Rainy Day Foods wheat
September is National Preparedness Month and food storage is a major component of preparedness along with emergency supplies and non-food items. Having a supply of food can bring great peace of mind in times of economic hardship as well as those times of natural calamity. One of the staples of food storage is grain.
Grain is an excellent food storage item with a long shelf life when stored properly. In air-tight containers and at a cool, constant temperature grains can store up to thirty years. Grains are rich in protein, fiber, antioxidants, b-vitamins and other trace minerals. It is recommended that adults have three servings of grain daily. Grain as part of a healthy diet can help reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and certain cancers.
There are many varieties of grain. Among this list are wheat, spelt, kamut, amaranth, buckwheat, triticale, millet, oats, barley, rye and others. There is certain to be a grain that you will like and that will help fill your dietary needs.
Hard red and hard white wheat are some of the most popular grains and are used by many in bread baking. This is a recipe for Whole Wheat Bread using freshly ground Hard Red or Hard White wheat – or a combination of both.
WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
4 cups hot tap water
2 tablets Vitamin C-crushed
½ cup oil
½ cup honey
1 ½ tbs. salt
½ cup lecithin
10-12 cups whole-wheat flour
2 tbs. yeast
Grind 8-10 cups wheat. Using the hottest tap water measure and add crushed vitamin C. In the mixing bowl add the water to the oil, honey, and lecithin. Mix in 4 cups flour. Sprinkle yeast over top and let stand 5-6 minutes until bubbly. Add salt and 4-6 cups more flour and mix for 10-12 minutes. Dough should be smooth and elastic. Dough should pull away from sides of bowl. Dough should be moist and may be sticky. Adding too much flour will cause dry cracking bread. *Dough is thoroughly developed when you can pull off a small piece and stretch it to form a paper thin sheet.
Shape into loaves and place in well-greased bread pans. Let rise until double in size. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Temperatures and times will vary. Remove from pans and cool. Yields 5 medium loaves.
So, with recipe in hand, you can start off National Preparedness Month by adding a variety of grains to your food storage supply and take another step towards your Preparedness goal!
