| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Rivergirl_2007 |
Posted - May 21 2010 : 10:25:40 AM
Hello to all - I have been away for a while and really need your help. My husband bought me a grain mill for Mother's Day - Yahoo!!! I have wanted one for years. Now I need to know which wheats to use for different needs. For example, what are the best uses for Hard Red, Hard White, and Soft White? Does anyone know of a website that explains the differences and their uses? I have joined a co-op where I can get all types of grains in 25 - 50 pound bags. Since I have an unlimited supply of field corn, can I use it to make my own cornmeal, masa, etc.? I also have all the soybeans I need. What can I use that for? I am so excited that I can make any kind of flour I want - as needed. |
| 4 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| quiltin mama |
Posted - May 25 2010 : 2:36:11 PM
I avoid soy so, no, I haven't used it. Sorry!
Linda- I didn't know that about soft wheats (the higher protien) thanks for sharing! :)
my blog www.mountainhomequilts.blogspot.com
handmade quilts on etsy www.mountainhomequilts.etsy.com |
| Rivergirl_2007 |
Posted - May 23 2010 : 10:42:13 AM
Heather - thank you for your response. I haven't found anything on the internet that says what to use for different projects. The only thing the health food store could tell me was to use soft white for pastery and hard red if I wanted a whole wheat type and hard white for a white bread.
Have you ever made soy flour? I am really new to grinding my own flours and meals. I want to try what we have on hand. |
| LindaAlbert |
Posted - May 23 2010 : 10:39:01 AM
I have used my Magic Mill for 20 years to grind all the flour for my baking. Hard and soft when describing wheat refers to protein level. Hard wheat is higher in protein and therefore gluten than soft wheat. Red and white refer to the color of the kernel and that affects the taste of the bran. Red wheat bran has a somewhat astringent taste. White wheat bran has a softer sweeter taste. If you can find Prairie Gold (the variety name) wheat it makes a lighter tasting 100% whole wheat loaf. I grind mine, as well as rye, on the between second finest and third finest setting. I use soft white wheat flour ground on my mill's finest setting for pastry flour and to mix 1/2 and 1/2 with regular hard whole wheat flour for quick breads and rich sweet breads I want to have a softer texture like cinnamon roll dough and babka. Soft wheat doesn't have enough protein to develop the gluten for my everyday and sourdough loafs. Dried hard dent corn is ground on a medium setting for corn meal. I had to get a grain flaker to get the right grind for corn for grits. The mill will also grind buckwheat and oats on a medium fine but oats on fine tend to clog it up because they generally have higher moisture. Never, never under any circumstances try to grind seeds in your grain mill. Sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, teff, pumpkin seeds will clog the mill due to the high oil content. Soybeans as well as other legumes might work but personally I would be wary. Drying them extra well in a dehydrator or a low oven might be good insurance against clogging your mill. IMO a much better machine for making legume flour would be a grain flaker and then running the grits through a blender or Vitamix.
Here's a link for Prairie Gold http://www.wheatmontana.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=169
I'm so lucky to live in the same area as Wheat Montana. I can buy all my grains in bulk from them and the grain is very clean.
Linda
"There is no faith which has never yet been broken except that of a truly faithful dog."
Konrad Lorenz |
| quiltin mama |
Posted - May 23 2010 : 07:04:34 AM
In my experience wheat is just wheat. The different types just have sligtly different textures but can all work the same. I've used HRW for baking bread but found that HWW works slightly better. I use wheat in biscuts, pancakes, tortillas, hamburger buns, basically any type of bread I am making.
my blog www.mountainhomequilts.blogspot.com
handmade quilts on etsy www.mountainhomequilts.etsy.com |
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