Add Whole Grains to Your Favorite Bread Recipe for Healthy Breads

You can make great whole grain breads! Often it's as simple as substituting a whole grain blend for part of the flour in your favorite bread recipe. You may need to adjust the liquid a little but other than that, it can be a straight substitution. If you want a 100% whole grain bread, start with your favorite whole wheat bread recipe.

You can make great whole grain breads by starting with a white flour recipe and substituting the whole grains for part of the white flour. The result will be a lighter bread, sometimes an almost white bread, with a high fiber
and nutrient content. Of course, you can use part white flour and part whole wheat flour.

And it's simply exciting, what you can add to your bread recipe, items like this:

- Rolled oats.

- Rolled grain blends. Blends of rolled oats, wheat, barley, rye and others make fantastic breads. You can find rolled grain blends at natural food stores or online.

- Cracked grains. If you want chewy nuggets in your bread, choose a coarse chop. If you want the whole grains to blend, use a fine chop. Again these can be bought at natural food stores or online.

- Whole grain berries. For a chewy bread, try whole grain berries, usually wheat. To soften them, soak them overnight or partially cook them for 30 minutes.

- Whole seeds and nuts. Sunflower seeds and nuts are wonderful in breads. A mixture of whole grains and nuts is wonderful. You can also consider pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, and poppy seeds.

Your choice of chopped or rolled grains will create very different breads. Rolled grains almost disappear leaving tiny flecks of fiber in the bread and a creamy color (if you are using white flour). Rolled whole grains add flavor, texture, and richness to your breads. These breads are chewy and moist, keep exceptionally well, and tend to be less crumbly. Cracked grains add chewy nuggets to your bread but the texture and color tends to be the same.

How much whole grains that you add to your bread is a matter of preference. In our test kitchen, we have made many whole grain breads and have used as little as 1/3 cup of cracked grains or a cup or more of rolled grains.

Cracked grains are much denser than rolled grains.

The following recipe is a nice starting point. It has about 30% whole grain blend but is light enough in both texture and color that picky kids will eat it. For those of us that like a little substance to our bread, this fits the bill. This is a delightful bread.

Use this recipe as a base recipe for other breads using rolled whole grains. You might try the following combinations, adjusting the flour to make a soft, almost sticky dough of the right consistency.

- Instead of two cups grain blend, use four. Reduce the flour by about two cups.

- Instead of white bread flour, substitute half white and half stone ground whole wheat.

- Instead of white bread flour, use 100% stone ground whole wheat.

- Add 3/4 or one cup shelled sunflower seeds. The blend has sunflower seeds in it but at this concentration, it is not many. The seeds will absorb a bit of the moisture so be prepared to reduce the flour slightly.

- Add 1 1/2 cups raisins and 2 teaspoons good quality cinnamon. Double the honey.

This recipe makes two very nice loaves in 5 x 9-inch bread pans. The loaves weigh about 1 3/4 pounds each.

We have not tested this recipe in a bread machine. If you wish to use your bread machine, cut the recipe in half and use the dough setting.

Ingredients

2 1/3 cups water at 105 degrees
2 cups rolled grain cereal mix
1 7-gram packet of instant yeast, SAF or equal
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup Baker's Dry Milk (high heat treated dry milk) (see note)
5 cups high protein bread flour, more or less
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon quality dough conditioner or per producer's recommendation

Note: Milk contains an enzyme that retards the growth of yeast. High heat treatment destroys that enzyme resulting in taller loaves of bread. High heat treated dry milk can be purchased online.

Directions

Prepare two bread pans by greasing the inside of the pans including the rims.

1. Combine the grain blend, the water, and the yeast in the bowl of your stand-type mixer. Add the honey and the dry milk. Add about half of the flour and combine with the dough hook until the dough starts to come together. Add the butter and salt. Add more flour in several additions, beating after each, until a soft dough ball has formed. You should use about five cups of flour. Beat with the dough hook for four minutes at medium speed or until the gluten is developed. The dough should be soft (but not too sticky to handle), smooth, and elastic. Water absorption may vary depending on environmental conditions and the flour you use.

2. Place the dough in a large greased bowl and turn once to oil all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic and let the dough rise until doubled, about one hour.

3. Turn the dough onto a lightly greased work area. Deflate the dough by gently folding and pressing most of the air from the dough.

4. Divide the dough in two with a knife. Using your hands, form a cylinder by pulling the dough around the center and tucking the seams together on the bottom, thus gently stretching the surface of the dough. Pinch the seams together to keep them from opening as the loaf expands.Place seam side down in a prepared pan and repeat with the second loaf.

5. Cover lightly with greased plastic wrap or place the loaves in a large food-grade plastic bag and set aside to rise until doubled, about one hour. Rise times will vary with conditions, especially temperature--yeast is very sensitive to temperature.

6. While the bread is still rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

7. When the bread has risen, place the loaves on the center rack of the oven and leave as much room for the air to circulate around the loaves as possible. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the bread is done and well-browned. If you have a probe-type thermometer, the internal temperature should reach 190 degrees. Once baked, immediately remove the loaves from the pans and cool them on a wire rack.


Guest Author: Dennis Weaver is the president of The Prepared Pantry, a kitchen store with over 100 bread mixes and baking ingredients and whole grains including the grains, nuts, and seeds mentioned in this article. He has written numerous books, articles, and recipes, including a free 250 page e-book, "How to Bake," with recipes and techniques from the culinary schools.

http://www.preparedpantry.com/whole-grains-cooking-recipes.aspx

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Healthy Bread Articles from the blogosphere...

Healthy Bread Recipe: Flax, Sesame, Caraway, Poppy Seeds and Nuts

Fiber-rich Seeds & Nut bread recipe features whole wheat bread flour, rye flour, walnuts, honey and molasses with plenty of seeds for taste and texture.

Publish Date: 07/26/2010 10:05

http://breads-muffins.suite101.com/article.cfm/healthy-bread-recipe-flax-sesame-caraway-poppy-seeds-and-nuts

Instant Yeast vs. Active Dry Yeast in Homemade Bread Recipes

The list of healthy bread recipes below needs only one rise, or "proofing" - in the bread pans. Because the bread recipes use instant yeast, they don't need a second rising - a concept foreign to grandmothers everywhere. ...

Publish Date: 07/31/2010 23:17

http://breads-muffins.suite101.com/article.cfm/instant-yeast-vs-active-dry-yeast-in-homemade-bread-recipes

Healthy Blueberry Banana Bread-Cake

When life gives you ripe bananas and going-soft blueberries, make bread-cake! I call this “bread-cake” because it's very thick, very dense, and very moist. You can eat it like a slice of bread but had it been baked in a.

Publish Date: 07/28/2010 11:03

http://www.livelaugheat.com/2010/07/28/healthy-blueberry-banana-bread-cake/

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Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day

From the authors of the groundbreaking, hugely popular Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day comes a new cookbook filled with quick and easy recipes for healthy bread Their first book was called stupendous, genius, and the holy grail of bread making. N...

Make Sure Your Fish Oil is TG Based

Canada, Norway And The UK Have *Banned* Most Fish Oil Supplements From The US!

Canada might have the most strict health supplement regulations in the world, and so naturally their fish oil regulations are very strict. In fact, Canada has outlawed the sale of most fish oil products that are created in the US! Canada is in good company with Sweden and Denmark, who have also banned these omega 3s.

Why? The answer has to do with how bio-available the omega 3 fatty acids are, or how easily your body absorbs them and makes use of them. The reasoning is somewhat scientific, but I will simplify it to make it easier to understand.

The reason fish oil pills are so beneficial for our bodies is because they contain omega 3 fats. Omega 3s are good fats that are essential for health. Naturally, the omega 3s found in fish exist in the form of a triglyceride (TG). Each and every molecule consists of glycerol, an alcohol base, with three omega 3 fatty acids attached. These are definitely not the same kind of triglycerides that you are concerned about in your blood, so don't worry.

It's necessary to purify most fish oil because, unfortunately, the majority of fish contain excessive levels of toxins.

Most fish oil manufacturers employ a purifying process called molecular distillation to make their fish oils highly pure. But, omega 3s that naturally appear as triglycerides then are converted into a new formula called an ethyl ester (or EE). The glycerol alcohol base in the triglyceride (or TG) is exchanged for a molecule of ethanol.

What is the concern? It doesn't matter what alcohol base -glycerol or ethanol - is used, right?

Wrong, there is a huge difference that has prompted many countries to make it illegal! It ends up being the case that EE fish oil is much more difficult for the body to absorb than natural TG fish oil.

In fact, research has shown that TG fish oil has a 300% higher rate of absorption by the body, which means that EE oils are only 1/3 as absorbable as TG! But that is not where the problems end. Triglyceride (TG) omega 3 is absorbed by the body up to 50 times faster than ethyl ester (EE) omega 3, which as you can tell is significantly inferior!

EE fish oil is prohibited in Canada due to the problems that I've discussed. However, it is completely legal to sell EE in the US.

What a predicament. If we don't want to consume the poisonous toxins that are present in fish oil, then we must settle for a fish oil that barely gets absorbed and that s difficult for your body to make use of... Or do we?

Canadian fish oils that are purified are actually converted back to TG from their original EE form.

You're probably wondering: If TG based omega 3 is better in many ways than EE based omega 3, why do US producers of fish oil only usually produce EE oils?

Higher costs, of course! The manufacturers of fish oil must pay an additional 30 to convert their EE oils back into TG, but since consumers of fish oil aren't privy to the difference, these producers don't bother.

Furthermore, only a small percentage of them actually disclose that their fish oils are EE oils, so it s frustratingly hard to figure out what they contain.

However, since the large majority of fish oil supplements in the US are EE products, you can assume that a product is an EE unless it's labeled otherwise.

There exists only 2 brands made in the US that are TG based that are also tested by the third party International Fish Oil Standards: See Yourself Well and Nordic Naturals.

The research is pretty convincing that omega 3 products in triglyceride form are far superior to those that aren't (which is the majority of omega 3 products currently on the market).

If you re taking fish oil and want to ensure that you re getting the best product for your health, make sure yours is TG based.

Author Resource:-> Brittany Q. Wallace is a health and nutrition expert, with particular expertise with Omega-3 Fish Oil. You can read more on her site: http://www.fishoilblog.com/

Article From Articles For All

Try Sprouts for a Healthy and Balanced Digestion

Sprouts, they seem so fragile and just another funny health food. But these little young stems have stored an incredible number of powerful nutrients and enzymes.

You see, seeds are meant to provide the plant-growing-embryo with all the nutrients it will need during the first crucial days of its development. A tiny seed is a store house of nutrients in a dormant state until they are needed for the sprouting process.

When water is absorbed, a great deal of enzymes are activated so that the nutrients can become available to the plant embryo which starts to grow. This process reaches its peak during the 3rd to 5th day of sprouting.

Sprouts are then full of valuable activated nutrients and enzymes. For example, a sprouted mung bean has:

• The carbohydrate content of a melon
• The amount of vitamin A of lemon
• The amount of vitamin B1 of an avocado
• The amount of vitamin B2 of a dry apple
• The amount of vitamin B3 of a banana
• The amount of vitamin C of a loganberry

But it's not just the nutrients. The enzymes you can find in sprouts are of immense biological importance, too. This is because they contribute to the digestion of other foods in our gut.

It may sound a paradox, but a sprout can do a lot more for you than you might think.

Insufficient digestion is the source of many health problems.

As we age, the amount of enzymes our body produces drops significantly. After our 20's, this ability drops 13% every ten years. This means that our digestive capacity lessens as well.

We are not able to properly digest the amount of food we used to... but it is extremely rare to see the amount of food consumed being reduced. On the contrary, overeating is a common pattern we see establishing itself as people get older.

Poorly digested food in the gut is an immediate source of bacterial infection. Harmful bacteria get the chance to overgrow, reproduce quickly and produce toxins, thus the delicate good bacterial balance is lost and our gut is inflamed.

This can have devastating effects in the actual amount of nutrients absorbed, but it can cause an even more serious disruption of the intestinal function.

The inflammation causes the surface of the gut to be disrupted. This means that toxins and undigested food particles can now leak to the blood stream and migrate anywhere in the body causing systemic (and completely irrelevant to the digestion itself) problems.

So a simple imbalance in the amount of food consumed and the actual amount we can process can indeed be the source of numerous problems.

It is really challenging for a physician to diagnose the real cause behind these pathological conditions. The solution is to switch to a diet that works in harmony with our gut. You can see now how important the sprouts can be.

Raw fruit and vegetables are rich in nutrients and enzymes. But sprouted beans and seeds though have 10-100 times more enzymes and nutrients than raw fruit and plants. It can make a huge difference, if they are included in your diet.

The best sprouts to incorporate in your diet are the following:

• Mung beans
• Rye
• Wheat
• Alfa alfa
• Lentils

Guest Author for this post: Helen Davies, MSc is a medical researcher, and graduate from Imperial College London ( MSc in Human Molecular Genetics). As the founder of Primal Health company, her expertise focuses on Nutritional Genomics and Functional Medicine. If you are interested in learning more about food & DNA interactions, visit our website --> http://www.Primal-Health.com

Raw Honey Versus the Honey Most People Get

Image via Wikipedia

Those familiar with the bible have most certainly heard of Canaan. It was known best as the land of milk and honey. What do milk and honey have in common? Both of these elements in their purest states are unpasteurized.

Pasteurization was discovered in 1862, and was realized as a way to kill bacteria that accelerate spoiling of consumable goods. This is done by heat treating the edibles. The majority of goods found in the market today have been pasteurized in order to extend their shelf life.

Unfortunately, this process can also cause the disruption or loss of nutrients that are found in the natural byproduct of the animals. For years we have been stripping these nutrients in an effort to reduce spoilage and possible disease contamination, but most recently an effort has been made to go back to products found in a more natural state in order to reap their full benefits.

Some foods are clearly labeled as pasteurized, while others may need closer inspection of the label to determine what they are. One of these foods that needs extra consideration is honey.
There is a lot of work done by the bees in the manufacturing of honey. To begin, the worker bees will fly out as far as four miles from the hive in search of some local nectar. When the bee finds a flower, she will first consume nectar for her own nourishment, and will then consume additional nectar into an additional "honey stomach."

Upon returning to the hive, the contents of the worker bees secondary stomach is removed or sucked out by a house bee. The house bee chemically breaks down the polysaccharides of the nectar into some more simple sugars. This makes the nectar more easily digestible and results in honey that is spread throughout the honeycombs.

The bees have processed this sugar in a way to make it less vulnerable to bacteria within the hive as well. The bees will go one step further in their preservation process by fanning the honey with their wings to reduce it's moisture content - making it even less susceptible to bacteria. Honey is then sealed with a protective beeswax and kept until it is ready for consumption.

In this still pure state, the honey is packed with nutrients, antioxidants, and is an amazing energy source. In the United States, it is quite common for honey manufacturers to pasteurize the honey that is collected in an effort to destroy bacteria and prevent fermentation by unseen yeasts. This is done to help increase the shelf life of the sweet syrup, but as a side effect it removes additional nutrients that are beneficial to humans.

How do you know the condition of the honey you have purchased? Unprocessed honeys will be be labeled at 100 percent raw. You can obtain a fairly long shelf life with raw honey as long as you keep it stored under ideal conditions.

The bees have worked hard already to provide a product that is most beneficial in it's pure state. Next time you go shopping for honey, do have a good look at the label. You can enjoy all it has to offer when you can find truly raw honey.

Guest Author: Val Wilson is passionate about all things beekeeping! It is an incredibly rewarding hobby in so many ways, so if you would like more information about how to start beekeeping, go to http://www.bestbeekeeping.com and sign up for the FREE 7 day beekeeping ecourse.

What Features Should I Look For in an Electric Juicer?

Oneo f the best way to ensure that the fruits and vegetable you eat contains the highest level of nutritional value is to juice them. But what make a good juicer?

It is a good idea to know what features you are looking for before you run out and purchase a juicer. Even though it may seem like all of the electric juicer product lines are the same, it will largely depend on the brand as to whether or not it will last the test of time. Of course, it is also dependent on the features being
offered by your selected juicer that will determine whether or not you will find it enjoyable!

One of the more reliable companies in the market is Power Juicer. I remember purchasing my first Power Juicer and thinking to myself "how in the world can they afford to offer a lifelong warranty?" It wasn't until I opened the juicer up and started using it that the answer to my question became clear. When the electric juicer completed its cycle only a short time after tossing in a couple of apples, I found the quality of the juice being extracted was top class.

Breville is another juicer brand that I attempted to test out. Well, it was actually a gift for my son, as he was just moving away to college. I wanted to make sure that he would stay healthy, so I purchased a Breville electric juicer! This juicer came highly recommended by a friend, saying that it yielded the same quality as the Power Juicer, just at a lower price.

Features: The first feature you should look for in your electric juicer is, at least, an 800 watt motor. Power Juicer has what is called a High Performance internal motor, which would be just as efficient as an 800 watt model. This allows for a smoother consistency within the final product, and if you desire more or less frothiness in your juice, most models come with a 3 point adjusting setting interface, making it easy to switch from one mode to another with minimal trouble.

The second feature you should pay particularly close attention to is the pulp extraction filter. If it is not a stainless steel Micro Mesh pulp / seed filtration system, then it might just prove to be worthless. Not only will your pulp land
completely in the filter system, it will also become very dry, compared to other models. The last feature you need to pay close attention to is the juice extraction system. Most models now have a stainless steel blade separating the wheat from the chaff, to coin a phrase. This is the kind of extraction system you are going to want to have in your electric juicer, no questions asked!

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This article was written by an author that has spent considerable time researching the electric juicer market! However, if you require more technical information, simply visit http://www.juicer-guide.com

The Importance of Macronutrients

In trying to maintain a healthy diet, we often focus on exotic nutrients like antioxidants and trace minerals. But the macrocnutrients are just as important for our optimum health.

In fact, Macronutrients should take up the largest portion of your diet. This category of nutrients includes carbohydrates, protein and fat. Your body uses
macronutrients for energy, growth and repair. Different types of macronutrients do different things for your body, so it is important to get variety in your daily diet, Be sure to eat the right types of each class of macronutrient.

CARBOHYDRATES come in two forms: Simple and complex.

Simple carbohydrates are sugars that don't need to be broken down further by the digestive system. The body uses them for quick boosts of energy. Honey, maple syrup, soda, cookies, candy, table sugar and cakes are all sources of simple sugars... Since they are also high in calories, they should only be eaten occasionally. Instead, it is important to eat healthy sources of simple sugars, like fruit and fat-free or low-fat milk. These alternatives to sugary sweets offer vitamins, minerals and fiber as well.

Image via Wikipedia

Complex carbohydrates are larger molecular structures and digest more slowly in the stomach and intestines. They provide longer-lasting energy. Foods like bread, pasta, rice, oatmeal, corn and starchy vegetables (like potatoes and carrots) contain the highest amounts of complex carbs. Sources you should choose most often are vegetables, beans and whole-grain, high-fiber breads and cereals.

The right carbohydrates to keep in your diet are the complex carbohydrate. They provide fiber along with trace elements, vitamins and phytonutrients, as well as energy.

Complex carbs generally have a low-glycemic index - which means they release their sugar content more slowly into the blood stream. This is why they provide a longer energy supply and it is easier for your body to regulate its sugar levels.

The glycemic index is a way of measuring the rate at which carbohydrates are broken down and appear in the blood as simple sugars. Those foods that result in a rapid rise in blood sugar often have a high glycemic index. Carbohydrates that are broken down slowly and cause only a moderate, controlled increase in blood sugar often have a low glycemic index. Some carbohydrates fall in between.

High-glycemic foods provides quick energy, but it is usually short-lived and hunger soon returns. This crash stimulates many energy responses in our body chemistry, stressing our organs. Most convenience foods and many meal replacements and diet products on the market to-day are high-glycemic.

Low-glycemic foods provide greater satiety and sustained energy. By virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, low-glycemic foods can help control appetite and delay hunger.

PROTEIN - A healthy diet includes a variety of high-quality protein sources, including complete proteins, which contain all of the essential amino acids. Protein is what makes up bodily tissues, like the muscles, skin and organs. When you eat food containing protein, your digestive system breaks it down into smaller parts called amino acids. These amino acids are later used by the body to build and repair cells and tissues.

The two main sources of protein are: animal products, like meat, milk, fish and eggs and vegetable products, like beans,nuts,seeds and soy. To make sure you get all the essential amino acids, it's important to eat a wide variety of these protein-rich foods, such as lean meat, fish, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, eggs, nuts, seeds and beans.

FATS - Surprisingly, some fat is good for you! Your body needs it for proper brain development, like the fats omega-3 and omega-6, to bring certain vitamins through the brain barrier.

There are two types of fat: Saturated and unsaturated. Beneficial fats are high in essential fatty acids and low in saturated fatty acid.

Unsaturated fat is found in fish, like salmon and tuna, nuts, seeds, avocados and most vegetable oils. Most of the fat that you eat should come from these foods.

Saturated fat may increase your risk of heart disease. It is important to limit the amount you consume. No more than 10% of your total daily calories should be derived from saturated fat. It is found in food that come from animals, like red meat, butter, cheese, milk (except fat-free) and ice cream. Coconut and palm oils are also high in saturated fat and can be found in many store-bought baked foods.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A LOW-FAT, HIGH-FIBER DIET.

Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol and rich in fruits and vegetables and grain products that contain some type of fiber, particularly soluble fiber, have many health benefits. Unfortunately,the normal diet in to-day's society includes only one-half or two-thirds of the fiber necessary for optimal health. The positive impact of a high-fiber diet is increased when there is a concurrent reduction in the amount of saturated fat consumed.

Trans-fatty acids or trans fat can also raise the risk of heart disease. Trans fat is formed when liquid vegetable oils go through a chemical process called hydrogenation, which makes the oils into solid fat, like shortening and hard margarine. This process increases the shelf life of foods, including potato chips, cookies and fried food that we consume every day. Trans fat behaves like saturated fat: Clogging arteries and increasing LDL-C (bad cholesterol) levels. Trans fat may also reduce HDL (good cholesterol levels). The health risks posed by this dangerous fat have prompted many regulatory agencies to require that food manufacturers lists trans fat amounts on all nutritional labels. So when eating packaged foods, try to pick foods labeled 0g trans fat per serving.

A source for the information in this article comes form the publisher of => http://www.nutrobalance.com.

The Forehead Thermometer, a Hot Gift For the Holidays

With so much concern about the flu as well as the usual colds of the winter season, a great gift this year is the Forehead Thermometer. This is a digital device that makes it easy to read a person's temperature to check for fevers.


The instrument as the name, Forehead Thermometer indicates, is held lightly against a person's forehead until it "beeps" indicating that reading has been taken. The current temperature is displayed on an LED screen. A nice feature in these digital devices is that the previous recorded temperature is stored, so you can see if there has been any change.

While the Forehead Thermometer can be used on anyone - it is especially useful for families with babies or small children who traditionally have a hard time staying still for older methods of taking a temperature.

If you are looking for a useful gift that is perfect for anyone and everyone on your holiday gift list, I recommend you check out the Forehead Thermometer! There are many styles of forehead thermometers including:

Vicks Forehead Thermometer,

Summer Infant Forehead Thermometer Strips,

Temperature Check 4-in-1 Digital Infrared Thermometer (Ear/Forehead/Ambient/Clock) and the

Safety 1st 49540 Forehead Thermometer.