The Truth about Whole Wheat

Wheat is the most important cereal crop in the world and it is used worldwide. Many of us enjoy eating bread, pasta, bagels, crackers, cakes, and muffins, just to list a few of the foods made with this grain.

Wheat, in its natural unrefined state, offers many benefits that are being recognized more and more by consumers. Recent studies show that the consumption of whole wheat can help you manage your weight and lower the risks of developing type 2 diabetes. It is great source of key ingredients like vitamin B &E, iron, fiber and magnesium as well as other valuable antioxidants not found in some fruits and vegetables.

An easy way to increase whole grain intake is to replace some of your refined-grain products with whole grain products. You will benefit from substituting at least half the white flour with whole wheat flour in your regular recipes for cookies, muffins, quick breads, pancakes, etc.

Whole Wheat Focaccia:


Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups of whole wheat four
¾ cup of all purpose flour
1 tablespoon of olive oil
¼ teaspoon of sugar
½ teaspoon of salt
½ tablespoon of yeast
1 cup of lukewarm water
10oz of low fat mozzarella, sheered
12 kalamata olives, pitted
8 cherry tomatoes, thin sliced
3oz of canned mushrooms, sliced and drained
2 large basil leaves, roughly chopped

Combine the flour, water, salt, yeast, sugar and olive oil in a bowl. Using a large spoon, mix all ingredients until well combined and dough is soft and leaves sides of the bowl.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead for 5 to 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. Spray a separate bowl with cooking oil and transfer dough to prepared bowl. Cover and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until it doubles in size.

Heat the oven to 385F. Spray to 8 inches baking pans with cooking oil. Divide dough in half. Cover the bottom of each pan with dough. Cover and let it rise in a warm place for 15 to 20 minutes. Top it with equal amounts of cheese, olives, mushrooms, tomatoes and basil.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Serves 12