How to Cook With Wheat Berries

The most common wheat used and sold is Hard Red Wheat and White Wheat. Hard Red spring wheat has strong gluten and generally used for standard bread flour. Wheat is used in cakes, pasties, cookies, crackers and breakfast foods. So you have to use the flour according to what you are going to bake.

Wheat is an important product and needs to be in your home storage, but don’t just store it. Start using it now before you have an emergency and then wonder what to do with it. Some of us (not just adults but children also) are allergic to wheat so you must find out before you start storing wheat.

If you have wheat and are wondering what to do with it: Well start using it. It makes great hot cereal, bread and many other things, following are some recipes you can start with.

First, you need a grinder, whither it’s electric or hand powered. Of course in an emergency you won’t have electricity, so start with a hand grinder and make sure it works properly. Don’t just get one and put it away, use it.

Wheat Cereal

1 cup wheat berries
2 cups water
½ tsp. salt
Put in shallow pan or slow cooker. Bake overnight at 200 degrees. You can also soak the wheat overnight then cook on top of the stove for an hour. Serve with milk, sugar (brown also) a little cinnamon and honey. Top with berries or some such fruit and eat a delicious breakfast.

For a quicker method of Cereal (Cracked Wheat Cereal)

½ cup whole wheat
2 cups water
¼ tsp. salt
Crack wheat in blender on high speed for 35 to 40 seconds or crack with a hand grinder. Bring water and salt to a boil. Using a wire whisk to avoid lumps, gradually stir in cracked wheat. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes stirring occasionally. (I ate this for years and with milk and sugar is very good. Howard)

If you’re not crazy about hot cereal, try Pancakes

11/4 cups water
1 cup whole ground wheat
¼ cup nonfat dry milk
1 egg or egg substitute
2 Tbsp. oil
1 Tbsp. honey or sugar
¼ -1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp. baking powder
Mix water, ground wheat, and dry milk. Add egg, oil, honey, and salt. Mix, add baking powder, and mix. The mixture should foam up and get very light. Cook immediately on a hot nonstick griddle. Also makes greatfles.

I hope that this will help you get started on cooking wheat, more recipes to follow in the near future. As always, we would like to hear your comments suggestions.

Preparedness Mom