Batter Bread

Beginner’s Batter Bread

1 Tbsp yeast

2 ½ Cups warm water

2 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp oil

1 teas salt

6 cups white flour

In a large mixing bowl dissolve yeast in warm water.  Stir in honey, oil and salt.  Mix in 4 cups of flour.  Beat on low until well blended.  Beat on high for one minute more.  Stir in remaining flour with a long handled spoon.  Cover and let rise until doubled in size.  Punch down batter by stirring about 30 strokes with a long handled spoon.  Spoon batter into two greased loaf pans.  Let rise until batter reaches the edge of the pan, but not over.  Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

Wheat bread: substitute half of the white flour for wheat flour.

Cinnamon Raisin bread:  Add 2 cups of raisins and 2 Tbsp of cinnamon.

Add raisins into batter at the same time as the 4 cups of flour.  For evenly distributed cinnamon add at the same time as the raisins.  For cinnamon swirl: add small amounts of cinnamon at a time while punching down the batter.

Pre-Sweetened Cereal Nuggets

Pre-Sweetened Cereal Nuggets
Prepare Cooked Whole Wheat Kernels recipe.  When wheat has cooled, stir in 3/4 cup sugar and  1/2 cup dry milk and put through a hand or elect food/meat grinder.  Spread out on a cookie sheet and bake at 300° F. until dry, stirring occasionally.

Get the Cooked Whole Wheat Kernels recipe HERE.

Cooked Whole Wheat Kernels

Cooked Whole Wheat  Kernels

1 Cup whole wheat
3 Cups water
1/2 teas. salt

Rinse wheat and add to boiling salted water.  Reduce heat and simmer 50 - 60 minutes.  Makes about 2 cups.
This can be served with a sweetener and milk as cereal or added to soups, casseroles, chowders, salads, and bread doughs.

Soaked Wheat: Soak wheat overnight in water with salt added.  Do not drain.  Bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes.

NOTE: Cracked wheat cooks faster than whole wheat.  White wheat tastes slightly different than red wheat, cooks faster and is chewier.

Baked Beans

Baked Beans
1 quart white beans
2 Tbsp dehydrated onion
1/4 C brown sugar
3 Tbsp molasses
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 C cooked bacon pieces, optional

Mix all ingredients in a pan and cook until heated.

NOTE: This recipe was adapted by me from the book Cookin' With Home Storage. The Settlers Baked Beans recipe.

Pinto Bean Fudge

Pinto Bean Fudge
1 C cooked pinto beans, mashed
1/4 to 1/2 C milk
1 Tbsp vanilla
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
6 Tbsp butter
2 lbs powdered sugar

Add milk to mashed pinto beans until the consistency is that of mashed potatoes. Add vanilla.  Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler and pour melted mixture into bean mixture and stir until slightly thickened.  Work in powdered sugar.  Knead with hands.  Spread into slightly buttered pan.  Refrigerate.  Makes 3 1/2 lbs.  Keep refrigerated.

NOTE:  Unfortunately I can't give credit to the person who gave me this recipe, because I have had it for over 25 years and don't remember who I got it from.
NOTE: I tried making this with mashed white beans and it tasted fine.  The only problem was that the skins didn't mash, so it made the texture different.  If you added walnuts then I don't think the skins would be noticed.

Cracked Wheat Cereal

Cracked Wheat Cereal
3 parts water to 1 part cracked wheat. Add salt to water if desired.  Heat water to boiling and add cracked wheat.  Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Toast the wheat before cracking for the best flavor.

Cracked Wheat Cereal for one female and one hungry male.
3 cups water
1/8 teas salt
1 cup cracked wheat
Bring water and salt to boil.  Add cracked wheat.  Cover pan and reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer 30 minutes.  Stir occasionally if needed.
I needed to stir the wheat back into the water, because it rose and stuck to the sides of the pan until it stopped boiling.

Go here for pictures of toasting and grinding the wheat and the cooked cereal pictures.

Whole Wheat Bread

Red text is updates added 12/23/15

Basic Whole Wheat Bread

2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet) Some bulk yeast packages have 2 1/4 teas = 1 packet

½ cup warm water

6 cups whole wheat flour (freshly ground wheat will be fluffier, so lightly tap it down into the cup)

2 teaspoons salt

2 ¼ cups warm water

2 Tablespoons honey

2 Tablespoons oil

2 Tablespoons Dough Enhancer

¼ teaspoon ginger

Making in a Kitchen Aid

Dissolve yeast in ½ cup of warm water.  Add yeast water and all other ingredients into Kitchen Aid mixer and mix until dough forms on hook.  Continue mixing for several more minutes.  Dough will be sticky.  Remove bowl from mixer and cover with a towel.  Let dough rise until double in size.  Punch dough down and shape into loaves with wet hands.  Put dough into two greased bread pans.  Cover and let rise again until double in size. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Making by hand

Dissolve yeast in ½ cup of warm water. In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients together.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Stir the liquid mixture into the flour, beginning in the center and working outward so that you first make a smooth batter, then gradually mix in the rest of the flour to make a soft dough.  Dough will be sticky.  Knead the dough until it is soft and stretchy.  Knead with damp hands.  Do not add more flour to your dough.  Cover with a towel.  Let dough rise until double in size.  Punch dough down and shape into loaves with wet hands.  Put dough into two greased bread pans.  Cover and let rise again until double in size. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Making by hand without the Dough Enhancer and or ginger

The dough will need a lot more mixing/kneading without these ingredients.  Plan to mix in a Kitchen Aid for 8 to 15 minutes.  Plan to knead by hand for 30 to 45 minutes.  When the dough has been mixed enough you can take a handful of dough and stretch it into a paper thin sheet of dough that will not break.

Caution

Do not add too many things to make your bread rise or you will find that it will fall while in the oven cooking.