Bare Minimums For Bread Making

The bare minimum you need to grind your own wheat is, of course, the wheat and a mill.  If you are fortunate enough to live in Montana or a larger city, wheat may be easier to find.  Since we live near neither, it takes some planning to get wheat.  The wheat I buy comes from the company Wheat Montana.  They have a website where you can see if they have a co-op near your city.  If not, companies like Something Better sell Wheat Montana's wheat and you have a smaller minimum order to meet to have a truck sent to you.  There is a minimum of 10,000 lbs. to have Wheat Montana send a truck to you.  That's a lot of wheat.

The mill I have is a Whisper Mill.  The Nutrimill is also popular.  Grinding your own wheat is as easy as the push of a button.  You can learn about different grains by searching them on the internet.  I use hard white and hard red wheat usually mixing the two together.  The red is more nutty and the white more mild.

I kneaded my own dough for 4 or 5 years before purchasing a mixer to knead it for me.  I was pregnant with our fourth child when my husband bought our Electrolux Assistent.  I think he was afraid I wouldn't make bread anymore without it.  It sure has made my life easier.  You put in your ingredients, set the timer, and walk away until the dough has been kneaded(about 15 minutes).  You are also able to knead much more dough at one time.  I make a triple batch which equals approximately 50 rolls or 4 loaves.  When kneading by hand, it is only possible to knead one batch at a time.  I freeze what we aren't going to eat that day and pull bread out as I need it.  Using this machine produces a much lighter bread, once baked.

I would advise to make the mill and wheat your initial investment and see if you really are going to make this lifestyle change; then buy the Electrolux Assistent once you have made the change.  You won't regret it