Tag Archive: wheat

Simple Flour Based Recipes For Your Survival Kit

Good, practical recipes can help you make the most efficient use of basic food staples in a survival situation!

Here is some great info from: Leon Pantenburg

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One my best learning experiences was serving a year in Volunteers In Service To America on the Omaha Indian Reservation in Macy, Nebraska.

My Omaha friends and I delighted in our cultural differences, but when it came to food, we all loved the traditional Omaha dishes of corn soup, beans and fry bread.

Here’s the story I was told about the food: As the Omahas were forced onto reservations in the late 1870s, they were also forced into survival mode.  The people would be issued monthly rations of flour, beans, parched corn or cornmeal and, if they were lucky, a few cattle.  That would be it until the next distribution.

So the Omahas and other tribes created recipes to use the government-issued food.  Beans were simmered with salt pork.  Parched corn became the basis of corn soup, along with some sort of meat.  Fry bread only had three ingredients.

My friend, Norma Leigh Dixon, made the best fry bread. She laughed when I asked for the recipe.

“What recipe?” she said. “You just mix flour, baking powder and water and fry it. That’s why it’s called fry bread!

Some useful recipes should be included in any prepper/survival/Bug Out backpack. It’s one thing to have staples, such as flour, but another to be able to consume them.  What happens during a survival situation, when you end up with a bag of flour, some baking powder, a campfire and hungry children?

One way to make the best use of basic food staples is to have good recipes!  Here are a couple of suggestions to make flour and water into a more tasty survival ration.

Bannock is the traditional bread of Canada and the Northwest. Native people had no access to flour prior to the arrival of European traders, although some flour substitutes existed, like wild turnips or corn, dried and ground to a powder.

Bannock actually originated in Scotland. Because bannock could be quickly prepared from readily available ingredients, and because these ingredients lasted a long time without spoiling, bannock became a staple of European fur traders and subsequently, the native people also.

Bannock recipe

1 c flour

4 tsp double-acting baking powder

2 Tbs powdered skim milk

Stir ingredients together; stir in water to make dough moist. Knead dough until smooth.  Place in greased cast iron skillet or Dutch oven and bake it about five to ten minutes over the campfire or on coals until it is brown on the bottom, then flip it, and brown the other side.

A handy way to prepare for a backpacking or hiking trip is to mix all the dry ingredients in a Ziplock bag.   Just add 1/2 cup water and knead in the bag. Then take out the dough, finish kneading and spread it in the pan.

(Practice baking the bannock by the campfire.  Put the dough in a greased skillet, and place it near the campfire, propped at about a 60-degree angle with a stick. When the side nearest the fire browns, flip the bread and brown the other side. In a pinch you could bake it on a plank!)

Fry Bread

To quote my friend Norma Leigh: “What recipe?” Use essentially the same combination of ingredients as for bannock, and fry in hot oil in a Dutch oven or skillet.  Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Hardtack

Hardtack is one of the original trail and emergency foods. Hardtack is simple to make, transports easily and will last a reasonably long time if stored in plastic bags or containers. The disadvantage is the bland taste, and traditional toughness.

(It only takes a few additional ingredients to turbocharge the nutritional value of hardtack. To each cup of flour in the recipe, add one tablespoon of soy flour, one teaspoon of wheat germ and one teaspoon of powdered milk. There is no difference in the taste, and these ingredients combine to make the bread a complete protein.)

Hardtack Recipe

Ingredients:

4 cups flour (preferably whole wheat)
4 teaspoons salt
Water (about 2 cups)

Pre-heat oven to 375° F
Makes about 10 pieces

Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl. Add just enough water (less than two cups) so that the mixture will stick together, producing a dough that won’t stick to hands, rolling pin or pan. Mix the dough by hand. Roll the dough out, shaping it roughly into a rectangle. Cut into the dough into squares about 3 x 3 inches and ½ inch thick.

After cutting the squares, press a pattern of four rows of four holes into each square, using a nail or other such object. Do not punch through the dough. The appearance you want is similar to that of a modern saltine cracker. Turn each square over and do the same thing to the other side.

Place the squares on an ungreased cookie sheet in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Turn each piece over and bake for another 30 minutes. The crackers should be slightly brown on both sides.

The fresh crackers are easily broken, but as they dry, they harden

Via: americanpreppersnetwork


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Prepping With Wheat Allergies

Anyone with allergies know how degraded they feel after they have a flare up.  Wheat allergies are among the top 8 food allergens that people suffer from in the United States.  The allergy is mainly due to the gluten.  Preppers with this allergy are looking at different sources to grains to get around this problem.

Wheat Alternatives

Most wheat alternatives are gluten free with the exception of barley and rye.  The list below are both wheat and gluten free.  Note: flours that do not have gluten will cause breads not to rise.  Unleavened breads can still be made.

  • Arrowroot Flour- This type of flour is ground from the root of the Arrowroot plant.  It is tasteless and ideal to use as a thickener.
  • Brown Rice Flour – Brown rice flour has a higher nutritional base compared to white rice flour.  It is much heavier in comparison to white rice flour.  And is suggested not to buy this in bulk as it is better used when it is fresh.
  • Buckwheat Flour – According to Dr. Weil, “Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) looks like a grain and tastes like a grain but isn’t one. Instead, it is a relative of rhubarb, and because it is gluten free, it is an ideal food for those allergic to the gluten in wheat and other true grains.”
  • Corn Flour – Corn is ground into a very fine powder. It has a bland taste and is therefore good to use for multiple recipes.
  • Corn Meal – Cornmeal is much heavier and courser than corn flour.
  • Nut Meals – Such as almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts can provide rich flavor as well as a good flour substitute for cookies and cakes.  Their shelf life is brief and should be stored correctly.  Most nut meals require a bonding agent such as eggs.  Note: chestnut flour has a longer shelf life.
  • Potato Flour – potato flour is not potato starch flour.  It does have a stronger flavor compared to other wheat alternatives.  Due to the heaviness, a little can go a long way.  The shelf life for this type of flour is not very long, so long term storage could be a problem.
  • Potato Starch Powder – This has a lighter potato flavor which is hardly detectable in recipes.  This type of flour keeps very well.
  • Quinoa Flour – “The Mother Seed” as the Incas call this has a large variety of vitamins and is high in protein.  Quinoa flour is not readily available in many stores, so locating this could pose a problem.
  • Soy Flour – This flour is a fine powder ground from soy beans.  It adds a pleasant texture to different recipes and is also high in protein and a good vitamin source.
  • Tampioca Flour – Tapioca flour adds chewiness to baking and is a good thickening agency.  It also stores well.
  • White Rice Flour –  this type flour does not have a high nutritional value.  The taste is bland and ideal for recipes that require light texture.  The shelf life is adequate as long as it is stored properly.

When Using Alternatives to Wheat Keep this In Mind

In the blog  Preparedenss Brings Peace, there were pre-measurements of these substitutes listed.

Try substituting 1 cup wheat flour with one of the following:

Barley 1-1/4 cups
Oat 1-1/3 cups
Rice 3/4 cup
Soy 1-1/3 cups
Corn 1 cup
Potato 3/4 cup
Rye 1-1/3 cups
Tapioca 1 cup

Potato and soy flours are best used in combination with other flours. They have a strong flavor and soy flour has a darker coloring. Rice flour gives a distinctively grainy texture to baked products. Rye flour is frequently used although it has a dark color and distinctive flavor. Barley, oat, and rye flours all contain slight amounts of gluten. Other grains are available that do not. Here are some suggestions:

Gluten-Free Flour Mix: 1 part white rice flour, 1 part corn starch, 1 part tapioca flour, 1/2 part white bean flour.

Rice Flour Mix: 3 cups brown rice flour, 1-1/4 cups potato starch or cornstarch, 3/4 cup tapioca flour.

Bean Flour Mix: 1-2/3 cups garbanzo/fava bean flour, 2 cups potato starch or cornstarch, 2/3 cup tapioca flour, 2/3 cup sorghum flour. Mix all ingredients together, use in place of wheat flour.”

Allergies to wheat products dos not need to stop a person from prepping.  There are alternatives available.  These alternatives may not have to same consistency that wheat products have, but most do the job nicely.

Via: wheat-free

 


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Alternate Flour Sources

Wheat allergies are among the top 8 food allergens that people suffer from in the United States.  The allergy is mainly due to the gluten.  People with this allergy are looking at different sources to grains to get around this problem.

Wheat Alternatives

Most wheat alternatives are gluten free with the exception of barley and rye.  The list below are both wheat and gluten free.  Note: flours that do not have gluten will cause breads not to rise.  Unleavened breads can still be made.

  • Arrowroot Flour- This type of flour is ground from the root of the Arrowroot plant.  It is tasteless and ideal to use as a thickener.
  • Brown Rice Flour – Brown rice flour has a higher nutritional base compared to white rice flour.  It is much heavier in comparison to white rice flour.  And is suggested not to buy this in bulk as it is better used when it is fresh.
  • Buckwheat Flour – The small seeds of the rhubarb plant are ground to make this flour type.  It has a strong nutty flavor that tends to overpower itself in the recipes.
  • Corn Flour – Corn is ground into a very fine powder. It has a bland taste and is therefore good to use for multiple recipes.
  • Corn Meal – Cornmeal is much heavier and courser than corn flour.
  • Nut Meals – Such as almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts can provide rich flavor as well as a good flour substitute for cookies and cakes.  Their shelf life is brief and should be stored correctly.  Most nut meals require a bonding agent such as eggs.  Note: chestnut flour has a longer shelf life.
  • Potato Flour – potato flour is not potato starch flour.  It does have a stronger flavor compared to other wheat alternatives.  Due to the heaviness, a little can go a long way.  The shelf life for this type of flour is not very long, so long term storage could be a problem.
  • Potato Starch Powder – This has a lighter potato flavor which is hardly detectable in recipes.  This type of flour keeps very well.
  • Quinoa Flour – “The Mother Seed” as the Incas call this has a large variety of vitamins and is high in protein.  Quinoa flour is not readily available in many stores, so locating this could pose a problem.
  • Soy Flour – This flour is a fine powder ground from soy beans.  It adds a pleasant texture to different recipes and is also high in protein and a good vitamin source.
  • Tampioca Flour – Tapioca flour adds chewiness to baking and is a good thickening agency.  It also stores well.
  • White Rice Flour –  this type flour does not have a high nutritional value.  The taste is bland and ideal for recipes that require light texture.  The shelf life is adequate as long as it is stored properly.

via:     wheat-free.org

 


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