Also called bread dough clitopilus, the miller is wide spread in North America and Europe growing alone, in small groups, or in troops in deciduous or coniferous woodlands in autumn. It also can be found in grassy areas but always near trees. The mushroom is 1 ½ to 3 ¾ inches tall and has a cap 1 ½ to 4 ½ inches across. The cap is white and downy with a matt finish and margins that are often inrolled. It is convex at first becoming flattened, sometimes funnel-shaped, with age, and may become lumpy and irregular. The gills are off white turning to pink and conspicuously run down the stem. The short fleshy stem is downy, off-white, curved at the base, and may be slightly striated. The spores are pinkish.
The miller is considered a choice mushroom because of its good, tender, texture and pleasant flavor preceded by the aroma of fresh bread dough. It is excellent sautéed in butter alone, or combined with other less tasty mushrooms, and in cream sauce. Quick cooking is best. The flavor intensifies when dried.
The miller is similar in appearance to at least two other mushrooms that are poisonous so expert advice on identification is needed before collecting in the wild for consumption.
Photo Credit: By James Lindsey at Ecology of Commanster, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3565685