Yes, He Listens...

My husband, that is.

You see I mentioned last winter that I might enjoy having a grain mill to grind our own grain to make bread. I enjoy the process of making bread, especially in the winter time when the weather is cooler. I also enjoy having some kitchen storage, but that is rather slim. I have already fashioned our coat closet into a pantry (because who needs a coat closet in Southern California, really). And most of the dishes I have inherited from my grandmother live in the garage (something I will remedy someday). Anyway, he wasn't thinking about storage. You see my husband has MANY gifts, but one of his best is searching Craigslist for a great deal. It's a hobby of sorts I guess you can say. One must be very careful what they say in front of him because more times than not within minutes he's on his phone finding that item for the person. I wonder if there are other husbands with this gift....

So Tuesday he called from work and said he had a surprise for me. I always love his surprises. 85% of the time they have to do with food, and the rest of the time they are something he heard me say in passing and has acquired and brought home for me. So lucky I am : ). I guess he has been looking for a grain mill for quite some time and finally found one for a terrific deal right in the town he works in. It's circa 1976... but it was a great deal...

I had a homeschool mom's night out that night, but left a bit early to run by Sprouts and buy some Red Winter Wheat Berries. Unfortunately this machine is so large and heavy I could not clean it up myself. I had to wait until Friday when he could help me. So we cleaned it out and ran some wheat through and it worked beautifully.

My beautiful new-to-me Magic Mill

Freshly milled flour and my Kitchen Aid kneading my dough

Finishing up the kneading process, because it feels so good this way!!

After rising in the pans, ready to go in the oven.

Now, was it worth it? A resounding YES!!!! There was so much more flavor in this bread than any I've made before. My family loved it and I loved making it for them. My oldest son even said it was the BEST bread ever.

And I think I agree!