Resources for whole wheat and grains, grain milling, training, and kitchen supplies

New Release

Initial Product Review of the WonderMix Deluxe

Here is the synopsis of my initial product review of the WonderMix Deluxe. Today felt like Christmas and my birthday wrapped into one as I unpacked the WonderMix Deluxe on my counter to ‘play’ with it.

When it arrived it was packed as a box within a box – very sturdy and all the form fitting cardboard one could ask for to hold things steady!

1211141413Ok so this box was inside an even sturdier cardboard box but what fun is it to see that plain thing.  🙂

Now I’m not going to get into all the features of this yet (that will come in some YouTube Videos and other reviews – besides you can read the list of features here.) But I am going to go into my take on the quality and functionality at first glance and set up. So…

 

WonderMill-Header-WonderMix(1)As I took out each component and inspected it for quality and durability I was struck how ‘natural’ the components all seemed to fit together. What I mean is, most of it made perfect sense even BEFORE I looked at the user manual (which I do suggest because of the great tips and recipes). It just ‘flows’ naturally together; how it all fits together will make sense to you.

1211141419The special introductory price of this actually is lower than the Bosch Universal, Electrolux or KitchenAid Professional (like almost half the price – yeah, I’m not kidding) but in my opinion, the quality is absolutely just as good if not better than those multi-use mixers. Even the regular price of the WonderMix Deluxe beats the prices of the other mixers that have far less versatility. 

Let’s look at the parts that come with the WonderMix Deluxe, shall we?

Yes…let’s …do that. (:

First the bowl and lid.  The bowl is sturdy, yet also slightly flexible, can mix up to 5 1/2 quarts (22 cups) of mixture! That’s about 5 loaves of bread being kneaded at once! 

1211141420cThe lid has both a splash guard and an easy smaller flour guide to put in items such as nuts, raisins or more ingredients as it mixes without risking a ‘spill’ or having to stop the machine

 

 

 

 


1211141419aMost important to me is how sturdy is the Dough Hook for kneading.  This one is heavy duty and sure not to disappoint as compared to some.  Even the design makes sense how the sides differ from each other for real-life kneading.  Also included is a small item called the Divider which helps make sure the batch of dough does not simply spin in circles around the driver as it mixes.  What an ingenious do-dad!


 

1211141420The Whip and Housing fit together like clock work. No seriously, like clocks work… deep tines and teeth so as not to be stripped when mixing with that powerful 900 watt motor (the most powerful on the market). In fact, all the notches and gears on the WonderMix are deep and sturdy. I find that to be the mark of a truly well made machine.


 

1211141422aThe blender has a sturdy body, a funnel lid (smaller hole for pouring) and a very tight seal.  The tines in the base of the blender do not need to be removed for cleaning – meaning the whole thing is very very leak proof!  Also the tines are not wimpy low-to-the-base ones, but seriously make an impact upon the food (or ice snow) you’re blending up! 


 

The fine folks at The WonderMill Company have even take into account some exterior features such as the storage for the cord and the ‘no walk’ feet on the base. These no walk feet are also on the side for when using other optional attachments that fit the WonderMix such as the Meat Grinder, Slicer Shredder and more.

1211141425d1211141426b


In conclusion of today’s unpacking, inspecting event and review… it’s safe to say I can’t wait to play with this tomorrow!!  If you want to see reviews in action, subscribe to my YouTube Channel and you should see some soon!

I’d like to thank the folks at The WonderMill Company for giving me the opportunity to review this fantastic machine. Years ago, when they first released the WonderMill Jr. Deluxe they blessed me with the opportunity to review it and share feedback as well.  This is one company that I can fully stand behind stating that they really strive to meet and exceed the needs of the public.  So again, I am humbled and honored with the opportunity to play with… I mean, review this fantastic new WonderMix Deluxe. 

Look for more updates and reviews about the WonderMix Deluxe as I enjoy my holiday baking more than EVER this year!  🙂

Best Blessings,

Donna Miller

WonderMill-Header-WonderMix(1)





Low gluten and gluten-free items can be very expensive to buy in the store.  So if you want to know what you’re getting and if it ‘s right for your gluten-free or lower gluten diet, it would be good to learn a little more about the grains you can use.  I began my journey in home-milling because of a diagnosis of gluten sensitivity.  Thankfully I found it was the processing of wheat flour that was my issue, not the gluten (as is the case in many people’s mis-diagnosis) and I can again eat freshly milled whole wheat.  But I did learn of several grains that work well for a lower gluten or gluten-free diet.

Because these grains all contain a trace to no gluten, they will all require some kind of binding agent in the recipe in which you use them. Gluten protein forms strands to hold dough together when baking. These grains do not have those strands so you cannot replace the milled flour of a low to no gluten grain  exactly for wheat flour.

Millet (pictured above) is one of the staples in a gluten free diet.  Millet can be cooked as a replacement for couscous (which is a wheat pasta, not a grain) or milled into a flour.

Quinoa is another low gluten grain.  It is very high in protein and also cooks well whole.

Rice is a gluten-free grain.  When milled the flour is very fine and suitable for thickening sauces.

Rye is an extremely low gluten grain.  The flour is suitable for baking flat breads and using in batter bread mixtures.

Corn is low gluten. There is a trace amount of gluten & starch in some corn meals.

Oats can contain a trace amount of gluten.  If you suffer from Candida or Celiac’s , be sure the oats you purchase are labeled ‘Gluten-Free’ since not all oats are gluten free.

Spelt is another grain often used in low to no gluten diets, but it does indeed have trace amounts of gluten in it.  It can be kneaded but only for a short time after which over kneading causes the dough to become very sticky.

Kamut is not low or gluten-free.  Kamut is an ancient grain akin to today’s wheat derivative.

Let me encourage you that if you have been diagnosed with a gluten sensitivity or a gluten intolerance, you may be able to enjoy whole wheat bread again if you mill the wheat at home and use it fresh.  However, if you have been diagnosed with Candida or Celiac’s  consider milling these low to no gluten grains at home to save yourself some money and give you variety in your diet.

 





It wasn’t too many years ago that every morning moms around America would wake up early to put bread in the oven, or shuffle into town to the local bakery.  Homes across the country would have the unique aroma of freshly baked bread.

While we are all thankful for the convenience of store-bought and pre-sliced bread today, there’s still nothing that compares to the smell and taste of a wonderful loaf of home-cooked bread.

Bread baking is an art, one that inspired Donna Miller to help pass it on to other families through Miller’s Grain House and her new e-book, Whole Wheat Bread Making.

Making your own whole wheat bread has several benefits:

  • Simple enough for everyday, but delicious enough for special occasions. 
  • Your kitchen is filled with wonderful aromas. 
  • Making your own bread is healthier than preservative filled bread.
  •  Homemade bread tastes wonderful. 
  • Kneading bread dough is a great stress relieving exercise, and a great alternative to physical violence against the causes of your stress. (Offspring and spouses in particular.)
  • Delicious satisfaction following a job well done. 
  • There is a wonderful smell from the cooling rack. 
  • More economical than store-bought bread. 
  • Huge variety of uses from simple toast or sandwiches to gourmet dinners. 
  • … And did we mention the amazing smell!


This e-book walks you step-by-step through every detail of becoming a master bread maker.  It is filled with 40 pages of instructions, tips, detailed photos and diagrams showing you how to make a variety of whole wheat breads.  Whether you prefer hand kneading or using a bread machine, you’ll receive detailed instructions. You’ll learn how to make perfectly formed the loaves with bakery perfection, and do free-form baking without a pan. You’ll learn kneading and folding techniques.  It will help you choose the best bakeware and what to look for in a bread making machine. You’ll learn everything from setup to clean up. We teach you the proper way to slice bread without tearing. And… you will learn to make hoagie rolls, hot dog buns and hamburger buns.

Whether you want to make bread once a day or once a year, you’ll love this resource.

Donna Miller is a teacher, author, and talk radio host with two weekly broadcasts specializing in encouragement in the kitchen.

Donna’s e-book, Whole Wheat Bread Making, is available for instant download today for only $9.97. Downloaded to your computer, iPad or Kindle and get ready to bake.

Order the Make Bread e-book today! Order Here

 

Warning: Excessively awesome smells from your kitchen tend to attract neighbors, friends, and family. Miller’s Grain House cannot accept responsibility for the appearance of bread loving moochers. Possible side effects include: unwillingness to settle for store-bought in the future, improved health, random hugs and kisses from family members. Bake at your own risk!





Whole wheat is so good for you compared to white bread. There is no denying that the health benefits of whole wheat out-weigh those of it’s white flour counter part. But a loaf of ‘healthy bread’ in the store is getting increasingly more expensive! Not to mention, many ingredients in the so-called healthier breads really are still not that good for you!

So many folks turn to trying to make whole wheat bread at home only to be disappointed in texture, taste, density, shape, gooey  and/or short stocky loaves.  Also, many recipes give a list of additional ingredients that are supposed to make white flour bread more ‘healthy’ and the cost per loaf begins to sky rocket.

It’s enough to make someone give up and go back to the colon clogging white loaf bread in the store! NO! Please for your body’s sake – don’t do that!

It is with the utmost of anticipation that I am delighted to announce the recent release of my newest e-book.  As a better teacher, I can teach a class on this subject and everyone leave with a perfect loaf of bread, even if they’ve never touched whole wheat flour before. Live classes are my favorite! I love to see the joy and  confidence on the faces of the participants as they take home their creations to share!

This book has been a labor of love for me. Usually in a class, I have the benefit of conversation and hands-on demonstration. In this book, I’ve endeavored to show and describe techniques and tips that we discuss, demonstrate and do in a live class together. I hope it helps you on your way to producing consistently tasty and beautiful loaves of whole wheat bread for your family!

You can follow this link to see what others say about it and get a copy of your own:   Whole Wheat Bread Making