Oatmeal Bread

My mom is always telling me how good her bread is when she adds oatmeal.  Well I finally tried it!  And now I think EVERYONE should try it.  The loaves came out so soft and even had a little more rise to them than my normal batches.

What I did: 
To the basic bread recipe, I substituted 3 cups of rolled oats (not the quick kind) for some of the whole wheat flour.  I left everything else the same.  If you want your bread to really say "I'm oatmeal bread", just brush a little egg whites on top and sprinkle on some oats once you've made your loaves.

Give it a try!

Fall Orders Due!

I will be submitting my order in to Wheat Montana on Wednesday Sept. 28, so if you're needing anything before next April, get those orders in ASAP!

Whole Grain Sourdough Bread

In my bread class this past Saturday, I whipped up a loaf of Sourdough Bread using 100% spelt.  There were lots of questions on how to start a sourdough starter.  Here's a recipe that looks pretty simple.  I have not tried it, but it comes from a friend who works with Lequip.  Coming from her, I'm sure it works!  You can find lots of recipes on her website . . . http://www.cookingwithlacey.com/.

Starter:

•1/2 C Filtered Water
•1/2 C Fresh ground Wheat or Rye flour

Day 1 -- Place in a glass jar, combine the two together using a fork till no lumps are left. Cover the jar tightly with plastic wrap and cut a slit in the top. Stir every 12 hours.

Day 2 -- Feed the starter by adding a 1/4 more of each ingredient. Stir and cover again. Stir every 12 hours

Day 3-Day7 -- Feed the starter by adding a 1/4 more of each ingredient. Stir and cover again. Stir every 12 hours. By this day your starter should start to be bubbly and be picking up a sour smell. It will usually take 4-7 days for a good starter.

Once your starter is finished place a tight lid on your jar and place in the refrigerator. Feed weekly by taking 1 C starter and throwing it out ( I make something out of it each week) and feeding it with 1C flour 1C water. Let rest on counter till starter becomes active and bubbly again, place back in refrigerator.

Whole Grain Sourdough Bread


1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbs honey or 2 Tbs agave
1/4 cup sourdough starter
5 cups whole grain flour


First mix together wet ingredients, then add salt and flour a little at a time.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for one hour.  Every 15 minutes, 3-4 times, uncover dough and scrape with spatula to remove from bowl.  Use a little flour on dough and on your hands as dough will be moist.  Pull the dough and fold back on itself 3 times, then place back in bowl and cover.

Let sit in a warm spot (like a microwave) overnight. 

Next morning, scrape dough from bowl, stretch and fold once more and place (seam side up) in a well floured basket.  You can buy actual "proofing baskets", or you can find one from around the house that is clean and you don't mind getting flour on.  It should be the same shape as what you will bake your bread in.  Let this rise for 1 1/2 hours.

I bake my bread in a clay baker, but I've heard you can use a dutch oven as well.  If you are only using your clay baker for bread, you won't need to oil it.  I would imagine with a dutch oven, you should put a little something on it.   Put your baker in the over and begin to preheat about 45 minutes before you will be baking the bread. 
When dough is through rising, quickly flip into baker and put into oven.  It should take 30-40 minutes.  Use an instand read thermometer to make sure it has reached 190-200 degrees.  Let cool for about 5 minutes then invert onto cooling rack.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a super easy cookie recipe that I like to share with my classes and they're always a hit!  It really shows how you can incorporate whole grains into just about anything.  And with the use of natural peanut butter, rolled oats and whole grains, it's super good for you too!  In moderation, of course Ü.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth--to your liking)--I like to use the natural PB, but Jif or Skippy work fine too
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour (Prairie Gold or soft white)
1/2 cup rolled oats (not the instant kind)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

With mixer, cream together butter & peanut butter.  Add egg and sugars, mixing well.  Add dry ingredients and vanilla, then incorporate chocolate chips.  Use cookie scooper to make about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Bread Class!

JINKS’ YUMMY BREAD CLASS!


Saturday June 18

11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Please join us as we learn the art of whole grain bread making from grinding the wheat to kneading and baking. We will use our Nutrimill and Bosch mixer to throw together in 2 hours not only a loaf of delicious whole grain bread, but also a fancy cinnamon swirl loaf, some burger buns, and a yummy lunch treat.

Cost - $10, students $5

If you decide to purchase a machine your class price will be applied to that.

Email me at ljgreenstreet@gmail.com to get your name on the list--Space is limited to the 1st 10 that sign up!!

Buns, Buns & More Buns!!

I was checking out Facebook yesterday and my sweet friend Debbie from Alaska had a posting from her daughter Katie saying that they needed to make something called Balloon Buns next time Katie was home. Me being the ever interested culinary gal (particularly when the word Buns is used) that I am asked Katie what in the world were Balloon Buns. Her reply -- "an Über yummy hollow cinnamon roll filled with melty gooey marshmallow goodness!" Her reply sold me. I had to try these!! Researching on the internet, I found a few varieties, some made with canned biscuits. Others with yeast bread using a sweet dough. Many of the comments were about how incredibly sweet they were. I took note of that and decided that just a basic bread dough might still do the trick. So my son Travis & I set about the task this morning of making "Balloon Buns".

I made a 2-loaf recipe using Kamut (posted a couple days ago). We used half of the dough for 24 Balloon Buns and the other half for 4 burger buns and 6 hot dog buns. However, in my zeal for getting this recipe on the blog, I forgot about the burger and dog buns and let them burn--major bummer!! I'll still show the pics though. You'll get the idea.

We made this 2-loaf batch of dough in my Compact Bosch. I will advertise a little here and tell you that the Compact is an awesome little machine for your everyday tasks--from making a 2 loaf batch of bread to cookies or whatever else you may normally use a Kitchen Aid for. By the way, the Compact Bosch is 400 watts (next to my 300 watt Kitchen Aid) and is so light, I can pick it up with only 1 hand.

Ingredients:
1 batch of 2-loaf dough
24 large marshmallows
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup melted butter
2 muffin pans
1 extra pair of hands

So we got started by mixing the water, oil, honey, some of the flour & yeast. Then we put the cover on and let it proof for about 15 minutes until the mixture rose up and got bubbly.





Next we added more flour, some gluten & salt. We continued adding flour until the dough began to clean the sides of the bowl. We let it knead on setting 3 (for Bosch Compact, setting 2 for the Universal) for 6-8 minutes. We then covered the bowl and let is rise in the bowl for about 10 minutes, until it almost reaches the lid.



Then we divided the batch in two. One was destined to sit in an oven, forgotten so as to become my burnt burger & dog buns :-(. The other, however, was destined for greatness and would be the Über Yummy Balloon Buns!

Begin by dividing the dough into 4 sections, then each quarter into 6 sections--giving you 24 sections. Just work with 6 at a time, leaving all the rest of your dough under a bowl on the counter so it doesn't dry out.

Roll each section out.

Now would be a good time to have a second pair of hands. Roll a marshmallow in melted butter, then in cinnamon sugar. Next place it on your rolled out section.

And wrap it up! Be sure and crimp the ends together as well as you can so the marshmallow-ey center doesn't leak out.

Once it's all sealed up tight, then roll the whole bun in butter and cinnamon sugar once more. Place the bun in a muffin tin (sprayed with cooking spray).

When all 24 of your buns are in the pans, place them in a warm oven to rise for 20 minutes. Then bake at 350 for about 18 minutes.

When they're done, immediately remove them from the pans onto cooling racks.

Thank you Debbie & Katie for a fun morning in the kitchen and some "Über Yummy-ness"!


**Tips for this recipe--
1) Place them upside down on the cooling racks. When baking, some of them may break open. So turn them upside down even if you don't spot a hole. That way all the yummy goodness doesn't drain out onto your counter.
2) Line your oven with some foil before baking. This way, if some of the buns open up while baking, you won't have a sugary mess all over your oven and curse little 'ole me!

And now on to the Burger & Hot Dog Buns . . .



Divide the remaining dough in half. Divide the 1st half into 4 parts. To form a nice round burger bun, bring the sides up to form a small purse.






Then smash it! You should now have a nice round bun.
Do this with a little bit of flour on the counter so it doesn't stick.







Divide the 2nd half into 6 sections. Roll each one up like a snake, keeping in mind how long your hot dogs will be--the normal size or the bigger brats size.







Place on a baking sheet to rise in a warm oven for 20 minutes. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. These will freeze great to be pulled out next time you decide to have dogs or burgers and are so much better than store bought!




These don't really look too bad I guess Ü

Kamut Bread

I have a new love. Only met this one about a month ago, but I've fallen hard--for Kamut!! It has an interesting history, though it probably did not come from any ancient Egyptian tomb as is rumored. If you want to read more about it and its origins, check out http://www.kamut.com/. You often hear that hard white wheat (Prairie Gold) yields a bread that looks closer to a traditional white bread. Kamut is even lighter! But don't let this pale-face fool you. It is an incredibly nutritious grain, high in protein and makes a super yummy buttery tasting bread! I highly encourage you to try this wonderful grain. I promise you'll love it!!

Try this recipe for Kamut bread. (Though you can use the same one for any whole grain bread)

2 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tablespoons SAF yeast
6 cups freshly ground Kamut flour
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup. vital wheat gluten
1/2 tsp vitamin C crystals

Mix water, oil, honey, yeast and enough flour in your Bosch compact mixer to form a mixture that looks like oatmeal. Let this mixture sit for about 15 minutes, until it doubles in the bowl.

Now add the salt, gluten, & vitamin C crystals. Add enough flour until dough cleans the side of the bowl. Knead for about 8 minutes. Let the dough rest in the bowl for 30 minutes. Turn dough out of bowl onto work surface and shape into 2 loaves. Place in oiled pans. Let rise for 20 minutes in a warm oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes--loaves are done at 180 degrees.

Immediate remove from pans to drying rack and let completely cool before storing in bags.

NOTE: In this particular recipe, I've included a 2nd rise. I'm finding that this more traditional 2nd rise is giving my bread a richer flavor and texture than just one.