Baking Day – grinding wheat

Today was a bread day.  Normally I make 5 loaves (recipe here) which will last my family a week, however it is so hot that whenever I heat my oven I’m trying to get the most bang for my buck.  So I increased my bread production to 9 loaves.   I also made whole wheat orange cranberry muffins.

For the orange muffins (recipe here) I substituted ground pumpkin seeds for flax seed.  I also added dried cranberries.  They turned out great.

I grind my wheat berries and make this stuff from scratch.  It is not really saving money because bread is pretty inexpensive in the store.  That is if you buy store brand or other mass produced brands.  Of course if you get a loaf from Whole Foods bakery you’ll need to give them your first born.  Since I was not getting gourmet bread at Whole Foods, my bread bill has not gone down.  However, the nutrition content is gone way up.  When you grind your own wheat you get all the goodness from the grain.  Much of the ground whole wheat flour in the supermarket has the good parts removed.  Here’s a little info about the wheat grain – see here for full article:

The three main parts are:

Bran
The outer coating or “shell” of the wheat kernel is made up of several layers. These layers protect the main part of the kernel. Bran is rich in B vitamins and minerals.

Endosperm
This is the main part of the wheat kernel and represents about 80% of the kernel weight. It is from this part that white flour is milled. The endosperm is rich in energy-yielding carbohydrate and important protein.

Germ or Embryo
This part grows into a new plant if sown. The germ lies at one end of the grain and represents only 2% of the kernel. It is a rich source of B vitamins, oil, vitamin E and natural plant fat. It needs to be removed during milling because the fat is liable to become rancid during flour storage. Wheat germ is still very valuable though and is used in many products.

Making bread from the grain can be messy.  See what my kitchen looked like….

But then you have this…  I loaf already eaten and one given away.

Polenta from Popcorn

Last week I made polenta for dinner using my popcorn.  See here for post about buying bulk popcorn for other uses.  It was an experiment that turned out to be a success.  I had no idea how much popcorn to use, so I started with 2 cups.  It was WAY too much (I served as a side dish).  It made two pans of polenta.  One pan served 5 adults / 2 kids.  I gave the other to my friend and she fed 4 adults.  And the amazing thing about this dish is it is sooooo cheap I don’t even know how to calculate the cost.  As long as you have a heat source and water, you could make this recipe from pantry/shelf items.  It does, however, take a while to cook so it might be a good dish for the pressure cooker, but I’d need to research before I tried.

First I measured my corn and ground in my blender.  I left a course grind b/c I didn’t want the texture to resemble cornbread.

In large pot, I added 2 cups meal, 2 heaping teaspoons salt and 6 cups of water – brought to a boil.   Then I reduced heat and simmered for about 30 minutes, adding water when it looked dry.  Once it was tender, I added a stick of butter and package of Sargento parm cheese.  Seasoned with garlic, pepper and a little more salt.  If you had not butter or fresh parm cheese, you could substitute olive oil and kraft parm cheese from the jar.

At that point, you could eat but the texture would not be firm.  The second step is to let cool and add eggs (I used 2).  Pour in a casserole and put in fridge until time for your meal.  Then bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.   I topped mine with jar red pasta sauce and served with chicken and salad.

Fresh Ground Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancake recipe

This week I’ll be making whole wheat buttermilk pancakes. It is really simple.  I used any whole wheat flour I have freshly ground.  I like prairie gold, pastry berries and spelt.  These are very frugal and healthy.  With the combo of wheat, egg and milk you have a great health combo.

First I start with 1 1/4 cup of flour.  Add 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.  Then add wet ingredients.  I don’t mix in a separate bowl.  I make a “well” in my flour mixture and mix the wet ingredients there.  1 egg, 1 1/3 cup buttermilk and 1 tablespoon oil. Mix this together until blended.

Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto a hot, greased griddle or skillet.  Cook til light brown on bottom and flip to cook other side.

This is a great breakfast or dinner.  Enjoy!

Broken Rice – Frugal Alternative

This week I purchased 50 lbs of broken Jasmine Rice for $28.  What is broken rice?

Broken rice is the rice grains that have not survived the milling process intact.  The bag I purchased was leftover pieces of jasmine rice which look like white couscous.  When cooked the texture is also similar to couscous but a little stickier.  The jasmine rice scent and flavor are retained.

Broken rice can’t be packaged with regular rice because it is considered an inferior rice.  I really like it b/c it is absorbs sauces and gravies like mashed potatoes.  And my kids like the texture.   If you’ve ever had sushi rice, it is closer to this rice IMO.  The Vietnamese really like this rice and it is on the menu of many of their restaurants.

I purchase mine at the Hong Kong Market in Bellaire.   I’m usually the only non-Asian in the store.  They hesitate to sell it to me b/c they don’t think I know what I’m buying.  Once I had a lady call a manager before she’d sell it to me.

In 2003, we had an exchange student from China.  She bought this rice at the Hong Kong market and got me hooked.  I use it in fried rice, in the place of mashed potatoes and for table rice.  Many articles on the internet dog it for table rice, but my family likes having it for table rice.  Many Asians so as well.  And if you like couscous,  this is a good switch and is less expensive.  It has a great aroma.

They also use broken rice to make alcohol.    And the dog food industry uses the majority of the broken rice.  The rice flour industry is growing and using this rice.    In a time where many people are hungry, this is a good food.

It is also simple to cook.  Check out this site for more info on cooking broken rice.

For other great ideas, check out http://kellythekitchenkop.com/  and http://www.wearethatfamily.com/.

Homemade pecan / cranberry granola bars

One thing I’m doing to cut back on processed foods and lower our food bill is to make homemade fast snacks.  This week I made my first granola bars.  I modified this recipe.  She has great pics and steps for making these.  See my notes below on how I modified this recipe.

I used

• 2 1/2 cups of oats
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Toast all these for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees.  Check and stir b/c it burns easily.  DO NOT OVER COOK.

While you’re toasting this mixture melt the following in a saucepan on your stove:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2/3 cups of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Take your toasted oat mixture and fold into your saucepan.  Get sticky stuff all over the oats b/c this is your glue.  Add in dried fruit.  I used about a cup of dried cranberries.

Get a 9 x 13 dish and put wax paper in the bottom.  Spray wax paper with non-stick spray.  Pour mixture on dish and spread out with a spoon.  Then get another piece of wax paper and lay on top.  Press down with your fingers to make the mixture very compact and tight.  Let cool in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

This recipe was great, but too sweet for my dh and me.  The taste was fabulous, but we’re using these for a dessert.  I made a second batch and just used 2.5 cups of oats, one cup sliced almonds, 1 cup honey (no brown sugar), 4 tablespoons butter and salt.  These were more of a breakfast food.

Yummie Whole Wheat Brownie Recipe

A few weeks ago I posted on my whole wheat brownie flop.  I’m getting good at bread products with fresh gound wheat, but have not had a homerun with a choc treat.  Laura told me about this recipe. It is from the King Arthur flour website.

I modified by using one shot of espresso.  I also didn’t have 2 cups of good choc chips, so I used on 2 oz dark choc bar chopped into small pieces.   I didn’t use King Arthur white flour, but used fresh ground pastry flour instead.

These were so good.  The combo of choc, vanilla and espresso was fabulous.  But be prepared b/c the texture is different.  It is a heavier treat than your brownie made with refined flour.  The girls poured a little choc syrup over theirs.

Wheat Mill / Grinder

I’ve been writing a lot about baking from fresh milled wheat and have rec’d questions about what type of mill  or grinder to purchase.  I’m not an expert in this area, but do have a few months of experience under my belt.

I purchased the Kitchen Mill by BlendTec.  I wanted an electric mill that would hold several cups of flour.  This one holds 24 cups.  I also wanted one that had several settings for the grind texture.  Mine will do fine to course flour, and will also grind corn for corn meal.

I do not like mine for cleanup.  It is awkward.  You take the top off and hold it over the sink to brush off excess flour.  It is very messy.  And you store it with the grinder part down so any flour you didn’t clean off gets on your cabinet.  I’ve started putting mine on a tray.

My husband is the best deal seeker I know.  He found this on on the internet for less than $130.  That’s the best deal I’ve found for one with these features.  My grain dealer sells one that I like better, but is more expensive.   It is the Nutrimill and can be seen here.  I like it better b/c the storage and cleanup seems easier.  However, these features did not justify the extra cost.

Another site that has good info on grinders is Walton feed.  I’m not an expert in this field but am learning by doing.  In my urban college educated circles, this is a lost art.  I’ve had to seek out folks who know how to use grain and get help.  I am looking forward to passing this to my daughters.

We’re now eating over 25 pounds of grain a month.    The pic of the bucket holds about 25 pounds.  I’ve increased my grain consumption and have not gained a pound.  And I feel great.

Here are a few pics….

Wheat Flour baked goodies galore

We’ve had a very productive morning.  I got up earlier today and can see the results.  We’ve completed the majority of our school.  While the girls were working at the kitchen bar, I was baking.  I’m experimenting with a new type of fresh ground wheat:  Mountain Mama Wheat Berries.  A few days ago I ground several cups and stored in the fridge.  I’m going to be out much of next week and wanted to have a few treats in the fridge/freezer for Dave while I’m out.   And if I have fresh baked sweets in the house, we less likely to run out for an ice cream treat.

The cookies and waffles were a success.  The muffins and choc bars were too healthy to be good:(  The muffins were banana and choc chip.  I keep reading about how you can use old bananas in baked goods saves money and ups nutrition.  I really want to like banana baked goods, but just don’t.  I wish I had a recipe that I liked, but have done various experiments and never eaten them.

And the brownies were just too healthy tasting.  Here’s the recipe I used.  I’m still looking for a healthy brownie recipe using fresh ground wheat.

The choc chip cookies are the best.  I really love my new recipe.  It is easy and healthy.  I’ve made at least 5 batches of these since I found the recipe.  Yum!

The waffles were also good.  I used the recipe from Money Saving Mom.  I’ll freeze these and pop in the toaster for a quick breakfast.

Update:  Maggie ate a muffin at lunch and Shea ate a brownie (I drizzled Herseys on top of it).  So it looks like I was too down on these items!

Update on Cinnamon Roll Recipe

I made my second batch of homemade cinnamon rolls from fresh milled wheat.   [Here's the recipe for these.]   Yesterday we made bread, so I made an extra loaf of dough and turned into cinnamon rolls.  This time I used Bronze wheat which is darker in color than my standard prairie gold.  I rolled out the dough and brushed with butter, added sugar and cinnamon.  This time I cut back on the butter and sugar.  After I had them in the pan, I put then in the fridge for the next morning.  I also cut them in larger pieces which turned out better during the rise.

These are a frugal breakfast.  They cost about $1 to make and feed our entire family.  The whole wheat is very filling.

This morning I let them rise in my oven at 170 degrees for 20 minutes.  Then turned on the oven to 350 and cooked another 30 minutes.  Here’s the pic without the glaze…

Good for you Chocolate Chip Cookies

On Fridays we have a light school day.  We’ve been baking today.  We’ve made 2 loaves of bread, wheat rolls and chocolate chip cookies.

I tried a new recipe for cookies.  See link here.  When you look at the ingredients, it is almost the same for whole wheat pancakes, if you use ground wheat flour.  I used ground spelt flour and added an extra two heaping tablespoons like the end of the recipe recommended.  Next time I’ll cut the salt in half because they were too salty.  I baked them for exactly 11 minutes and the texture is perfect.  They remind me of the gourmet cookies I used to buy at Central Market.  If I add pecans and dried cranberrys I think I’ll have a match to theirs which cost an arm and a leg.

I like giving the girls sweet treats without feeling guilty.  It takes a little more effort than a packaged rice crispy treat, but I’m hoping these habits will last a lifetime.