Must-Have Flour Milling Tools (Updated)
Hi Friend,
Have you ever scrolled through Instagram or Facebook and seen a cool, new, “must-have” gadget for baking? If you’re like me, you add it to your Amazon cart, only to have second thoughts and delete it. After all, is it really worth it?
Quick confession: I’m a kitchen minimalist that has empty drawers in my kitchen. I try to keep my kitchen gadgets to a minimum, and I’m about the last one to hop on “coolest” kitchen appliance train.
I believe you can bake with the bare minimum, and a gadget doesn’t make your life easier if it’s cluttering your kitchen. To get started milling, you really only need a mill, storage, wheat berries, and a bowl.
That being said, there are a few milling tools that I actually love and use regularly. I originally wrote about my favorite milling must-haves here, but the list is due for an update.
My 5 Must-Haves for Baking with Freshly-Milled Flour
Better Homes & Garden tight-seal canister.
I have to start by saying back in 2020, my Komo Classic Grain Mill was my number 1 must-have, and that hasn’t changed one bit. It’s a work horse that grinds fast and fine. Plus, the grind settings are completely customizable. If you’re in the market for a mill, I would definitely recommend a Komo Classic.
1. Better Homes & Gardens Canisters
I broke down and bought these canisters last summer, and immediately went back to Walmart and bought more. Being square, they stack tight to efficiently utilize my kitchen pantry space. Best part, they have an air-tight seal, but are still easy to open. This canister holds about 8.5 lbs of wheat berries, and I use it to keep a small stash of wheat berries near my mill.
2. Gamma Seal Lids
Have you ever had to peel a tight-fitting lid off a wheat berry bucket in a cold store room with hungry kids under foot? I’ve been there. That’s why I love these gamma seal lids that twist on and off. For over 5 years, I’ve used them for our personal stash of wheat berries. I purchased my gamma lids from Uline.
I use gamma-seal lids on 3.5 gallon buckets. Each buckets hold about 30 lbs of wheat berries.
3. A Baking Stone
This must-have also made my original list. 15 years ago, Kevin’s Aunt Debbie left a Pampered Chef stone as a gift on my kitchen counter (similar pizza stone here), and I wasn’t sure what to do with it. Now I use it weekly to bake biscuits, pizzas, and flatbread. It adds a little crispiness without overbaking. I even think my pita and naan bread has larger pockets using a stone.
4. Silicone Pastry Mat
It may be me, but I think dough made with freshly-milled flour is a little stickier than all-purpose, and it doesn’t clean off the countertop as well. That’s why we use our silicone pastry mat weekly. I accidentally cut a hole in my first mat, so we purchased this new silicone pastry mat for Christmas. We like our new one best. It doesn’t slide around the counter as easily as our old blue one.
Our extra large pastry mat.
5. USA Pans
Are USA Pans worth it? Yes, they are!
I’m slowly updating my pan collection to USA Pans. I think they do a wonderful job baking and they’re easier to clean up than some of my other pans. So far I have the 1 lb Loaf Pan, the Pullman Pan, and the Half Sheet. Sometimes you can find them on sale in Home Goods too.
The 1 lb USA Pan.
Do I still use my other must-haves from my original list? Yes, I do!
That’s my updated 5 must-haves for baking with freshly-milled flour. We’d love to hear your must-haves are in the comments below.
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Best,
The Sieverkropps