The hopper can comfortably hold 800g, so I weigh 400g of wheat berries. (See my guide The best kitchen scales– This is another important reason to invest in one. )
Two 85mm grinding stones are made of oxidized mineral ceramics and Congo. The surface of these grindstones is extremely rough, not only grinding grains, but also drying corn, beans and lentils. For my all-purpose flour, I put the mill on its best grinding setting (just rotate the mill clockwise until I hear the grinding stone touch). Thanks to the 360 watt electric motor from the mill, I had about 6.5 cups of fresh wheat flour in five minutes.
The mill wasn’t as loud as I expected, but it was still loud – covering the lid on the grain hopper helped to remove the noise.
Evidence in pudding
My all-purpose flour mixture was successful and Sana presented ground flour comparable to any store-buyed brand I’ve used. The grinding blocks may be slightly less fine compared to commercial flour (the whole flour is a tiny spot of wheat berries), but I am very happy with the results. The flour has the familiar powdery fluff I’m used to.
Video: Tyler Shane
In my cookies and mini bread breads, fresh flour works the same as any commercial brand. Both have excellent and familiar textures, which I am particularly satisfied with. Depending on your recipe, some adjustments may be required to adapt to the structured makeup of freshly milled flour, which includes the bran and bacteria of wheat berries.
The biggest difference I find when using fresh flour in baked goods is the taste. The cookies and bread gave them another flavor. They are almost nuts, of course more wheat fields. Both are delicious and lifted by freshly milled flour. (In a recent snowstorm, my husband and I removed two dozen snickerdoodles I made in a few days.)
I haven’t grind any of the coarse grains yet, but I’ve undoubtedly done it with Sana’s ability. The Sana is expensive, but it’s a schematic device that can quickly produce excellent results.
As for cleaning, it’s simple: just unscrew the hopper, brush off the stones from time to time, or sprinkle rice in it. As far as Sana’s lifespan is concerned, millstones should hardly wear out after a few years, because they are actually indestructible.
