BUCKWHEAT BREAD

I can't tell you how much I love this bread.  The recipe is genius, and it is all thanks to two lovely souls named Roberto and Anke from Conscious Catering.  It's got everything going for it - it's gluten free, grain free, and yeast free.  What it is not free from is flavour.  It makes living without bread a breeze.  It not only works as an amazing toast bread, you can also modify the recipe to make crepes, pancakes, and even muffins.  Once you try this, you will be hooked.

BUCKWHEAT BREAD

2 cups organic buckwheat groats

3/4 cups water

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

Method: Rinse the buckwheat groats well and soak for 2-8 hours.  Drain the groats and rinse well.  Mix the groats with the 3/4 cups water and blend in a food processor or blender until creamy.  Transfer to a  glass bowl, cover with a cloth, and allow to ferment for 16-24.  If you don't plan on baking right away, fermented batter can store in the fridge up to 3 days.

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Add the salt  to the batter and stir well.  Grease a loaf pan and/or line it with parchment paper and pour batter into pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.  Allow loaf to cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing.  Refrigerate or freeze and toast well before serving slathered in salty butter.

PANCAKES: Add 1 egg, 1/2 cup milk.

CREPES:  Add 1 egg, 3/4 cup milk, and 1/4 cup melted butter.

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****TODAY'S TWEETABLE:  It makes living without bread a breeze @KeepingItRealNL

SOURDOUGH BAGELS

I pretty much never make loaves of sourdough bread anymore.  These bagels are just so good everything else pales in comparison.  A little more time consuming than a standard loaf, but so worth it.  

SOURDOUGH BAGELS

4 cups organic sourdough 

4 organic eggs, beaten

4 Tbsp avocado oil

1 cup organic milk (even works with homemade almond milk)

4 Tbsp organic coconut sugar

4 Tbsp local honey

2 tsp sea salt

3 cups organic whole wheat flour

3 cups organic unbleached white flour

organic sesame or poppy seeds

Method:  Pour the culture into a large mixing bowl.  Add the eggs, oil, coconut sugar, salt and mix.  Add the flour one cup at a time until the dough is stiff.  Then turn out onto a floured board and knead until smooth and satiny, and no longer sticky.  Add more flour as necessary.

Place the dough in a large bowl covered with a plate or lid, and let sit for 8-12 hours or overnight at room temperature.  

Divide the dough into 30 equal balls.  Roll each ball into a 15 cm rope and pinch the ends together.  Proof for 1 hour on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 375*.  Bring 4 litres of water to boil in a large pot and add the honey and some salt.  Drop the bagels, 2 at a time, into the water.  Remove them with a slotted spoon after they rise to the surface, drain on a rack and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds.  Place bagels back onto the cookie sheets and bake for 25 minutes.  Let cool on wire racks.

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SOURDOUGH BREAD that doesn't feel like a brick

I am pretty happy with my latest batch of sourdough culture.  It is a different recipe from the one I shared with you a while back for Pain au Levain, which produces a more rustic, French style bread.  The thing I like about it most is that it produces loaves of bread that are much lighter than some of my previous sourdough experiments - like light enough to make a sandwich with! Yay!  

     I just can't make bread with yeast anymore. After reading so much about how sourdough predigests the gluten and neutralizes enzyme inhibitors (that interfere with digestion) and phytic acid (that blocks mineral absorption), how could I possible feed that to my family with a good conscience?  Well, I couldn't, and now I don't have to

     Perhaps the best thing about this bread is the ritual I've gotten into which involves getting the bread started in the evening when the house is quiet and the children are in bed.  So, no little fingers poking into the dough, or mid kneading diaper changes are involved.  Peaceful, relaxing, unhurried and pleasant.  The dough rests overnight, and then in the morning I let it rise in the pans and bake it by our afternoon naptime.  Perfect.

SOURDOUGH CULTURE

Ok, first you have to create a really active culture.

organic flour (I used unbleached and whole wheat flour)

warm water

Method:  Mix 2 cups of flour and 1 1/2 cups warm water in a 2 litre glass bowl.  Stir the mixture vigorously to allow lots of air to infuse the batter. Place the bowl uncovered on top of your fridge, or another nice warm spot.  Stir the mixture at least twice every 24 hours.  In 2-3 days, some bubbles should appear on the surface.  At this point, feed it a cup of flour and enough water to maintain the previous consistency (like thick pancake batter), and stir it well.  Be sure to still stir it twice a day.  You may need to repeat additional feedings at 12-24 hour intervals for several successive days.  When it forms a 1-2" layer of foam, you will know you have an active yeast in your brew.

     Once you have a good, bubbly culture, use it to make bread, or pour it into some mason jars and refrigerate.  If you do refrigerate, be sure to feed your culture once a month to keep it alive.

Fully Active Culture

     When a refrigerated culture is warmed and fed, the organisms begin to reactivate, but the activity of the wild yeast is often inhibited by the increased acidity of the culture.  To reduce acidity do the following:

- remove jar from fridge and fill the jar with warm water while you stir it vigorously

- leave about 1 cup in the jar and discard the rest

- feed the culture in the jar 2/3 cup flour and enough water to make a thick pancake batter

- proof at 70-75* for about 2-4 hours until it is foamy

- if your culture has been in the fridge for longer than 2 weeks you may have to repeat this process

Culture Proof

   Warming and feeding for 2 hours is usually not enough to prepare a refrigerated culture.  Therefore you must create a culture proof:

- start with a fully active culture

- stir it and put half in another jar 

- to each jar add 2/3 cup flour and water to make a thick pancake batter

- proof 8-12 hours

- now it is ready to use to make bread

SOURDOUGH BREAD

(makes one loaf - I usually double it)

1 cup culture

1 cup warm water

1 tsp sea salt

2 cups organic unbleached flour

1 cup organic whole spelt flour

1/2 cup organic whole wheat flour

Method:  Pour the culture into a mixing bowl.  Stir the water and salt into it.  Add the flour  a cup at a time until the dough is too stiff to mix by hand.  Knead it until it is smooth and satiny.

     Proof the dough overnight at 70* F in a greased and covered bowl- it should double in size.  

     In the morning, use a spatula to gently ease the dough out onto a floured board.  Allow the dough to rest for 30 mins.  

     Flatten the dough slightly, then gently form a ball by lifting from the edges and pulling into the centre. Then form into a loaf shape and put into a greased loaf pan.

     Cover with a large overturned bowl and proof for 2-4 hours .  

     Place the pan into a cooled oven, then turn the temperature to 375* and bake for about 45-70 minutes.  Remove from pan and allow to cool.

EATING IRISH (Soda Bread)

One of the things I like most about being a parent is revisiting stories, traditions, and cultural concepts that I was exposed to as a child.  For the most part I am learning so many new things about things I thought I knew about, but I am also sometimes aghast at the things children are taught in books and in the mass media.  One of my favorite books as a child was the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Reading them again as an adult each night with my son has been wonderful. Well it was until I got to the second book that tells the tale of the Wilder family moving to the prairies and essentially stealing land and resources from the Native Americans.  I never realized what a stereotypical and racist slant the book has.  I had to censor the story as I was reading it out loud, which was really hard because they go on and on about it.

So this week I've been reading all kinds of story books about Leprechauns and clover.  I'm not all that much interested in St.Patrick, but I do love the tales of the wee folk and the fauna.  So while I always knew that Leprechauns were little green guys, I didn't realize they were the cobblers to Faeries.  In one of the story books a man named Finn raves on about his mother's soda bread so much that I had a huge craving for some myself.

Last night before I went to bed I whipped up a batch of dough to ferment a bit overnight before I baked a loaf this morning.  I'm in love.  So, if you're feeling like a little Irish spring celebrating at this time of year, do yourself a favour and bake a loaf of this Soda Bread.

SPELT IRISH SODA BREAD

1 1/2 cups organic whole grain spelt flour

1 1/2 cups organic light spelt flour

1/2 Tbsp sea salt

1/4 cup organic coconut sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup organic rolled oats

6 Tbsp organic unsalted butter

1 cup organic buttermilk

Method:  Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 375*.  In a bowl, stir to combine the flours, oats, salt, and sugar.  Cut in the butter and then Stir in the buttermilk, cover, and allow to sit at room temperature overnight.  In the morning, sift in the baking soda, knead it into the dough a bit .  Form the dough into a round loaf and make an X with a knife on the the top of the loaf.  Place the loaf on the preheated stone and bake for about an hour.  Set on a rack to cool.
(ps Normally Soda Bread is made by mixing all the ingredients just before you are going to make it, so the baking soda would be stirred into the flour before adding the buttermilk.  While doing this does make it easier to evenly incorporate the baking soda into the dough, it prevents you from being able to soak the flour overnight in buttermilk....)

SUPER SIMPLE SUPPER

I love it when I am kind of stressing about what to make for supper, and then end up making something so yum it kind of blows me away.  Tonight was one of those nights.  Plan A was to make Braised Short Ribs, but that idea was short lived because I didn't have any red wine in the house (how could I when I live with a wino?) and didn't feel like making it without.  So at the last moment I thought, hey, why don't I make something with that can of black beans I have sitting in the cupboard?  And so I did, and it was good.  Even better served with garlic cheese bread.  I can still taste the garlic and I've brushed my teeth.

BLACK BEAN SALAD

1 can organic black beans (I like Eden Organic, they use BPA free cans)

1 organic red pepper, diced

1/2 bunch organic parsley, minced (about 1/4 cup when all is said and done)

1 organic tomato, diced

1 small organic cucumber, diced

Dressing:

1/4-1/3 cup organic e.v olive oil

1-2 Tbsp organic tamari

2 tsp umbeboshi vinegar

3 Tbsp organic balsamic vinegar

2 tsp local honey

1 clove organic garlic, minced

juice of half an organic lemon

Method:  Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a bowl.

Combine all the other ingredients in a large bowl, drizzle with dressing and serve.  It also tastes great if you let it sit for a bit.

We've been snacking on some pretty tasty Zucchini Parmesan Loaf.  It's a nice alternative to your typical sweet zucchini bread.  At snack time today we enjoyed some toasted with melted swiss cheese. Yum.

I kind of overdid the snack time today and also served apples which we dipped in honey.  We were so full we barely ate lunch.  

There are only 3 days left in the Keeping it Real Book Giveaway Contest!  Wow, how time flies when you're having fun......

For those of you who have already subscribed to the blog and entered the contest, THANK YOU!  It is so great to be a part of a larger community committed to sustainable living.  I love reading your comments and getting to know you all better.  For those of you who haven't entered the contest to win 3 books of your choice from the Keeping It Real Amazon bookstore, what are you waiting for?  It will just take a minute to visit the contest page, read the details and subscribe to the blog.  If you'd like some extra chances to win, all you have to do is visit the blog and click the Facebook "Like" button.  For those people who really want to win, you can also enter again by posting the contest on your Facebook page.  Be sure to leave a comment on the blog letting me know that you did all these things so I can enter your name into the contest.  Alright, good luck y'all.

BAREFOOT AND FANCY FREE

One of my favorite summertime pleasures is walking barefoot in the dewy grass to harvest fresh herbs for my herbal tea in the morning.  The earth is so fresh and promising when the sun rises.  Tip toeing back into the kitchen, I enjoy the sight of the flowers floating in my cup as I breathe in the lovely fragrance that comes steaming up.  Today's tea was a gentle blend of fresh lemon balm leaves, chamomile, and lavender blossoms.  I recently discovered the awesomeness of Anise Hyssop leaves, but only harvest from that plant once a week because it isn't a very big plant yet and I don't want to wipe it out.  Anise Hyssop has a lovely black licorice taste which I enhance with just a drop of honey.  

I am still really enjoying Karen Solomon's Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It book.  So much so that I took out her other book  Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It from the library.  Today was a double header day in the kitchen as I tackled two recipes from these books for our supper tonight.  After purchasing awesomely huge grass fed beef burgers from the Farmer's Market this weekend, I decided now was a good time to make some homemade ketchup and burger buns.  Avoiding plastic packaging has meant that I've been buying conventional Heinz Ketchup that is bottled in glass in lieu of our usual organic varieties that come in plastic.  This hasn't really felt right to me, and I am getting kind of tired of eating sicky sweet ketchup from poisoned tomatoes.  Let me just say I AM NEVER BUYING KETCHUP AGAIN!  Homemade ketchup is so amazing, I was licking the spoon and dipping each bite of my burger in it (which you would never find me doing with Heinz - oh yeah baby, there are other kinds).  I am really hoping that I score some bulk organic tomatoes this year for canning and preserving because then I can make vats of ketchup to gorge on all winter.

The homemade burger buns were very awesome too.  I've kind of avoided making burgers and hot dogs because most buns come in plastic bags, and I wasn't really satisfied with any of my earlier attempts at making them.  Luckily I made two batches of these suckers so I don't have to worry about those for the rest of the summer.  Now, I have adapted both recipes.  Karen's method for making the buns was kind of odd because she adds the yeast right into the flour without letting it foam in liquid first.  I tried her method for the first batch, and was disappointed to find yeast granules flecked throughout the dough!  They turned out okay anyway, but I tried a second batch the way I usually work with bread dough and was much happier with the the way they rose so have listed my way in the recipe posted here.  For the ketchup I used apple cider vinegar instead of the suggested champagne vinegar, and coconut sugar instead of brown.  I also didn't have any cheesecloth so just threw the spices right into the pot and just fished out the cloves and cinnamon before refrigerating.....no biggie.

KICK ASS KETCHUP

(adapted from Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It by Karen Solomon)

1 organic cinnamon stick

1 organic bay leaf

5 whole organic cloves

5 organic cardamom pods

10 organic black peppercorns

1 28-oz can organic whole tomatoes

1 large organic yellow onion, quartered

2 Tbsp organic sunflower or safflower oil

2 tsp sea salt

1/3 cup organic coconut sugar or 1/4 cup local honey

1/2 cup organic local apple cider vinegar

1 tsp organic Hungarian paprika

freshly ground organic black pepper

Method:  Using a piece of cheesecloth, tie the cinnamon, bay, cloves, cardamom, and peppercorns into a bundle.  Set aside.

Pour the tomatoes and their juice into a food processor or blender (I recommend a blender which I didn't use, but will next time).  Puree until totally smooth, and set aside all but about 1/4 cup.  To the remainder, add the onion and puree.

In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium high heat.  Add the onion puree and the salt and stir well.  Cook for 8 minutes, letting the puree reduce.  Add the tomato, sugar, and vinegar, turn the heat to a low simmer, and reduce for about 15 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.  Add the spice bundle and reduce for 10 minutes more.  When it is done reducing, it should be a little thinner than commercial ketchup.  Stir in the paprika, taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.  Let the ketchup cool and remove the spice bundle.  Pour into a jar and chill for at least 6 hours.

HAMBURGER (OR HOT DOG) BUNS

(adapted from Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It  by Karen Solomon)

5 cups (1 pound 11 oz) organic flour ( I used whole wheat and unbleached)

5 tsp active dry yeast

2 Tbsp local honey

1 Tbsp sea salt

2 Tbsp organic butter

1 cup organic whole milk

1 cup water

Method:  Pour the water and milk into a saucepan over the stove and warm until you can stick your finger into it without burning it.  Then pour it into a large, warmed bowl.  Stir in the honey and yeast.  Let stand 10 minutes until the yeast is completely dissolved and foamy.  Stir in the salt and butter.  When butter has melted,  add the flour, a few cups at a time, stirring until all the flour is absorbed 

Knead the dough by hand: Scrape the dough onto a well floured surface, sprinkle it with flour and knead it. Gather the dough together in your hands and push it away from you with your palms. Fold it in half towards you, then turn and turn and repeat pushing, folding, and turning, sprinkling a little flour if necessary on the dough to keep it from sticking. Keep kneading for several minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.

After kneading, put the dough in a large oiled bowl, and flip to coat both sides with oil.  Cover the bowl with a round plate, and place in a warm place (near a woodstove or in a gas oven that has a pilot light).  Let it rise for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled. Punch the dough down to remove air bubbles, then roll the dough into a ball.  Stick your finger directly in the centre to make a small hole.  Use your fingers to widen the hole and work the dough, hand over hand as if you're pulling on a rope, into a large O-shape about 2 inches thick.  Cut the rope in half, then cut each half in half again, you will have 4 equal parts.  Cut each piece into thirds, resulting in 12 pieces total.  

     Keep the dough pieces covered in the bowl while you work.  One at a time, roll each piece into a ball.  For burger buns, press down on the dough ball to flatten its bottom.  For hot dog buns, pinch, stretch, and shape the dough into 7" long rolls.  Transfer the buns to greased baking sheets as your form them.  Let the dough rest on the sheets for 30 minutes, ensuring you cover them with floured dish towels.

     Preheat the oven to 400*.  Brush the tops of the buns with milk, place both sheets in the oven, and bake for 10 minutes.  Rotate each baking sheet 90* and switch racks (so that the top sheet moves to the lower rack and vice versa).  Bake for 10 minutes more, or until the tops are golden brown.  Let cool before serving.

HOT CROSS BUNS- The Easter Rituals continue....

Hot Cross buns! Hot Cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot Cross buns!

If your daughters won’t eat them,
Give them to your sons;
But if you have none of those little elves,
Then you must eat them all yourselves!

I love it that each holiday has delicious baking associated with it.  Take today for instance - all over the place, especially England, people bake and eat delicious sweet breads called Hot Cross buns on Good Friday.  I have never made Hot Cross Buns before, so this year I decided to go for it.  I have vague memories of having consumed store bought varieties at some point, but I am pretty sure they weren't as wholesome and delicious as this recipe.  Now, as you probably know, most Hot Cross Buns have an icing sugar cross painted on them.....not these.  I am not a huge fan of icing sugar, so I opted to omit the cross painting, but by all means, if you really like sugar, paint away!  (I just discovered a new way to ice your buns!  Mix cream cheese with a little honey, and pipe onto each bun!  Yay!)  I also meant to glaze the buns with warm apricot jam but forgot to pick some up, and all the stores are closed.  So sad.   I just baked a new batch and took a picture of the apricot glazed buns......shiny happy hot cross buns holding hands!

HOT CROSS BUNS

¾ cup organic unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3/4 cup organic whole milk

3/4 cup local honey

4 1/2 tsp (2 packages) active dry yeast

1 Tbsp sea salt

Zest of 1 organic lemon

Zest of 1 organic orange

4 organic eggs, lightly beaten

5 ½-6  cups organic flour

2 Tbsp organic cinnamon, ground

1 tsp organic nutmeg, ground

1 1/3 cups organic currants, raisins, or dried cherries or cranberries

1/2 cup apricot jam

Optional Icing: ½ cup organic cream cheese
2 Tbsp local honey

Method:  Grease a large bowl and set aside. Place  the milk in a small saucepan, over medium heat. Heat until milk is warm or reaches 110*. Pour milk into a large mixing bowl.  Add the yeast and a tablespoon of the sweetener.  Let the yeast awaken and start to foam and then stir in the rest of the honey, salt, lemon zest, and orange zest.

In a large bowl, blend together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Whisk together the yeast mixture, butter, and egg; pour into well. With wooden spoon, stir until soft dough forms.  Knead until smooth.  Then knead in the dried fruit.

Place dough in prepared bowl. Turn to coat with oil. Cover with a pot lid or overturned bowl or plate and let rise in a warm place for about 1 ½ hours.  Don't be alarmed if it doesn't expand very much.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Turn dough out onto work surface. Knead briefly and roll dough into a log. Cut the log into 12 pieces the size of an egg.  Shape into smooth balls.  Place close together on the baking sheet and brush the tops with butter.  Cover well with a floured dish towel and let rise in a warm place for about half an hour.  When half risen in the pan, cut two gashes at right angles across top of buns.  Continue to let them rise for another half hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees with racks positioned in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.  Transfer buns to oven and bake until golden brown, 18 to 25 minutes, rotating baking sheets after 10 minutes.   

Meanwhile, place apricot jam in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until heated through; strain through a mesh sieve set over a bowl. Brush heated jam over warm buns.

 Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Icing: Mix the cream cheese and honey together. Usinga piping bag fitted with round tip, pipe cross on top of each cooled bun.

OATMEAL BREAD

Today was a perfect bread baking day.  An overcast January morning, lots of rain, and a big baby belly that just wants to cozy up by the fire and knit.  Although I've been subsisting on lots of delicious homemade sourdough bread the past few months, I often make the rest of the family a few loaves of delicious yeast breads to have on hand in the freezer.  Every now and then I like to make this rich Oatmeal Bread instead of our regular whole wheat loaf.  The gooey molasses adds a deep dark hue to this oatmeal studded bread.  Kind of chewy, and deeply delicious.  The perfect snack on a winter day, smothered in salty butter.  The best part of winter bread baking is setting the bread to rise by the fire while I rock my self into knitting heaven....

OATMEAL BREAD

2 cups organic large flake oatmeal

2 cups boiling water

1/2 cup organic molasses

(1/2 cup coconut sugar - optional - this will make a sweet loaf)

1 Tbsp sea salt

1/2 cup organic butter

1/2 cup lukewarm water

4 tsp instant yeast

5-6 cups organic flour (I used mostly whole wheat with some unbleached white)

Method:  Pour the boiling water over the oats, stir, and then add the molasses (sugar), sea salt, and butter.  Let cool to lukewarm.  Meanwhile, dissolve the yeast in the warm water.  Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour, a few cups at a time, and then scrape the dough onto a well floured surface, sprinkle it with flour and knead it. Gather the dough together in your hands and push it away from you with your palms. Fold it in half towards you, then turn and turn and repeat pushing, folding, and turning, sprinkling flour on the dough to keep it from sticking, this may take up to a cupful more. Keep kneading for several minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.

After kneading, put the dough in a large oiled bowl, and flip to coat both sides with oil. Cover the bowl with a pot lid, and place in a warm place (near a woodstove or in a gas oven that has a pilot light).  Let it rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled. Punch the dough down to remove air bubbles, then divide into 2 parts. Shape each into a loaf and place into a greased loaf pan. Cover each loaf with a large upturned mixing bowl and return to a warm place again to rise the second time. The loaves should double, about 1 hour. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. When bread is golden brown on top and bottom and bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, it is done.

BANANA BREAD

I woke up yesterday morning really wanting to bake the very ripe bananas that were sitting on my counter into banana bread.  Then the power company decided to do some repair work on some hurricane related damage, and we were left without power again for the whole day.  So I woke up this morning and went right to it.

I love it that this recipe only uses bananas and brown rice syrup for sweetness.  Lightly spiced with cinnamon and spices, it's the perfect snack anytime of day.  Sometimes I like to bake these in mini serving size pans, like a personal pan pizza, only banana bread!  If you're feeling a bit naughty, you can add some chocolate chips too.

BANANA BREAD

Prep time: 20 minutes

Baking time: 50-60 minutes

Makes 1 loaf

3-4 ripe organic bananas

1/3 cup organic vegetable oil

1/2 cup organic brown rice syrup

1 cup organic whole wheat flour

1 cup organic unbleached white flour

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp GMO free baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground organic allspice

1/2 tsp ground organic cinnamon

pinch of ground organic ground cardamom

1/2 - 1 cup organic walnuts, crushed

1/2 - 1 cup organic chocolate chips (optional)

Method:  Preheat oven to 375*.  Oil a 9 X 5 inch loaf pan.  With a potato masher, blend together the bananas and oil until combined.  Stir in the syrup .

     In a separate bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients, except the nuts and chocolate chips.  Then add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and mix together.  Stir in walnuts and chips.

     Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack.

MONTREAL STYLE BAGELS AND SHEPHERD'S PIE

Wow, it's been so long since I've posted!  I have a good excuse though, I'm pregnant!  With all the joy and excitement there is also lots of nausea and fatigue, so I've been taking it easy with the extra responsibilities. That's not to say that I haven't still been cooking, I just haven't had the energy to tell you all about it.  But tonight I feel like I can, so here it is.  Awesome homemade bagels that I just had to make after a really bad bagel I ate yesterday at a little cafe in the city.  It made me crave the real deal, the delicious chewy real Montreal style bagel.  Then I realized I should probably make supper, especially since Scott's brother in law Brad and nephew were going to be popping in around dinner time.  Luckily I had some ground lamb in the freezer.  Now today was a very hot summer day, and shepherd's pie is definitely not a hot summer day kinda meal.  But hey, that's what I felt like making.  Are you going to argue with a cranky, hot pregnant woman?

MONTREAL STYLE BAGELS

adapted from Home Baking by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

Makes 20

3 tsp local honey

1 cup lukewarm honey

1 Tbsp active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 large organic egg

1 Tbsp organic oil

2 tsp sea salt

About 1-2 cups organic whole wheat flour

3 cups organic unbleached flour

For the topping

3 Tbsp local honey

About 1 cup organic hulled sesame seeds and or black poppy seeds

Method:  In a medium bowl dissolve the honey in the lukewarm water, then stir in the yeast.  In another small bowl, combine the egg with the warm water, oil, and salt.  Set aside.

     Add 1 cup of the flour to the yeast mixture and stir in.  Add the egg mix and then 2 more cups of flour and stir.  Add the rest of the flour in and blend.  The dough will be quite stiff.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead it for 5-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

     Place the dough in a lightly floured bowl and cover with a large lid.  Let rise for 1-2 hours, until the dough is soft and has doubled in volume.  Gently punch the dough down, cover and let rise again for 1 hour.

     Preheat the oven to 450*.  Bring 8 cups of water to a boil.  Meanwhile, cut the dough into quarters and then work with one piece at a time, leaving the others covered in the bowl.  Cut the piece of dough into 5-6 pieces.  Roll each small piece out under your hands into a skinny rope 10-12 inches long.  Press on the dough and roll it back and forth.  Lay the dough rope over one hand, with one end lying across your palm and the other hanging down.  Wrap this other end around your hand so that the ends overlap by an inch.  Pinch the overlapping ends together, then, with your hand still in the dough loop, place your hand palm down on your work surface.  Press down slightly as your roll the seam under your palm to encourage it to stick together.  Place the bagel on a baking sheet and cover with a cotton cloth and let stand for 10-15 minutes.  Continue with the rest of the dough.

     Add the honey and stir to dissolve.  Place a parchment lined baking sheet by your side.  Put the poppy or sesame seeds in a plate.

     Gently slide 4 bagels into the boiling water.  Use the back of a slotted spoon to gently press them down into the water and let boil for 45 seconds.  Use the spoon to to remove them one by one and lay them in the seeds.  Roll each bagel in the seeds, coating both sides.  Place them on the baking sheet.  When the sheet is full bake them in the oven for 8 minutes, then turn over and bake another 5-7 minutes. Repeat until all bagels are done.

SHEPHERD'S PIE

For the topping:

1 1/2 pounds organic potatoes, cut into small pieces

3 organic parsnips, peeled and cut into pieces

1 cup organic yogurt

1/4 cup organic salted butter

1/4 cup organic milk

Filling:

1 Tbsp e.v olive oil

1 large organic onion, chopped

3 organic celery stalks, chopped

2 organic carrots, chopped

2 cloves organic garlic, minced

1 pound organic ground lamb

2 cups organic lentils, cooked

sea salt and pepper

1 Tbsp fresh thyme

1 tsp organic cumin powder

1 tsp organic chili powder

2 1/2  Tbsp organic cornstarch

1 1/2 cups organic peas

Method:  Preheat oven to 425*.  Make the topping by placing the potatoes and parsnips in a medium saucepan, cover with water by 2 inches, and bring to a simmer.  Cook until tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain, reserving 2 cups cooking liquid.  Mash the potatoes and stir in yogurt, butter and milk.  Season with sea salt and pepper.

Filling: Heat oil a in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Cook onion, celery, carrots, garlic, stirring, until tender, 10-12 minutes.

     Add the lamb, cook, breaking up any large pieces for 5 minutes.  Stir in the 1 1/2 tsp salt, and the other spices.  Season with pepper.  Stir in the cooked lentils.  Whisk together the cornstarch and reserved cooking liquid; add to the meat.  Boil for 1 minute then add the peas.  Transfer to a large baking dish, then top with the potatoes.  Bake until bubbling and the top is browned, about 30 minutes.

SOURDOUGH BREAD

     There is something about baking bread that is very satisfying.  I thought making bread from instant yeast was pretty impressive (these days).  That was until I mastered the art of making bread from my very own sourdough starter.  The anticipation heightened with each day waiting for the juice to ferment, then feeding it, tending to it like it was my second child!  Oh Happy Birthday Bread!   Today was your day to rise to the occasion.  And rise it did.  This ain't no heavy, brick like sourdough bread my friends.  Oh no.  This is delicious Pain au Levain like they make in France, made from an organic apple juice starter.  There is no need to line up at the Boulangerie at the market anymore..

     The recipe and inspiration for this delicious bread came from a novel I read called By Bread Alone by Sarah Kate Lynch.  The book centres around this woman who visits France as a teenager and falls in love with a naughty French baker.  To my delight at the end of the book there was this gem of a recipe.  

SOURDOUGH STARTER

juice from 3 fresh organic apples, strained 

organic unbleached bread flour

Method:  Leave the apple juice in a partly covered jug or jar for 7-10 days.  When the juice is bubbly and fermented, add it, in a glass or ceramic bowl to 1 1/2 cups flour and 3/4 cups water and leave, covered with plastic wrap poked with holes or a loosely tied plastic bag.  

     Then, stir in another 1 1/2 cups flour and 3/4 cups water, recover and leave overnight.  Discard half the mixture and add another 1 1/2 cups flour and 3/4 cup water.  Repeat this, and do so every day until you know your starter is alive and kicking because it will rise up the sides of the bowl or container in between feeds and will be bubbly and smell sharp and cidery.  

     The starter will keep in the fridge unfed for up to 2 weeks.  When you want to use it, bring it out, get it to room temperature and feed it for a couple of days before you use it.  The starter is best used in the bread dough 8-12 hours after its last feed.

PAIN AU LEVAIN

makes 1 round loaf

adapted from Sarah-Kate Lynch

1/3 cup organic rye flour

2 cups organic unbleached white bread flour

1 3/4 organic whole wheat bread flour

3/4 cup starter

1/2 Tbsp sea salt

1 1/2 cups + 1 Tbsp water

Method:  Mix all ingredients except the salt in a large ceramic or glass bowl, by hand for 5 minutes.  The mixture will be quite wet but if you are having trouble mixing it, try just using 1 1/2 cups water.  Rest for  5 minutes, then add the salt.  Mix another 5-10 minutes on a countertop, without adding any extra flour, until mixture is smooth and elastic.  Then put it in a lightly oiled bowl and leave for 3-4 hours loosely covered so air can still get in.

     Punch it down with a gentle fold, then leave for another hour.

     Tip the dough out and gently premold the loaf by folding it in on itself and turning it over; let sit for 10 minutes.  Then give it a final mold, dip it in flour and put it in a round basket (10" diameter) lined with a heavily floured linen or cotton dishtowel.  Rub the flour well into the dishtowel and don't wash it between uses.  If it's not floured enough, the dough will stick to the towel.

     At this stage you can leave the dough for half an hour, put it in the fridge overnight, then bring it out and let it sit for an hour before baking.

     Or leave for 3 hours in the basket, then tip out onto a preheated pizza stone.  With a very sharp knife, cut your first initial in the top of the bread so the gases can escape and bake at 500* for 15 minutes, and then 425* for 10 minutes, remembering to steam the oven when you put the loaf in by spraying the sides of the oven with a waterbottle and quickly shutting the door.  This makes the crust crunchy.

Neighbours

On Halloween night we had one trick or treater come to our door.  We have new neighbours! They are from Germany and the momma and son came by to meet us.  I made this loaf to bring to them to welcome them to the neighbourhood and country.

HONEY PUMPKIN BREAD with Fresh Ginger and Cinnamon

1 cup organic unbleached white flour

1 cup organic whole wheat flour

1/2 Tbsp organic ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup organic pumpkin puree

1/3 cup organic vegetable oil 

3/4 cup local honey or maple syrup

1/4 cup organic whole milk

2 Tbsp organic fresh ginger, finely grated

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:  Preheat oven to 350*.  Oil a loaf pan.  In a large bowl, sift the flours, cinnamon, baking powder and soda, and the salt.  In a blender of food processor, mix together the pumpkin, honey, milk, oil, ginger and vanilla.  

     Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir until just combined.  Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 55-65 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.  Let loaf cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan.

Sunday Dinner

Faegan likes to play outside with his dad on the weekend.  This frees me up to do what I like best - cook.  Once again pears are featured in this recipe and the result was outstanding.  By far one of the best soups I have ever made.

SWEET POTATO SOUP with Roasted Garlic and Pear

600 grams organic  sweet potato

1 ripe organic pear, cored and diced

1 head of organic garlic

1 Tbsp organic salted butter

1 onion, diced

1 Tbsp fresh thyme

2 cups water or stock

1 cup organic whole milk

1 tsp sea salt

pepper

Method:  Preheat oven to 350*.  Roast sweet potato in it's jacket until soft.  At the same time, slice the top off the head of garlic and roast it in the oven by placing it in a covered oven proof pot or in some foil.  It is done when it is mushy and easy to squirt out.  

Saute the onion in the butter in a large soup pot until the onion is soft.  When the roasting is complete, add the sweet potato, garlic, water, thyme, salt, pear and pepper to the pot.  Bring to a light boil and then reduce to simmer for 15 minutes or until pear is cooked.  Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme or minced chives.

RAW WILTED KALE SALAD with Pepitas, Arame and Carrot

1 small bunch of organic kale, deveined and chopped

1 organic carrot, shredded

1/2 organic red pepper, chopped

1/4 red onion, chopped

1/4 cup arame seaweed, soaked in warm water

1/8 cup organic sunflower seeds

1/8 cup organic pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

2 Tbsp organic sesame oil (not toasted)

1 Tbsp organic apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp organic tamari soya sauce

Method:  In a large bowl, drizzle the tamari over the kale and massage it into the leaves with your hands.  Add the other ingredients and toss.

CHEESE AND ONION TWIST

20 g organic butter

1 large onion, chopped

250 g organic whole wheat flour

250 g organic unbleached white flour

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp dry mustard powder

1/2 tsp pepper

125 g organic butter

125 g shredded organic cheese

1 organic egg, lightly beaten

300 ml organic whole milk

1 organic egg beaten with 2 Tbsp organic whole milk for glazing

1 1/2 Tbsp organic sesame or poppy seeds

Method: Preheat oven to 425* and grease a cookie sheet.  Melt the butter in a frying pan and cook onion over a low heat for 10 minutes without browning.

     Put flour, salt, baking powder, mustard and pepper in a large bowl and mix well.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.  Stir in the cheese then add egg and milk. Stir until mixture clumps around spoon, then continue mixing by hand until a rough dough forms. Knead on a floured surface until smooth.

     Divide dough in half, then divide each half into three.  Roll each portion into a long rope about 45 cm long.  Press three rolls together at one end then braid.  Join final ends .  Make second loaf the same way.

     Transfer braids to the tray and brush the surface with the egg/milk, and sprinkle with the onion and sesame seeds.  Bake until golden brown about 30 mins.

Basic Homemade Bread

There is a really good French bakery here in Nova Scotia called Boulangerie La Vendeene. Hands down they make the best bread around.  But I eat their bread when I want a nice meaty loaf for soups or dipping in greek salad. Hunky bread.  When I need sliced sandwich bread, nothing beats homemade.  Good thing I like to bake because Halifax is seriously lacking in good sandwich bread.  I like to slice the loaves and freeze them so we always have fresh bread.

MOSTLY WHOLE WHEAT BREAD 3 cups warm water 2 Tbsp local honey 1 1/2 Tbsp yeast granules  1 Tbsp sea salt 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, organic sunflower oil or melted organic butter 3 cups unbleached organic white flour 6 cups organic whole wheat flour Method: Pour 1 cup of the water into a large, warmed bowl.  Stir in the honey and yeast.  Let stand 10 minutes until the yeast is completely dissolved and foamy.  Stir in the remaining water, salt, oil.  Then add the flour, a few cups at a time.   Knead the dough by hand: Scrape the dough onto a well floured surface, sprinkle it with flour and knead it. Gather the dough together in your hands and push it away from you with your palms. Fold it in half towards you, then turn and turn and repeat pushing, folding, and turning, sprinkling flour on the dough to keep it from sticking, this may take up to a cupful more. Keep kneading for several minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. After kneading, put the dough in a large oiled bowl, and flip to coat both sides with oil. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place in a warm place (near a woodstove or in a gas oven that has a pilot light).  Let it rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled. Punch the dough down to remove air bubbles, then divide into 2 parts. Shape each into a loaf and place into a greased loaf pan. Cover the loaves with the same plastic wrap you used earlier and put in a warm place again to rise the second time. The loaves should double, about 1 hour. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. When bread is golden brown on top and bottom and bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, it is done.