In every issue of Dishing, there is a section called Ask for It in which we encourage our readers to write to us requesting a recipe for something they’ve tried while dining out around town. In our most recent issue, we shared the recipe for Whole Food’s multigrain pizza crust. 
Perfect to have on hand, and the multigrain flavors add an extra crunch and complex flavor to the pizza crust.
When we were getting the recipe and asked which brand of flour they use, prepared foods team leader Jacob Six said Bobs Red Mills makes a 10 grain flour that can be used, but here’s a quick recipe of how to make it at home as well! Perfect. Even better! We love the idea of making your own whole grain flour at home. Not only can this flour be used for pizza dough, but it can be used for all types of baking and is great to have on your shelf.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry oats
- 1 cup corn meal
- 1 cup soy flour
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1 cup flaxseeds
- 1 cup wheat germ
- All purpose flour
- Whole wheat flour
Instructions
- Grind 2 cups of dry oats, 1 cup of corn, 1 cup of soy, 1 cup of barley, 1 cup of brown rice, 1 cup of flaxseeds and 1 cup of wheat germ in an electric grain mill for 1 minute
- Transfer the mix to a large bowl
- Add whole-wheat flour and all-purpose flour to the mix. The amount you add will depend on your preferences and the products you will make from the flour
- Mix together all the ingredients in the bowl with the large wooden spoon for 1 minute. You now have your own multigrain flour ready to use
You will notice in the recipe that it calls for whole wheat flour. If this seems confusing considering you are putting whole wheat flour into a mix to make whole grain flour, it’s completely understandable. I think there might be some confusion out there when it comes to the differences between whole wheat flour and whole grain so here is a brief little rundown:
To be considered a whole grain product, a food must contain all three parts of the grain kernel (or seed):
-Bran is the term used to describe the outer layer of the grain kernel. Whole grain bran is rich in fibre, B vitamins and minerals.
-The endosperm is the part of the grain seed that lies just under the bran coating. It is the largest part of the grain kernel and is rich in carbohydrate and protein, essential nutrients needed for good health.
-The germ is found in the centre of the grain kernel. The germ is a rich source of vitamin E, B vitamins and some minerals.
Whole wheat flours or foods made with whole wheat flour, such as breads and rolls, are not whole grain products because of the way they are produced. During the milling process that is typically used to make whole wheat flour, some of the kernel is removed which results in a loss of the germ portion. As a result, foods labelled as being whole wheat are not as nutritious as foods labelled as being whole grain.
Always try to buy whole grain because of its nutritious value and now with this recipe, you will know exactly what is going into your flour and you can feel good about baking with it.
