Some things to do with whole wheat flour.

I have a flour mill. I LOVE it. So does my husband. He loves it because of the things I do with it. Like make all our bread from scratch. And homemade whole wheat tortillas. (Never had one? AMAZING good!). Things just taste better with fresh, living flour, not the dead, rancid whole wheat flour that's been on a shelf for half a year. Also, with my wehat flour I can grind pastry fine wheat flour, SOO much different than the stuff at the store. Anyways. Best 180 dollars I ever spent.

Some things about wheat flour:

It soaks up more liquid than all-purpose flour. So I like to mix things up a little on the wet side, then let them sit for a couple minutes and see if they need more flour or not. 99% of the time, not.

It's just a little bit harder to get the gluten going. Which makes for more tender pastries, but if you don't develop the gluten enough bread will be dense and crumbly.

It tastes really really good!


Recipe #1: Tortillas!

2 c whole wheat flour
salt,
a big spoonful of shortening
warm water

Mix the flour with a little salt. I find that everyone has different preferences about how salty they like their bread, so I'll let you decide how much to use. I use about a half a teaspoon.
Cut in a spoonful of shortning. I use a little more shortening when I want a super flexible tortilla, and less when I want a thicker, more rigid tortilla. No more than a quarter cup though, or you will have a very tough piece of pie crust not a tortilla!
Stir in warm water to make a soft but kneadable dough. Knead a little bit. Break into walnut size lumps. Pinch each lump into a ball. Roll out quite thin.
Put a large pan on medium heat. (I prefer cast iron, but not everyone has it). Place a tortilla on the pan. When you can feel the heat of the pan through the tortilla, turn it over, let it sit briefly, and then take it off the pan and start the next one. If your tortillas are not flexible, you are cooking them too long!


Recipe #2: Drop-biscuits

2 c whole wheat flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 c shortening
1/8 c molasses
Milk or water

Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening. Add molassess, and milk to make a soft dough. Spoon onto cookie sheet, bake at 350 approximately fifteen minutes. You can bake these biscuits longer or shorter, depending on how crunchy you like the crust. Serve with butter and jam, honey, or syrup, or serve alongside soup, or with stew or chili spooned over them, or split in half to make a sandwich or however else you want!


Recipe #3: Dumplings

Same as drop-biscuits, except drop spoonfuls into boiling hot soup, cover tightly, and cook for about ten minutes (I think? I always just sample a dumpling to see if they're done). You can add herbs with the flour to make herbed dumplings. (sooo good!!)


Recipe #4: Pancakes

2 c whole wheat flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/8 c molassess
Milk or water

Optional, cut up fruit, raisins, nuts, spices, dried fruit, grated cheese, chocolate chips, leftover taco meat, leftover rice, or whatever else you want.

Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Add molassess, and enough milk or water to make a batter. Heat a frying pan on med heat, grease with oil, butter, or leftover bacon grease. Fry pancakes as usual. Adjust heat and batter thickness as necessary. Serve with butter and syrup, honey, or jam, or fresh fruit and whipped cream. (or if you mixed in leftover taco meat, try with grated cheese and salsa. MMmm!!!)


Eventually I will add my bread recipe here, but I would like to add photos and some video clips so you can see how it works. It's really good bread!!

Do you have good whole wheat recipes? Please share!!! Have you tried one of these recipes? How did it work for you? What changes did you make?

Creamy salad dressing

I used to think salad dressings were one of those things that you couldn't really make from scratch....before I learned that there isn't really anything you can't make from scratch.
I like this dressing, because it's made with stuff you probably have on hand, it's really easy, and it tastes good.

Creamy salad dressing
Mayonnaise. (the real stuff. Miracle whip or anything that tastes similar won't work. Besides, it's nasty......)
Lemon juice
Milk
Paprika
Garlic powder
Italian seasoning

Put mayo in a bowl. 1 large spoonful makes enough for two meals of salad at our house. Add some lemon juice. More lemon juice makes a nice lemony dressing that's good on chicken, less lemon makes it kind of like ranch dressing. Add milk to get the consistency you want. I tend to make it thinner so that it coats the lettuce easier. You're probably not going to get that super-thick store dressing consistency, but I don't like it that way myself so I don't care. Add the seasonings to taste. Whisk until smooth.

Something I like to do with this is take two frozen chicken breasts, coat them with the dressing and then breadcrumbs, dot with a little butter, and bake at 350 until the meat is done. It's not very crispy, but it has a lovely flavor and the chicken stays pretty juicy even if you overcook it a bit. (It will get dry eventually, but you have to REALLY overcook it.....)