I use rice flour and rice bran in making flatbread (crackers) - it helps to make them very crispy. Rice flour will definitely change the texture of what you add it to. Lars' Flatbread Ingredients 1-1/3 cups water (lukewarm) 2 tbsp dried malt extract (or 1 tbsp sugar) 1 tbsp instant dry yeast (or one package) 1/2 cup oat bran 1/2 cup rice bran 1/2 cup rice flour 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil (canola or grape seed) 1 tbs olive oil 1 tbsp toasted sesame seed oil 2 tsp salt 3 to 3-1/2 cups unbleached flour Toppings: 1 egg + 1 tbsp water (for brushing on top of dough) garlic powder onion granules caraway seeds poppy seeds sesame seeds Pour lukewarm water into a mixer bowl and add malt extract. If you use liquid extract, you will have to double the amount and use less water. Whisk in yeast until all is dissolved. Then stir in oat bran, rice bran, and rice flour. Allow this mixture to rest for half an hour or more, and then add the oils. You can add less oil if you want a harder cracker. Then add 2 to 2-1/2 cups flour that has been sifted with the salt, and put the bowl in the machine with the dough hook. Mix at high speed (with the splash guard on) until blended. Then add flour in small increments until the dough makes a ball that is not too sticky. Finish kneading by hand, or simply place in a bowl that is lightly greased with olive oil, and allow to rise for a couple of hours, or leave it in the refrigerator covered overnight. I let my dough rise twice. Preheat oven to 375°. Pinch balls of dough about 2-1/2 to 3" diameter and roll the dough on a floured surface into a rectangular shape as thin as possible. Prick the dough all over with a fork or docker and brush lightly with egg wash. Dust very lightly with garlic powder and onion granules. Sprinkle caraway seeds (if desired), about two per square inch. You dont need many of these, and it is easy for them to be overpowering. Then sprinkle poppy seeds evenly over, as desired and finish with the sesame seeds. Its better not to overdo the seed toppings (especially the caraway), but I havent had a problem with the poppy seeds so far. Pat the seeds into the dough with your fingers and then cut the dough into squares using a pizza cutter or ravioli cutter. Transfer the dough, using a metal spatula, onto an ungreased baking sheet, and bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes, or until toasty in appearance. You will need to watch them closely towards the end, as they will burn easily, once they are done. I use a toaster oven for most of them, but sometimes I bake them in the regular oven until almost done and then finish the untoasted ones in a toaster oven at a lower temperature about 350° for 2-5 minutes. You can always toast underdone ones later. I based this recipe on some flatbread that I bought in Sonoma. The package listed all the ingredients, and so all I had to do was to figure out the proportions - I may have made some additions of my own as well. I can buy some similar flatbread here, but it is not nearly as good as what I make or as what I got in Sonoma. Lars

Lalitha- Sorry, I don't have any experience with, or information about, the mills you are inquiring about. One rule-of-thumb I can share: stones grind finer than steel burrs, and an impact mill the finest flour of all, and that's about all I can help you with; other than a great respect for German workmanship and they are indeed very handsome mills. The price would be my biggest deterrent. Even though I have a couple stone mills, I also keep extra stones for the mills because they can chip, flake and break (check for stones and grit in your grains/seeds/beans before adding them to the mill hopper), or glaze over from too much moisture in your grains/seeds/beans. The stones are also made from a variety of things, including man-made "stone". When using a stone mill, you may need to mill the grain on a coarse setting, and then run the flour through again on a finer setting in order to get the fine flour (especially necessary for making cakes and a fine-crumb for yeast/naturally-leavened breads. How an impact mill works: "Impact grinders use rows of 'blades' placed in circular rows on metal wheels. One wheel turns and the other wheel is stationary, like the stone grinder. But this is where the similarity ends. The two wheels are aligned so that the rows of blades intermesh, running extremely close, yet never touching the blades on the opposite wheel. The rotating wheel turns at several thousand RPM. As grain is fed into the center of the fixed wheel, the interaction between the two wheels `impacts' the grain and pulverizes it [Grainlady note: the grain "explodes" rather than being crushed] into fine flour as the grain works its way to the outside of the wheels." For REAL sandwich bread--- I would suggest purchasing a Pullman (Pain de Mie) Pan (a square pan with a lid). This pan will allow you to make that crustless, close-grained bread that will help you transition from commercial sandwich bread to homemade. A close-grain crumb is what you want in order to be able to cut thin slices, hold moist spreads (without dripping through a hole), and still be able to hold together to eat out-of-hand. That's the more-or-less "technical" characteristics for sandwich bread. A more open crumb is best used for toast. All those lovely places to hold melted butter and jam. I have a 1-pound Pullman Pan (perfect for hubby and me), and a 2-pound for when the house is full of family visiting. Another tip for making a fine-crumb bread is to add the fat early during mixing. The fat coats the gluten, similar to making short-crust pastry. If you want a more open crumb (as well as more loft), add the fat late in mixing, after the gluten has developed. For making 100% whole wheat bread (or multi-grain where one of the grains is wheat), I suggest using hard (spring or winter) white wheat over red wheat. White wheat flour has a mild flavor and lighter color and is less acidic-tasting than the flavor associated with "whole wheat bread" made with red wheat varieties. White wheat has the same plant traits and nutrition as red wheat varieties, it's just missing the genes for the bran color. There are three genes that make up the bran color. Early varieties of red wheat (such as Turkey Red) had all three genes and are very dark in color (bran, flour and finished product) and a strong "whole wheat" taste. Most of today's varieties of red wheat have one or two of those genes, while white wheat has none. I use and store both red and white varieties of wheat. Step back a generation or two and use a sponge method over the quicker straight (or direct) dough method. You'll find you get a finer texture. The "wait" gives the bran in the wholegrain flour time to soften (the hard sharp shreds of bran can actually cut the gluten strands), and you'll get a high-rising loaf of bread. According to "CookWise": "Researchers suggest that an ideal standing period is 2-1/2 hours." I typically use an overnight sponge with 100% wholegrain flour works well to lighten the bread. If I'm in a hurry, I use a 2-1/2 hour sponge with good results. I also add 1/4 t. ascorbic acid per loaf to counteract the negative effects from Glutathione (found in wheat germ) on gluten-development. This will help prevent baking those squatty loaves of 100% whole wheat bread. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: King Arthur Flour - Pullman Pan

I'm a lurker (normally found at the Kitchen Table) but I'll chime in here since making my own mixes is something I do, too. I prefer my own cornbread recipe to any mix I've found, so I make my own. I do it in batches. I mix/sift my cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, baking soda (and mark it for buttermilk) in a large bowl. I then pour that one batch in a zip-lock bag. Then I mix the next batch. I'll mix up 6-8 batches, each one separately, and then put the bags in my baking cupboard. I don't mix them all at the same time because, like you pointed out, the lighter ingredients might settle out of the heavier ones. With my mixes each bag is complete for one pan of cornbread. When I want cornbread I pour the contents of one zip-lock bag in my bowl, beat in the eggs and buttermilk, melt the oil in the skillet, add it to the batter and it's all good. I like using equal amounts of cornmeal and flour (1 cup each) or 1-1/4 cups cornmeal to 3/4 cups flour, and very little sugar. I also like to use two eggs; I like eggy bread.

Lou, I do like cinnamon rolls. But (here I go again with my pickiness) not with gobs of frosting/icing. I actually prefer to top mine with crumbs like the ones used in crumb cakes. Annie, you really made me laugh. The thought of bananas & chocolate syrup makes me think of banana splits. Again, my own pickiness... I've never understood how people could actually like that combo. Bananas, chocolate syrup, fruit toppings, and ice cream. Neither one of those items appeals to me much, so I can't see them put together. Yet I know most normal people think that's a combo made in heaven. But stick some french fried onion rings in front of me... That's where I would go nuts. Or sauteed onions, or caramelized onions, or stuffed onions, or grilled onions. I've been watching this show on the Food Network called "Chopped." Four chefs are judged by three super famous & prestigious chefs. One of the chef judges always complains whenever a contestant uses any amount of raw onion in a dish or salad. I can't understand him. I love raw onion on all kinds of things. He must be some kind of taste wimp.