I recently bought about 20 lbs of hard spring and soft winter wheat berries. I bought them without thinking about the fact that they are in berry form, not flour form! But then, Jennie came to my rescue by giving me this old school grain mill!
Nevermind that piece on the right. I don't know where it goes. For now, it just goes back in the box.
So, I grabbed a scoop of my wheat berries
Tossed them in my "Corona (AYE YAI YAI!!) Grain Mill" - The name felt quite festive!!!
And voila! Yeah - all I got were these lousy whole berries.
So, I ran back to the box which was still housing this little marble. Apparently, it's a very essential little marble!
So, I re-hooked the thingamabob to the doohicky and put Leo to work.
Believe me - turning this thing is men's work. NOT women's work...
And now we have flour!!! A beautiful light dusting of flour.
But the ground flour still looked pretty rough to me. So, unfortunately, I have to run our grain through the mill twice. A smart person would just shell out the $200+ for an electric grain mill. Well, the husband of my dreams bought me the camera of my dreams. And now I can only afford to take pictures of things that don't cost us any money. Like this Corona (AYE YAI YAI!) Grain Mill.
So after round 2 in the Grain Mill, the flour looks like perfection!
Now I pull out my pastry flour - Soft Winter Wheat Berries and begin again.
Oh the possibilities!! Cookies...cakes...pies...mmmmmm....
I capped the containers and happily put the flour in the freezer until I was ready to use it. Then I started to clean up. Holy MOLY there was a lot to clean up! The same amount of flour that was in my buckets also landed on my shirt, pants, floor, countertop, Elena's hair...
Oh. And then there's this:
The Corona Grain Mill got a little festive on my countertop and tore it to pieces. This mistake cost me $150. I should have just shelled out for the electric grain mill, right? So I told Jason that I'm putting a grain mill on my list and I will simply have to purchase one in the next year.
He told me, "No you don't. I'll be your electric grain mill."
TADA!!!!! Love him.
I spread the word about my countertop to my family. My mom pipes up and says, "There's something in my closet you might be interested in?"
A mid-80s Champion Juicer??? I wasn't that enthused but I thought I should take it anyway. Maybe I'll start juicing??
And then today I happened upon a Champion Grain Mill attachment for the Champion Juicer on Ebay! I might get my Electric Grain Mill afterall!!!
If you outbid me, I will send Captain Destructo after you to hunt you down and kill you...
With my newly-ground fresh flour, I made a few delicious things. I am practicing with "soaking my grains" before we cook with them to aid digestion and the nutritional value of the grain. The process requires a little extra thought, but is quite simple. I mixed the flour with some kefir and cover it to let it sit out on the countertop overnight.
The following day you just add the rest of your ingredients and cook!!
And Honey Wheat Bread!
And Simple Soaked Pancakes from Heavenly Homemakers
I was a little worried that Jason and the kids would notice the difference...
...But they LOVED them!!!
Soaked Pancakes (from Heavenly Homemaker)
Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour (or whatever grain you want)
1 cup raw milk plus 1 tbsp kefir (or buttermilk)
1 egg
3 T. melted butter (or coconut oil)
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. sea salt
Pour one tablespoon of kefir in a measuring cup and fill the rest with milk to reach 1 cup total. Stir the flour into the milk in a glass bowl. Cover with a cloth and leave on the counter overnight. In the morning, stir in the egg, melted butter, baking powder and salt. Whisk together, adding extra milk or buttermilk for the desired batter thickness you prefer.
Cook pancakes on a well buttered, hot skillet or griddle, flipping once bubbles begin to form. Serve with real maple syrup, applesauce, jelly, or any of your favorite pancake toppings!
No comments:
Post a Comment