Wheat: Cook it! Blend it!

Here are some of my favorite recipes that use wheat:

Wheat Bread
(A hybrid of Shar’s and Debbie Brown’s recipes.)

In a Bosch Universal bowl (or similar, or 1/2, or even 1/3 the recipe, for smaller mixer):
6 cups warm water, 115 degrees
2 Tbsp. Salt
2/3 cup Oil (I often use only 1/3 cup oil, and it still tastes okay)
2/3 cup Honey
3 Tbsp. Lecithin
1/3 cup Wheat Gluten
3 Tbsp. Instant yeast
6 to 8 cups Fresh ground flour to start

Let yeast, honey, and water dissolve. Add other ingredients above and mix on low while adding wheat flour until dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, and the bowl is clean. (2-4 more cups of flour, usually).

Mix 8-10 minutes or until the gluten is developed. Oil your hands and counter, divide dough into 4 or 5 large loaves. Grease pans with Pam, shape loaves and cover until dough has risen double.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until inside temp is 200 degrees. I lightly butter loaves, and leave on cooling racks until completely cool. Put in bread bags and freeze.

14 Grain Bread
I use the same recipe as above, except I add 1.5 -2 cups of 14 grain mix at the beginning, and so a little less wheat flour will be used overall. I buy the mix at Shar’s, or you could probably get something similiar at Sprouts or on the internet.

Here is the recipe if you want to make your own 14 grain mix: (Mix this all together, then use only 2 cups worth. Save the excess for your next batch)
1 Cup Nine grain ed cereal
1 cup Sunflower seeds
1/3 cup Millet
1/3 Cup Flax seed
1/3 Cup Sesame seed
1/3 cup Amaranth
It gives the bread a completely different flavor!

Carrot Cake
2 ½ Cup Soft wheat flour (regular will work as well. Sift out some of the bran of either flour before adding it to bowl)
1 ½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup oil
2 eggs
2/4 tablespoons water
½ cup crushed pineapple in juice- do not drain
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 cup carrots (take 2/3 cup dried cannery carrots with 1 cup water, microwave on high 1 minute, then let sit 10 minutes, drain and squeeze out excess water. This should equal about 1 cup reconstituted carrots.)

Mix together dry ingredients, pour in wet and mix together completely. Stir in carrots and nuts last. Pour into 9 inch round, greased and floured pans (I use parchment paper and Pam). Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool ten minutes. Remove from pan; cool thoroughly on rack. Frost with cream cheese icing.

Blender Pancakes
You need a blender, not a wheat grinder, for this recipe!

In the blender:
1 cup water or liquid milk (or 1 scant cup of water and 3 tablespoons powdered milk)
¾ cup whole wheat kernels (Soft wheat is best, but hard will be okay)
Blend at high speed until it looks like mud, about 4-5 minutes. Then add:
1 egg
2 tablespoons oil
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar (white or brown)

Blend well, then add:
1 teaspoon baking powder.

Blend just a few seconds. Pour onto hot, lightly oiled skillet. Flip when bottom is brown.
If you need to make more than one recipe, don’t double. Make it in separate batches, then add baking powder at the end.

If they are too flat, add a little more baking powder or a little white flour, or an extra egg!

Banana Bread
1 ¾ cup soft wheat flour (sift out some bran)
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1/3 cup shortening or butter
2 tablespoons milk
2 eggs
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix 1 cup flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add banana, shortening and milk. Beat on low, then high for 2 minutes. Add eggs and rest of flour. Mix again, then add nuts and chocolate chips. Pour into 8x4x2 loaf pan, cook 55-60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on rack. Wrap in plastic wrap overnight to keep it from falling apart when you cut it.

Kelly Beeson azbeeson@hotmail.com