In preparation for buying a new grain mill, I order a new book, Flour Power.
As far as I can tell, this book has no competition. There are no other books out there covering this topic. It is loaded with information about how commercial flour is milled, what get’s destroyed, etc. It also tells you about all the different home grain mill milling mechanisms (e.g. impact, stone burr, roller, etc.) and their pluses and minuses. It has a lot of information about different manufactures and how to contact them. It also has a wealth of information about different types of wheat, dough conditioners, and recipes for various breads.
In short, if you are considering (or even if you are already an avid home-miller) milling your own grain, this is a must have book. Don’t go out and buy a grain mill and then order this book. For the small price you pay for this book you could save yourself a lot of pain and heartache. Buy it, read it, THEN order your grain mill.
That said, I do have some complaints. The author, Marleeta Basey, has completely bought into the whole low-fat agenda. She preaches low-fat high-fiber diets throughout the book. Naturally, Nourishing Traditions cooks will have to disagree with this preaching. There are about 3-4 chapters of nutrition information, which in my humble opinion are completely unnecessary. They talk about vitamins, minerals, fat and other things and there are a large number of speculative statements like… this study showed that vitamin x MAY do such and such. These are the same chapters that rail against fat. My recommendation is to take these chapters with a grain of salt and get down to the practical information in the book.
On the whole, I highly recommend this book. Even if you are not planning to mill your own grains, this book may change your mind.
Your blog is my current favorite blog, Brian!
I ordered “Flour Power” after reading your recommendation. I haven’t been able to put it down! I have been considering buying a grain mill, and I’m glad I read this book first. The book provided me with more than enough information to get started — to make an informed choice in grain mills and in understanding grains.
I still haven’t decided which grain mill to purchase. I love the Fidibus Classic bc it’s beautiful and seems easy to clean, but I would like to mill beans and corn. I looked at the Family Grain Mill, but it’s so ugly compared to the KOMO mills. . .
Regards,
Kim
I’m glad my experiences are of benefit to you. Let me know if you ever start a blog.