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Can You Grind Coffee In A Grain Mill? Yes, you can, you can absolutely grind your coffee beans with a grain mill. The only hiccup may be the fact that you can’t choose the consistency at which you want the grounded coffee to be.
Grain mills are designed to crush grains completely, turning them into finely textured flour or powder. When you use it to grind your coffee, you should expect that your coffee is going to be finely ground, which is ideal for espresso.
Before you begin grinding, let’s go over a few things to know about a grain mill and how best to work your coffee into one of these
What can I grind in a grain mill?
Amaranth
This is a great source of fibre, and also minerals like iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc. It is a popular choice of grain for making Crackers, and pastries like Unleavened bread, especially in the Middle East. You can grind this in a grain mill and it will give you the desired texture.
Barley
If you don’t know what barley is, just know it is one of the ingredients used to make beer, it has other uses of course. The low gluten properties makes it ideal to make “gluten-free” pastries. This grain can be milled using a grain mill, pretty easily if I may add.
Buckwheat
This has a hint of sour taste to eat, and an almost nutty taste as well. It is used to make gluten-free bread due to its lack of gluten formation while kneading. If you have some buckwheat, you can work it into a grain mill to grind it properly before use.
Corn
We all know what corn is, it is one of the most popular grains there are, the kernels are used to make popcorn. It can also be grinded into flour to make a variety of things, from beverages to savoury dishes. The size makes it ideal to be ground in a grain mill.
Einkorn
This is another grain with low gluten content, for those on a gluten-free diet or with allergies, this is a perfect grain to mill into flour. You can do so by using a grain mill.
Flax
This is rich in fibre and has so many nutritional benefits, although it has a lot of oils, so you have to ensure your grain mill has burrs in order for it to grind properly. Flaxseed flour can be made into breads, pancakes and other pastries.
Garbanzo Beans/Chickpeas
This gluten-free grain is typically used in Indian Cuisine, it is super rich in Vitamin B, the flour can be made into a variety of savoury dishes. The flour can be found in most grocery stores if you find it too stressful to grind it yourself.
Millet
This is a type of cereal that has very small seeds, it has many uses, it is rich in Vitamins. It can be ground into flour to make pastries, it is also used to make beverages. It has an earthy taste which makes it super flavorful.
Oats
This is a staple for most breakfast dishes, it is very rich in nutrients, and the naturally sweet taste makes it ideal for lowering blood sugar. It is gluten-free and can be used as a whole grain or ground into flour to make biscuits. When it’s harvested, it is dried and ground using a grain mill.
Rice
This is a staple in almost every meal in Asia, it is available across the world, it is naturally sweet. When harvested the husk is removed when it’s completely dry and can be used by boiling it.
Or you can grind it into flour to use in other ways, the size makes it ideal to be ground in a grain mill.
Rye
With its rich, unique earthy flavour, rye is made into flour and used to make bread which has become very popular. I’m sure you’ve heard of “Rye Bread”. The grains are small which means you can grind it in a grain mill.
Wheat
This is the second most popularly planted cereal, the first is corn by the way. Wheat has numerous uses and just as many benefits, when ground into flour it can be used to make Bread, Biscuits and so many Savory pastries such as Pizza. The size and texture make it ideal to be ground in a grain mill.
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What else can I grind coffee with?
There are other kitchen tools and devices which can be used to grind coffee quite conveniently and effectively if I do say so myself, this includes—
Spice grinder
A spice grinder, which is used to— you guessed it– grind spices, can be used to grind coffee, some brands even label some spice grinders as “coffee and spice grinder” for example the Mueller HyperGrind Precision Electric Spice/Coffee Grinder. If you own one of these, it can get the job done.
Blender
You can use compact and portable blenders like the NutriBullet NBR-0601 to easily and conveniently grind coffee at home, the blades are powerful enough to completely crush the beans to the desired texture you want them.
Food Processor
You can also use a food processor such as the Ninja BN601 Food Processor to grind your coffee beans, however, with a food processor, it is important to note that you have to grind in short pulses in order not to dull the blades.
Meat grinder
Although this is a bit unorthodox, however, if you absolutely need to, you can use your meat grinder or mincer to grind coffee beans and get a finely ground end product.
Can you grind grains in a coffee grinder?
Yes, you can, however, coffee grinders are typically rather small, because no one is gonna grind a bag of coffee beans with a small device, it is usually done in small batches for immediate use.
If you’re going to grind grains in a coffee grinder then you should take note of the grind setting, to get a smooth floor you have to grind it “fine” to get the flour consistency which grains are milled at.
FAQS
Can I grind coffee too fine?
Yes, you can, it is necessary to note however the reason why we grind coffee in the first place, coffee beans are roasted and ground in order to extract as much flavour as we can from the beans.
By breaking it down, it allows the water to imbibe into the bean and extracts every possible iota of flavour.
Therefore, if you like your coffee super bitter and rich. Or you just want to make an espresso, you should grind your coffee beans as fine as possible.
What is the best coffee grind size?
There is no “best” coffee grind size, it all depends on the taste you’re trying to achieve, therefore the richer you want your coffee to taste, the more you grind it.
The grind textures that people often use are Medium, Medium fine, Fine and Superfine. The variations all have different tastes, it’s the same coffee beans but the flavour profiles are far apart.
Is coffee better if you grind your own beans?
Depending on the type of beans, and also the brewing method, homemade coffee can be significantly better than the one you buy outside.
However, that also applies to the shop you’re buying your coffee from, if the store knows their stuff, store-bought ground coffee is usually way better than if you grind the beans yourself.
If you want to get the best quality and most flavorful coffee grinds, then you need to invest in the best coffee beans there are on the market.
Can you grind wheat in a blender?
It may be a tad impossible to get the wheat to grind into a smooth powder, however, you can grind wheat in a blender if you need to.
The best way to grind wheat would be to use a grain mill, that is guaranteed to grind it completely into flour.
Can I grind rice in a coffee grinder?
Absolutely, you can grind rice in a coffee grinder, although you may have to grind it a couple of times to get it to a smooth flour-like consistency.
There are some coffee grinders that can grind into a fine flour, you’re gonna have to do it in several batches to get the job done easily.
Can You Grind Coffee In A Grain Mill – Conclusion
Grinding coffee beans in a grain mill is super easy and can be done effectively, however, grinding grains can not be done as efficiently with a coffee grinder.
Which does not really make them interchangeable, all I’m trying to say is, if you own a grain mill and need ground coffee, you can get it done with your grain mill without sweat. Well, maybe some sweat, especially if it’s a manual grain mill, those are very labour intensive.
There are other devices which are easily accessible to use to grind your coffee beans also, you can find them above. Have a great day!
