Best 3 Amaranth Porridge Recipes

AMARANTH PORRIDGE

Steps:

• Combine the amaranth and water in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Stir every once in a while, as the amaranth may stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Stir in the milk, syrup or brown sugar, and a pinch of salt. Stir vigorously until the porridge is creamy. Remove from the heat and serve.

AMARANTH PORRIDGE WITH FRUIT AND NUTS

Steps:

• Soak the amaranth grains overnight in 2 cups water.
• Place the amaranth grains and their soaking water in a small saucepan (use 3 cups water if the grains weren't soaked overnight). Turn the heat on high and stir until it comes to a boil. Decrease the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until the porridge thickens, about 12 minutes. (If the grains weren't soaked, the cooking time will be about 20 minutes.) Serve the porridge in a bowl with your choice of the toppings.
• Amaranth: A Vital Grain, Rediscovered
• Amaranth, a nutty-tasting alternative to oatmeal, has more protein, fiber, and amino acids than most other grains. The tiny grains are sold in most natural food stores. The mild green and red leaves of the plant can also be prepared like spinach-look for them in Latin and Indian food stores. As more farmers return to old-fashioned crop rotation to improve soil quality and break insect and disease cycles, alternative crops like amaranth are being swapped in for wheat. Amaranth's deep taproot has been shown to improve soil quality and boost production of whatever crop is planted subsequently. Amaranth's growing role in agriculture means more of a presence on store shelves and in American cooking.
• Although it may seem exotic, Amaranth is native to nearby Central America, probably Mexico, where it was once cultivated widely. Amaranth played a crucial role in the ceremonies of Aztec religion; statues of the Aztec gods were made from amaranth mixed with blood or honey and eaten, often as part of the ritual of human sacrifice. In his mission to destroy Aztec civilization and convert Mexicans to Christianity, the Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés banned the Aztecs from growing the grain on pain of death, so the amaranth fields were burned and amaranth's existence obscured in what would later become American territory. Amaranth grains and leaves, however, are still used widely in Mexico, Peru, and Ecuador, and the leaves are popular in China, Africa, and India, where the plant was transported.

EINKORN & AMARANTH PORRIDGE SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Porridge
• In a small saucepan, bring the water and amaranth grain to a rapid boil on your smallest burner.
• Lower the heat to simmer, cover the pan, and set a timer for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, turn off the heat, but leave the lid on for an additional 10 minutes. Your amaranth will be cooked, with minimal excess water, and not sticking to the pan.
• Bread
• Mix the flour and water until incorporated and let it sit for 1-2 hours.
• Add the leaven and salt to the dough and let it rest about 40 minutes.
• After the rest, stretch and fold the dough 4-6 times every 20-30 minutes, incorporating the amaranth porridge during the second stretch and fold. I use a wet dough scraper and my hand to pull the dough up and over on all four sides of the bowl twice around. By the fourth stretch and fold, the dough will feel quite wet. Do two more (six in total) rounds of stretching and folding if you have the time, as this will help strengthen the gluten.
• Let the dough ferment for a total of 8-12 hours (since adding the leaven), depending on room temperature. My dough fermented 10 hours at 69 F.
• Scrape the dough out onto a well-floured counter. Flour the top of the dough, then stretch it and fold it in thirds and then in half. Let it rest 15-20 minutes while you prepare your basket with rice flour and amaranth.
• Re-flour your counter, flip the dough onto the floured counter and shape it into a boule.
• Place the boule into the banneton seam-side down, cover and let it proof for 60-90 minutes, preheating the oven for 30 minutes before the proofing time is finished. My dough proofed 75 minutes at 69 F. (A different version went 60 minutes at 75 F.)
• The dough will be floppy during the transfer to your cooking vessel, but if you used rice flour, it should not stick to the basket. Score rather than relying on the seams as they have likely sealed.
• Bake:
• Covered for 20 minutes at 500 F
• Covered for 10 minutes at 450 F
• Uncovered for 10-15 minutes at 450 F
• The internal temperature should be at least 205 F.