Eat Grains

Archive for April, 2009

Be sure to sign up for the next newsletter. It is sure to be a treat for Mother's Day (oh, but it will be out next week!)

Speaking of Mother's Day there are two GREAT sales going on until Mother's Day (or while supplies last, we sold out last sale within 2 days!):

! Both HAVE FREE SHIPPING in the CONTINENTAL USA !

Bosch Universal Mixer with Blender and Book – $30 INSTANT REBATE

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L'Equip VitaMill + Snitzer Hand Mill – Special Combo Price ??????????? ?????

Hope to share my special recipe with you next week!
Best Blessings! ???? ?????????? ?????????????
Donna ????? ???? ???????? ?????? ?????? ???????? ??? ???????????

Whole Oats (usually Whole Rolled Oats) are a great source of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Whole oats have been proven to help reduce cholesterol levels and make a great healthy breakfast that will keep you contented all the way until lunch.

Oats are very seldom sold with the hull left on for eating. You will have to look for "oat groats", which is the least-processed form which can be used in the same ways you would use wheat kernels.

Steel cut oats are whole oats which have merely been roughly cut. Old-fashioned have been flattened and quick-cooking oats have been steamed a bit, cut and flattened to speed cooking time. Instant oatmeal has been rolled very thin and is already partially cooked. For nutrition (and some people would say for full texture), the steel cut oats win out.

Because of their somewhat higher fat content, oats should be stored away from any heat or damp in an airtight container. The suggested storage time for oats is about three months.

In addition to porridge, oats can be used for stuffing, added to baked goods, or cooked whole and added to grain salads. Try using them in place of bread crumbs for meatloaf. Top a cobbler with a mixture of whole wheat flour, butter, sugar and whole oats. It’s also easy to make your own Granola! Visit this website for more information on whole grain cooking: http://www.millersgrainhouse.com/store

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Best Blessings!
Donna Miller

Deut 28:5 –

Ahh, the 'fiber factor'; it's hard to ignore it, especially as we age or travel or take a serious look at our eating habits. The benefits of fiber are written everywhere:

It is known as "Nature's Broom."
It fills you up more for that satisfied feeling.
Fiber rich diets may help detour colon cancer. ?????? ????

But is fiber the only thing that there is of benefit in whole grains? If that were the case, then we could all just take those little capsules or stir some sawdust in a glass of water and be done! Fiber is NOT the only benefit found in whole grains.

When a grain is eaten in its entirety, it provides a far more nutrients that are missing in our diets than just the fiber. For example, in the wheat grain, more than the fiber is removed when it is milled into flour and stored on the shelf. Wheat flour that is bagged and stored for shelf life is missing, not only the fiber, but the endosperm, bran and germ. Even 'whole wheat' flours on your grocer's shelf are missing these items because they begin to 'spoil' once milled and thus shorten the shelf life – which we all know that it means it also shortens the 'sale-ability' for profit.

As a brief introduction, let us simply focus on the bran and fiber that are missing. The bran is often mistaken for fiber alone. When in actuality the bran in a wheat grain includes not only insoluble fiber (Natures broom) but also soluble fiber (which lowers cholesterol).

When just the bran is removed (and remember more than the bran IS removed) to make a flour more shelf-worthy, it ceases to be health worthy. What is removed by way of nutrition is: 86% of the niacin, 73% of the pyridoxine, 50% of the pantothentic acid, 42% of the riboflavin, 33% of the thiamine and 19% of the protein.

Many of these nutrients are a source of differing forms of vitamin B. Is it any wonder that after stripping flour of even just THIS part, the bran, of the natural benefits, we are a tired and sluggish society? Take the time to look up just what these missing natural vitamins are designed to do in your body and you can see a list of what ails most of the population – because much of it is missing.

Nutrients being removed means that they are later 'enriched' by the mass producer with synthetic vitamins. I say, why bother if they were there in the first place, just leave them their in the natural state, the way our bodies like to digest them and use them properly!

The answer is to mill flour at home from whole grains to keep all the important nutrients in your flour – just as each grain was created to provide.

Greetings!
Below is a question from a dear customer who is really excited about learning the value of healthy food storage and milling at home. As I answered the question privately, my thoughts were that many people may be wondering the same thing! So, I wanted to share it with you all!

Please feel free to submit your own questions and comments about eating, and using whole grains.

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QUESTION: ???? ????? ? ???????? ?????????
Hello, Please tell me if white wheat is the same as soft white wheat? I'm trying to clarify the difference and its use. Is white wheat use to make white flour and soft wheat for pastry flour? Thanks, "D"

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ANSWER:
To help you clarify, let's first talk about the color:

The color has nothing to do with the usage of the wheat – it only affects the taste and potentially the amount of niacin (which is not too lacking in most diets). Red wheats have a tiny bit higher niacin (a B vitamin) than white wheats, but that is about the only difference (based on color). They (reds) do have a more nutty flavor (almost bitter wheaty in my opinion) than white wheats.

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Bagged flour is often bleached either by natural or chemical bleaching and the husk has been taken out (along with the germ, etc) thus the 'whiteness'.

White wheat when milled whole will not produce 'white' flour (like bagged flour white) because it is natural. It will be a very light golden color. It will bake to a golden yellow/brown color. It is the best transition grain (in my opinion) for those who are used to white loaf bread from the store. It is mild in flavor and aroma.

Red wheat when milled will be the more traditional 'whole wheat' color of a light brown. It will bake to a dark brown. It is stronger in flavor and aroma.

Again, color is not the determining factor of use, but will affect the taste. So it is taste and aesthetics (look) that determine what color you choose, what you want to use it for is a deciding factor in the type not color.

Now on to the type – hard or soft wheat:

This does affect the usage of the grain.

Soft wheats (regardless of color) have much less gluten thus are not as 'spongy' when used. They will not make very good loaf bread. Combine the soft wheat flours with hard for very good & fluffy muffins, pancakes, pie crusts, cookies (cookies can be all hard wheat too though) and more that does not require a 'rise' or elastic dough feeling.

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Soft wheats are used as a pastry four, but in my experience are hardly ever used exclusively alone (often combined with hard wheat) except in cakes (to which you must also sift the flour to remove some of the bran for a real cake like consistency). Cake flour alone is best as only soft wheat.

Hard wheats (regardless of color) are the grains that make the most all purpose flour. The hard wheat contains the most gluten (which is a protein) that helps the bubbles hold together in a loaf of bread. Gluten helps to give the spongy effect. If used in other recipes like muffins etc, it can result in a tough muffin if over mixed (mixing/kneading helps gluten form the bubble pockets).

So to sum up – color is a choice for taste and look, while hard or soft is a choice for type of recipe.

I hope this made sense, if not, just keep on asking! (o:
It's a joy to help others learn this!!

Have a wonderful day!
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Best Blessings!
Millers Grain House
Donna Miller, Owner

Deut 28:5 -
"A blessing upon your grain-basket and kneading-bowl." ???? ? ???????? ????? ???????? ?????????

Thank you for allowing us to be of service.
Feel free to either email or call our office directly:
336.921.2333 9-5 Mon-Thur, 9-4 Fri (Closed Sat/Sun) Eastern Time

Millers Grain House Store
http://www.millersgrainhouse.com/store
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Saving Food $ Video Channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/thewheatguy
Supreme Bread Machine Cookbook Paperback
http://millersgrainhouse.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11&products_id=51
Supreme Bread Machine E-Cookbook with Videos
http://www.grainmiller.com/supreme.html

What to do with the whole grains that are left over?
There is an easy to follow recipe that I use and have made a video for you to try the same steps.

If we have even just a little left over oatmeal and grits – we don't throw them away! This recipe makes the best whole grain waffles in the blender from left-overs! I hope you go watch and enjoy!!

Whole Grain Left-Over Blender Waffles

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Best Blessings!

Donna Miller