(Second) Best Whole Wheat Bread

Today’s weather was just gorgeous for a parade and a big festival!  I’m back from the Bread and Honey Festival baking competition, and I didn’t do too shabby!  I wrangled three 2nd place spots, winning with my pumpkin bread, butter tarts and whole wheat bread.



Unfortunately, I was so busy that I didn’t get pictures of a lot of the things I baked.  My kitchen table is still caked with flour and covered with various Tupperware pieces.  I did have an extra loaf of the whole wheat bread thankfully that I can actually show you (and extra shortbread cookies, the post will be coming soon!).
This bread has won me second place at the festival twice now.  Its simple and straight forward to make, is hearty without being overly dense and has a lovely flavour.  It is also 100% whole wheat, so on top of tasting great its healthy for you too!  This tastes great with a big bowl of homemade soup (or hey, canned - I won’t tell!).  If you don’t have a loaf pan, you can shape as if you are baking in a loaf pan and let rise and bake on a parchment lined baking sheet, as I have done on the loaf below.  If you use shortening instead of butter, this bread is completely dairy-free.



Looking for the recipe to make some beautiful bread yourself?  Check out 100% Whole Wheat Bread by RobinHood.ca

May Dinner and a Movie: Shirley Valentine (Loukoumathes)

 

This month’s  Dinner and a Movie, hosted by Marc of No Recipes and Susan of Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy, is the 1989 film “Shirley Valentine”.

Before this month’s D&M I had never heard of the movie, and when reading the summary about it on Wiki, I admit I was sceptical.   Its about a 40 something English woman who is treated like a door mat by most the people in her life, especially her brutish husband.  She basically lives to serve everyone else, so lonely and beaten down she talks to the wall in her kitchen.  When a friend wins two tickets to a resort in Greece, she makes a last minute decision to realize her dream of travelling, and takes off for new parts.  After her friend promptly ditches her for a man she meets on the plane she has to discover the island on her own.  She then begins to find out what she wants and what she actually needs.

Although I felt iffy about the ending, I was surprised how much the movie actually touched me.  It actually gave  me the push I needed to make a major change in my life that I had been avoiding for a very long time.

This is what brought me to my choice of recipe, Loukoumathes. 

In Greek these are λουκουμάδες, pronounced loo-koo-MAH-thes.  These little yeasted balls of dough are deep fried until puffed and golden and then drizzled with lots of honey and sprinkled with cinnamon.  A New years eve tradition in parts of Greece, I thought they were perfect for a movie based on change and getting a new start.  They are light and airy, and despite being covered in honey, they are not overwhelmingly sweet.  Adjust the amount of cinnamon you sprinkle to your taste, Mr. BotC liked it very liberally covered.  These must be serve immediately as they are fried, and will become soggy if left to sit.

Loukoumathes

Ingredients

• 1 pk -Active dry yeast or 30 grams compressed yeast
• 1 c Milk; lukewarm (110 F)
• 1 tb granulated white sugar
• 1 Egg; beaten
• 1/4 c Butter; melted
• 2 Cups All purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 cup Honey; warmed
• Ground cinnamon
• Oil (of your choice) for frying

Directions

1. In small bowl stir yeast into 2 tablespoons of the lukewarm milk.  Let sit 2 to 5 minutes until yeast is mostly dissolved.
2. In large bowl mix together remaining milk, sugar, egg and lukewarm melted butter. Add dissolved yeast.
3. Sift flour and salt and gradually stir in mixed liquids. Beat until smooth and continue beating for 1 minute.
4. Cover bowl with warm damp cloth and leave in a warm place for 1-1/2 hours until batter doubles in bulk with bubbles on the surface. I like to put the bowl into a cold oven, and place a pan full of boiling water at the other end, and then shut the oven door. This gives me a beautiful rise every time.
5. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper, and then with a layer of paper towel
6. In small pot over very low (minimum) heat, set honey to warm while frying the dough, until nice and fluid.
7. Remove cloth from bowl of dough, stir dough well then drop teaspoonfuls into pot of deep, hot oil (375F) 4 to 5 at a time. Do not crowd puffs or they tend to stick together. 
8.   Turn puffs to brown evenly and remove with a slotted spoon to drain on lined baking sheet.  Watch very closely as each puff only takes about a minute to cook.
9. When all are drained, arrange on serving plate. Drizzle each with the warmed honey and sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve hot.

Adapted from The Greek Cookbook by Tess Mallos

Iron Cupcake: Earth - Battle Savoury!

This will be my first Iron Cupcake: Earth challenge, and I’m so excited!  Faced with the challenge of making a savoury cupcake;  that is, something you would have for dinner instead of for dessert, I tried to break down favourite dishes that might translate in cupcake form.  After lots of brainstorming, where I learned the internet is not teeming with ideas for savoury cupcakes, it came to me – Nachos.

Everyone has their own way of doing them; some like grated cheese, some the ooey-gooey processed cheese sauce.  The garnish possibilities run the gamut, from sweet (tomatoes) to salty (olives) to a little bit of heat (jalapenos).  This is my interpretation of nachos, in easy to eat cupcake form.  A cheese cupcake in a crispy tortilla cup, spiced with taco seasoning, dotted with green onions and filled with a thick salsa  and frosted with a swirl of sour cream.  Frosting is garnished with a sprinkling of finely diced tomatoes and sliced green onions and finally topped with a homemade tortilla chip.

Nachos Sabroso Cupcakes

Tortilla cups

• 4 Large tomato tortillas
• cooking spray or vegetable oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F (200C)  for the cupcakes.
2. Lightly grease 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or vegetable oil.  Set aside.
3. Using a 4 inch cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out 12 rounds from tortillas.
4. In large pan over medium-low heat, warm tortillas, one or two at a time, until pliable.
5. As you remove tortillas from heat, gently fit into muffin cups, pleating if necessary.  Careful as the tortillas may be hot!
6. Set aside and proceed to making cupcake batter.

Cupcake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp taco seasoning (homemade or store-bought)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded old cheddar cheese
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. If you haven’t done so yet, preheat oven to 400F (200C).
2. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda and taco seasoning;  stir in cheddar cheese and green onions.
3. In small bowl, lightly beat eggs; stir in sour cream and butter.  Add to dry ingredients, all at once, stirring just until moistened.  Divide batter evenly among the 12 tortilla lined muffin cups.
4. Bake 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes in cups on wire rack.  Remove and let cool completely.  If making tortilla chips, leave oven on.

Tortilla chips (for garnish)

• 1 flour torilla
• 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
• kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F unless oven is still on from making the cupcakes.
2. Slice tortilla into 12 wedges and place on lined baking sheet.
3. Brush top side of tortilla wedges lightly with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Bake for 5 minutes, rotate baking sheet and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until tortillas start to crisp but do not turn brown.

Topping and Assembly

1/2 cup thick salsa

1 500 ml container sour cream (2 cups)

1 tomato, finely chopped

1 green onion, sliced

12 tortilla chips (homemade or store-bought)

1. Using sharp knife, cut out small circles into the middle of the cupcake, careful to not go through to the bottom (picture above).  Reserve caps.  Fill each cupcake with a 2 tsp of salsa, and gently replace cap.  If necessary, cut bottom of the cap to make room for the filling.
2. Using a spoon,  swirl sour cream on each cupcake.
3. Garnish with finely chopped tomato, green onion slices and a tortilla chip and serve immediately.

This month’s winner will receive the following fabulous prizes:

The May ETSY PRIZE-PACK:

• A sweet cupcake ID bracelet by INSANEJELLYFISH, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5021935
• something sweet and dangly from CHERRYCREEKCHARMS at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6686445.
• a sweet surprise from Sweet Cuppin' Cakes Cupcakery, http://www.acupcakery.com/
• PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth can not forget our good friend, CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice - sweet!

Last and certainly not least, don’t forget the corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com, JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com; TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com; a t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/. Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com

I will let you know when the voting opens, and I encourage you to vote for your favourites, even if its not mine! (of course that would be awesome too!)

Honey Wheat Bread

There is just nothing quite like homemade bread.  As much as I love chocolate, I am a bread lover through and through. 

We purchased a Bread Bag today that is supposed to help your homemade bread stay fresher longer(as otherwise fresh bread can stale in as little as a day or two), and I am hoping it makes a difference.  I will most likely cut the loaf in half, and slice it then put it in a freezer bag and keep it in the freezer to be taken out when needed.  Bread can be frozen for 2-3 months. 

As there is only the two of us, its hard for us to eat a whole loaf of bread before it can stale, and the storage problem has been the only thing stopping me from baking it more often.

It may seem intimidating to make your own, but its actually surprisingly simple.  The most time is spent waiting for the dough to rise (two separate one hour rises).  When I first made my own yeasted bread two years ago it was for the Bread and Honey Festival baking contest.  I won second places for my whole wheat bread and my apple cinnamon bread, although I had never made bread before (save for one or two “test loaves”).  It was incredibly hot that summer, and the loaves still turned out. 

The only problem I did have with baking bread in those test loaves, was the loaf appearing finished, but still being doughy in the middle.  You can avoid this by rapping on the side, the loaf should sound hollow.  If you have a thermometer,  finished bread should read between 205F and 210F in the middle…this is a fool proof way to know your golden brown bread is not uncooked inside.

This recipe is my go-to white bread recipe, from Ina Garten’s cookbook Barefoot Contessa at Home.  It has a delicate crumb, and a wonderful crust.  With this batch I switched out 2 cups of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour to increase the nutrition, and it turned out wonderfully.

Honey White Bread

Makes 2 loaves

1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees)
2 packages dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups warm whole milk (110 degrees)
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
2 extra-large egg yolks
5-6 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Place warm water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Add yeast and sugar; stir and allow them to dissolve for 5 minutes.

Before dissolving

After dissolving, the mixture is thick and bubbly

Add the milk, butter, and honey. Mix on medium speed until blended. Add the egg yolks, 3 cups of flour and the salt. (I switched out 2 cups of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat.) Mix on low speed for about 5 minutes. With the mixer still on low speed, add 2 more cups of flour. Raise the speed to medium and slowly add just enough of the remaining flour so the dough doesn’t stick to the bowl.

After adding 5.5 cups of flour.  Though its still very slack, most the dough has lifted from the bowl, ready for kneading

Knead on medium speed for about 8 minutes, adding flour as necessary.

After 8 minutes of kneading.  No or very little dough should be stuck to the bowl at this point.

Dump dough onto a floured surface and knead by hand for a minute, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

 

Grease a bowl with butter, put the dough in the bowl, then turn it over so the top is lightly buttered. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow to rise for 1 hour, until doubled in volume.

Before first rise

After first rise

Grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans with butter. Divide the dough in half, roll each half into a loaf shape and place each in a prepared pan.

Roll dough out into a large rectangle, with the short side about as long as the side of your pan, in this case about 9” or 10”.  Roll from the short side up like a jelly roll.  Tuck ends under, and roll to close seams.

Place in pan seam side down.

Cover again with the damp towel and allow to rise again for an hour, until doubled in volume.

After second rise

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. When the dough is ready, brush the tops with egg white and bake for 40-45 minutes, until they sound hollow when tapped. Turn them out of the pans and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

The scent in the house while these were baking was absolutely AMAZING!  Instead of making two loaves, I made the second half into dinner rolls. 

Source: Adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten, Clarkson Potter, 2006

I popped the rolls into an airtight freezer bag and put in the freezer.  When we want them for dinner we’ll wrap them up in foil and pop in the oven at 350F until warm and crispy.

My husband stole about three or four(that I counted) before I could usher them to the freezer, exclaiming it was the best bread I’ve ever made…definitely what you want to hear!

 

Happy Baking!