What's cooking in the L.A. Times Test Kitchen

Today in the Test Kitchen, we're just milling about. Well ... milling our own flours, actually. We're testing recipes for an upcoming story on home-milling, and have spent the better part of the morning grinding flours from wheat berries, brown rice, millet, steel-cut oats, buckwheat and even corn (using the "popcorn" you see in the bottom right of the photo).

In all the years I've spent baking breads and searching out specialty flours, I'd never thought to grind my own. I guess I always thought it was too much of a hassle.

But the process is simple, really. I found the compact grain mill you see in the photo online just last week. The mill clamps onto a countertop or table and the grain is fed, a small handful at a time, into the hopper at the top. Crank the handle, tightening a screw to adjust the texture of the final flour from coarse to fine.

And while our little grain mill might take a little longer to do the job than an electric version, it's a great workout for the arms.

-- Noelle Carter

twitter.com/noellecarter

Photo Credit: Hye Jung Hong / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Faye Levy]

Fascinating! Can't wait to see the story and what you prepare from those grains.