got my wheat....now what?

[Sonan]

Got a great big bag of organic wheat at the health food store today. So, now I am wondering when I mill it, it is going to be okay for bread? Is it a bread making flour? Hmmm.. I have been using a little bread improver, so will that do?
And.....does using the wheat grain make your bread wholemeal or multigrain or what? And how much grain makes how much flour?

Sorry for all the silly questions! 

[Zan]

To make wholemeal I mill up to 100g of wheat (to around 400 of bread flour - I do a total of 500-520g of flours/grains), If you put it in whole with bread flour then you'll get a multi grain - well guess a single grain, lol!)
Same amount of grain to flour. 100g is 100g no matter the form.

[Sonan]

so, you don't use wheat exclusively to make your bread, you also buy bread flour?

[Zan]

Yep use bread flour as well.
The wheat just adds the grain/wholemeal side.

[Sonan]

ohhhh I thought that people milled their own flour in the TM to make bread ?

[Debbiebillg]

Interesting thread, I've wondered these things too just haven't got around to asking.  Will watch with interest. How many kg was the bag of wheat ?  I bet you're freaking now at how you can use it all (I would be).

Debbie

[cookie1]

You'll use it. I do the same. Mill about 100g and put that in with the baker's flour.

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

Some people do use mainly milled grain to make their bread (I think Quirky Jo uses 80% milled grain in one of her spelt loaves ).  It really depends on the texture that you like your bread to be.  Using mainly milled grain as your flour will normally make a much denser and heavier loaf.  Bread enhancers and improvers will help with a little if you are happy to use them in your bread.  Most TM bread recipes call for roughly 500g of flour and I tend to use 30-50% milled grain and the rest organic bread flour.

Most store bought wholemeal loaves contain less than 30% actual wholemeal flour (some much less than 30%) and some are dyed to get the brown "wholemeal" colour.

My advice would be to experiment and see what texture you like with your homemade bread. 

[achookwoman]

Chelsea is right on the ball.  I use about 1/3 of grain in a loaf or rolls. Some times this is just soaked a lightly boiled whole wheat,  other times it is ground.  I also add,  in addition a handful of whatever grains I have on hand.   Start out with some thing simple to get the feel,  then add what ever you fancy. Wholemeal flour required a little more water.  I have posted today,  under Bread,  a $1 loaf that is made with the 1/3 wholemeal to 2/3 commercial bread flour.  Let us know how you are going. 

[Sonan]

Hey thanks everyone
I guess that is one selling point they use for the thermomix - that you can mill your own flour......well I thought I would never buy flour again !! oh well.....

So, today I am waiting for some to rise before I bake....If you are familiar with Cyndi O'meara - it is her Bible Bread recipe. I hope it goes okay.

Will check out Quirky Cooking as well as Jo seems to cook like I do - I am looking for a really healthy, grainy bread full of seeds and stuff.

thanks again 

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

Hey thanks everyone
I guess that is one selling point they use for the thermomix - that you can mill your own flour......well I thought I would never buy flour again !! oh well.....

I thought the same thing.  No more store bought flour!!!  Using 30-50% milled flour in recipes still makes me happy though.  Most store bought wholemeal flour is rancid and contains mould spores so we are still winners even using small amounts of fresh flour.

The good news is that there are lots of other things you can use your grain for besides bread.  Here are some of the recipes from my blog that use 100% grain.  I have a bit of a passion for baking with wholegrains.

Wholegrain Chocolate Cake (our favourite cake)

Wholegrain Crepes

Choc Berry Self Saucing Wholegrain Pudding

Yummy Wholegrain Crumpets

Wholegrain Dutch Baby Pancakes

Wholegrain Pizza Crust

Wholegrain Sticky Date Pudding

[Sonan]

OMG !! thank you so much !! that is exactly what I needed !!!!
you are a legend 

[judydawn]

She is indeed Sonan.  I was just waiting to see what your reaction would be.  Chelsea has a wonderful blog, check it out.

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

You guys are so lovely.  I am thoroughly addicted to wholegrain baking. I love assembling all of the ingredients on my bench before I start baking.  Just looking at all of the natural things I will be using makes me happy.  One of the many joys of being a thermomix owner.    

[KarenH]

One of our family traditions is having pancakes for breakfast on Sunday mornings.  For the last 2 weeks I have made Chelsea's soaked wholegrain crepe mixture instead of our usual pancake batter - and it is fantastic!  Despite having to be a little more organised in order to get stuff soaking in time, the batter is sooooo easy and so yummy and a beautiful texture.

And tonight for the first time we made Chelsea's soaked wholegrain pizza crusts - and DH cooked them on a pizza stone in the weber.  Again, they were sensational!  The neighbours came over for dinner and the pizza crusts got rave reviews.

thank you thank you for introducing us to the idea of soaked wholegrains