Mockmill Electric Grain Mill Review [Mockmill vs Wondermill Comparison]

Choosing an Electric Grain Mill

We all know what toasters do.  We’ve been eating toast since our mommas cut it diagonally to make butterfly shapes on our plates. 

Grain mills are new to many people.  How do you choose the right electric grain mill when you aren’t even sure what you’re doing with bread baking yet?

Well, I’ve been baking and teaching for a long time, and I have a few opinions!

Why Get An Electric Grain Mill

Challah Bread with Frontier Sesame Seeds
My Challah Bread

I have said it in a million classes, that every preparedness-minded person buying a hand-crank grain mill needs an electric one too. 

Start baking bread now, when you will benefit from the years of nutrition it provides, and when you do not have the concern of learning how in an emergency situation where your resources are limited.  It’s just not reasonable to think you will learn how to bake bread then, with no stove or running water, or name-your-emergency that would lead you to pull out the hand-crank mill.

The high levels of protein, folate (folic acid), fiber, iron, thiamin, niacin, magnesium, vitamin B6, phosphorus, and zinc found within unmilled wheat are far superior to milled wheat. 

Why? Because the kernel is stripped and separated into three parts; only the endosperm is being sold to you as “wheat.”

I’ve written extensively about what the FDA requires for something to be called “whole wheat,” and it is not what you are getting when you choose to mill your grain at home.  I hear health stories from people constantly, about how many difficulties have cleared up since switching to homemade bread made with freshly ground wheat.  Our family has a few stories of our own.  And when we cheat—when I drop off from bread baking, we all feel it!

Electric Grain Mill Options

There are a lot of electric grain mills on the market, and this is not an exhaustive list.  I have been a serious bread baker since 2008; I’ve taught a lot of classes on bread baking and I’ve been in people’s homes where I’ve been able to try a few different models.

Choosing an Electric Grain Mill

Here’s my personal opinion on a few:

Le Equip is LOUD.

Like airport-runway-loud.  This was my first mill.  I bought it because it was cheap and I thought my husband would kill me if I made a serious investment into bread-baking, not really knowing if I’d stick with it.

It was LOUD! The babies would cry.  The dog would howl.  And my husband finally made me mill my grain outside.  In North Carolina rain and in Montana winter.   Sometime years later, I had to get hearing aids for hearing loss for unknown reasons (I always wondered….)   I have heard the same complaint about Blendtec (and it’s the same design as the old Le Equip).

Kitchen Aid Grain Mill Attachment

It’s such a wonderful concept, is it not?  At one point, it was a fantastic option if you already owned the Kitchen Aid Mixer.  But if you don’t, it isn’t cost-effective.  And if you own a newer one, you’ll probably join the list of people who complain that you cannot mill much at a time.

Nutrimill. 

These are great grain mills, I’ve only ever “borrowed” one.  Still a little loud and difficult to find a place for it in a small kitchen, it’s the same size as the Wondermill.  I have compared it to my favorite mill, the Wondermill, but I still recommend the…

Wondermill

Wondermill. 

Awesomeness.  It claimed for years to be the quietest mill on the market, and it was obvious for a long time that it was.  It has an easy-to-clean design, and the canister can also be used for storage.  What always set it apart for me from the Nutrimill, though, was the customer service.  I work with a lot of companies and Wondermill is the best of them all.  In fact, we sell the Wondermill, and for years it was the only mill I would ever consider selling, just because of its perfect combination of product and customer service.

But this brings me to what I thought I’d never say…

I have a new favorite mill.

My Experience with Mockmill

Mockmill 100

When Mockmill called and asked if I’d like to review their mill, I felt disloyal to Wondermill initially, having been an authorized dealer for Wondermill since 2011. 

But to be fair to our customers, it seemed right to try the newer products on the market, too.  So let me be forthright about what I stand to gain from this review: I make more money selling Wondermill (as an authorized dealer) than if you buy a Mockmill from any links provided in this email, although Pantry Paratus is now an affiliate. 

I think Pantry Paratus will consider becoming an authorized dealer in the future, though!

Streamlined Mill with Small Countertop Footprint

Unless you are using a grain mill attachment (and Mockmill has one, by the way), I know of no other grain mill with such a small countertop footprint.  Grain mills require either plenty of counter space or plenty of cupboard space, but they all require plenty.  I’ve got a small kitchen countertop, and the Mockmill has a new home on it, always available for a quick cup of flour here or there as I need it, always fresh.

Mockmill under counter

I’ve mentioned before that because of the high level of oils found within home-milled flour, you need to either use the flour immediately or freeze it.  Because other mills are so big and cumbersome, most people mill for the whole week (or two), and then clean their mill and store it.  With the Mockmill, I can have fresh flour every single time, because it takes less room than my blender would, far less than my toaster.

I also have low cupboards, and it’s a perfect fit under them!

Now, if I’m going to get really picky, I will say that I wanted my Lucky Baking Bowl to fit underneath.  Sigh.  But other bowls did, and I don’t have to clean out the Mockmill like I do with other electric grain mills.  So it’s a trade-off.

Design Simplicity and Grinding Stones

ceramic stones in Mockmill

I was impressed with the simplicity of the design, and I saw the stones themselves.  By the way, the Wondermill using micronizing technology whereas the Mockmill uses stones just like the Wonder Junior Deluxe Hand Crank Mill.  If you like the idea of stones, you’d prefer Mockmill. Neither mill overheats the grain.

Mockmill states that their ceramic stones are “near-diamond” in their hardness and that they’ll last forever.  I’m not worried.  Even if they didn’t for some reason, they are very easy to get to in the machine and remove.  The stones clean themselves as they are used and are hard enough to last.

Intimidated by Instructions to Open Up Housing

Mockmill with casing open

It came with instructions requiring I open up the mill, because for shipping there were two braces inserted to keep the stones from shifting.  Well huh…I won’t lie that this really intimidated me.  You would never open up the housing on the Nutrimill or Wondermill.  You can get them serviced, but you wouldn’t get into them yourself.  So I followed the instructions, removed those two braces, and assembled as they’d instructed.  I put grain in and turned it on.  It didn’t mill.  When I opened it back up, I realized I simply didn’t screw on a piece as tightly as instructed.  Then it worked like a charm and I am now confident in how to open and service my own machine if I ever needed to do so.  I actually came to like that.

Lower Grain Amounts

I bake with about 14 cups of flour at a time.  The Mockmill can handle it.  But it is more of a countertop model and I cannot find where they’ve studied the volume it can produce at one time.  I know that Wondermill is proven to produce 100 pounds of flour per hour, and they’ve done some crazy endurance testing with it.  Both mills are rated for home use, but if you plan on using your mill for a cottage industry of selling bread at the farmer’s market, you should go Wondermill.  If, instead, you’re looking to have a weekly baking day or a way to whip up some brownies, you might prefer the small countertop footprint of the Mockmill that lets you keep the mill at hand.

With that said, I have the Mockmill 100.  The Mockmill 200 has a greater grinding capacity. Check it out.

The Mockmill is Quiet

I really want to say that the Mockmill is quieter than the Wondermill, but that’s coming from a deaf girl.  Hubby mentioned it too, though, so that’s something!

The Mockmill has a 6-Year Warranty

‘Nuff said.  But then again, the Wondermill has a lifetime warranty.  Both machines are easily fixable, but I cannot really see how or why anyone would need to fix either machine.  In eight years of selling Wondermill, I’ve never had a call to get a machine fixed.  And I’m super-impressed with the Mockmill’s sturdy frame and build.  I think you’re good, either way.

My conclusion is this: I’m happy with either the Wondermill, or potentially the Nutrimill, and definitely happy with the Mockmill.  Of the three, the Mockmill is hands-down my favorite.  It’s practical: takes little room, is easy to clean, and is quiet.

Just to help you out, I’ve created a comparison sheet between my 2 favorite mills.  In the end, we might prioritize our needs differently.  If you have any questions about what is right for you, don’t hesitate to email us at customer <at> pantryparatus.com!

And if you are considering the Wondermill, you can get it here,  from Pantry Paratus.  If you are considering the Mockmill, you can get one here using our link and it helps us earn a couple bucks.

Wondermill vs Mockmill

A Note About Our Mockmill Coupon Code:

Update: 2023-09 – Unfortunately we can’t offer a MockMill coupon code any longer. =(

We used to refer people to Mockmill with a coupon code, we unfortunately don’t have access to that anymore, but if you purchase after clicking our link it helps use keep the lights on: simply click this link instead.

Altitude Baking & Bread Recipe

I thought I’d show off; I’d learned how to bake at sea level, but I was staying with friends in Colorado, at roughly 7,000 ft.  Disaster.  I had to learn quickly about altitude baking.  After I’d moved to Montana things evened out for me at just less than 3,000 ft.  I did not find much difference between sea level and Montana as far as the outcome of baking, even though a few minor adjustments were still necessary along the way.

Chaya holding high altitude loaf

          That’s Pike’s Peak in the background.

We are visiting our friends now, and I baked two loaves of rather concave bread yesterday.  I have to laugh at myself, at how much I’d forgotten—the formulas for re-writing the recipe, the texture of the dough while kneading.  Every two minutes I was showing the dough to my friend: “Am I done kneading yet?” I would ask.  So much of baking for me is in the hands.

If you find yourself above 3,000 ft altitude, my bread recipe might not work entirely well for you.  You may have to try a few substitutions until you create your own perfect recipe.  For a more complete understanding of high altitude baking, let me suggest this high altitude baking site to answer your bread baking questions.

The science of altitude changes things.  The boiling point is lower (it drops about a point for every additional 500 ft incline).  The air is drier and moisture evaporates much more quickly.  It’s extremely difficult to have a muffin top or a dome on a loaf of bread.  Although baking is as much art as science, ignoring these changes will not work to your favor.  One of the more notable differences is the need for extra moisture.  This makes the dough stickier and wetter.

wet dough

  My recommendation is to start with a high altitude recipe instead of attempting to modify a sea level recipe, if you are higher than 3,000 ft.  Here are a few tips for you if you are higher than 3,000 ft and really want to try modifying your own recipe:

            *Decrease rise time to once, and only approximately 30 minutes!
           *Decrease fats, increase moisture--since the moisture decreases faster, the remaining imbalanced ratio
                 of fat  will  weaken the bread.
           *Increase the baking temperature by 10-15 degrees to keep the leavening gases from collapsing your 
                 beautiful loaf of bread.
           *Extra Moisture!

My friend graciously gave me her recipe, which she adapted over time  from a local breadbaker.

Her one comment was, “I wish my bread held together better”.  A typical troubleshooting tip I give is to add an extra egg.  I did that yesterday and the bread was much more “cakey” than I had anticipated, but it does make great toast.  Thought I’d pass that along to you—I think next time I would adjust the cooking temperature.  If anyone plays with this recipe, please comment and let me know what you have tried!

High Altitude Bread

Preheat oven to 375˚

Makes 2 loaves

2.5 cups warm water
1 ½ Tbsp yeast
¼ cup oil
¼ honey
1 egg
½ tsp lecithin
½ Tbsp lemon juice
½ Tbsp salt
5 cups hard wheat flour
  1. Proof your yeast in hot water and a tablespoon of sweetener for approximately 10 minutes.
  2. Combine other ingredients.
  3. This batter will feel much moister, will require more stirring initially to thicken the batter.
  4. Oil your hands before turning out onto the counter.  Avoid adding more flour, and knead bread for 15-20 minutes.
  5. Immediately put dough into bread pans and let rise.  I used the Excalibur dehydrator for the temperature-control factor.
  6. Bake for 30 minutes.

bread rising in dehydrator