Homemade Bread

I have discovered the most amazing bread recipe that I have ever made. This bread rises beautifully, makes an excellent sandwich bread, and is has an amazingly simple method. I have been reading Rhonda's blog for quite some time now and have read her tutorials on baking bread, but never tried her recipe. Until last week. I am never going back! Here is her tutorial. If you have never made bread before (or need a refresher course) then make sure you check out her beginner's tutorial first before moving on to the intermediate, which is what I followed.

Here is what I used in my loaf:

(Barely adapted from Rhonda)
2 tsp. traditional yeast
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup warm water

Mix all of these together and allow to sit for 10 mins, until foamy.

2 cups whole wheat flour
2- 2 1/2  cups white flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. skim milk powder
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups warm water

Put dry ingredients into bowl of mixer fitted with dough hook and mix together. Add the yeast mixture, oil, and about 1 1/2 cups water. Mix until dough comes together (adding water and flour as needed- I needed about 1 3/4 cups water and 2 1/2 cups white flour). Knead for 6 minutes in mixer, or 10 minutes by hand, until soft dough forms. Dump out of mixer, knead a few times, and form into a ball. Place in a greased bowl and cover with a tea towel. Place in a warm spot (I use my oven with the light on) to rise for one hour.

Punch down dough and form into a loaf. Wet the top of the loaf and roll into oats/seeds, or whatever you would like on the top of the loaf. You can skip this step if you just want plain bread. Place into a greased loaf pan and allow to rise until dough crests over pan (about 30 minutes).

Today's loaf- sesame and poppy seeds.

I received two cast iron bread pans for Christmas, and I am in love with them! They are entirely non stick already and produce a nice crispy crust every time. I love the fact that these will be my bread pans for life and they will just get better with age. That doesn't happen very often anymore.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to about 450 F. Place risen loaf in hot oven for about 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 400 F. Bake for 20 minutes, or until loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

Last week's loaf- oats.

This bread is delicious, frugal, and healthy! All of my favourite things! Let me know if you try it, I would love to know how it turns out for you and what you top it with! Do you have a favourite bread recipe?

Brenna

Christmas Baking

Every year, I go a bit (OK, a lot) overboard with Christmas baking. The entire month of December is pretty much a write off for healthy snacking due to the kitchen counters groaning under tins full of baked goods. I consider this a good, nay a great, thing. My mom always baked up a storm every Christmas, and I have the fondest memories of helping her in the kitchen. I have a routine when it comes to my baking, just as she did, making the same things year after year. I do not bake these goodies at any other time other than Christmas, so they are always a huge treat to have. I also have tried to incorporate both my childhood as well as D's into my chosen recipes, making it nostalgic for both of us. I have also added one entirely new recipe to my routine in the past three years that I found online and fell in love with. Here is what I make every year (in no particular order):

-Shortbread (my mom's recipe)
-Candy Cane Cookies (D's mom's recipe)
- Butter Tarts (my mom's recipe)
-Rugalech (new recipe)
-Gingerbread Cookies (D's mom's recipe)
- Sugar Cookies (my mom's recipe)

We also make a sweet walnut bread, called Gibanicia, that is a tradition in D's family for breakfast every year. D and I made it on our own (without his mom's help) for the first time this week, and it turned out great!

This last picture is from our batch last year.

Today I began the cookies by making rugalech, and also made a batch of the butter tarts. Now, I have a confession to make. I normally just buy pre-made frozen tart shells for my butter tarts. It is what my mom did, and I have tried making the shells in the past and they never turned out as nicely as I would have liked. This is strange, because I make my pie dough from scratch all of the time and it turns out beautifully. I don't like my tart shells to be very thick though, so I always roll out my dough thin and then it isn't as flaky as the pie crust. I attempted today to rectify this problem and make the shells from scratch, and I had the same issues. They look nice and rustic, but they were a bit too thin now and not flaky enough. Does anyone have any tips on making tart shells?

They look so pretty, but the texture isn't great. 

I actually only baked about half of the filling that I have and will be going out tomorrow to buy some shells to make the rest of them. Oh well! Here is the rugalech:

I am in LOVE with these cookies. They are a traditional Jewish cookie that is made with a buttery, flaky, cream cheese dough filled with apricot jam, walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon sugar. They are soft and sweet and have an amazing flavour to them. I will share the recipe later, as this post is getting too long. Up next are the sugar cookies and shortbread. I will make sure to take you along with me!

What do you bake for Christmas?

Brenna

Warm Chocolate Pudding

Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post, I am feeling much better!

Tonight, I offer a recipe. Pudding was a staple dessert in my family growing up, probably because it contains nothing but pantry staples and is easy to make in large batches. There is nothing more comforting than a warm bowl of pudding on a cold night. I go back and forth between butterscotch and chocolate as my favourites. Tonight, chocolate won.

Chocolate Pudding

Serves 2 (or one if you are being indulgent)

2 cups milk or cream, whatever you have on hand

2 tbsp. cornstarch or flour ( I used gravy flour, a super fine flour made for thickening sauces)

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

2 egg yolks, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

In a heavy bottomed pot, mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, and salt. Add half of the milk and turn on to medium heat. Slowly add the rest of the milk. Heat slowly to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for one minute. Slowly add a small amount of hot liquid to egg yolks, beating well. Add egg yolk mixture back into pot and bring up to a boil again, stirring constantly. Take off the heat and add vanilla. Strain if you desire ( I usually do as for some reason my egg yolks always leave a slightly grainy texture). Serve warm or chilled, however you like it.

Enjoy!

Brenna

Warm Apple Pie

Can just make all of the little things clouding your mind just float away...

How can you argue with that? That is a thing of beauty.

Brenna

Rhubarb Raspberry Bran Muffins

My kitchen is currently bursting with fruit. We have apricots, raspberries, blueberries, rhubarb, and cherries. So today I did some baking to use up some of the delicious variety. 

This recipe is normally used for making blueberry bran muffins, and it makes the most delicious muffin I have ever eaten. The recipe is 100% whole grain, contains no refined sugar, and is amazingly moist. Today I added raspberries and rhubarb instead of the blueberries, and they were delicious!

Original recipe found here. 

Rhubarb Raspberry Bran Muffins

Makes 20 small muffins

2 cups wheat bran

1 cup oat bran

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

2/3 cup plain yogurt

1/3 cup oil ( I used half sunflower, half olive)

1/3 cup molasses

1/3 cup honey

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries

1/2 cup thinly sliced rhubarb

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease muffin tin. Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix all wet ingredients together. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix together until blended. Fold in fruit until it is incorporated throughout the batter. Fill muffin tins and bake for about 20-25 minutes, depending on the size of your muffin tin. 

The rhubarb was not especially prevalent in these muffins, so if you would like a more tart flavour, I would suggest doing half raspberries, half rhubarb. These muffins will only last a few days on the counter before they will begin to get moldy. I like to freeze mine individually wrapped in only tin foil. Then when you want one, simply pop it into a 350 F oven for about 10 minutes and you will have a fresh hot muffin all over again! Makes for a great breakfast, as you can throw it into the oven while you shower and it will be ready when you get out! 

Enjoy!

Brenna

Rhubarb Crumble

Rhubarb crumble is one of my all time favourite desserts. I think I love it so much because it reminds me of my mom and childhood. Every spring she would pick the rhubarb from our garden (one of the very few things we could grow at such a high altitude), and make a huge crumble in a big rectangular ceramic dish that she still uses to this day. I love the contrast between the tart rhubarb and the sweet topping.

However, I stand alone for my love of rhubarb in my household. D hates it, and usually refuses to eat anything involving the tart fruit. I have a mission this year. To get him loving rhubarb. I have succeeded with coconut in the past, and I have faith that I can do it again this year. So, today I made rhubarb crumble, and next week I plan on making rhubarb cupcakes. I am hoping the cupcakes will seal the deal, as coconut cupcakes are what made him fall in love with coconut last year. I make a mean cupcake. So here is the recipe for the crumble:

Rhubarb Crumble


4 cups sliced rhubarb
1/3 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour (I used white, but anything would probably work)
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg


Preheat oven to 375. Place rhubarb in a bowl and coat with sugar. Set aside while you make the topping.

 In a separate bowl, mix together remaining ingredients with your hands until butter is crumbly. Pour rhubarb into a greased pan (any size is fine, the smaller your container, the longer it will take to cook all the way through), and cover with topping. Bake for 30 minutes, or until rhubarb is soft and the top is golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream.

Wish me luck, I am going in armed with rhubarb!

Brenna

Pumpkin Banana Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Here is the recipe for the cookies in my last post. These are a healthy cookie that don't contain a lot of sugar, and are whole grain. They are incredibly filling, and D described them as a "homemade Clif Bar". To me, they taste like little miniature banana cakes, but not too sweet. A perfect afternoon snack!

Pumpkin Banana Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

adapted from Oh She Glows

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups oatmeal

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tbsp. chopped walnuts

1 egg

1 cup pumpkin

1 very ripe banana, mashed

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup raisins, soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes

scant 1/2 cup honey

Preheat oven to 375 F. In large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients. In smaller bowl, mix together all wet ingredients, except raisins. Add wet ingredients to dry, and mix well. Fold in raisins. Form large balls of dough and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Smoosh (yes, that is the technical term) cookies a little, as they don't spread much while baking. Bake at 375 F for 13 minutes.

These cookies are delightfully moist and tender. The raisins really added a lot of sweetness, and they are nice and plump from the soaking. I am in love with this recipe. I put my batch in the fridge after one day on the counter, to hopefully prevent mold, which seems to grow freakishly fast on moist baked goods. I am sure that you could add more spices or a different type of fruit, and they would be delicious. Next time I am going to add some nutmeg and maybe some clove to give it a more spicy note. 

Enjoy!

Brenna

A Cold and Grey Sunday

Outside it is cold and windy, the sky bloated with rain clouds that just won't break open. So what does that in combination with having the house all to myself mean? Well, baking, reading, and hiding inside of course! I haven't left the house all day, but I have been keeping warm in the kitchen, and making the whole house smell wonderful. Here are the fruits of my labour:

Pumpkin Banana Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

inspired by Oh She Glows

Pumpkin Pie

I was on a bit of a pumpkin kick, as you can see. D has been hinting for weeks now that he really wants pumpkin pie, but he "can't make the crust as well as I can". So, I thought I would surprise him today. He is working a ridiculously long shift today, so I am hoping to brighten his day with fresh pumpkin pie! The pumpkin I used is frozen from last summer, when we roasted a big organic one from the farmer's market and portioned it out. Yet another reason those three freezers are worth it! 

I will share my recipes for today on a later post. 

Now onto my other favourite hobby, reading! My first selections are what I consider inspirational, especially the newest addition to this collection, located on the bottom.

You cannot go wrong with a single recipe in these books! The first two are gifts from D, and the third I saw and nearly peed with excitement at Costco last week, for under $20! Drool...

And, now for my actual novel that I managed to finish today. The ending was incredibly moving, and almost brought me to tears, which is rare, but welcomed. Plus, the authour is Canadian, always a bonus. The descriptions of India were amazing, I could almost smell the spices and taste the food. I also loved how it illuminated the women of India, and described how they go about their daily lives. I would highly recommend this read:

And to finish off my nearly perfect day? Lots and lots of snuggles!

What did you do today?

Brenna

A Day in the Kitchen

I am just finishing my weekend, and today the kitchen was calling my name. Here is what I made:

The top is homemade pita bread, recipe found here. I have made this recipe several times, and it is delicious every time. It is also incredibly easy, and only takes just over 2 hours from start to finish! We use pitas for quesadillas, falafels, mini pizzas, and just to eat with some eggs. They last for a good 5-6 days on the counter (if you can restrain yourself from eating them all hot from the oven), and are super cheap to make. 

The bottom is Whole Orange Cake, recipe found over at Rhonda's. This is the first time I have made this cake, and it is delicious. But, I have a confession to make. I forgot to put the eggs in. How, you ask? Well, I have no idea. Apparently the thought of blending up an entire orange in my food processor was a little too exciting, and I just completely forgot! Surprisingly, it is still delicious, just a little dense! I used one and a half oranges because mine were a little small. I love citrus season! We got three 3 lb bags of organic oranges (1 navel and 2 Cara Cara) for under $10 the other day, and organic lemons are 3 for 99 cents! Cannot beat that! If you have not tried Cara Cara oranges, I highly recommend them. They are sweet and juicy, and have a lovely pink flesh. I used navels in the cake recipe, in order to leave the Cara Caras for eating fresh. I will have to remake the cake properly, eggs included, next week when we are finished with this one. 

I also made some homemade vegetable stock, but that will be a separate post sometime next week.

Happy Cooking!

Brenna

Homemade Buns

On my days off this week, I decided to replenish the buns in our freezer by making a batch. We use buns mostly for veggie burgers, and they are so much better (and cheaper!) when made by hand.  The recipe is slightly altered from one that I found on The Fresh Loaf. Here is my version:

2 cups white flour
1 1/2 - 2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons regular yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups warm water

Start by activating your yeast. Mix yeast, sugar, and water in the bottom of a large bowl, and let it sit for about 10 minutes. It should look all foamy when it is done, like this:

Mix together the white flour, 1 1/2 cups of the whole wheat, and the salt in a separate bowl. Slightly beat the eggs, then add the olive oil. Mix the wet and dry ingredients into the yeast mixture, stirring until a dough starts to form and pull away from the sides. Dump the dough onto your countertop, and knead for about 10 minutes, adding flour as needed. The dough should be tacky, but not overly sticky.

Dough before kneading

Dough after kneading

Next, clean out your bowl and coat it in a thin layer of oil. Put dough into the bowl and flip it upside down to grease the top of it. Cover it in a clean tea towel and put it somewhere warm to rise for an hour. 

Dough greased and ready to rise

Dough rising

My warm place is my oven. While I am kneading, I turn my oven on to the lowest setting (150 F) for a few minutes. I then turn it off and turn on the light. I put the bread into the warm oven and keep the light on as it rises. After the first hour of rising, the dough should be doubled in size:

after first rise

Punch down the dough, knead it a couple of times, and put it back in your warm area to rise for a second hour. It will double once again. After the second hour is over, punch down the dough again, knead it a couple times, and divide it into 8 or 12 pieces, depending on the size of bun desired. I did 8, as we tend to make our burger patties large. Flatten each piece into a small disc and shape into buns by folding the edges into the center:

Fold in the edges 4 times

The bottom left is what all of your buns should look like after shaping

Flip all of your buns upside down, so the smooth part is on top (prevents seals from splitting while rising), and place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover with the towel again, and let rise for 35-60 minutes. Mine rose really quickly, so they only needed another 35 minutes. 

final rise

Preheat your oven to 450 F (remember to take out the buns if you were rising them in the oven!). Flip over the buns so that the creases are on top. Bake at 450 F for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown, and hollow sounding when tapped. 

hot from the oven!

Allow them to cool completely, and either freeze them immediately, or keep on the counter for 3-4 days, if they last that long! Mine don't look exactly like kaiser buns, but they are homemade and delicious, which is all that matters to me! Happy Baking!

Brenna

Gibanica

Just before Christmas, we made some Gibanica, a sweet walnut loaf that is tradition in D's family for Christmas morning. Since we decided to go to my parents' house this year, we thought we would bring some of this delicious bread to enjoy on one of the mornings we were there. We had made this bread once before with D's mom, who is the master of this recipe. The recipe takes pretty much the whole day, but it makes 4 big loaves, so it is worth the time.

This bread is amazing lightly toasted and spread with a thin layer of butter. It has a subtle hint of lemon zest and warm milk, and is oh so comforting. Here is a picture of the beautiful walnut swirl that is hidden until you slice into the bread:

I realize that all of my recent posts have been food, food, food, but that seems to be my activity of choice right now. And besides, who can get sick of looking at pictures of food? Hope you are all having a good start to your week!

Brenna

This Is On My Mind

Today I am joining in with Rhonda at Down To Earth for her Friday photo ritual. It is still Thursday here, but Rhonda is in Australia, so I will be making this my Thursday ritual. I truly admire Rhonda's blog and use it as a regular reference for green cleaning, home cooking, and just great advice and encouragement as I attempt to get into a routine and "green" way of life. She is also such a wonderful voice for homemakers, which I really think is wonderful, and I am so happy that such an intelligent and well spoken woman has decided to speak out and in favor of those women who are lucky and smart enough to be able to stay at home.

Well enough gushing, lets get to the photo!

Orange Cardamom Cookies

These cookies are absolutely to die for. I baked them to be used as a "decoy cookie" to hopefully distract certain members of the household from the Christmas baking (not naming any names). Ok, I admit that I require some distraction now and then.... :).  Well they are divine, and oh so light and refreshing, with a hint of spiciness that is pure heaven. I adapted the recipe from Martha Stewart's Cookies book. Originally the recipe is meant to make madeleines. Well I do not own a madeleine tin, and pretty much 100% of them are coated in Teflon, which I avoid like the plague, so I improvised and free formed them. They turned out fantastic! 

Orange Cardamom Cookies

For the batter:

4 tbsp butter

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup white sugar

2 large free range eggs

Melt butter over low heat. Remove from element, and add vanilla extract and honey. Let cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. Stir together sugar and eggs in a separate bowl, and fold in flour mixture until combined. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 325 F. Spoon heaping teaspoons of batter onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving about 1 inch of space between cookies for spreading. Bake for 10-11 mins, until set and slightly golden. Let cool on wire rack.

For the Glaze:

3/4 cup icing sugar

1 tsp orange zest

2 tbsp fresh orange juice

Mix together all ingredients and dollop on cookies when cool. 

Enjoy!

Brenna