“The time will come that gold will hold no comparison in value to a bushel of wheat.” Brigham Young

I want to talk mostly today about Wheat Gluten. Gluten is the principal protein part of the wheat, just like eggs, meat, fish, milk, beans, tofu, etc. Gluten holds the carbon dioxide that is made from yeast, which enables the dough to rise. Gluten is such a versatile food and can be made into may things, most importantly it can be used as a meat replacement.

After wheat is ground into flour, gluten can be separated from other parts of the flour by adding water until it's very thick, mixing, kneading and pounding while washing the mixture in a bowl of water. The more the mixture is washed, the more elastic it will become. A hard winter wheat gives the best result because the protein content is the highest.

7 cups whole wheat flour yields 1 – 2 cups raw gluten

1 cup raw gluten – 72 grams protein

1 oz ground beef – 6 grams protein

How to make gluten:

Put 20 cups whole wheat flour and 12 cups warm water into heavy mixer or large bowl, and knead and mix well. Let stand for 10 minutes. The mixture shouldn't be too stiff or too loose, but a nice sticky batter.

Put gluten into a clean sink or large bowl with about 20 cups warm water and knead gently for about 3 minutes.

Finish with a final washing by rinsing in a colander with warm water. All milky starch needs to be washed out, but not all of the bran. It will be very gummy, but the water will be running clear. It actually takes awhile for this process so don't expect it to happen quickly.

Use well greased loaf pans, or cookie sheets. Flour well and place gluten in loaves or spread on cookie sheet. Bake in 350 oven for about 1 hour, until it sounds kind of hollow when tapped, it will kind of have a tough rubbery texture.

When it is done, cool and break into chunks. Simmer in beef broth or chicken broth for at least 1/2 hour and then leave it to soak for two hours.

At this point you can store in fridge. What I do is chop it up in my blender, but if you have a meat grinder, you could use that too. You can freeze it like this, just as you would hamburger, or dehydrate it and store on shelf, it has a pretty long shelf life after being dehydrated. Then use it in any recipe calling for ground beef or chicken. Be creative.

Hints for gluten:

• In dishes using tomato products, such as sauce or paste, or chili sauce, use a small amount of cheese or meat mixed with gluten. It helps to hold it together better. But it isn't necessary. Egg would also work.

• In using spices or herbs with gluten use only half the amount called for in a recipe because it can become easily over spiced. The spices tend to react stronger with gluten, as do strong acids such as pineapple juice or vinegar.

• One tbsp of honey added to gluten with acid products will also help to neutralize the acid

• After simmering gluten in broth, it will keep for 4 or 5 days in fridge, if is smells sour, it is bad

• You can use the gluten water in other bread recipes but it will sour quickly if not refrigerated

Some of my favourite gluten recipes:

Basic Beef Burger recipe:

Grind through grinder or chop in blender

4 cups gluten

3 or 4 bouillon cubes

1/3 cup cheese (cheddar or Parmesan)

Grind in blender:

2 1/4 cups cooked soybeans (should be the consistency of dry bread crumbs)

Chop and add:

2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 med large onion diced fine

Add and mix well:

1/4 c powder milk

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp honey

2 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

3 eggs (or substitution)

1/4 to 1/2 cub bread crumbs

Form into patties or as called for in any of the following recipes. (You can omit the cooked soybeans, but they give you more texture and nutrition.) I have omitted them if I don't have any cooked at the time. To cook soybeans soak overnight, drain and add fresh water, boil for 10 minutes. They can now be ground. Brown the mixture slowly on low heat, both sides.

Veal Parmesan – My family loves this recipe. They raved about it when I made it.

2 cups beef burger recipe formed into patties

Mix 3/4 cup crushed bread crumbs and 1/2 tsp salt

Beat 3 eggs

Dip patties into beaten eggs then into crumb mixture. Repeat to give a double coat. Brown in oil and place in a baking dish. Place 1 piece of parmesan cheese over each patty (I just sprinkled on generous amount from can)

Mix together:

1 can cream of tomato soup

1 tsp basil

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 c sour cream

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp honey

Pour over steaks. Cover with lid or tinfoil and heat in oven at 375 for 15 min or on top of stove over low heat just until cheese is melted.

Salisbury Steak

Brown 2 cups Beef Burger recipe made into patties

Prepare 1 pkg brown gravy or make your own gravy. Add mushrooms if you like.

Add patties and heat through.

Enchilada Casserole

Combine:

1 cup beef gravy

1 can tomato soup

1 can tomato sauce

1 onion chopped

1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chili powder

grate 1 lb cheddar cheese

Prepare 1 lb beef burger gluten, not formed into patties, by frying in a pan like you would hamburger. Dip 9 to 12 tortillas in the sauce. Place in the centre of each tortilla some of the gluten and cheese. Roll tortilla and place in a 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle remaining sauce and cheese over. Bake until cheese melted and bubbly.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Mix and form into 18 balls:

2 cups beef burger gluten

1/4 c bread crumbs

2 eggs

2 tbsp onion, chopped

Brown the meatballs in small amount of oil. Add and cook until it thickens:

1 20 oz can pineapple chunks

3 tbsp vinegar

6 tbsp water

3 tbsp cornstarch

3 tbsp soy sauce

1/4 c sugar

Add: 1 large green pepper cut into strips and 1 cup fresh mushrooms cut up. Heat through and serve over rice or steamed wheat or noodles.

Chicken and Cheese chili

Combine and heat:

2 cups chicken flavored (or beef) cut into cubes or ground

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 medium onion diced

1 can chopped green chilies, mild

1/2 c water

Dip tortillas in sauce, then lay in pan, sprinkling each layer with chicken sauce and grated cheddar cheese. Layer 12 tortillas. Pour the rest of the sauce over top and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 – 30 minutes.

Gluten Burgers

2 cups ground beef burger

2 tbsp beef bouillon

1 egg

1 med onion finely chopped

salt and pepper

whole wheat flour

1/2 c butter or margarine

Combine beef burger and bouillon. Stir in egg, onion and salt and pepper. Add enough flour to make patties. Fry in butter or margarine, browning both sides. Steam in covered saucepan 5 minutes. Serves 4.

I think you are starting to get the picture. Here is another way to do it, which is much less work. This may not taste much like the meat you are used to, however is does taste awesome. Try soaking your wheat until it sprouts, then rinse it off and put it through a grinder until it is the consistency of ground meat. It is totally healthy and delicious. You can then season the ground wheat to whatever flavor you want it to have and make it into patties, meat loaves, and other meat dishes. By using the sprouted wheat, you have increased your food value exponentially.

Experiment, because that is the only way that you will be able to do it and enjoy it, especially if the time comes that we actually need to use it. I personally love the gluten beef burger. My kids love it too. We don't eat it all the time, but I know they will eat it and we will eat pretty good with all those buckets of wheat we have. :) I'd love to hear of your adventures with making gluten.