You can save money and get healthy when you buy wheat berries in bulk. When stored properly wheat berries will keep up to 30 years, are delicious, nutritious, and can be used in a variety of ways. We really like wheat berries in a rice and wheat pilaf -- they have a wonderful nutty flavor -- but they can be easily ground for cream of wheat, bulgur wheat, or flour for bread (variations in the grind make the difference).
Grinding your own wheat has some nutritional advantages as well . Once you grind wheat into flour, its vitamins and minerals dissipate quickly, so the fresher the grind, the greater the nutrition.
According to this Web site ... which also has info on the different types of grinders available, costs, etc. ...
" ... within the first 24 hours the flour has lost 45% of it's nutrients and by the time 72 hours has passed it has lost a whopping 90%! 90% of nutritional value of the wholesome grain that does not make it in to your family's bodies."
For no-knead bread, here's a recipe posted on one of the food listservs I follow. It allows you to make a batch of dough in advance and then bake as you need it. We'll be trying this one out soon! ::: No-Knead Whole Grain Baguette Buns With Extra Sourdough Kick (this time, weigh out the ingredients) : Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
We buy our wheat berries through the Oklahoma Food Cooperative and keep them in food-grade plastic buckets with liners and Gamma Seal lids we found at this Web site. Bob Waldrop, the president of the food coop, also has a good bulgur wheat blog with lots of recipes.
