Discover The Magic of Mesquite: No-Knead Mesquite Bread Recipe (2024)

Discover The Magic of Mesquite: No-Knead Mesquite Bread Recipe (1)

By nataliezdrieu

nataliezdrieu

Editor-in-Chief of CRAFT, www.craftzine.com

View more articles by nataliezdrieu

September 23rd, 2009 8

Discover The Magic of Mesquite: No-Knead Mesquite Bread Recipe (2)
Discover The Magic of Mesquite: No-Knead Mesquite Bread Recipe
By Wendy Tremayne

Around this time of year one might notice that their local variety of mesquite tree is littering the neighborhood with odd figured legumes. These curly, hooked and sometimes pom-pom shaped pods (screw bean, honey and velvet) offer up a nutritious treat to the creative forager. With a bit of mastery, the pods can also become high value products – flour and sweetener that sell for 30X their white flour and sugar standards. Mesquite’s sweet, dark taste makes it a great match for pancakes, breads, molasses and a host of baked goods. It can also be used as an egg substitute. With it’s 33% soluble fiber, the legume offers assistance in slowing the body’s absorption of sugar, a big plus for diabetics. Packed with protein (as much as 40%) and gluten free, mesquite is a sought after favorite by folks with a sensitivity to wheat, vegans in search of a non-animal protein and raw foodists. This how-to will take you through harvesting, processing and cooking with mesquite flour.


Discover The Magic of Mesquite: No-Knead Mesquite Bread Recipe (3)
If you are ready to be a local forager, and you live anywhere from Kansas to Texas, California, Hawaii or in the southwestern United States you may begin right now by taking a walk in your neighborhood. As you search out the residence of local mesquite trees take note of their location. It is best to avoid trees that are treated with pesticides or on major roadways where they might pick up an excess of car pollutants.
Discover The Magic of Mesquite: No-Knead Mesquite Bread Recipe (4)
Pods begin to fall to the ground during late summer and through early fall. Avoid those that have already fallen, they are likely to have mold or bugs. Choose the dry, brown colored pods that while still hanging from the tree release easily when tugged. Test the pods you’ve chosen by snapping one in half. They should snap easily.
Discover The Magic of Mesquite: No-Knead Mesquite Bread Recipe (5)
Before storing or processing, the pods must be thoroughly dried. This how-to uses a conventional solar oven at 150 degrees Fahrenheit for drying. On a rack or in a bowl, dry pods in the solar oven for about six hours and then let cool. At this point you may begin to make mesquite flour. If you will be storing the whole pods for a while, you will have to dry them a second time after taking them out of storage and before processing.
Once dry, examine the pods for holes. Holes are entryways in which bugs gained access to the pod and took their share of its nutrition – don’t worry, there’s plenty left for us humans. To remove the critters ingress, simply snap off the part of the pod that contains the hole and throw it away.
Discover The Magic of Mesquite: No-Knead Mesquite Bread Recipe (6)
Grinding mesquite pods can be done with a hammer-mill ($2000.00), a Vita Mix ($300.00), or a cheap electric coffee grinder (I got mine for $1 at a garage sale). This recipe uses the one-buck coffee grinder. Break your pods into a size that will fit your grinder. Everything goes in, pod, seeds, everything but the critters. While grinding turn grinder upside down and right side up a few times to assure that all of the pods have been captured by the blade of the grinder. This also prevents jamming. Use the on/off switch to pulse your grinder and check frequently to be sure that your flour is not turning into syrup, mesquite has the propensity to turn into a thick liquid. If the grinder feels hot, pause. Repeat these steps until pods are completely ground.
Discover The Magic of Mesquite: No-Knead Mesquite Bread Recipe (7)
Sift the ground pods by pouring the powder through a colander. Discard the large fiber material that resisted grinding. Sift a second time using a finer metal mesh strainer so that all that remains is a light thin product the consistency of flour. By now you’ve likely noticed the strong, sweet smell of mesquite. Go ahead and dip your finger in for a taste. As your palette familiarizes itself with mesquites unique flavor, ideas about how you can add this delicacy to your life will surely come into view. A little bit of mesquite goes a long way. To begin, try substituting 1tbs of mesquite flour per 1 cup of regular flour in pancake, muffin and bread recipes.
Discover The Magic of Mesquite: No-Knead Mesquite Bread Recipe (8)
Store flour in an airtight container. You can expect a six-month shelf life.
Discover The Magic of Mesquite: No-Knead Mesquite Bread Recipe (9)
No Knead Mesquite Bread Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups white flour
3 tbls mesquite flour
½ tsp yeast
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups of water

Directions

Step 1: Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
Step 2: Add water and mix.
Step 3: Stir with fork (mix will be sticky).
Step 4: Cover in a bowl, let sit overnight.
Step 5: Place bread dough on cutting board covered with towel for 2 hours.
Step 6: In metal bowl bake in sun oven @ 350 for 1 hour.
Discover The Magic of Mesquite: No-Knead Mesquite Bread Recipe (10)
For more information about mesquite or to read about a Tucson community that hosts an annual hammer mill and mesquite pancake event, check out the Desert Harvesters on Tucson’s web site.
About the Author:
Discover The Magic of Mesquite: No-Knead Mesquite Bread Recipe (11)
Wendy Tremayne is renovating an RV park into a 100% reuse, off-grid B&B in Truth or Consequences, N.M. Another project, Swap-O-Rama-Rama, is a clothing swap and DIY workshop designed to offer people an alternative to consumerism.

  1. Discover The Magic of Mesquite: No-Knead Mesquite Bread Recipe (12)John Johnsonsays:

    August 22nd, 2013 at 6:12 am

    Very cool, thanks.

  2. Discover The Magic of Mesquite: No-Knead Mesquite Bread Recipe (13)Mydaisysays:

    September 15th, 2013 at 5:48 pm

    SCORE!!!!!! I have been searching something different to put in my bread! We have mesquite all around us! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I would love to post recipes, is that possible?

  3. April 2nd, 2014 at 12:39 am

    […] way.” For example, in the first loaf of bread we’d made with it (using this helpful recipe fromMake magazine, sans solar oven anyway), it’s three cups of regular flour and only […]

  4. Discover The Magic of Mesquite: No-Knead Mesquite Bread Recipe (15)News Links Commentary for Tuesday July 8th of 2014 | Scribe Cave Presssays:

    July 8th, 2014 at 3:18 pm

    […] https://makezine.com/craft/discover_the_magic_of_mesquite/ […]

Comments are closed.

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!
Tagged baking Craft Projects food recipies

Discover The Magic of Mesquite: No-Knead Mesquite Bread Recipe (16)

By nataliezdrieu

nataliezdrieu

Editor-in-Chief of CRAFT, www.craftzine.com

View more articles by nataliezdrieu

ADVERTIsem*nT

Related Articles from Make:

Discover The Magic of Mesquite: No-Knead Mesquite Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is mesquite meal the same as mesquite flour? ›

Mesquite meal or flour is made from the dried seed pods of the mesquite tree, a common tree in the American Southwest. In fact, the tree and its pods were an important food staple of the Native Americans.

What does mesquite bread taste like? ›

It's sweet with a strong flavor of what I can only compare to roasted hazelnut and cinnamon and a little bit of mild, lactic tang on the finish. It's not excessively sweet, so it's excellent with both savory and sweet stuff.

How do you make flour out of mesquite pods? ›

Snap off any part of the mesquite pod that's been bored into by insects. Toast mesquite pods until they're golden and fragrant before grinding. Break toasted mesquite pods into smaller pieces before grinding. Grind toasted mesquite pods in a blender, food processor, grain mill or other device.

How is mesquite flour made? ›

The bean pods of the mesquite tree are dried and ground into a flour. This flour is rich in dietary fiber (25%) and protein (13%), and it is low in fat (around 3%). It also contains significant quantities of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, and the amino acid lysine.

How healthy is mesquite flour? ›

Two tablespoons of mesquite flour has 30 calories, 6 grams of carbohydrate, 3 grams of fiber, 1 gram of protein. The fiber as well as other complex carbohydrates slow digestion and help keep blood sugar levels stable so is beneficial for diabetes.

Is mesquite flour good for diabetics? ›

Alongside this controversy, we should also take into account that while mesquite as a sweetener, flour, and product is more nutritious versus refined sugars, it does little benefit to individuals dealing with illnesses such as diabetes if they continue to maintain a diet high in other unhealthy fats and sugars.

Which tastes better hickory or mesquite? ›

Hickory gives meat the strongest smoky flavor of all cooking woods. It's great to use when smoking beef and pork low and slow. Also, very strong, mesquite gives you a good flavor quickly, but mesquite can become bitter fast too. It's better to use mesquite for hot and fast cooks.

What is the best meat for mesquite? ›

Mesquite Flavor Bisquettes especially pair well with beef, pork, game, fish, seafood, water fowl, and nuts. Additionally, try mesquite smoke for grilling steaks, vegetables, and other quick-cooking, flavorful foods. Pro tip: Mesquite wood's strong flavor can overpower mild poultry, pork shoulder, ribs, and fish.

What meat is best for mesquite wood? ›

Mesquite wood is the best wood for smoking dark meats that can stand up to the strong flavor of mesquite, such as Texas-style brisket, wild game meat, duck, lamb, and Tex-Mex barbacoa. Try mesquite coals for grilling steaks, vegetables, and other quick-cooking, flavorful foods.

Can you eat the pods from a mesquite tree? ›

Once washed, mesquite bean pods may be eaten straight of the bush. If they are ripened, they will be considerably sweet. The seeds are too hard to chew so when snacking on the pod, you'll likely spit seeds like you do with watermelon.

Can you eat mesquite pods raw? ›

And, more importantly, they (especially the honey-mesquite variety) taste like organic Skittles. You can pop them right off the branch and eat the pods like jumbo green beans, or mash them into a fine powder to make flour, jelly, or even co*cktails. See, Skittles do grow from trees. They're just a little uglier.

How do you store mesquite flour? ›

Keep flour in an airtight container and in a cool place to keep pests out, keep it from getting stale and keep the flour dry. Mesquite flour easily absorbs any moisture and may clump.

What did the Native Americans use mesquite for? ›

The Seri use mesquite to make the ribs of wooden boats. Thorns were used as a needle in puncturing the skin for tattoos. Mesquite gum was used to glue foreshafts of arrows and adhere baskets to mortars. Tribes of the southwest used the gum secreted from the bark to mend pottery, make candy, and furnish a black dye.

What can you use mesquite flour for? ›

Put a spoon of mesquite flour into your stew or chilli recipes or with meat accompanied by slightly spicy sauces. The combination, with a distinctly chocolatey taste, as taught by the Mexican school of cuisine, will be extraordinary. More than ever before, flour is definitely no longer just flour.

What is Amish flour? ›

Sometimes known as Amish Flour, zucchini flour has long been used in Amish and Mennonite communities, and became used more widely in the U.S. during the 1940s with the rationing of wheat flour.

What is a substitute for mesquite meal? ›

If you don't have of these on hand, you can substitute corn starch or a mix of corn starch and regular corn meal. I used water but milk of any sort (cow, coconut, almond, rice) is great. Local honey is delicious, but any sweetener, including granulated sugar, is fine.

What is the difference between mesquite flour and mesquite powder? ›

Mesquite trees produce pods, which are ground whole to make mesquite powder. Also referred to as mesquite flour, mesquite meal or algarroba, these pods (including the protein rich seeds) have high nutritional value.

What is mesquite flour used for? ›

Often mixed with wheat or white flour to temper the intense flavor and get enough gluten in the recipe to help breads and pastries rise, mesquite flour might be an heirloom Southern ingredient that people have long overlooked, but we're happy to report it's slowly becoming quite the baking trend.

What do you do with mesquite flour? ›

Mesquite flour is a wonderful, fragrant flour made from the ground-up pods of the mesquite tree. It has a slightly sweet and chocolaty flavor, with a touch of malt and smokiness. You can use it all sorts of things, far beyond these cookies, including pancake mixes, waffle mixes, oatmeal, and sweet quick breads.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Twana Towne Ret

Last Updated:

Views: 5632

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (44 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Twana Towne Ret

Birthday: 1994-03-19

Address: Apt. 990 97439 Corwin Motorway, Port Eliseoburgh, NM 99144-2618

Phone: +5958753152963

Job: National Specialist

Hobby: Kayaking, Photography, Skydiving, Embroidery, Leather crafting, Orienteering, Cooking

Introduction: My name is Twana Towne Ret, I am a famous, talented, joyous, perfect, powerful, inquisitive, lovely person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.