Raw Stone Ground Wheat?

[aubrey]

I really just can't stand the taste of flax...and a lot of the breads and crackers in the dehydrator call for flax meal. Well, I found a raw stone ground wheat flour...the only ingredient is stone ground wheat, and I checked with the manufacturer and it is indeed raw.

Is this something that can be used as a raw substitute for flax meal?

[Veganforlife]

Well, I know the flax has a gelling property that helps "glue" things together, so you may want to add psyllium husk powder or chia seeds to mimic that glueing...
dunno:confused:

[aubrey]

Thanks, Veganforlife. :) If I find out anything further, I'll post it here. I made a pizza crust last night using almond meal and raw stone ground wheat with water, a little agave nectar, and some spices and it turned out great! Nice and soft and chewy like a real pizza crust!

[crawmommy]

aubrey,
Where did u find the raw stone ground wheat? I am interested.

[aubrey]

If you have a mortar and pestle and feel like spending the time, you can do it yourself. Or, I think it is arrowheadmills.com where you can get a bunch of organic, additive free flours. I did research and found this:

"STONE-GRINDING OF GRAIN: In the third century B.C., rotary grindstones powered by animals, and small rotary hand mills called querns, replaced stone or wooden mortars and pestles for the grinding of grains. Querns are still used in rural areas of the Middle East, Far East, and parts of Africa (Hall, 1974). There are several advantages to stone-ground wheat flour. The endosperm, bran, and germ remain in their natural, original proportions. Because the stones grind slowly, the wheat germ is not exposed to excessive temperatures. Heat causes the fat from the germ portion to oxidize and become rancid and much of the vitamins to be destroyed (Aubert, 1989). Since only a small amount of grain is ground at once, the fat from the germ is well distributed which also minimizes spoilage (Mount, 1975). Nutritive losses due to oxygen exposure are also limited by the fact that stone-ground flour is usually coarser (Thomas, 1976). As expressed in The Bread Book (Leonard, 1990), stone-ground flour is preferred by many bakers and natural food advocates because of its texture, its sweet and nutty flavour, and the beliefs that it is nutritionally superior and has a better baking quality than steel-roller-milled flour. Moritz and Jones (1950) and Schultz et al. (1942) showed that stone-milled flour was relatively high in thiamin, compared to roller-milled flour, especially when from hard wheat."

AND

"Flour milled slowly in the traditional way retains nutrients which are lost in the industrial milling process. Anytime the temperature of flour is raised above 119 degrees, enzymes and vitamins will break down. High-speed milling also pulverizes natural fibers. Flours produced by water-powered mills are more nutritious, taste better, and have a greater capacity to retain moisture. If you don't believe us, try some out!" www.bu.edu/medieval/flourshop.htm

AND

"To maintain the quality and nutritional value of our flour we take great care to adjust the milling rate so that temperature does not exceed 43C (110F). Heat causes the fat from the germ portion to oxidize and become rancid and much of the vitamins to be destroyed. Since only a small amount of grain is ground at once, the fat from the germ is well distributed which also minimizes spoilage. Nutritive losses due to oxygen exposure are limited by the coarse texture of the flour (Campbell et al., 1991) This article can be viewed at http://www.eap.mcgill.ca/Publications/EAP35.htm" at www.sunprairie-organic.com

I bet that since the temperature never gets above 110-118 degrees that it is raw. However, it is not sprouted, so there may be some issues with enzyme inhibitors that are left intact since the flour is not soaked and sprouted, so it may not be as nutritious as flax...but I have experimented with it and made some great crusts, wraps, and cookies...

I will admit that it does sit a little heavy in the stomach, so you can't eat too much of it in any one sitting, but it might help those who are transitioning and don't like flax.

[Coonlie]

Thanks for this information, Aubrey. Like you, I can't stand the taste of ground flax seed and so many recipes call for it. It tastes like diesel fuel or kerosense (smells) to me! :( I've been substituting sunflower seeds, which works in some recipes, but not well in all of them. Would you mind posting your recipe for the pizza crust you made? I'm very interesting in trying the raw stone ground flour. I had wondered about it and thought it might taste too "mealy".

Thanks for the tip about adding psyllium husk powder too, VFL. I'm very interested to try the raw stone ground flour.

Thanks!

[aubrey]

Pizza Crust:

1 1/2 c. almond meal
1 1/2 c. stone ground wheat flour
1/2 tsp. ceyenne pepper
1 tsp. sea salt (or more to taste)
fresh cracked pepper
1/4 c. olive oil
water as needed for mixing (generally 1/8-1/4 cup)
OPTIONAL: rosemary, onion flakes, garlic powder (make this exceptionally yummy)

Add the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Add the olive oil and incorporate into the dry ingredients. Slowly start adding water until the ingredients form a ball; the dough should not be crumbly, so add as much water as it takes.

Put the dough ball on a teflex sheet and form into a round (or square!) pizza shape, plumping up the edges to form a crust (about 1/4" thick). I set my Excalibur at 105 degrees and put it on a middle shelf for 2 1/2 hours, and then was able to transfer it to a mesh sheet and dehydrated it for another 4 hours. At that time, the crust was soft and chewy. If you want a firmer, crispier crust, I imagine you would have to make the crust thinner and dehydrate longer.

Sauce:
4 sun dried tomatoes, soaked 4 hours
1/8 c. olive oil
1 1/2 Tbs. basil
1 fresh roma tomato, seeded
Couple pinches of sea salt
Cracked ground pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbs. onion flakes
1 tsp. garlic powder
a little water, optional

Blend all ingredients in a food processor adjusting the seasonings to suit your taste, until smooth. Spread on top of the pizza crust and eat as is, add toppings, or dehydrate about 1/2 hour more.

Olive Pate Topping:
1 c. fresh black olives
1/2 c. fresh green olives
1/2 c. soaked sun dried tomatoes
1/8 c. olive oil
Sea Salt, as needed
1 clove garlic
1/2 c. walnuts
Cracked Pepper

Blend all in a food processor until finely chopped and mixed. I sprinkled this on top of the pizza, and it is wonderful. Add some sprouts and bell pepper and it is close to being Sicilian! You can also dip carrot sticks or pizza crust in the olive pate. I also put it on salads.

Enjoy!

[Coonlie]

Thank you so much, Aubrey. I'm going to give this a try!

[aubrey]

Sure. I hope you like it :D

[RowanC]

Could you flax be rancid? Frankly, I don't find it has ANY flavor at all, and I'm pretty sensitive to flavors. Are you buying seed and grinding it yourself? Are you keep the seed refrigerated? I'm just blown away by this because it's so bland to me...:confused:

[aubrey]

Nope, not rancid...I found ground flax seeds and bought them. I keep them in the fridge. Whatever I mix it in always tastes fine before I dehydrate it, but then when it comes out of the dehydrator, I just can't stand the taste. I know flax is heat sensitive, and my dehydrator never goes above 105 degrees, which is always what all the recipes call for, so I have to wonder even if the minimal warmth the dehydrator provides is somehow changing the flavor for me.

However, I am extremely sensitive to smells and tastes. Maybe its something that doesn't bother others but perhaps I am more sensitive...I don't know. But all I do know is that for me, the anything I have added ground flax seeds to that comes out of the dehydrator tastes terrible.