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http://sarahs-musings.blogspot.com/search/label/%22Real%22%20Foodie

Sunday, March 08, 2009
Eggs en Cocotte

I discovered this recipe originally when studying Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking a few years ago. Titled “Oeufs en Cocotte,” don’t let the fancy name fool you, it is simply a baked egg. I love this recipe/method because it is so versatile; it can be made for a quick and easy breakfast or a decadent, light supper. Once you learn and understand the method, you can augment the recipe to suit your taste and whatever you happen to have in your fridge.

Plus, it’s meatless, so it is perfect for an easy Lenten supper!

Serving options? I love this with a simple green salad with a fresh vinaigrette on the side and I’m a sucker for a “dipping” option to dip into the lightly cooked yolk. Sourdough or whole wheat toast, fried fingerling potatoes or steamed asparagus are my personal favorites, of course some lovely browned hash doesn’t hurt, either!!

Eggs en Cocotte

Eggs (Two per diner, for supper)
Heavy Cream or Half and Half
Butter
Parmesan Cheese, Freshly Grated
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and put a kettle of water on to boil.

Assemble one large, ovenproof dish and as many smaller ramekins as diners.

Butter each ramekin and place a tablespoonful or so of freshly grated Parmesan cheese in each buttered ramekin, swirling and pressing the cheese around the sides as one might do if you were buttering and flouring a pan for a cake. Add a bit of extra cheese in the bottom of the cup (about a Tablespoon).

Break two eggs in each ramekin, taking care to not break the yolks, and top with a bit of salt and pepper. Pour a Tablespoon or so of heavy cream or half and half on top of the eggs until just covered.

Place all of the ramekins in an ovenproof casserole. In the larger casserole, but not in the ramekins, carefully pour the boiling water so that it reaches a half to two-thirds up the sides of the ramekins.

Carefully place the casserole, uncovered, in the preheated oven and bake for 10 - 15 minutes, until the white is set but the yolk is still hot and a bit runny. Enjoy!

Now . . .want the best news about this recipe? Not only is it frugal and nourishing and meat free and FAST, but you can make it any way you want. Seriously. The above is the original recipe/method but you can augment it in so many ways? My favorites?

* Use a sharper cheese, like Gruyere, in the bottom and throw in a bit of chopped ham or smoked sausage in the bottom of the ramekin before adding the egg (not meatless, but oh so good! And a great way to use up a tiny bit of leftover meat)
* Add a tablespoon of pesto to the bottom before adding the eggs
* Make Baked Eggs in Cocotte Italian style by making a fresh tomato/herb/breadcrumb base and put in in the bottom and on top of the eggs (rather than cream)
* Saute a bit of spinach in olive oil and garlic and add to the bottom of the ramekin to make Baked Eggs a la Florentine
* Got a bit of leftover marinara sauce? Add it to the bottom of the cup (or top and bottom) for an Italian Baked Eggs
* Just the addition of some freshly snipped herbs make a beautiful addition to this yummy meal!

Enjoy!

Thank you to myrecipes.com for the image, above!
Posted by Sarah

Breakfast for Dinner

When I was little, it was a special treat to have
Breakfast for Dinner.

Now that we’re in the middle of Lent, I find Breakfast for Dinner to be a simple, easy way to eat a fulfilling, healthy dinner while maintaining an abstinence from meat. Granted, I am the first to get in line for breakfast meat of any kind . . . I am an avid lover of any and all things bacon related, but, for Lent, I am willing to put my smoked pork products away. Once a week.

Some of our favorites include:

Breakfast Pizza
We first discovered this lovely treat at Rose’s Cafe in the Marina in San Francisco. Here’s how I make it at home.

* Half of a batch of your favorite pizza crust recipe (enough to make one 16” pizza). My favorites include this yeasted crust recipe and this sourdough crust recipe
* 8 eggs
* heavy cream or half and half
* salt and pepper to taste
* a dollop of dijon mustard
* 1 Tablespoon of butter
* Thinly sliced smoked salmon or gravlax or lox, about 4 to 6 ounces
* cream cheese or sour cream or creme fraiche (whatever you prefer) - about 3/4 cup
* finely diced red onions, to sprinkle on top (not too much, maybe 1/8 cup or so so that it isn’t overwhelming)
* capers, to sprinkle on top

Roll out and bake the pizza crust separately from all other toppings per your favorite recipe (I bake mine at 500 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10-15 minutes on a pizza stone. See details at the above linked recipes).

Meanwhile, in a medium sized bowl, break all the eggs into the bowl and add a dollop of dijon mustard (about one teaspoon), a splash of cream or half and half (about 2 Tablespoons), and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk to break up all the eggs.

In a frying pan over low heat, heat about 1 Tablespoon of butter until melted and add the egg mixture. Using a silicon spatula or wooden spoon, gently scrape the bottom of the pan to slowly cook soft, fluffy scrambled eggs. Do not overcook. Remove from heat once the eggs are finished cooking.

Once the pizza crust is baked, spread the crust with the cream cheese, sour cream or creme fraiche (whichever you prefer) then pile the scrambled eggs on top, layer the smoked salmon or gravlox evenly over the scrambled eggs and sprinkle the top with diced red onion and capers.

Slice and serve. Enjoy!

For non-meatless days, I also recommend Rose’s other breakfast pizza with scrambled eggs, prosciutto and gruyere. YUM!

Thank you to yelp.com for the picture of the breakfast pizza from Rose’s Cafe, above.

And,

Sarah’s Special French Toast
inspired by the Stuffed Triple Berry French Toast from Mimi’s Cafe

* Two slices of your favorite hearty bread (whole wheat or challah or whole wheat cinnamon swirl bread are our favorites) per diner
* Yogurt
* Eggs
* One orange (if I have a blood orange, it’s even better)
* cinnamon
* nutmeg
* Fresh mixed berries, washed and sliced or, I frequently use the frozen Costco Triple Berry Blend
* Cream Cheese
* Maple syrup

Heat a griddle to medium heat.

In a shallow casserole dish, mix a good size dollop of yogurt with an egg or two (for two adults, I’d use one egg and about 1 cup of yogurt - but I don’t like a really eggy french toast - so adjust accordingly) and add in a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg and grated orange rind.

In the bowl of a food processor (or by hand), mix together enough cream cheese for each diner (probably about 2-3 ounces per person) with the juice of the orange, any additional grated orange rind and a dash of maple syrup for sweetness. Place in a serving bowl.

Soak each slice of bread in the yogurt mixture, on both sides, and place on the griddle, turning when each side is browned.

To serve, allow each diner to spread each slice of french toast with orange-infused cream cheese and top with berries. Offer additional maple syrup on the side.

If using frozen berries, I recommend heating them briefly in a small saucepan with a bit of maple syrup and nutmeg.

Enjoy!

Also try my pancakes for an easy, meatless Breakfast for Dinner!
Posted by Sarah

http://sarahs-musings.blogspot.com/search/label/%22Real%22%20Foodie

Trying to think of some good Lenten dinners, our old stand-by is Pizza Margherita. That traditional flavor of tomatoes, basil and cheese always does it for me, but lately, I’ve augmented my recipe just the teensiest bit and have a new love.

Previously, I always used a marinara sauce on the bottom, followed by cheese and baked in the oven. When removed, I’d add whole or chiffonaded fresh basil leaves to the top. Good. Very tasty, but not AMAZING. What made it amazing? Switching the top to the bottom and the bottom to the top. Now, I spread the pizza crust with pesto, cover with cheese and bake, adding halved fresh grape tomatoes to the pizza when it has about two minutes to go. The result? AMAZING. I promise, you won’t miss the meat.

(Above, a picture of a grilled variety of this pizza that we made last summer!)

Pizza Margherita
makes 2-16” pizzas

* One batch of your favorite pizza crust. This is my favorite yeasted crust recipe while this is my favorite sourdough recipe
* 1-1/2 cup of prepared pesto (I love Ina’s recipe, when I have a bunch of basil available, but a good quality store-bought variety is what we often use)
* 3-4 cups of grated Italian cheese blend (Parmesan, mozzarella, Fontina, etc.)
* 2 handfuls of grape tomatoes, washed and sliced in half lengthwise

Preheat your oven and baking stone (if you have one) to 500 degrees Fahrenheit (if you don’t have a stone, don’t worry, just use a pizza pan and only preheat the oven!)

Divide the dough in half and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the crust to your desired thinness and size.

If using a pizza stone:
Spread 1/4 cup of cornmeal on a baker’s peel and place the rolled out dough on top of the cornmeal. “Dress” pizza as noted below before transferring the pizza from the peel to the stone to bake.

If using a pizza pan:
Spread 1/4 cup of cornmeal on the bottom of a pizza pan and place the rolled out dough on top of the cornmeal. “Dress” pizza as noted below before transferring pan into the oven to bake.

On the prepared dough, spoon out and spread out about 3/4 cup of pesto until it reaches the edges of the pizza, covering the entire pizza with a light layer of pesto. Top with 1-1/2 to 2 cups of grated cheese, covering evenly.

Place pizza in oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the crust is brown and cheese begins to brown in places on top. When it looks like it has about two minutes to go, sprinkle a handful of halved grape tomatoes on the top and return to oven.

Once baked, remove from oven and allow to cool for about five minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!
Posted by Sarah

http://sarahs-musings.blogspot.com/2008/04/works-oatmeal-cookie-bar.html

I went in search for a bar cookie recipe along the lines of my favorite oatmeal cookie, but had a hard time finding one. I gleaned from a few recipes online and winged it - and it came out fantastic! Here is my recipe for “The Works” oatmeal cookie bar with all of my favorite additions, chocolate, coconut and cranberries. Yum!

This recipe is also great for a new mom as oatmeal is known to boost breast milk supply and molasses adds a great iron addition. So rather than think of this as dessert, think of it as health food! :)

Oatmeal Bar cookies with The Works!

1-1/2 cups muscovado or brown sugar, packed
1 cup of your favorite solid/semi-solid fat (i.e. butter or Coconut oil)
2 Tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup flaked coconut
8 oz chocolate chips or chocolate bar cut into small pieces
3/4 cups dried cranberries

In a large bowl cream sugar and fat until light and fluffy. Add molasses, vanilla and eggs, blend well. Add oats, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and mix well. Stir in coconut, chocolate and dried cranberries.

Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit in a greased 13”x9”x2” pan. Allow to cool and cut into squares. Enjoy!

2/09 Update: I just recently made this recipe again but added 1/2 cup of all-natural peanut butter (creamy or chunky, whatever you have in your cupboard) in when I added the molasses, and omitted the cranberries. I also added about 1/4 cup extra flour to augment the additional liquid factor and baked them for a bit longer, about 35 minutes. The result? YUM!!! Another new favorite!

Posted by Sarah

http://sarahs-musings.blogspot.com/search/label/%22Real%22%20Foodie

Saturday, February 07, 2009
Sourdough Success!

So lately I’ve been enjoying my forays into sourdough . . . making pancakes, rolls, biscuits, and bread.

But I haven’t yet successfully made what I’ve been trying to make for a while, that most elusive of sourdough forms, the boule.

I’ve tried, mind you, I’ve tried. I’ve carefully floured dish towel after dish towel, laid them in various size bowls to mimic a banneton (which I don’t have but would make a lovely gift . . .hint. hint.) with various quantities of formed dough to raise. Only to have, when it is time to bake, problems arise. The towel sticks to the warm, risen dough so when I finally, ever so carefully, try to peel it off, it pulls on the risen dough and, quite successfully, deflates it. I’ve chosen too wide of a bowl so that the bread rises out rather than up. I’ve tried various processes to flip the dough onto a board, thus deflating it’s carefully sought out rise.

I’ve ended up with round loaves, sure, but round more like a coin than a lovely boule. It’s been a bit trying!

But today, I have found success! EUREKA!!

During my forays through the web I came across this tutorial and decided to try both the recipe and the method. And lo and behold, it works!

http://www.breadtopia.com/

I used 1 cup of white starter that I’d fed a few hours earlier, and one cup of whole wheat and two cups of unbleached all purpose flour to create the dough. With insight from another website I read, rather than keeping my hands and dough dry with flour while kneading, I instead used cold water on clean hands and kneaded with wet hands on a wet surface (my kitchen table, nothing exciting). If the dough began to stick a bit, I’d wet my hands again and I only put in just enough flour to create a soft dough, just slightly more distinct than a batter, and a much more slack, wetter dough than I would normally create.

Once the dough rested and rose (it did not double in size, probably more like only a third or so), I formed it and set it in a make-shift banetton using a small/medium size stainless steel bowl lined with a heavily floured dish towel (I really worked the flour into the towel, using the back of a spoon). I put it in the fridge and forgot about it. Went to bed. Dealt with a sick, teething child the next day and didn’t bake the bread until the next evening, about 24 hours later.

I pre-heated the oven and my baking stone at 500 degrees Farhenheit for about an hour. Once preheated, I took my dough out of the fridge (no more than five minutes before it was baked. It was not at room temperature), inverted the bowl onto a piece of parchment paper on the back of a baking sheet - the formed dough came right out! I think due to the cold, it slightly dried out and shrunk away from the edges, which made it not stick to the towel! Genius! I was a little wary of whether or not it would rise - it hadn’t risen at all, to my eye, since it was formed, but I slashed it and then quickly jiggled the parchment paper onto the stone and closed the oven. Set the timer for 25 minutes and walked away.

At 25 minutes I peeked in, and lo and behold, I had a boule! I rotated the bread and baked it for 7 more minutes and took it out and allowed it to cool on a baking rack overnight.

The result of this process? A tall, airy boule with great, crunchy crust and huge air bubbles throughout the crumb. JUST WHAT I’VE BEEN TRYING TO MAKE!

Next time I might utilize the steaming method, and/or paint on an egg/milk wash prior to baking (to get that shinier crust) but I will be using this method again! It was so easy, I could bake the formed bread at my leisure (within about a day of making it) and it was so successful! I will be trying this method with other recipes and larger quantities of dough to make bigger boules. This recipe quantity made the perfect amount for dinner for four to six.

Enjoy!

http://sarahs-musings.blogspot.com/2008/02/how-to-make-love-to-your-husband.html

Friday, February 15, 2008
How to make Love to your Husband

First, whip up a batch of flourless, deep chocolate brownies (recipe follows). While they cool before serving, make up a batch of homemade caramel sauce (easier than it sounds - it’ll only take about ten minutes) I used this recipe, but think that I’m going to try Ina Garten’s recipe next time as the former is more of a butterscotch flavor (probably because it contains, ahem, butter) and I’m more of a classic, creamy caramel fan. (BUT, if you love butterscotch, make that recipe! It is really fantastic and the recipe outline, directions and pictures are really helpful.)

Then, with a glass of champagne on the ready, plate up a square of warm, fudgey brownie, a scoop of good quality French Vanilla ice-cream and drizzle over with homemade warm caramel sauce.

It’s best to drizzle the sauce on right in front of him to get the full effect that you made homemade caramel sauce BY HAND, for your husband, which you’ve NEVER done before (but will from now on because it was so darn easy, but he doesn’t need to know that) because you LOVE HIM SO MUCH and nothing from a squeeze bottle full of preservatives will do for your man.

And then you enjoy your dessert.

Next, one of two things will happen. Either he will succumb to a food coma and you’ll have time for a bubble bath followed by a good night’s sleep, with visions of caramel sauce dancing in your head, or he’ll get a second wind sugar high and want to thank you for making such a delicious, thoughtful dessert. . . either way it is win-win for everyone and, as a lady, I wouldn’t presume to guess what might happen!

Now, go put one of your Kitchen Madonna apron’s on and make some love for your husband!

Flourless Chocolate Brownies
from “Nigella Express” by Nigella Lawson

* 8 oz. chocolate (She recommends semi-sweet, but I used Ghiradelli’s bitter-sweet chocolate which is really, really dark)
* 1 cup butter
* 1 cup sugar or rapadura
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 3 eggs, beaten
* 1 1/2 cups ground almonds
* 1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Over low heat in a heavy saucepan melt butter and chocolate together.

Take the pan off heat and add the sugar and vanilla. Let the mixture cool a little.

Beat the eggs into the pan with the ground almonds (I measured the almonds first and then ground them in a mini-processor and it worked fine. Mine were a bit mealy, so I recommend that when you think the almonds are done grounding and you can’t get them any finer, grind them for about 30 more seconds.)

Turn batter into a 9-inch square baking pan and bake fr 25-30 minutes (I baked mine for 35) by which time the edges and most of the top will have set but it will still be a bit wiggly in the middle when shook. Allow to cool and then cut into 16 (or, if like me, 9) pieces and serve. Brownies will be a bit fudgy and gooey - not at all cakelike.

Bon Apetit!
Posted by Sarah

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/caramel-sauce-recipe2/index.html

Caramel Sauce

Prep Time:
5 min
Inactive Prep Time:
4 hr 0 min
Cook Time:
13 min

Level:
Intermediate

Serves:
5 servings

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 1/3 cup water
* 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
* 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Mix the water and sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Do not stir. Increase the heat to medium and boil uncovered until the sugar turns a warm chestnut brown (about 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer), about 5 to 7 minutes, gently swirling the pan to stir the mixture. Be careful – the mixture is extremely hot! Watch the mixture very carefully at the end, as it will go from caramel to burnt very quickly. Turn off the heat. Stand back to avoid splattering and slowly add the cream and vanilla. Don’t worry - the cream will bubble violently and the caramel will solidify.

Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. It will thicken as it sits.

http://sarahs-musings.blogspot.com/2008/10/whole-wheat-chocolate-cranberry-chunk.html

I recently checked out Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook Baking: From My Home to Yours from the library and I LOVE it. I will be renewing this book in a few days just to have the opportunity to have it around for another month to try out more of her recipes (and, ahem, it will be on my Christmas list . . . . )! This book makes me hungry and I want to make about every other recipe (I first discovered Dorie through the Daring Bakers and her lovely, lovely party cake!) The only thing with this cookbook (and most featuring muffins, cookies and other delectables) is that most of the recipes call for all purpose flour and I’ve been trying to reduce or eliminate AP flour in our diet . . . so I played around with the recipe, substituting white whole wheat flour (softer than traditional whole wheat flour made from hard red wheat berries) for the all purpose, added cranberries (I love the combination of cranberries and dark chocolate together) and even changed the recipe to a soaked flour recipe (my first soaked quick bread experiment! Success!). These are a keeper and since it is made of health-ier ingredients, I don’t feel bad about eating two (three?) of them every once in a while! I’m excited to share it with you today!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Cranberry Chunk Muffins
adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours
makes 12 standard size muffins

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 cups white whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
2/3 cup rapadura or sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 Tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups plus 2 Tablespoons, seperated, buttermilk (I substituted a mix of whole plain yogurt and whole milk)*
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

12 to 24 hours in advance of baking, combine flour in a medium sized bowl with 1-1/4 cup milk. Mix well (I had to knead mine a bit to get it completely combined), form into a ball and cover with plastic wrap, room temperature for 12-24 hours.

When ready to bake, center a rack in the oven and preheat to 375 degrees Farhenheit. Grease a muffin pan.

Melt the butter and half the chopped chocolate together either in the microwave or over a double boiler. Remove from the heat.

Place the cranberries in a bowl or cup and cover with hot water and allow to soak while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.

In the bowl with the soaked flour, sift together the sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt and stir with the flour until mostly combined. In a large glass measuring cup whisk the 2 Tablespoons buttermilk, egg and vanilla extract together until well combined. Pour the liquid ingredients and the melted butter and chocolate over the dry ingredients and gently, but quickly, stir to blend. Stir in the remaining chopped chocolate and drained cranberries. Do not overmix. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold. Enjoy!

* If you choose to make the original recipe with all purpose flour, omit the extra 2 Tablespoons of milk. I add a Tablespoon of liquid per cup of flour when substituting wheat flour for white flour in a recipe originally calling for white flour.
Posted by Sarah

http://sarahs-musings.blogspot.com/search/label/%22Real%22%20Foodie

Phew! That title is a mouthful, but this bread is so good, it is hard to “name” it without including all of it’s delicious ingredients!

This recipe is from Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Breads and was such a success I had to share it! I lightly adapted it and made mine half sourdough/half yeast driven (and will explain where I veered from his original below) and added a bit of whey to the biga and soaker, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly and have included the recipe in almost verbatim format below. I had my first slice this morning and it has been such a joy to eat it toasted up with cream cheese on top for breakfast (Lloyd loved it too! He wasn’t interested in his oatmeal as long as my breakfast was visible!) We will be making this again. I hope you enjoy it as much as I am!

Please keep in mind that this bread will take at least two days to make (and the doughs can sit in the fridge for longer if something comes up - mine ended up waiting an extra day while we went on an unexpected hike!); the first day to make the biga and soaker, which soak the flour overnight, and the second day to assemble and bake the bread. Actual processing time is very minimal though!

PS - Keep an eye out for one of my most treasured gifts from this past Christmas - Grandma Norma’s rolling pin! Don’t you adore it’s green handles?

Whole Wheat Cranberry Pecan Cinnamon Swirl Bread
makes 1 large loaf
lightly adapted from Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Breads

Soaker

1-1/3 cups whole wheat flour
3/8 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup milk, buttermilk, yogurt or nut milk (if I use milk, I add 1.5-2 teaspoons of whey to it to help in the soaking process. Yogurt and buttermilk already have whey.)
1 cup dried cranberries, raisins, or other dried fruit

Combine the flour, salt and milk in a bowl and mix for about 1 minute until all of the flour is hydrated and the ingredients form a ball of dough. Add cranberries and use wet hands to knead the dough until evenly incorporated.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 12-24 hours. If it will be more than 24 hours, place the soaker in the refrigerator; it will be good for up to 3 days. Remove it 2 hours before mixing the final dough to take off the chill.

Biga
1-1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (I substituted 6 Tablespoons of freshly fed sourdough starter. If using starter, the dough will be very tacky. If using active dry yeast rather than instant, use 1/3 teaspoon of yeast mixed in a bit of warm water to bloom first before adding to dough)
6 Tablespoons milk, buttermilk, yogurt or nut milk (if I use milk, I add 1.5-2 teaspoons of whey to it to help in the soaking process. Yogurt and buttermilk already have whey)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg, slightly beaten

Mix all of the biga ingredients together in a bowl to form a ball of dough. Using wet hands, knead the dough in the bowl for 2 minutes to be sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed and the flour is fully hydrated. The dough should feel very tacky. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then knead it again with wet hands for 1 minute. The dough will become smoother but still be tacky.

Transfer the dough to a clean bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 3 days.

About two hours before mixing the final dough, remove the biga from the refrigerator to take off the chill. It will have risen slightly, but need not have risen significantly in order to use it in the final dough.

Final Dough

All soaker
All biga
7 Tablespoons whole wheat flour
5/8 teaspoon sea salt
2-1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (I substituted 1 Tablespoon of active dry yeast, bloomed slightly in warm water prior to adding to dough)
1-1/2 Tablespoons honey OR 2 Tablespoons brown sugar or Muscovado sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup pecans, or walnuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup cinnamon sugar (3 generous Tablespoons brown or Muscovado sugar plus 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon) for spiral swirl

Using a metal pastry scraper, chop the soaker and the biga into 12 smaller pieces each (sprinkle some of the extra flour over the pre-doughs to keep the pieces from sticking back to each other.)
If mixing by hand, combine the soaker and biga pieces in a bowl with the 7 Tablespoons flour and the salt, yeast, honey and cinnamon. Stir vigorously with a large spoon or knead with wet hands for about 2 minutes until all of the ingredients are evenly integrated and distributed into the dough. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky; if not, add more flour or water as needed. If using a stand mixer, put the pre-dough pieces in the bowl along with the 7 Tablespoons flour and the salt, yeast, honey and cinnamon. Mix with the paddle attachment on slow speed for 1 minute to bring the ingredients together into a ball. Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed, occasionally scraping down the bowl, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the pre-doughs become cohesive and assimilated into each other. Add more flour or water as needed until the dough is soft and slightly sticky.

Dust a work surface with flour, then roll the dough in the flour to coat. Sprinkle the nuts over the surface of the dough and knead by hand for 3 to 4 minutes, incorporating only as much extra flour as needed, until the dough feels soft and tacky, but not sticky. Form the dough into a ball and let it rest on the work surface for 5 minutes while you prepare a clean, lightly oiled bowl.

Resume kneading the dough for 1 minute to strengthen the gluten and make any final flour or water adjustments. The dough should have strength and pass the windowpane test, yet still feel soft, supple and very tacky. Form the dough into a ball and place it in the prepared bowl, rolling to coat with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for for approximately 45-60 minutes until it is about 1-1/2 times its original size.

When the dough has risen, dust the work surface with about 1 Tablespoon of extra flour and gently transfer the dough to the floured work surface with a plastic bowl scraper (try to not to rip or tear the dough). Roll the dough out to an 8-inch square approximately 1/2 inch thick.

Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the surface, pressing into the dough, and roll it up into a tight loaf. Place the dough into a greased bread ban (it can also be based as a freestanding loaf on a sheet pan or baking stone). Mist the top of the dough with pan spray, (I found that I did not have to mist it as I had plenty of oil left over on the dough from the greased bowl) cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for approximately 45-60 minutes until the loaf crests above the pan.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the pan on the middle shelf and immediately lower the temperature to 325 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes. After the first 20 minutes, rotate the pan 180 degrees and continue baking for another 25 to 40 minutes (mine took 30 minutes) until the loaf is a rich brown on all sides, sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom and registers at least 195 degrees Fahrenheit in the center.

Transfer the bread to a cooling rack and allow it to cool for at least 1 hour before serving.

Enjoy!!
Posted by Sarah

I love anything ginger related. I like fresh ginger in marinades, adore the chewiness of crystallized ginger, enjoy a sip of ginger ale now and again, have to sample a bite of the pink pickled ginger when we get sushi, frequently carry around a tin of Ginger Altoids and have even been known to come out of the shower ginger-scented .

The flavor of ginger, to me, is essentially an autumnal and wintry scent. Reminscent of spicy smells emanating from the oven, I love it in everything from my favorite Christmas ham recipe, to my favorite holiday cookie recipe, which I’m sharing with you below!

I’ve augmented the recipe this year to make it a bit healthier, with a return to more natural sugars and whole wheat flour as the majority, and the results were great. Frankly, I didn’t notice a change in taste nor texture, so am happy to share it with you!
P.S. I also augmented my gingerbread cookie recipe to make it healthier this year, with great results! Go check it out here! Still can’t find a healthy cookie frosting recipe I like, (though I have found “organic” powdered sugar!) but it’s a step in the right direction!

Gingersnaps

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup muscovado sugar (dark brown sugar was the original ingredient and may be substituted if you don’t have muscovado)
1/2 cup rapadura (white sugar was the original ingredient and may be substituted if you don’t have rapadura), plus a few teaspoons extra for sprinkling
1 large egg
1/4 cup of crystallized ginger, chopped
2 Tablespoons unsulphured molasses
Zest of one orange
Juice of half an orange
2 cups White Whole Wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1-1/4 cups all purpose flour, unbleached
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

In a large bowl beat butter with muscovado sugar and rapadura until light and fluffy. Add egg, beating until combined well. Add crystallized ginger, molasses, zest and orange juice.

In a medium size bowl sift all remaining dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet and beat until just combined.

Halve dough and on a sheet of wax paper, form each piece into a log, roughly 10-inches log. Chill logs, wrapped in wax paper, at least overnight and up to a week. May also be further wrapped in a freezer bag and frozen for several months. If frozen, allow to defrost in the fridge before baking. (I frequently make one log at a time and like to keep one in the freezer for fresh baked cookies whenever I want them!)

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees Farhenheit and lightly grease baking sheets or use parchment paper.

Cut logs into 1/4-inch thick slices. With each slice, quickly roll the dough into a ball about the size of a walnut and arrange 2-inches apart on baking sheets (rolling the dough into balls makes the cookies softer. They spread when baking so make sure there is ample space between them). Lightly sprinkle cookies with additional rapadura and bake in batches in middle of oven 10 - 15 minutes until golden brown. Transfer cookies to racks to cool. Makes about 80 cookies.

This recipe makes a fantastic, spicy, not too sweet cookie that is perfect for a mid-afternoon snack with coffee or tea. The orange juice and zest really perk up the flavors and the crystallized ginger allows an extra special chewy texture to the cookie that I adore. Enjoy!

This recipe is also a participant in the Nourishing Gourmet’s Nourishing Sweets and Treats carnival! Please go visit Kimi’s site to view the other participant’s recipes!
Posted by Sarah

http://sarahs-musings.blogspot.com/search/label/%22Real%22%20Foodie

I bought the book Alaska Sourdough a few months ago, but hadn’t yet had a chance to try any of the recipes. This is a great book for using sourdough in an average home by an average cook (if you’re looking for more artisan style sourdough recipes, I highly recommend Breads from La Brea Bakery). Recipes range from suggestions on how to use your sourdough and leftovers (from leftover rice fritters to muffins using leftover oatmeal from breakfast), a few basic bread recipes, and a large quantity of recipes for biscuits, muffins, pancakes and waffles, along with a few fun recipes for simple special occasion cakes; even Baked Alaska! The recipes are written by hand in the book and aren’t too detailed, they assume that you know what you are doing, but the book is quaint with lots of stories from the pioneer Alaskans and, as a former Alaskan, I can assure you that I have seen recipes like these in many a homesteaders cabin; they are authentically Alaskan!

I’m excited to share with you the first recipe I’ve tried out of the book! Unfortunately, I already adapted it to use what I had, but I did use techniques from other recipes in the book to compensate! I adapted it because I simply did not have the 4 cups of starter the original recipe required; I had fed my starter the day before with the plan to make bread, but hadn’t yet chosen a recipe so didn’t have quite enough made up! The original recipe (verbatim from the book) will be printed at the bottom of the post.

This bread has a gorgeous crunchy, crispy crust with a soft, yet chewy interior. It just screams to be dunked in a bowl of hot soup or served up with some butter and honey. It is fragrant and perfectly sourdough.

Disclaimer: This isn’t a “true” potato bread in that it only contains potato water (the water remaining after boiling potatoes) rather than any actual potato, but the water adds a soft silkiness to the dough, plus extra nutrients!

Sourdough Potato Bread
adapted from Alaska Sourdough
makes one loaf

1 Cup sourdough starter
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (equivalent to one package of yeast)
1 Cup warm potato water
1 Tablespoon honey

Mix and allow to bloom, about five minutes.

Add:
3 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2-1/2 cups flour

Mix in bowl and then allow to double in bulk in a warm place.

(I made two batches of this recipe, one using whole wheat starter and white whole wheat flour, and one using white starter and white flour. Pictures below of what the two bowls looked like after this step; the wheat had already absorbed almost all of the liquid and had formed a ball already looking like dough. The white was very slack, wet and loose. I think the original recipe must be for a white bread, as I had to add far less flour to the whole wheat version. Details below.)

Once doubled, add up to 2-1/2 cups of additional flour to the mixture and scrape out onto a floured surface. Knead until dough is easy to handle, smooth and elastic, about five to eight minutes.

(It took about 2 hours for my white dough to double, and I added about 2 cups of flour. My wheat dough took closer to 2-1/2 hours to rise and only took in 1/2 cup of flour. Next time I might increase the amount of potato water by 1/2 cup to the wheat dough if only to make a slightly larger loaf.)

Place dough in greased bowl and cover. Allow to raise in warm place until doubled in bulk.

Once doubled, knead down and form into loaves, either in a loaf pan or free form. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk.

(I made my loaves free form on a piece of parchment paper placed on the back of a cookie sheet and baked them on my new baking stone! I don’t yet have a peel for the stone (it is on my Christmas list!) so find that I can scoot the parchment paper directly onto the hot stone from the back of the pan on it’s own!)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. If using a baking stone, allow stone to pre-heat in oven for at least 30 minutes prior to baking.

Once loaves are ready and oven and stone are hot, slash tops of loaves and place quickly in oven. Bake at 500 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 45 minutes longer.

Sourdough Bread
Original recipe from Alaska Sourdough

4 cups Sourdough
2 cups warm potato water
1/2 cup sugar
6 Tablespoons cooking oil
1 teaspoon salt
10 cups flour - approximately

Make soft sponge mixing the sourdough, sugar, water and oil. Add half the flour. Set in warm place to double in bulk. Add remainder of flour to make dough that is easy to handle, smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl. Cover. Let raise in warm place until double in bulk. Knead down. Let raise to double bulk. Form into loaves or roll our 1/4” thick. Roll length wise and place on cookie sheet. Slash. Bake 500 degrees for 10 minutes, then 400 degrees for 45 minutes.
Posted by Sarah

http://sarahs-musings.blogspot.com/search/label/%22Real%22%20Foodie

My mom has been making this granola for as long as I can remember and we love it! The flavor far surpasses any of the store-bought varieties, as it is slightly softer, and mildly sweet - not to mention made with all whole, nutritious foods and can be augmented to include your favorite flavors!

Though this recipe contains unsoaked oats (soaking makes them more digestible), I still make this from time to time and am really loving this for breakfast in the mornings with yogurt (the combination of which does make it a bit more digestible!:) That’s the reason why the further back jar isn’t full - I was hungry! This recipe makes a full two quarts!)

This can easily be made gluten-free; see note below. Enjoy!

Mom’s Granola
makes 2 Quarts

3 Cups oatmeal
1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup brown sugar or muscovado sugar or maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup wheat germ*
1/2 cup wheat bran*
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup dried fruit

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large walled cookie sheet (ungreased) combine oatmeal, coconut and seeds and then spread into a single layer. Toast for 20 minutes in oven, tossing frequently to ensure that it does not burn (about every five minutes - keep watch on those corners!).

In the meantime, combine butter, sugar and honey over heat until combined. Take off heat and stir in vanilla.

After twenty minutes, remove cookie sheet from oven and add wheat germ, wheat bran and nuts, stirring until well combined. Drizzle with honey mixture and stir until well combined, making sure that there is no dry parts remaining. Spread into a single layer and toast for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a glass measuring cup, measure out your dried fruit (if larger pieces, such as apples, dice into bite sizes) and then add hot water to cover by about 1/2 inch. Allow to soak for the five minutes and plump up while the granola toasts.

After five minutes, drain fruit and sprinkle over granola, stirring to combine well. Spread into a single layer and toast for 5 minutes longer.

Remove from heat and allow to briefly cool (about ten minutes) before removing from pan and placing in storage containers. If allowed to cool completely on the pan, it will stick to the pan and will be hard to remove.

We love this stirred into yogurt, on top of oatmeal or even mixed into a sweet loaf of bread for extra crunch! Our favorite fruit and nut combinations include almonds and dried cranberries, and dried apples and pecans, but use what you love and what you have on hand!

* Both the wheat germ and wheat bran are optional ingredients. They can be omitted completely without adversely affecting the granola (I find I’m always out of wheat bran, so haven’t used it in my recipe for years!), or can be replaced with rice bran to make this gluten-free. Enjoy!
Posted by Sarah

http://sarahs-musings.blogspot.com/search/label/%22Real%22%20Foodie

One of my favorite holiday traditions from when I was a little girl was Christmas breakfast. We always had cinnamon rolls, a rare treat, along with hot chocolate and slices of oranges (from our stockings; every year without fail we had an orange and a box of Cracker Jacks in our stockings!). More a light brunch than breakfast, we ate after opening gifts and before getting dressed for the day; it allowed us enough sustenance for the excitement of the morning, while making sure that we were hungry enough for our traditional Christmas dinner later that afternoon!

I found the following Whole Wheat Cinnamon Buns recipe recently in Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Breads cookbook and love the idea of incorporating a slightly healthier sweet treat, while still maintaining our beautiful tradition. What I love most about it is that it uses whole wheat flour, and the process includes an overnight soaking of the majority of the flour which helps aid both in the digestibility of the grains, as well as in developing the gluten (so it is softer, more similar to bread made from white flour!)

The following recipe uses two soaked pre-doughs, called a soaker and a biga, and takes about two days of preparation. The first day you make your pre-doughs and allow them to sit overnight, and the second day you make and enjoy the buns! Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Buns
makes 8-10 buns
from Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain breads

SOAKER

* 1-3/4 cups whole wheat flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup milk, buttermilk, yogurt, rice or nut milk

Mix all of the following ingredients together in a bowl for about 1 minute, until all of the flour is hydrated and the ingredients form a ball of dough. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 12-24 hours (if it will be more than 24 hours, place the mixture in the fridge; it will be good for up to 3 days. Remove it 2 hours before mixing the final dough to take off the chill.

BIGA

* 1-3/4 cups whole wheat flour
* 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (*Important Note: If you use active dry yeast, increase the quantity by 25% and hydrate it in 2 ounces of lukewarm liquid used below, subtracting the amount from the total liquid called for, below, before adding to mixture.)
* 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk, buttermilk, yogurt, rice or nut milks at room temperature
* 1 large egg, slightly beaten

Mix all of the following biga ingredients together in a bowl to form a ball of dough. Using wet hands, knead the dough in the bowl for 2 minutes to be sure all of the ingredients are evenly distributed and the flour is fully hydrated. The dough should feel very tacky. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then knead it again with wet hands for 1 minute. The dough will become smoother, but still be tacky.

Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 3 days.

About 2 hours before mixing the final dough, remove the biga from the refrigerator to take off the chill. It will have risen slightly, but need not have risen significantly in order to use it in the final dough.

FINAL DOUGH

* All Soaker
* All Biga
* 7 Tablespoons whole wheat flour
* 5/8 teaspoon salt
* 2-1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (*Important Note: If you use active dry yeast, increase the quantity by 25% and hydrate it in 2 ounces of lukewarm water. For one batch, this would be 2.8 teaspoons, so just a touch over 2-3/4 teaspoons and you’ll be fine!)
* 3 Tablespoons honey or agave nectar OR 4 Tablespoons sugar or brown sugar
* 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (or vegetable oil - I like butter but would substitute coconut oil too)
* 1/2 cup cinnamon sugar (6-1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar plus 1-1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon)
* extra whole wheat flour for any adjustments needed
* fondant or cream cheese and honey glaze (recipe below)

Using a metal pastry scraper, chop the soaker and the biga into 12 smaller pieces each (sprinkle some of the extra flour over the pre-doughs to keep the pieces from sticking back to each other)

If mixing by hand, combine the soaker and biga pieces in a large bowl with the 7 Tablespoons flour, salt, yeast, honey and butter. Stir vigorously with a large spoon or knead with wet hands for about 2 minutes until all of the ingredients are evenly integrated and distributed into the dough. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky; if not add more flour or water as needed.

If using a stand mixer, put the pre-dough pieces in the bowl along with the 7 Tablespoons flour, salt, yeast, honey and butter. Mix on slow speed with the paddle attachment (preferable) or dough hook for 1 minute to bring the ingredients together into a ball. switch to the dough hook if need be and mix on medium-low speed, occasionally scraping down the bowl, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the pre-doughs become cohesive and assimilated into each other. Add more flour or water as needed until the dough is soft and slightly sticky.

Dust a work surface with flour, then roll the dough in the flour to coat. Knead by hand for 3 to 4 minutes, incorporating only as much extra flour as needed, until the dough feels soft and tacky, but not sticky. Form the dough into a ball and let it rest on the work surface for 5 minutes while you prepare a clean, lightly oiled bowl.

Resume kneading the dough for 1 minute to strengthen the gluten and make any final flour or water adjustments. The dough should have strength and pass the windowpane test, yet still feel soft and very tacky. Form the dough into a ball and place it in the prepared bowl, rolling it to coat with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise ant room temperature for approximately 45 to 60 minutes until it is about 1-1/2 times its original size.

When the dough has risen, dust the work surface with about 1 Tablespoon of the extra flour and gently transfer the dough to the floured work surface with a plastic bowl scraper (try not to rip or tear the dough.) Roll the dough out to a 9-inch square approximately 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the surface and roll it up into a tight loaf. Slice the dough into 1-inch thick slices and lay them out, 1 inch apart on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat (or, do as I do, and place them closer together in a buttered casserole/baking pan so they will rise and bake together touching, making a softer roll with fewer hard edges). Mist the top of the buns with pan spray, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature for approximately 45 to 60 minutes until the buns are nearly double in size.

Often, I make these the night before to the point of it’s second rise. Put them in the prepared pan as noted above, spray with pan spray and cover tightly with plastic wrap before placing in the fridge overnight. When you wake up Christmas morning and start the coffee, take the buns out of the fridge and loosen the plastic wrap slightly. Allow to warm up to room temperature and rise as noted (about 2 hours). Then bake as noted below.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the pan on the middle shelf, lower the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes. While the buns are baking, make one of the glazes (below). The buns will be a rich brown and very springy when poked in the center. If they still seem doughy, continue baking.

Remove the pan from the oven and cool the buns for 5 minutes before glazing. Enjoy!

To make a fondant glaze, sift 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar into a bowl. Add 2 Tablespoons of milk, 1 teaspoon of corn syrup (optional) and 1/2 teaspoon of either vanilla, lemon, or almond extract (all optional). Whisk until smooth. Add more sifted sugar or milk as needed to make a thick, but drizzly, fondant paste.

To make a cream cheese and honey glaze, using a mixer with the paddle attachment or a large mixing spoon, combine 4 ounces of cream cheese, 3 Tablespoons of honey, 2 Tablespoons of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix until the ingredients form a smooth paste. Adjust the flavor by adding more honey or vanilla. If too thick, add a small amount of milk.

This post is being submitted for both Catholic Cuisine’s From Thy Bounty Fair for Holiday Foods and Feasts (on November 17th), along with Nourishing Gourmet’s Holiday Food Carnival (on November 18th). Please go visit both and view the other participants entries for great holiday inspiration!
Posted by Sarah

http://sarahs-musings.blogspot.com/search/label/%22Real%22%20Foodie

I made my focaccia with white starter (because I hadn’t used it in almost two months and had just fed it) and all purpose flour this time, but will be experimenting with my wheat starters and flours . . .

Sourdough Focaccia
makes one large loaf
adapted/inspired by recipes in Essentials of Baking and Saveur Cooks Authentic Italian

In a bowl, combine the following ingredients to form a sponge:

1-1/2 Cups sourdough starter (always feed your starter the day before you are going to bake and stir before measuring)
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon honey
1 cup flour

Allow sponge to ferment and bubble for about an hour until bubbles of differing size are on top.

Add to sponge:

1/2 cup olive oil
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons fine sea salt

Mix ingredients together and turn out onto a floured board, kneading for 5-7 minutes. Depending on the hydration of your starter, you may end up adding 1/4 - 1 cup of flour while kneading. The dough will be soft and slightly moist from the oil and the kneading. Form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

Using a large, rimmed baking sheet, add 1/4 cup olive oil to the bottom of the pan, swirling to cover the bottom and sides. Once dough is risen, gently press dough down and then place your dough in the prepared pan. With your fingers, press dough into the bottom of the pan until it fills the pan. If your dough is very elastic and pulling away, allow it to rest for about five minutes and then continue.

Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise until roughly doubled in size, about an hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Farenheit. Once dough is ready, lightly dock dough with your fingers all over, leaving little impressions. If the dough is a little dry on top, brush on a bit more extra virgin olive oil and then sprinkle with coarse sea salt (mine was not dry; extra olive oil had spilled over onto the dough when I pressed the dough into the pan so all I did was sprinkle with salt. You be the judge of your dough.)

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool in it’s pan on a rack.

Allow to cool at least twenty minutes before eating it (this was all we could manage for dinner tonight! Longer would be better!). Eat immediately or within a day or two. Wrap securely with plastic wrap for fridge storage.

Great sliced into wedges and served with minestrone or cut into roughly six inch squares, sliced in half horizontally and made into a sandwich (*sigh* That sandwich was awesome.) I’m a purist, so I like it with just olive oil and salt on top, but feel free to add fresh herbs to the dough, caramelized onions on top or even a sprinkling of kalamata olives or tomato sauce.

Enjoy!
Posted by Sarah

http://sarahs-musings.blogspot.com/search/label/%22Real%22%20Foodie

Whole Wheat Spicy Carrot Coconut Muffins
adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours
makes 12 standard size muffins

2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup coconut oil, in liquid form
2 large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup shredded carrots (2-3 carrots, peeled and trimmed)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup moist, plump currants, raisins or dried cranberries
1/3 cup nuts, toasted and chopped

12 to 24 hours in advance of baking, combine flour in a medium sized bowl with 3/4 cup milk. Mix well (I had to knead mine a bit to get it completely combined), form into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Keep at room temperature for 12-24 hours. I’ve found that this process works best if you add the liquid in the bowl first and put the flour in second; somehow more flour gets kneaded together and less gets stuck to the bowl this way!

When ready to bake, center a rack in the oven and preheat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a muffin pan.

Place the cranberries in a bowl or cup and cover with hot water and allow to soak while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.

In the bowl with the soaked flour, break up soaked flour “dough” into small pieces about the size of a shelled walnut. On top, sift together the sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda and salt, ensuring the sugars have no lumps. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together the oil (if your coconut oil is solid or semi-solid, briefly heat it until it is liquid), eggs and vanilla extract together until well combined. pour the liquid ingredients over the flour mixture and stir to combine. Do not overmix. Stir in the carrots, coconut, dried fruit and nuts. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins come out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.

Next time I make this I may try to find a way to sneak in some pineapple (similar to this cake I made for Lloyd’s first birthday) but other than that it was perfect!
Posted by Sarah

http://sarahs-musings.blogspot.com/search/label/%22Real%22%20Foodie

Whole Wheat Sourdough Crackers
makes about 6 dozen crackers
lightly adapted from Jessica Prentice’s recipe

1 cup Sourdough, fed with whole grain flour, such as wheat, spelt or kamut flour
1/4 cup Lard or coconut oil
1 cup White Whole Wheat flour(or a Sprouted spelt flour, if you can find it!) , or as much as you need to make a stiff dough + extra for rolling
1/2 tsp Sea salt
1/4 tsp Baking soda
Olive oil for brushing
Coarse salt (such as kosher salt) for sprinkling on top

In a large bowl, combine the sourdough and the lard and mix thoroughly. Mix the salt and baking soda in with 1/4 cup flour and add to the sourdough mixture. Knead it all together in the bowl, adding as much flour as necessary to make a stiff dough. Allow the dough to rest for about 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Farhenheit and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Take a small portion of the dough (about 1/4 cup) and roll it out on a floured board using a rolling pin, adding flour if it’s too sticky, until it is very thin. Be careful, this is a rather delicate dough so feel free to use ample flour, if necessary.

Cut into cracker shapes using a dough cutter or sharp knife. Transfer the crackers to the sheet pan and brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Repeat with another 1/4 cup of dough until the sheet pan is filled with crackers. Bake crackers in batches as necessary for 15-20 minutes or until just golden brown.
Posted by Sarah

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000126.html

Graham Cracker Recipe

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
1/3 cup mild-flavored honey, such as clover
5 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

For the topping:

3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.

To prepare the topping: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon, and set aside.

Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, cut the strip every 4 1/2 inches to make 4 crackers. Gather the scraps together and set aside. Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough.

Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and reroll. Dust the surface with more flour and roll out the dough to get about two or three more crackers.

Mark a vertical line down the middle of each cracker, being careful not to cut through the dough. Using a toothpick or skewer, prick the dough to form two dotted rows about 1/2 inch for each side of the dividing line.

Bake for 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the tough, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking.

Yield: 10 large crackers

From Nancy Silverton’s Pastries from the La Brea Bakery (Villard, 2000)
Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups of powdered sugar, sifted

Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until creamy. Mix in the cream cheese and beat until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla extract and when fully incorporated add the powdered sugar. Mix until smooth and creamy. Place in the refrigerator for an hour before using.

from Nancy Silverton’s Pastries from the La Brea Bakery - reprinted with permission

http://sarahs-musings.blogspot.com/2008/07/sourdough-honey-whole-wheat-bread.html

Success! I’ve been enjoying my forays into sourdough bread making and was looking for a good, whole wheat, soft, sandwich style bread recipe. Last weekend when we were at the store we forgot to pick up a loaf of bread for the week, so I decided that was a sign for me to try to make it instead . . . . and boy am I glad I did!

I delved into one of my favorite baking cookbooks and found a great honey whole wheat bread recipe that looked like it was just what we were looking for. With a cross reference to their sourdough section, I adapted it to use sourdough starter and began a sponge the night before to get it going. And it worked great! The crumb is soft, it has a sweetness to it from the honey that is offset by the sourness from the starter, and we’ve enjoyed it plain with butter and honey, grilled up as a salmon melt and simply served (to my little guy) with some melted cheese on top. We will be making this one regularly!

Sourdough Honey-Whole Wheat Bread
adapted from Essentials of Baking
makes 2 loaves

1 cup whole wheat sourdough starter (don’t worry if you only have white starter, it’ll work as well!)
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup mild honey
2 large eggs
6 cups (divided) whole wheat flour, plus extra for kneading
2 teaspoons sea salt
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

The Night before you are going to bake bread, using a large bowl make a sponge by mixing the starter with the milk and 2 cups of flour. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature overnight.

The next morning, stir the sponge before beginning. Then, add in the honey and eggs, stirring until incorporated. Add the flour, salt and butter and stir with your hand or a wooden spoon until a rough mass forms. Using a pastry scraper, scrape the dough out of the bowl and onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, dusting the work surface with only enough flour to keep the dough from sticking, 5-7 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball and transfer into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in bulk. Sourdough generally takes longer to rise than commercial yeast, so expect anywhere from two to four hours, depending on the strength of the starter and the heat in your kitchen. Mine took about two and a half hours.

Butter two 9x5-inch loaf pans.

Once the dough has doubled in bulk, punch down the dough and using the pastry scraper, scrape out onto a clean work surface. Cut dough in half with a sharp knife or bench scraper. For each half, evenly flatten the dough with the heel of of your hand. Roll the bottom third up onto itself and seal it by pushing it gently with the heel of your hand. Continue rolling and sealing the dough until you have an oval log. Place the log, seam side down, in the prepared loaf pans. Press on them lightly to flatten them evenly into the pans.

Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let the loaves rise in a warm, draft-free spot until the double in size, up to two hours.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Slash loaves, then immediately bake loaves until they are honey brown and sound hollow when tapped on the top, 35-40 minutes, turning the loaves once for even browning. Be careful not to overbake this bread or it will be dry. Carefully remove the loaves from the pans and let cool completely on wire racks before slicing.

Cooks Notes:

If you’d like a more “sourdough” style crust on top, when preheating the oven, place a cast iron skillet on a rack below your baking rack and put a kettle of water on to boil. Right before your put your loaves in the oven, slash the tops and then brush with ice water. Put loaves in oven and then immediately pour boiling water in the cast iron skillet below them before quickly shutting the door. Do not open the door until about 25 minutes in, at which time remove the skillet (so the bottom gets browned evenly) and turn the loaves. Allow to bake an additional ten to fifteen minutes until done.

You could also dust the tops of the loaves with a little bit of whole-wheat flour (as the original recipe indicates) or with a grain, like oatmeal, or seed, like sesame, of your choice.

When baking, I made one loaf and then rolled the remainder of the dough (prior to the second rise) into small golf-ball sized balls and froze them for future baking. The day I was going to make my rolls, I simply took the dough out in the morning allowing them to defrost slowly on my counter, then placed them on a greased baking sheet and allowed them to rise before baking. Baking took about twenty minutes at a preheated 375 degree oven.

This bread recipe makes a soft, sandwich-style loaf and is great for toasting. The sourdough tang nicely offsets the sweetness of the honey and has already become a favorite in our home! Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and/or in a ziploc bag and store in the fridge - will last about one week.
Posted by Sarah

http://sarahs-musings.blogspot.com/2008/12/holiday-treats-grandma-elsies-buckeyes.html

This recipe is a family favorite. My grandma used to make one or two batches of these a year and bring them as gifts, along with a batch of her famous fudge, in coffee cans for Christmas. I’ve since taken over the tradition and these are always met with love and thankfulness to everyone they meet.

These are an act of love, as they certainly take some time to make, but with extra helping hands it makes the process easier! Plus, I only make these once a year, (my annual candy making Saturday!) so it is well worth the effort! Packaged up in some seasonal tins, this is a special family treat I’m happy to share!
Grandma Elsie’s Buckeye’s

3 pounds confectioners sugar
2 pounds creamy peanut butter
1 pound butter, softened
2 bags (24 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup coconut oil (1/2 stick of paraffin was the original ingredient, but I’ve since augmented with something a bit more digestible and certainly more nourishing! The oil adds a gorgeous sheen to the completed buckeye’s)

In a very large bowl, layer sugar in first, then peanut butter and then butter. Mix (carefully!) with an electric mixer until blended. I find that mixing in two pounds of the sugar first with the other two ingredients, than adding in the final pound a bit at a time works easiest. Once thoroughly mixed, roll into balls about 3/4” in diameter (about the size of a large marble). Place on wax-paper lined cookie sheets (it is okay to have them touching - it will be important to put as many balls as possible on the sheets as this recipe makes HUNDREDS) and refrigerate for at least two hours until quite firm.

Once the peanut butter balls are firm, in a double boiler melt the coconut oil. Then melt chocolate chips in the coconut oil and stir until well combined. Using two bamboo skewers (one in each hand) spear one ball at a time and dip quickly in the chocolate, turning to cover most of the surface and with the other skewer, lightly push it onto a waiting piece of wax paper. You will need more space to place the completed buckeyes than you needed to chill the balls. I normally cover my counters with waxed or parchment paper to do this, or, if you have enough trays, use waxed or parchment covered cookie trays that can go directly into a cool area (fridge, unheated sun porch, whatever).

Dip all balls and refrigerate or chill to harden. Makes about 200 buckeyes.

http://sarahs-musings.blogspot.com/2008/06/sourdough-mama.html

And now that I’ve been learning and reading more about healthy eating, and soaking grains, and the artisanal use of wild fermentation processes, I realized what I wanted to try next; making my own sourdough starter for our home (though I admit I first I called my mom to see if she still had that old original sourdough mother dough left, but alas, it was long gone).

I reviewed the starter recipe in “Nourishing Traditions” but decided against it for several reasons. A) Notes from other blogs who used it mentioned that it was difficult to start and made a stiffer starter, B) It begins the starter by using rye flour. I don’t particularly like rye bread all that much and didn’t want to make an extra flour purchase when I had four (yes, four) varieties of flour already in my pantry and freezer, none of which are rye, and C) I don’t have a grain mill to grind my own flours so didn’t want to start with one that required freshly ground varieties with each feeding. I wanted a starter that I, and anyone else reading this post, could easily make with the items in their pantries and with, maybe, only a short, easy trip to your average grocery store.

So I went back to the Internet for guidance and came across this helpful post (with handy-dandy video tutorial!) on Breadtopia about making a whole wheat sourdough starter from scratch. Using pineapple juice in the initial feedings, the juice helps feed the yeast spores already in the flour, and keeps the bad bacteria at bay. I decided to follow this recipe and make two starters, one with organic, whole wheat flour that I’ve had in my freezer for probably six or eight months, and one with your average All Purpose, unbleached white flour.

Please note that this takes a few days to begin, but very little actual processing time. All you will need is a clean jar or container with a lid, the flour of your choice and a can or jar of unsweetened pineapple juice (and please keep in mind that you will need very little pineapple juice . . . I bought the average juice jug sized and still have it in my fridge! If you can find the little individual lunch-box sized cans, buy one of those instead!) I was very pleased with the results of this process; successfully creating both starters with the first try (though it did take a day or two longer to see any action with the white flour variety - I thought it was a dud until about day four and a half)!

* Day One: Mix 3 ½ Tablespoons flour with ¼ cup unsweetened pineapple juice. Cover and set aside for 48 hours at room temperature, stirring vigorously two to three times per day (I reminded myself to do it at breakfast, lunch and dinner - if that helps!)
* Day Three - 48 hours later add to your starter, 2 Tablespoons flour and 2 Tablespoons pineapple juice. Cover and set aside at room temperature for a day or two, stirring vigorously two to three times per day. You should begin to see some activity (bubbles on the side of the jar) by the end of this time.
Day Five - 48 hours later, add to your starter 5-1/4 Tablespoons flour and 3 Tablespoons purified water. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 24 hours. Do not stir.
* Day Six - 24 hours later, add 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 - 1/3 cup purified water. Stirring vigorously to combine. If you do not have a healthy starter by now, toss the batch and try again! Store starter, loosely covered, in the fridge, feeding regularly (see Eric’s post here about maintaining your starter; depending on how often you use it and how much you bake will affect how often and in what quantities you should feed it.)

Wondering about the first picture, above? And perhaps the title of this post? I realized when packing for our Father’s Day camping trip that I had miscounted the process and we’d be leaving on Day Four. Worried that my Baby Sourdough Yeasties would die during our weekend away unattended, and realizing that I was scheduled to stir (and feed them) during that time, like any good Mama, I brought them along with us (along with pre-measured flour in little sandwich bags). Crazy? Probably. But they seemed to enjoy the warm afternoon shade under the pine trees.
The pictures below are taken the morning of Day Seven.

To the left, the outside of the jar of my whole wheat starter. Note the bubbles on the outside.

And here’s a shot from the top. You can see how the top looks kind of bubbly and thick. And it smells fantastic (surprisingly, the whole wheat smells a little like beer to me).

To the left, the outside of my white starter on day seven. The bubbles on the outside are a bit finer than the whole wheat starter.

Please note that both jars have the same quantity of starter, the whole wheat jar is just a bit bigger (a recycled pasta sauce jar) than the white (recycled salsa . . . if you couldn’t tell!!)

And here’s a shot from the top of the white starter. Again, the starter looks a lot finer and is a little bit thinner than the whole wheat version, but smells and looks great nonetheless!

Now that I’ve got Mason jars of whey and two forms of sourdough starter hanging about in my fridge, it is time for me to do some cooking! I’ll keep you posted on my next experiments!

For some more reading about sourdough and some yummy looking recipes, here are some helpful links:

About the Science of Sourdough

Health Benefits of Eating Sourdough versus Conventional/Commercial Baking

The Fresh Loaf; A great baking forum from experienced bakers, full of advice and recipes.

And of course, please visit Breadtopia, where I found this helpful information (and great recipes AND useful bread making items) in the first place!
Posted by Sarah

http://www.sourdoughhome.com/sfsd1.html

San Francisco Sourdough

San Francisco sourdough bread is basically a French bread As a free form loaf made with a sourdough culture characteristic of San Francisco. Many people, especially those in San As a pan loaf Francisco, like to believe that this bread can be made no where other than San Francisco. However, the organisms in a San Francisco sourdough culture have been identified for a number of years, and the techniques are hardly a mystery.

The final proof that you can make San Francisco sourdough bread outside of San Francisco was hammered home when “The La Brea Bakery” of Los Angeles bread was voted the best San Francisco sourdough bread by the food editors of the San Francisco Chronicle. The editors were upset enough by the results of this double blind tasting that they repeated it. With the same results.

You can also make this bread at home. The bread can be made in many shapes, depending on your desires and tastes. The more surface area your bread has, the faster it will go stale. A round loaf or pan loaf will last the best, with a baguette lasting the least well.

Unlike most San Francisco sourdough recipes I’ve seen, I use part whole wheat flour. It makes the bread more interesting in color, texture, and taste. This is a very simple bread. While it’s not in the ingredient list below, the real main ingredient is time - it will take 12 to 15 hours to rise. Let’s start with the ingredients:

Ingredients for two loaves:
1/4 cup starter
1 cup Whole wheat flour
5 1/2 cups White bread flour
2 1/2 cups water
2 tsp Salt

Start by measuring the starter you’ll need. Whisk the starter before measuring it, so you’ll be measuring starter, not bubbles. Then whisk in the water, the whole wheat flour, and then the salt. Set aside the whisk, and get a wooden spoon. Add the white bread flour a cup at a time, stirring as you go. After a while, the dough will become too stiff to stir. At that point, pour it out onto your kneading surface. Make sure you have floured your work surface before you turn the bread out, and flour your hands before you start kneading. Knead the dough 15 to 20 minutes, or until it is resilient, springy, and passes the windowpane test.

Once the bread is kneaded, let it rest for 30 minutes. Then form the bread into baguettes, boules, or pan loaves. Cover the loaves and let them rise at room temperature until doubled in size, probably about 12 to 15 hours.

Once the loaves have doubled in size, it’s time to preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the oven is at the right temperature - I use a thermometer to be SURE the oven is at the right temperature - slash the loaves with a razor blade, slide them into the oven, and put some water into a pan at the bottom of the oven. Allow to bake 45 minutes, or until the inside of the bread reaches 190 F. (Note - my kitchen is at 7,703 feet above sea level, which changes how bread bakes. At sea level, you may want to shoot for 205 F or so.)

Remove from oven, and let cool on wire racks before slicing - if your family will let you. I often vary this recipe by letting the bread rise once in a mixing bowl, punching it down, kneading it some more, and then forming loaves. The second rise takes about 1/2 as long as the first rise, and also adds to the flavor.

http://sarahs-musings.blogspot.com/

I am terrible at making traditional fudge. You think fudge would be no big deal for me, seeing as how I make several varietities of candies for the holiday’s every year, and I’ve conquered my fear of the candy thermometer in various buttercream recipes via Daring Bakers, but I have never conquered fudge. That “soft-ball” stage I hear about? A myth I’m sure. Whenever I try a new fudge recipe I either wind up with crunchy, crystallized fudge (yuck!) or basically a highly stressful to make ice-cream topping (because the fudge doesn’t set). Long ago I decided to stop trying new recipes and stick with my old faithful, which I’m sharing with you below. This recipe was originally found in an old family cookbook (named “See’s Fudge” but I’m concerned about copyright infringement since I’m posting it on the web, so I’m renaming it!) and is the one that my Grandma Elsie, my aunts, my sisters and my mom (and I!) make every year.

This fudge is perfect. It makes a rich, creamy, fudge with a soft tooth. It can be dressed up by using dark chocolate, made fun by substituting peanut butter or butterscotch chips, and can be added to in any number of ways from my favorites (simple chopped pecans or crushed candy canes on top) to the extravagant (walnuts and mini marshmallows for Rocky Road fudge anyone? Crushed up heath bars and chopped almonds? YUM!). Let your imagination fly, while sticking to the base recipe, and you’ll fall in love with fudge all over again.

I know I have. And you will never have to worry about that cursed “soft ball” stage again.

Never Fail Fudge

3/4 cup (6 ounces) canned evaporated milk
2 cups granulated sugar
12 large marshmallows
6 ounces chocolate chips (measure by weight, not volume)
1 cup chopped nuts (or whatever else you’d like to have mixed in with the fudge. If you add something as a topping, you will need much less than a cup)
1/4 cup butter

In a heavy saucepan over low heat stir together milk, sugar and marshmallows, stirring constantly. Allow marshmallows to melt and bring to a boil, maintaining medium-low heat. (Be aware that contents will expand so make sure you use a medium-sized saucepan). Boil for 6 minutes, stirring constantly, then immediately take off heat and quickly stir in chocolate, nuts and butter. Stir to combine. Pour into a prepared, buttered 8”x8” dish to cool.

Allow to cool and then cut into squares and enjoy!

Note: You can use a 12 ounce can of evaporated milk (the standard size can I find) to make two batches of fudge - however DO NOT double the recipe as the cooking times are different and the fudge will not set properly. Make two seperate batches of fudge as noted above. Our family favorites include one batch of semi-sweet with chopped nuts, and one batch of dark chocolate with crushed candy cane on top. YUM!
Posted by Sarah