghum improves the texture also.
Great idea! I've never milled my own flour and it would be great to be able to control the consistency.
I have a different brand of grain mill (can't remember the name) and I use it to grind my own brown rice flour. It is fantastic and so easy to use. I'm always amazed when the brown rice turns into finely milled flour!
~Ellen
~Ellen
I've been making flour out of anything that is made of beans or rice or legumes. It works great. I do have problems with fava beans and garbanzo beans. They seem to get stuck going down. I break them up in a vita mix first then grind them. Have you tried these beans and have you had any success?
# posted by : December 06, 2009
: December 06, 2009
I have heard that beans can be milled, but have not tried it myself because I don't use the flours. We don't digest them well, and my husband especially doesn't like the taste. If you like them though, I think they give a nice texture to baked goods and add protein.
I am just looking into getting a grain mill for gf purposes. I also have a allergy grocers in town and I am wondering if price-wise it is still cheaper to grind the flour yourself? I would love to know what you think with that comparison. I don't have to buy flours on line and I am not even sure where I would buy my rices, sorghum, and millet to grind. Help! Kellyc =0)
cooperkelly4 ~ I have had my mill for so long that I haven't done price comparisons recently. Sorghum I buy from Twin Valley Mills. I pay more for shipping than I do the actual grain, but it's still pretty cheap I think. Millet I'm still looking into. I recently bought some at a farmer's market and their supplier said it was not processed with wheat. Rice I usually buy a the grocery store.
In addition to cost savings, I think whole grains are healthier when freshly ground. Not that I always use it immediately, but I think it's still probably better.
I hope that helps.
In addition to cost savings, I think whole grains are healthier when freshly ground. Not that I always use it immediately, but I think it's still probably better.
I hope that helps.
well, I just purchased a vitamix that mills grains and so much more! Thanks for you input. =0) Kellyc
I also have a Whispermill and I love it! I've ground rice, millet, sorghum, and even tapioca! The tapioca balls are hard on the machine - I found I had to do half rice mixed w/ the tapioca balls and then the machine ran fine.
However, my homemade tapioca flour was a bit different than store-bought and seemed to require more liquid in recipes. When I discovered tapioca flour for dirt cheap at the Asian markets (we live in a big California city) I decided to just buy tapioca.
Thanks for your blog, it's very helpful to me as I come around again to being gluten-free. My rash is gone, my digestion is much improved, my energy levels are rising - I think I need to be a lifelong gluten-free gal!
However, my homemade tapioca flour was a bit different than store-bought and seemed to require more liquid in recipes. When I discovered tapioca flour for dirt cheap at the Asian markets (we live in a big California city) I decided to just buy tapioca.
Thanks for your blog, it's very helpful to me as I come around again to being gluten-free. My rash is gone, my digestion is much improved, my energy levels are rising - I think I need to be a lifelong gluten-free gal!
# posted by : September 26, 2010
: September 26, 2010 Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
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