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Friday, 11 September 2009

Whole Wheat English Muffins

Grind (fine): 5 cups hard red winter wheat
2 C spelt

2 C milk scalded (barely bubbling)
4 T honey
Blend together, cool
Add:
5 teaspoons yeast
2 C warm water
let sit 30 min

Add
1/2 C melted butter/oil
6 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
mix about 10 min
add flour as needed until a very wet/sticky dough forms.
(I only needed about one cup and bit)
(looks kind of like snot LOL)
let rise until doubled
(30 min in a warm place)

heat griddle on stove top
Oil and coat griddle with cornmeal
heat oven to 350

put onto grill in handfulls
(if you want to try using a 1/2 measuring cup to get the idea of how much feel free. I found it cumbersome and more messy than my hands)

cook on griddle 5-7 min per side
bake in oven 5 min or until sides are firm
cool completely
Nooks, Crannies and all!

Tuesday, 30 June 2009

A 'healthier" Chocolate Chip Cookie

(A friend said she thought my blog would look better with pictures)

While searching for a healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe I found many with a little of this or a little of that thrown in for good measure. What I didn't find were many with less fat or sugar. Well, I sort of compromised, picked from what I wanted of several recipes and added a few things of my own. Heres the result!

Health(ier) Chocolate Chip Cookies
1-2 C flour
(I started w/ 1 C and added more if it was too soupy at the end)
1/2 C sprouted wheat flour
1/2 C ground flax seed
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
(mix together)

In a separate bowl:
1/4 C coconut oil
1/4 c butter (softened)
1/2 C sucanat
1/2 C brown sugar
(you can use sucant or rapadura instead. You can also lessen the sugar to 3/4 cup or less)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 C Kefir

Add dry to wet and mix adding 1 C (mini) chocolate chips
(I like mini chips because it disperses them better)
Bake @ 350 for 10-12 min.
I have recently found out my oven is off so my 350 is probably more like a 375 so you might have to play with this a bit.

Friday, 05 June 2009

Posting hasn't been foremost on my list these days. I have been making things like crazy while expanding my ever increasing search to add a little income to our modest family budget. I have recently stumbled upon something the public seems to want; Ezekiel bread. Now, this isn't sprouted but it IS organic, fresh ground grain with a little sprouted wheat flour thrown in for good measure. I have been tweaking the recipe. Here is what I have so far.
Ezekiel Bread

Combine and mix the following grains:
- 2 1/2 Cups hard red wheat
- 1 1/2 Cups spelt
- 1/2 Cups hulled barley
- 1/4 Cup millet
- 1/4 Cup green lentils
- 2 Tbs great northern beans
- 2 Tbs red kidney beans
- 2 Tbs pinto beans
Grind these together in a mill.
Add:
- 2 tsp salt
- 4 1/2 tsp yeast
- 2 Tbs sprouted wheat flour
Add together in a separate container:
- 4 1/4 Cups warm water
- 1/2 Cup honey
- 1/2 Cup pear or apple sauce
- 1/2 Cup oil
Stir into flour. Stir/knead for 10 min.
(will not form into a ball)

Pour into 3 med loaf pans
let rise until almost touching the top of the pan
Bake 350 for 35-45 min

Enjoy!

Thursday, 23 April 2009

Easy Sprouted Sandwich Bread

In my ever expanding search for sprouted grain recipes I am finding more that call for the flour than the grains themselves. I think this adds a step I just don't have time for right now. So I am going to add the sprouts to the liquid in my mixer, and see what recipes I can come up with.
Here is my favorite bread recipe right now.
Sprouted Grain Sandwich Bread
(Adapted from King Arthur's Whole Grain Baking book)

2 C sprouts
2 1/2 C warm water
Put in mixer/food processor and mix until milky

6 1/3 C flour
(I used my usual wheat and spelt mix)
1 C oats
2 1/2 tsp salt
mix together

Add liquid and
1/2 C butter cut into pieces
4 Tbs honey
4 tsp yeast

Mix all together
Knead into soft dough
(about 5-7 min by hand)

Place in oiled bowl turning once
Cover (I use plastic wrap) & let rise 1-2 hour until nearly doubled in bulk
(my oven is an old gas with a pilot and I've found it to be a perfect proofing place)

gently separate, place into 2 greased loaf pans
(for whatever reason I couldn't find an exact 9x5 pan so I found my smaller 8 1/2x4 1/2 glass ones work better)
cover & let rise another hour or two until puffy

Preaheat & Bake @ 350 for 40 min
It was recommended that you tent with foil after 20 min. I have never done this.
Can brush with melted butter if you want to keep the crust soft.

Wednesday, 22 April 2009

Experiments from the land of sprouted grains

For some reason, things were misplaced today. I couldn't find my measuring spoons, or cookie sheets. Now with 4 munchkins one would wonder why I am even slightly amazed at this. However I knew where these items were yesterday! Therefore I can only conclude that we are indeed co-inhabitants with Borrowers. On the up-side, I was the blessed recipient of a new set of measuring spoons of much better quality.
Dinner consisted of vegetable, bean, sausage soup and drop biscuits. It is to this latter item I direct your attention. As you may well remember, I have been sprouting grains. I have been cooking with these as well as drying and grinding them and even eating them raw. (I put them in my oatmeal this morning. Along with some honey and cinnamon it was a most tasty treat.) I was unable to find a recipe using the fresh sprouts so I sort of experimented.
Here is my recipe:
Sprouted Spelt Drop Biscuits

1 C sprouted Spelt
(I'm sure any sprouted grain would work)
1 C buttermilk
(my store has this in a powder you can keep in your fridge and add water to when needed)
Put in a mixer and blend until milky

mix together:
1 3/4 C flour
(I used my usual fresh ground whole wheat and spelt)
1tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp succanat

Cut in;
1/2 C lard, cold
(I'm not sure how this compares to other fats. If anyone knows this please let me know. I had some lard given to me and used it. If I try this recipe again and use something else I will try to put in a substitute)

Pour in liquid and mix until just moist (do not overmix)

Bake at 375 for 10 min.