Pancake Recipe

Here's the yummy whole wheat pancake recipe I said I'd post. :)

4 C freshly milled "soft white wheat"
1 t salt
1 t backing soda*
2 1/2 t baking powder
2 T sugar

1/4 C oil
2 eggs
3 1/2 C buttermilk

Mix together all dry ingredients. Add liquids. Stir just until they are mixed. Fry on hot oiled griddle. To make a lighter pancake separate the eggs and whip the egg whites then fold gently into the batter. Serve however you like it and enjoy.
*Omit soda and increase baking powder to 4 teaspoons if using sweet milk instead of buttermilk.

And that's it! Enjoy the recipe and come back and see us soon or subscribe to our feed. :)

Technorati Tags: pancakes, recipe, whole wheat

Easy Pancakes

Who doesn't delight in eating pancakes? Straight from the griddle, still hot as you put on the butter and watch it melt, and the maple syrup (or whatever you prefer) being poured on top. With your fork sinking into the small stack of them to find them as light and fluffy as if they were a cloud. Mmm, my mouth is actually starting to water as I type this.

I've got an excellent recipe that I've tweaked over the years with my freshly milled whole wheat flour. I've now got it to where they taste just as good as buying any pancake mix from the store. Only mine are healthier for you because you get the benefits of having whole wheat! Also, not to mention there's no lard in these like in normal mixes. My kids love them!

An array of flours and flour blends can be used for this recipe, but what I almost always use in my recipe is soft white wheat. They are outstanding!

I'm not going to post it just yet though. Just wanted to whet your appetite. ;)

Don't worry though, it'll be up within the next few days. Possibly tomorrow. Check back, so you don't miss it!

Tip #1 - Part Two

If you previously read Part One of this tip, you may still need more resolution for those curious as to why you're even thinking of or currently milling grains at home.

The succeeding tip to answering the questions of why you bother to mill at home is the advantages of cost and storage. Yeah, we can purchase 'whole wheat bread' at the store. Yeah, 'dead bagged flour' lasts for a good spell. Are these reasons to dismiss home milling all together? No way! In fact, look closer and you can see why milling at home is better.

Putting all health reasons aside, with milling at home storage and cost come up on the convenience end of it. The cost of a loaf of 'whole wheat' bread from the store is generally $2.29. A home milled, fresh WHOLE GRAIN flour, loaf of bread costs me generally $.75 to make and that is using all organic (a bit pricier) grains and sugar. I also know for certain what is in that loaf!

Storage, however, is a completely different thing. Of course, in our house the bread doesn't last long because we can't resist slicing into a warm loaf when we smell it so we don't have to worry about self life. However, the grains last for years! The husk was created as the most excellent protection for the grain. Grains have been found in pyramids that were over 4000 years old and when planted, they grew just as intended. I don't think you'll be needing those grains in 4000 years, but store the grains in a durable container and from getting moist and you can store them for years.

I hope you founds this tip helpful! :) Come back and see us, I've got more tips coming up!

Technorati Tags: Milling, tips, whole wheats

Short tip

Here's a short tip to why you should mill whole grains at home.

The time it takes to grab a bag of dead flour is no less than when I mill my own whole grains. I just toss the grains into the Nutrimill, turn it on and by the time I gather the ingredients for a recipe, the mill is done.

The Nurtimill has even saved us money! My family of 5 eats pizza every Friday night (our family tradition). We used to order 3 large pizzas from Papa Johns. Costing us between 30 and 40 dollars each Friday night. Now I make 3 16 inch pizza crusts ahead of time using fresh ingredients (with possibly less fats/grease) for around $10.00! The mill had been paid for itself in less than three months on pizza night alone!

So you see, there's really not too great of a difference in using store bought flour and milling your own whole grains at home. The big difference however, is the health benefits of eating freshly milled whole grains versus bleached dead bagged flour.

Technorati Tags: tip, whole grains, mill

Why you should bother milling at home - Tip #1

By the time you finish reading this short tip, you will know a bit more about why it's necessary to mill and bake with fresh whole grains.

Tip #1 - Part One - "Why do you do that? Why bother?"

Alright, I will be the first to admit it, I was not raised to be a domesticated person. When I first heard of milling grain at home I was baffled and thought it was a far fetched idea, time consuming and a big mess. It didn't take me long to determine how wrong I was.

One tip to answering those questions of 'You do what?' and 'Why bother?' is to be acquainted with the two biggest advantages of milling at home. First are the health advantages and second are the storage/cost effect advantages. the health reasons.

To lengthen the shelf life of milled grain into bagged flour, most of the grains essential nutrients and vital parts are extracted. The Wheat Bran, Wheat Germ, Wheat Oil and Middlings are removed simply for the convenience of a longer time for storage. We are all familiar with at least three of these discarded parts of the wheat grain as now popular health food items (Bran, Germ and Oil). To mention a few benefits now missing, the Bran and Middlings produce much needed fiber, the Germ and Oil produce vitamin E. There are many more nutrients these now missing items produce, but we see a lack of both of these in the twentieth century diet.

Worse than what is absent, may also be what is added to the bagged flour. To make the traditional white appearance of flour, the first process used by manufacturers was really chlorine bleach! Although new chemicals and processes have now been approved, chemicals of any kind were not ever intended to be IN the grain itself. The list of what was stripped from the now fluffy flour is so long that manufacturers now feel the need to 'enrich' it with synthetic vitamins. Synthetic vitamins are just that - synthesized, not natural. Why add a 'fake' vitamin for a natural one that was taken away in processing? Enough said.

This is only part one of the tip, check back for part two tomorrow! :)

Technorati Tags: fresh wheat, grain, milling, flour

Store Bought Bread

If you eat white (or any kind of store bought) bread, you should know a few things before you eat that next slice, and here they are.

In the mid 1950's the inclusion of artificial hydrogenated oils, preservatives, emulsifiers, additives and other chemicals in bread became standard practice. Whole wheat flour was replaced by bleached, enriched white flour around this same time. Which is then artificially "enriched" by adding in materials that were destroyed in the chemical process of bleaching, like vitamins and minerals.

Milling the endosperm part of a grain produces white flour. Also, all the natural nutrients are removed during this process by taking out the bran and germ. "Enriching" the flour can never completely replace what was lost. Thus, enriched bread is nowhere near nutritionally equal to whole wheat bread.

The manufacturers make white flour because, compared to whole wheat flour, it has a longer shelf life (because of the chemical preservatives), which saves them money because they don't have to worry about spoilage. However, that flour could be killing you because of the lack of nutrients in it. It turns into glue in your colon! Not to mention all those chemicals and additives you're putting in your body.

Check back tomorrow or the next day for more information on this subject, we've only hit the tip of the iceberg so I'll blog more on that later...

Technorati Tags: nutrition, milling the endosperm, mill, whole grains, wheats

Grain Anatomy

Here's what the inside of a grain looks like, and a brief overview of what the parts are.

When a grain is whole, it contains the endosperm, the germ, and the bran.

The endosperm, also called the kernel, makes up the majority of the seed. It has contains most of the grain's protein and has very little vitamins and minerals.

The germ is where a new plant sprouts, it is a concentrated source of niacin, vitamin E, phosphorus, magnesium, thiamin, riboflavin, iron and zinc. The germ also contains some fat and protein.

The bran is what forms the outer layer of the seed, it is a rich source of niacin, phosphorus, magnesium, thiamin, riboflavin, iron and zinc. The bran contains almost all of the grain's fiber.

It's important that all of these parts are left intact because it gives your body the vitamins, fiber, protein, etc. that you need. When the bran and germ are removed to make refined grains, all those nutrients that are within the bran and germ are taken as well.

I hope this information was helpful. Thanks for reading, and God bless you!

Technorati Tags: Grain Anatomy, Endosperm, Bran, Wheat Germ