How to Cook Whole Wheat and Use It in Recipes

Wheat berries are the same as wheat kernels--the whole grain wheat before it is cracked or milled into flour.  As has been previously covered, there are a lot of ways to use wheat berries and you'll find links to those blog posts below.  What hasn't been covered are the different ways to cook wheat berries.  It's really pretty simple.

Stovetop.  Use three cups of water to one cup of wheat kernels.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Soak for one hour and then cover and boil for 30-35 minutes.

Slow cooker.  Use two cups of water per cup of wheat.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Cook on low for 8-12 hours.

Thermos.  Preheat the Thermos by filling it with boiling water.  In the meantime, bring two cups of water to a boil.  When it is boiling, pour out the preheating water and put two cups of boiling water per cup of wheat berries into the Thermos.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  For best results, fill the Thermos nearly to the top.  Let sit for 8-12 hours.  

Rice cooker.  Soak berries in two cups of water per cup of wheat for one hour.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Then cook for 30-35 minutes in a rice cooker.

Regardless of which method you choose, you can save energy or fuel by soaking the berries for at least one hour or up to overnight. 

For added flavor, toast the berries in a skillet on the stove for a few minutes before or after soaking.

Use the cooked wheat berries in salads, burritos, or as a hamburger extender when making meatballs.

 

About fifteen years ago, my family and I attended a church barbecue at the little park out our back gate.  And you know, those church potlucks are one of the best places to discover delicious food to feed your family.  Clearly, this barbecue was no exception, and I'm sure I remember it so well just because it is where I tried the most phenomenal salad, which just happened to be made with wheat berries.  It was the first time I had ever even heard of using whole wheat berries in cooking, and I was impressed.  I finally tracked down the person who brought it, because I simply had to have the recipe.  And Carol just rattled off the list of ingredients, and with only six, it was super easy as well.  However, Carol just eyeballed the amounts needed.  Ugh.  (That's a totally acceptable way to work when it's my recipe, but when it's somebody else's, I need exact amounts!)  But as Carol noted at the time, it's got wheat, bacon, and brown sugar, three of the best things in the world.  How could it not be fabulous?

Carol provided a rough idea of the amounts I needed for the recipe, and with a little trial and error, I was able to work out measurements.  After all, I'm not the only one in the family to make this salad; the kids definitely need exact measurements.  So without further adieu, here's Carol's Wheat-Broccoli-Bacon Salad.

Wheat-Broccoli-Bacon Salad

2 cups wheat, boiled for about an hour (or until soft), drained and rinsed
2 cups finely chopped fresh broccoli florets
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine cooked wheat, broccoli, and bacon in a serving bowl and set aside.  Combine mayonnaise, brown sugar, vinegar, and garlic powder in a small bowl and mix until smooth.  Pour over salad and stir well to distribute the  dressing.  If possible, chill at least two hours before serving. 

Now, I'm guessing a at least a few readers are thinking something along the lines, "Bacon? Fresh broccoli?  Mayo?  This salad may be fine for making now, but it doesn't look like something that's going to work post-collapse."

Yes, it will.  While I may be buying fresh broccoli right now, because it's almost winter here and the garden's been dead for awhile, post-collapse we will have broccoli in the garden in the spring and fall.  Making mayonnaise was actually covered in a post a few weeks ago  (11 November 2018).  And canning bacon will be covered in a future post (22 December 2018).

Here's a recipe I shared with my food storage class years ago.  It calls for fresh peppers and cilantro, and a red onion.  So it would primarily be made in the summer using garden produce, but you could also substitute freeze-dried peppers if you have them.

Fiesta Bean and Wheat Salad

1 orange or red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 small red onion, diced
1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, cored and diced
juice of one lime (substitute True Lime packets)
1 cup wheat berries, boiled, drained, and rinsed
1 15 oz can corn, drained
1 15 oz can black beans, drained
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss well.  Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

And lastly, while searching about to see if there were any new recipes for using wheat berries, I came across this gem.  We had it last night for dinner (minus the mint, which I forgot to pick and I was in a rush to get dinner on so we had to do without). 

Wheat Berry Salad with Apples and Cashews

1 cup wheat berries, boiled, drained, and rinsed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Granny Smith apples, cored, diced (or substitute 1 cup dehydrated apples, re-hydrated in 2 cups warm water and diced)
2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
½ cup cashews, toasted, coarsely chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
feta cheese (optional)

In a small bowl, mix the vegetable oil, orange juice, vinegar, coriander, and cinnamon. Set aside.
To the wheat berries, add apples, mint, onions, and cranberries. Toss with the dressing to coat. Prior to serving, add the toasted cashews and feta cheese.

As you search for other ways of utilizing wheat berries, bear in mind that boiled whole wheat berries can be successfully substituted into most any recipe that calls for brown rice.  And that is quite fortunate, since brown rice has a very short shelf life, whereas wheat stores forever.

Links to related posts: 

Bean and Wheat Berry Burritos  

Wheat Salad with Chicken and Corn

14 december 2018

9 april 2021 

15 may 2022