Lower Byrd Farm-Whole Wheat Goodness

Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

2010-10-14T09:30:00.001-07:00

Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies- yield about 4 1/2 dozen cookies

4 oz butter, 1/2 cup

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 tsp salt

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 large egg

1 tsp baking soda

1 3/4 cup ( 7 oz) fresh milled whole wheat flour

1 cup quick cooking rolled oats

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup dried cranberries or other dried fruits

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease two baking sheets. In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, shortening, sugars, vanilla, salt and vinegar. Add in the egg then the baking soda, vanilla and oats. Stir in the chips and dried fruit. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove the cookies form the oven, and cool on a rack.

Mushroom Wheat Berry Pilaf

2010-10-14T09:23:00.000-07:00

Mushroom Wheat Berry Pilaf

6 servings as a side dish

2 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1/2 tsp salt

5 loves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon butter

1 pound mushrooms, sliced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 cup red wine

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 1/2 cups cooked wheat berries

1 1/2 cups leftover cooked rice (white or brown)

1/2 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped

1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1 tsp lemon zest finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive in in large sauté pan over low heat. Add onions and salt and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 5 additional minutes. Add butter to pan. When melted add mushrooms, soy sauce and increase heat to medium and cooking 5- 10 minutes until mushrooms release their liquid. Add wine and chicken broth and simmer 5 minutes. Add wheat berries, rice and seasonings and heat.

To cook wheat berries, soak overnight. Rinse and cover with water. Briing to a boil and then simmer for 1 hour or until soft.

Curry Wheat Berry Salad

2010-07-16T18:11:00.000-07:00

1 1/2 cup wheat berries

1 apple peeled, cored and chopped finely

1 red or green pepper diced

1 small cucumber peeled and cubed into small pieces

1/3 cup of slivered or sliced almonds

1/3 cup raisins

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons chopped onion

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon curry powder

salt and pepper to taste

Soak wheat berries overnight in water.Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes. Drain and chill.

Combine wheat berries, apple, pepper cucumber, almonds and raisins. In a separate bowl combine olive oil, vinegar, honey, onion,garlic, lemon juice, and curry powder. Pour over wheat berry mixture and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill and serve.

100 % whole Wheat Bread-Traditional Method

2010-07-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

100 % Honey Whole Wheat Bread

1 1/4 cup warm water ( 110-115 F)

1/3 cup oil ( vegetable, olive, corn )

1/4 cup honey

4 1/2 cups fresh milled whole wheat flour ( 18 oz)

2 tsp salt

1 tablespoon instant yeast

1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten

Combine all ingredients a mix and knead them- by hand, mixer or bread machine- until you have a soft smooth dough. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place until its puffy and nearly double in bulk, 1 to 2 hours. Lightly grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan. Gently deflate the dough and shape into an 8-inch log. Place it in the prepared pan. cover the loaf gently with lightly grease plastic wrap allow it to rise till it's crowned about 1 1/2 inches over the rim of the pan 1 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours. near the end of the bread's rising time, preheat the oven to 350 F. Uncover and bake the bread for about 30-35 minutes, tenting it with foil after 15 minutes. the bread is done when it's golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 190F. Remove it from the oven, and after a few minutes turn out onto a cooling rack. Brush with melted butter, if desired to keep the crust soft. cool the bread for 30 minutes before slicing.

100% Whole Wheat Blondies with Chocolate Chunks

2010-07-03T14:28:00.000-07:00

100 % Whole Wheat Blondies with Chocolate Chunks

(Makes 24 squares)

½ cup butter

2 cups (15 oz) packed dark brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond, butter-rum or butter-pecan flavor extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups (6oz) freshly milled whole wheat flour

1 ½ cups chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan

Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl or in a saucepan set over low heat. Remove from the heat and add the sugar, mixing well. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let cool to lukewarm

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the vinegar, vanilla, flavor, baking powder and salt. Stir in the flour, nuts and chocolate chunks. Spread the batter in the prepared pan,

Bake the blondies until the top looks shiny 25-28 minutes. Do not overbake; bake just until the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before cutting.

Butter Brickle Biscotti

2010-07-03T14:26:00.000-07:00

Butter Brickle Biscotti

Makes 24 biscotti

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease or line with parchment paper a baking sheet.

6 tablespoons butter

¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

3 eggs

2 1/2 cups fresh ground whole wheat flour (10 oz)

1 cup toffee bits

Cream together the butter and sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Beat in the baking soda, salt, vanilla and almond extract. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the bowl. Add the flour and toffee bits, stirring until the dough is well mixed. The dough will be soft and sticky. If the dough is too sticky to handle stir in a little extra flour but not more than ¼ cup. a

Divide dough in half. On prepared pan form each half into a log about 2 inches wide and 8 inches long. Wet your fingers to make it easier to shape the dough. Smooth out the dough to make it as smooth and even as possible.

Bake the logs for 25 minutes and remove from oven.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F.

Slice with a serrated knife at ½ inch intervals. Arrange the slices, cut side up on the baking sheet. Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake until biscotti are light golden brown 15-20 minutes more. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan.

If you like anise and 1 tablespoon anise seed ( crushed) and substitute 1 cup toasted slivered almonds for the toffee bits.

Wheat Berry Greek Salad

2010-06-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

Wheat Berry Greek Salad

1 1/2 cups hard red wheat berries

1/2 medium red onion, chopped

1 medium cucumber, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, parsley or mint, chopped

1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped

5-6 oz Feta Cheese, crumbled

In a large pot combine the wheat berries and enough water to come 2 inches over the wheat berries. Let soak overnight. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered for 1 hour, or until tender. Drain and let cool. Combine remaining ingredients with cooled wheat berries. pour prepared dressing over salad and toss to combine well. Refrigerate until chilled.

Dressing

6 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine or cider vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice

2 tsp fresh oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp, ground black pepper

2 cloves, garlic, crushed

Combine dressing ingredients.

( You can also substitute a favorite Greek or Italian prepared bottled dressing)

Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

2010-06-21T17:53:00.000-07:00

Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

3 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon imitation maple flavor

2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini

2 1/2 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup sesame seed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat eggs with mixer, add oil, sugars and maple flavor; continue beating until mixture is thick and foamy. Stir in zucchini. combine flour and remaining ingredients, except sesame seed; stir gently into mixture just until blended. Divide batter equally between 2 greased and floured 5 x 9 x 3-inch loaf pans. Sprinkle sesame seed evenly over the top of each. Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes, turn out on wire racks to cool.

Whole Wheat Ginger Snaps

2010-06-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

Whole Wheat Ginger Snaps

1 cup butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup molasses

4 cups whole wheat flour ( 16 oz)

1 tablespoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons each ground nutmeg, cinnamon, ground cloves, ground allspice

white sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar until smooth. Mix in the eggs, and then the molasses. Combine the whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking power and spices . Stir the dry ingredients to combine then add to the molasses mixture and stir just until blended. Chill.

Roll the dough into small balls, dip the top of each into the remaining white sugar. Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the tops are cracked. bake longer for crispy cookies, less time for chewy cookies. Cool on wire racks. makes about 60 cookies.

Wheat Berry Waldorf Salad

2010-05-19T17:51:00.002-07:00

Wheat Berry Waldorf Salad

2 cups wheat berries

7 cups water

1 cup chopped walnuts

2 medium apples, unpeeled, cored and chopped

1 cup raisins

1 cup finely chopped parsley

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup apple juice or water

1 tablespoon salt

½ tsp freshly ground pepper

½ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1/8 cup lemon juice

Soak the wheat berries at least 6 to 8 hours or overnight in water to cover by a couple of inches. Drain the water, and set aside the wheat berries. In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the wheat berries to the boiling water and simmer them uncovered for about 50 minutes, or until they are totally cooked through. Wheat berries retain a firm, chewy texture when cooked. Drain the water, and set aside the wheat berries to cool. Transfer the wheat berries to a large mixing bowl, and add the walnuts, apples, raisins, parsley, vinegar, apple juice, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, olive oil, and lemon juice. Mix everything thoroughly. Add more salt if necessary, and serve.

Serves 4

Basic Whole Wheat Pancakes

2010-05-19T17:51:00.001-07:00

Basic Whole Wheat Pancakes

3 cups freshly milled whole wheat flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 ½ tsp. baking powder

1/3 cup oil

4 eggs

3-4 cups buttermilk*

Mix together dry ingredients. Add liquids. Stir just until mixed. Fry on hot oiled griddle or skillet. To make a lighter pancake you may separate the eggs and stir the egg yolks into the batter. Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form and fold them gently into the batter.

· To use milk instead of buttermilk omit and soda and increase baking powder to 4 tsp.

Wheat Berry Avocado Salad

2010-05-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

Wheat Berry Avocado Salad

Ingredients

2 cups wheat berries

4 cups water

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp salt

2 sun-dried tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed in garlic press

1 small red pepper, finely chopped

½ cup red onion, finely chopped

2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered

¼ cup fresh chopped herbs: parsley, basil, chives

1/3 cup olive oil

2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste up to 2 tsp of each

1 avocado, peeled and pit removed, diced

juice of 1 lemon

Directions

Wash the dried wheat berries and soak them overnight in the water. When ready to cook, add the dried herbs, 1 teaspoon salt, and the sun-dried tomatoes. water should cover the grains with about ½" on top. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to very low and simmer, covered, 45 minutes or until tender. Set aside to cool. Drain off any extra liquid (save to use in soup stock). Put cooked wheat berries in a bowl. Chop the sun-dried tomato finely and add back to the wheat berries. Add the olive oil, vinegar, crushed garlic.. Mix thoroughly. Add the red pepper, onion, and tomato.Toss and add the fresh herbs.Toss the avocado dice in the lemon juice. Add to the salad and mix in gently. Serve or chill and serve.

Wheat Berry Salad

2010-05-18T12:33:00.001-07:00

Wheat Berry Salad

Serves:6 servings, serving size 3/4 cup

Ingredients

· 1 1/2 cups hard wheat berries

· 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

· 2 stalks celery, finely chopped

· 1/2 cup tart dried cherries or cranberries, chopped

· 1 scallion, white and green parts, chopped

· 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley or cilantro leaves

· 3 tablespoons olive oil

· 2 tablespoons lemon juice

· Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large pot combine the wheat berries and enough water to come 2 inches over the wheat berries. Let soak overnight. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered for 1 hour, or until tender. Drain and let cool. Toast the walnuts in a medium dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes or spread on a baking sheet in a 350^o F oven for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the wheat berries, nuts, celery, dried cherries, scallions, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Excellent source of: Fiber, Vitamin K, Manganese Good source of: Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Copper, Iron

Whole Wheat Pancakes

2010-05-18T12:32:00.001-07:00

Basic Whole Wheat Pancakes

3 cups freshly milled whole wheat flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 ½ tsp. baking powder

1/3 cup oil

4 eggs

3-4 cups buttermilk*

· To use milk instead of buttermilk omit soda and increase baking powder to 4 tsp.

Add 1-2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Freeze leftover pancakes and reheat in microwave.

Cinnamon Struesel Whole Wheat Coffee Cake

2010-05-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

Cinnamon Struesel Whole Wheat Coffee Cake

Streusel topping

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon salt (if you use unsalted butter)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour ( 6 oz.)

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

6 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling

1 cup brown sugar, light or dark

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Cake

3/4 cup butter

1 teaspoon salt (1 ¼ teaspoons if you use unsalted butter)

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 large eggs

3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

1 1/4 cups milk (anything from skim to whole)

3 3/4 cups whole wheat flour (15 oz)

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan, or two 9" round cake pans.

2) Make the topping by whisking together the sugar, salt, flour, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter, stirring till well combined. Set the topping aside.

3) Make the filling by mixing together the brown sugar, cinnamon Set it aside.

4) To make the cake: In a large bowl, beat together the butter, salt, sugars, baking powder, and vanilla until well combined and smooth.

5) Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

6) In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream or yogurt and milk till well combined. You don't need to whisk out all the lumps.

7) Add the flour to the butter mixture alternately with the milk/sour cream mixture, beating gently to combine.

8) Pour/spread half the batter (a scant 3 cups) into the prepared pan(s), spreading all the way to the edges. If you're using two 9" round pans, spread 1 1/3 cups batter in each pan.

9) Sprinkle the filling evenly atop the batter.

10) Spread the remaining batter atop the filling. Use a table knife to gently swirl the filling into the batter, as though you were making a marble cake. Don't combine filling and batter thoroughly; just swirl the filling through the batter.

11) Sprinkle the topping over the batter in the pan.

12) Bake the cake until it's a dark golden brown around the edges; medium-golden with no light patches showing on top, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes for the 9" x 13" pan, 50 to 55 minutes for the 9" round pans. When pressed gently in the middle, the cake should spring back.

13) Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes before cutting and serving.

100% Whole Wheat Bread

2010-05-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

100 % Whole Wheat Bread for Bread Machine

Place in order in the pan to the bread machine, making sure the paddles are in place:

1 ¼ to ½ cups hot water
1/3 cup oil
¼ cup honey
4 ½ cups fresh milled whole wheat flour ( 18 oz)
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vital wheat gluten (optional)
Make a small well in the middle of the flour and place:

2 tsp. Yeast

Bake on desired setting.

Whole-Grain Brownies

2010-05-11T06:04:00.000-07:00

So moist, rich, and deeply, darkly chocolate, you won't believe these brownies are made from whole wheat. Their texture is greatly improved if you wait 24 hours before cutting them. Why? The wait gives the wheat bran a chance to soften and "disappear," texture-wise.

· 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

· 2 cups light brown sugar

· 3/4 cup cocoa

· 1 teaspoon salt

· 1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional but recommended

· 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

· 4 large eggs

· 1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour,

· 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan; line the pan with parchment paper if desired.

2. In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine.

3. Return the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly just till it's hot (about 110°F to 120°F) but not bubbling. Don't worry if it separates; just stir it briefly to recombine a bit. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

4. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder if using, and vanilla.

5. Add the eggs, stirring till smooth.

6. Then add the flour and chips, again stirring till smooth. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

7. Bake the brownies for 30 minutes, until a cake tester or sharp knife poked into the center reveals wet crumbs, but not raw batter. The brownies should feel set on the edges and in the center. Remove them from the oven, and cool completely on a rack.

8. Cover and let sit overnight before cutting and serving; this gives the bran a chance to soften and become "invisible" in your mouth.

Yield: 2 dozen 2" brownies.

Taken from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies 100% Whole Wheat

2010-05-09T18:38:00.000-07:00

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies 100 % Whole Wheat

Yield: about 3 dozen cookies

Baking Temperature: 375 ^oF

Baking Time: 12- 13 minutes

¾ cup (1 ½) sticks, 6 ounces) butter

1 cup (7 ½ ounces) packed light or dark brown sugar

1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon espresso power (optional) { I do use this}

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup (3 5/8 ounces) light corn syrup or brown sugar corn syrup

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

2 large eggs

2 ¼ cups (9 ounces) whole wheat flour

2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

In a saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, then stir in the sugar. Heat until the mixture is just beginning to bubble. Remove it from the burner or microwave, transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in 1 ½ cups of the chocolate chips, stir until melted and allow it to cool to lukewarm.

Stir in the vanilla, salt, baking soda, espresso power (if using), baking powder, corn syrup and vinegar. Add the eggs, beating well after each addition, then the flour, stirring to combine, and finally mix in the remaining 2 ½ cups chocolate chips. Refrigerate the dough, covered, overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375^oF. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies, reversing the pans midway through (top to bottom, bottom to top and reversing each front to back), until they’re just beginning to brown around the edges 12 to 13 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the pan, using a turner to loosen them after 5 minutes. Remove to cooling rack to finish cooling.

Things I learned along the way- 1) either weigh the flour or stir the flour with a fork to loosen it up before measuring, then lightly spoon into a cup and level- too much whole wheat flour will make the cookies dry. 2)don’t over bake the cookies –they will look under baked but finish baking and firming the 5 minutes they sit on the hot baking sheet 3) store air tight

Wheat Berry Hummus Recipe

2010-05-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

Wheat Berry Hummus Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 tablespoon jalapeno peppers, seeded & coarsely sliced, or more if you like it hot
2 cloves garlic
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 tsp mustard seeds .
1/4 tsp fennel seeds .
1 tsp fresh ginger, coarsely sliced .
1 1/2 c cooked wheat berries .
1 1/4 c pitted black olives .
2 tablespoons olive oil .
1/2 tsp salt.
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice or red wine vinegar
sliced fresh parsley or fresh cilantro (to garnish) .

Directions

Step #1 With food processor/blender running, , drop jalepeno pepper, garlic, onions, mustard & fennel seeds and ginger through feed tube.
Step #2 When minced, add wheat berries, olives, oil , salt and lemon juice.
Step #3 Process until olives are nearly pureed.
Step #4 Garnish with parsley or cilantro.

Refrigerate to chill and blend flavors. Serve with crackers, chips or vegetables.

Personal Notes

To cook wheat berries, soak overnight in pan covered with water. Rinse. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender. Rinse and drain well.