Using Wheat Berries Every Day

[Tadpole]

Last year I decided that it was silly to buy flour when I had so much wheat in storage. I decided to start making and using my own flour. However, hand grinding it was just too inconvenient to do on a regular basis (unless I ever have to do it).

So I bought an electric mill, and have been making all of our bread ever since.

For those of you who don't know how easy and convenient it can be, here are a few pictures to encourage you. Vitamin E and other nutrients quickly oxidize out of flour, so if you grind your own wheat as needed, you get all the available nutrients.

This is a picture of my mill and the matching canister for storing flour.

When I am ready to make flour, I replace the canister's lid with the mill's lid, open the foldout spout, and insert it into the side of the mill.

Turn on the machine, add your wheat, and that's all there is to it. The mill grinds the flour and deposits it directly into the cannister.

I use hard winter white almost exclusively for my bread. The recipe I use makes soft, fluffy loaves that stay fresh for days when stored in a gallon zip lock.

Another way I use my wheat berries is as substitute for rice in any meat or chicken recipe calling for rice.

I put wheat berries in my blender and grind them to the desired consistency. A coarse grind makes a nutty, chewy product.

If I want a light, fluffy, couscous-like product, I put the wheat berries in the blender and blend on "liquify" until they are finely ground.

Here is a picture of a dish using the chewy version.

DH prefers the "couscous" version.

 

[booger]

Thank you for taking the time to post this!! I love threads like this.

So, how much does a mill like yours cost? And what's the deal with using wheat--something about not much gluten? I'm a weenie white bread girl but really need to get switched over. How about cost of wheat berries? (Yes, I'm sure I could find all of the answers with a search but I'm incredibly lazy tonight. I've done enough searching today but will look around tomorrow for answers.)

 

[Tadpole]

Thanks, Booger. I LOVE threads with pictures. They are so much more interesting and descriptive.

Here is where I bought my wheat and my mill. These people are absolutely wonderful to deal with, and you will probably find everything you want to know about wheat -- and lots of other stuff-- on their site. http://www.breadbeckers.com/

 

[Deena in GA]

I have a K-Tech mill and grind routinely. I do grind as much as possible at one time and then store the extra in the freezer.

Booger, wheat berries are incredibly cheap when compared to the cost of buying bread at the store. The cheapest place I know of is any LDS cannery, but we currently order ours from www.bluechipgroup.net I can highly recommend this company. If you can find a source that's close to you, you can save a bundle on shipping. The shipping is what kills you right now on heavy items like wheatberries.

Tadpole, I think you're the first person I've ever heard call the BreadBeckers wonderful to deal with. I've dealt with them several times (and know lots of people who have) and don't recommend them. If there's absolutely no where else to get what you need, then I would use them. We've had nothing but trouble with them - and this is over 6-7 year time period. They raise their prices between the time we order and the time we receive the order, don't deliver what they've promised they have in stock, don't honor prices they've promised(when we've called to make sure of the price) , etc. I'm glad you had a good experience with them though.

 

[Gingergirl]

I've been using the Whisper Mill for 2 1/2 years now and it is a great mill for fine flour. I paid a little over $200 with S&H. The grain is so much cheeper that it took me less than 2 years for the mill to pay for itself.

For those in my part of the country, I buy lovely hard white wheat from Country Life Natural Foods in Pullman, Michigan (269) 236-5011. I have also purchased from Purity Foods in Okemos, Mi (517) 351-9391. I have driven the 2 hours to pick up, but Country Life will deliver in Michigan, and the Chicago area. Of course, they both carry more than just wheat. I do pack it myself in 5 gallon pails that I originally got form Waltons, using Oxygen absorbers.

I will add that to get a fluffy loaf, I shift the wheat and add 2-3 tablespoons/loaf of glutin to the flour.

 

[Tadpole]

Gingergirl, I love my Whisper Mill. It is sturdy and powerful.

I have been getting soft, light bread with the hard winter white even without the gluten. But I am always looking for ways to improve my bread (even including some disasterous recipe modifications!) so I will try the gluten.

Deena, I guess I have been lucky with Bread Beckers. I've always ordered in 6 bucket lots. The orders have arrived promptly and I have always gotten exactly what I ordered at the advertised price. My only complaint is that I don't like paying those high shipping charges.

A question for everyone. I thought that storing my yeast in the freezer would keep it fresh longer. But my bread is rising less well with each batch lately, and the only thing I can think it might be is the yeast.

How do you store your yeast?

Edited to add--Deena, thanks for the link. I will check them out next time I get ready to order wheat.

 

[booger]

More miscellaneous questions:

What's the difference between red and white and soft and hard?

Does a pound of berries make roughly a pound of flour or is there waste?

What qualities do you look for/avoid in a grinder?

Thread drift but I noticed some milk alternatives on there. Those are cheap! Anyone tried them and how are they?

 

[TerriHaute]

but we currently order ours from www.bluechipgroup.net I can highly recommend this company. If you can find a source that's close to you, you can save a bundle on shipping. The shipping is what kills you right now on heavy items like wheatberries.

I discovered that the Great Harvest bakery will sell bags of wheat berries for about $20 for 60 pounds. If you are near any bakeries that do whole grain baked goods, you might inquire to see if they will sell you wheat or give you the name of their supplier. Here is Great Harvest's web site with a store locater:
http://www.greatharvest.com/

Terri in Indiana

 

[Gingergirl]

Booger,

Wheat:
Hard----high in gluten, giving it a stronger protein structure so that it is more elastic and rises with the formation of gases by the yeast. it is harder in the mill. Usually are a longer grain.

Red---the traditional hard wheat. Some people find it bitter. ITs strong flavor is prefered by some for cracked wheat cereal (cooked.)

White---a newly developed hard wheat. It is much milder in flavor.

Soft---low in gluten, with a much more tender protein structure that gives a softer texture to quick rise pastries like cake, muffins, and biscuits. Is not as hard to grind The grain looks shorter and fatter than hard wheat.


One pound of grain will produce one pound of flour. Even if you shift out some of the bran, the weight will be about the same. I have found that grinding 2 cups hard wheat will give me about the equivalent of 3 cups of bagged bread flour. (The Whisper Mill puts alot of air into the flour making equivalent measures difficult. I have not had this problem with a hand mill.)

The best resource I found on comparing mills was at Walton Feed.

Tadpole,
I have a 5 pound box of yeast in my freezer. I only take out the bit I need for a batch of bread and keep the rest in the freezer. I usually give it an hour to come to room temp before mixing, though 24 hours on the counter has not hurt it. When I used the small jars of yeast, I kept them in the frig section and noticed the same degrading of rise. This has not been a problem with the freezer box.

Gluten...Since changing my yeast, I have been meaning to test a loaf without gluten. Today"s loaf is already rising, but maybe I'll rember tomorrow and let you know. I will note that in my research on bread making, I found that commercial mills aged their flour to allow the natural gluten to become more effective. I tried to do this without good results, so went with the addition of gluten.

Happy bread making!

 

[Gingergirl]

I really should learn to type

 

[country]

I use my vita mix to grind my wheat----it will also mix and knead your dough.

Country

 

[cooter]

for what its worth,,,

those in Indiana, or southern michigan can look at dealing with these guys,,

http://www.countrybaker.com/Index.cfm



they are on vacation this month,,so you might read the announcements page,,,they are out till july 20,, thought I would mention that,,so if someone hopped on the phone,,and no one answered the phone or email,,,,

 

[Deena in GA]

Thread drift but I noticed some milk alternatives on there. Those are cheap! Anyone tried them and how are they?

I'm not sure which "there" you're referring to, but if it's on the bluechip link, we do use the Morning moo milk alternative. I haven't bought milk in 4 - 5 months now. Have been using Morning Moo exclusively and love it. It's much better than the other dry milks I've bought through the years. The price is great too!

 

[Dixielee]

Vitamix

Country, tell me about the vitamix, if that is not too much thread drift. I have wanted one for years but could never justify the price. If it works really well for ginding flour tho, I may be able to get one, and not get an electric grain mill. Right now we use a manual grinder and it works well, it just is time consuming. I think I would use more wheat if it were easier to grind. It seems like the vitamix would be a great machine for a variety of uses. Thanks

 

[Gingergirl]

Tadpole,

Well, we had the bread without gluten at dinner this evening. It was okay but not as good. Took longer to rise so it was a tiny bit sour and more chewy. It may be that I need to adjust the liquid in the recipe, so I'll give it one more try tomorrow and let you know.

 

[Dorema]

You girls have inspired me! I have gotten out of the habit of grinding our wheat and baking. I broke my ankle and was out of commision for almost a year. I am going to dust off my Kitchen aide grinder and break open a bucket of wheat tomorrow.

Since I live in Kansas, I just take my buckets out to my neighbor and ride a few rounds on the combine with him. I fill my buckets when he is unoading into the truck. He is usually so happy for conversation ( he just never gets around to fixing the radio in the combine) that he won't let me pay him. I always send him a quart of honey in th fall and bake him something for Christmas.
Dorema

 

[Tadpole]

Gingergirl, I guess my yeast is just not too fresh because I kept it in the freezer, so I was apparently doing that right. I bought a large jar last time. I think I will just buy smaller jars from now on.

Thanks also for the update on the bread without gluten. I have been playing with my favorite recipe, adding more flour and less liquid, and it has gotten correspondingly denser. So maybe I have a two-fold problem with older yeast and not enough liquid.

I know you can buy gluten from businesses that sell wheat, but do you know if it is available in grocery stores?

Country, now that you mention it, I remember reading in a Vita-Mix brochure that came in the mail that it would grind wheat. That was after I bought my mill. I wish I had known before.

Dorema, you are so lucky to be able to get wheat locally! Hard wheat doesn't grow down here. I read that is why biscuits are a southern tradition with dinner, while yeast rolls and bread are up north.

Evidently the flour that grows down here is soft wheat with not enough gluten for breadmaking. I have never known anyone personally that raised wheat, though.

 

[booger]

Gingergirl, thanks for that info! Sounds like I'd like it without the gluten--sour and chewy. Similar to sourdough? I adore sourdough! Probably a silly question but what's sourdough like with wheat? I've only made it with white flour.

Deena, thanks, yes, I was referring to the bluechip site. Sounds like a winner so we'll be ordering some to try.

 

[Flagwaver]

I can have wheat, but I usually bake with something called spelt flour due to allergies. Spelt was the type of grain used in Old Testament times. I've had very, very good success and I even make hamburger buns that are out of this world. (You must understand that if you have allergies success with alternative grains spells real relief!)

Adding a few tablespoons of granular lecithin helps my bread have a nice light texture.

I've found kneading a loaf of bread to be so calming and relaxing. A few years back I got one of those wonderful wooden bowls to let it rise in. I don't know what it is, but the process of baking bread makes me feel so good inside. And then hearing all the ooohs and aaaahs everyone makes at the dinner table is comforting too.

 

[Gingergirl]

Tadpole,

Sorry about the yeast problem. Could be old.

I've been buying gluten from grocery stores for years. Usually in the baking section, though not by the flour. Sometimes in the health food section. Red Mill and Hodgsen Mills (?) are the common brands. Currently, I buy it in bulk, 5 # bgs and keep it in the frig.

Booger,

Sourdough with fresh ground wheat is very good. I'm not a fan of store bought whole wheat flour. All the fresh ground flours have sweet and spicy undertones without the bitterness of commercial flour. Give the whole wheat sourdough a try.

Flagwaver,

I'm glad you have been able to use the spelt (sometimes called wild wheat) I think it has a nice flavor. Lecithin is a good alternative to gluten (source of your allergy) but more expensive, so I don't use it. Still, it must be nice to have spelt breads...certainly wouldn't be able to get them already baked from the store.

I think it is good to be able to take good care of ourselves and our families.

 

[Dorema]

I like spelt, too. Can't get it locally tho and have to order it.
I also put lecithin in mine to make it softer but I was using liquid lecithin. I will try with the granular since it is easier to come by.
I put a squirt of lemon juice in mine, too. Seems to also help with softening up the bread.
I recently bought an old book of nothing but sourdough recipes. Want me to dig it up and start another thread?
Dorema

 

[Gingergirl]

I use citric acid (powder) instead of lemon juice so as to not change the liquid to wheat ratio. I have the citric acid on hand for cheese making. Bought it at the health food store.

 

[A.T.Hagan]

Great pictures, Tadpole!

You went through the evolution we went through with the manual and electric mills. We'll always have the Country Living as a back up for just-in-case but it's our Whisper Mill that we use regularly. In fact, I just milled a double batch of flour tonight preparatory to making bread tomorrow night - cinnamon apple bread.

I greatly prefer the hard white wheat myself as does everyone who I've had compare bread made from red and white wheats. Unfortunately, we've still got a hundred pounds or so of red wheat in storage so we're having to use it up. We're doing this by mixing red and white 50/50 which works OK with us.

I think one of my most favorite smells in the world is dough slowly fermenting. If I have the time I like to give it three slow, cool rises as opposed to only two fairly quick ones. Must more interesting flavor development and somewhat improved texture without getting into an actual sourdough flavor. Lately though they've been only double rises.

I've got it down now to where if I can get the dough mixed by seven I can have the bread baked and out of the oven in time to go to bed by ten and still get two decent rises in. The triple rises have to wait for the weekend. At the moment I'm baking bread three loaves at a time and may go to four if I can work out the spacing in the oven. Sure is nice to be able to get a loaf out of the freezer for the next day.

Bitterness in whole-wheat flour is often enough a sign of rancidity.

If anyone is thinking of mail ordering grain I've got a number of suppliers listed in the suppliers section of the Prudent Food Storage FAQ and most importantly, a number of cautions when it comes to mail ordering foods. The biggie lately is the shipping charges which can easily exceed the cost of the grain itself!

.....Alan.

 

[Tadpole]

Gingergirl, I remember seeing Red Mill products in Krogers. I almost never shop there as it is quite a drive, but will make a point to go by there tomorrow.

Sourdough with fresh ground wheat is very good. I'm not a fan of store bought whole wheat flour. All the fresh ground flours have sweet and spicy undertones without the bitterness of commercial flour. Give the whole wheat sourdough a try.

.... and the MILKY smell and taste of hard winter white just amazes me.

I sometimes make pancakes using nothing but well stirred hard white wheat and water, salt and baking powder. It's kind of chewy, but hearty and satisfying with honey. It tastes like it has milk in it.

Thanks, too Dorema and Gingergirl for the tip about using lemon juice or citric acid to soften the dough.

Alan, I have been putting off using my hard red wheat, too. I am so spoiled to the white. I bet I would like it half and half, though.

I didn't know that bitterness could be a sign of rancidity, either.

Gee, I LOVE this forum! News I can USE!

 

[Deena in GA]

I must be really strange (more than I thought, lol) 'cause I love the hard red wheat. Use it 100% in not only my bread, but in cookies, brownies, etc. too. I love how it gives brownies a nutty texture and taste. In fact, I never open my white wheat, lol. Wish we were closer so I could trade you.

 

[A.T.Hagan]

I must be really strange (more than I thought, lol) 'cause I love the hard red wheat. Use it 100% in not only my bread, but in cookies, brownies, etc. too. I love how it gives brownies a nutty texture and taste. In fact, I never open my white wheat, lol. Wish we were closer so I could trade you.

I may be up in your neck of the woods sometime this Fall. If it works out I'll drop you a line.

.....Alan.

 

[Deena in GA]

I may be up in your neck of the woods sometime this Fall. If it works out I'll drop you a line.

.....Alan.

Okay, just let me know. My wheat will be waiting.

 

[housemouse]

I think one of my most favorite smells in the world is dough slowly fermenting. If I have the time I like to give it three slow, cool rises as opposed to only two fairly quick ones. Must more interesting flavor development and somewhat improved texture without getting into an actual sourdough flavor. Lately though they've been only double rises.

I've got it down now to where if I can get the dough mixed by seven I can have the bread baked and out of the oven in time to go to bed by ten and still get two decent rises in. The triple rises have to wait for the weekend. At the moment I'm baking bread three loaves at a time and may go to four if I can work out the spacing in the oven. Sure is nice to be able to get a loaf out of the freezer for the next day.


.....Alan.

My favorite method of baking is to use a "biga" mixed up the night before baking. This can be either a batter-type biga, made with 1/16th teaspoon of yeast, or a firmer home-grown sourdough (my efforts to catch it were incredibly successful). I do it sometime after dinner, and before bed, let it do it's thing over night, and then mix up the dough in the morning. Depending on my day's schedule, I will use either no additional yeast for my sourdough, or between 1/4 and 1/2 teaspoon for the biga. I can control the rising time this way, so that I can bake when it is convenient for me.

The way to successfully and easily measure 1/16th teaspoon of yeast is to proof 1/4 teaspoon in lukewarm water, stirr, measure 1/4 cup of the liquid, and use that along with 2 cups flour and one cup water to make the biga.

I have yeast in the freezer that is just fine after at least 1 year, and probably closer to two. But, having sourdough in the fridge means never needing yeast. And, those of you who do not like the taste of sourdough may not realize that it doesn't have to taste "sour". That taste can easily be controlled by how you mix the refreshment dough, and the timing. My husband likes the texture of sourdough, but prefers a normal taste, so I do not let the sourdough starter go too long, and will refresh it several times if needed to keep it "sweet".

I prefer King Arthur Flour, and their website has other very valuable baking ingredients and items.

 

[A.T.Hagan]

I've considered trying the biga, poolish, and sponge methods, but I'd have to do them on the weekend. On work days I'd have to mix the initial sponge or whatever before bed and then wouldn't be able to get back to it until the next evening when I got home from work. In a really cool kitchen I might could do that, but at best my kitchen goes down to seventy in the winter and this time of year will stay right at eighty. I could refrigerate the sponge I suppose and then try it that way, but I'm not sure how fast it would spring into action from the time I took it out of the fridge.

I had been trying to do all the bread baking on the weekends when I could take my time with it and get it exactly the way I wanted it, but now the weekends are so busy with outside work it's difficult to get real kitchen work done. I've got a work table full full of food storage waiting to be repackaged, dated, or otherwise handled then put into the cabinets!

This Spring I finally finished off the Fleischman brick yeast I bought back in 1998. I kept it in the freezer the whole time. It keeps much, much longer at zero degrees than the manufacturer's expiration dates would have us believe.

King Arthur is my favorite flour too except that I buy very little flour anymore. In another year or so I'll have to buy some more white flour.

If anyone is just getting into whole-wheat flour trying buying a bag of King Arthur's whole-white wheat flour. Much easier to coax refined white bread eaters into whole wheat bread that way I think.

.....Alan.