Campfire Breadsticks

Summer's here and it's the perfect time to make some great family memories. One of our favorite things to do in the summer is cook outside. There's just something special about eating food that's been cooked over a grill or a fire. Especially for kids. It's also nice to not have to heat up the house on those warm, summer days. The problem is that a lot of the food that is traditionally cooked that way is not very healthy. For the last couple of years, we've been experimenting with different campfire dinners that use healthy ingredients. We've had some delicious, healthy campfire cooked food. Today I'm going to share one that's become a favorite: Campfire Breadsticks. 

Campfire Breadsticks
Printable Recipe

*Note: This recipe is adapted so that it can be mixed in a zip-lock bag while camping. If you'd rather make the dough ahead of time in a mixer, please see my regular breadsticks recipe for the method. The dough can then be frozen and thawed about 8-10 hours before cooking or refrigerated and pulled out 2-3 hours before cooking to rise. Then follow the instructions below for cooking over the campfire. 

YOU WILL NEED:
A Heavy Duty Zip-lock Freezer Bag
Tin Foil (bring with you camping)
Hot coals (at the campsite)

DRY INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp. SAF instant yeast
1 Tbsp. powdered milk
2 Cups Freshly-ground Wheat flour
2 Cups Unbleached White Flour
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt

WET INGREDIENTS:
1-1/2 Cups Water
1/2 Cup butter

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:
Garlic or onion salt, Parmesan cheese, sesame or poppy seeds, or seasoned salt

DIRECTIONS:

Before leaving home, in a heavy duty zip-lock freezer bag, add the dry ingredients in the order shown above. The order is important because the yeast should not touch the salt or the sugar directly. Then, seal well and bring with you to camp. Make sure you also pack tin foil, water, butter, a small pot for heating water and melting butter, and any toppings you want.

About an hour before you're ready to eat, heat the water to warm, but still touchable temperature (making sure it's not too hot). Then add the warm water to the zip-lock bag with dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add a little more water if too dry. Knead in the zip-lock bag for about 5-10 minutes or until dough is elastic. Seal bag and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

Once dough has risen, roll out a layer of tin foil to a desired length. Roll a second layer and place on top of the first. Melt butter partially in small pot and grease tin foil with butter. Roll the dough into "snakes" to the size that you desire. Place the number of breadsticks on the tin foil so that foil can still be wrapped around to completely cover them. You may need to make several foil packets with the amount of dough you have. Brush breadstick tops with melted butter, and sprinkle with any topping such as garlic or onion salt, Parmesan cheese, sesame or poppy seeds, or seasoned salt. Fold and seal foil packed and allow to rise 10 minutes. Bake over a few hot coals for 5-10 minutes on one side, then flip and cook another 5-10 minutes on the other. Time will depend on how many coals you have an how hot they are. Cook until golden brown. If you are doing this the first time it will take a little bit of experimentation to get the time just right. Under cooking is better than overcooking. You can always check and put them back on the coals if they're not done.

Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

My husband made a fire pit in our back yard this year so we can cook outside anytime we want. :)

Happy Camping!

Campfire Breadsticks

Posted by admin

Summer's here and it's the perfect time to make some great family memories. One of our favorite things to do in the summer is cook outside. There's just something special about eating food that's been cooked over a grill or a fire. Especially for kids. It's also nice to not have to heat up the house on those warm, summer days. The problem is that a lot of the food that is traditionally cooked that way is not very healthy. For the last couple of years, we've been experimenting with different campfire dinners that use healthy ingredients. We've had some delicious, healthy campfire cooked food. Today I'm going to share one that's become a favorite: Campfire Breadsticks. 

Campfire Breadsticks
Printable Recipe

*Note: This recipe is adapted so that it can be mixed in a zip-lock bag while camping. If you'd rather make the dough ahead of time in a mixer, please see my regular breadsticks recipe for the method. The dough can then be frozen and thawed about 8-10 hours before cooking or refrigerated and pulled out 2-3 hours before cooking to rise. Then follow the instructions below for cooking over the campfire. 

YOU WILL NEED:
A Heavy Duty Zip-lock Freezer Bag
Tin Foil (bring with you camping)
Hot coals (at the campsite)

DRY INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp. SAF instant yeast
1 Tbsp. powdered milk
2 Cups Freshly-ground Wheat flour
2 Cups Unbleached White Flour
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt

WET INGREDIENTS:
1-1/2 Cups Water
1/2 Cup butter

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:
Garlic or onion salt, Parmesan cheese, sesame or poppy seeds, or seasoned salt

DIRECTIONS:

Before leaving home, in a heavy duty zip-lock freezer bag, add the dry ingredients in the order shown above. The order is important because the yeast should not touch the salt or the sugar directly. Then, seal well and bring with you to camp. Make sure you also pack tin foil, water, butter, a small pot for heating water and melting butter, and any toppings you want.

About an hour before you're ready to eat, heat the water to warm, but still touchable temperature (making sure it's not too hot). Then add the warm water to the zip-lock bag with dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add a little more water if too dry. Knead in the zip-lock bag for about 5-10 minutes or until dough is elastic. Seal bag and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

Once dough has risen, roll out a layer of tin foil to a desired length. Roll a second layer and place on top of the first. Melt butter partially in small pot and grease tin foil with butter. Roll the dough into "snakes" to the size that you desire. Place the number of breadsticks on the tin foil so that foil can still be wrapped around to completely cover them. You may need to make several foil packets with the amount of dough you have. Brush breadstick tops with melted butter, and sprinkle with any topping such as garlic or onion salt, Parmesan cheese, sesame or poppy seeds, or seasoned salt. Fold and seal foil packed and allow to rise 10 minutes. Bake over a few hot coals for 5-10 minutes on one side, then flip and cook another 5-10 minutes on the other. Time will depend on how many coals you have an how hot they are. Cook until golden brown. If you are doing this the first time it will take a little bit of experimentation to get the time just right. Under cooking is better than overcooking. You can always check and put them back on the coals if they're not done.

Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

My husband made a fire pit in our back yard this year so we can cook outside anytime we want. :)

Happy Camping!

Whole Grain Spelt Bread

I've used this basic whole-wheat bread recipe for several years now. I love it. It's reliable, quick, and simple, with fabulous results. A few months ago I taught a bread class to some wonderful women. It was a lot of fun. I taught them to make my whole-wheat bread as well as these cornmeal crescent rolls. One of the ladies mentioned that she has a hard time digesting whole-wheat bread, which is one of the reasons she doesn't make much homemade bread. I asked her if she had heard of spelt, which is a grain that is actually a species of wheat, that some people with wheat allergies can handle. Now I am not talking about the Celiac disease, that's a completely different deal. My dad has Celiac and can't eat any type of gluten at all. Other people have just a wheat allergy, and can still handle grains that contain gluten like Spelt. That discussion led me to experiment a little with spelt and I created this wonderful whole grain spelt bread. If it looks a little similar to my whole-wheat bread, that's probably because it is. :) It's the same recipe using whole grain spelt flour instead of whole wheat flour. The result? Amazing. I loved it. It was lighter tasting that whole wheat bread and absolutely delicious. Enjoy!

Whole Grain Spelt Bread
Printable Recipe

*Makes 3 loaves

INGREDIENTS:
3 Cups hot water, heated until quite warm ( >110° F) *I put mine in the microwave for 2-3 minutes to heat it
1/3 Cup canola oil
1/3 Cup sugar
1 Tbsp. salt (put in first before adding yeast)
½ Cup gluten flour*
½ Cup ground flax seed, optional (adds a great texture)
½ Cup rolled or quick oats, optional
3 Cups + more freshly ground whole grain spelt flour *the amount is not exact because it depends on various factors
2 Tbsp. instant yeast on top of flour *be sure to check out my kitchen tip/tutorial on yeast

DIRECTIONS:
Combine above ingredients in heavy duty stand mixer (like a Bosch) with dough hook and mix. Add more whole wheat flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Then mix for an additional six minutes. Divide dough into 3 loaves (the dough will still be VERY sticky - so sticky that you won't be able to form your loaves without putting oil on your hands, but make sure that there is enough flour that it still pulls away from the sides of the bowl when you’re mixing it). Put dough in oiled pans. Let rise until double or until the bread fills the pans. While bread is rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. When the bread has risen, bake it at 400 deg. for 5 minutes. Then turn down the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 25 min or until done.

*NOTE on the Gluten flour: I use Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten Flour that I buy at WinCo foods in their bulk bins - or you can get a 25 lb. bag of it there if you order it. I think you can also get it at Walmart in smaller quantities - like 22 oz. pkgs. You only use 1/2 cup for 3 loaves so it lasts a long time. It allows you to make the bread with whole-grain flour and still have it light and fluffy and stick together. This really is not an optional ingredient - you can try to leave it out, but you will end up with denser bread that is crumbly, doesn't have as long of a shelf life, and really is not as enjoyable to eat. Another option (if you're looking for one) is to use a good quality, high gluten white flour instead of some of the whole-wheat flour (experiment with how much - maybe 2 cups or more to get it to a good stick-together consistency). I'd rather spend a little more for the gluten flour because you can use less of it (which means more whole-grain flour which is better for you) and still have a great textured, tasty bread.

Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

What could taste better than hot, fresh bread and butter for a healthy afternoon snack?

Do you or anyone you know have wheat allergies? Have you tried using other grains in your baking? I'd love to hear about it. Thanks for sharing and have a great day!

Whole Grain Spelt Bread

Posted by admin

I've used this basic whole-wheat bread recipe for several years now. I love it. It's reliable, quick, and simple, with fabulous results. A few months ago I taught a bread class to some wonderful women. It was a lot of fun. I taught them to make my whole-wheat bread as well as these cornmeal crescent rolls. One of the ladies mentioned that she has a hard time digesting whole-wheat bread, which is one of the reasons she doesn't make much homemade bread. I asked her if she had heard of spelt, which is a grain that is actually a species of wheat, that some people with wheat allergies can handle. Now I am not talking about the Celiac disease, that's a completely different deal. My dad has Celiac and can't eat any type of gluten at all. Other people have just a wheat allergy, and can still handle grains that contain gluten like Spelt. That discussion led me to experiment a little with spelt and I created this wonderful whole grain spelt bread. If it looks a little similar to my whole-wheat bread, that's probably because it is. :) It's the same recipe using whole grain spelt flour instead of whole wheat flour. The result? Amazing. I loved it. It was lighter tasting that whole wheat bread and absolutely delicious. Enjoy!

Whole Grain Spelt Bread
Printable Recipe

*Makes 3 loaves

INGREDIENTS:
3 Cups hot water, heated until quite warm ( >110° F) *I put mine in the microwave for 2-3 minutes to heat it
1/3 Cup canola oil
1/3 Cup sugar
1 Tbsp. salt (put in first before adding yeast)
½ Cup gluten flour*
½ Cup ground flax seed, optional (adds a great texture)
½ Cup rolled or quick oats, optional
3 Cups + more freshly ground whole grain spelt flour *the amount is not exact because it depends on various factors
2 Tbsp. instant yeast on top of flour *be sure to check out my kitchen tip/tutorial on yeast

DIRECTIONS:
Combine above ingredients in heavy duty stand mixer (like a Bosch) with dough hook and mix. Add more whole wheat flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Then mix for an additional six minutes. Divide dough into 3 loaves (the dough will still be VERY sticky - so sticky that you won't be able to form your loaves without putting oil on your hands, but make sure that there is enough flour that it still pulls away from the sides of the bowl when you’re mixing it). Put dough in oiled pans. Let rise until double or until the bread fills the pans. While bread is rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. When the bread has risen, bake it at 400 deg. for 5 minutes. Then turn down the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 25 min or until done.

*NOTE on the Gluten flour: I use Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten Flour that I buy at WinCo foods in their bulk bins - or you can get a 25 lb. bag of it there if you order it. I think you can also get it at Walmart in smaller quantities - like 22 oz. pkgs. You only use 1/2 cup for 3 loaves so it lasts a long time. It allows you to make the bread with whole-grain flour and still have it light and fluffy and stick together. This really is not an optional ingredient - you can try to leave it out, but you will end up with denser bread that is crumbly, doesn't have as long of a shelf life, and really is not as enjoyable to eat. Another option (if you're looking for one) is to use a good quality, high gluten white flour instead of some of the whole-wheat flour (experiment with how much - maybe 2 cups or more to get it to a good stick-together consistency). I'd rather spend a little more for the gluten flour because you can use less of it (which means more whole-grain flour which is better for you) and still have a great textured, tasty bread.

Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

What could taste better than hot, fresh bread and butter for a healthy afternoon snack?

Do you or anyone you know have wheat allergies? Have you tried using other grains in your baking? I'd love to hear about it. Thanks for sharing and have a great day!

Best Banana Bread

Isn't it so true that "necessity is the mother of invention"? That's been the case with me as I've started to change my diet to become sugar free six days a week. I've literally been on a rampage to convert a lot of the recipes that I love to eat to be sugar free so that I can still enjoy them. It's been a lot of fun. Today I'm sharing with you a recipe that I've made and loved for a long time, and just recently converted to be sugar free.

This recipe comes from a good friend and roommate of mine in college. She made this ALL the time and every time I make it, it reminds me of that happy time and how good it tasted to us. She called it "Best Banana Bread" and it really is. I've been making it whole grain for several years now, and really, why not? The whole grains found in it make it so delicious and flavorful, not to mention making it healthier. I love it. And I hope you enjoy it too.

Best Banana Bread
Printable Recipe

*Makes 2 Loaves

INGREDIENTS:
2-1/4 Cups Whole Grain Flour (I use Wonder Flour)
1 tsp. baking powder 

1 tsp. baking soda 
1/8 tsp. salt 
½ Cup butter 
1-1/4 Cups sugar (I use 3/4 Cup honey)

¾ Cup sour milk (3/4 Cup milk with 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar) 
2 beaten eggs 
3 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 F. In medium bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Set aside. In another medium bowl, blend the butter, sugar (or honey) and milk, until creamy. Add the beaten eggs and banana pulp and stir until thoroughly mixed in. Then add the combined dry ingredients and stir until just barely combined. Dollop the batter into 2 greased and floured bread loaf pans. Bake in the center of the oven 45-50 min. Do not overcook. The bread is done when a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. Cool before slicing. 

Recipe Source: Adapted from a recipe given to me by my friend Lavinia

This week I'll be linking to some of these link parties.

Best Banana Bread

Posted by admin

Isn't it so true that "necessity is the mother of invention"? That's been the case with me as I've started to change my diet to become sugar free six days a week. I've literally been on a rampage to convert a lot of the recipes that I love to eat to be sugar free so that I can still enjoy them. It's been a lot of fun. Today I'm sharing with you a recipe that I've made and loved for a long time, and just recently converted to be sugar free.

This recipe comes from a good friend and roommate of mine in college. She made this ALL the time and every time I make it, it reminds me of that happy time and how good it tasted to us. She called it "Best Banana Bread" and it really is. I've been making it whole grain for several years now, and really, why not? The whole grains found in it make it so delicious and flavorful, not to mention making it healthier. I love it. And I hope you enjoy it too.

Best Banana Bread
Printable Recipe

*Makes 2 Loaves

INGREDIENTS:
2-1/4 Cups Whole Grain Flour (I use Wonder Flour)
1 tsp. baking powder 

1 tsp. baking soda 
1/8 tsp. salt 
½ Cup butter 
1-1/4 Cups sugar (I use 3/4 Cup honey)

¾ Cup sour milk (3/4 Cup milk with 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar) 
2 beaten eggs 
3 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 F. In medium bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Set aside. In another medium bowl, blend the butter, sugar (or honey) and milk, until creamy. Add the beaten eggs and banana pulp and stir until thoroughly mixed in. Then add the combined dry ingredients and stir until just barely combined. Dollop the batter into 2 greased and floured bread loaf pans. Bake in the center of the oven 45-50 min. Do not overcook. The bread is done when a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. Cool before slicing. 

Recipe Source: Adapted from a recipe given to me by my friend Lavinia

This week I'll be linking to some of these link parties.

Delicious Cornmeal Crescent Rolls

I've always been a homemade white roll type of gal. Don't get me wrong. I've made my share of whole-grain rolls and love them a lot. But white rolls have a special place in my heart that just wasn't satisfied by a whole-grain roll....until now. Now don't get your hopes up too high....these aren't 100% whole grain...this isn't quite that perfect of a world. And really they're not that healthy. But I'm posting them on this blog because they are "healthier" than 100% white rolls (thanks to the secret ingredient, cornmeal) and because they really are amazingly tasty things that just speak of homey love and happy families. Indeed, they've snuck into my heart and taken over my "dreamy white roll" spot. And I don't think I'll ever be totally satisfied with a plain white roll again.

They've snuck into quite a few other hearts as well. My family of course - they love me when I make these. But others too...I taught a bread class last week and we made these. Everyone loved them. Also, my husband works with a group of young men ages 12-18 in our church. I make these quite often for them to enjoy after a long, hard bike ride or other strenuous activity. I've had some of those tough boys even come give me a hug over these rolls. Yep, they are heart-winners. This being Valentine's day coming up, you might want to try them out and see if you can win a few hearts as well. :)

Delicious Cornmeal Crescent Rolls
Printable Recipe

*Makes 2 dozen rolls

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups milk
2/3 cup yellow corn meal (I use freshly ground popcorn)
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
5 ½ – 6 cups flour (or the amount needed to get the correct texture - see explanation below in the directions)
1 ½ tablespoons instant yeast
1/4 Cup melted butter, for brushing on the rolls

DIRECTIONS:
On medium heat, heat the milk to just below a boil so bubbles are just appearing around the edges (this is called scalding milk). Add the cornmeal and cook and stir until thickened, lowering the temperature if needed so the mixture doesn't boil. Pour the cornmeal/milk mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer (I use a Bosch). Cut up the butter into 4 or 5 pieces and add to the bowl. Then add the sugar, the salt and the eggs. Add 3 cups of the flour to the bowl and the yeast on top of the flour. Turn on the mixer to a low speed and mix well until combined. Add the flour gradually until dough barely starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Turn up the speed of the mixer (I usually do a 3 or 4 speed) and mix for 6 minutes.

Divide the dough into three pieces and roll each into about an 8-10 inch circle. Brush the top lightly with butter. Cut into 8 wedges and roll each wedge up starting from the wide end so it forms a crescent roll shape. Place each roll on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover lightly with greased plastic wrap or a thin dishtowel. Let the rolls rise until doubled (about 30-45 minutes). In the winter I sometimes warm  up my oven just barely and let them rise in there a little more quickly.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned.

Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from a recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

*Note: for a double heart-winning experience: try these rolls spread with this yummy pear jam. You won't be disappointed. :)

*For a full-sized Bosch, you can double this recipe so you can freeze some for later…if they last that long…

Linked to: Recipe Box, Mouthwatering Monday, Tasteful Tuesday, Sugar & Spice

Delicious Cornmeal Crescent Rolls

Posted by admin

I've always been a homemade white roll type of gal. Don't get me wrong. I've made my share of whole-grain rolls and love them a lot. But white rolls have a special place in my heart that just wasn't satisfied by a whole-grain roll....until now. Now don't get your hopes up too high....these aren't 100% whole grain...this isn't quite that perfect of a world. And really they're not that healthy. But I'm posting them on this blog because they are "healthier" than 100% white rolls (thanks to the secret ingredient, cornmeal) and because they really are amazingly tasty things that just speak of homey love and happy families. Indeed, they've snuck into my heart and taken over my "dreamy white roll" spot. And I don't think I'll ever be totally satisfied with a plain white roll again.

They've snuck into quite a few other hearts as well. My family of course - they love me when I make these. But others too...I taught a bread class last week and we made these. Everyone loved them. Also, my husband works with a group of young men ages 12-18 in our church. I make these quite often for them to enjoy after a long, hard bike ride or other strenuous activity. I've had some of those tough boys even come give me a hug over these rolls. Yep, they are heart-winners. This being Valentine's day coming up, you might want to try them out and see if you can win a few hearts as well. :)

Delicious Cornmeal Crescent Rolls
Printable Recipe

*Makes 2 dozen rolls

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups milk
2/3 cup yellow corn meal (I use freshly ground popcorn)
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
5 ½ – 6 cups flour (or the amount needed to get the correct texture - see explanation below in the directions)
1 ½ tablespoons instant yeast
1/4 Cup melted butter, for brushing on the rolls

DIRECTIONS:
On medium heat, heat the milk to just below a boil so bubbles are just appearing around the edges (this is called scalding milk). Add the cornmeal and cook and stir until thickened, lowering the temperature if needed so the mixture doesn't boil. Pour the cornmeal/milk mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer (I use a Bosch). Cut up the butter into 4 or 5 pieces and add to the bowl. Then add the sugar, the salt and the eggs. Add 3 cups of the flour to the bowl and the yeast on top of the flour. Turn on the mixer to a low speed and mix well until combined. Add the flour gradually until dough barely starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Turn up the speed of the mixer (I usually do a 3 or 4 speed) and mix for 6 minutes.

Divide the dough into three pieces and roll each into about an 8-10 inch circle. Brush the top lightly with butter. Cut into 8 wedges and roll each wedge up starting from the wide end so it forms a crescent roll shape. Place each roll on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover lightly with greased plastic wrap or a thin dishtowel. Let the rolls rise until doubled (about 30-45 minutes). In the winter I sometimes warm  up my oven just barely and let them rise in there a little more quickly.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned.

Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from a recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

*Note: for a double heart-winning experience: try these rolls spread with this yummy pear jam. You won't be disappointed. :)

*For a full-sized Bosch, you can double this recipe so you can freeze some for later…if they last that long…

Linked to: Recipe Box, Mouthwatering Monday, Tasteful Tuesday, Sugar & Spice

Honey Oat Cinnamon Rolls (Whole Grain & Sugar Free)

I set a goal at the beginning of the year to not eat sugar six days a week. How's it working? Great. But one problem I've run into is that treats are comfort food, especially for kids. I like to make a little snack for them after school and sometimes it is fun to have a sweet treat. But when sugar is in the house, I eat it too...and too much of it.

Here's a recipe that I've created that helps solve this problem. These honey oat cinnamon rolls are comfort food at it's finest, but they contain no sugar. So now I can make a healthy, sweet after school snack for the kids and if I sneak a little taste (which I always do...), I'm still sugar free... :)

I know there are some of you out there trying to control your sugar levels this year as well. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we have.

Honey Oat Cinnamon Rolls
Printable Recipe


*Makes 12-15 rolls

*Note: I realize that most of you probably don't have a 1/6 cup measuring cup lying around (I don't). I just use a 1/3 cup and measure about half. It doesn't matter if it's not exact, it will be close enough. Oh and if you measure the oil first, you can use the same measuring cup for the honey and it will slide right out. Slick, eh? :)

INGREDIENTS:
For the Dough:
1-1/2 Cups hot water, microwave on high 2 min or until quite warm ( >110° F)
1/6 Cup canola oil
1/6 Cup honey
1/2 Tbsp. salt (put in first before adding yeast)
2+ Cups freshly ground oat flour (I ground oat groats, but you can also use oatmeal ground in a blender for a few minutes)
2 Tbsp. rolled oats or quick oats
3/4 Cups gluten flour*
2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
1 Tbsp. yeast on top of flour

For the Filling:
¼ Cup butter, softened
1/2 Cup honey
Cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
Combine the dough ingredients in stand mixer with dough hook (I use a Bosch) and mix. Add more oat flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Then mix for an additional six minutes. 

Immediately after mixing bread dough, roll out dough into a 12”x15” rectangle. Spread 1/4 cup softened butter around dough to coat evenly. Add 1/2 cup honey and spread until it covers the dough evenly. Then sprinkle the top with a fair amount of cinnamon, but not too much (I usually use about 1-2 tsp.).




Starting on one end, roll the dough. Dip your fingers in water and rub down the dough to seal the layers as you roll. Seal the end. Use a piece of floss or string to cut the cinnamon rolls out. Place the string under dough roll about 1” from the end of the long roll. Cross the ends of the string over the dough and pull the string so that the string cuts the dough into a 1” thick roll.

Place rolls on a greased 9x13" pan leaving a small space between so that the rolls can rise. Cover rolls with a light cloth and let rise in a warm place for 30-60 minutes or until dough has doubled. Bake rolls in preheated oven 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

*NOTE on the gluten flour: I use Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten Flour that I buy at WinCo foods in their bulk bins - or you can get a 25 lb. bag of it there if you order it. I think you can also get it at Walmart in smaller quantities - like 22 oz. pkgs. You only use a little bit in each batch so it lasts a long time. It allows you to make the bread with whole-grain flour and still have it light and fluffy and stick together. This really is not an optional ingredient - you can try to leave it out, but you will end up with denser bread, that is crumbly, doesn't have as long of a shelf life and really is not as enjoyable to eat. Another option (if you're looking for one) is to use a good quality, high gluten white flour instead of some of the whole-wheat flour (experiment with how much - maybe 2 cups or more to get it to a good stick-together consistency). I'd rather spend a little more for the gluten flour because you can use less of it (which means more whole-grain flour which is better for you) and still have a great textured, tasty bread.

Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

Linked to: Real Food Wednesday, Healthy2day Wednesday, Hearth & Soul Blog Hop, Keep it Real Thursday

Honey Oat Cinnamon Rolls (Whole Grain & Sugar Free)

Posted by admin

I set a goal at the beginning of the year to not eat sugar six days a week. How's it working? Great. But one problem I've run into is that treats are comfort food, especially for kids. I like to make a little snack for them after school and sometimes it is fun to have a sweet treat. But when sugar is in the house, I eat it too...and too much of it.

Here's a recipe that I've created that helps solve this problem. These honey oat cinnamon rolls are comfort food at it's finest, but they contain no sugar. So now I can make a healthy, sweet after school snack for the kids and if I sneak a little taste (which I always do...), I'm still sugar free... :)

I know there are some of you out there trying to control your sugar levels this year as well. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we have.

Honey Oat Cinnamon Rolls
Printable Recipe


*Makes 12-15 rolls

*Note: I realize that most of you probably don't have a 1/6 cup measuring cup lying around (I don't). I just use a 1/3 cup and measure about half. It doesn't matter if it's not exact, it will be close enough. Oh and if you measure the oil first, you can use the same measuring cup for the honey and it will slide right out. Slick, eh? :)

INGREDIENTS:
For the Dough:
1-1/2 Cups hot water, microwave on high 2 min or until quite warm ( >110° F)
1/6 Cup canola oil
1/6 Cup honey
1/2 Tbsp. salt (put in first before adding yeast)
2+ Cups freshly ground oat flour (I ground oat groats, but you can also use oatmeal ground in a blender for a few minutes)
2 Tbsp. rolled oats or quick oats
3/4 Cups gluten flour*
2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
1 Tbsp. yeast on top of flour

For the Filling:
¼ Cup butter, softened
1/2 Cup honey
Cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
Combine the dough ingredients in stand mixer with dough hook (I use a Bosch) and mix. Add more oat flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Then mix for an additional six minutes. 

Immediately after mixing bread dough, roll out dough into a 12”x15” rectangle. Spread 1/4 cup softened butter around dough to coat evenly. Add 1/2 cup honey and spread until it covers the dough evenly. Then sprinkle the top with a fair amount of cinnamon, but not too much (I usually use about 1-2 tsp.).




Starting on one end, roll the dough. Dip your fingers in water and rub down the dough to seal the layers as you roll. Seal the end. Use a piece of floss or string to cut the cinnamon rolls out. Place the string under dough roll about 1” from the end of the long roll. Cross the ends of the string over the dough and pull the string so that the string cuts the dough into a 1” thick roll.

Place rolls on a greased 9x13" pan leaving a small space between so that the rolls can rise. Cover rolls with a light cloth and let rise in a warm place for 30-60 minutes or until dough has doubled. Bake rolls in preheated oven 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

*NOTE on the gluten flour: I use Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten Flour that I buy at WinCo foods in their bulk bins - or you can get a 25 lb. bag of it there if you order it. I think you can also get it at Walmart in smaller quantities - like 22 oz. pkgs. You only use a little bit in each batch so it lasts a long time. It allows you to make the bread with whole-grain flour and still have it light and fluffy and stick together. This really is not an optional ingredient - you can try to leave it out, but you will end up with denser bread, that is crumbly, doesn't have as long of a shelf life and really is not as enjoyable to eat. Another option (if you're looking for one) is to use a good quality, high gluten white flour instead of some of the whole-wheat flour (experiment with how much - maybe 2 cups or more to get it to a good stick-together consistency). I'd rather spend a little more for the gluten flour because you can use less of it (which means more whole-grain flour which is better for you) and still have a great textured, tasty bread.

Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

Linked to: Real Food Wednesday, Healthy2day Wednesday, Hearth & Soul Blog Hop, Keep it Real Thursday

Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks

We love to have pizza/movie night every Friday night with homemade pizza! It's been a family tradition that I've continued since my childhood and it's a lot of fun. My kids look forward to it all week and so do I. Homemade pizza is one of the easiest meals that I cook during the week. Since I make it so often, I don't even need to look at a recipe, and it's done in less time than it would take us to order a pizza and go pick it up. It's fast food! My pizza dough recipe is simple and healthy with only a few basic ingredients. One of the best things about Friday night pizza is it's the one night that everyone is happy with dinner- we let the kids pick their own toppings (they always pick the same...) and we like to add variety with ours...Here's a little variation that we discovered that even the kids love: Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks. 

Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks
Printable Recipe

*Makes 48 breadsticks

*Note: If you don't have a pizza stone, you can bake the breadsticks using this method from yum sugar. I've tried it and it works great.

INGREDIENTS:
1 recipe whole grain pizza or bread stick dough
5 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped fine (or use garlic salt)
1/2 Cup butter, melted
1 - 1/2 Cups Shredded cheese (I used a blend of mozzarella and Colby jack)

You will also need oil for rolling out dough, parchment paper and a pizza stone is preferred but not necessary (see note above).

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven 475-500 F (depending on how hot your oven cooks). Mix up pizza/bread stick dough and let rise for 10-20 minutes (you can skip this step if you're in a hurry, but your bread sticks won't be quite as fluffy). Divide dough into thirds.   Sprinkle counter with a little oil and roll out 1/3 of the dough into a circular shape until it is about 1/4" thick. Move dough over to a piece of parchment paper. Mix crushed garlic with melted butter and brush over dough until dough is covered evenly. If you are using garlic salt, spread melted butter over dough and then sprinkle lightly with garlic salt. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. Bake 6-8 minutes in preheated oven or until cheese is bubbly. Serve immediately.

Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

For more ideas for your family pizza night see my Pinterest board: Dinner Themes: Pizza Night!

Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks

Posted by admin

We love to have pizza/movie night every Friday night with homemade pizza! It's been a family tradition that I've continued since my childhood and it's a lot of fun. My kids look forward to it all week and so do I. Homemade pizza is one of the easiest meals that I cook during the week. Since I make it so often, I don't even need to look at a recipe, and it's done in less time than it would take us to order a pizza and go pick it up. It's fast food! My pizza dough recipe is simple and healthy with only a few basic ingredients. One of the best things about Friday night pizza is it's the one night that everyone is happy with dinner- we let the kids pick their own toppings (they always pick the same...) and we like to add variety with ours...Here's a little variation that we discovered that even the kids love: Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks. 

Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks
Printable Recipe

*Makes 48 breadsticks

*Note: If you don't have a pizza stone, you can bake the breadsticks using this method from yum sugar. I've tried it and it works great.

INGREDIENTS:
1 recipe whole grain pizza or bread stick dough
5 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped fine (or use garlic salt)
1/2 Cup butter, melted
1 - 1/2 Cups Shredded cheese (I used a blend of mozzarella and Colby jack)

You will also need oil for rolling out dough, parchment paper and a pizza stone is preferred but not necessary (see note above).

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven 475-500 F (depending on how hot your oven cooks). Mix up pizza/bread stick dough and let rise for 10-20 minutes (you can skip this step if you're in a hurry, but your bread sticks won't be quite as fluffy). Divide dough into thirds.   Sprinkle counter with a little oil and roll out 1/3 of the dough into a circular shape until it is about 1/4" thick. Move dough over to a piece of parchment paper. Mix crushed garlic with melted butter and brush over dough until dough is covered evenly. If you are using garlic salt, spread melted butter over dough and then sprinkle lightly with garlic salt. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. Bake 6-8 minutes in preheated oven or until cheese is bubbly. Serve immediately.

Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

For more ideas for your family pizza night see my Pinterest board: Dinner Themes: Pizza Night!

Applesauce Bread

Mmmh I love apple season. Crisp, juicy, crunchy, perfectly ripe apples. There's really nothing to compare with a fresh, home-grown, picked-at-it's-peak apple. And if you've never experienced it because you don't have apple trees, go read my post on food foraging. You don't have to have fruit trees to find good fruit. 

This year I inherited my Grandmother's champion juicer, which I love. It's been so much fun to make fresh apple juice and we've enjoyed it immensely. But there's always this question of what to do with the skins and pulp that comes out... One day I was considering this and I wondered if it would work to use the skins and pulp in a recipe that calls for chunky applesauce... So I pulled out this family favorite recipe for applesauce bread and used the skins and pulp from the juicer and guess what? It worked great! I'm so excited. I've already made 6 loaves of this bread this year and have enough pulp to make at least 10 more....so you know what we'll be eating for the next several weeks...

I hope you enjoy this delicious whole-grain applesauce bread. It is perfect for a healthy dessert or after-school snack. Enjoy!

Applesauce Bread
Printable Recipe

*Makes 2 loaves

*This recipe freezes great!

INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup wonder flour *See Note below
2 Cups whole wheat flour *See Note below
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. allspice
1 Cup butter, softened
1 Cup brown sugar, packed
½ Cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 Cups chunky applesauce
1 Cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two bread pans with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine butter and both sugars together. Add the egg to the butter-sugar mixture, beating well, and then stir in applesauce. Next add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until the batter is fully incorporated, but do not over mix. Fold in walnuts or pecans if desired. Pour into bread pans and bake at 350 F for 60 to 70 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when pierced through the center.

*Note: Try any combination of whole-grain flour

*Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

Applesauce Bread

Posted by admin

Mmmh I love apple season. Crisp, juicy, crunchy, perfectly ripe apples. There's really nothing to compare with a fresh, home-grown, picked-at-it's-peak apple. And if you've never experienced it because you don't have apple trees, go read my post on food foraging. You don't have to have fruit trees to find good fruit. 

This year I inherited my Grandmother's champion juicer, which I love. It's been so much fun to make fresh apple juice and we've enjoyed it immensely. But there's always this question of what to do with the skins and pulp that comes out... One day I was considering this and I wondered if it would work to use the skins and pulp in a recipe that calls for chunky applesauce... So I pulled out this family favorite recipe for applesauce bread and used the skins and pulp from the juicer and guess what? It worked great! I'm so excited. I've already made 6 loaves of this bread this year and have enough pulp to make at least 10 more....so you know what we'll be eating for the next several weeks...

I hope you enjoy this delicious whole-grain applesauce bread. It is perfect for a healthy dessert or after-school snack. Enjoy!

Applesauce Bread
Printable Recipe

*Makes 2 loaves

*This recipe freezes great!

INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup wonder flour *See Note below
2 Cups whole wheat flour *See Note below
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. allspice
1 Cup butter, softened
1 Cup brown sugar, packed
½ Cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 Cups chunky applesauce
1 Cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two bread pans with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine butter and both sugars together. Add the egg to the butter-sugar mixture, beating well, and then stir in applesauce. Next add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until the batter is fully incorporated, but do not over mix. Fold in walnuts or pecans if desired. Pour into bread pans and bake at 350 F for 60 to 70 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when pierced through the center.

*Note: Try any combination of whole-grain flour

*Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

Toasty Oat Cinnamon Rolls

Homemade cinnamon rolls are one of those foods growing up that were long sought after and tasted like they were full of love. My favorite memories include coming home from school to yummy hot-out-of-the-oven cinnamon rolls waiting as a snack. I can still taste them in my mouth and feel their warmth in my heart. I want to share those same wonderful experiences that I had as a child, with my own children. I want them to feel welcomed and to know that home is where they will always be loved.

Here's a recipe that I love for cinnamon rolls made out of my favorite oat bread recipe. The seasons are changing and the air is getting cooler. What better time to serve these as a special after school snack?

Toasty Cinnamon Rolls

Printable Recipe

*I love to make a batch of cinnamon rolls when I’m making bread. The leftovers freeze great and are perfect to warm up for later.

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 recipe of Oat Bread Dough or 2 lb. of your favorite whole grain bread dough

¼ Cup butter, softened

½ - ¾ Cup brown sugar

¼ Cup white sugar

Cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

Immediately after mixing bread dough, roll out approximately 2 lbs. into a 12”x15” rectangle. Spread softened butter around dough to coat evenly. Add brown sugar and spread until it covers the dough evenly (I like to use my hands for this part). Sprinkle on the white sugar. Then sprinkle the top with a fair amount of cinnamon, but not too much (I usually use about 1-2 tsp.).

Starting on one end, roll the dough. Dip your fingers in water and rub down the dough to seal the layers as you roll. Seal the end. Use a piece of floss or string to cut the cinnamon rolls out. Place the string under dough roll about 1” from the end of the long roll. Cross the ends of the string over the dough and pull the string so that the string cuts the dough into a 1” thick roll.

Place rolls on a greased cookie sheet leaving a small space between so that the rolls can rise. Cover rolls with a light cloth and let rise in a warm place for 30-60 minutes or until dough has doubled. Bake rolls in preheated oven 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

*If you’re feeling a little extravagant, these cinnamon rolls are especially good with a cream cheese frosting! I don’t always use it, but for special occasions it sure is yummy.

Cream Cheese Frosting

INGREDIENTS:

4 oz. cream cheese

2 Tbsp. butter

1 Cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. milk

½ tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all ingredients and beat with an electric mixer until creamy and spreadable.

Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

Don't forget those little dimpled hands...they love to help mix in love! :)

Toasty Oat Cinnamon Rolls

Posted by admin

Homemade cinnamon rolls are one of those foods growing up that were long sought after and tasted like they were full of love. My favorite memories include coming home from school to yummy hot-out-of-the-oven cinnamon rolls waiting as a snack. I can still taste them in my mouth and feel their warmth in my heart. I want to share those same wonderful experiences that I had as a child, with my own children. I want them to feel welcomed and to know that home is where they will always be loved.

Here's a recipe that I love for cinnamon rolls made out of my favorite oat bread recipe. The seasons are changing and the air is getting cooler. What better time to serve these as a special after school snack?

Toasty Cinnamon Rolls

Printable Recipe

*I love to make a batch of cinnamon rolls when I’m making bread. The leftovers freeze great and are perfect to warm up for later.

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 recipe of Oat Bread Dough or 2 lb. of your favorite whole grain bread dough

¼ Cup butter, softened

½ - ¾ Cup brown sugar

¼ Cup white sugar

Cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

Immediately after mixing bread dough, roll out approximately 2 lbs. into a 12”x15” rectangle. Spread softened butter around dough to coat evenly. Add brown sugar and spread until it covers the dough evenly (I like to use my hands for this part). Sprinkle on the white sugar. Then sprinkle the top with a fair amount of cinnamon, but not too much (I usually use about 1-2 tsp.).

Starting on one end, roll the dough. Dip your fingers in water and rub down the dough to seal the layers as you roll. Seal the end. Use a piece of floss or string to cut the cinnamon rolls out. Place the string under dough roll about 1” from the end of the long roll. Cross the ends of the string over the dough and pull the string so that the string cuts the dough into a 1” thick roll.

Place rolls on a greased cookie sheet leaving a small space between so that the rolls can rise. Cover rolls with a light cloth and let rise in a warm place for 30-60 minutes or until dough has doubled. Bake rolls in preheated oven 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

*If you’re feeling a little extravagant, these cinnamon rolls are especially good with a cream cheese frosting! I don’t always use it, but for special occasions it sure is yummy.

Cream Cheese Frosting

INGREDIENTS:

4 oz. cream cheese

2 Tbsp. butter

1 Cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. milk

½ tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all ingredients and beat with an electric mixer until creamy and spreadable.

Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

Don't forget those little dimpled hands...they love to help mix in love! :)

French Bread Subs

I love picnics! And one of my favorite things to bring on picnics is French Bread sandwiches. Growing up these are what we called "subway sandwiches". And I had no idea until I was older that a "subway sandwich" was anything else. :)

This recipe was discovered because I was looking for a way to freeze French Bread for picnics so that I wouldn't always have to go to the store every time we wanted to have a French Bread sandwich. As you know French Bread usually comes in really long loaves that don't fit in regular sized freezer bags. I thought about just buying the big loaves and then cutting it to fit in the bags and freeze...but what I really wanted was a recipe that was healthier and tastier than the French Bread that you buy in the store.  Then I thought about making the French Bread and then cutting it to fit in the bags and freeze...and then I thought, Why not just make smaller loaves that will fit in the bags in the first place? And so I did! And these delicious, crusty French Bread subs came about. Now I'm so excited because my freezer is stocked with them so I can have a picnic whenever I want! 

French Bread Subs

Printable Recipe

*Makes six 6"subs

2 Cups hot water ( >110° F)

1 Cup sour dough starter

2 Tbsp. oil

1 Tbsp. white sugar

2 tsp. salt

2 Cups wheat flour, freshly ground white wheat

2 Tbsp. Instant yeast

2-4 Cups White Flour

Preheat oven to 400° F. Place a metal pan with 2” of water in the bottom of the oven to create steam when the bread is baking. This gives the bread a nice crispy texture. Prepare a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with semolina flour sprinkled on top or use parchment paper.

The easiest method of making this recipe is to use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.  Start with the mixer off. To the bowl of the mixer, combine water, sour dough starter, oil, white sugar, and salt. Next add the whole wheat flour and the yeast on the very top. Now turn the mixer on, and start adding white flour, a half cup at a time until the dough cleans the sides of the mixer bowl. Then let the mixer mix the dough for 6 minutes. Letting the dough mix will develop the gluten in the dough so that it will stick together and give a nice texture to the bread.

Once the dough is kneaded, turn off the mixer and divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll and shape each piece into a 6” long sub. Then place the subs on the prepared pan. Let the subs rise until double. Once the subs have risen, bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes at 400° F. Then drop the temperature to 350° F and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the subs are golden brown and crusty. Remove from the oven and let the subs cool. Makes a delicious sandwich bread!

*This recipe freezes well. I like to double the recipe and keep them in my freezer for a spontaneous picnic.

French Bread Subs

Posted by admin

I love picnics! And one of my favorite things to bring on picnics is French Bread sandwiches. Growing up these are what we called "subway sandwiches". And I had no idea until I was older that a "subway sandwich" was anything else. :)

This recipe was discovered because I was looking for a way to freeze French Bread for picnics so that I wouldn't always have to go to the store every time we wanted to have a French Bread sandwich. As you know French Bread usually comes in really long loaves that don't fit in regular sized freezer bags. I thought about just buying the big loaves and then cutting it to fit in the bags and freeze...but what I really wanted was a recipe that was healthier and tastier than the French Bread that you buy in the store.  Then I thought about making the French Bread and then cutting it to fit in the bags and freeze...and then I thought, Why not just make smaller loaves that will fit in the bags in the first place? And so I did! And these delicious, crusty French Bread subs came about. Now I'm so excited because my freezer is stocked with them so I can have a picnic whenever I want! 

French Bread Subs

Printable Recipe

*Makes six 6"subs

2 Cups hot water ( >110° F)

1 Cup sour dough starter

2 Tbsp. oil

1 Tbsp. white sugar

2 tsp. salt

2 Cups wheat flour, freshly ground white wheat

2 Tbsp. Instant yeast

2-4 Cups White Flour

Preheat oven to 400° F. Place a metal pan with 2” of water in the bottom of the oven to create steam when the bread is baking. This gives the bread a nice crispy texture. Prepare a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with semolina flour sprinkled on top or use parchment paper.

The easiest method of making this recipe is to use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.  Start with the mixer off. To the bowl of the mixer, combine water, sour dough starter, oil, white sugar, and salt. Next add the whole wheat flour and the yeast on the very top. Now turn the mixer on, and start adding white flour, a half cup at a time until the dough cleans the sides of the mixer bowl. Then let the mixer mix the dough for 6 minutes. Letting the dough mix will develop the gluten in the dough so that it will stick together and give a nice texture to the bread.

Once the dough is kneaded, turn off the mixer and divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll and shape each piece into a 6” long sub. Then place the subs on the prepared pan. Let the subs rise until double. Once the subs have risen, bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes at 400° F. Then drop the temperature to 350° F and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the subs are golden brown and crusty. Remove from the oven and let the subs cool. Makes a delicious sandwich bread!

*This recipe freezes well. I like to double the recipe and keep them in my freezer for a spontaneous picnic.

Corn bread in a Pressure Cooker {Electric Pressure Cooker Recipe}

After last week's experiment with making a yeast type bread in the pressure cooker, I had a few people suggest to try quick breads. So this week I present to you my experiment with corn bread in a pressure cooker using freshly ground popcorn.

Before I start, just a word about popcorn. I love to use ground whole grain popcorn (yes, un-popped) when making corn bread! One of the main reasons is because I like to grind my popcorn really fine into flour rather than corn meal. Before I found this secret, I never enjoyed eating corn bread because the texture was so grainy. Try it. It really does make a difference! Also the ground popcorn has a wonderful fresh flavor that you don't get in corn meal that's been sitting on the shelf for several weeks. It's healthier too because whole grain flours lose nutrients as they sit on the shelf.

So on to cooking corn bread in the pressure cooker. If you don't want to cook it in the pressure cooker or don't have a pressure cooker, here's my instructions for cooking it in the oven.

Corn Bread {Electric Pressure Cooker Recipe}

Printable Recipe

*Makes 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup milk

¼ Cup butter, melted

1 large egg

1-1/4 Cup cornmeal (made with fine freshly ground popcorn)

1 Cup white flour *see note

½ Cup sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS:

Add 2 Cups of water and a splash of white vinegar to the empty pressure cooker. I've found that adding the vinegar to the water helps so you don't develop a white film around your pressure cooker pan when you cook. Place the metal trivet on the bottom. Then spray a round pan that fits into the electric pressure cooker with oil. 

Beat milk, butter and egg in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients all at once just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Pour batter into round pan. Wrap pan with aluminum foil. Fold a 1-1/2 to 2 foot piece of aluminum foil into thirds and use that to carry the pan in and out of the pressure cooker (See my pressure cooker bread post for an example of this). Pressure on high pressure for 16 minutes. Naturally release the pressure. Serve warm.

*Note: alternatively you can try it with a whole-grain flour. I've made it with wonder flour before and it it's really tasty, just a bit more crumbly than with white flour.

Reactions & thoughts on pressure cooking cornbread: 
It tasted delicious! My oldest son said I should make it this way every time, he loved it. In fact he even asked for some today in his lunch. The pressure cooker made it very moist inside.

There wasn't a whole lot of time savings. I tried to cut the time to 12 minutes the first time I made it and it was still raw inside. The second time I did 16 minutes and it came out perfectly done. In the oven it takes about 20-25 minutes so if you count time for the pressure cooker to heat up and cool down, you're not saving much time.

It wasn't the prettiest thing in the world. I covered it with aluminum foil and it stuck a little so next time I either need to spray the foil or try it uncovered.

Well, I'm on the fence a little on this one. I haven't decided which way I'll be cooking corn bread in the future...in the oven or in the pressure cooker. What do you think? Have you tried making corn bread in the pressure cooker? Got any tips for me? What works for you? Do you think it's worth it? Got a better recipe for me to try?

For more pressure cooker recipes see my pressure cooker recipe page. Or follow my pressure cooker board on pinterest.

Corn bread in a Pressure Cooker {Electric Pressure Cooker Recipe}

Posted by admin

After last week's experiment with making a yeast type bread in the pressure cooker, I had a few people suggest to try quick breads. So this week I present to you my experiment with corn bread in a pressure cooker using freshly ground popcorn.

Before I start, just a word about popcorn. I love to use ground whole grain popcorn (yes, un-popped) when making corn bread! One of the main reasons is because I like to grind my popcorn really fine into flour rather than corn meal. Before I found this secret, I never enjoyed eating corn bread because the texture was so grainy. Try it. It really does make a difference! Also the ground popcorn has a wonderful fresh flavor that you don't get in corn meal that's been sitting on the shelf for several weeks. It's healthier too because whole grain flours lose nutrients as they sit on the shelf.

So on to cooking corn bread in the pressure cooker. If you don't want to cook it in the pressure cooker or don't have a pressure cooker, here's my instructions for cooking it in the oven.

Corn Bread {Electric Pressure Cooker Recipe}

Printable Recipe

*Makes 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup milk

¼ Cup butter, melted

1 large egg

1-1/4 Cup cornmeal (made with fine freshly ground popcorn)

1 Cup white flour *see note

½ Cup sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS:

Add 2 Cups of water and a splash of white vinegar to the empty pressure cooker. I've found that adding the vinegar to the water helps so you don't develop a white film around your pressure cooker pan when you cook. Place the metal trivet on the bottom. Then spray a round pan that fits into the electric pressure cooker with oil. 

Beat milk, butter and egg in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients all at once just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Pour batter into round pan. Wrap pan with aluminum foil. Fold a 1-1/2 to 2 foot piece of aluminum foil into thirds and use that to carry the pan in and out of the pressure cooker (See my pressure cooker bread post for an example of this). Pressure on high pressure for 16 minutes. Naturally release the pressure. Serve warm.

*Note: alternatively you can try it with a whole-grain flour. I've made it with wonder flour before and it it's really tasty, just a bit more crumbly than with white flour.

Reactions & thoughts on pressure cooking cornbread: 
It tasted delicious! My oldest son said I should make it this way every time, he loved it. In fact he even asked for some today in his lunch. The pressure cooker made it very moist inside.

There wasn't a whole lot of time savings. I tried to cut the time to 12 minutes the first time I made it and it was still raw inside. The second time I did 16 minutes and it came out perfectly done. In the oven it takes about 20-25 minutes so if you count time for the pressure cooker to heat up and cool down, you're not saving much time.

It wasn't the prettiest thing in the world. I covered it with aluminum foil and it stuck a little so next time I either need to spray the foil or try it uncovered.

Well, I'm on the fence a little on this one. I haven't decided which way I'll be cooking corn bread in the future...in the oven or in the pressure cooker. What do you think? Have you tried making corn bread in the pressure cooker? Got any tips for me? What works for you? Do you think it's worth it? Got a better recipe for me to try?

For more pressure cooker recipes see my pressure cooker recipe page. Or follow my pressure cooker board on pinterest.

Can You Make Bread in a Pressure Cooker?

This is probably an odd question that only a pressure cooker enthusiast wonders. So call me a pressure enthusiast, I wondered it! And if you did to, I'm here to tell you the answer so read on...

I read a book a few weeks ago that mentioned something about making bread in a pressure cooker. So I had to see if it would work!

I used my favorite, tried and true bread recipe that makes three 1.5 lb loaves of bread. Two of the loaves I made in the oven. And one loaf I experimented with in pressure cooker. I wanted to see first of all if you could make bread in the pressure cooker. And second of all if there was any benefit to doing it.

Here's the round pan that I used to cook the bread in. Nothing special, it just needs to be able to fit inside the pressure cooker.

I put in the bread dough into the greased pan and pressed it down.

I filled the pressure cooker with 2 cups of water and a splash of vinegar. I've found that adding the vinegar to the water helps so you don't develop a white film around your pressure cooker pan when you cook this. I placed the metal trivet on the bottom of the pressure cooker. Then I made a cool little pan carrier by folding a 1-1/2 to 2 foot piece of tin foil into thirds.

I used that to place my bread inside the pressure cooker and I folded the tin foil down.

I turned on the pressure cooker onto the warm setting for just a few minutes and let it barely start to get warm and then turned it off. I placed the lid on the pressure cooker and let my bread dough rise in the heated little "room" for about 30 minutes until it filled the pan.

When it was done rising I turned the pressure onto high pressure for 20 minutes and let the bread cook. When it was done cooker I released the pressure using the quick release method and here's what I saw when I opened the lid.

It looked a little strange with a very moist top and I wondered it if was done. But I pulled it out and let it cool just a minute in the pan.

Then I took it out of the pan here's what it looked like on the inside - I was pleasantly surprised! It was completely done, with wonderful texture and tasted delicious!

So to answer the first question, I discovered that YES you could make bread in the pressure cooker. It works great.

Now for the second question...is there any benefit in doing it? And the answer is, that depends! Here's what I discovered:

1. Pressure cooker bread cooks in about the same time as bread baked in the oven - actually to be specific, the pressure cooker beat the bread in the oven by 1 minute! It was that close. So there's not really any time benefit.


2. Pressure cooker bread has no crusts - this could be a good or a bad thing. I love bread crusts, but I know there's some people out there that may not. This may be the answer you're looking for to get your kids to eat homemade bread, I don't know. But as for me and my house, we like bread crusts.


3. There is very little difference in taste or texture between pressure cooker bread and bread baked in the oven - The pressure cooker bread may be a little more moist, but it's really not noticeable. And they taste about the same. 


4. Pressure cooker bread is kind of unusual looking - this may be a good or a bad thing for you. I like the color of crusty loaves of browned bread out of the oven. And in my opinion, pressure cooker bread leaves a lot to be desired, visually speaking.

So in conclusion, yes cooking bread in the pressure cooker is possible, but I really don't see myself making it that way on a regular basis and probably not ever again to be quite honest. It was a fun little exercise, and you are ever bored, you are welcome to try it yourself. If you just want to bake it in the oven, I won't be offended! In fact I encourage it! Unless...maybe you don't have an oven and you just happen to have a pressure cooker lying around. Or the other possibility is that your kids don't like crusts. And then you can make 1 loaf for them in the pressure cooker and 2 for yourself in the oven!

Whole Wheat Bread {Electric Pressure Cooker Recipe}
Printable Recipe (Electric Pressure Cooker Method)

Printable Recipe (Oven Method )

*Makes three 1.5-lb loaves

3 Cups hot water, microwave on high 2-3 min or until quite warm
1/3 Cup oil
1/3 Cup sugar
1 Tbsp. salt (put in first before adding yeast)
3 Cups + freshly ground whole wheat flour (hard white wheat)
2 Tbsp. yeast on top of flour
½ Cup gluten flour

½ Cup ground flax seed (optional) 

Combine above ingredients in Bosch mixer in order, making sure that the yeast is on top of the flour. Mix with the dough hook. Add more whole wheat flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Then mix for an additional six minutes. Divide dough into 3 loaves (the dough will still be VERY sticky - so sticky that you won't be able to form your loaves without putting oil on your hands). In the pressure cooker, you will only be able to cook 1 loaf of bread at a time. If desired, you can cook the other two loaves using the oven method or freeze the dough to cook in the pressure cooker later.

Grease a round pan that fits into the pressure cooker, place the 1/3 of the bread dough into it, and pressed it down to fill the pan. Place the metal trivet on the bottom of the pressure cooker. Then add 2 cups of water to the pressure cooker and a splash of vinegar. I've found that adding the vinegar to the water helps so you don't develop a white film around your pressure cooker pan when you cook this way.

Then make a little pan carrier by folding a 1-1/2 to 2 foot piece of tin foil into thirds. Place the tin foil carrier underneath the round bread pan and use it to place the bread inside the pressure cooker. Then fold the tin foil down around the edges of the bread pan so it doesn’t prohibit the dough from rising.

Turn on the pressure cooker onto the warm setting for just a few minutes and let it barely start to get warm and then turn it off. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and let the bread dough rise in the heated little "pressure cooker room" for about 30 minutes until the dough has risen to fill the pan.

When it is done rising, turn the pressure cooker on to high pressure and cook the bread for 20 minutes. Release the pressure using the quick release method. Allow the bread to cool. Then remove from the cooker using the foil handle. Slice, eat, and enjoy.

For more pressure cooker recipes see my pressure cooker recipe page. Or follow my pressure cooker board on pinterest.

Can You Make Bread in a Pressure Cooker?

Posted by admin

This is probably an odd question that only a pressure cooker enthusiast wonders. So call me a pressure enthusiast, I wondered it! And if you did to, I'm here to tell you the answer so read on...

I read a book a few weeks ago that mentioned something about making bread in a pressure cooker. So I had to see if it would work!

I used my favorite, tried and true bread recipe that makes three 1.5 lb loaves of bread. Two of the loaves I made in the oven. And one loaf I experimented with in pressure cooker. I wanted to see first of all if you could make bread in the pressure cooker. And second of all if there was any benefit to doing it.

Here's the round pan that I used to cook the bread in. Nothing special, it just needs to be able to fit inside the pressure cooker.

I put in the bread dough into the greased pan and pressed it down.

I filled the pressure cooker with 2 cups of water and a splash of vinegar. I've found that adding the vinegar to the water helps so you don't develop a white film around your pressure cooker pan when you cook this. I placed the metal trivet on the bottom of the pressure cooker. Then I made a cool little pan carrier by folding a 1-1/2 to 2 foot piece of tin foil into thirds.

I used that to place my bread inside the pressure cooker and I folded the tin foil down.

I turned on the pressure cooker onto the warm setting for just a few minutes and let it barely start to get warm and then turned it off. I placed the lid on the pressure cooker and let my bread dough rise in the heated little "room" for about 30 minutes until it filled the pan.

When it was done rising I turned the pressure onto high pressure for 20 minutes and let the bread cook. When it was done cooker I released the pressure using the quick release method and here's what I saw when I opened the lid.

It looked a little strange with a very moist top and I wondered it if was done. But I pulled it out and let it cool just a minute in the pan.

Then I took it out of the pan here's what it looked like on the inside - I was pleasantly surprised! It was completely done, with wonderful texture and tasted delicious!

So to answer the first question, I discovered that YES you could make bread in the pressure cooker. It works great.

Now for the second question...is there any benefit in doing it? And the answer is, that depends! Here's what I discovered:

1. Pressure cooker bread cooks in about the same time as bread baked in the oven - actually to be specific, the pressure cooker beat the bread in the oven by 1 minute! It was that close. So there's not really any time benefit.


2. Pressure cooker bread has no crusts - this could be a good or a bad thing. I love bread crusts, but I know there's some people out there that may not. This may be the answer you're looking for to get your kids to eat homemade bread, I don't know. But as for me and my house, we like bread crusts.


3. There is very little difference in taste or texture between pressure cooker bread and bread baked in the oven - The pressure cooker bread may be a little more moist, but it's really not noticeable. And they taste about the same. 


4. Pressure cooker bread is kind of unusual looking - this may be a good or a bad thing for you. I like the color of crusty loaves of browned bread out of the oven. And in my opinion, pressure cooker bread leaves a lot to be desired, visually speaking.

So in conclusion, yes cooking bread in the pressure cooker is possible, but I really don't see myself making it that way on a regular basis and probably not ever again to be quite honest. It was a fun little exercise, and you are ever bored, you are welcome to try it yourself. If you just want to bake it in the oven, I won't be offended! In fact I encourage it! Unless...maybe you don't have an oven and you just happen to have a pressure cooker lying around. Or the other possibility is that your kids don't like crusts. And then you can make 1 loaf for them in the pressure cooker and 2 for yourself in the oven!

Whole Wheat Bread {Electric Pressure Cooker Recipe}
Printable Recipe (Electric Pressure Cooker Method)

Printable Recipe (Oven Method )

*Makes three 1.5-lb loaves

3 Cups hot water, microwave on high 2-3 min or until quite warm
1/3 Cup oil
1/3 Cup sugar
1 Tbsp. salt (put in first before adding yeast)
3 Cups + freshly ground whole wheat flour (hard white wheat)
2 Tbsp. yeast on top of flour
½ Cup gluten flour

½ Cup ground flax seed (optional) 

Combine above ingredients in Bosch mixer in order, making sure that the yeast is on top of the flour. Mix with the dough hook. Add more whole wheat flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Then mix for an additional six minutes. Divide dough into 3 loaves (the dough will still be VERY sticky - so sticky that you won't be able to form your loaves without putting oil on your hands). In the pressure cooker, you will only be able to cook 1 loaf of bread at a time. If desired, you can cook the other two loaves using the oven method or freeze the dough to cook in the pressure cooker later.

Grease a round pan that fits into the pressure cooker, place the 1/3 of the bread dough into it, and pressed it down to fill the pan. Place the metal trivet on the bottom of the pressure cooker. Then add 2 cups of water to the pressure cooker and a splash of vinegar. I've found that adding the vinegar to the water helps so you don't develop a white film around your pressure cooker pan when you cook this way.

Then make a little pan carrier by folding a 1-1/2 to 2 foot piece of tin foil into thirds. Place the tin foil carrier underneath the round bread pan and use it to place the bread inside the pressure cooker. Then fold the tin foil down around the edges of the bread pan so it doesn’t prohibit the dough from rising.

Turn on the pressure cooker onto the warm setting for just a few minutes and let it barely start to get warm and then turn it off. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and let the bread dough rise in the heated little "pressure cooker room" for about 30 minutes until the dough has risen to fill the pan.

When it is done rising, turn the pressure cooker on to high pressure and cook the bread for 20 minutes. Release the pressure using the quick release method. Allow the bread to cool. Then remove from the cooker using the foil handle. Slice, eat, and enjoy.

For more pressure cooker recipes see my pressure cooker recipe page. Or follow my pressure cooker board on pinterest.

Etiquette Dinner

We had quite a fun experience last night teaching three teenage boys to cook. My husband works with the young men in our church group ages 12 - 18. Last night they were having an etiquette dinner at 6 p.m. with the young women where they learned manners, etc. The young men were in charge of cooking dinner so they met at our house at 4 p.m. to make this dinner:

- A spinach salad (with roasted almonds) - see recipe below
- Bread sticks
- Chocolate Lush Dessert

Some of the other boys were making chicken stroganoff at another home for the main dish. They made enough food to feed 36 people with some leftovers. I was so impressed with the boys and what they were able to accomplish in only 2 hours. The food was beautiful and tasty and they had a lot of fun doing it. We only had one mishap with a pan of roasted almonds, but I was so impressed with how they cleaned it right up and we still had plenty of almonds for the salad.

These recipes are really simple and perfect for cooking with your kids!

Roasted Almond Spinach Salad 
Printable Recipe

*Serves 8-10

1 10-oz. package fresh spinach
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3/4 Cup dried cranberries
1 Cup roasted, slivered almonds
raspberry vinaigrette dressing (to taste)

Combine all ingredients and toss. Serve immediately.

Isn't it colorful? This picture is taken without the roasted almonds and the dressing. They added those just before serving.

We made three batches of this Chocolate Lush dessert:

Chocolate Lush

Printable Recipe

*Serves 12-15

*Note: This dessert is put together in 4 layers.

2 Cups Flour

3/4 Cups butter

1 Cup chopped walnuts

1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese

1 Cup powdered sugar

1 8-oz. Carton Cool Whip, divided

1 small package instant chocolate pudding

1 small package instant vanilla pudding

3 Cup milk (whole is best)

Crust Layer:

Mix together 2 Cups flour, 3/4 Cup butter and 1 Cup walnuts with a fork. Spread in a 9 x 13" ungreased pan. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool completely before adding the next two layers.

Cream Cheese Layer:

Mix together 1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, 1 Cup powdered sugar and 1 Cup Cool Whip in a bowl with an electric mixer. Spread layer of cooled crust.

Pudding layer:

Put 1 small package chocolate pudding, 1 small package vanilla pudding and 3 Cup milk in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on high for 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl often. Then spread pudding mix on top of cream cheese layer.

Cool Whip Layer:

Spread the remaining Cool Whip onto the top of the pudding layer. Sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired, chocolate sprinkles, or a grated chocolate bar.

Then chill until serving.

Variations:

You can also use another kind of pudding in place of the chocolate. For example Lemon Lush would use 1 pkg. Lemon Pudding, Butterscotch Lush would use 1 pkg. butterscotch pudding, Pistachio Lush would use 1 pkg. pistachio pudding.

Finally, we made three batches of bread sticks. Here's the recipe. Make LOTS! Nobody can eat just one! *Note: Sometimes for our family I make them whole wheat. Click here for the whole wheat recipe. 

Bread Sticks after Raising

Bread Sticks
Printable Recipe

*Makes about 24 breadsticks

1 1/2 Cups Water
1 tsp. salt 
1 Tbsp. powdered milk
1 Tbsp. honey or brown sugar
1-1/2 Cups Freshly-ground Wheat flour
3-4 Cups Unbleached White Flour
1 Tbsp. SAF instant yeast 

1/4 Cup melted butter

Heat water in the microwave for 1-1/2 minutes or until hotter than 110 F. Then add water, salt, milk, and sugar in Bosch mixer. Add 1-1/2 Cup wheat flour. Then add the yeast on top. Set mixer at 2nd speed and mix adding the white flour until barely begins to pull from sides (you may not need all of it). Mix to let gluten work in for about 6 min.

Roll the dough into "snakes" to the size that you desire. Brush tops with 1/4 Cup melted butter, and sprinkle with any topping such as garlic or onion salt, parmesan cheese, sesame or poppy seeds, or seasoned salt. Allow to rise 15-20 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees about 10-15 minutes. They are great dipped or spread with butter as you eat them.

*Note: People eat a lot of these so always make more than you think!

Cooked Bread Sticks - Don't they look professional?

Here they are doing the dishes afterwards! What a fun evening and what a great bunch of kids!

Etiquette Dinner

Posted by admin

We had quite a fun experience last night teaching three teenage boys to cook. My husband works with the young men in our church group ages 12 - 18. Last night they were having an etiquette dinner at 6 p.m. with the young women where they learned manners, etc. The young men were in charge of cooking dinner so they met at our house at 4 p.m. to make this dinner:

- A spinach salad (with roasted almonds) - see recipe below
- Bread sticks
- Chocolate Lush Dessert

Some of the other boys were making chicken stroganoff at another home for the main dish. They made enough food to feed 36 people with some leftovers. I was so impressed with the boys and what they were able to accomplish in only 2 hours. The food was beautiful and tasty and they had a lot of fun doing it. We only had one mishap with a pan of roasted almonds, but I was so impressed with how they cleaned it right up and we still had plenty of almonds for the salad.

These recipes are really simple and perfect for cooking with your kids!

Roasted Almond Spinach Salad 
Printable Recipe

*Serves 8-10

1 10-oz. package fresh spinach
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3/4 Cup dried cranberries
1 Cup roasted, slivered almonds
raspberry vinaigrette dressing (to taste)

Combine all ingredients and toss. Serve immediately.

Isn't it colorful? This picture is taken without the roasted almonds and the dressing. They added those just before serving.

We made three batches of this Chocolate Lush dessert:

Chocolate Lush

Printable Recipe

*Serves 12-15

*Note: This dessert is put together in 4 layers.

2 Cups Flour

3/4 Cups butter

1 Cup chopped walnuts

1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese

1 Cup powdered sugar

1 8-oz. Carton Cool Whip, divided

1 small package instant chocolate pudding

1 small package instant vanilla pudding

3 Cup milk (whole is best)

Crust Layer:

Mix together 2 Cups flour, 3/4 Cup butter and 1 Cup walnuts with a fork. Spread in a 9 x 13" ungreased pan. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool completely before adding the next two layers.

Cream Cheese Layer:

Mix together 1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, 1 Cup powdered sugar and 1 Cup Cool Whip in a bowl with an electric mixer. Spread layer of cooled crust.

Pudding layer:

Put 1 small package chocolate pudding, 1 small package vanilla pudding and 3 Cup milk in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on high for 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl often. Then spread pudding mix on top of cream cheese layer.

Cool Whip Layer:

Spread the remaining Cool Whip onto the top of the pudding layer. Sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired, chocolate sprinkles, or a grated chocolate bar.

Then chill until serving.

Variations:

You can also use another kind of pudding in place of the chocolate. For example Lemon Lush would use 1 pkg. Lemon Pudding, Butterscotch Lush would use 1 pkg. butterscotch pudding, Pistachio Lush would use 1 pkg. pistachio pudding.

Finally, we made three batches of bread sticks. Here's the recipe. Make LOTS! Nobody can eat just one! *Note: Sometimes for our family I make them whole wheat. Click here for the whole wheat recipe. 

Bread Sticks after Raising

Bread Sticks
Printable Recipe

*Makes about 24 breadsticks

1 1/2 Cups Water
1 tsp. salt 
1 Tbsp. powdered milk
1 Tbsp. honey or brown sugar
1-1/2 Cups Freshly-ground Wheat flour
3-4 Cups Unbleached White Flour
1 Tbsp. SAF instant yeast 

1/4 Cup melted butter

Heat water in the microwave for 1-1/2 minutes or until hotter than 110 F. Then add water, salt, milk, and sugar in Bosch mixer. Add 1-1/2 Cup wheat flour. Then add the yeast on top. Set mixer at 2nd speed and mix adding the white flour until barely begins to pull from sides (you may not need all of it). Mix to let gluten work in for about 6 min.

Roll the dough into "snakes" to the size that you desire. Brush tops with 1/4 Cup melted butter, and sprinkle with any topping such as garlic or onion salt, parmesan cheese, sesame or poppy seeds, or seasoned salt. Allow to rise 15-20 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees about 10-15 minutes. They are great dipped or spread with butter as you eat them.

*Note: People eat a lot of these so always make more than you think!

Cooked Bread Sticks - Don't they look professional?

Here they are doing the dishes afterwards! What a fun evening and what a great bunch of kids!

Homemade Hamburger Buns

My 4-yr-old just walked up to me super excited with a plain fettuccine noodle in his hand and said, "Mom you've gotta try this!" 

I bent over and tasted it and thought, "Oh, it tastes like a boring, plain (and cold) fettuccine noodle"

....but of course I gave him the response he was looking for...

"mmmmh!" I said enthusiastically. 

He gives me a big smile and says, "See, it tastes like smoked noodles!" 

Oh...my mistake! 

Well I guess not all of our tastes are the same. He is definitely what my husband calls a "connoisseur of fine foods", even if only in his mind. :)

Since we're talking about sprouts this week, I wanted to share a recipe that you can use your fresh sprouts on to make them healthier and even more delicious - homemade hamburger buns (or veggie burgers if you prefer).

In our culture it seems like one of the favorite fast food sandwiches of all time, that's universal from McD's to BK is the hamburger. It's like pure american food! But honestly I can't even stomach the thought of eating a burger from McD's or BK or any fast food joint anymore. They are in simple terms, just plain disgusting, every way you look at it. So I've solved that problem for you by sharing here a recipe for homemade hamburger buns that you can make very simply in less than an hour! They freeze well so you can make a big batch and pull them out when you need one of those quick, easy (fast food) dinners. They are much healthier and tastier than their store-bought counterparts so I hope you enjoy!

Update Feb 2013: Once you make these you are not going to want to go back to store bought buns ever again. My husband raves about them each time I make them and they have become a favorite recipe.

Hamburger Buns

Printable Recipe

*Makes 12 buns

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 Cup powdered milk *See Note below
2 Cups VERY warm water, microwave on high for 2-3 minutes ( >110 F)
1/4 Cup oil
2 Tbsp. honey
2 eggs
2 tsp. salt
1/4 Cup gluten flour
5-6 Cups of whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp active dry yeast
egg wash (1 egg + 2 Tbsp. water)
sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:
In a stand mixer combine (in this order) powdered milk, warm water, oil, honey, eggs, salt, gluten flour, 2 Cups of the whole-wheat flour with the yeast on top. Turn on the mixer and add enough whole-wheat flour until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. The dough should just clean the sides of the bowl, but still be a little tacky to the touch - you may not need all the flour. Mix for 6 minutes to develop gluten.

Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and form into buns. I made balls and flattened them slightly. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Brush with egg wash (mix 1 egg and 2 Tbsp. water) and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Preheat oven to 350. Let dough rise about 20 minutes then place in hot oven and bake 18-20 minutes.

*Note: If you don't have powdered milk you can heat up 2 Cups milk (any kind) in the microwave in place of the powdered milk and 2 Cups water

*This recipe freezes well. I like to double the batch and freeze what I don't need.

*Recipe Source: Adapted from Be Practical Today

Linked to Must Try Mondays, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Blog Hop, Tuesdays Tasty Tidbits, Tasty Tuesdays

Homemade Hamburger Buns

Posted by admin

My 4-yr-old just walked up to me super excited with a plain fettuccine noodle in his hand and said, "Mom you've gotta try this!" 

I bent over and tasted it and thought, "Oh, it tastes like a boring, plain (and cold) fettuccine noodle"

....but of course I gave him the response he was looking for...

"mmmmh!" I said enthusiastically. 

He gives me a big smile and says, "See, it tastes like smoked noodles!" 

Oh...my mistake! 

Well I guess not all of our tastes are the same. He is definitely what my husband calls a "connoisseur of fine foods", even if only in his mind. :)

Since we're talking about sprouts this week, I wanted to share a recipe that you can use your fresh sprouts on to make them healthier and even more delicious - homemade hamburger buns (or veggie burgers if you prefer).

In our culture it seems like one of the favorite fast food sandwiches of all time, that's universal from McD's to BK is the hamburger. It's like pure american food! But honestly I can't even stomach the thought of eating a burger from McD's or BK or any fast food joint anymore. They are in simple terms, just plain disgusting, every way you look at it. So I've solved that problem for you by sharing here a recipe for homemade hamburger buns that you can make very simply in less than an hour! They freeze well so you can make a big batch and pull them out when you need one of those quick, easy (fast food) dinners. They are much healthier and tastier than their store-bought counterparts so I hope you enjoy!

Update Feb 2013: Once you make these you are not going to want to go back to store bought buns ever again. My husband raves about them each time I make them and they have become a favorite recipe.

Hamburger Buns

Printable Recipe

*Makes 12 buns

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 Cup powdered milk *See Note below
2 Cups VERY warm water, microwave on high for 2-3 minutes ( >110 F)
1/4 Cup oil
2 Tbsp. honey
2 eggs
2 tsp. salt
1/4 Cup gluten flour
5-6 Cups of whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp active dry yeast
egg wash (1 egg + 2 Tbsp. water)
sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:
In a stand mixer combine (in this order) powdered milk, warm water, oil, honey, eggs, salt, gluten flour, 2 Cups of the whole-wheat flour with the yeast on top. Turn on the mixer and add enough whole-wheat flour until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. The dough should just clean the sides of the bowl, but still be a little tacky to the touch - you may not need all the flour. Mix for 6 minutes to develop gluten.

Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and form into buns. I made balls and flattened them slightly. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Brush with egg wash (mix 1 egg and 2 Tbsp. water) and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Preheat oven to 350. Let dough rise about 20 minutes then place in hot oven and bake 18-20 minutes.

*Note: If you don't have powdered milk you can heat up 2 Cups milk (any kind) in the microwave in place of the powdered milk and 2 Cups water

*This recipe freezes well. I like to double the batch and freeze what I don't need.

*Recipe Source: Adapted from Be Practical Today

Linked to Must Try Mondays, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Blog Hop, Tuesdays Tasty Tidbits, Tasty Tuesdays