Bare Minimums For Bread Making

The bare minimum you need to grind your own wheat is, of course, the wheat and a mill.  If you are fortunate enough to live in Montana or a larger city, wheat may be easier to find.  Since we live near neither, it takes some planning to get wheat.  The wheat I buy comes from the company Wheat Montana.  They have a website where you can see if they have a co-op near your city.  If not, companies like Something Better sell Wheat Montana's wheat and you have a smaller minimum order to meet to have a truck sent to you.  There is a minimum of 10,000 lbs. to have Wheat Montana send a truck to you.  That's a lot of wheat.

The mill I have is a Whisper Mill.  The Nutrimill is also popular.  Grinding your own wheat is as easy as the push of a button.  You can learn about different grains by searching them on the internet.  I use hard white and hard red wheat usually mixing the two together.  The red is more nutty and the white more mild.

I kneaded my own dough for 4 or 5 years before purchasing a mixer to knead it for me.  I was pregnant with our fourth child when my husband bought our Electrolux Assistent.  I think he was afraid I wouldn't make bread anymore without it.  It sure has made my life easier.  You put in your ingredients, set the timer, and walk away until the dough has been kneaded(about 15 minutes).  You are also able to knead much more dough at one time.  I make a triple batch which equals approximately 50 rolls or 4 loaves.  When kneading by hand, it is only possible to knead one batch at a time.  I freeze what we aren't going to eat that day and pull bread out as I need it.  Using this machine produces a much lighter bread, once baked.

I would advise to make the mill and wheat your initial investment and see if you really are going to make this lifestyle change; then buy the Electrolux Assistent once you have made the change.  You won't regret it

Top 11 Favorite Family Foods

Below is a list of our family's top 11 favorite (and healthy) foods:

1. Chili
2. Pizza bread
3. Breakfast casserole
4. Macaroni and cheese (with Barilla Plus noodles & white cheddar cheese)
5. Banana bread (See photo)
6. Whole wheat rolls
7. Chicken corn chowder
8. Cheeseburger soup
9. Mexican cornbread
10 Oatmeal bars (energy bars)
11. Pasta (Barilla Plus Pasta)

The Daily Grind

     Now, more about bread.  I regularly bake rolls, loaves, and pizza bread for my family.  I use recipies from the Bread Beckers book and especially like the Basic Dough Recipe because of the added flax seed and eggs that add omega 3's and protein.  In order to obtain the highest possible nutritional value, I grind only the amount of wheat I need so that the Vitamin E in the wheat doesn't oxidize.  Sue Becker of the Bread Beckers has written several excellent articles about the value of freshly ground wheat that can be found on their website.  Nothing beats the smell and taste of freshly baked breads (I just baked bread for dinner and two of my kids ate three pieces each).  If you are considering whole wheat for your family, I suggest you go ahead and make the leap.  As the saying goes, "The whiter the bread the sooner you're dead."

A Book That Changed How We Eat

The book that changed the way we eat is What the Bible Says About Healthy Living by Rex Russell (click link & type in title to bring up sellers).

One word for the wise: don't read it unless you want to change.  The main premise is to eat your food as close to the way God made it as possible.  Do away with processed foods.  No high fructose corn syrup, eat whole grains, fruits and vegetables etc.  Ten years ago it was difficult to find yogurt and other foods without high fructose syrup.  Today it's much easier.  Dannon Vanilla yogurt has sugar only.

The organic brands are always best, but they carry heftier price tags.  Honey Nut Cherrios have only sugar, but most of the name brands of cereal are loaded with it. 

I've discovered Mom's Best cereals at Wal-Mart.  The are cheaper and have no corn syrup. 

In the beginning you will have to read labels, read labels, read labels; but it won't be long before you find what your family like and what's good for them.

Now back to bread .........

I love my family enough for them to eat well

I am a homeschool mom with 4 children who swim competitively. I decided about 10 years ago to make my own bread. I have a friend who introduced me to "whole foods" and I began to grind my own wheat after researching the benefits of this. At that time, I was a part of an organic food co-op that I enjoyed when I only had 2 small children and had more time. Now with 2 teenagers and 2 smaller children, it is not feasible for me to buy all organic food at the grocery store or spend several hours a month being part of a co-op. Most of the bread we eat I make. It is only because of time constraints that I do not make it all. After learning about the benefits of "real bread", I will never go back to feeding my family store bought on a daily basis again. We decided that the foods we eat regularly would be free of high fructose corn syrup and low in sugar. I use honey in my breads and in our iced tea. We love the way we eat and many of our children's friends love to eat our baked goods.

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