Homemade Wheat Thins - 2nd try

I really want these crackers to work and so I tried another recipe.  I really like the taste of these.  They have that sweet nutty flavor of store bought wheat thins, but the texture is wrong.  I don't think it's totally the recipe though.  Sad sad day, my wheat grinder fell of the counter (I was moving it and it's REALLY heavy). Anyway now the flour is very coarse.  Trial 3 is going to have to be some combination of the two recipes.
This dough was much harder to work with,  and the resulting crackers were really flaky and kind of crunchy.  Not a bad texture, just not wheat thins.  The kids liked this one much better than the first.

Wheat Thins again . . .

2nd try

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus extra for topping
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup water (you might need to add a little more)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Cut the butter into flour, sugar, salt, paprika mixture.  Stir in water vanilla mixture.   Roll out really thin (1/8 of an in).  I took the easy way out and rolled the dough right on a greased cookie sheet.  Using a pizza cutter cut out your crackers.  Poke with a fork several times on each cracker for a more authentic look.  Bake at 400 F for 5-10 minutes.  But really watch it they burn easily.  Remove the crackers from the pan while they are still hot.  As they cool the stick to the pan and crumble when you remove them.

printable recipe

1st try at homemade wheat thins

Wheat Thins

I've been wanting to try to make Wheat Thin crackers for awhile now and the fates finally aligned to make that happen today.

I used a simple recipe from a Bee Prepared A Provident Living Resource but found the identical recipe on several Internet sites.

Store bought Wheat Thins

Homemade "Wheat Thin" Crackers

Homemade Wheat Crackers

1 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c. white flour
1/3 c. oil
3/4 tsp. salt
1 c. water


In large mixing bowl, combine the flours.  In a blender (I used the Magic bullet) blend the oil, water and salt.  Add liquid mixture to dry, mixing well but as little as possible. Roll out very thin on an un-oiled cookie sheet - not more than 1/8" thick. I found it worked best to just use a glass to roll it out.  This recipe covered most of two 10 x 13 cookie sheets.
Score with a knife or pizza cutter (but don't cut all the way through the dough).  Prick each cracker several times with a fork.Sprinkle lightly with salt or onion salt, if desired.

Bake at 350F until crisp and light brown, about 25minutes. When cool,
separate into individual crackers.






printable recipe

I've been sitting here snacking on these crackers and some Wheat Thins from the store.  They are definitely NOT the same cracker.  That said the homemade ones aren't bad.  The texture (from the whole wheat flour, is a bit flakier, more like a graham cracker) and they are not as crisp.  The color is more brown.  The first difference I noticed though was the taste, the store bought crackers are sweeter.  I found that I didn't want to eat the homemade ones without something to dip them in or a piece of cheese on top.

I love how easy this recipe was to make, but I think I'd like to try a recipe with a bit of sugar or maybe even honey.  A lot of the on-line recipes had paprika too.  Another difference between this recipe and other on-line ones is oil vs. butter.  I think using oil probably makes it easier to make, but I'm betting the butter makes a better tasting cracker.  I'll have to get back to you on that.   (The next time I'm in the mood to grind whole wheat flour).

Sprouting

How to make your grains into your vegetables. 

picture credit:Adirondack Jersey Girl

Needed:  Moisture, warmth, air and the dormant kernels.

Grains you can sprout:

Alfalfa

Mung beans

Lentils

Peas

Garbanzo-beans

Pinto beans

Red beans

White beans
Peas

Soybeans

Rye

Wheat

Seeds sprouting in 2 days

Rye, Rice, Oats -2 cups per quart of water

Seeds sprouting in 3-5 days

Alfalfa - 1 Tbsp per quart of water

Lentils – 2 Tbsp per qt of water

Clover  - 2 Tbsp per qt of water

Mung – 2 Tbsp per qt of water

Garbanzo beans – ½ cup per qt of water

Tray Method:

Soak seeds in a glass of warm water overnight. Seeds will double 6 – 8 X during the

the sprouting process. After soaking overnight, put the seeds in a sprouter tray and

rinse thoroughly, tilting the tray to allow the water to run down (sprouts should be moist but not wet.)

Rinse sprouts in warm water 3-4 times a day depending on the weather.  There are two methods of rinsing.

1.      Fill your sink with several inches of water and agitate the tray up and down.

2.     Hold tray under tap and allow the water to run over the seeds. Most sprouts will be ready to eat after the third day.

Bottle Method:

Put seeds and water in a wide mouthed glass jar and soak at least 8-12 hours.  After soaking, cover bottle with some kind of sieve (cheese cloth, a nylon stocking or piece of fiberglass window screen).  Secure with elastic band or jar ring, so air and water can pass through freely.  Pour off water in jar and gently shake.  Lay the jar on its side in a dark place.  2-3 times a day spray water into the jar (use your faucet on high) swish the seeds around and drain completely (this is important).  After 3 to 7 days (depending on what you are sprouting) your sprouts will be ready to use).  The are best when they are small and just starting to turn green.  Store your sprouts in a covered bowl or food storage bag with a paper towel inside to absorb excess moisture. Use the sprouts within a week.

Sprouting Hints

·         Rotate your seed storage, as fresh seeds tend to be more viable than

those stored for long periods of time.

·         Tomato seeds cannot be sprouted.

·         After rinsing beans, do not use or drink the water.

·         Store sprouts in the refrigerator for 10-15 days.

·         Sprouts can be dried by letting them dry in the sprouter, placing them in a
low oven (100 degrees), or setting them out on a warm day.

Sprouting "Do Nots"

·         Do not leave seeds in water for over 20 hours or under 10 hours, 12 hours
is best.

·         Do not let seeds set in water while sprouting. They will drown and sour.

Be sure they drain well.

·        Do not use chemically treated water. Heavy amounts of chlorine can kill
the sprouts.

·         Do not use hot or cold water - hot water will cook them, cold water will
retard the growth. Keep them between 50-80 degrees.

·         Do not let seeds or sprouts dry out. Wash them morning and night, and 2-
3 times a day. In hot weather, rinse more often. They will turn brown if
they dry out.

·         Do not buy treated seeds that have poison on them to kill insects. It could.

                do the same to you!

Suggestions for using sprouts:

Mix sprouts into casseroles, nut loaves, meat loaves, poultry dressing, vegetable salads, gelatin salads, soups, stews, egg dishes, soufflés, scrambled eggs. For bread dough, use sprouts from wheat, rye or oats.

In soups, stews and omelets, add sprouts just before serving.

Most sprouts make a-fine crisp salad or sandwich filling when served with a dressing made from cream cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, avocados, cooked sprouts, mashed beans or cheese spread.

Sprouting Beans: Beans require different methods of sprouting. Navy bean, soybean and pinto bean sprouts should be cooked.

Pinto beans: Fill a 2 quart pan with water and soak one pint of beans for 12 hours. After 12 hours, spread beans out on sprouter or in tray that has a towel or several sheets of cotton cloth on the bottom. Be sure to rinse them every 4-5 hours and drain. Do not sprout for more than 3 days. If sprouts are more than- 1/4 inch long, the beans become mushy and have an odor.

Soybeans: It is best if these beans have several changes of water, about 3-4 times, while soaking them in their 12 hour swelling period because they have an anti-digestant enzyme in them that must be leached out.

Mung beans: These beans have 500% more vitamin C when sprouted. They are commonly known as Chinese bean sprouts and are best when sprouted 2-3 inches long. Be sure they are fresh seeds. They taste like sweet peas and can be used as such.

Other beans: Sprout as you would pinto beans. Changing water during soaking is a good practice on all types of beans, not just soybeans. Other beans may include red, navy, lentils, lima, black-eyed or kidney.  

Nutritional facts: Sprouting enhances the nutritional value of beans and also eliminates gas problems in your system. Beans have practically no vitamin count in the dry stage, but after they are sprouted, the nutritional assets multiply

Sprouted soybeans: Sprouted for only 3 days, the vitamin count jumps up around 700 mg and the vitamin B complexes increase tremendously. Vitamin B1, niacin and pantothenic acid double; vitamin B2 and folic acid increase to 500%. When sprouted, soybeans have 8 times more vitamin C than oranges and lemons. Sprouted wheat: Though wheat has very little vitamin C, this quantity increases 5 times, 600%, during early sprouting. Vitamin C reaches its peak of potency at 50 hours of sprouting, then starts to decline. Sprouted wheat, after drying, will retain its increased nutritional values. These sprouts also freeze well.

Sprouted oats: Sprouted oats increase 600% in folic acid and 1,350% in riboflavin compared to dry oats.

Sprouted alfalfa: Chlorophyll, enzymes, minerals and vitamins found in alfalfa serve as an aid in digestion and stimulate lagging appetites.

Wheat grass: Wheat grass is known as a blood purifier. To obtain wheat grass, let sprouts grow for more than 3 days into very thin grass blade, approximately 6-7 days. Then clip the grass with scissors and utilize them with liquids.

Much of this information comes from:  Bee Prepared A Provident Living Resource

   I found a copy of this pamphlet on the Internet  with a note saying one of the authors  (Christine Van Wagenen) has agreed to let it be copied, so long as it is done neatly.  Three years ago it was also able to be purchased in Sandy Utah at Help U Mail 10271 S 1300 E in Sandy, Utah

EDIT 1/24/2013
So today I printed this out with the grand idea of giving it a try and found - I still didn't get it.   So I headed over to Sprout People  they sell seeds and have great tutorials on how to sprout.  Here's my dumbed down version, that I will be trying today with wheat.

Put 2/3 a cup of seeds in qt jar, soak in cool water for 8-12 hours, cover with mesh and secure lid.
Rinse and drain
Sit in a corner in the kitchen - good air circulation, no direct sunlight, 70 degrees
After another 8-12 hours rinse and drain again - taste - do this 1 to 3 times, pick the tastiest for future trials.
Sprouts are ready 8-12 hours after final rinse and drain.
   The will store best in the fridge if they are dry to the touch - in a sealed plastic bag or container.

Whole Wheat Flour

 

Using Whole Wheat Flour

There are so many whole wheat recipes out there and your "classic" food storage always includes wheat.  I think that's one of the first reasons we (people in general) hesitate to start our food storage.  Wheat can be intimidating.  It's an unknown to most of us, at least to some degree.  My goal here is to share some really basic info about using whole wheat.  Comments or recipes would be appreciated.

• The word "whole" refers to the fact that all of the grain (bran, germ, and endosperm) is used. White - refined flour contains only the endosperm. The texture and brownish appearance is a result of using all of the grain.
• Whole wheat flour is rich in vitamin E and wheat germ, and is most nutritious right after grinding.
• Whole grain is a good source of calcium, iron, fiber^. 
• Regular "whole wheat" flour commonly used commercially has 70% of the germ removed to prevent rancidity, and as such cannot be labeled "whole grain".
• 1 cup minus 2 Tbsp whole wheat flour equals 1 cup white flour.
• Whole-wheat flour will go rancid faster than white flour due to the higher oil content.  It should be stored in the fridge.
•  Tips for baking with whole wheat flour

• Increase the water (the bran and germ absorb more water)
• knead the dough longer to allow the gluten to develop
• Rise longer before shaping dough (maybe even rise two times)
• Add fats (butter, oil or milk will also help
• In yeast bread use more yeast (if you aren't letting it rise longer)
• In products leavened with baking powder, increase the baking powder by 1 tsp for every 3 cups of flour. No change needed for products leavened with baking soda.
• For waffles and cakes which require eggs, separate the eggs an teat the whites until still then fold in just before baking.  For extra lightness add an extra separated egg.

Other posts you might like

Wheat Meat - Meatless Spaghetti and Meatballs from My Food Storage Cookbook
Whole Grain Recipes for Everything (really) from Chef Tess Bakeresse       
    WARNING - It's easy to get lost in this site - she has sooo much info -I LOVED it.  Here's one I'm definitely going to use - How to shape your bread dough
Graham Crackers
Whole Wheat Bread
Wheat Berries
Wheat Brownies
More Whole Wheat Bread
Wheat Angel Food Cake

45 lbs buckets of wheat for $18.75

 Are you  interested in purchasing 45 lb. buckets of white wheat?

Pick up date: Tuesday, Oct. 2 between 6 and 8 at the stake center.(LDS church on 4000) 

 Cost :  $18.75

comparison prices -  
Emergency Essentials -  $24.95 plus tax. 
LDS Food Storage Centers 25 lbs of wheat  $11.45 (so $18.32 for 40lbs) plus the cost of a bucket


There will be sign up sheets available on Sunday the 30th in each auxiliary

Patty's week without shopping

I know the posts usually say posted by Kristi but I hope you guys all realize that I post other people's ideas too.  Here another GREAT one from Patty W (Country view) and our stalwart Stake RS president.  I just love this lady, I think I'll take her some wheat berry cookies - can you make wheat berry cookies?  I actually kind of liked the things - my husband on the other hand has not so found memories of "rubber wheat balls" that his Mom made when he was a kid.

"rubber wheat balls"

I'm sure the reason more of you have not sent us your experience living off your food storage is because you are graciously waiting for me to be first, so I will. 

I knew we could go for a week without having to go to the store and wondered if I would get any insights from the experience.  I did. 

One not terribly important one was I needed a 100 watt light bulb for a bathroom and only had the efficiency kind that don't give off as much light as I like.  I will be buying light bulbs the next time I go to the store. 

The second thing I learned was I couldn't make my food sample for the preparedness fair because I had signed up to make the Sausage Wheat Berry Casserole but didn't have any sausage.  We don't usually eat sausage so I had to go buy some.  For the future I have looked into freeze dried sausage and this is what I found.  It lasts 25 years unopened and 1 year after opening.  It is expensive.  One company sells it for a little over $40.00 for 1.81 lbs in a #10 can.  A pantry size can sells for a little over $20.00 with a quantity of .64 lbs.  Another company has 34 oz. in a #10 can for a little under $40.00--the better deal.  I'll think about this one for a while, but will probably buy some real sausage, vacuum seal it for a longer freezer life and store it in the freezer.

The third thing I learned, and probably the most important for me, was I don't like wheat berries that much.  Oh sure, I could learn to like them when I run out of everything else, but when stressed with the emergency, I want something closer to comfort food or at least something familiar.  I won't be serving wheat berry recipes to Wally any time soon, but I am glad I have them.  I am also glad I now know how to fix wheat berries and think they will be great to add (probably in small quantities) to just about anything (my daughter found a recipe for, and made, wheat berry pudding).

Fourth, I have decided I am low on some of the canned goods I use all the time and will start buying double what I usually buy at the next case lot sale.  With my luck, the big emergency will come just days before the much awaited case lot sale.  If that happens, I guess I will boil some wheat berries.

What are Wheat Berries and How Do I Cook Them??

OK last post today, I promise.  I posted all of those recipes for the wheat berries with the instruction for making wheat berries and then thought to myself - "self, do you have any idea what you are talking about?"  so I googled wheat, berries, over and over.  Here's what I learned

1. Wheat berries are wheat grains, you soak, steam, boil them to prepare them and they get softer.  (Very familiar to us Mormons who commonly store wheat, so I don't think we need instructions on where to find them in health food stores - just go to your local case lot sale and you can pick some up.)

2. They are a whole grain so they are healthy - duh! 
               from nutritionist Leslie Beck

• Wheat berries are whole, unprocessed wheat kernels that contain all three parts of the grain, including the germ, bran and starchy endosperm.  Only the hull, the inedible outer layer of the grain, has been removed. As a result, wheat berries retain all of the grain's vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.  All wheat products are made from wheat berries, including white and whole-wheat flour.
• Wheat berries, like all whole grains, get the nod for their exceptional nutrient profile.  They're high in fibre, low in calories and packed with vitamins and minerals.  A half-cup (125 ml) serving of cooked wheat berries is a great source of manganese, selenium, phosphorus and magnesium.  Wheat berries also contain lignans, phytochemicals thought to guard against breast and prostate cancers.
  Whole grains are the corner stone of a healthy diet.  Canada's Food Guide recommends that half of the grain products you eat everyday be whole grain.  
  Wheat berries contain gluten, so they're not suitable for people with celiac disease.

3. Cooking instructions For stovetop cooking first rinse berries, then bring 2 ½ cups of water to a boil for every 1 cup of raw wheat berries.   Add wheat berries to boiling water, and stir until water returns to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until wheat berries are tender.  Remove from heat, drain off any excess water and fluff.  1 cup of raw wheat berries will yield 2 ½ cups cooked wheat berries. **update 4/16 - when I made them it was 1 cup wheat berries = 2 cups wheat berries, so it must depend a bit on how long or maybe the time of wheat???

usu extension suggested other ways of cooking:

In a pot with a fairly tight lid, combine 3 cups of water, and 1 cup of wheat. Bring to a boil. Allow to simmer ½ hour. Turn off the heat and allow the wheat to stand 8-12 hours. Drain any remaining liquid. Use or store in refrigerator, tightly covered, for no more than one week.

Thermos cooked: Put wheat and 2½ cups boiling water in a quart-sized thermos. Screw the top lightly and leave until morning.

Slow cooker method: Simmer ingredients on high for approximately 2-3 hours. Turn off the slow cooker and let it sit overnight untouched.