Healthy Biscuits to Help Stamp out Hunger!

Howdy folks! I’m taking part in the fight against hunger along with 100+ food bloggers today.  Hunger is a real problem, right here in our country. The average food stamp benefit is $3 a day to spend on a meal.  This is barely livable and UNACCEPTABLE! When money is tight, folks are going to get as much as they can for it; and sadly, the cheapest foods are often times the least healthy. You can help! Send a letter to congress asking them to support anti-hunger legislation by clicking here. It only takes 30 seconds to make a difference!

I’m primarily a dessert maker, but I make many breads as well. I came up with a recipe that’s budget friendly, made with pantry staples found in your local grocery store, and contains protein and natural foods that are good for you and not to mention, filling.  And, it also tastes great! Take that, processed cheap food with empty calories and no real health benefits!

the good stuff.

Before I share my creation, I wanted to take a second and ask that you watch this trailer, for “A Place at the Table”  now showing in a city near you and on iTunes.  Please take the time to see this movie – it will change the way you think about food and hunger. The issue is real, and YOU can help!!

Now heeeeeeere’s the recipe!

Raisin Walnut Biscuits

What you’ll need:

2 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking power

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup shortening

¾ cup milk

½ cup fiber cereal (such as Fiber One or the generic store brand version)

½ cup raisins

What you’ll do:

Preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the shortening until the mixture has a fine crumb texture. Mix in the raisins and cereal.  Stir in the milk with a fork so it makes a soft dough. Knead the dough with clean hands about 10 times – do not overknead – it will become too stiff! Roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/2 inch thick. Using a round cookie cutter (or a glass turned upside down) cut out biscuits, and place them on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes (or until the edges being to turn golden brown).  Makes 22 – 24 biscuits.

Serve with butter or jam, or enjoy them as is!

 

The Second Annual Baking of the Irish Soda Bread.

I realized after making Irish Soda Bread for the first time last year for St. Patrick’s Day, that I was going to have to make a tradition out of it. So, last week, I dug right in and attempted to recreate the very same bread I made this time a year ago, using the same recipe as a basic guide. The only difference this year was that I had a sweet new wooden spoon that my mom gave me for Christmas that I hadn’t even used yet, and a shiny new gigantic mixing bowl that I had picked up specifically for mixing doughs.

cool new tools.

I don’t know if they made the bread any better than last year’s – I really can’t recall how last year’s tasted compared to this years! All I can say is that I do remember last year’s turning out pretty good, and this year’s was actually kinda great. So maybe it really is all in the equipment…

One thing I did remember was that I baked last year’s in a cake pan – so I did that same thing again. It keeps it from getting flat.

cake pans are not just for cake anymore.

It definitely did NOT get too flat – it rose quite nicely and retained its round-ish shape, like a good dough should when it’s baked into bread.

.

shapely bread.

I will say this – I think I let it bake just a few minutes too long. It didn’t burn, but if i were to do it again, I’d have taken it out of the oven 5 minutes earlier. It was still really tasty, and looked kinda awesome, close up.

It’s all gone now, so it must have been pretty good.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Until next year….

 

Random Recipe Wednesday: Chocolate Bread.

Last week, I made chocolate bread for the first time. It turned out terrible. I vowed to tweak the recipe and try again, until I got it right (see A Loathful Loaf). Well, it only took a second try – I could tell as the dough was mixing that this was going to be 1000 times better.

that’s a good lookin’ dough ball.

It looked better, smelled better, felt better, and most importantly tasted better. Mission accomplished – ladies and gentlemen, we have bread. Chocolate Bread.

thank you, bread!

Please note: as I mentioned in my previous post, the recipe I based this off of was from a UK website (you can see the original here), thus all the measurements are in grams and liters. Most baking scales default to grams anyway. Also, as you’ll see, it calls for caster sugar. I actually purchased a small bag while still in the UK, because I’ve yet to find it in the states, but I’m sure it can be ordered online – or just give it a try with regular sugar – baking is all about experimenting! And finally, regarding the instant dry yeast – I used one 7g packet of Dr. Oetker’s Yeast Levure. It’s sold in many higher-end American supermarkets in packs of three.

Chocolate Bread.

What you’ll need:

500g all-purpose flour

10g salt

50g caster sugar

90g cocoa powder

1 packet (7g) instant dry yeast

50g butter (room temperature)

50g sweetened dark chocolate (melted)

100 ml half and half

200 ml water

What you’ll do:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, caster sugar, cocoa powder and instant dry yeast. Add the butter, melted chocolate, half and half, and water. Mix for 2 minutes on low speed with the dough hook attachment. Scrape the bottom of the bowl, and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes – the dough should pull away from the sides and form a ball.  On a floured surface, knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, and return to the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the dough ferment for 1 hour.  Remove the dough from the bowl, knead for 2-3 minutes, reshape it into a ball, and place it on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Cover the dough ball with plastic wrap, and let it proof for 1 hour. Preheat the over to 200 C (about 400 F). Uncover the dough, slice a cross in the top, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Enjoy! (And make sure to try it with some peanut butter).

 

The Paris Patisserie Tour, Stop #3: La Boulangerie Jean-Noël Julien.

I’m not gonna lie: La Boulangerie Jean-Noël Julien was not on my original list. Stop #3 was originally intended to be at Philippe Gosselin. After wandering around in circles searching for Rue St. Honore for what had to be at least 45 minutes, I finally found it, but I was of course, blocks away from Philippe Gosselin. So I headed down the Rue, and along the way, happened to pass La Boulangerie Jean-Noël Julien. I was intrigued, and thought about going in, but as it was not on my list and had I not been lost for so long, I decided to just keep going.

Well, I did finally reach Philippe Gosselin….and it was closed. Now, I couldn’t tell if it was closed for the night or forever, but it looked pretty abandoned. I hung my head in defeat. All that wandering around in circles for nothing! I turned to leave, and then suddenly, I remembered the bakery I passed and almost stopped in just a couple blocks earlier! All was not lost! I put on a happy face, and headed back towards my new

Stop #3: La Boulangerie Jean-Noël Julien.

I liked this place. They had bread – a lot of it. The first two shops had no bread. And I love bread. I’d marry bread, if that were legal. Anyway, I couldn’t decide what to get – and they did not speak english here, which was ok – I knew the names of all the pastries/breads from school, and really, that was all the info I needed. The breads were all really big though – and I was only going to be there for another 24 hours, so purchasing an entire loaf just seemed like a waste. Then I saw it, there, glistening under the glass, whispering to me in french – “Jeanine! Achetez-moi!”. Thankfully, my name is the same in french and english, so I knew it was talking to me. I approached the counter. “Un palmier,” I spoke softly, in practically perfect french (but pointed to it, just in case).

big, buttery, and beautiful.

It was big. Light, but big. There were no seats in this shop, so I had to take it to go, but they wrapped in the perfect pastry paper. I almost saved the wrapper, I liked it so much.

Parisian pastry paper.

Anyway, I carried the giant palmier all the way back to the cafe next to my hotel, and wound up eating it for dessert after my dinner, which, because I had eaten so many pastries was rather scant. Yet, so very french.

 

olives and wine: it’s what’s for dinner.

The palmier was delicious, by the way. I ate the entire thing, and it was flakey, and sweet, and ended my first day of the tour on a high. So it’s true what they say – when one pastry shop closes, another one opens. And you should always be sure to go in.

To be continued in the next post: Stop #4: Angelina. Hot chocolate is not just for kids anymore.

 

 

A Loathful Loaf.

So last week while I was in England visiting my brother, we had this discussion in the middle of the night about chocolate bread and how we want to make and eat it. So I did a google search, and because we were in the UK, the first few results were UK recipes. This tickled my baking fancy, so I saved one of the recipes, and decided to try my hand at it when I got home. And yesterday, that’s exactly what I did.

I did not succeed. It looked decent – and the dough tasted pretty good (I always taste my dough, just to be safe). But the finished product just did not pass muster.

looks can be deceiving.

Now, I don’t think it was entirely the recipe’s fault. I believe there were three factors at play here, leading up to the perfect storm of bread failure:

1. The recipe did not clearly specify the type of chocolate. I used unsweetened dark baking chocolate. Bad choice. It overpowered the entire loaf and gave it a distinctly bitter taste.

2. I used dry yeast instead of fresh yeast. Now, in itself, this is fine, however, I definitely used too much – you could actually taste the yeast (once you got past the bitter chocolate).

3. British food is different from American food. Not bad different – I thoroughly enjoyed all the meals I had in the UK, and I think I would have thoroughly enjoyed the bread as well, different as it were, had it not been for the first two factors.

Because I just could not believe that this loaf was as bad as it seemed, I lugged it in to work and forced my friend to sample it. First, as is. Then heated up. Then with butter. Then I tried to make random folks nearby eat it. But alas, it could not be saved. This bread was toast.

The good  news is, like I mentioned, I know what the issues are, and I fully intend to jump back into the kitchen, make some recipe modifications, and try, try again. There will be chocolate bread, I decree, and it will be fantastic.

 

The Luck of the Irish Soda Bread.

Last night, I tried my hand at Irish Soda Bread for the very first time. I used this recipe, from Simply Recipes, with only a couple minor tweaks – I used fat free milk + vinegar instead of buttermilk, and I baked it in a 10″ cake pan.

bread cake?

Anyway, I was nervous, as I know quite a few Irish folk who really look forward to this particular bread, and I didn’t want to let them down. I didn’t.

kiss me, i'm irish!

The only small detail I felt could be improved upon was the crispness of the bottom – it was a tad too dark. I let it cook longer than I would have liked, to ensure it cooked all the way through. But it didn’t take away from the overall quality of the bread. “This is a winner!” one bread-eating fan exclaimed. Another would have said the same, except for the fact that he ate about 6 pieces and couldn’t say anything with his mouth full. Compliments aside, I would still like to do a bit of tweaking to really make this bread shine, like the top of the Chrysler building.  As they say, things can only get better!

 

Recipe Sunday: Challah Bread.

I have a bit of an addiction to bread. I cannot be in the same room with bread for too long, without eventually breaking a piece off and scarfing it down. And once I have once piece, it’s all over. So I’ve learned to avoid getting too close to bread. But that doesn’t change how I feel about it. Although I do love all breads, I do have a fondness for certain varieties, one in particular, being Challah Bread.

I absolutely adore Challah, with its golden crust, and chewy, rich, doughy insides. And it also scores highly in the appearance department – I mean, who doesn’t love a bread in braids!! Anyway, I was taught a really fantastic recipe for Challah while in pastry school, and tonight, I just felt like sharing it.

makes you wanna holla'.

Challah Bread (3 braid).

What you’ll need:

8 oz  water (warm)

.33 oz dry yeast

1 lb 4 oz  bread flour

4 oz  egg yolks

1.5 oz  sugar

.13 oz  malt syrup

.4 oz  salt

2 oz  vegetable oil

What you’ll do:

In a small bowl, mix together the water and yeast, and let sit until the yeast is dissolved (about 10 minutes). Mix everything else in a large mixing bowl. With the dough hook attachment. mix for about 1 minute on low speed, and add the water/yeast. Mix for 10 minutes at medium speed – the dough should form a ball. Cover with plastic wrap, and let ferment for 1 hour. Portion dough into two equal sized pieces and divide each of the 2 pieces into 3 pieces. Roll each of the three pieces into strands of equal length and braid. You should have two braided loaves. Pinch the top and the bottom of each loaf, place on sheet tray, and egg wash the tops. Proof for 30 minutes, and gently egg wash again. Bake at 400 degrees until golden (about 30-40 minutes).

 

 

Recipe Sunday: Cinnamon Sugar Soft Pretzels.

Welcome to this week’s edition of Recipe Sunday! Tonight’s feature is a based off of a recipe I learned while in pastry school. One of the classes I took was all about breads – every Saturday, we baked nothing but breads for 8 hours. I LOVED it. It’s still my favorite class. I’m a total bread head.

Anyway, one day last week, my friend and I were discussing the soft pretzel, and I had decided to make it my mission to create the perfect nice warm soft pretzel (NWSP, as we code-named it). So tonight, I embarked on that mission. It was by no means a Mission Impossible, as I had made pretzels once before, while in school; but had yet to attempt it on my own, and with my own modifications. The mission was a success – NWSP has been achieved! I admit, my pretzels may be a little on the chubby side, but I like to call them “real pretzels” – not like those models you see on TV. And real people eat real pretzels.

bring it on, Auntie Anne.

 Cinnamon Sugar Soft Pretzels.

What you’ll need:

10.5 oz  warm water (110° F)

.25 oz dry yeast

1 lb all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

.33 oz sugar

For Soda Wash:

2 oz baking soda

1 pint warm water

For topping:

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 cup sugar

cinnamon, to taste

What you’ll do:

In a small bowl, mix the yeast and warm water, and let it sit until the yeast is dissolved. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and sugar. With the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed for 10 minutes, stopping after 2 minutes to scrape the bottom. Dough should ball up and pull away from the sides. When done, flour a sheet tray, place the dough on top, flour the top of the dough, and cover with plastic wrap (if you don’t flour the tray and the dough, you’ll never get it off). Let it ferment for at least an hour (my house was cold today, so I let it go for 2 hours). Preheat the oven to 500°. Prepare a second sheet tray with parchment paper, sprayed generously with cooking spray. Cut the dough into 5 oz. pieces (will make about 5 pretzels).  Roll each one thin, and shape into a pretzel (or whatever shape you like, really).  Place on the sprayed sheet pan. Coat each completely with the baking soda/warm water wash. Bake for 12-15 minutes; until golden brown. Let cool for 2 minutes, brush with melted butter, and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top. Eat warm, like I did.

 

 

Recipe Monday Night: Focaccia Bread.

So, you know how sometimes really awesome football games are played on Monday night instead of Sunday? Well, so it is with recipes. This week, and this week only, Recipe Sunday will be posted on Monday night. It’s exciting stuff, folks.

Anyway, let’s get right to it. Since we’re doing things a little different than usual this week, I figured why not feature a recipe for something a little different than usual as well: that would be bread.

I love bread. I love eating it. I love baking it. I love thinking about it. My favorite bread is Focaccia. And after making this recipe, your’s will be too.

the bread of the ancients.

Focaccia.

What you’ll need:

15 oz Water

.33 oz Yeast, fresh      

1 lb 8 oz Bread Flour                        

 .5 oz Salt                                       

1 oz Olive Oil                   

What you’ll do:

Preheat oven to 400 degress. Mix the water and yeast in one bowl,  and let sit for a few minutes. Mix everything else together in another bowl on low speed, with the dough hook attachment.Once it starts mixing, add water and yeast, and continue mixing for 12 minutes. Coat a half sheet pan with olive oil.  Roll out dough and fill pan as much as possible. Ferment for 1 hour, then press dough until ends touch ends of pan, drizzle more olive oil on top, and dock (poke wells into) entire sheet of dough with fingertips. Proof for 25 minute, and dock again. If dry, add more oil. At this point, add toppings if so desired (basil, rosemary, etc). Bake for about 30 minutes. Enjoy with a sandwich or on its own!

 

bread winner.

I love bread. I could live on it alone if I happened to be trapped on a bread-making deserted island where they worshiped at the altar of gluten and preached the 12 steps of bread production.  I’ve been eating bread for years, enjoying its many types and varieties with spreads, on sandwiches, or even in its true naked form.  what I did not discover until very recently was how much I also loved baking it. I’ve baked many things in recent years, but I’ve shied away from breads of any kind, for fear that they were, frankly, out of my league. 

my very own works of bread.

Obviously, they were not.

But it was daunting, and it actually took a formal education for me to feel comfortable dabbling in the art of bread making. I refuse to buy a bread machine – that’s just cheating. Bread has been produced BY HAND for more years than everyone you know put together has lived, so if you decide to become a bread artiste, do yourself a favor and actually learn how to make the stuff.

you can do it!

It’s really not scary at all – in fact, many breads are super easy, once you get the hang of it. and dough is just fun. you get to knead it, punch it, watch it grow, punch it some more, shape it….its like Play-Doh for adults – but it tastes better. (oh come on, every kid ate Play-Doh, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.)

So anyway, what I’m trying to say is if you love bread, than don’t be afraid to share that love with the world. You’re a winner and people like you, gosh darn it. But they’ll like you even more if you give them bread.

the best thing since...sliced bread.