Hi,

I've been trying out various dog treat recipes I find on the net, but
I continue to be disappointed. Here's where I'm looking for help:

Most of the recipes involve flour and thus end up being something
relatively "bready". (Yes, if you leave them in the oven for a while
after you cook them, they get crunchier, but they're still bready.)

Treats I see at the store are not like this. They are crunchy all the
way through. Anyone have any tips on how to get treats that are more
like those at the store?

Any help is appreciated! Thanks,

jon

I mix up a 50/50 mixture of quaker oats and bisquick 3 cups of each with
just enough water & boullion ( about 3/4 a cup) to make it only slighlty
doughy. Spread on a cookie sheet about 1/4 inch thick and bake at 350 for
60 to 75 minutes depending upon how wet you made the dough..

The results are treats that are crunchy and my dogs love them.

Celeste



wrote in message
...
Hi,

I've been trying out various dog treat recipes I find on the net, but
I continue to be disappointed. Here's where I'm looking for help:

Most of the recipes involve flour and thus end up being something
relatively "bready". (Yes, if you leave them in the oven for a while
after you cook them, they get crunchier, but they're still bready.)

Treats I see at the store are not like this. They are crunchy all the
way through. Anyone have any tips on how to get treats that are more
like those at the store?

Any help is appreciated! Thanks,

jon

On 2007-11-20 12:10:40 -0800, said:

Hi,

I've been trying out various dog treat recipes I find on the net, but
I continue to be disappointed. Here's where I'm looking for help:

Most of the recipes involve flour and thus end up being something
relatively "bready". (Yes, if you leave them in the oven for a while
after you cook them, they get crunchier, but they're still bready.)

Treats I see at the store are not like this. They are crunchy all the
way through. Anyone have any tips on how to get treats that are more
like those at the store?

Any help is appreciated! Thanks,

jon

Chicken jerky. Better for the dog. Many dogs develop allergic reactions
to treats that consist mainly of corn or wheat.
--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

In article 2007112109330950073-christophercampbell@hotmailcom,
C J Campbell wrote:
Chicken jerky. Better for the dog. Many dogs develop allergic reactions
to treats that consist mainly of corn or wheat.

I think stuff like this tends to be too vague to be useful.
Specifically, the overly vague terms are "many" and
"mainly." I understand that you need to use vague terms
because there aren't actually any numbers available, but I'd
tend to use "some" or "a few" instead of "many," and
probably use "contain significant amounts of" instead of
"consist mainly of." Also, it's generally good practice to
distinguish between what you think and what you know.

Some dogs do have allergies but my own unsupported bias is
that in at least some cases those are the result of
insufficient variety in the diet (i.e. never changing the
feed, *not* insufficient number of ingredients) and crappy
feeding practices, and that the current anti-grain fad is,
well, a fad, soon to go the way of the anti-carb fad.

Anyway, the original poster was looking for a help getting
her home-made treats to bake crunchy all the way through.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

I have no recipes for dog treats that I make at home, but I have found
something even my vet approves of. I buy a large pack of chicken livers
and or/ chicken gizzards. When I get home I put them in a day or two
packets and freeze all of them. When I want dog treats or first thing in
the morning I put the amount I want for the day and stick them in the
micro wave. For chewy snacks not so long, for crunchy snacks leave in
longer. Wash your hands well after handling chicken.

On 2007-11-20 12:10:40 -0800, said:

Hi,

I've been trying out various dog treat recipes I find on the net, but
I continue to be disappointed. Here's where I'm looking for help:

Most of the recipes involve flour and thus end up being something
relatively "bready". (Yes, if you leave them in the oven for a while
after you cook them, they get crunchier, but they're still bready.)

Treats I see at the store are not like this. They are crunchy all the
way through. Anyone have any tips on how to get treats that are more
like those at the store?

Any help is appreciated! Thanks,

jon

Well, you could bake 'em hard for about 45 minutes and then just turn
the oven off and leave them in the oven overnight. That ought to harden
them enough so that, even if the dog does not like them, they can be
used in lieu of rocks for chasing off bears.
--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

wrote:
Hi,

I've been trying out various dog treat recipes I find on the net, but
I continue to be disappointed. Here's where I'm looking for help:

Most of the recipes involve flour and thus end up being something
relatively "bready". (Yes, if you leave them in the oven for a while
after you cook them, they get crunchier, but they're still bready.)

Treats I see at the store are not like this. They are crunchy all the
way through. Anyone have any tips on how to get treats that are more
like those at the store?

Any help is appreciated! Thanks,

You have to bake them twice, like biscotti. Bake the treats, remove
them from the oven and allow them to cool until you can handle them
without burning yourself. Cut the treats up into small pieces and
spread the pieces out on a couple of jelly roll pans. Return them to
the oven at about 250 degrees and bake until they dry out and get
crunchy. You'll need to stir them around with a spatula every so often.

wrote in message
...
Hi,

I've been trying out various dog treat recipes I find on the net, but
I continue to be disappointed. Here's where I'm looking for help:

Most of the recipes involve flour and thus end up being something
relatively "bready". (Yes, if you leave them in the oven for a while
after you cook them, they get crunchier, but they're still bready.)

Treats I see at the store are not like this. They are crunchy all the
way through. Anyone have any tips on how to get treats that are more
like those at the store?

Any help is appreciated! Thanks,

jon

Hi Jon,
I've been baking my own snacks for Kiba ever since I brought him home seven
months ago. Before that, actually. I did want to be prepared! Kiba likes
liver, salmon and tripe flavoured cookies, and I've mixed up the flavours
too. I'm working on a peanut butter one, but haven't decided how to make it
less human cookie-like and more dog cookie crisp. While I've never measured
anything, I can give you a good "guesstimate" of ingredients and the method
I use to get nice, crunchy, tiny treats.

I take about a pound of raw beef liver and whiz it up well in the food
processor. (If I need a large batch, I might add a tin of tripe or salmon).
Crack in a couple or three eggs. I crush the shells and throw them in too.
Some water if it needs it to process.
I put raw garlic in the first batch I made, but we suffered through
disgusting, garlicky puppy farts for weeks, so I leave it out.
Make sure it's all mixed well.
Pour the mess into a big bowl and add about two-three cups of whole wheat
flour. Mix it up.
Add more flour or water as the texture needs. You're looking for a soft
texture, like a very thick pancake batter.
I prepare two baking sheets with parchment (I usually only need one).
Pour and pat the batter onto the sheet to a thin depth.
This I think is the secret. I measure with a bamboo skewer. About 1/4 inch
of depth is good for tiny bait treats, 3/8 for larger cookies.
Spread the dough to the edges. Use another sheet if you need it.
The dough should be thick enough that if you only have enough for a half
sheet, you can pile the dough up on one side and make an edge with a
spatula.
Bake in the upper half of the oven at 275-300 degrees for about 15 minutes.
Slow is the key to stopping it from "poofing" up. Keep an eye on it. You
don't want it to get too well done, just firm enough to handle.
I find that after 15 minutes, I usually decide 10 more will do, and then I
take it out.
Take the sheet of cookie dough out of the pan, flip it onto a cutting board,
and peel off the parchment.
Using a pizza wheel, or large sharp knife, slice the loaf into cookies of
whichever size you need.
It will be hot, but as it cools, it firms, so try to do it while it's warm.
Now for the crispy part: I'm lucky enough to own a dehydrator, so I throw
them in the machine for a day or so, and dry them.
If you don't have one, no problem. Just pile the cookies in a single layer
(you'll need the two sheets, this time) and put them back in the oven at
175-200 for a few hours till dry and crispy.
I warn you though, baking liver smells pretty gross. I don't mind it, as
it's for my dog, but my husband HATES it. So I usually bake while he's at
work, and set the dehydrator in the back room with the window open.
I've cut the pre-cooked dough into larger shapes for my daughter's dog, and
strips for sticking in Kongs. Any shape will do, just bake 'em long enough
to crisp.
More meat, less flour, seems to be another secret to less "bready" treats.
Kiba really enjoys the liver/tripe combo. And I don't feel bad if he has
lots of treats. If we have quite a lot of training exercises in the
evening, they stand in for his lighter, evening meal.

Kiba's "high value" treats are dehydrated liver. I just throw sliced liver
in the machine (wipe it dry first, please. I found out the hard way that
blood is a glue like no other!) and dehydrate until I can handle it. Slice
into bits, and back into the machine to dry for a couple days. He loves
them!! Heart is good this way too.

Email me if you want more details. Good luck and happy baking.

Phyrie
--
Kiba the Cav's Pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phyrie/...758930/detail/