Up until now, I thought that flour was a nutrition-less substance which was only good for making delicious baked goods and thickening sauces. For a few years now, I've been using 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 white flour. I thought I was doing a good thing, but I've learned that I could be doing better!
Let me drop some knowledge:
Wheat grains are made up of three parts:
Bran: the outer layer where all the roughage that helps move unwanted poisons and toxins through your system is found. The bran also contains numerous vitamins, minerals, and proteins.
Germ: the "health center of the grain", overflowing with vitamins B and E, as well as unsaturated fat and protein
Endosperm: the starchy white center
So, in its purest form, whole grains contains lots of things that are good for you. However, when grain is milled into flour, if it's not refrigerated the oils from the bran and germ go rancid. Because of this, the flour we buy in the store is made without the bran and germ, just the endosperm...which has no really nutritional value. When you see "enriched" wheat on a package, usually that means some of the vitamins have been replaced (obviously this is not done naturally) but not the fiber or protein.
So, bread can be "good for you" she says??
I do say! If you mill your own wheat you can make flour that still contains all the nutrients it was meant to have! O glorious day! The nutritious possibilities are endless... cakes and cookies with vitamins and minerals....pancakes that don't taste like cardboard, and contain nutrients that don't make you feel guilty. (Dear reader, I haven't forgotten about the sugar content of these items, I just want to celebrate the small victories...)
Pizza Pie
Last night for dinner I made our usual pizza. My homemade pizza has been a tradition for us the last two years. It started because I am a pizza snob a.k.a. New Yorker and couldn't stand eating Dominos or Anthonys (military people, you know what I'm talking about). I tried a recipe for pizza dough and it was delicious! Last night, I made the same recipe, using fresh milled flour. Enter snazzy mixer....
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| From White Girl Gone Green |
That beautiful machine was a Christmas present from my mom. It is the best gift I ever received! (Sorry, Chris, the diamond earrings were nice, but they can't knead dough for me.)
The pizza was amazing and so was the feeling that I was getting added vitamins, fiber, etc, and less (almost no) grease! Stay tuned for my next post in which I make pasta sauce!! mmmm....
Source:http://www.homesteadharvest.com/article8.html
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