Monthly Archives: December 2009

Whole grain bread recipes will vary but any type of bread from an unrefined or whole grain(s) is thought to be whole grain bread. They are high in fiber, a key factor for many health concerns because a high consumption of the same has proven to lower cholesterol, reduce heart diseases, reduce risk of some types of cancer, control the digestive health and also control weight to mention but a few.

The following is an easy whole grain recipe that can be made from various grains, seeds, beans, and nuts such as wheat, corn, rye, barley, rice, oats, millet, buckwheat, kamut, peas, quinoa, garbanzos, mung beans, and lentils. These grains are ground into flour using a graining mill. Note that freshly milled flour tastes much sweeter when compared to store-bought flour, hence the reason why you should start milling your own flour.

First of all, ensure that the kitchen is plausibly warm and free of draught for the sake of the proving process as the yeast wouldn’t grow well if the environment is too cold.

Ingredients

• Whole grain flour approximately 1 1/2 pounds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar – you have the option of also using honey
• A dessertspoon of oil – olive, corn or vegetable oil will do
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 – 3/4ml of clean filtered water

Method

1. Sieve the flour into a large bowl and then allow it to warm in the bowl for an hour or so before you start.
2. Take the water and add sugar and yeast on it, stir it well and set it aside for around 15 minutes i.e. until the blend becomes frothy
3. Make a well in the center of the bowl containing flour and pour the frothy mixture as you gradually mix it using a fork or fork
4. Using your hands, start shaping and mixing the dough evenly until you attain a non lumpy smooth ball of dough in order to start kneading. Important to note is that if the dough is too dry it tends to crumble and if it’s too wet it will stick on your hands. Add some more water to avoid crumbling or more flour to correct stickiness.

Kneading

1. This is arguably the most crucial stage of the entire whole grain bread recipe process.
2. On a clean working surface or board, push and gently stretch as you roll the ball of dough. Using your fingers or knuckles, open up the middle of the dough and then fold the ball again to allow air to get into the mixture. Pull and roll the dough back into a ball shape as this will help your whole bread rise the right way. Continue doing this repetitively until the ball of dough becomes elastic and is easy to work.
3. You can now set the ready dough aside in a bowl and cover it using a damp clean cloth so that it will not dry out at the top. This may take anything from ½ an hour to several hours to rise as desired, depending on how fresh the yeast was. You can leave it overnight if you like.
4. Once it has risen, take the bread out and knead again
5. Now cut the dough into pieces that will fit your bread tins. Oil the tins with a little oil so that the bread will not stick and then place the dough into each tin
6. Allow the bread dough to rise in size a second time until it doubles up in size
7. Bake your bread for around 25-40 minutes, which will be determined by the size
8. Look at the bottom of your loaf to check whether its ready, and you can turn the loaves upside down so that the down side can cook well for a few more minutes
9. Get your loaves out and leave to dry, and your whole grain bread is now ready for consumption

For additional information on how to make a tasty bread you may use the following baking tips for improving whole grain bread and remember to use the hand grain mill for milling as it grinds the grain more properly and produces finer flour.

Bread is a staple food that is made by cooking dough of flour and water and perhaps more ingredients to tastes. While bread is mostly cooked by baking, some communities are known to fry or steam the breads, which can either be leavened or unleavened. Some of the common ingredients of bread, in addition to water and flour is milk, sugar, egg, salt, fruit e.g. raisins, spice, vegetables e.g. onions, seeds e.g. poppy seeds and nuts such as walnuts.

The quality of the bread dough and the quantity of the finished bread in terms of nutritional value is determined by the flour used. Flour, is a product made from grounded grains. The different types of grains used to make flour will provide the protein and starch necessary to produce bread. Breads will come in all colors, shapes, sizes, and textures depending on the type of grains, nuts or seeds used. The following grains are very popular in making bread and can be easily milled into flour.

• Buckwheat – Fagopyrum plant seeds are used to manufacture buckwheat flour, whose strong flavor is preferred in making bread
• Rye – when rye is milled into flour that is used to make bread, it tends to be very elastic compared to that of wheat. As such, rye bread should strictly be made using leaven or sourdough instead of yeast. One can add whole rye ‘berries’, cracked rye or rye flakes in breads
• Oats – whole oats that have been thoroughly cleaned, toasted, hulled and then thoroughly cleaned again are known as oat groats, which can be ground to make oat flour for bread. Unlike rye, buckwheat, and wheat, oat flour doesn’t have gluten. At times, some home grain millers will add oar bran (the outer cover of the oat) to bread as it is believed to be rich in soluble fiber
• Flaxseed – this is another rich content of soluble fiber, which can be added to bread as they are or when ground
• Barley – being among the hardiest cereals, barley flour is ground pearl barley. Just like oat flour, barley flour contains has no traces of gluten.
• Triticale – this is a hybrid of rye and wheat which is highly rich in protein and is known to taste sweet and nutty at the same time. Note that Triticale is very low on gluten meaning you have to combine its flour with wheat flour when you use it in bread.
• Wheat – this is the most common grain used in bread. It boasts of starch and 3water soluble protein groups – globulin, albumin, and proteases, and 2 non-water soluble protein groups – gliadin and glutenin. When you mix water and flour, the soluble proteins will automatically dissolve, leaving you with the gliadin and glutenin which forms the main structure of the dough.

Raw wheat berries, the hulled whole kernels are the ones that are ideal for breads. You can use them to make your home milled flour for making bread or better still sprout or cook them to make the same. The wheat grains can be amber, russet, white, or purple in color. The main wheat grain for yeast bread is the hard red winter wheat, although hard red spring wheat can also be used to make whole wheat yeast breads, especially the no-knead breads. For breads that don’t need yeast such as pancakes, waffles, quick bread, and muffins, you can never go wrong with soft white wheat, which is the most commonly used choice.

The above-mentioned are the main grains used in bread. For added taste and flavor in bread, one can always add some seeds, nuts, etc, which can also be ground using a simple home grain miller to give the desired results.

Because of the availability and ease of use of home grain mills, purchasing whole grains for home milling has become a very easy process with lasting effects and benefits. Individuals who buy whole grains for home milling not only save a lot of money in the end but end up enjoying gourmet-like baking with unmatched nutrition. There are so many whole grains out there in the market today and while trying to find the right one to buy, it may feel like searching for a needle in, well, a heap of whole grains.

Because of whole grains, everything from pasta and bread to breakfast cereals, pastries, and salads gets not only a flavor but also nutrition boost and texture. A stash of whole grains can come in handy when there is an emergency food shortage because well stored whole grains will last indefinitely. A quick tip when buying whole grains, always go for grains that have undamaged kernels. This is because the outer bran layer will protect the flavor of the kernel and nutrients from light and air destruction; hence it comes in rather handy. That said, when buying whole grains:-

1. You first have to locate a good and trusted source where to buy your whole grains for home milling. You can look at natural and health food stores, food co-ops, and even in online stores. Better still, you can even visit your local bakery or natural bread store and inquire if they mill their own flour because if they do, it can be a good chance to buy whole grains in bulk through their source.
   Establish whether Frankferd Farms, Beckers, Wheat Montana, Quail Cover Farms, or other known natural food sources have food co-ops delivery services in your local area. If they have, you can find out what it entails becoming their regular customer and plan to place a bulk order for whole grains
   Establish the kind of whole grains that best suit your baking needs. For instance, if you love baking heavy wheat loaves, you can always order hard red wheat and for lighter loaves, you can always go with white wheat. Note that white wheat is a whole grain in its own right but has a lighter flavor and texture. In case you want to make sourdough bread, buy rye and for Irish oatmeal, you can never go wrong with whole oats.
   To save money, always buy in large quantities at each particular time (normally 45lbs. and above) will not only help you save money but will be a great value. Before buying though, you have to ensure you have buckets with tight fitting lids so that the whole grains will not attract pests. The buckets can be found at your local grain supplier
   Last but not least, you can start experimenting by milling your whole grains at different textures – for cereals, course texture will do and pastries will need very fine texture.

Always keep in mind that when buying whole grains, they should always smell fresh. Once you ground your grains, and some of the whole grain flour remains unused, you should store the flour in moisture-tight containers in the refrigerator where they can last up to 4 months. However, it’s advisable to let the flour come back to normal room temperature before you use it for your next cooking for best results.

That said, all whole grain foods are known to be healthy for human consumption as they contain a lot of nutrients and fiber. The best part about buying them whole and milling at home is that it ensures they remain intact and fresh and no additives are added on the whole grain flours, unlike when you’re buying ready-made whole grain flours.