2009 February - grains

Preparedness Letter
February 2009

“All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life...”
D & C 89:14

Spiritual Goal: Schedule time each day to read with your family from the Book of Mormon.

Provident Living Goal: Have a Family Home Evening on home fires. Plan an escape route and practice it.

Basic Storage Goal: Spices, condiments and flavorings ( beef and chicken bouillon, onions, garlic,lemon pepper and green peppers. Baking cocoa, soy sauce, tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, ketchup and mustard. Pepper, chili powder, cinnamon, oregano, basil,etc. Maple and vanilla flavorings).
10 cans evaporated milk per person
2 pounds baking powder
5 pounds baking soda
Dried fruits
72-Hour Kit: Soap, toothbrush/toothpaste, shaving supplies, infant needs, feminine needs.

Expanded Storage Item: Comfort Foods (pudding, cake mixes, brownie mixes, candy, crackers, olives, chocolate chips, pickles, etc.)

Thought:“All grain is good for the food of man …”(D & C 89:16) the Lord states....Dry, whole, hard grains, when stored properly, can last indefinitely, and their nutritional value can be enhanced through sprouting, if desired. It would be well if every family have on hand grain for at least a year. And may I remind you that it generally takes several times as much land to produce a given amount of food when grains are fed to livestock and we consume the meat.” -Ezra Taft Benson, “Prepare Ye,” Ensign, Jan 1974

Grains“Our unique contribution is the mixing of whole grains. Many experts tell you how to prepare each grain separately. Each grain has unique health benefits. We mix the grains before preparing the foods. This way we eat every grain at every meal.” -grainmix.com

Mixing grains promotes the health of the entire body. The grains compliment each other. Whole wheat by itself is not a complete food. By mixing whole grains together a synergistic effect is created and a nearly complete food is made. We then have “All Grain is...”, one flour. Grains, as a group are the closest things to nutritionally complete food for human beings, containing amino acids, carbohydrates, fiber, minerals, vitamins, and fat.

Basic Grain Mix Flour
One to Five parts wheat
One part brown rice
One part oat groats
One part hulled millet
One part whole rye
One part corn
One part hulled barley

After grinding into flour, store in freezer. Use 1/3 grain mix flour and 2/3 gluten flour in any recipe. (For example, if the recipe calls for 3 cups flour, put in 1 cup grain mix flour and 2 cups gluten flour.)

Information on Grains

Wheat: Wheat is the major American grain. The name wheat berries is someone's idea of a marketing gimic and it looks like it is stuck. The grains are not berries at all, but kernels. Depending on when the grains are planted, the wheat is labeled either winter or spring wheat. Both are harvested during the summer. Spring wheat is about 20% higher in protein than winter wheat. There are hard wheats and soft wheats. Hard wheat is used for making bread and soft wheat is used for making whole-wheat pastry flour. Wheat kernels are also grouped by the color of the bran layer, which varies from reddish to pale tan to white. Any type of wheat can be used in recipes calling for wheat berries. Wheat flour is the foundation of good bread-making. It is an excellent source of Vitamin E, the B vitamins and others. It contains the highest amount of gluten of any grain. This becomes the elastic part of the dough and holds the yeast bubbles within the bread causing the bread to rise. The gluten in wheat is the only gluten that can be removed from the rest of the grain. (See Making Wheat Gluten Meat Substitute) When making bread, white flour can be used with whole wheat: 1/3 white flour to 2/3 whole wheat is a good combination. Whole wheat flour may be replaced, in part, with other types of flour. Rye, corn, millet, barley, rice and oats may all be used. They can replace up to 1/3 of the whole wheat content.

Oats: Oat Groats are whole oats. They are a slender, tan grain with a distinct crease down the middle. The inedible outer hulls must be removed. They are steamed and roasted to prevent rancidity. Rolled oats are flakes made from whole groats that are put through a roller to flatten the kernel. Quick oats are small thin flakes made from steel-cut oats that are rolled thinner than old-fashioned oats. Oat flour is finely ground whole groats.

Rye: Rye is a native grain of Russia and Northern Europe. Immigrants introduced this grain to America. It contains less gluten than wheat. It is excellent as a supplementary grain to wheat. Two parts rye to five parts wheat makes an excellent light bread. Add rye to recipes calling for corn or oatmeal as part of the flour.

Barley: Barley goes with about anything with is mild, faintly sweet taste. It is a thirsty and generous grain, absorbing whatever cooking liquid you give it and expanding to three times its original volume. It is one of the most loved grains. The hull is inedible and once the hull is removed it is called “hulled barley.” It is tan colored. “Pearl barley” has the germ and most or all of the bran removed and is smaller, and less nutritious than hulled barley. Barley foams as it cooks, you can subdue it with a little oil. It is sticky. If you prefer separated grains, pour boiling water over the grains to rinse off surface starch. It is impossible to overcook barley so it can be cooked with foods that have a longer cooking time. Barley makes an excellent addition to soups and casseroles. Barley may be ground and added to bread (1 part barley to 5 parts wheat). It can also be used in making cake flour with whole wheat.

Brown rice: Brown Rice has undergone a minimum of processing as only the hull and a small part of the bran have been removed. Brown rice flour can be used in bread dough to replace whole wheat flour and give extra softness to the bread. It can be used in combination with soy, rye, buckwheat, or oat flour. Rice flour does not have enough gluten to produce a successful rise but it can be used alone in non-yeasted nut breads and flat breads.

Millet: A native grain of Africa, millet may be used whole or ground in puddings, soup, bread, and casseroles. It is a very, tiny, round grain that looks like a mustard seed. Its effect and flavor on bread is similar to corn. Millet is crunchy and has a nutty yet mild flavor one to five ratio of millet to flour. Too much millet in bread causes the bread to become very dense and the top crust peels off. In right amounts it adds a crunchiness to bread This grain is very digestible and is often used by people on wheat-free diets.

Corn: This is a native grain of America. Corn may be dried at home. Corn in the garden that has become a little old may be cut from the cob and dried in cloth sacks. Hang them on the clothesline and jostle the kernels each day so they dry completely. Store in a closed container. Corn is usually ground as a meal. For the Grain Mix Flour above, you can use pop corn.


How to Substitute Whole Wheat flour or Grain Mix flour in any Recipe:
Wheat flour and Grain Mix flour is heavier than white flour and needs more leavening. In yeast breads, use more yeast or let it raise longer. In baking powder leavened products, increase baking powder by one teaspoon for each 3 cups of flour used. Recipes using baking soda need not be adjusted.
In baked products using eggs, separate the eggs and beat the whites until stiff. Then fold in just before baking. For extra lightness, an extra separated egg may be added. Good for waffles and especially cakes.

How to measure flour:
Stir flour before measuring to add air. Do not pack down.
There are 3 1/3 cups of flour per pound and approximately 17 cups per 5-pound bag.
When grinding grains, 9 cups of whole grains = 12 cups of flour.

How to make cake flour:
Take 1 cup all-purpose flour, and remove 1 Tblsp flour and replace with 1 Tblsp cornstarch. Mix well together and sift. It is now ready for baking.

Bread Machine Grain Mix Bread
1 cup warm water(110 degrees) 2 cups bread flour
2 Tblsp oil 1 cup Grain Mix flour (on first page)
2 Tblsp honey 1 ½ tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
Mix in bread machine on dough cycle. Remove dough and put in bread pans. Let rise 45 minutes. Bake in oven 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

Banana Grain Muffins
1 1/3 cup flour 1 cup mayonnaise (must be regular)
2/3 cup Grain Flour mix (on first page) ¾ cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 to 3 bananas)
½ tsp salt (kids like a handful of chocolate chips thrown in)
In bowl, combine flours, soda, and salt. In another bowl, combine mayo, sugar, and bananas. Stir in dry ingredients. Fill greased muffin cups (12). Bake 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Makes 12.
Cooking Instructions for Whole Grains

To cook: (
1) measure grains
(2) rinse in sieve (
3) toast in cook pot (
4) add water
5) cook
(6) season with 1 or 2 tsp herbs or spices
(7) let stand
(8) serve hot or cold.

Salt toughens grains. Add only at the end of cooking or before heating to serve. Use ½ tsp salt to 1 cup raw grain.

Toast rinsed grains either in the oven at 150 degrees or more efficiently in a cook pot over low heat. Stir until aroma rises and grains appear dry and separate.

Cooking times are after bringing to a boil. 1 cup raw grains = about 4 servings
Standing allows grains to swell, absorb water and open to fullness.

Season: coriander and curry may be added at the toasting stage; all other seasoning should be done after cooking and before “letting stand”.

To cook Cracked Grains: Measure cracked grains, add slightly less water than indicated below, soak 1 to 2 hours, cook 10 to 15 minutes, add herbs or spices, let stand ½ to 1 hour.(Or to save time, toast dry, add hot water to cook, let stand.)

Whole Wheat: Preparation: Soaking needed; 2 ½ parts Water – 1 part Grain; Cook time: 30-40 minutes. Season: anise, caraway, marjoram, rosemary, sage, thyme, allspice, coriander, mustard. Let stand: 6-8 hours.

Oats: Preparation: soaking preferred; 2 to 4 parts Water -1 part Grain; Cook time: 50 minutes. Season: caraway, chervil, fennel seed, oregano, savory, thyme, coriander, nutmeg. Let stand: 1–3 hours.

Rye: Preparation: sort on a light-colored surface and discard any ergot (a black fungus that looks like a grain) or submerse in water to float and remove ergot, pre-soak overnight; 2 ½ parts Water – 1 part Grain; Cook time: 30-40 minutes. Season: bay leave, caraway, marjoram, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, allspice, mustard. Let stand 6-8 hours.

Barley: Preparation: soaking preferred; 2 parts Water - 1 part Grain; Cook time: 45 minutes. Season: bay leaf, mint, sage, thyme, allspice, coriander, mace. Let stand: 6-8 hours.

Brown Rice: Preparation: rinse, soaking preferred; 2 parts Water - 1 part Grain; Cook time: 50 minutes.

Millet: Preparation: roasting preferred; 3 parts Water - 1 part Grain; Cook time: 25 minutes. Season: basil, bay leaf, chervil, lovage, allspice, coriander, ginger. Let stand: 12 minutes.


Cooking Whole Grains in a Pressure Cooker
With a pressure cooker, you can prepare whole grains quickly. Pressure-cooked grains may be more tender and digestible then grains cooked by the stove-top method. Check the user's guide that came with your pressure cooker for specifics of your model. Here is a list of the long-cooking grains that perform well under pressure. All the timings are for unsoaked whole grains and assume that when the cooking time is up, you will quick-release the pressure.
Barley, hulled – 18 minutes Oat groats – 30 minutes
Brown rice – 15 minutes Rye – 25 minutes Wheat – 35 minutes
The best way to cook grains in the pressure cooker is in a lot of water (like pasta). You must add 1 Tblsp oil per cup of dry grain (2 Tblsp when cooking barley and oats). The oil is necessary to subdue the foam that rises as grains cook under pressure; it will be drained off with the water after cooking is done. Do not fill the cooker more than halfway. You can cook a maximum of 1 ½ cups of dry grain in a 4-quart cooker and 3 cups of dry grain in a 6-quart cooker. (See chart on next page.)

Cups Grain - Cups water - Tablespoons oil - Teaspoons salt
1.......................4.....................1.....................½
1½....................5½..................1½...................¾
2.......................7.....................2......................1
3.......................8.....................2......................1

Place the grains and water in the cooker. Add the oil and salt. Lock the lid in place, turn the heat to high, and bring the cooker up to high pressure. Reduce the heat just enough to maintain the pressure at high and cook for the time indicated above. Turn off the heat. Quick-release the pressure by setting the cooker in the sink and running cold water over the lid. Remove the lid and check the grains for doneness by cutting a few in half; they should be one color throughout. If the grains require more cooking, simmer them uncovered until done. Drain.
You can refrigerate cooked grains for up to 5 days. To freshen them, place the grains in a pot with about ¼ inch of water, cover, and steam over medium-low heat. They can also be frozen for a least 3 months. Before freezing, cool completely. Store in 2- or 3-cup quantities in labeled zip-top bags. These can be used for quick meals or added directly to simmering soups.


Feed More People
By learning to use grains, we can feed more people. It takes between 12 and 20 pounds of grain and a huge amount of water to make one pound of meat. If a man can be satisfied eating one quarter pound of hamburger and the other foods that go with it, then 1 pound of meat will feed 4 people. That is 3 to 5 pounds of grain per person per meal. It takes one pound of grain or two cups to make grain into hot cereal to feed eight people breakfast. Therefore, grain will feed 24 to 40 people verses meat feeding one person. Some ways to add grains to meals is to extend the meal by adding grains to soups, casseroles, cereal, bread, pancakes and hamburger.
Meat Substitute or Meat Extender
Cooked wheat, cracked or whole, can be fried with hamburger and used in sloppy joes, spaghetti, pizza, or in casseroles.

Meat Loaf
1 ½ lbs ground beef 1 egg
½ lb sausage ¾ cup milk
1 cup cracked wheat 1 tsp salt
½ stalk celery ¼ tsp pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce ½ onion
Thoroughly combine ingredients. Form into a loaf. Bake in loaf pan for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Pour a can of tomato soup over the top, 10 minutes before removing from the oven for added flavor.
Serves 8.

Chili
2 Tblsp oil 1 Tblsp chili powder
2 onions, chopped 1 tsp cumin
1 cup celery, chopped Salt to taste
1 green pepper, chopped 1 lb ground meat, browned and drained (opt)
1 can tomato sauce 6 cups cooked cracked wheat
1 quart jar canned tomatoes
Saute onion, celery, and green pepper in oil. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce and seasonings. Add meat if desired. Cook for 20 minutes. Add cracked wheat and cook 30 minutes longer, stirring.

Meatless Meat
1 ½ cup whole mixed grains (wheat, corn, oats, rye, barley, rice, millet and buckwheat)
3 cups water ¼ tsp coriander
¼ cup soy sauce 1 tsp bullion
1 tsp granulated garlic ¼ cup onion
¼ tsp cumin 1/8 tsp cayenne
¼ tsp basil 2 Tblsp olive oil
Mix the water and the spices in a large frying pan. The grains should be cracked and quite coarse. Mix them in with the water and spices. Turn on heat at medium high. While stirring, bring to a boil. Turn down heat and cook 5 to 10 minutes more. Form into balls and freeze. Use instead of hamburger or to extend hamburger.

Meatless Sausage
½ cup mixed grains (see above list) 1 tsp beef flavor base
1 cup water 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp sage 1 tsp molasses
2 dashes onion salt dash cayenne pepper
2 dashes garlic salt 8 drops liquid smoke
Make the same as the Meatless Meat recipe above.


Wheat Gluten Meat Substitute
Making wheat gluten meat substitute:
Wheat contains a protein called gluten. The gluten can be easily extracted and used as a high protein meat substitute. This doesn't taste like meat but it will take on whatever flavor you cook it with. Gluten is an incomplete protein so it should be supplemented with another protein such as eggs, milk, nuts, soy, cheese, or meat. Extracting gluten from wheat flour does require more work and preparation than using cooked whole wheat or whole wheat flour.
Combine about 10 cups of fresh flour with just enough water to make a stiff dough, about 3 to 4 cups. Knead this dough very thoroughly, for at least 15 minutes. Then knead and wash the dough ball gently in about 3 quarts of cold water. Pour off the creamy solution and repeat with fresh water. When the soft dough has become firm, the starch has been removed. The liquid residue from the washing process contains the bran, germ, starch, and most of the B vitamins from the wheat. You can use this as a soup stock. You will have about 2 ½ cups gluten.
To make gluten steaks, knead 2 Tblsp beef flavored soup base into raw gluten. Stretch into pieces and drop into simmering beef flavor base. Simmer 1 hour. Remove and dry in 250 degree oven for 1 to 1 ½ hours, turning. Store in freezer.
Ground gluten can be made by baking ½ “ thick raw gluten in a pan, 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Then grind it in a meat grinder. For chicken flavored gluten, knead in 2 Tblsp chicken flavoring, 1 ½ tsp poultry seasoning and ½ tsp onion salt. For sausage or pork flavored gluten, add in 2 Tblsp powdered sausage or pork flavoring or a blend with paprika, cayenne, fennel, garlic, and Italian seasoning.
(Note: One tsp beef or chicken base is equal to one bouillon cube)

Gluten meat substitute is also called “Wheat Meat” and “Seitan” (Say-tahn). There are commercially prepared products and mixes available. Check Arrowhead Mills, Knox Mountain Products, Ivy Foods products and Wheat of Meat products.