I mill wheat into flour, coarsely grind it (often used in multi-grain mixtures - 5-grain, 7-grain, etc. - which adds a bit of "tooth" or "crunch" to breads, as well as additional fiber), flake it, crack it, make it into bulgur, I use cooked whole wheat berries, sprout it, and use any and all those wheat products in breads I make, as well as grow it into wheatgrass and drink the juice.

The term "Wheat Berry" in Hartford Farms Honey Wheat Berry Bread, from quickly checking it on-line, looks like it means nothing more than bread made with 100% whole wheat flour and sweetened with honey. What does the ingredient list on the bag say?

If all you need is a recipe, check out the link below located at King Arthur Flour. Hartford Farms Breads aren't available around here, so wouldn't know how the recipe compares to the commercial bread. I DO know I can still make a loaf of 100% whole wheat bread (milling my own wheat for flour) for around 50-cents a loaf.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: King Arthur Flour - Classic 100% Whole Wheat Bread

I love wheat berries - I use them in breads, cooked cereals, pilafs, etc. I soak them overnight, then cook the next day until done before using them in anything else. (I made the mistake once of putting the soaked-but-not-cooked WB in a bread recipe . . . nope, they have to be cooked first :)

I add them to any honey wheat bread recipe - I also add raw steel cut oats without cooking first and the combination makes a nice bread. You could add whatever's in the WB bread you buy and just look online for a honey wheat bread recipe . . . I'd give you mine, but I'm one of those dump-cooks, who just wings most recipes.

If you're going through the trouble to soak-and-cook the WB, make extra and keep them in the fridge to use in lots of things. I love them in a steel cut oat porridge with dried fruits, and if you aren't using the cooked ones fast enough, stick them in the freezer.

I use wheat berries mostly to grow grass for my cats during the winter. I've sprouted them and added them to bread dough a few times. I've read about cooking them for breakfast, but never done it.

Thanks for responding everyone! The HF bread is a hearty bread with little chewy bits in it which I assume are the wheat berries. IMO, other so called wheat breads is just white bread with a brown tint.

I guess what I need is advice on where to buy wheat berries. I live in a rural area and it is not available at my grocery store, I did check the health food store today but all they had was oat something.

What kind I do need? hard, soft, red, ??? I don't really even know what other kinds are available.

What quantity I should buy, how it should be stored, and what to do with them once I have them. I see a lot of mention of soaking. I think I would like it in several of the applications mentioned above. I love steel cut oats. I have those, perhaps I should make a bread with those first and see how it goes before I order something special.

Grainlady, I am interested in learning more about making my own flour as well. Do you just use your food processor or do you have a mill?

Pixistix- Thanks for the tip. Where do you buy your wheatberries and about what do they cost?

Thanks for the help. I really think I would like to start baking my own bread.

I buy them at my local food co-op . . . you know, the type of bulk-bin store where members work at various positions to get a reduced rate on the purchases. Anyone can go in and buy at a higher rate (that's me :) but even so, they're dirt cheap compared to grocery store prices. I'm sorry, I can't even tell you what they cost . . . I just fill my bags and it's always really cheap.

They only have one type of wheat berry and I just buy about 4 cups at a time - I store them in a ziplock bag at room temp. Their steel cut oats cost a fraction of what you can buy at the grocery store, and I also buy thick-cut oats that are superior for making granola. I hope you can find a food co-op near you!

My husband's favorite bread was Orowheat's Honey Wheat Berry bread. Even though it's called wheat berry bread, it really only has cracked wheat (or bulgur) in the bread. I now make my own cracked wheat bread. I can buy the cracked wheat at all my local grocery stores and independent health food stores. If you search online, you'll find several recipes for cracked wheat bread. Lately, I've used this one posted by Country Sunshine. It makes two loaves, but sometimes I just make cracked wheat sandwich buns.

Honey Cracked Wheat Bread
Country Sunshine from KT

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups warm water
1/2 cup cracked wheat
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in cracked wheat and simmer for 10 minutes; let cool to lukewarm. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2. Pour the cracked wheat mixture into a large bowl. Stir in the butter, salt, molasses, honey, milk, yeast mixture, whole wheat flour and 2 cups of the bread flour; stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

4. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and form into loaves. Place the loaves into two lightly greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

5. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven 30 to 35 minutes, or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped on top and bottom. Cool on racks.

Here's another one I've made that came from Grainlady. It's super easy and only makes one loaf.

BULGUR WHEAT LOAF
Grainlady from CF/ Pillsbury)

3/4 c. water
1/2 c. bulgur (cracked) wheat
2-1/2 to 2-1/2 cups Pillsbury's BEST All-Purpose or Unbleached Flour
2 T. brown sugar
1 to 1-1/2 t. salt
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 c. water heated to 120-130F
1/4 c. oil
1 c. Pillsbury's BEST Whole Wheat Flour
2 t. water
1 egg white
1 t. bulgur wheat
Grease cookie sheet. Bring 3/4 c. water to a boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat; stir in 1/2 c. bulgur. Let stand 20-25 minutes or until water is absorbed.

Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In large bowl, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, brown sugar, salt, yeast, 1 cup hot water and oil; beat at low speed until moistened. Beat 3 minutes at medium speed. By hand, stir in bulgur mixture, whole wheat flour and additional 1 cup all-purpose flour to form a stiff dough.
On floured surface, knead in 1/4-1/2 cup all-purpose flour until dough is elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and cloth towel. Let rise in a warm place (80-85F) until light and doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
Punch down dough several times to remove all air bubbles. Shape into round loaf. Place on greased cookie sheet. Cover; let rise in warm place until light and ALMOST doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 375F. Uncover dough. With very sharp knife, cut a 1/2-inch deep slash across top of loaf. Cut another at a right angle, making a cross. In small bowl, beat 2 t. water and egg white until blended. Brush over top of loaf; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon bulgur, if desired. Bake at 375F for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from cookie sheet; cool on wire rack. One loaf = 17 slices.

Here is a link that might be useful: Orowheat Honey Wheat Berry Bread

Hmmm . . . My bread has bulgur wheat in it too. I doubt there are any food co-ops in my area of West Tennessee, but I will definitely check it out. I will also look for cracked/bulgur wheat at the grocery. Thanks so much for the recipes. I'm anxious to try them.

sumnerfan-
Where to buy wheat... Try to find wheat as close to home as possible because the shipping will cost you as much as the wheat. Check health food stores, food co-ops, LDS Churches.....

I just added another 100-pounds of Wheat Montana Prairie Gold (hard white spring wheat - best used for yeast breads - 13-16% protein) from Wal-Mart two days ago, but not all Wal-Mart stores carry it. Check Wheat Montana for sources in your area. Wheat prices are going to go up because of drought conditions in many of the wheat-growing states, including Kansas where I'm from.

I also purchase hard white winter wheat just outside of town at a mill that mills King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour for this region (13+% protein).

What kind of wheat...
-For yeast bread - hard wheat - I have both red and white varieties, as well as both spring and winter varieties. White wheat has the least amount of flavor and is the one I use the most.
-For foods that don't require a lot of gluten-development (pastry, cakes, quick breads, etc.) I store soft white wheat. I mill "cake" flour with a 3:1 mixture of soft white wheat and oats (or spelt).
-For pasta and noodles - durum wheat I also use triticale, a durum/rye hybrid for pasta/noodles.

Storage...
I store well over 1,000-pounds of wheat plus other grains, but I'm into home food storage and make all our baked goods. The bulk of what I store is placed in FoodSaver bags and vacuum-sealed, then they are placed in plastic storage containers and placed on heavy-duty storage shelves. I don't like storage buckets, but that's a personal thing. Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers are also a choice. Oxygen-free storage will eliminate any pantry pests or their eggs. Store grains in a cool, dry, environment.

Other on-line sources:
-Pleasant Hill Grain
-Emergency Essentials
-Honeyville Grain ($4.49 shipping for your entire order)
-Bread Beckers, Inc.
-Farmer Direct Foods, Inc. (they provide much of the hard white winter wheat for King Arthur Flour)
-Augason Farms

I have a number of mills I use for milling and flaking a large assortment of grains/seeds/beans. A food processor is the wrong tool for the task. You have to be able to mill flour very fine in order to use it for things like cakes. The finer the flour the better the texture of your breads. Coarse flour = coarse bread. The link below will give you a little overview of a good selection of grain mills.

Got to run, so if you have more questions, fire away....

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Pleasant Hill Grain - grain mills

Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day (or is the title "Whole Grain Bread in..."? I have a cat on my lap and can't get up to check) has a recipe for Volkornbrot (which I think means "Whole kernal bread") and like all their breads, it's easy to make and very good. It uses uncooked whole wheat berries. I've been making it a lot.

I found wheat kernels at my local Mennonite store. I'm still a little unclear. If I want to use the whole kernel in my bread would and buy whole wheat flour (I'm not in a position to buy and store a mill right now) would I purchase the hard, soft, or red kernels?

Thanks so much. School is almost out and I am excited to start playing around with bread recipes until I find the 'right' one. I appreciate all your help.

Laceyvail- I checked your site suggestion but didn't find the recipe. I'll google it later.

I found this info. What do you think?

Here is a link that might be useful: honey wheat berry bread

If I were just beginning to use whole wheat flour in baking, I would start with about 50 percent whole wheat. I have used a lot of different bread recipes with success by just remembering these two rules. (1) Whole wheat will absorb more moisture than white flour because of the bran content, so reduce the flour amount slightly. Example: Instead of 6 cups of flour, use 3 white flour and 2 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour. (2) Increase the sweetener slightly. You could do this with an additional tablespoon of sugar, honey, molasses, etc depending on the taste you are going for. I love whole wheat bread with molasses. Honey seems to give more of a cake like texture than I like but the taste is good.

Until you know that you will justify owning a grain mill, I would just buy whole wheat flour from the grocery store for awhile. It will keep longer if you will put it in a plastic bag and store it in the freezer. I have worn out several grain mills, but if it's not something you will use, then I wouldn't buy one.

I was in a small Mennonite store last week that had wheat berries in every size from a few pounds to 50 pound bags. I didn't need any so I didn't price it, but I have bought Prairier Gold in that store before. It was in Missouri.

sumnerfan, my reference was to the book, not the website.

I agree with soonergrandmom, I'd start with a 50/50 wheat/white flour mix and go up from there. And, as she mentioned, be careful about your hydration, because the whole grain breads need ore moisture than the traditional white loaf.

I also like molasses with wheat breds, or honey. I've used brown sugar, but I like molasses better.

I've found wheat berries by Bob's Red Mill at Whole Foods and my local Meijer. Meijer doesn't have it all the time, but anywhere that has Bob's Red Mill might have them, and I know they are available on-line if you want a smaller amount than 50 or 100 pounds.

You can get organic wheatberries here, along with other grains: http://www.organicwheatproducts.com/?page_id=70

This is a very nice cracked wheat loaf from Rose Levy Beranbaum, it's not as involved as it looks. I use half whole wheat flour and I don't butter the top, I like the crunchier crust. I don't usually bake in a loaf pan, either, it makes a nice rustic round loaf.

Cracked Wheat Loaf

Recipe from The Bread Bible

Dough Starter (Sponge)

1/2 cup (2.75oz) bread flour
1/2 cup (2.5oz) whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp instant yeast
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp nonfat dry milk
1 tbsp honey
1 cup plus 2 tbsp (9.3oz) room temperature water

Flour Mixture

2 cups (11oz) bread flour
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp instant yeast

Finishing Ingredients

1/2 cup (3oz) extra coarse bulgur
1/2-2/3 cup (4-5.5ox) boiling water
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp melted butter

Make the Sponge: In a medium bowl combine the sponge ingredients and whisk until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.

Combine Flour Mixture: In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour mixture ingredients. Sprinkle on top of the sponge to cover it completely. DO NOT MIX TOGETHER. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow it to ferment for 1-4 hours at room temperature. The sponge will bubble through the mixture, that�fs ok, and it�fs also kind of cool to see.

At this point, if you are using bulgur, place in a small bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit in the water until all the water is absorbed, about 1 hour, then refrigerate until ready to use.

With your stand mixer, add the bulgur and the oil to the bowl and then add the dough and starter. Mix with the dough hook on low speed for about 1 minute, until the flour is moistened enough to form a rough dough. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes. Sprinkle on the salt and knead the dough on medium speed for 10 minutes. The dough should be very elastic and jump back when pressed with a fingertip, but still slightly moist.

Using an oiled spatula or dough scraper, scrape the dough into a 2-qt greased container. Lightly spray or oil the top of the dough. Cover with lid or plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled in size.

After it has risen, scrape the dough onto a floured surface and press down gently to form a rectangle. Give it a business letter turn, round the edges and return to the container. Oil the surface again, cover, and rise until doubled. The book says about 45 minutes to an hour, but again, it took longer for me.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a loaf. Place into oiled loaf pan. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let it rise until the center is about 1.25�� higher than the pan.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees one hour before baking. Place oven rack at the lowest shelf and place baking stone on top. Place a sheet pan on the floor of the oven and make sure you have some ice cubes handy.

Once the dough has risen, brush the top with the melted butter, then cut a 1/2�� deep slash down the middle of the dough. Quickly set the loaf pan on the baking stone. Take a 1/2 cup of ice cubes and quickly throw them onto the sheet pan (this helps the bread keep moisture). Bake for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown. If you want to be technical then an instant read thermometer should read 190 degrees. Remove pan from oven, remove bread from pan and set on wire rack. Brush with remaining melted butter. Let it cool before eating.

Annie