Whole Wheat, Polenta and Garlic Dog Biscuits
This recipe is great for both dogs and
people
MetPet.com Staff Writer and occasional biscuit nibbler
The oil and garlic in this recipe means these biscuits will keep. Since you're going to all this trouble to make fresh ones,
however, we suggest baking just enough for a week. Unlike supermarket
biscuits, these are delicious for your human friends too. The long,
thin biscuits are great for dipping alongside vegetables and are a great
substitute for bread with cheese fondue.
Polenta, corn meal, adds a nice bumpy texture and an interesting
crunchiness to this recipe. Some dogs are allergic to corn and it can
be difficult to find in some areas so it is optional. Some people
consider garlic to be toxic to dogs in large quantities while others believe
it keeps the fleas away and provides many antibacterial benefits. If
you prefer, leave the garlic out of the recipe and substitute minced parsley
instead.
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup polenta (optional, add 1/2 cup more flour instead if desired)
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup ground Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese
1 cup water
4 Tablespoons vegetable oil
Mix the flour and cheese in a bowl. Add the garlic,
water and oil and mix thoroughly. The dough should have the consistency of a heavy
bread dough. Add more water or flour as necessary.
Roll out the dough onto a floured surface to 1/4"
thickness. At this point you can:
1. Use a cookie cutter and transfer the
individually cut biscuits onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
-or-
2. Transfer the entire dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet and then use a
decorative pastry
wheel or knife to score lines into the dough. We like long
thin biscuits so we score the dough into strips approximately 1" wide and 6" long.
The biscuits will separate as they bake. This method requires a longer cooking time at a lower
temperature so that the interior biscuits will bake thoroughly.
The smaller your dog, the thinner and smaller your
biscuits should be. For training treats, we break the long, thin biscuits into
1" pieces.
Place the cookie sheet into a 325 degree oven. You
can preheat it or not as you wish. Preheating can waste energy and make
your kitchen unnecessarily hot in the summer. Oven temperatures can vary
so adjust yours as necessary to bake the biscuits slowly and evenly.
Bake until the biscuits are a rich brown (approx. 30 minutes) and then turn
off the oven. Leave the oven door ajar and leave biscuits overnight to
dry. Biscuits that are too thick will have a bread-like consistency when
cooked. Rover won't mind in the least but they don't keep as long.
Your kitchen will have a rich, garlicky aroma and you will have
fresh biscuits in the morning. Store in a cookie jar on your counter or in
a well-ventilated plastic bag.
As with all biscuits, these should be used as a treat and not a meal.
Since they have such a rich aroma that your dog will notice, they make very good
training treats.
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