Grains

Servings of Bread, Rice, & Grains The Food guide pyramid recommends ounces of breads, grains, rice, pasta or cereal each day. How big is an ounce? –½ cup cereal –1 slice of bread –½ a large bagel –½ cup cooked pasta

How BIG is your serving? Most people have 2-4 cups of cereal in a bowl.. Most people have the entire bagel. One Big Mac? It adds up quickly.

Grains Grasses that grow edible seeds, along with meals and flours. Whole grains haven’t been milled. During the milling process, the germ, bran, and hull of the grain are removed, or polished. Stone-ground grains are ground and broken down; retains more nutrients than other grinding methods.

Parts of a grain Hull: protective coating, or husk, that surrounds the grain. Bran: tough layer around the endosperm; fiber & B vitamins Endosperm: largest part; protein & carbohydrate. Germ: smallest part; thiamin and a trace of fat

Examples of flour Wheat: classified as hard or soft, depending on the protein content. All-purpose white: milled from low-protein wheat; good for muffins & pancakes, not rec. for bread. Soft wheat: good for cakes & pastries. Hard wheat: good for bread. Durum wheat a type of hard wheat; good for pasta. Semolina: refined durum; good for pasta. All Purpose: it’s just what it says it is… Self-Rising: AP flour with salt & leavening (baking powder) Enriched: specific nutrients have been returned to it that were lost while it was prepared.

Flour Facts Make your own self-rising flour –For 1 cup self-rising flour use: 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder a pinch of salt. GLUTEN is a protein composite that appears in foods processed from wheat and related species, including barley and rye. It gives elasticity to dough, helping it to rise and to keep its shape, and often giving the final product a chewy texture.

about gluten… When you knead yeast breads (or over mix quick breads) you are developing gluten (the elastic structure.) After the yeast has proofed & is comfortable inside the warm dough, carbon dioxide is produced in the elastic strands creating pockets of expanding air which cause the bread to rise.

Yeast Bread vs. Quick Bread The obvious difference?... Leavening agents… Who are they? –Yeast –Chemical Baking powder Baking soda –Other ‘leaving agents’ Eggs Butter/shortening

Quick Breads Quick and Easy to make Do not require kneading Use baking soda or baking powder as a leavening agent. Muffins, biscuits, pancakes, corn bread, and fruits breads are examples More?

Quick Breads Can be a good source of Carbohydrates Protein B vitamins Iron

MuffinsQB Muffin Method –Mix all Dry ingredients –Make a well in the center –Beat all Liquid ingredients –Pour liquid ingredients in to well. –Mix until just moistened –Fold in ingredients such as chopped nuts

MuffinsQB Why Mix until just moistened? You don’t want to develop the Gluten in quick breads! (This is the protein found in flour that will make your muffins tough and tunneled)

BiscuitsQB Cut the fat into the flour using a pastry blender –This leaves the fat in fine particles –During baking this fat will melt between the layers of flour, giving a flaky texture. The fat becomes one of those other ‘leavening agents’

Yeast Breads Use Yeast for leavening Sugar provides the food for yeast to grow. Salt controls it’s growth (so don’t put it in too early!) The water temperature must be just right –Too cold and the yeast won’t be activated –Too hot and you will kill the yeast –Around 100 degrees

Yeast Breads Yeast, when properly mixed with water (right temperature) and sugar will create … Carbon Dioxide This gas trapped inside of your flour will make your bread light and fluffy.

Yeast Bread 5 simple steps 1.Mix the dough 2.Knead the dough 3.Let it rise 4.Shape –(Sometimes let it rise again) 5.Bake

Why do you need to KNEAD yeast bread? Kneading will develop gluten. This will create elasticity in the dough so that it can expand and trap the carbon dioxide bubbles produced by the yeast. Trapped bubbles = dough rising.

Storing grains Inspect packages upon delivery. Whole grains: shorter shelf life than milled grains; use within 3 weeks. Store in a freezer. Dry grains: Store above floor level on shelves in a dry, ventilated area. Store brown rice and wild rice in the refrigerator.

Cooking grains Soak before cooking to soften the outer layer (bran). Steaming: –Cook in a double boiler with a perforated bottom over simmering or boiling liquid. –Should be tender and have good flavor.

Rice & Grains

Rice Short Grain –Sticky (lots of starch) –Good for creamy dishes –Great with chopsticks Medium grain –Plump, tender & Moist –Sticks together a little Long Grain –Fluffy & won’t stick together

Preparing Rice Simmer recommended water Add rice Cover Reduce heat Simmer until rice is moist and tender but not firm

Cooking grains (cont.) Pilaf –Sauté briefly in oil, then simmer in seasoned stock or water. –Adding vegetable or fruit juice to the liquid will add flavor. –Adding an acid such as tomato juice will  cooking time up to 15 min.

Cooking grains (cont.) Risotto Italian rice dish –Usually used with Arborio rice. (short- grained). –Sticky and creamy consistency when finished because starch is released during cooking. –Rice is stirred constantly as small amounts of hot liquid are added and absorbed. This pulls out more starch.

Legumes Seeds from pod-producing plants. Store in cool, dry, well-ventilated areas, away from light & heat. Discard those that appear moldy, damp, or wrinkled. Dried legumes may be stored for 1-2 years but are best if used w/in 6 months. Known as the “meat alternative” because of high protein content.

Legumes

Cooking legumes Rinse carefully in a large sieve or colander to remove dirt. Then, place in large pot of cold water; any that float to the top should be discarded. Some need to be soaked before cooking, which shortens cooking time. May be soaked overnight or by “quick method”  boiled briefly then soaked in hot water 1 hour. Boil until tender.

Pasta Versatile and convenient Stores well, cooks quickly, serves as a base or accompaniment to many dishes. Colored & vegetable- flavored add nutrition and color. Store dry pasta above floor level on a dry, ventilated shelf.

Different shapes of pasta.

Pasta Prepared from dough or batter that includes starch (e.g. flour or potatoes) and liquid. Additional ingredients may be added to add shape, color, texture, and flavor. Basic dough is stiff and can be stretched, rolled into thin sheets, and cut into desired shapes.

Cooking pasta Cook al dente, (firm to the bite). Fresh cooks very quickly. Dried takes longer. To refresh fresh pasta that’s been cooked, simply dip it into hot water.

Fresh pasta Ingredients: –Eggs –Salt –Olive Oil –Flour When adding vegetables to pasta dough, they must be as dry as possible. Herbs must be finely minced.

Fresh pasta (cont.) Resting stage is most important stage. Relaxes dough so it can be rolled into thin sheets. Generally takes min. Dough should be smooth, elastic, and slightly moist. Fresh pasta may be refrigerated for 1-2 days, dried, or frozen.

Pairing pasta Long, flat pasta  smooth, light, creamy sauces. Tube & twisted pastas  heavier sauces, e.g. tomato and meat sauces, because they catch the sauce. Fresh pasta (delicate flavor)  light cream or butter- based sauce. Dried pastas  heartier meat sauces. Filled pastas  very light sauce so as not to overpower the flavor of the filling.

Dumplings Made from dough, batters, bread, or potatoes. Usually shaped into small, round balls. Cut to test for doneness – shouldn’t be doughy on the inside. Examples: –Spaetzle – small, German dumplings –Gnocchi – small (one bite) Italian potato dumplings –Potstickers/Jiaozi – small (2 bites) Asian dumplings

Cooking dumplings May be: –Simmered –Steamed –Poached –Baked –Pan-fried –Broiled Usually poached first, then finished by one of the above methods (e.g. potstickers)

Nuts & Seeds Which are nuts & which are seeds? ~Researchers found that people who eat nuts regularly have lower risks of heart disease ~Nuts are high in calories and fat ~Nuts are one of the best plant sources of protein. ~They are rich in fiber and antioxidants such as Vitamin E and selenium. ~Nuts are also high in fat - but mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (omega 3) which have all been shown to lower LDL cholesterol.