Do-It-Yourself: Basic Dog Treats - Jun. 6, 2009
Posted in Cookbook
Basic Dog Treats
2 teaspoons yeast
5-6 cups whole wheat flour
½ cup warm water
1 ½ cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons honey
1 egg
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon garlic powder (See Special Notes)
In a large bowl, mix yeast and half of the flour. Set aside. In medium-sized bowl, mix together warm water, broth, honey, egg, parley, and garlic powder. Pour liquid mixture into flour/yeast mixture and stir well. If you are using a mixer, beat on medium speed for about three minutes. Gradually add remaining flour, one cup at a time, to form soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface (or in mixer using dough hook) for 3-5 minutes until smooth, adding flour if needed. Shape dough into a ball.
On lightly floured surface, roll dough to ¼” thick. Use cookie cutters to make biscuits. Transfer cut outs to ungreased cookie sheet leaving about ¼” spacing. Gather up and re-roll the scraps to make more biscuits.
Bake for 30 minutes at 350°F. Remove from oven and turn biscuits over. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides. Turn off oven leaving biscuits inside to cool gradually. When oven is completely cool, remove biscuits. Leaving the biscuits in the oven overnight works great and makes the biscuits nice and crunchy!
Store biscuits in an airtight container. I’ve found these last for many weeks in my puppy’s sealed treat jar, but can also be stored in the freezer for months.
Special notes
This recipe is similar to basic bread making except without allowing the dough to rise.
Do not be alarmed at the use of garlic powder in this recipe. While it is true that excessive amounts of garlic and onion in a dog’s diet is harmful, the amount included here as a seasoning is safe. However, I urge you to do a little research on your own to be sure what is safe for your pets.
