bird bread

[coral]

ive seen people talk about bird bread but idk how to make it, what recipe do you use?

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Harrison's makes a mix I'm planning to try. I also have a birdie cookbook with several recipes. The recipes mostly look a lot like recipes for humans but with less salt, less sugar and more seeds and grains. I expect you could easily adapt a recipe for carrot cake, for example.

[coral]

cool ill have to look into that so basically i could make carrot cake for him without sugar and salt?

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Yes, although you might want a bit of applesauce (no sugar kind) to give it some sweetness, and you might have to experiment a little with the texture. I'm sure others have good recipes they have developed!

[Vikki]

We have a birdie bread recipe that we make in bulk at the rescue, I will get it and post it here. One thing I did learn that I did not know, birds taste buds are very different to ours and they react very strongly to strong tastes. With this in mind, we add a ton of cayenne pepper and chopped up hot chilis to the mix and they go nuts for it. The only problem is that it makes the place smell so damn good when its baking and though it is fine for human consumption (and is actually very good) you'll be on the floor writhing in pain if you happen to get a piece with all the heat included... as has happened several times at the rescue. It actually make for some amusing moments.

[Vikki]

Here's the recipe for whomever wants it:

BIRDY BREAD from Billie Faye

Pre heat oven 350º Oil/flour sheet pan

I usually make two different breads at a time:
1 with Pureed Sweet Potato
1 with Pureed cooked beans


In the mixing bowl to begin with I put the following:

2 eggs Large no shells
1 TBL Cinnamon powder
1 TBL Cayenne Pepper Powder
1 TBL Hot Pepper Flakes
You can add any other herbs you want also
1/3 cup Canola Oil or Olive Oil
2 cups of Pureed Sweet Potato (pureed bean mixture for the other bread)
MIX thoroughly

Add 3 ½ cup Liquid
(can be OJ/Water mixture, vegetable or fruit juice, apple cider, plain water, Water drained from the cooked Barley, lentils, beans (If you use these waters, they will thicken as they cool so you might want to use 2 cups of that water and then the other 1 ½ cup of liquid could be just plain water)

When this is all mixed, I then add

1 cup cooked Barley
1 cup cooked Lentils
And any rice/veggie/fruit mixture I have left over from the AM feeding (about 1 to 2 cups)

Also for the bean bread, I add ¾ cup of Cranraisins …letting them soak in this liquid while I do up the dry ingredients.

Dry Ingredients:

3 Cups of UNBLEACHED flour (now you can also use rye flour, flax seed flour, etc but total cups are 3 here)
1 Cup Whole Wheat flour
1 Cup Corn meal
2 ½ TBL of NON Aluminum Baking powder

Pour this into the bowl as it mixes on slow speed…you want a batter you can POUR into the pan…so add more liquid if needed but not soupy!

If you are baking two pans….set timer for 24 mins and switch out the pans bottom to goes to top etc…Bake another 24 mins…

Turn out on rack to cool…..
I make mine in the AM for feeding at night BUT you can make for the next day feeding…

To cut:

Cut the bread into 4 equal sections:
Then cut ¼ inch slices …..I take a couple of these slices, stack them on top of each other, cut side down and cut them in half….I then cut into small bite size pieces (thumb nail size to feed)

[coral]

vikki thats funny ! has that ever happend to you? and that recipe sounds great i cant wait to try it!

[Vikki]

I have eaten the bread, but have made sure not to get pieces with chili in it. My stomach doesn't do well with any kind of spicy food so I'd probably end up in the hospital. LOL, but I have seen people eat it and forget and man, is it funny.

Jeanne, the owner, said she made a batch yesterday and used carrot juice as the liquid and it turned out bright orange after it baked. I know she's used other fruit juices as well, like grape juice.

[coral]

thats so funny lol XD and do you know if birds can drink juice?