Bread Wheat

Archive for June, 2008

Delicious, moist, nutritious, easy to make. What more could you want in a banana bread recipe

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Wheat and Wheat Gluten Are Not in These RecipesWheat is everywhere in the generic bread section, as well as in the fast food parlor. Even many packaged french fries contain wheat. Getting wheat out of your diet may be essential, reducing wheat intake for your health is hopefully why you are reading this.Some people want variety in their carbohydrate intake pattern, being aversive to becoming allergic to wheat. Others must absolutely avoid wheat, due to wheat allergies. Those of us who have overdone our wheat intake might also have made a decision to avoid  wheat.Here are some grains that may be used to substitute for wheat: millet, potato flour, potato starch, corn starch, soy flour, corn meal, quinoa, rice flour, flax seed, flax seed meal, sunflower seed meal, tapioca pearls, tapioca flour, “Bohne” beans (a native American food), oats, corn grits, hominy, puffed rice, puffed corn, puffed millet, amaranth flour, almond meal, chick pea tahini, chick pea flour; there are other choices as well.Soy flour is a gluten-free flour that may be used as a wheat flour substitute - using yogurt and sour cream, arrowroot powder or corn starch, an extra egg or two will add texture to the bread product that you are working on making.Potatoes may be stuffed and used as sandwich substitutes. Potatoes may also be used as toppings, chips, to create crackers, or even bread. Mashed potatoes can thicken gravy, soup, pudding.Corn is great in bakes, puddings, stews, salads, souffles, mixes mashes, and can even be used to top those dried tomato muffins, or tomato soup muffins that are making a comeback. The recipe is simple: 1 cup corn meal, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons sugar,1/2 cup cooked corn, 2 eggs, 1 can condensed tomato soup, 1/2 cup yogurt. Mix the ingredients together, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 - 20 minutes if using a baking tin, 20 - 25 minutes if using a square pan.Corn meal cakes are traditional like corn bread, corn muffins, johnny cake; pie crusts, puddings or bakes.

A Great Alternative to WheatMany people are starting to explore wheat free recipes because wheat, a staple of our everyday diet, has recently been tagged as a cause or irritator of various allergies and ailments. This is agreed upon by both the traditional and alternative medical fields. Although it’s been eaten throughout history, modern processing has taken the health out of wheat and added in some problems. Whether it’s brown and called “wheat bread” or bleached into white bread, it’s been discovered that numerous processed wheat products can cause or exacerbate  respiratory allergies, fatigue, stomach and intestinal disorders, joint inflammation, irritability and even ADHD (see “Wheat Allergy” in Web MD for starter info). So if you must have some sort of bread, wheat free recipes are advised.I’ve had some stomach problems, but alas, am an avid pancake lover! That’s a lot of wheat flour. So, in my search for wheat substitutes I discovered a host of wheat free recipes for pancakes! This is Good News for those who love breakfast but don’t know how to eat it without toast, a bagel or pancakes!!!Because manufactured grains other than wheat can be very specific in their nature and flavor, a specific brand is used in this wheat free recipe.Delicious Buttermilk-Nut PancakesOne of my many quick wheat free recipes!(This recipe should make 3 pancakes 5-6″ round, or 4-5 pancakes 3-4″ round, depending on how thick and big you want them.)1 and 1/4 cup Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix (contains buttermilk, rice flour and almond chips)2/3 cup water1 egg, beaten2/3 capful extra virgin olive oilPinch of salt1/3 cup chopped almonds or pecansPre-heat a greased fry pan or griddle to 400º.Hand-blend the pancake mix, water, pre-beaten egg, salt and EEOO until smooth.Add the selected nuts.Drop equal amounts of batter for each pancake (if done in a fry pan, a 6″ fry pan will take 1 large or 2 small pancakes at a time).When edges are brown, gently push a spatula underneath. If the batter is no longer sticking, flip the pancakes over.Finish to desired golden-brown.Trim as usual (suggestions: butter, syrup, sugar, cinnamon - yummmmm!)

Enjoy Delicious Baked Goods Without Wheat Flour!Wheat flour food allergies present definite problems when shopping, eating out and preparing home cooked meals. Labels must be read with a fine toothed comb to prevent serious reactions to even a small amount of gluten, a protein found in many grains, including wheat, oats, barley and  rye. Gluten destroys the intestinal lining, making it difficult for food to be absorbed and causes secondary allergic reactions such as skin rashes, eczema, arthritis and headaches. Eating out can be a nightmare, since it’s nearly impossible to discern every ingredient in foods prepared in a restaurant. Wheat allergy prohibits eating any type of commercial variety of baked goods, since most of them are made with white or wheat flour. Rice flour is a great alternative to wheat flour since it is made from either brown or white rice and contains no gluten. Although rice flour is a good substitute for wheat flour, some adjustments are needed to achieve a satisfactory product that is not just edible and serves the purpose of nutritional balance, but joins other food items in high quality taste and enjoyment. Between brown and white rice flour, brown rice flour is the better choice, since it is processed to retain more of the innate healthy components. To compensate for the ultra fine texture and lack of gluten in rice flour, amounts of liquids must be modified. It is a given that yeast breads made with rice flour will not rise the same as wheat flour based bread, since the elasticity of the gluten is missing. Flavor need not be sacrificed, however; with the right adjustment of ingredients, good tasting bread is entirely possible. Today rice flour can be found in almost any grocery store. No need to drool over those delicious-looking Biscotti and Banana Bread the rest of the family is enjoying any longer! These two recipes are healthy and flavorful; it’s hard to tell that they have no wheat flour in them. Rice Flour BiscottiNote: Biscotti means ‘twice-baked,’ so they are sliced & returned to the pan & baked again once they have cooled.

One Particular Seven Year Old is Making Sure the World Knows that Wheat Bread Will No Longer Be ToleratedI have an activist in my house.After tasting the spoils of the soft white bread for several months, I decided it was in her best interest to switch to something healthier. Boy, was that a dumb move. I soon found her door plastered with protest signs stating “No wheat bread allowed” (see photo).  This girls needs to be heard. And, that’s where you come in. The following interview was conducted today:Mick: I couldn’t help noticing the anti-wheat bread signs on your door. What do they represent?Daughter: It means I don’t like wheat bread.Mick: And what do you hope to accomplish by posting these signs?Daughter: That no one will bring wheat bread into my room, because I don’t like the way it smells and I don’t like the way it tastes.Mick: Who did you hope would see your signs?Daughter: Everybody who’s going into my room.Mick: Do you have other plans for the future regarding your dislike for wheat bread?Daughter: Well, can I talk about how I feel about wheat bread?Mick: Of course.Daughter: What I feel about wheat bread is…whenever I swallow it, it makes me have a funny feeling in my throat and I have to spit it out.Mick: Do you feel like you’ve been oppressed by wheat bread? Daughter: I do like the bread, but I don’t like the wheat in it. I like other types of grains but not wheat bread.Mick: What do you prefer?Daughter: I like oatmeal. I don’t know any other foods that has grains in it.Mick: If you could form a group of like-minded people who do not like wheat bread, what would you call it?Daughter: Wheat bread is NO!Mick: What would you like to tell the world?Daughter: I don’t like wheat bread.And that concluded the interview. I’d like to tell this to the world. Today it might be wheat bread. But tomorrow it could be poverty and racism. Baby steps. Baby steps…