The Sana Grain Mill Makes Specialty Flours a Piece of Cake

The hopper can comfortably hold a little more than 800 grams, so I weighed 400 grams of each wheat berry. (Check out my guide to the Best Kitchen Scales—this is another great reason to invest in one.)

The two 85-mm millstones are made of ceramic and corundum, an oxide mineral. These millstones have an extremely rough surface that can grind not only grains but also dried corn, beans, and lentils. For my all-purpose flour, I put the mill at its finest grind setting (just turn the mill clockwise until you hear the millstones touch). Thanks to the mill’s 360-watt motor, within five minutes I had about 6.5 cups of freshly milled wheat flour.

The mill isn’t nearly as loud as I expected it to be, but it’s still loud—putting the lid on the grain hopper helps muffle the noise.

The Proof Is in the Pudding

My all-purpose flour blend was a success, with the Sana turning out a finely ground flour comparable to any store-bought brand I’ve used. The grind may be slightly less fine in comparison to commercialized flours (throughout the flour were tiny specks from the wheat berries), but I was extremely happy with the results. The flour had that familiar powdery fluffiness I’m used to.

In both my cookies and mini bread loaves, the fresh flour acted the same as any commercial brand. Both had great and familiar textures, which I was particularly happy with. Depending on your recipe, it may require some tweaking to adjust to freshly milled flour’s structural makeup, which includes the wheat berry’s bran and germ.

The biggest difference I noticed while using fresh flour in my baked goods was the flavor. The cookies and loaves had another depth of flavor to them. They were almost nutty and certainly wheatier. Both were delicious and elevated by the freshly milled flour. (Amid a recent snowstorm, my husband and I demolished the two dozen snickerdoodles I made in just a couple of days.)

I have yet to grind any coarse grains, but I have no doubt in the Sana’s abilities to do so. The price of the Sana is steep, but it’s a workhorse piece of equipment that yields great results quickly.

As for cleanup, it’s simple: Just unscrew the hopper and brush off the stones from time to time, or run some rice through it. In terms of the Sana’s longevity, the millstones should hardly wear down at all after years of use, as they are practically indestructible.