“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight.” – M.F.K. Fischer
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I’ll start by apologizing for my finished bread looking burned; it was not burned. No matter how I aimed my camera, part of the loaf looked black, which is why the picture is cropped. Sometimes a photo just doesn’t do justice to its subject. Now that that is out there, let’s move on.
I love baking yeast breads because I find it relaxing and therapeutic. Not that I’m necessarily in need of therapy when I decide to bake some crusty, yeasty and delicious loaves. It’s just that it feels good to get your hands in the dough and feel the magical transformation from wet sticky dough to dough that is silky and elastic, and a pleasure to touch. Homemade bread actually engages all of your senses-
~There is the smell . . . yeasty fragrance wafting up from the bowl of blooming yeast. “Blooming yeast” sounds like a British expression; in this case it means to put the dry yeast into warm water to dissolve and begin activating, so your bread will rise properly.
~ The tactile nature of bread dough is that it goes from sticky to silky, shaggy to supple
~ Visually appealing is your bread when it emerges from the hot oven, golden and brown, like it just spent the day on a glorious tropical beach {Maui??}
~ If you were able to achieve a nice crisp crust, you will hear that crust shatter when you tear or cut into your beautiful bread. Maybe it’s the kind of crust that sends pieces of toasty shards over the edge of the counter to the floor when it’s cut.
~ Last but not least is the taste . . . yeasty, whole wheat flavor {or maybe rye} made better with thin slices of good butter. Or perhaps you have chosen a smear of fresh goat cheese, or a dip in some fruity extra virgin olive oil showered with freshly ground salt, pepper & herbs. My dear readers, it doesn’t get any better than this!
For tips on baking yeast breads {proofing the yeast, shaping the loaves, etc.} click here.
This recipe produces a bread that is dense, chewy and slightly sweet, with a crisp crust when toasted. We had a turkey sandwich on it a couple days ago, and it was most excellent.
Whole Wheat Oatmeal Honey Bread
adapted from Honey Oatmeal Bread from Bread Winners {Mel London, 1979}
*1 cup/110 grams ground oats {uncooked rolled oats processed in a food processor until you have 1 cup}
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
*I wanted my bread to taste more of oats, so one of my adaptations was to add a cup of ground oats in place of 1 cup of whole wheat flour. Feel free to use all whole wheat flour, or other flour of your choice.
Glaze: Honey
Uncooked rolled oats
In a large bowl, stir together boiling water, honey, butter, salt and rolled oats. Let stand for 1 hour.
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water. Add to the oat mixture. Stir in the flour, 1 cup at a time and beat well. I start with the ground oats, and then add whole wheat flour until the dough is not super sticky. Stir in the sunflower seeds before the dough gets too stiff. It will be a little sticky, but that will be remedied as you flour your counter to knead the bread.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic {about 10 minutes}. If necessary, add enough flour to keep dough from being too sticky. Wash the big bowl you just used, rub some olive oil around the bottom and sides and add your ball of dough. Turn the dough to coat all the sides. Cover the bowl with a towel or damp cloth. Place in a warm spot and allow to double in bulk-about 1 1/4 hours. I turn on my oven for a minute or 2 to get it slightly warm, and that is where I put my dough to rise.
Turn out onto floured counter, knead for 1-2 minutes, shape into 2 loaves and place into well-greased loaf pans {9” x 5”}. Cover and place in a warm spot until almost doubled in bulk {about 45 minutes}.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes. Tops should be well browned and the bottoms should sound hollow when rapped with your knuckles. I look for a temperature of 200 degrees when I insert the instant read thermometer in the bottom of the loaf.
For a delicious glaze, brush tops of bread with honey that has been slightly warmed, then sprinkle with oats. It looks pretty with the honey & oats on top, but I must say that the oats don’t stick very well. Maybe I don’t use enough honey!
As hard as it might be, you should cool the bread completely on a wire rack before slicing. We {or I should say my husband} often finds it difficult to do this! Enjoy the rewards of your efforts!
A few tidbits about cranberries. . .
~ The cranberry is native to North America.
~ Cranberries bounce because of air pockets inside the fruit. They are also called bounceberries.
~ If you were to string all of the cranberries harvested in North America last year, it would reach from Boston to Los Angeles more than 565 times!
Some time ago, I posted a few ways that we like to eat plain yogurt. Cranberry season is here, which means we can swirl some raw cranberry orange relish into creamy plain yogurt for a delicious breakfast treat. Topped with walnuts & a sprinkling of raw cacao nibs, it makes a great breakfast with a piece of toast and some tea. As I mentioned in a previous post, our favorite yogurt is Nancy’s.
Nancy’s Plain Yogurt
When you open up a new yogurt, stir it well until all the lumps are out and it is super creamy. Add whatever you like to make a healthy and delicious breakfast.
Plain Yogurt with Cranberry Orange Relish & Broken Walnuts
You could stop with the cranberry orange relish {recipe here} and walnuts, or do as I did and sprinkle a few raw cacao nibs over the top. In one fell swoop, you can boost the taste & the nutrition of your creamy bowl of yogurt. What a deal!
Try some raw cacao nibs on your bowl of yogurt!
I enjoy having some toast with my yogurt. It adds somewhat of a “savory” bite to counter the yogurt’s sweetness, even though this yogurt isn’t super sweet, since it only contains a bare minimum of sugar. I wrote about this bread before, but it’s worth revisiting. It is simple to make & tasty to eat.
Date Walnut Cinnamon Bread with Star fruit
Better eat it quickly, because the butter is almost melted! I prefer my butter sitting on top in cold, thin slices. Mmmmmm! This bread is just about as good as cinnamon rolls, but a lot easier and quicker to make. With the cranberry orange relish, more fruit isn’t really required, but the star fruit makes a pretty addition to the plate. Aren’t they cute? Star fruit is a tropical fruit whose season runs from July-February in the U.S. It is a good source of Vitamin C, potassium and fiber. According to Food Chemistry, star fruit is a good source of antioxidants, particularly the kind found in green tea and red wine.
1 1/4 cups / 300 ml warm water (105-115F) 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
1 tablespoon runny honey
1 cup/140 grams whole wheat flour
1 cup/100 grams oats
1 cup/125 grams unbleached white flour
3 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
5 dates, snipped into small pieces
1 cup broken walnuts
2 tablespoons butter, melted, for brushing {you probably won’t need it all}
In a medium bowl, sprinkle the yeast onto the warm water and stir until the yeast dissolves. Stir in the honey and set aside for a few minutes, until the yeast blooms and swells a bit – 5 – 10 minutes.
In the meantime, mix the flours, oats, salt, cinnamon, dates and walnuts in a large bowl. Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir very well.
Brush a 9” x 5” loaf pan {8 cup} generously with some of the melted butter. Turn the dough into the tin, cover with a clean, slightly damp cloth, and set in a warm place for 30 minutes, to rise.
Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C, with a rack in the middle. When ready, bake the bread for 35-40 minutes, until golden and pulling away from the sides of the pan. I finish things up by leaving the bread under the broiler for just a heartbeat – to give the top a bit deeper color. Remove from oven, and turn the bread out of the pan quickly. Let it cool on a rack so it doesn’t steam in the pan. Serve warm with butter.
“Fermented foods help people stay healthy,” Sandor Katz author of New York Times best-selling book “The Art of Fermentation.”
Before we get to the heart of the matter of cultured foods, here is a photo of yesterday’s sky. I was at the pool and the sky was so beautiful I had to take a picture. The picture doesn’t do it justice, but you get the idea.
My husband and I do a good job of learning about what constitutes a healthy lifestyle in terms of eating and exercise, and then we implement what we have learned to the best of our abilities. Our latest foray into healthy eating is fermented {cultured} foods. Please understand that in no way do I consider myself an expert on cultured foods; I am far from an expert, and know just enough to be dangerous. We have been eating cultured foods for years, because we enjoy them, but have intentionally added more into our diet because of the health benefits. Here are some of our favorite cultured foods, all of which we buy at Mana Foods, for those of you on Maui: ~ Yogurt– Nancy’s Yogurt {contains 11 different culture strains} has been a staple for more than a decade. ~ Sauerkraut and Fermented Pickles- We have recently started purchasing sauerkraut that is raw and unpasteurized, so that the beneficial microbes are available to us. One of our favorite brands is Sonoma Brinery. Farmhouse Culture makes fantastic sauerkraut as well. I LOVE their Smoked Jalapeno Kraut; I don’t find it at all smoky, but perfectly spicy! My husband prefers the Ginger Beet flavor, which I also like, but not as much as the Smoked Jalapeno. Both of these companies offer excellent products that are reasonably priced. If you want sauerkraut, these are a must try! ~ Kombucha– We drink a little kombucha most days. Our kombucha comes from Maui Kombucha. ~ GoodBelly Probiotic Drink– This is a delicious nondairy nectar-like drink. My favorite flavor is Mango. If you sign up for their Goodbelly Challenge, they will email you some coupons! ~ Sour Cream- We often spoon a bit of cultured sour cream on our quesadillas. Sour cream is always a yummy addition to a spicy dish. ~ Tempeh– Tempeh is a fermented soy product from Indonesia. Our current favorite way to eat tempeh is seasoned with freshly ground salt and pepper and sautéed in a bit of coconut oil until golden brown. Eat with ketchup and you have something that resembles French fries. A heavy drizzle of Sriracha Sauce is a great addition, if you like a little mouth burn, like I do. We also make a delicious sandwich that we call a “TLT” meaning Tomato, Lettuce and Tempeh. It is fantastic on toasted ciabatta bread. Our tempeh is in the freezer until we are ready to eat it, and then it thaws very quickly. ~ Miso- I like kale salad with Outstanding Miso Sesame Dressing. There is also miso soup, which is delicious!
Here are a few of the cultured foods we’ve enjoyed in the last few days:
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Tempeh Sautéed in Organic Coconut Oil
Slice tempeh into approximately 1/2 inch slices. Spray skillet {we use cast iron} with pan spray, then melt about 1 tbsp. of coconut oil. When the oil is hot, add the tempeh slices. Season with freshly ground salt and pepper to taste. Sauté, turning occasionally, until golden brown. Serve hot with ketchup and Sriracha Sauce, or whatever you like.
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Yogurt with Pineapple, Peach and Cranberry Preserves
Put some yogurt in a bowl, and top with homemade preserves, and your choice of any or all of the following toppings: unsweetened coconut, maple syrup {the real stuff please, preferably Grade B}, good quality honey, cinnamon, cacao nibs, nuts, hemp seeds, ground flax seeds, Buckwheat Chia Crunch or anything else you’d like.
Pineapple, Peach and Cranberry Preserves
**This is really more of a guideline than a specific recipe. You can adjust everything to your taste, including changing the fruits to what you have available.
1 Maui Gold pineapple
1 quart chunked fresh or frozen peaches
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cinnamon stick
approximately 1 tbsp. good quality honey
Juice of 1/2 a juicy lemon
Grind of salt
Get a Maui Gold pineapple if you can {we buy ours at Costco, maybe Mainland Costco sells them also-I think they do}, otherwise a “regular” fresh pineapple will do. Cut up the pineapple into chunks {see previous pineapple blog post}. Put all of the pineapple chunks into a wide-mouthed saucepan {for better evaporation of the liquid}. Add 1 quart of peach chunks {we used the peaches we froze in August} and 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries. You can certainly use a different berry if you are not a cranberry fan, but you can’t really identify them as cranberries as far as taste goes . Squeeze half a lemon and add the juice, and then throw in a cinnamon stick and a grind of salt. Spoon in some good quality honey to taste. We used about 1 tbsp. Bring to a boil, and then turn down the heat and simmer on low until thickened. The timing will depend on how juicy your fruit is. The preserves will thicken as they cool.
These preserves are meant to be made and eaten within a week or so; they are not preserved, so will not keep.
These preserves also taste great with one of our new favorite breads, from 101 Cookbooks. I have made several of her bread recipes, and we have loved them all.
Photo from 101 Cookbooks
Easy Little Bread from 101 Cookbooks 1 1/4 cups / 300 ml warm water (105-115F)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
1 tablespoon runny honey
1 cup / 4.5 oz / 125 g unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup / 5 oz / 140 g whole wheat flour
1 cup / 3.5 oz / 100 g rolled oats (not instant oats)
1 1/2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted, for brushing
In a medium bowl, sprinkle the yeast onto the warm water and stir until the yeast dissolves. Stir in the honey and set aside for a few minutes, until the yeast blooms and swells a bit – 5 – 10 minutes.
In the meantime, mix the flours, oats, and salt in a large bowl. Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir very well.
Brush an 8-cup loaf pan {9″x5″} generously with some of the melted butter. Turn the dough into the tin, cover with a clean, slightly damp cloth, and set in a warm place for 30 minutes, to rise.
Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C, with a rack in the middle. When ready, bake the bread for 35-40 minutes, until golden and pulling away from the sides of the pan. I finish things up by leaving the bread under the broiler for just a heartbeat – to give the top a bit deeper color. Remove from oven, and turn the bread out of the pan quickly. Let it cool on a rack so it doesn’t steam in the pan. Serve warm, slathered with butter.
In honor of Julia Child, who would be 101 years of age on 15 August 2013. . . . . .”This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!” Julia Child My Life in France
There was some beautiful produce plus one unusual {at least for us} item at the farmers market today.
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After work last Tuesday, we received an invitation to Kamaole 3 Beach Park for a sunset BBQ on Wednesday. “Yes! Yes! Yes!” was the reply to the invite. We jump at any opportunity to have a sunset beach BBQ; good friends, good food & gorgeous scenery is only a 40 minute drive away. I made this chocolate cake to share. The cake is delicious & quick & easy to make. It’s not a fancy cake, but then I’m not a fancy baker. Decorated cakes are lovely, but I am not big on decorating my cakes.
Chocolate Sheet Cake adapted from In the Sweet Kitchen: the Definitive Baker’s Companion
Cake: 3 c flour {I use whole wheat pastry flour} 1 3/4 c sugar 1/2 c natural unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Ghiradelli or Hershey’s 2 t baking soda 1 t salt 12 T vegetable oil 2 T white vinegar 2 t vanilla 2 c cool water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda & salt to an ungreased 9”x11” baking dish. Stir well to mix. With the back of a spoon, make three indentations or wells in the dry mixture: one large, one medium & one small. Into the large well, pour the vegetable oil. Into the medium well, pour the vinegar. Into the small well, pour the vanilla. Pour the water over everything. With a fork, stir the mixture until the ingredients are well-blended, making sure you reach the corners & sides to catch any dry pockets. Do not beat this batter, but mix just until most of the lumps are smoothed out, & there are no little patches of overly thick or runny batter. A few lumps won’t hurt, & it’s important not to overbeat at this point.
Bake for 35-40” {I always start checking at 28” so as not to overbake} or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs & the top feels springy when lightly touched. Cool completely on a wire rack before turning out, frosting or cutting.
Frosting: 1/2 c cocoa powder 2 2/3 c powdered sugar 6T butter 4-5 T milk or water {I always use milk, or cream if I happen to have some} 1 t vanilla Pinch of salt {brings out the chocolate flavor}
Whisk cocoa, powdered sugar & salt together. Cream butter & add powdered sugar alternately with milk. I don’t necessarily follow the recipe exactly as far as the milk goes, but just add enough milk to get the consistency I want {I like it soft-not runny & certainly not stiff}. Spread on cooled cake.
We went to another sunset BBQ last night, but we were in someone’s condo, not at the beach. Two of the ladies who were at the first BBQ are visiting from the Mainland, and invited us over for dinner. I decided to make hummus {post to follow on another day} to be eaten with homemade pita bread. I’ve made pita bread a few times and it was always tasty, but the pockets didn’t always form. I tried a new recipe, and it worked great! I will definitely use it again. I used half whole wheat flour and half bread flour. It is from The Fresh Loaf website, where there are many recipes that I will be trying.
We love eating soup & I enjoy making soups; most of the soups I make are vegetarian. Today I made borscht. I’ve made it before and have wanted to make it again; I finally got to it today. It was great for lunch.
Russian Cabbage Borscht adapted from Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen.
1 ½ cups thinly sliced potato 1 cup thinly sliced beets 4 cups water or stock
Put potatoes, beets and water in a medium saucepan and cook until everything is tender {save the water}.
2 tbsp butter 1 ½ cups chopped onion 1 scant tsp caraway seeds 1 ½ tsp salt 1 large sliced carrot 1 stalk chopped celery 3 cups chopped green cabbage Optional: 1 tbsp raisins Black pepper, preferably freshly ground ¼ tsp dried dill weed 1 tbsp + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp + 1 tsp honey 1 cup tomato puree {I pulsed a 14 1/2 oz. can of tomatoes in my food processor}
Melt the butter in a large soup pot and add the onions, caraway seeds and salt. Cook until onion is translucent, and then add carrots, celery and cabbage. Add the cooking water from the beets & potatoes, and cook, covered, until all the vegetables are tender. Add potatoes, beets and all remaining ingredients.
Cover and simmer slowly for at least 30 minutes. Taste and correct seasonings.
Serve topped with sour cream or plain yogurt, extra dill weed and chopped fresh tomatoes.
Note: The next time I make this soup, I am going to chop the beets and potatoes instead of slicing them.
One of life’s great pleasures is the aroma of yeasty bread dough in the oven, transforming itself into a beautiful, delectable, crusty loaf of bread. If you have never baked homemade yeast bread, you are in for a treat. It really doesn’t take a lot of time; you can have delicious bread from start to finish in 3 hours or less, depending on the bread. Much of that time is rising time, so you can be doing something else, like making soup or salad to accompany your freshly baked bread.
It isn’t just the smell that is enticing though. Bread dough feels good in your hands. Not so much at the beginning, when it is a sticky, shaggy mass of dough…
but when your mindful kneading transforms it into a silky, supple ball of dough, it is a pleasure to behold. I find kneading bread to be therapeutic and calming.
I have been making yeast breads by hand for many years, although I am certainly not an expert on the subject. I will say that I am not a fan of bread machines. Perhaps I had a bad experience with one. My mother-in-law had a bread machine when they first came out, and she made some tasty breads. She enjoyed hers so much that she gave one to us. I used it a few times. It was nice to wake up to freshly baked bread courtesy of the bread machine, but it had a hole in the middle of the cylindrical loaf. I could live with that, but the outside of the bread was slightly burned when the inside was undercooked. So I decided to try letting the bread machine do the kneading, and I would bake off the loaf the “old fashioned” way. Doing that deprived me of the pleasure of getting my hands into the dough and experiencing that lovely change in texture from rough to silky smooth. Bread machine?? Not for me, thank you very much! I gave ours away to an appreciative uncle.
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Whole Wheat Rye Potato Bread
1 medium sized potato
reserved potato cooking water
2 packages dry yeast
2 tbsp butter, cut into small chunks
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 cup warm milk {low fat is fine}
3-4 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups dark rye flour
3 tbsp coarse cornmeal + 3 tbsp ground flax seeds + whole wheat flour to make 1 cup
3tbsp caraway seeds {or fennel, anise or a combination of them}
Peel & dice the potato. Cover with water & boil until potato is tender, about 15-20 minutes. Save 1 cup of the potato water {add hot tap water if you do not have enough}. Mash the potato & set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together 3 cups whole wheat flour, rye flour & cornmeal/flax seeds/whole wheat flour mixture. Keep the additional cup of whole wheat flour in case you need to use it.
Pour the {not too hot} potato water in another large bowl, then sprinkle in the yeast & stir with a wooden spoon. Add the butter, honey, caraway seeds and salt, and then stir in the mashed potato {approximately 1 cup}, warm milk & 3 cups of flour mixture. When you add the yeast to the warm potato water, it will begin to activate. It will begin to get bubbly as you add the remaining ingredients & will look like this. . .
Beat until smooth, and then add enough additional flour to make a stiff dough. When it gets hard to incorporate any more flour with the spoon, turn the dough out on a lightly floured counter. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Wash the bowl in which you mixed the dough, butter it and then place the dough back in the bowl, turning to coat all sides with butter. Cover with a clean kitchen towel & let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. This should take 45-60 minutes. I like to turn on the oven for 2 minutes, turn it off and then put my bowl of dough in the toasty warm oven to rise. Don’t forget to turn off the oven or you will bake your bread prematurely! I have heard that the pilot light in a gas oven has enough warmth to be a good place to let bread rise, but I have never had a gas oven, so can’t vouch for that one.
How do you know when your dough has doubled in bulk? It is difficult to “eyeball it” so there is a little test you can use. Poke 2 fingers into your dough after it has risen for 45 minutes; if the indentations remain, your dough is ready for the next step. If not, cover it back up for 15 more minutes & repeat the test.
When doubled, punch the dough down, cover and let rise again in a warm spot for 20 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter & knead for 1-2 minutes.
Now you are ready to shape your loaves! Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces {I use my kitchen scale to do this} & shape. You can either sculpt the dough into a loaf with your hands, or you can do it jelly roll style, as shown in the slideshow {right before the recipe}.
Note about yeast: When you are adding warm liquids to yeast, make sure the temperature of the liquid is between 100 & 115 degrees Fahrenheit. If your liquid is too hot, you risk killing the yeast & your bread will not rise. Be sure to check the expiration date on your yeast to verify that it is not outdated. It may still work. . .or it may not.
Enjoy the kinesthetic, aromatic & flavorful joys of baking your own yeast bread. . .and don’t forget the butter!
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
Maui Girl Cooks 