Organic wheat berries make nutrient-rich salad and flour
My Wheat Berries
I recently purchased a large bucket of organic wheat berries, with the intention of:
using it instead of rice and
grinding it into flour for sourdough baking.
For Thanksgiving (Canada) I cooked some berries in the Instant Pot and, yah, there was a lot leftover. That didn’t surprise me. It’s not our typical food option. Actually, I had intended to use the leftovers for a salad! The salad was just larger than planned, that’s all.
Wheat Berry Salad
rinse wheat berries well
cook wheat berries (I cooked them in 3 parts salted water, which was too much. Next time, I will try 2:1) for 30 minutes in the Instant Pot
Drain, if needed
Cool (I put it in the fridge overnight)
Mix in sliced cucumbers, onions, peppers, tomatoes (basically whatever you have on hand)
Add salad dressing
My Salad Dressing
This is my go-to recipe that I use for most salads
1 c water
1/2 c vinegar
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c olive oil
Salt and pepper
Taste and adapt as needed. I often add a bit more vinegar for that added kick.
Are wheat berries good for you?
First of all, we are talking organic because that’s what we do, when we can, as part of a simpler life.
“Wheat berries are the edible portion of a wheat kernel that includes the wheat bran, germ, and endosperm before processing the grain. The wheat kernel, germ and endosperm offer various healthy nutrients. That makes wheat berries a nutrient-dense superfood with immense health benefits.”
Equipment: Grain mills and coffee grinders are the typical tools for grinding wheat into flour.
For my flour grinding journey, I have purchased a grain mill attachment for my KitchenAid mixer. It is on its way, as I write this.
How much flour do you get from wheat berries?
1 cup of wheat berries makes about 1.5 cups of flour or so.
Inquiring Minds
I wonder … if I cook my wheat berries, as I did for my salad, freeze-dry them, and, then, grind them into a powder, would it still make bread and would that bread be easier to digest? And even if “yes” would I lose the protein benefits of the grain?
What do you think?
And, do you use wheat berries? Do you grind your own flour? I’d love to learn from your experience! - Debbie
