TOP POST: 7 Grain Artisan Bread and Bread Products

Many of you asked to post the list of all that we make. Here it is. 

7 Grain Loaves

Our Breads

7 Grain Loaf 

7 Grain Baguette

7 Grain Sandwich Flats

Buckwheat Sandwich Flats (by order)

Sprouted Loaf

Rye Loaf

Raisi’n’Shine Energy Loaf
Sourdough Bread (NEW)

Double Baked Baguette Chips

Rice Millet Bread (GLUTEN FREE NEW)
Buckwheat Oats Bread (GLUTEN FREE NEW)

Sweets

Banana-Nut Bread

Cinnamon Rolls

Blueberry Muffins 

Wholegrain Biscotti with Flax Seeds

Gluten Free Biscotti (NEW)
Gluten Free Oats Bran Cinnamon Apple Muffins (NEW)

Bread Products

Barley Oat Buckwheat Pancakes

Pre-baked Pizza Crust 8”

Pre-baked Pizza Crust 12”
Spelt Pizza Crust 8" (gluten light)
Spelt Tortillas (gluten light)

Focaccia

Double Baked Baguette Chips

Homemade Pasta with Flax Seeds

Homemade Amaranth Pasta (gluten free NEW)

Mixes and Cereals

Sprouted Loaf

Homemade Granola (gluten free)

Wholegrain Pancake Mix with Flax Seed

Barley Oats Buckwheat Pancake Mix

Wholegrain Cream of Wheat (unavailable)

Organic Corn Grits with Chives (unavailable)

All our artisan bread and bread products are organic and 100% wholegrain. 

To get quotes please contact us (text or send an e-mail).

Buckwheat, The Super Food

The buckwheat is a super grain which power is often underestimated in the States. Though it is usually thought of as a grain, it’s a seed. That surpasses other grains in many ways.

First of all, buckwheat ranks low on the glycemic scale. Second, it’s gluten free. Third, buckwheat has more protein than rice, wheat, millet or corn and is high in the essential amino acids lysine and arginine, in which major cereal crops are deficient.

Hulled and roasted buckwheat kernels (groats) known as kasha—a staple food in Russia and Eastern Europe. Kasha is eaten as hot cereal or as a side dish. In China, Korea and Japan buckwheat is often enjoyed in the form of buckwheat "soba" noodles—a form that's become increasingly popular in the West as a healthy substitute for wheat pasta.

Buckwheat is a very healthy food. It contains lots of magnesium which relaxes blood vessels, improving blood flow and nutrient delivery while lowering blood pressure. Buckwheat promotes the better blood sugar control and lowers risk of diabetes. Eating foods high in insoluble fiber, such as buckwheat, can help women avoid gallstones and breast cancer.

Buckwheat is not a new grain for 7 Grain, because we add it to our famous 7 Grain Bread. But we developed entirely new gluten free recipe based on buckwheat. It’s our new Buckwheat Oats Bread. It’s moist inside, has a lot’s off fiber and has a unique but not overpowering taste.

Nutrition facts

Serving size    1 cup   168 g

Nutrient amount                     %DV

Protein                                    5.68 g  11.36

Carbohydrates                        33.50 g 11.17

Fat                                         1.04 g  1.60

Dietary Fiber                          4.54 g  18.16

Calories                                 154.56 8.59

New Grains in 7 Grain Menu: Long Grain Brown Rice

Rice is a basic grain for most gluten free products. We use Cajun Country Long Grain Brown Rice which is grown and produced in Louisiana. We mill it ourselves to make sure our customers get the freshest brown rice flour available. Brown rice has much higher levels of many vitamins and minerals than white rice.

It’s an excellent source of manganese and selenium. Just one cup of cooked brown rice provides 88% of your daily need for manganese, a mineral that helps us digest fats and get the most from the proteins and carbohydrates we eat.

Studies indicate that whole grain brown rice may cut diabetes risk, lower cholesterol, helped maintain a healthy weight. It is a natural whole grain rice with nothing but the husk removed, so it retains all bran.

We developed few delicious new gluten free recipes based on brown rice flour: Brown Rice Millet Bread, Brown Rice Biscotti with Flax Seeds and Oat Bran Apple Cinnamon Muffins. Check them out when you are at the Covington or Slidell Farmer’s Market next time.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1/4 cup (49 g)

Nutrient Amount % DV

Calories 170      Calories from Fat 14     

Total Fat 1.5 g 3%     

Sodium 0 mg 0%

Total Carbohydrate 38 g 13%     

Dietary Fiber 3 g 13%     

Protein 4 g

New Grains in 7 Grain Menu: Amaranth

Amaranth grain has an interesting long history. It was grown in Central and South America between 6000 and 8000 years ago by Aztecs. But they didn’t eat the grain, they used it in religious ceremonies mixing it with honey and making images of their deity. When the worship ceremonies were over the sculptures were broken to pieces and distributed among worshippers to eat.

After the Spanish landed in the New World they outlawed all heathen ceremonies including planting amaranth. Natives were given severe punishments for growing or possessing a forbidden grain. But of course they couldn’t destroy all plants, because amaranth is highly adaptive. It can grow well in moist, loose soil with good drainage at almost any elevation and in just about any temperate climate.  Once established, amaranth can continue to thrive in low-water conditions. That makes it a very valuable grain in Africa.

Today, you can find it growing in small amounts in some pretty surprising locations, including Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, North Dakota, and even Long Island, NY!

Amaranth is rich in lysine and calcium, its protein content is high quality. And it’s gluten free. It makes a highly nutritious hot cereal and can be cooked like any other grain, but becomes sticky when cooked. Can be mixed with corn, onions, and pinto beans. It goes well with buckwheat, millet and brown rice.

Now 7 Grains offers Gluten Free Homemade Pasta made out of amaranth.  You still can enjoy pasta and your favorite sauces even if you can’t tolerate wheat.

Nutrition Facts on Amaranth

Serving Size: 1/2 cup cooked

Nutrient Amount

Calories 129   

Fat 1.5 g  

Carbohydrate 22 g   

Dietary Fiber 2 g   

Sodium 14 mg  

Protein 5 g   

Calcium 60 mg

New Grains in 7Grain Menu: Spelt

Good news everyone! Summer holidays are over and we are back with new exiting recipes. We decided to expand our menu and start a new line of products that will be suitable for people who are sensitive to wheat and gluten.

Today I am going to tell you about spelt the ancient grain, wheat's distant cousin, the first that was grown by farmers as long as 5000 years BC. Spelt was originally growing in Middle East and was used by Greeks and Romans. Just recently spelt was reintroduced to US consumers.

What's so cool about spelt? It's an unusual grain because it retains all of its nutritional value in the kernel. Spelt has a tough hull, or husk, that makes it more difficult to process than modern wheat varieties. Its husk protects it from pollutants and insects and usually allows growers to avoid using pesticides.
Even after processing spelt contains high levels of proteins and carbohydrates. Spelt wasn't modified and still has many of the original traits.

Spelt is a good source of dietary fiber, thiamin, niacin, iron and potassium. Easily digested. It contains less gluten than wheat and many wheat sensitive people can tolerate it. Easily substituted for wheat in recipes. In the old times a bowl of boiled spelt was inexpensive but nutritional food for workers. It's even mentioned in great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin's The Tale of the Priest and HisWorkman Balda. The bowl of spelt cereal was his payment for a day's work.

In 7 Grain we use only certified organic wholegrain spelt flour that mill ourselves.

We developed couple delicious recipes: Spelt Pizza Crust and Spelt Tortillas.

As always we tried our new recipes on our teenage children. They loved it saying that spelt products have a delicious, light and nutty flavor. At the same time it's filling without being heavy on your stomach. One usual size wrap made out of spelt tortilla was enough in comparison to 2 wraps out of white wheat flour that kids usually ate.

Nutrition Facts on Organic Spelt Berries 

Serving Size: 1/4 cup (43 g)

Nutrient Amount % DV

Calories 140  

Calories from Fat 10   

Total Fat 1 g 2%   

Sodium 0 mg

Total Carbohydrate 31 g 10%   

Dietary Fiber 3g 11%   

Protein 6 g   

Iron 10%

Next week at the Farmer's Market ask for Spelt Pizza Crust or Spelt Tortilla.

7 Grain Video

We proudly present our new video. Courtesy to Bakhtiyor Rizaev.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR6Y3g_oOQU&feature=youtu.be

Five Myths and Truth about Bread

Myth 1: There is zero nutritional value in bread, just lots of empty carbs.

Truth: Yes, bread is our main source of carbohydrate but they are essential for healthy diet and are a source of energy for your body. At the same time bread provides you with many other important nutrients such as:

a. Fiber which is helping to keep our digestive system healthy.

b. Calcium which is absolutely essential for your bones, nerves and muscles to work properly.

c. Iron which is needed for healthy blood cells and overall circulation.

d. B vitamins such as niacin, thiamine, folic acid.

Myth 2: Brad is fattening

Truth: Whole grain bread is a low fat food. Most breads has only 2- 4% fat and sugar which comes from grain itself. Average slice of bread has less about 80 calories. Bread is not fattening by itself, the other stuff that you it with it is. So use spreads sparingly and avoid high fat toppings and fillings.

Myth 3: Bread has too much salt

Truth: Salt plays a major role in dough formation, fermentation rate and flavor of bread and so all breads will contain some salt. But in fact bread is a low sodium food. It’s about only 2.5g (1/2 tsp) of salt in a regular loaf of bread.

Myth 4: Many people are allergic/intolerant to bread

Truth: It’s estimated that only about 4% of population might suffer from true food allergy (abnormal reactions of body’s immune system). Nevertheless 20% believe themselves to have an allergic reaction to wheat without being properly diagnosed by doctor. For most people it’s unnecessary to avoid bread and other wheat products. If you suspect that you might be suffering from wheat intolerance consult with the doctor. Self-diagnosis can potentially be harmful to your health.

Myth 5: All contemporary wheat grain is unhealthy

Truth: Not all grain is genetically modified. Eat bread made of organic wheat. It’s non GMO, grown on clean lands without pesticides or synthesized fertilizers. 7 Grain Bread made of certified 100% organic grain.   

Can GMO Wheat Molecules Harm Us?

Here's the link on a very disturbing press conference video where biology professors discuss a possibility of GMO wheat molecules damaging human genetics.

http://tv.greenmedinfo.com/gmo-wheats-g-addressed-in-press-conference/

It's definetely worth to consider turning to organic food, ar least to organic flour and bread.

Interesting Facts about Bread

• People are eating bread at least for 7500 years and today it’s still considered to be a staple food.
• The workers who built the pyramids of Egypt were paid in bread.
• In Biblical times bread was called “the Staff of Life”
• First bread in Americas was the unleavened cornmeal cakes that Indians used to make.
• According to the legend Christopher Columbus brought the first leavened bread to the New World. It was a small pot of a sourdough starter.
• First wheat crop in America was grown in 1602 in Massachusetts by British sea captain Bartholomew Gosnold.
• To make one loaf you would need approximately 350 ears of wheat.
• Bread provides more protein, iron, B vitamins and complex carbohydrates per penny than any other food.
• Bread is the major source of fibre in our diet, providing a quarter of our daily intake.
• Bread contains very little fat and virtually no sugar.
• Otto Frederick Rohwedder invented the first commercial slice-and-wrap bread
• machine in 1928. He sold his pre-sliced and wrapped bread in a bakery at Battle Creek, Michigan. By 1933 80% of all bread sold in the US was sliced and wrapped.
• Every year approximately 72 million loaves of bread are sold in the USA.
• 70% of that bread is white! 

Sicilian Pizza Bread

This recipe is enough to make two 12” pizzas 

Ingredients: 

1/2 tsp. honey (2.5 ml)

1 1/4 cup warm water (300 ml)

1 tsp. active dry yeast (1/8 oz or 3.5g)

1/2 Tsp salt (8g)

3 cups whole wheat flour (450g)

1 Tsp. olive oil (15 ml)

Dissolve honey on 1 ¼ cups warm water and stir the yeast.

Stir the salt into the flour. Make a well in the center and pour the oil and the yeast mixture into the well. Stir it with the spoon or with your hand until the dough incorporates all the flour. Knead well about 10 minutes. 

Use ¼ cup of water instead of flour. The dough will be soft and sticky. Form the dough into a ball and place smooth side up into a bowl.

Let the dough rise for 1 hour. Divide dough into two balls. Let them rest for 2 minutes.

Stretch the dough on a pan using more water or oil. Pre-bake the crust for 7 minutes at 410F.

Put your favorite sauce and toppings. Finish baking it for additional 12-15 minutes at 400F.

You can also use this crust as a flat bread, just bake it a little bit more to make it crunchy.

Enjoy!

Make Pizza as a Pro

I didn’t post anything for a week already! I’ve been really busy last week. So I need to catch up.

Last week our friend Lena Mutonono invited 7 Grain to do a master class at her church in Lacombe, LA. At the Village Lutheran church we met bunch of very friendly people who were eager to learn how to make pizza as a pro.

It was so much fun!

Lena Brannon shared about the advantages of eating whole grain. 

The participants witnessed the process of making Sicilian pizza from scratch. They saw how grain turned into delicate dough and had hands-on time where they could play with it a little.

And in the end we all shared a delicious meal together and of course everyone took home a pizza crust made by their own hands!

We really enjoyed our time with you guys and hope to come again and teach you how to make homemade pasta!

With Bread around the World - 2

The Simple French Onion Soup 

(4 servings)

200g (4 slices) of toasted or dried bread

2 qt. water or beef broth or chicken broth

2 medium onions (sliced thinly)

2 Tsp. butter

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups of your favorite cheese

Cut the bread into small pieces. In a large saucepan sauté the onions with butter until it golden brown. Add bread pieces and sauté some more. Add hot water or broth and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve you can either use individual oven-proof soup bowls or one large casserole dish. Ladle the soup into the bowls or casserole dish. Cover with the toast and sprinkle with your favorite cheese. Put into the broiler for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until the cheese bubbles and is slightly browned. Serve immediately.

PS Some believe that this recipe was developed by Alexandre Dumas, the author of The Three Musketeers and many other good books. :) I used to make it (without the cheese) many years ago, when I was a poor student and had money only for bread, butter and onions. It was still very good!

Healthy Homemade Granola

Our homemade granola is getting more and more popular among our friends and customers. And that’s the only gluten free product we make. Granola is organic oat-based cereal. There are sunflower seeds, flax seeds, pecan nuts, coconut flakes, raisins, cranberries, honey, oil, sea salt and vanilla. You can have for breakfast or as a healthy snack during a day. Eat it plain or with your milk or yogurt.

Why our granola is healthy?

First of all it’s a whole grain cereal. Oats are whole grains, and that means they retain all the nutrition that are contained in bran, germ and endosperm of the kernel. According to the Dietary Guidelines from the US Department of Health and Human Services whole grains such as granola might lower your risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Second, granola provides you with a much needed dietary fiber, which you can find only in veggies, fruits, beans and whole grains. Dietary fiber helps you to fight constipation and type 2 diabetes. It also lowers the level of bad cholesterol. All this seeds and dried fruits we add to our granola increase the total volume of fiber.

Third, granola provides you with essential nutrients such as iron and potassium, vitamin E and healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Fourth, our granola is completely sugar free. We use honey to sweeten it. Most of the commercial brands are loaded with sugar. They can have as much as 17 g of sugar for a serving size. It’s more than a tablespoon of sugar! It’s way too much.

Eating homemade granola for breakfast will help you to start your morning with a fulfilling and delicious meal, boosting your energy and concentration without extra sugar or caffeine.

It’s great for kids, weight watchers, athletes and all other people who want to stay healthy, look and feel just great. 

Just a reminder

Make at least half your grains whole grains!

Russian Proverbs on Bread

A gift of bread to a good man is a loan, and an alms to others.

The meal is bad where there is no bread.

When a human being is born, a bit of bread is ready for him.

Without a bit of bread even a palace is sad, with it a pine-tree is paradise.

The house is beautiful, but unhappiness is there if no bread is in it.

Bread is a head of all.

Bread is a father, water is a mother.

Bread is a gift from God, it is a father, a nurse.

Bread is a good thing everywhere—at home or over the sea.

Is Gluten Bad for You?

Let’s talk about gluten and gluten free diet today. There is a lot of misunderstanding around this issue. You and I became witnesses of a new myth that was born right before our eyes. And the myth is GLUTEN IS BAD for you. So let’s explore it and think if it’s true or false.

First of all, what is gluten after all? Gluten is a complex of two proteins, gliadin and glutein. found in seeds of most grasses and most of the grains like wheat, spelt, barley and even rye. The gluten makes the dough stretch and rise. It gives the bread spongy texture and thickens sauces.

Some people have an autoimmune inflammatory disease of small intestine, commonly known as celiac disease. That means their bodies treat gluten as an invader and starts a immune response or allergic reaction. It affects approximately 1 in every 250 people. There is no doubt that these folks have to stay away from gluten completely. Let’s call them gluten intolerant, eating gluten is potentially dangerous for them.

Some other people, let’s call them gluten-sensitive. It’s not the same as celiac disease, because the body of gluten sensitive person doesn’t develop antibodies. But eating gluten develops all kinds of problems from headaches to bloating and cramps. It’s like with any other food allergy. For example my brother-in-law can not eat egg whites and my sister is sensitive to honey and oranges.

Doctors have been using a gluten free diet to treat those individuals for over 40 years already. So it’s nothing new.

There is no scientific evidence that gluten can be problematic for average gluten tolerant person. Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale Prevention Research Center says, “The potential adverse health effects of gluten in those sensitive to it have reverberated in cyberspace, creating the impression that gluten is a bona fide toxin, harmful to all. This is false; gluten is not ‘bad’ for those tolerant of it, any more than peanuts are ‘bad’ for people free of peanut allergy.”

Therefore, gluten-free diet is justified for some people, but unnecessary for most. “The effort is well-justified for those who are truly gluten-sensitive, but potentially much ado about nothing for others just caught up in the trend. In addition, the exclusion of whole grain wheat, rye, barley and potentially oats from the diet might reduce overall diet quality and fiber intake. Again, a price worth paying when gluten avoidance is clearly necessary, but cost without benefit for others,” Dr. Katz says.

If you think you might have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, it’s best to see your practitioner before starting a gluten-free diet. Because it will be difficult to establish if you have a special condition or not after you go on a gluten-free diet.

And in the end I’d like you to think about the words of Alessio Fasano, director of the University of Maryland’s Center for Celiac Research. “The bottom line for gluten-sensitivity,” Fasano says, “is there are very little facts and a lot of fantasy.”

Louisiana Style Corn Grits

Well, last Saturday in Covington, LA many of you asked for the recipe of our corn grits.

Here it is. Yields 6 servings.

1 Tsp oil

1/2 pound smoked sausage, diced

 1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 cup sun dried tomatoes or ½ cup fresh tomatoes, chopped

 1 teaspoon garlic powder

 4 cups water (or 2 cups water and 2 cups milk)

 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (or Chipotle)

 1 teaspoon salt

 1 tablespoon Louisiana hot pepper sauce (or Tabasco™)

 1 cup organic corn grits with chives and flax seeds

 1 cup shredded cheese

Directions

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil, sausage and onions; cook and stir until browned. Add tomatoes and garlic powder. Cook and stir until onion is tender. Pour in the water (or water and milk) and season with pepper, salt and hot pepper sauce; bring to a boil.

Gradually stir in the grits, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thick, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in cheese. Heat through until cheese is melted.

Of course you can play around with it. Tweak this and that, add your favorite seasoning or exclude some ingredients. Anyway, you can always find Organic Corn Grits with chives and flax seeds at our stands at the Farmers Markets.

Special Healthy Breakfast Presentation

Dear friends,
We are looking forward to seeing you tomorrow at the Covington Farmers Market from 8 to 12 AM. 7 Grain will be the featured vendor.
We will present you our selection of healthy whole grain breakfast.
Don't miss our free samples of savory corn grits, delicious cream of wheat, multigrain pancakes with flax seeds and homemade granola.
And of course you can find all your favorite bread there as well as in Camellia City Farmers Market.
See you tomorrow!

FAQ-2

I love bread but I am a weight watcher. So what how many calories in your 7 Grain Bread?

One serving which is one regular slice is about 30g has 70 calories. Carbohydrates — 11 g (4% of DV), dietary fibers — 3g (9% of DV), proteins — 3 g. So as long as you don’t eat too much you should be fine.

Do you have a store somewhere?

Not yet. But we sell our bread at the Covington Farmers Market and Camellia City Farmers Market every Saturday from 8 to 12AM.

Do you sell whole grain flour?

Yes. If you’d like to buy freshly ground whole grain flour place your order with us personally at the farmers markets or text us before noon on Friday.

Read your blog. No price listed anywhere.

Please send us your e-mail and we send you our price information. Or can come to the farmers markets.

PS Feel free to send your questions to our e-mail address or send a text (phone # is at the top of the blog).

With Bread around the World -1

Bulgarian Banitsa

Today I want to share with you a simple recipe with bread from Bulgaria. Traditionally Bulgarians serve banitsa on Christmas eve or New Year. Sometimes they bake it with pieces of paper with predictions (just like in fortune cookies) wrapped in a foil. The banitsa is then cut in the way that every piece would contain a prediction. Most common fortunes are “love”, “journey”, ‘wealth”, “ marriage”, “new job”, “baby”. Just like everywhere in the world.

But originally word “banitsa” means “crumbled”. So I guess it was fun way to use crumbled or old bread. J

So to make your own banitsa you will need:

½ lb. of whole grain bread (it’s OK if it’s crumbled)

3 oz. of feta cheese (you also can use fresh goat cheese or fresh mozzarella)

2 Tbsp. of butter

2 eggs

1 cup of milk

Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 400.

Combine together feta cheese and 1Tbsp. of butter and crumble it. Put slices of bread on the bottom of non-sticking casserole dish or pie pan. Put the feta the top of the bread. Beat together eggs, 1 Tbsp. of butter, milk and salt. Pour it on the top of the bread and cheese. Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes or until the egg mixture is set.

To make it more interesting you can also add spinach, parsley, dill or bell pepers.  

Enjoy with your family and friends.