Peanut Butter and Grain Recipes

Hi, I just posted these recipes on my own blog (http://homemadeandhops.blogspot.com/) but I wanted to make sure anyone on here who would like to can see them:


"1927 PB Bread"
from "As the Mill Wheel Turns: Tasty, Traditional Biscuits & Breads" by Patricia B. Mitchell (I picked this up in Lexington, MA at one of the historic homes gift shop).


Yeah, that's peanut butter in bread. Yes, it's as amazing as it sounds. It makes an awesome breakfast bread. The milk adds makes it taste creamy, like eating a peanut butter cookie with milk all in a bread. I didn't even put anything on it, but my housemate tried it with jelly and reported it was worth doing.

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt (I omitted this since my PB is salted)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used chunky which gave it some interesting texture)
1 2/3 cup milk

Mix the dry ingredients. In a different bowl combine thoroughly the remaining ingredients. Stir together the two mixtures. Spoon into a loaf pan, the inside bottom of which has been greased, and bake at 350F for around 45 minutes, or until firm (a knife inserted doesn't really ever come out clean because of the PB). How easy is that?

This bread does get a little dry and crumbly (at least it did for me) the longer it sits.

Chunky Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1.5 cups all-purpose flour (this was not from my farm share)
1/4 cup oats (this was!)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (again, I didn't include this because of my salted PB)
8 oz (1 cup) chunky peanut butter
6 fl ounces mild honey
4 ounces unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 Tbsp. vanilla
6 ounces semi or bitter sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.
Mix 1st 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Beat PB, honey, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla in large bowl until well blended.
Add dry ingredients into PB mixture and beat on low speed until well blended
Add in chocolate chips and mix.
Portion out cookie dough 3 inches apart onto parchment lined or buttered cookie sheet.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until tops are golden brown.

These are the moisest, most delicious PB chocolate chip cookies you will ever find.They were gone in no time.

If anyone has tried incorporating their whole wheat flour into cookies or anywhere else that says "all-purpose flour" and has any tricks, I'd love to hear them!

Finally, there's this: from my own recipe arsenal:

Peanut Butter and Raspberry Hot Cereal
This is my go-to breakfast these days

1/2 cup flaked wheat berries
1 cup of milk and/or water (or any combination of the two, milk substitutes also work fine)

Cook these on high in the microwave in an individual-sized bowl for 4 minutes. Since all microwaves are a little different, I would suggest keeping an eye on it the first time to make sure it doesn't boil over because who wants to clean up the microwave first thing in the morning? It the oats are too chewy/hard for you, cook it a little longer.

After it's cooked, add about 1-2 Tbsp (or whatever you want) of chunky peanut butter, raspberries/blueberries/whatever fruit is in season or in your freezer, honey/maple syrup (to taste), chia seeds, nuts, raisins, whatever else you want! It's super fun to play around with ingredients. I recently made some applesauce and added that along with my peanut butter instead of raspberries and it was Amazing. My housemate adds an entire chopped apple to the grain before she puts it in the microwave along with some cinnamon. Unsweetened cocoa powder along with some honey or brown sugar and your favorite nuts is a great dessert-like way to enjoy these grains.

Enjoy! Let me know what you've tried and any tips you have!
~erica

"Live" Muesli

This recipe is adapted from Robin Burnside's book "Homesteaders Kitchen" which I highly recommend as it has a fresh light take on farm fresh food recipes. She lives in Big Sur California, so some of her ingredients are not exactly local to here, so I have adapted this to include more fruits that can be grown here. According to Burnside, nuts and seeds have an enzyme inhibitor in them when they are raw, which soaking overnight removes. Other people like Sally Fallon also talk about this - the theory being that this inhibitor makes the nut or grain less digestible. I flake the grains I want to use all at once, and then combine the dry ingredients in this in bulk, and keep it in a big air-tight jar on my counter ready to soak it in a bowl the night before I want to eat it. It is very quick and easy to prepare.




1 cup oat groats
1 cup other flaked grains such as spelt, barley
1/2 cup almonds
 1/4 cup sunflower and pumpkin seeds
a dash of raisins, dried dates and/or other dried fruit diced, such as apricots
1/4 cup wheat bran (sift this out of your flour for a lighter bake and save it for this!)

Soak overnight in a generous bowl of water.
In the morning, strain the water out, then to the wet mixture add...

Chopped apples/plums/peaches/blueberries etc- whatever your hearts desire!
Yoghurt or your milk of choice
Optional - maple syrup or honey to sweeten, "superfoods" you like to add like flax oil, bee pollen or herbal powders.

Eat right away!

FYI

You will find a few small pieces of chaff and weed seeds that our cleaner missed in your grain. While these are not harmful, spending a few minuets picking through grain in a large bowl before cooking or milling can get these out. If I am going to cook the grain whole, I put the berries in a bowl of water to soak them and skim the odd bits of chaff and seed off the surface of the water with a slotted spoon.

Storage Recomendations

Storing Your Share

The surest method for storing whole grains is in a sealed, food grade container in a freezer.  Grain should be allowed to reach room temperature before milling or baking if possible. If you cannot store your grain in the freezer, the main factors to consider when choosing how to store your grains are:  oxygen, temperature, moisture, and pests. 

Flour and other processed grain is also best kept in the freezer for long term storage. Otherwise it is best to leave your grain whole and mill and refrigerate it close to when you need it, as flour goes rancid quickly at room temperature.

-Oxygen
 In order to preserve grains from oxidation, which degrades the nutritional value and taste, it is important to use airtight containers such as glass jars, food grade buckets or sealed plastic bags.  For long term storage (more than 3 months) it is best to remove the majority of the oxygen from the container itself.  This can be accomplished by vacuum sealing, dry ice, or the use of an oxygen absorber.

-Temperature
 Grain should be stored off the ground in a dry, dark location below 65 degrees F. The temperature should not fluctuate greatly in the storage location.

-Moisture
 Your grains have been dried to approximately 12% moisture, and need to be sealed in order to keep them from absorbing water.  Silica packets can be used to absorb excess moisture in the storage container. Silica is available in packets at camera shops and in bulk at craft stores. A double layered coffee filter filled with silica and tied tightly is about the right amount for a five gallon bucket. Make sure there is a barrier between your silica and the grain, such as keeping the grain in a paper bag.

-Pests
 Keeping your grain in airtight containers within a sealed container such as a food grade bucket with a lid, or a sealable metal can, will keep rodents and insects from your grain.  If you do get an infestation of grain moths, and don’t have enough room to freeze everything, freezing the grain in batches for a few days each before putting back in dry storage will stop their life cycle.

No-Kneed Bread

All Local Wheat No-Kneed Bread

This recipe bowled me over as it is so easy - good if you don't have time to make bread. It is as easy as making a batch of muffins. I adapted this from "Homegrown Whole Grains" by Sara Pitzer (an invaluable book you may have seen at the pick up). Note: This makes a flat, small loaf, a little small for sandwiches, but perfect size for toast!

Yield: 2 loaves

1 packet (1tbs) active dried yeast
1Tbs sugar
2 1/4 cups warm water
3Tbs Oil (I use olive)
6Tbs honey
1 t salt
51/2 cups wheat flour
1/2 cup dried milk (optional)
4 tsp vital wheat gluten (optional, but good for whole grain baking.)
Optional additions: dried herbs, sunflower seeds to sprinkle on top etc.

Dissolve the yeast and sugar and 1/2 cup of the water in a large mixing bowl. Let stand until mixture begins to bubble. Add the rest (1 3/4 cups) of the warm water, oil, honey and salt. Begin beating in the flour, when about 1/2 way through work in the dry milk and/or vital gluten, then beat in the rest of the flour. When the mixture is shiny and pulls away from the sides of the bowl in long elastic strands, divide into two greased pans, 5 x 9 inches or a little smaller. The dough should fill them about by about 1/2. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in bulk. Add sunflower seeds or other topping if desired, and bake at 400F for about 45 minuets, or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped. Allow to cool before serving.

Cool Whole Grain Salad

This is the recipe that I cooked for the potluck. I love it for it's versitility and the fact that it fills you up! I think it is also a great way to taste the nuances between different grains.

Cool Whole Grain Salad

1 cup whole wheat or other whole grains - experiment!

1/2 cup green onion chopped.
 Optional:
1 cup cooked beans
Kale or other dark steamed green
Grated carrots and/or beets, celery, etc
Adding melon or a citrus fruit can be a nice variation!


Vinaigrette Dressing: This is a basic one.
1/2 cup your favorite oil (I use olive)
2 tbs vinegar
2tbs lemon juice (or orange if adding fruit)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper.
Fresh or dried herbs of your liking (I usually add a bit of dill if I have it)

You can cook the wheatberries in a rice cooker, or on the stove top.  Place the wheat kernels in a bowl of cold water and skim off any weed seeds or chaff that our seed cleaner missed with a slotted spoon!
Strain and add 2 1/2 cups water (the ratio if you are expanding the recipe or you want extra cooked grain to add to yoghurt etc, is 1 cup berries to 2 1/2 cups water).  Cook in your rice cooker or on the stove top until al dente, about 50 minuets.  Cool, then add the other ingredients. You can let the salad marinate for a while, but if you leave it in the fridge too long it can get chewy.