As many of you know, hubs is a homebrewer. I personally think he is quite good at what he does - and no, this isn't because I'm biased! I'm not too involved in the process, I do a lot of watching. Once in a while, I may pick up the paddle and stir, other times I may watch the timer while he does something else, add some hops here and there. But really, my involvement usually comes when it is in a glass and ready to be consumed.We had been talking for quite a bit about the grain that he expends at the end of the process. Sure, it is great for flower beds and all that jazz, but when you live in a townhome, flower beds aren't always an option. I began to do some research because I thought, "why can't we eat it?" And wouldn't you know, there are quite some recipes out there, from pizza crust to bread, people 'reuse' this grain. And if they do, why can't I?
During my research, I found that one can use grain for dog biscuits. Now, a big red flag here people, dogs are deathly allergic to hops. So ensure any yeast you use for your pooch is hop free. I found a variety of recipes, but most were pretty basic with four ingredients: grain, eggs, flour and peanut butter. I decided to welcome our new pup (and of course to keep our current pup, Nala, happy - doesn't she look happy in her Packer scarf?) and make some.
Brew Dog Biscuits
Ingredients
- 4 cups spent grain (I mixed two different kinds)
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 2 eggs
Spread into a baking pan. Score the dough - I used some cookie cutters as well as making straight lines. Bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes.
Take these out of the oven, and break them up according to the score lines you made earlier. Spread them out on a baking sheet and bake again at 250 degrees for about 4-5 hours. The key here is to make sure they are completely dry. If not, they can grow mold and that is a no go for the pups in the house. So dehydrate if you have one, or just leave them in the oven until you are sure they are dry.