The Ultimate Guide to the Harvest NutriMill: Benefits, Drawbacks, and Cleaning Tips
My Harvest NutriMill is one of my most prized possessions in my kitchen. I use it almost every day for sourdough bread-making and it’s been a trusty companion. However, it is important to know about the pros, cons, and what kind of maintenance is required before investing. Let’s learn about the Harvest NutriMill together.
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Milling my own grain is a fundamental part of my kitchen routine. It enables me to choose local, organic grains and grind them to the exact texture I prefer, ensuring maximum nutritional retention. Although it doesn’t require frequent maintenance, it’s crucial to clean the mill occasionally, especially when the stones begin to smooth out, to keep it functioning optimally. This hands-on approach not only enhances the quality of my baking but also connects me more deeply with the process of food preparation.
Why You Should Mill Your Own Flour
Fresh milled whole grain flour adds a deep nuttiness to your bakes and has a number of health benefits.
It is rich in vitamins and minerals which are usually lost in commercially processed grains. As stated in the name, whole grain flour contains the whole grain including the bran, germ, and endosperm. These parts of the grain provide fibre and enzymes that contribute to a robust microbiome and aid digestion.
Milling your own whole grain flour also means you’re getting a product that is free of preservatives or additives, offering a more wholesome ingredient for your recipes. Not to mention, milling your own flour is fun! Each grain offers a different flavour profile, making a whole new product with each grain you experiment with.
Ways To Mill Your Own Flour
If you’re living somewhere where you can source whole grains and you want to start milling your own flour, you have a couple options. You can start without making a large investment by using a powerful coffee grinder or blender that you already own, however, the flour will come out coarse and may make for a heavy baked good. A step up would be purchasing a KitchenAid grain mill attachment. This mill makes a slightly fine flour but still too coarse for my liking.
If you want to invest in the crème de la crème of milling flour and you have a reliable source of grain, you should consider a Harvest NutriMill, which is the one I use almost everyday and love both for its beauty and practicality.
Get your Harvest NutriMill when you’re ready to invest using this link and my discount code BRONSBREAD20 at checkout to get $20 off your order!
Harvest NutriMill Benefits
Beautiful: This mill is not only useful, it is also very aesthetically pleasing and is a natural addition to any home.
Simple To Operate: It’s pretty straightforward to use. Turn on, grain in the top, and go. You can adjust the texture as you’re milling which is nice.
Grinds Fine: Depending on the grain, you can mill it into dust! Soft grains, like spelt, are especially easy to mill into dust-like flour. Harder grains, such as kamut, don’t get quite as fine as easily as spelt but the mill still does a good job.
Low Maintenance: I’ve only cleaned my NutriMill a handful of times and I’ve had it for almost 5 years. It requires cleaning once the porous stones pack with flour and make a smooth surface. This happens quicker when you’re milling lots of fine flour and which produces heat and the heat can produce moisture.
Easy To Clean: Cleaning can be messy but it’s quick and the mill comes with cleaning tools. You’ll need to clear the stones, the sides, and the spout, of any built up flour.
Decent Size Grain Hopper: The grain hopper is the top of the mill where the grain is held during milling. The Harvest NutriMill can hold around 3-4 cups of grain, in my experience. This works for me because I mill about 6 cups of grain at a time so it’s only two rounds of milling.
High Quality Material: This mill definitely has some weight to it which I love. It feels sturdy and capable, made with bamboo and ceramic mill stones.
Harvest NutriMill Drawbacks
Gets Hot: At around 6 cups of grain in one go, the stones can start to generate heat. The finer the flour, the more heat it generates.
Dusty Clean: Cleaning is easy and satisfying but it can make a huge mess. I recommend cleaning it outside if you can.
Slower Speed: Compared to other mills, this one might mill a bit slower. The finer the flour, the slower it mills.
Cleaning the Harvest NutriMill
Cleaning the stones is quite easy. It requires cleaning when the stones are smooth due to a build up of flour in the pours. To clean simply:
- Measure one cup of uncooked white rice (brown rice may work but contains more oil than white rice due to the brain still being intact).
- Set the mill dial to coarse.
- Turn on the mill and pour the rice into the hopper.
- Coarsely mill the rice. This will break up the build up in the stones. You can run it through another time if required.
- Done!
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