[O6nop]

The posts and related articles in this forum are great and a lot of detail on what foods , storage methods and containers to use. However, I'm confused on what to do with them when they are needed,
Many of them I can figure out- rice, beans, canned foods,etc., but what about grains like wheat, oats and corn? Are there recipes or how-to's for these foods? Do you need to grind them before using to make bread? what re the other uses.
I apologize if this has been discussed already, I haven't found much on it.
I'd be interested in recipes, cooking methods and nutritional values.

 

[rainbowgardens]

I don't know of any way to make grain into bread other than grinding it. You could add some whole cooked grain to your bread dough for a nuttier, textured bread. I have done that with leftover cooked rice.
I have simmered wheat berries and whole oats to make a porridge. Add dried fruits, nuts and sweet spices like cinnamon and cloves.
You can also sprout the grains and use in casseroles, soups and salads. You could probably substitute the oats or wheat berries for rice in a pilaf.
Sproated or the whole cooked grains could also be used to stretch out ground meat for meatloafs or patties,

 

[blake0808]

Here are a couple of recipes to use for wheat if you don't have a grinder. You can use your blender They are actually really good and you can actually do pancakes or waffles from either of them. Be sure to blend the wheat and milk the entire 4-5 minutes for smooth pancakes.

Blender Wheat Pancakes

1 Cup Milk (translation for powdered milk is 3 T. Milk and 1 C. Water)
1 Cup Wheat Kernels, whole & uncooked
2 Eggs (2 T. powdered eggs 1/4 C. Water)
2 tsp Baking Powder
1-1/2 tsp Salt
2 Tbs. Oil
2 Tbs. Honey or Sugar

Put milk and wheat kernels in blender.Blend on highest speed for 4 or 5 minutes or until batter is smooth. Add eggs, oil, baking powder, salt and honey or sugar to above batter. Blend on low. Pour out batter into pancakes from the actual blender jar (only one thing to wash!) onto a hot greased or Pam prepared griddle or large frying pan.Cook; flipping pancakes when bubbles pop and create holes.

Pumpkin Blender Wheat Waffles with Caramel Sauce
1 Cup Milk (3 T. Powdered Milk and 1 C. Water)
1 Cup + 2 Tbs Wheat Kernels, whole & uncooked
2 Eggs (2 T. Powdered Eggs and 1/4 C. Water)
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 Cup Oil
1/2 Cup Pureed, Cooked Pumpkin
1-1/2 t. Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 Tbs. Sugar

Put milk and wheat kernels in blender. Blend on highest speed for 4 or 5 minutes or until batter is smooth. Add eggs, oil, baking powder, salt, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and honey or sugar to above batter. Blend on low. Pour batter into hot prepared waffle iron from the actual blender jar.

Caramel Syrup
3/4 C. Butter
1-1/2 C. Sugar
2 T. Light Corn Syrup
3/4 C. Buttermilk
1 t. Baking Soda
2 t. Vanilla
Combine ingredients in sauce pan (it gets frothy so make sure and use a large enough pan so it doesn't spill over). Stirring constantly, heat sauce until boiling and then boil for 5 minutes.

These are from a great website that has many more food storage recipes:

Check it out -- Everyday Food Storage

Blake0808

 

[endurance]

Wheat is best ground and made into flour then used to make breads. Buy a bread machine if you don't want to learn how to bake or don't have an alternative energy source big enough to run your oven. Store yeast and baking powder, too.

Oats can also be ground and used in breads. Personally, I think it's a great flavor if you just add a 1/4 cup to a two cup loaf. You can make oatmeal from it without grinding, but you have to soak or boil for a lot longer than instant oatmeal.

Corn can be ground to make cornmeal for corn bread. Also, you can reconstitute it with water during the day and cook it in butter. It's not the same as the fresh stuff, but it'll suffice. Don't have butter? Use some milk powder and make creamed corn.

 

[O6nop]

So, ultimately, grinding is the most necessary means for consuming grains. What type of grinders are best for home use and 'survival' use?
Manually operated - Electrically operated?

 

[endurance]

I have one of each. My hand operated mill will only do a half cup a minute, which would take four minutes to make just one small loaf of bread. While that's not too bad, my electric (not made anymore, was about $189 in 1991) can do cups at a time with no effort. If you're not planning on using your grain as a regular part of your diet, a hand mill should be fine. While I like the convenience of my electric mill, it's certainly not a necessity. You'd be better off buying a bread machine with that money so you have a reasonable way to cook. Also, pick up a good Mormon cookbook. I have a couple and they're great for giving you suggestions for cooking with grains. Start looking now, because there may be some suggestions that need ingredients you don't currently store.

I used to make tortilla's, too, but I've been lazy lately and just buy the store bought ones. Making them thin enough is a pain that's not worth the effort.

 

[EvilTOJ]

Corona mills are an inexpensive hand mill for grinding grain. They run between $30 to $60 and quite old school. The handle can be modified to be taken off and a drill to be attached if you have power (or just use those muscles to crank it you wuss ) The cup doesn't hold much grain, but a quaker oats tube makes a great grain hopper in a pinch.

 

[Chesapeake]

whole grains

You don't need to make a loaf of bread to use whole grains. They make a great hot cereal. This link has some other ways to use your whole grains.
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/collections/healthy_whole_grains_recipes.html

 

[NaeKid]

I have a very large stone Mortar and Pestle that I keep in my kitchen. Very (very) old school for cooking and mixing and such, but, its amazing the kinds of stuff you can do with it.

I grind my own fresh nutmeg. I powder my own dried hot peppers. I mash my own cinnamon. I use it for blending spices. Need some crushed almonds or cashews or .... use the Mortar and Pestle. I use it for alot of different things. Need corn-meal - make your own with dried corn kernels and the Mortar and Pestle. Want some whole-wheat flour - Mortar and Pestle again! It didn't cost me much money to purchase and it has paid for itself a thousand times over.

It makes a great "table center-piece". Warm in the oven (200° F) - fill with a hot sauce and allow your guests to scoop out whatever it was that you put into the bowl. Lots of uses .. just use your imagination!!

 

[Canadian]

The hand crank mill is the way to go. Clamps onto the table and is very easy to use and clean. I have the mortar and pestle too and it's fun. It's also not the fastest. It also won't hold very much unless it's huge. It can also be messy. Tough grains can jump out of the bowl when you're crushing them. In a survival situation I'd take the hand powered mill. You can do more faster especially if you're baking large batches.

Peace!

 

[oraltool]

If you look on some of the beer brewing forums like home brew talk they discuss and show mills built for grains that you can open and close to your needs from flour to milling for brewing beer. One is called a crankenstein.