Community Baker Needs New Mill

My name is Koenraad van der Meer and I have been a professional bread baker for more than 40 years. I specialize in baking a unique line of breads that are malt-leavened, instead of relying on commercial yeast or sourdough starter. Because of its unique leavening process and heirloom grain composition, my bread is easier to digest, more nutritious, and delicious. The leaven from malted barley also naturally contains silica, which some believe counteracts the effect of electromagnetic radiation. In bringing together the grain and the leaven, I am guided by the spiritual science of Rudolf Steiner.

To make my bread, I begin by sourcing organic whole spelt from a farm in the Finger Lakes as well as organic whole rye grain from a farm in Columbia County. Working at the Philmont Community Bakery, I use a small Austrian stone mill to grind the grain into flour. With steady growth of sales at local farmers markets, co-ops, and health food stores, this small stone mill is overworked; it’s been repaired several times in the last year. I am in need of a reliable, bigger mill to be able to continue to make fresh ground flour for bread. I would also like to make the flour available for sale to home bakers at the Philmont Coop Kitchen and the Farmer's markets in Hudson, Hillsdale/Copake, Millerton, and Amenia.

New American Mills Company in Wolcott, Vermont, makes a large, natural granite stone mill. The cost of this mill is $12,000. I have been able to put a down payment on the mill and ask for your help to fund the remaining cost.

Why does the flour need to be fresh and naturally stone ground?
• Oxidation begins soon after the grain is ground, and the grain starts to lose vitality within 48 hours.
• A natural whole granite stone gradually rubs and opens the grain without crushing it, which allows for a clean separation of the bran and the endosperm (the inner flour part) and preserves the delicate enzymes and vitamins. The grain travels the whole surface of the large stone, so it very gradually opens the kernel. Industrial mills simply pulverize the grain, destroying many nutrients.

I appreciate your support of this campaign with any amount. Donors who pledge the following amounts or more will receive:
2 lbs of fresh ground flour or 2 loaves  of bread with a $50 donation
4 loaves of bread for a $100 donation
4 loaves of bread, plus leaven, a manual, and free breadmaking consultation