Whole Wheat Honey Applesauce Muffins

We needed a snack for a group in a hurry today, these were quick and easy to put together, and delicious.

Whole Wheat Applesauce Spice Muffins
Yields: 12 Muffins 24 mini-muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 cup unsweetened applesauce


Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease muffin pan or place muffin liners. Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a large bowl, set aside. Melt honey in a med bowl.  Whisk in eggs, honey, and applesauce until combined well.  Then fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until muffins are puffed and golden brown, about 18-20 minutes (13 for minis).  Adapted from this recipe.

Honey Whole Wheat and Flax Bread

With so much honey flowing into our kitchen, I've been experimenting more lately with replacing other sugars with honey, and trying to adapt favorite recipes along the way.



I've successfully adapted my recipe for bread to use honey rather than sugar. I've made it a few times, so I'm ready to share it.

In the summer it's always harder for me to work up the desire to turn my oven on--so I've been trying to bake a bunch of bread at once. (This picture shows four loaves of the honey whole wheat and flax seed bread, and the round loaf on the right is a leftover oatmeal bread loaf.)  

Honey Whole Wheat and Flax Seed Bread

1/2 cup honey
2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups warmed buttermilk*
2 Tbsp butter, melted, or oil
5 cups of whole wheat flour, divided
1/3 cup of ground flax seed meal**
1 Tbsp yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp honey***
2-3 cups unbleached AP or bread flour

In large mixer bowl, mix first 4 ingredients together. Add 3 cups of the whole wheat flour and 1/3 cup of ground flax seed meal to cooled mixture. Blend at low speed until moist; then beat at medium speed for three minutes to begin developing gluten. Mix yeast into water and honey and let proof.

Add last 2 cups of whole wheat flour to bowl, and add the yeast mixture--after it has started to rise. Mix all together well. Stir in 2-3 cups white flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, at least 7 minutes in mixer or 10-15 minutes by hand.

Place dough in greased bowl, flip the dough over so the oily side is on top, cover with a towel. Let rise in warm place until doubled--about an hour. Gently degas ("punch down") dough, divide into 2 loaves and form into loaf shapes. Place in greased bread pans and let rise again until dough is about 1 inch above pan edges.(About 30-45 minutes)

Slice 1/4 inch depth down the the center of each loaf.**** Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes--or until loaves sound hollow when lightly rapped.***** Remove from pans immediately. Cool and enjoy.

My personal notes:

*Sometimes I use buttermilk, sometimes I use milk with 1 Tbl lemon juice added, I've used reconstituted powdered milk with lemon juice added, and you could even use just water, but the bread would not be as rich.

**Fresh ground meal has more nutrients, but flax seeds are difficult to grind. I've tried unsuccessfully in a food processor, and my hand grain mill. What I do is store my flax seeds in the fridge, and when I need meal I mix it about half and half with the wheat berries (grains) and find that I can grind that pretty well through my hand grinder. You can try that if you want, realizing that it goes against the instructions of many grain mills, or you can use pre-ground meal, or simply replace it with more wheat flour.

***I measure out my 1/2 cup of honey into a 1 cup glass measuring cup. I pour it out into the mixing bowl and set aside. When it's time for my yeast, I take that measuring cup with the honey residue left in it, fill it with 1/2 cup of warm water and the yeast and mix them all up. I find there is enough honey left in the glass to get the yeast going nicely, and I don't have to stress about scraping every last bit of honey out back at the first step.

****It's my un-scientifically-proven beleif that splitting the top allows the dough to raise just a little bit more when being placed into the oven before the crust forms, allowing the bread to be just a little bit more airy, which for wheat bread is very appreciated.

*****Alternately I bake to an internal temperature of 190*F.

Leftover Oatmeal Bread

The ultimate definition of thrift is taking something unusable and resurrecting it into something of real great value.

No one likes rubbery leftover oatmeal. We've tried to save helpings leftover from breakfast and reheat them later--maybe adding a little bit of milk to brighten it up--but it's still not the same as a steaming pot of freshly-cooked oatmeal. So we've tried giving old oatmeal to the chickens, and --truth be told-- they love it, but I just still feel like throwing it out to the chickens was a bit of an extreme sentence for the crimes of the old oatmeal.



I knew there had to be a better option. Adding them to bread seemed like a perfect idea. I consulted Alton Brown, for his food savvy, and adjusted the recipe to our own food preferences (whole wheat and honey). Our oatmeal was steel cut oats and included a little bit of dairy and honey, but rolled oat oatmeal could be used as well.



Leftover Oatmeal Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups leftover, cooked oatmeal, at room temperature
1/4 cup warm water
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for bowl and pan

1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour, plus 1/2 cup extra for kneading
1/4 cup toasted uncooked old fashioned rolled oats, plus 1 tablespoon extra for topping
1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon water

Directions:

Toast the raw oats if desired.

Combine the leftover cooked oatmeal, warm water, honey, and 1 tablespoon of oil in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Combine the yeast, bread flour, 1/4 cup toasted, uncooked oats, and the salt in a small mixing bowl.

Add the dry mixture to the cooked oatmeal mixture in 3 installments and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon after each addition.

Spread last 1/2 cup of bread flour on a counter. Turn the dough onto it and knead by hand for 10 minutes, adding more flour, if needed. Dough will still be a little sticky. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl or container. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Punch down the dough, shape it into a loaf, and put it into a lightly oiled 9 by 5-inch loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Remove dough from refrigerator. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the egg yolk and water in a small bowl. Lightly brush the top of the loaf with egg wash and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon toasted, uncooked oats. Bake about 55 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the loaf from the pan to a cooling rack for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Indian Fry Bread

We were looking for a way to enjoy our fresh honey harvest.  We didn't have any bread for toast, but I'm an Arizona girl, and I can't think of anything better to enjoy golden raw honey on than hot fresh Indian fry bread!

When I was little living up in the White Mountains we called them "Navajo Tacos" because the Native Americans would serve the fry bread topped with beans, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes with a dollop of sour cream on top.  They would serve them in the lodge at the ski slopes we went to on the reservation.  After skiing we were always hungry enough for the taco version, but the dessert version of the fry bread with honey drizzled on top can't be beat for a sweet treat.

My mom got her recipe for fry bread from the newspaper in AZ.  Sometimes newspaper recipes can turn out the very best!  This is one of those times.  So here is my mom's Indian Fry Bread Recipe, and.  (Don't forget to follow all hot oil kitchen safety rules--especially with kids around.)   

Indian Fry Bread
Serves 8

4 cups flour
1 Tbl baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 Tbl powdered milk
1 1/4 -1 1/2 cups warm water
Shortening or other frying oil

Melt shortening or other oil in a large skillet, dutch oven,  or wok.  (Should be at least 3/4 inch of oil.)  Heat to 500*F.

Meanwhile, combine flour, baking powder, salt and milk powder in large mixing bowl.  (You can do this by hand or with a dough hook.)  Gradually stir in warm water.  Mix until dough forms a ball and comes clean from edge of bowl.  Knead until elastic.  Divide dough into 8 pieces.  Pat into circles and roll to 1/4 inch thickness.  

Slip one dough circle into hot fat.  Turn once when underside is brown.  Remove from oil, drain on paper towels.  Repeat with remaining dough.

Sourdough Doughnuts

Owen's been asking us to make doughnuts for the last couple of weeks. Fortunate or unfortunate as it may be Owen is now to the age where he actually remembers things we say to him from day to day or week to week. So when we as his lazy parents say "not today Owen, maybe next week. . ." he remembers, and holds us to our word.

Saturday Jeremy was out for the morning on site at a schoolyard garden, so I decided it was as decent a time as any to go ahead and make doughnuts. We've made them before with a recipe that has given us great results. I decided to try a new recipe this time; however, as I'm on a sourdough kick.

It's a fun process and very fulfilling to create something at home that most people only buy in stores.

Rising.

Frying.

Draining and Cooling

Rolling in cinnamon sugar and serving.

We were deliciously impressed with the sourdough doughnuts. They were more dense than commercial yeast doughnuts--they were more like cake doughnuts. And as with most baked goods they're best eaten the same day. So we made a few trips to share some of the goodness with friends, but it didn't keep us from devouring much more than our own fair share!

Sourdough doughnuts

¼ cup Milk
1 cup Sourdough starter
2 Eggs, beaten
¼ cup Oil
⅔ cup Sugar
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
½ teaspoon Baking soda
3½ cup Flour
½ teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoons Baking powder
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Mix sourdough starter with soda in large bowl. Add milk, sugar, eggs, oil, flour, vanilla, baking powder and spices. Mix well, shape into ball, cover for one hour. Roll out onto a well floured surface to 1/2 inch thick. Cut doughnuts with biscuit cutter. Let sit one hour. Fry in 350-375* oil until golden brown. Turn once when you can see the color coming up the middle of the doughnut. Drain on a cooling rack over a paper towel. Roll in cinnamon-sugar. These are best eaten the same day you make them.

Sourdough Banana Bread

1/2 C shortening
1 C sugar
1 egg
1 C. ripe soft bananas, mashed
1 C sourdough starter
1 tsp vanilla
2 C flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
(optional 3/4 C walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together the sugar and shortening. Add egg and mix until well blended. Stir in the bananas, starter and vanilla.

In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients. Create a "well" in the dry ingredients and pour the wet mixture in. Stir just until combined.

Pour into a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Bake one hour, or until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean

Overnight Sourdough Bread

This bread is a longer process than the other recipe, however the overnight rise helps to develop additional flavor in the bread.

1 cup sourdough starter
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
5 cups flour (21 1/4 ounces)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon to 5/8 teaspoon sour salt(citric acid), optional, for extra-sour bread

Combine the starter, water, and 3 cups of the flour. Beat vigorously. Cover, and let rest at room temperature for 4 hours. Refrigerate overnight, for about 12 hours.

Add the remaining ingredients, kneading to form a smooth dough.Allow the dough to rise in a covered bowl until it's relaxed, smoothed out, and risen a bit. Gently divide the dough in half. Gently shape the dough into two oval loaves, and place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.

Cover and let rise until very puffy, about 2 to 4 hours. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.

Spray the loaves with lukewarm water.Make two fairly deep horizontal slashes in each.

Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes, until it's a very deep golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Recipe from King Arthur.

Sourdough English Muffins

Recipe adapted from: Bake Your Own Bread & Be Healthier/Stan & Floss Dworkin The Night Before:
1 C starter
2 tablespoons honey
2 C reconstituted powdered skimmed milk (or whole milk)
4 C unbleached white flour

Mix starter, honey and milk in mixing bowl until smooth. Add 4 C flour, 2 C at a time, and mix in. Cover with clean towel and leave at room temperature.

The Morning of:
1 scant teaspoon baking soda
1-2 C unbleached white flour
2 tsp sea salt
cornmeal for sprinkling.

Stir down mixture. Sprinkle a scant teaspoon baking soda and 2 teaspoons sea salt over the surface of the dough and work in.

Flour your counter with ½ C of flour. Transfer dough to counter on top of flour pour ½ c flour on top of dough and work flour in. Add up to 1 cup more flour until the dough longer sticks to your hands is stiff enough to roll out. Knead for 5 minutes.
Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper, sprinkle corn meal over both.

Flour counter again and lightly roll dough to about 1/2-inch thick. Take a 3 inch round cutter and cut as many rounds as you can-rolling out the left over dough and cutting more until the dough is all used.

As you cut each round, place it on the cornmealed wax paper. Don't allow muffins to touch or they will stick. When all rounds are cut, sprinkle corn meal over the tops of the muffins.

Allow to rise in warm place, covered, for about one hour.
Preheat a griddle 300*F or flat pan over medium. Cook one side for about 5 minutes or until golden brown and flip. Cook on other side for about 5 minutes or until done.

Split with a fork and top with a fried egg and cheese or marmalade.

Makes 24 Muffins (Freeze leftovers!)

Pizza Crust

Jeremy's Birthday brought a much anticipated gift--Apparently we're going to be eating a lot more pizza around here.

To the serious pizza connoisseur, the secret to good pizza dough is more about a philosophy than a recipe. In the classic Napoli-style pizza, this philosophy involves long-kneading for significant gluten-formation, a long(at least overnight) slow rise in the refrigerator to develop the flavor, a rest to relax the dough and allow you to toss to a nice thin crust, which when baked (on a stone) in a extremely hot(500-800 degree) oven crisps nicely on the bottom in a short amount of time(6-8 minutes) while remaining chewy on the inside. This recipe is not for the faint-hearted. It is involved and intense; however, your efforts will he hugely rewarded we definitely recommend it.

Pizza Napoletana from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart

• 4½ cups unbleached bread flour, or all-purpose flour
• 1¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• ¼ cup olive or vegetable oil (you can omit if you use AP flour)
• 1¾ cups ice-cold water

Stir together the flour, salt, and instant yeast. Mix in the oil and water on low speed until the flour is all absorbed. Mix on medium speed for 5-7 minutes to create a smooth, sticky dough. (It should clear the sides but stick to the bottom.) Transfer dough to floured counter. Line a sheet pan with lightly oil-misted parchment or a sil-pat.

Cut the dough into six equal pieces (or larger if you are comfortable shaping larger pizzas). Lift each piece and gently round it into a ball. Transfer dough balls to sheet pan and mist generously with oil. Cover sheet pan with a plastic cover or food-grade bag. Put the pan in the refrigerator overnight to rest the dough, keep up to 3 days. (You may also freeze, thawing a day ahead.)

Remove the dough from the refrigerator 2 hours ahead of time. Gently press the dough into flat disks about ½ inch thick and let rest for 2 hours. 45 minutes ahead preheat oven as high as it will go (not broil). Place baking stone in the lower third of the oven to preheat. Generously dust your pizza peel or the back of a sheet pan with semolina flour or cornmeal. Toss and gently stretch dough to about 9-12 inches in diameter, lay it on the peel or pan, making sure there is enough cornmeal to allow it to slide. Top the pizza. Slide the pizza onto the stone. Bake 5 to 8 minutes.

Enjoy!

Basic Sourdough Bread

2 1/8 cups Water
1 TBSP Salt
5/8 cup sourdough starter (5oz line in a liquid measure cup)
5-6 cups Bread Flour
1 cup + 1 TBSP Whole Wheat Flour

Pour water salt and starter in a bowl and mix together. Add 3 cups bread flour and 1 cup + 1 Tbl whole wheat flour and mix to incorporate. As needed, add more bread flour up to 6 cups total.

Knead on a floured surface for 5 minutes until the dough is springy and tight. Let the dough “rest” for 5 minutes and knead another 5 minutes.
Once the dough is kneaded, divide it into two pieces and lightly round them. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Once the dough has rested, form it into round loafs. Flour the loaves, put them on a baking sheet and cover them. Allow to rise until at least doubled in size.
Preheat your oven to 375F

Put the loaves in the oven. After about 15 minutes, rotate the bread so it bakes evenly. Bake another 15 minutes, check to see if the bread is done. You can tap the bottom of the loaf to hear a hollow sound, or use an instant-read thermometer to check that the bread is above 190F.

Makes 2 loaves

Sourdough Cornbread

1 C. starter
1 1/2 C. evaporated milk
1 1/2 C. cornmeal
2 Tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1/4 C. melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Mix starter, milk, cornmeal, sugar and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in butter, salt, and baking soda. Pour into 10" cast-iron skillet. Bake at 450*F for 30 min.

Serve warm with creamed honey butter.