An electric flour mill for every baker

An electric flour mill for every baker should be the order of the day. True wholemeal with 100% of the germ and bran can't be bought off the shelf in the grocery store; the Big Fat Lie.

An electric flour mill is only for those who are serious about bread matters; if you plan to spend time and energy baking daily then why would you use second-grade ingredients?

True wholemeal is difficult to buy in most countries; I have never seen it in my native South Africa. Millers are internationally allowed to call their product wholewheat flour provided no more than 40% of the grain has been removed; much of the bran and the germ. It is a colossal deception and the health of nations pays the huge price tag.

If you want 100 percent wholemeal for your bread then seriously consider purchasing an electric flour mill.

I once owned a hand-powered mill and do not recommend them; they simply do not get the grain fine enough. Don't waste your money.

The bran in true wholegrain flour

The bran is where the lignans, fibre and other important nutrients are found;

Lignans are phytochemicals that have oestrogen-like properties that compete at sites in the breast for absorption; it is no coincidence that the Western world has an epidemic of these highly malignant cancers. The ladies are woefully short of this vitally important nutrient from their food; and tragically it's now affecting younger women.

• Lignans protect the prostate gland too
  

The germ in true wholegrain flour

The wheat germ is where much of the important fatty acids, vitamins and minerals are found. The millers remove most of them and sell them back to you separately packaged, at great expense, as supplements.

Most of the germ and bran is sold as animal feed. This "hominy chop" as it is known forms a significant part of the profit margin of millers. The health of cows, pigs and chickens is more important than that of humans.

Who's to blame?

In one sense we can blame the millers and bakers for selling us bread that is such a poor shadow of the real thing; but then it is what the public demands. They are only providing what our tongues have become accustomed to and want; a soft and refined slice that just slides down the throat requiring little chewing.

But that commercial loaf is not only denatured of vitally important foodstuffs but it is also tasteless, demanding a sweet or savoury topping; that is why we have to put jams, processed hams and beef on our sandwiches; to our terrible detriment.

Once you have tasted the real McCoy, especially our sourdough bread, you will realise the bakers have conned us; that made with true freshly-ground wholemeal flour can usually be enjoyed with just butter; it is so delicious that it has no need of jams, jellies or cold meats. 

Another important difference is that supermarket loaf has a high glycemic index; in short, it is very fattening as are all cookies and cakes made with refined flour. But the 100% wholemeal bread that you can bake at home, using grain from your electric flour mill is quite different; rich in fibre, with all the protein and the natural fatty acids in grain, it has a much lower GI.

This is not small beer; read what researchers publishing in the Journal of the American Medical Association have to say about heart, stroke and diabetes.

• Middle-aged men with hypertension
  

What is more you have total control over the ingredients that go into your daily bread. You would be astonished at the amount of sugar, salt and contrary enzymes that are used in the commercial loaf; and preservatives too.

At a genuine small baker, like this one I discovered in Ludlow, England you have a chance of getting real 100% wholemeal bread; it is a rarity.

They use the best healthy flour.

Do not expect to find bread like this at your supermarket. Do not balk at the price; if this is your daily loaf you will not need to be purchasing half the supplements in your pill box. It is a veritable medicine chest.

Electric flour mill

The electric flour mill is very cost effective if you use it regularly; it takes only six minutes to mill the grain and prepare the dough for your bread machine. Otherwise, it will just be another white elephant in your kitchen.

Most of us are put off by thoughts of all the time and effort that goes into kneading the dough, beating it down and generally taking up the whole morning; and the electricity to heat the oven.

That is the way it used to be until the advent of the bread machine; today it takes me only six minutes every morning, plus another five hours of course to rise and bake. The cost of electricity is minimal in such a small oven; about ten cents per loaf.

You may be wondering why all this passion for the electric flour mill on Bernard Preston's website? It is simple really. 100% whole meal contains much of the calcium your bones need, the vitamins for every process going on in your body and the lignans to dramatically reduce illness.

Our philosophy of wellness was born out of the naturopathic world more than a century ago; in fact our roots go right back to Hippocrates and Galen who did manipulation of the spine long before Christ. We are committed to improving the whole body and not just your neck and back.

Just six minutes every day

Your electric flour mill, along with the bread machine are the keys to vastly improved well-being, for very little bother. Six minutes a day; that's all it takes.

What is more despite the considerable expense of these appliances, it really is cost effective if you use them several times a week.

Baking your own bread, using the so-called wholemeal flour from the grocery store actually does not make sense once you work out the dollars and cents of the grain, yeast and electricity; and you will still need to take those supplements. Even that is problematic as we'll see shortly.

But find a source of whole wheat berries, purchase an electric flour mill and you will be in business; cheap, with all the nutrients the way the good Lord intended, and fantastic taste. So flavourful that I usually enjoy it without any jam, peanut butter or cheese on it.

There is one last factor to be considered; the enjoyment of bread has dropped throughout the Western world because the loaf you buy in the supermarket is so fattening; like refined starch it has a very high glycemic index. But your own homemade loaf, baked with flour from your electric mill is to be enjoyed daily; within reason. I eat it regularly and have not put on an ounce.

It is the refined carbs that make us fat. Start looking today at the different makes of the electric flour mill.

The downside of calcium and vitamin E supplements

I alluded above to the fact that there are problems associated with taking calcium and vitamin E supplements; serious health issues.

This may seem unbelievable to you, but researchers have found that the elderly folk religiously taking their calcium supplement to prevent the dreadful osteoporosis actually have a significantly higher incidence of coronary artery disease; that mineral doesn't just end up in the bones. Taken in pill form it is also deposited in the coronary vessels raising our blood pressure; but not from your food.

You can find a link to the subject below; that is why this is an important subject to all health practitioners too; and the reason why some are starting to take an interest in such diverse subjects as an electric flour mill. Brittle bone disease is a condition we face many times daily at the coalface; get granny off those calcium supplements and onto bread made with 100% wholemeal.

Consider getting her to start partaking of kefir benefits too for her calcium; because prevention is better than a cure for all of us.

I realise I'm writing to two groups of people:

1. Those who are already baking their own bread but using semi-refined flour from a mill; they already know that the homemade loaf tastes and is better without all the chemicals.
2. Those who are still purchasing supermarket bread, believing that the wholemeal loaf is in fact healthy and has all the protein, vitamins and minerals; and the bran that is advertised. Certainly it's better than a white loaf but still a very poor second cousin.

Mockmill

Another appliance is the Mockmill. It comes in two sizes. It's a good deal cheaper at around $350, no longer using a new wood casing. I haven't seen one myself but all the reports are very encouraging. This is perhaps the wheat grinder for the future.

Counting the cost

The cost of making your own homemade bread is obviously dependent on where you live; and how much effort you are willing to put into procuring a source of real wholemeal flour.

Here in South Africa, the so-called wholemeal flour (but still refined) costs R7.20 per loaf; that's about 50 US cents. But it's only R2.40 (a third) if you buy wheat from a farmer and have an electric flour mill.

If you bake on say 300 days of the year, the saving for those who are already making their own bread but using the commercial product will be about $100 per year, should they purchase an electric flour mill.

For group 2, assuming you can find a small baker who will sell you a genuine 100% wholemeal flour loaf, it will cost you R20 x 365 days = R7,300 per year in South Africa; about $500.

A home-baked loaf using only the best ingredients will cost less than R5/day x 365 = R1825; about $130.

The annual saving would be R5475, or $391.

Add to that, if you are enjoying the supermarket loaf, most advice would be to take calcium tablets plus vitamin E softgels @ $70 + $40 per year,

And that does not include all the other vitamins, minerals and smart bran in true wholemeal.

Suddenly the electric flour mill does not look so expensive; if you use it. I give it a 100% endorsement; there can be no better way to spend 6 minutes a day improving the health of your family. It is not fattening despite the protestations of the ketogenic folk and tastes simply wonderful.

In fact the research shows that those enjoying true wholegrains will slowly but surely lose weight.

Once slice at each meal is enough; two will make you feel stuffed.

• One slice of real bread is enough
  

The cost in the USA

The cost in USA of 100% wholewheat flour appears to be around $4 for a 5 lb. bag at Walmart, and $14 for 50 pounds from ADM Stone Ground.

Please recall that 100% wholemeal flour does not keep; make sure that it is not old in the shop and best freeze what you are not using.

Does flour go bad is an important discussion.

Preservatives in commercial bread

Note that your own homemade bread has no preservatives; it will happily keep two days, longer if you refrigerate it. But it's best baked daily; both the dogs and our hens go crazy over any leftover homemade loaf from grain using our electric flour mill.

Serious bakers recommend that we don't eat hot bread. Cooling allows the starch to retrograde and it is more tasty; and it is less likely to give you indigestion.

Before purchasing a mill

Before purchasing our electric flour mill, a German Hawo, I did no homework but luckily the advice given was spot on. That was some 25 years ago and I have no recollection of the cost; but today it is about $550 in the USA.

If you work on an annual saving of $391, not to mention the cost of supplements, from making your own homemade bread, then it will pay for itself in no time at all.

But I would perhaps consider some cheaper models if the Hawo is a bridge too far. Whether they'll still be going strong in 25 years, I have no idea. The Dutch have a saying for everything; "goedkoop is duurkoop" can be loosely translated as cheap goods are actually expensive.

To put it differently, if you do it properly the first time, it hurts only once; I can give the Hawo my unqualified recommendation. I use it every day; it is very user friendly and I have every reason to believe it will outlive me.

The Hawo Billy 200 at $450 in 2023 would be my choice if purchasing today.

Vitamin E in true wholemeal

I used to take vitamin E capsules, made from wheat germ oil, in the mistaken belief that it helps prevent prostate tumours; in fact, it does just the opposite. An electric flour mill enables you to get your own naturally.

Vitamin E comes in eight different isomers; if you eat whole foods, you'll get all of them in the correct ratio. It is the gamma form that prevents prostate malignant prostate tumours; wheat germ oil contains mainly the alpha.

If you take an excess amount of alpha, it blocks the absorption sites for the gamma form, actually increasing your risk of getting prostate cancer. Get your vitamin E from your food, along with the calcium. Supplements are an expensive dicey business; a nasty alternative to wholesome food in the mistaken belief that we can eat crap provided we take plenty of nutracils.

The same issues arise when considering ground flaxseed vs oil; chalk and cheese.

Smart bran

As we've said, the millers grind the the wheat grains and separate them into their constituent parts. The smart bran helps prevent breast cancer; the germ that contains most of the vitamins, fatty acids and minerals. And then there is the white flour.

Then to make wholemeal flour they simply add them back together, we wrongly assume in the same proportion. Along the way something important is lost.

And because the white flour is the most desired product, much of the bran, oils and vitamins are left over. They either go to supplements and are sold back to you as wheat germ, vitamin E and calcium; most goes to animal feed.

The smart bran is also sold as an aid in treating constipation; but there is very little soluble fibre.

With your electric flour mill you can in one step grind the wheat between stone plates giving you 100% wholemeal flour with all the goodies; nothing is processed or removed.

Low GI bread

You can make your own low GI bread in just five to six minutes every day; I know because I do it myself. To lower the glycemic index you have to be sure of adequate fibre, protein and fat; enter the electric flour mill which provides the full complement of these nutrients.

Low GI bread isn't fattening either and if you add a little sourdough, the taste is extra specially good. This is not rocket science and does not take a lot of your time. We bother because we care about our health; and really do not want to get breast or prostate tumours.

The extra fibre also means less difficulty with the stool; it's part of our quick constipation relief program.

For another perspective including some great videos, read how flour is milled^[3].

Reading between the lines though, they admit that they cheat; they say that their wholemeal contains all the parts of the wheat in the same proportions but then go on to acknowledge that it is lower in calcium than 100% wholemeal flour. That doesn't figure.

The Big Fat Lie

Millers the world over by international law may remove nearly half the bran and germ from flour and still label it as "wholemeal;" which it isn't.

The Big Fat Lie is downright deceptive; we think we are eating wholegrain products and we aren't.

Like all lies it leads directly to human downfall; in this instance our wellness. We simply are not getting the protection against heart disease, stroke and cancer that we think we are.

Yellow Grits

Finding fresh true wholemeal yellow grits is equally difficult. It has to be eaten within a week of being milled. You may have to pass the corn three times through the grinder.

• Why do we choose yellow maizemeal?
  

The grain is much larger than wheat. My experience is that small mills do not handle it that well, especially the larger kernels of white maize.

Better health with wholegrains

Why all this on our website you may be wondering? Firstly it's because that calcium that the miller first removes and then has to re-fortify is not the same as the original; making your own bread using an electric flour mill is quite different.

Calcium obviously is a vitally important mineral for your bones, hence our interest as health practitioners; and many other bodily functions. But new research is showing that the mineral taken in supplementary form and as used to fortify flour, ends up also in our coronary arteries raising the risk of cardiovascular disease.

That doesn't happen with the much lower concentration of calcium from our food, provided the way Nature intended it.

In short almost all the bread purchased in your grocery store is just another ultra-processed food; and it's tasteless.

An electric flour mill for every baker

An electric flour mill for every baker for all of the goodness.

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