If you can make a pizza crust -you can easily use the crust to make a calzone to change up the typical pizza and still enjoy an easy whole grain Italian meal!
Whole Wheat Calzones
Whole Wheat Pizza Crusts
Makes two 16 inch pizza crusts
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ Cups Warm Water
- 4 TBS Organic Evaporated Cane Crystals
- 2 TBS Olive Oil
- 4 Cups Freshly Milled Hard Wheat Flour
- 1 tsp Garlic Salt
- ½ tsp Onion Salt
- 1 ½ tsp Instant Active Yeast
Bread Machine Method:
Place all ingredients in the machine in order given. Make a ‘well’ for the yeast and put in the ‘well’. Set to dough or pizza dough setting. Machine should punch down after first rise.
Food Processor Method:
Use ‘S’ Blade. Place all dry ingredients in the food processor. Turn to pulsing while drizzling in the oil. Stop when mixed in. Now turn on and leave on drizzling in the water until dough forms a ‘ball’. Let ‘ball’ clean the sides and round the bowl between 20-25 times.
Place in greased bowl, cover and put in a warm place (85 degrees) until doubled in size.
Mixer & Hand Methods:
Mix yeast in with the flour and set aside. Mix all other ingredients in a large bowl until blended. Mix one cup of flour mixture in at a time until all incorporated. Knead 3-5 minutes until 2 finger poke test bounces back quickly.
Place in greased bowl, cover and put in a warm place (85 degrees) until doubled in size.
Forming:
Divide dough in to 2 (for large) or 4 (for small) balls of dough. Roll each out on to a floured surface and fill the center with a combination of cheeses: Ricotta, Mozzarella, Provolone and extra goodies such as mushrooms, peppers, pepperonis, cooked ground sausage (we like turkey sausage), onions (go light they get watery) and more. The possibilities are almost endless.
Fold one side over the other (stuffing in the middle will move) and turn up the edges and seal with a fork. Prick a few holes in the top for steam to escape.
Place on a cookie sheet or pyrex dish and brush a light egg wash.
Baking:
Bake at 375F until golden brown. Remove to cool for just a little bit so no one gets burned cutting into the gooey goodies inside the tasty pockets!
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Best Blessings and enJOY the journey!
Donna
If you can make a pizza crust -you can easily use the crust to make a calzone and put a twist on an Italian meal!
Whole Wheat Pizza Crusts
Makes two 16 inch pizza crusts
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ Cups Warm Water
- 4 TBS Organic Evaporated Cane Crystals
- 2 TBS Olive Oil
- 4 Cups Freshly Milled Hard Wheat Flour
- 1 tsp Garlic Salt
- ½ tsp Onion Salt
- 1 ½ tsp Instant Active Yeast
Bread Machine Method:
Place all ingredients in the machine in order given. Make a ‘well’ for the yeast and put in the ‘well’. Set to dough or pizza dough setting. Machine should punch down after first rise.
Food Processor Method:
Use ‘S’ Blade. Place all dry ingredients in the food processor. Turn to pulsing while drizzling in the oil. Stop when mixed in. Now turn on and leave on drizzling in the water until dough forms a ‘ball’. Let ‘ball’ clean the sides and round the bowl between 20-25 times.
Place in greased bowl, cover and put in a warm place (85 degrees) until doubled in size.
Mixer & Hand Methods:
Mix yeast in with the flour and set aside. Mix all other ingredients in a large bowl until blended. Mix one cup of flour mixture in at a time until all incorporated. Knead 3-5 minutes until 2 finger poke test bounces back quickly.
Place in greased bowl, cover and put in a warm place (85 degrees) until doubled in size.
Forming:
Divide dough in to 2 (for large) or 4 (for small) balls of dough. Roll each out on to a floured surface and fill the center with a combination of cheeses: Ricotta, Mozzarella, Provolone and extra goodies such as mushrooms, peppers, pepperonis, cooked ground sausage (we like turkey sausage), onions (go light they get watery) and more. The possibilities are almost endless.
Fold one side over the other (stuffing in the middle will move) and turn up the edges and seal with a fork. Prick a few holes in the top for steam to escape.
Place on a cookie sheet or pyrex dish and brush a light egg wash.
Forming:
Bake at 375F until golden brown. Remove to cool for just a little bit so no one gets burned cutting into the gooey goodies inside the tasty pockets!
– See more at: http://bakingwholegrains.com/whole-wheat-calzones/#sthash.N6k2gbUA.dpuf
With the rise in so many people being diagnosed as “Gluten Intolerant” or having a “Gluten Sensitive” it’s no wonder that this naturally occurring protein has gotten an undeserved bad name. Unless the diagnosis is actually “Celiac’s Disease” – you may just be one of the numerous people who are affected by our highly processed flour and diet and may not actually suffer from a true intolerance or sensitivity to gluten. I truly believe, and can attest to it personally for myself, that it is not gluten that is the problem for most people. It is the processing of flour to make it so-called “shelf worthy” that is a big problem.
The truth is that gluten is present in many grains, mostly however, wheat is the most widely used and recognized. Gluten was not ever meant to be consumed without the benefits of the entire grain – which you cannot get in a bag of dead store bough flour…even ‘whole’ wheat flour. Mostly because it isn’t the whole wheat kernel…although it may be allowed to labeled that way.
The wheat grain was created to work like all whole foods – with a synergistic relationship one part to another, with each part in tact. When a wheat grain is stripped down to make white flour all but the endosperm is discarded and we are left with the white flour that can hold together a paper mache’ creations – of course then gluten becomes an issue – where are the parts that help us to digest this ‘glue’? They are missing. Even in ‘whole wheat’ flour the wheat germ oil mostly is removed to prolong shelf life. Traces of it are left and the rancidity of the traces of oil is what cause the bitter taste in bagged ‘whole wheat’ flour. No wonder no one seems to think they can like whole wheat – they taste the rancid oil left in the bagged dead flour.
So there are two problems – just to name a a few that help to feed (no pun intended) this frenzy of gluten being a problem. It in fact is a fraction of a whole that was meant to work together in our digestive system.
Now let us just take a quick look at what is missing nutritionally when we consume only the white dead bagged flour.
It’s called ‘enriched’ flour for a reason. It has been ‘enriched’ with synthetic (yes, think – fake) vitamins and minerals to attempt to replace what has been removed when the other parts of the kernel have been omitted from your flour. 
This small diagram to the right (if you click it – it enlarges) shows what is missing when only the white flour is consumed. The lack of vital nutrients in the wheat flour that we consume is creating gluten sensitivities and intolerance – not the gluten itself. Gluten itself may not be the problem.
The bran contains more protein than the endosperm, trace oils (good oils too – natural vitamin E ) a very high percentage of one’s daily allowance of fiber and iron. Not to mention the B vitamins vital for energy in our bodies.
The germ is the powerhouse for the kernel that helps it grown into a live plant – and our commercialized process strips it from us. Highest in protein, it also contains the vital oils with their vitamin E and lipids and omega oils that we seem content to pay extra for in supplements. Iron and B vitamins are also very high in the wheat germ.
We are a people who are satiated, yet extremely malnourished.
Below are some personal stories about my journey to discover the real problem for me and I suspect for many who may be under the assumption they have a gluten problem. Please listen and watch to gain more information than is not included in this post.
You can listen to my story below and see the path that I personally took to prove that gluten was not the problem for me:
New Family Internet Radio with Millers Grain House on BlogTalkRadio
This video was one of my first on our YouTube Channel.
80+ videos later it still is one of my favorites for educating people about the benefits of home-milling.
I hope you enjoy…
Although often asked about my heritage – I do not have any Hispanic blood in my ancestry. Odd thing is, based on our favorite foods – you might think so. (:
So it is with this thought in mind I share one of my favorite versatile South of the Border foods. The tortilla! Of course I’m going to make it whole grain and with healthy oils so we can enjoy them more often. I’ve also included with this recipe is a video I made to make it easier to follow along…and a bonus idea at the very bottom to make this an even more versatile recipe. I hope you enjoy!
FRESH MILLED WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR TORTILLAS
Makes 8-12 servings
Dry Grains you need to mill:
1.5 Cups Hard Wheat (Red or White)
You may wish to use 3/4 hard and 3/4 soft wheat
‘Special’ Items Needed:
- Griddle, Large Sauce Pan or Electric Tortilla press
- Rolling pin (unless you have a Tortilla press)
- Plastic Wrap
List of Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Warm Water (you may not use it all)
- 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
- 2.5 Cups Freshly Milled Flour
Using fork or wire whisk, combine all dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Then drizzle the oil over top whisking in to mix to make small crumbles.
Now, with a spoon/spatula, slowly mix in warm water by drizzling in from down the side of the bowl while mixing. Combine enough water until mixture is moister than a yeast bread but drier than a muffin mix. When it pulls from the side of the bowl while mixing it should be ready. Turn the slightly tacky/sticky dough out on to plastic wrap and seal. Place in fridge for 10 -30 minutes.
Remove the dough and divide it into even size dough balls. Slightly flatten to hockey puck shape. Starting from the fist one you shaped/handled….work your way through them in this order (odd yes, but the extra ‘sit’ time helps them form).
Use Tortilla press if you have it per manufacturer instructions.
If you don’t have a press, then roll out each tortilla while griddle or sauce pan are pre-heating to med-low heat. When we roll these out we call them “American State Tortillas” – because some look like SC, or VA some are the shape of CA… but they all taste and wrap great anyway!
As each one is thin to your liking, flip onto a lightly greased griddle or sauce pan for a minute to two per side. You can get pretty good at this as you flip one roll another, remove and replace. You’ll have 8-12 of these done in no time.
Store in the refrigerator with a half of a paper towel between each in a zip lock bag for up to two weeks.
Bonus Recipe Idea:
Add a couple TBS of Organic Cane Juice Crystals and a dash or two of cinnamon to the dry mix. Sweet Tortillas to roll up fruits and cream cheese for a quick dessert or breakfast.
For more recipes, encouragement and tips – please Join Our Newsletter – we would love to keep in touch!
Best Blessings!
Donna Miller
Parmesan-Herb Bread
2lb Loaf Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ Cup Warm Water (100-110 degrees)
- 1 Tablespoon Oil (Olive, Canola, Safflower or Sunflower)
- ¼ Cup Sweet Stuff (Sugar, Honey or Sucanant)
- 1 Medium Egg
- 3 ½ Cups of Flour (this can be any combination of Whole Wheat and White Bread Flour – best for newbies to start out with 1 ½ Cups White & 2 Cups Whole Wheat)
- 1/4 C Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 TBS Oregano
- 1 tsp Onion Salt
- 1 tsp Garlic Salt
- ¼ Cup Gluten
- 1 ½ teaspoon Fleishmann’s Instant Yeast
- Another Egg & 1 TBS cold Water for Egg Wash
- Another 1/4 C Grated Parmesan Cheese
For Bread Machine: Put ingredients in in order given and set to
‘Dough Setting’ – now go fold clothes, vacuum and clean the shower
(o:
By Hand or with Mixer/Dough Hook : Mix all the water, oil, egg and sweet stuff together in your mixing bowl. Proof your yeast in the whole liquid if you want to. Instant yeast does not HAVE to be proofed (let get bubbly) but it won’t hurt it if you do. In a separate
bowl, mix all your dry ingredients (flours, gluten, salt and yeast
if you didn’t proof it).
Slowly add each of the dry ingredients to the liquid stirring until too hard to use a spoon, then start the hand kneading process (or if in the kitchen aid – start the dough hooks, or if in the Bosch Mixer…follow directions for kneading).
Knead (by hand, by hook or by Bosch ) minimum 10 minutes – up to 15 minutes – until dough feels elastic and looks silky-like (or in
Bosch Mixer – it pulls away from the sides).
Cover bowl with a clean cloth towel.
Let dough rise once in the bowl in semi warm place approximately 30 minutes or until double the size it started.
LIGHTLY punch it down to get all the air out after it rose the
first time.
(All above steps are usually done on ‘Dough Setting’ of your bread machine)
Turn out onto AN OILED (not floured – it makes it heavy and dense)
surface to REST for 5 minutes (this helps the gluten that has
formed to relax a bit and not ‘crack’ the crust).
Now form your loaf by flattening by hand, and rolling up like a
‘jelly roll’ and after tucking ends in and seam side down, place it
into a greased loaf pan.
Beat the 1TBS cold water in with one egg in a small bowl and brush the top of the loaf. Sprinkle with a light dusting of Parmesan Cheese.
Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise in a semi-warm place
another 30 minutes.
Last 10 minutes of rising, preheat oven to 350 degrees (be sure
your racks are placed so that loaves bake in the middle of the
oven).
Bake 18-22 minutes in center of the oven. Start checking for
golden tops and ‘hollow’ sound when top is tapped at about 18
minutes.
Take out of pans and cool on a wire rack.
Wait at least 10 minutes before attempting to cut – or it smooshes!
If you can wait that long after smelling it bake! Use a serrated
knife for best results in cutting.
Use a good olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping!
Other shapes/uses:
This same recipe can be many smaller shapes. Simply shape differently and bake approximately 15 minutes on 350.
Cloverleaf Rolls – about 12 – divide into 12 equal weight balls of dough. Then separate each each ball into three equal balls. Place all three in the base of a greased muffin tin. Fill each muffin tin with the 3 small dough balls made from the 12 larger dough balls. Brush with egg wash and top with the Parmesan Cheese. They will rise and and fill the muffin tin cup in about 30 minutes. Bake 15 minutes on 350. Cool on wire rack and store in airtight bag.
Herb Sticks – about 12 – divide into 12 equal weight balls of dough. Roll like a thick play-doh snake and place on a baking sheet not touching. Brush with egg wash and top with the Parmesan Cheese. They will rise and touch in about 30 minutes. Bake 15 minutes on 350. Cool on wire rack and store in airtight bag.
Dinner Rolls – about 24 – divide into 24 equal weight balls of dough. Make a ‘domino’ sized oblong dough ball with creases on the bottom and place in a casserole dish not quite touching. Brush with egg wash and top with the Parmesan Cheese. They will rise and touch in about 30 minutes. Bake 15 minutes on 350. Cool on wire rack and store in airtight bag. These will pull apart easily.
For step by step pictures and instructions of my FAVORITE way to shape and serve this recipe (Rosettes pictured below) be sure to see the instructions below.
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Shaping the Rossettes
Divide dough into 6-8 equal weighted balls of dough. Then take one and form a ‘snake’ about 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter.
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Then tie a ‘knot’ in the center of the ‘snake. It should look something like this.
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Then bring the longer end over the top of the dough knot tucking it into the center hole of the knot.
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Then bring tuck the remaining shorter end (see above) under the knot and pinch slightly into other dough to hold. This one has been transferred to the cookie sheet already.
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The finished product dusted with Parmesan and ready to eat!
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Sure. Maybe you thought that today was only Columbus Day, but nay there is a more pertinent holiday that just begs to compete with the accidental finding of our home land…and that is National Fluffernutter Day.
No. This is not another word from the movie Mary Poppins, but a real iconic sandwich (or variation there of) using peanut butter and marsh mallow fluff.
Although not a healthy food as depicted in the photo to the left, on white bread, it is often associated fondly with the nostalgia of childhood and thus, to me means we can grow it up a bit by making it healthier and still enjoy some of the fun too!
So let’s look at how to do this:
First – please try your hand at making your own PEANUT BUTTER. It’s easy and often less expensive. It also lacks those awful hydrogenated oils of the store bought variety. Also by using some Stevia vs. all Sugar (as the video linked above shows) you cut down on the sugar intake. Of course that ‘s a mute point was we get to the other ingredient… Marshmallow Creme, but oh well.
Marshmallow Creme is what it is. Although the one benefit is that it is a no fat food! So there, feel healthy. (o:
The last needed ingredient for your Grown-Up, Healthified, Fluffernutter Sandwich would be freshly milled 100% whole wheat bread. Here’s the recipe. If it’s made from home with all ingredients you can pronounce it’s much healthier.
Now put that sandwich together (go sparingly on the fillings, remember they do ooze) and just enjoy!
A few other options to enjoy National Fluffernutter Day are:
– Put home-made PB and Fluff on a Rice Cake
– Put home-made PB and Fluff on a Whole Wheat Pancake
– Put home-made PB and Fluff in between crackers.
It’s an odd food holiday…but a fun one we can still enjoy just a little bit if we put on our thinking caps.
We were recently asked this question. We hope that by sharing the anwer with you – we are able to help you as well.
————————
Hi guys. Love the info! My storage spot is the garage but Summer gets hot. Am I ruining the grains I’m starting to store?
————————
Answer:
Thank you for contacting us and for your kind remarks! We’re delighted to be of service.
Ruining? Not really. But you may be shortening the life of them.
Grain stays intact and fully nutritious at approx 80degrees at the hottest. Over that temp it begins to decompose/breakdown.
If the wheat germ oil inside gets consistently hot then cool then hot then cool it will make the wheat bitter tasting and thus, not so good when you go to use it. It may also not ‘act’ like regular flour either due to the density of the oil after prolonged heat.
Indoors. In dark or no exterior windows. Dry. Away from any heat source. No hotter than 80 degrees F. Is the optimum way to store grain to last for hundreds of years.
Hopefully this helps answer your question!
—
Joseph & Donna Miller, Owners
Millers Grain House
Thank you for allowing us to serve you. It is our pleasure!
Deut 28:5 – “A blessing upon your grain-basket and kneading-bowl.”
Feel free to contact our office via email or call during business hours.
Mon – Thurs 9:00-5:00, Fri 9:00-4:00 Eastern Time (Closed Sat & Sun)
1.828.536.4988
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One of the biggest joys of freshly milled whole wheat at home is experimenting and finding out just what can be made. Having the whole grain on hand, milling it and using it in a variety of ways just opens the doors wide for budget stretching and nutrition!
I used to think that English Muffins were one of the most difficult things to make. I mean, look at them! They are small discs of toasty goodness with the pull apart texture that makes them toast better than any slice of bread. Not to mention, we have always made Egg-Mc-Miller-Muffins for special occasions and I was afraid I’d mess things up by trying to make a Whole Wheat English Muffin. Boy, was I glad to be WRONG!
The May 31st Newsletter will have the full recipe and steps for making your own whole wheat English Muffins. Trust me, if I could do it – you can do it! So be sure you’re signed up for the Newsletter. Also, we’ll be 
having a live video class on this – so you can see the techniques and ask questions! We’ll notify you of that class in the newsletter too!
I’ll leave you with my favorite picture from my adventures in Whole Wheat English Muffins!
EnJOY playing with your food! You may never know what you can do until you try!
In videos, recipes and general conversation around my home, when we say the words, “whole wheat”, we only mean freshly milled whole wheat.
When we say flour, we mean freshly milled whole wheat flour.
We just don’t use any other type.
Dead-Whole-Wheat-Bagged-Flour has oxidized as it has sat in the bag. Also the miniscule amount of vitamin E (wheat germ oil) left after the majority of it being stripped from the grain during processing (for shelf life) has begun to go rancid. That is the bitter taste.
We have not used bagged whole wheat flour or bagged enriched white flour for YEARS. However, when sharing recipes, we may often simplify by just saying whole wheat or flour, but we always mean flour that has been freshly milled at home from the whole grain of wheat.
Coming soon is a brief video explanation of WHY we use freshly milled whole wheat flour on our YouTube Channel. Go subscribe to that channel to be more informed!
I hope you’ve had the chance to view our daughters’ video: Pancakes from Scratch. Below the video is the (whole) recipe and a little history behind this recipe that is a Miller Family Weekend Staple.
Usually every Sunday, we have either Whole Wheat pancakes made from scratch or Whole Grain Waffles made from scratch. As the girls show you above, it is actually quick and simple to mix all the dry ingredients together in one container and all the wet ingredients together in another the night before and have easy, almost instant Whole Wheat Pancakes faster than a box mix.
Heart-healthy Whole Wheat Pancakes
Wet Ingredients:
2 1/2 Cups of Low Fat Buttermilk
1/2 Cups Egg Whites
2 Whole Eggs
1/4 Cups Canola Oil
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Dry Ingredients:
4 Cups Fresh-Milled Whole Wheat (white wheat) Flour
2 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
Just follow their lead for instructions!
If you have left over pancakes (we do that on purpose) allow them to cool on a cooling rack and place in a zip-lock bag with wax or parchment paper between them and freeze. They pull out singularly and toast in a toaster to the perfect pancake once again! Great for those mornings on the go!
By the way, the ‘Yellow Bowl’ featured in many of our videos is the famous yellow bowl that has been in my newsletters before. It is one of the inanimate objects I would try to grab in a house fire. The reason is because it was one of the first things given to me by my mother-in-law (who also influenced my and the daughters’ love of cooking) and because we have so many family meals together that the beginnings of which start in that yellow bowl. It, it priceless only because it links me to my greatest gift on earth, my family.
I hope you enJOY and become a part of the Millers Grain House extended family by subscribing to our Newsletter. You’ll get free recipes!!
It wasn’t too many years ago that every morning moms around America would wake up early to put bread in the oven, or shuffle into town to the local bakery. Homes across the country would have the unique aroma of freshly baked bread.
While we are all thankful for the convenience of store-bought and pre-sliced bread today, there’s still nothing that compares to the smell and taste of a wonderful loaf of home-cooked bread.
Bread baking is an art, one that inspired Donna Miller to help pass it on to other families through Miller’s Grain House and her new e-book, Whole Wheat Bread Making.
Making your own whole wheat bread has several benefits:
- Simple enough for everyday, but delicious enough for special occasions.
- Your kitchen is filled with wonderful aromas.
- Making your own bread is healthier than preservative filled bread.
- Homemade bread tastes wonderful.
- Kneading bread dough is a great stress relieving exercise, and a great alternative to physical violence against the causes of your stress. (Offspring and spouses in particular.)
- Delicious satisfaction following a job well done.
- There is a wonderful smell from the cooling rack.
- More economical than store-bought bread.
- Huge variety of uses from simple toast or sandwiches to gourmet dinners.
- … And did we mention the amazing smell!
This e-book walks you step-by-step through every detail of becoming a master bread maker. It is filled with 40 pages of instructions, tips, detailed photos and diagrams showing you how to make a variety of whole wheat breads. Whether you prefer hand kneading or using a bread machine, you’ll receive detailed instructions. You’ll learn how to make perfectly formed the loaves with bakery perfection, and do free-form baking without a pan. You’ll learn kneading and folding techniques. It will help you choose the best bakeware and what to look for in a bread making machine. You’ll learn everything from setup to clean up. We teach you the proper way to slice bread without tearing. And… you will learn to make hoagie rolls, hot dog buns and hamburger buns.
Whether you want to make bread once a day or once a year, you’ll love this resource.
Donna Miller is a teacher, author, and talk radio host with two weekly broadcasts specializing in encouragement in the kitchen.
Donna’s e-book, Whole Wheat Bread Making, is available for instant download today for only $9.97. Downloaded to your computer, iPad or Kindle and get ready to bake.
Order the Make Bread e-book today! Order Here
Warning: Excessively awesome smells from your kitchen tend to attract neighbors, friends, and family. Miller’s Grain House cannot accept responsibility for the appearance of bread loving moochers. Possible side effects include: unwillingness to settle for store-bought in the future, improved health, random hugs and kisses from family members. Bake at your own risk!
FOR A SELF-SUSTAINING LIFE
