More Bagels

Loving the bagels. Think this might be a regular thing. Next time bigger batches and freeze some since these only last a week!

Aebleakivers aka Danish Pancakes

I'd been meaning to try these for about 3 years and I finally did it this morning! The were amazing! Super cool ball pancakes that I put chocolate and banana inside of it. Actually I put Nutella in them and a slice of banana and it was off the hook! I also put jam in one of the rounds and the kids couldn't stop eating them. Yeah! Another unhealthy meal. So next time I'll try with whole wheat flour and maybe coconut oil instead of butter. I love experiments! Here is the recipe that I used, just found a random one online. Thanks Skinny Gourmet!

Blueberry Crumb Cake by Ina Garten as seen on Barefoot Contessa

So I had another craving but this time it involved blueberry crumb cake. I always love Ina Garten's recipes as they never fail to be less than absolutely outstanding. The sour cream in this recipe makes it so moist and delicious. So good I forgot to get a picture! The one on the left is from the Food Network.... so here is the link to Ina's recipe.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Gone in less the 6 hours. Having friends over to help eat it was a pleasure too! Babies and all the kiddos. yum!

Ingredients

For the streusel:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

For the cake:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup fresh blueberries
Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling

 

Directions

For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.

For the streusel:
Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.

For the cake:
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers,crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.

Updated: 10/20/2015
We loved this so much that I made 1 each week until my husband announced he had to go on a diet because I wouldn't stop baking. It was soon after that we found out he had an allergy to cow milk proteins and began our transition to dairy free and then to goat milk! Check out our little farmstead on facebook. Like us and follow! Farmchild Homestead

Bagel Time

This is my second time trying bagels this month. I'm not sure how good I am at it yet. Seems like the plain ones keep going flat and saucer like but the ones I put a topping on stayed puffy. Not sure why yet. All the recipes tell me to only let them rise for 20 minutes before I boil them but they are never risen enough yet so I leave them for 2 hours. Maybe that's why they are flat but if I don't wait that long I'd have little bagels. I'll keep working on this one. Not everything comes out perfect the first time (or second). So as you can see they rise just fine, this was about half way through the rise time.

Then they boiled up great too. The recipe I tried this time said a total of 7 minutes boiling, the last one said 3 minutes, I think it made them softer.

I put slug slime (some crazy mix of toppings from a bagel shop near Humboldt or Arcadia. I will have to find out again but Oma brought some over for us to use.

The plain ones look a little flat.....but the topped ones are perfect. Also the bottoms got a bit too crunchy on the plains, I even pulled them out a little early.

I had to bake them on the bottom racked because I had 2 quiches baking on the top rack so that might account for the crispier bottoms. It was 375 degrees for 30 minutes. They came out at 27 minutes.

Yum yum close up.

Slicing Bread & Round 3 Whole Wheat Bread

So here goes, this is how I've figured out to slice my whole wheat sandwich bread so it comes out just like store bought bread slices.

First have a decent bread knife, doesn't have to be amazing or expensive, it's all about your wrist! I do quick little slices back and forth, gently pressure, just like I'm an electric knife. I picture what those bread slicers do in the store and try do it with my knife on just one slice. I know I'm a dork. But I like to see things in my head, it's how my brain works. So just keep doing that till you reach the bottom and you did it!

Second you have to hold the slice upright so that it doesn't fall over and crack in half since this is really nice soft bread and you want it perfectly thin. Just like the picture above. Also the longer the loaf rises the fluffier it will be and the harder it is to slice and the more important it is for you to support the slice while cutting it.

Third, you can flip the bread over and slice it upside down. It squashes the top a little but it bounces back, just don't push too hard!


So this is my round 3 loaf, one of them, and as you can see they do come out different every time. So why does it look so different this time? Well hubbie helped out. I had to go to the store so he brushed the tops with half and half instead of milk and also they hadn't risen quite to where I wanted them when he put them in the oven. I also told him to leave off the oat sprinkle from the top because all it does is make a mess. Don't get me wrong, I think it looks pretty and all but this was just more practical.

So you can see the pretty bouncy muffin top is gone, it's a little denser too. It also did not "deflate" like the last couple batches. Not a bad thing but the other loaves you can see how wrinkled they were on top from the "deflating". I also like to wrap them up in plastic as they come out of the oven to maintain the moisture and so the crust gets soft because I personally dislike crunchy crust on my sandwich bread.

Garlic Pull Apart Rolls

Garlic pull apart rolls came out delicious!!! Definitely making again. I froze a few too for dinner next week. Next time I'll freeze them before the second rise.



Also thinking of making extra garlic butter to brush the tops with next time.

Wonderful Whole Wheat Bread - round 2

This is a follow up to my original post here for my favorite perfect whole wheat sandwich bread.



The dough will be stiff and feel dryer than a white bread dough - that's ok.








For the second rise I cover it with plastic wrap loosely that's been sprayed with oil because I have a cold kitchen. I also drape it with a towel and set it near the oven that is usually on.







Once completely risen to the height you would like your bread to be (it doesn't rise much in the oven) gently paint the tops with milk and sprinkle oats on it.






Oh I love the smell of the warm bread. We eat one right away and I freeze the other one as we tend to go through 2 loaves each week.






Ok so here's my tip of the day for getting perfect store bought slices out of your loaf! Turn it upside down and if you aren't using an electric knife (I don't have one) cut like you are using an electric knife. Also, if you like thin slices hold the slice up so it doesn't break in half. You'll see what I mean when you try it. Kinda hard to explain. I'll try get a picture next time.

Chocolate Cravings??? Well I had one for chocolate chip banana bread

Thanks Rachel Ray for having great recipes. Got this one from her website and it came out delicious! I added extra chocolate chips too. :0 Here's the recipe or click here for the link to her site: As you can see we were so excited to eat it I didn't get picture till we were almost half way through it!




Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 bananas, mashed (1 cup mashed banana)
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F .

Grease and flour a 8 1/2-inch x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan (or use baking spray, such as Baker's Joy brand).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix in the oil, bananas and eggs. Stir in the chocolate chips (do not overmix!) and pour into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 70-80 minutes. Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely, right side up.

Notes for next time: Double the recipe and freeze one loaf because we obviously eat it way too fast! I almost did and am not quite sure why I decided against it. Darn!

Quick Update for the week

So I'm having a terrible time finding time! How does everyone else do it? Taking pictures, posting recipes, links oh my gosh! I've take the pictures but just wanted to give a quick update with out pictures of what's been made in the last week.

Baked 2 more whole wheat bread's. I forgot to mention that I paint the top with milk and sprinkle oats just before I pop it in the oven.

Made a delicious pizza - actually 2! Ok so pics and recipe to come.....actually we ate the pizza so fast I didn't get a picture of the finished product, yikes! Just the dough. haha! next time. I make them every week so we have more chances still for this months round up.

Wish me luck. ;)

Menu: Feb. 13th - 19th

The next couple days are sounding very yummy! I want it all now! So just because it's next to a certain day doesn't mean that I actually make it on that day. LOL! It's my goal though.

Sunday: Ronzoni Garden Delight Pesto Spaghetti w/Parmesan Roasted Asparagus & Garlic Buns (Garlic Buns are compliments of Green Girl @ A little bit of everything

Monday: Mediterranean Pesto Pizza & Salad (includes sun-dried tomato's, artichoke hearts, olives & feta for toppings) Special Dessert for Valentines Day: shooting for Red Velvet Whoopie Pies)

Tuesday: Taco Salad (I use Morningstar Farms Crumble for the meat)

Wednesday: Chili Baked Potatos or maybe Twice Baked Potatos

Thursday: Split Pea Soup & Cheesy Herbed Pull Apart Bread (also from A little bit of everything) - the soup will be either the split pea or the split mung bean that Green Girl made, just depends on pricing once I get to the store.

Friday: Bean Burritos (easy and we don't need left overs for hubbies lunch the next day, this is like a day off for me.)

Saturday: I have no clue. I'm open to suggestions.....maybe someone will invite us over for dinner somewhere. ;)

I will add recipes and photo's as time permits. I'm baking 2 of my Whole Wheat Bread loaves right now and will get started on the Garlic Buns shortly! First my grocery list though....

100% Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

First I have to give credit to Heavenly Homemakers for testing this recipe out first! Here is the link to Laura's blog on the buns: Homemade Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

Mine came out delicious and fluffy. The only change would be to bake them on a cookie sheet instead of the casserole dish because my round buns ended up with square bottoms! haha!

So next time I will roll balls out instead of cutting it out with a cup so that I get the round buns that I love so much. I did a 1/2 recipe so I only got 6 buns and one twist roll that I didn't take a picture of for the blog. Also I have a cold kitchen so I left mine to rise for a lot longer and they still came out wonderful! Here is the recipe if you'd like to try it:

Homemade Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

5 cups (+) whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 pkgs regular or active dry yeast (4 1/2 t.)
2 T. honey
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup milk
2 T. butter
2 t. sea salt

In a large mixing bowl, stir together 3 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups warm water. Set aside to let rest for 30 minutes. In the meantime, mix together 1/4 cup water, yeast and honey. Allow this to sit for at least 10 minutes to activate the yeast.

Melt butter, milk and salt in a small saucepan on the stove. Do not allow the mixture to get above 120 degrees.

Pour yeast mixture and milk mixture into flour mixture. Add remaining two cups of flour (more if needed).

Knead for about 10 minutes until dough begins to look “shiny”. Put dough back into the bowl, cover and let rise for at least an hour…or until it has doubled.

Pull dough onto a clean counter top and knead for a couple of minutes to get any air bubbles out. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface until about 1/2 inch thick.

Cut circles from the dough with a large drinking glass or wide mouth jar. Place circles on in a well buttered baking dish about an inch apart.

Allow to rise for about 30 minutes. Bake for 20-25 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Makes about 18 buns.

Wonderful Whole Wheat Bread

Update: New post - round 2 - with more pictures and tips. Click here.

So I baked a double batch of a wheat recipe that I've been playing with for a while. Here the link to Tammy's Homemade Wheat Bread but I changed it a little - of course!. I will post my version of the recipe below. First what went wrong: Nothing other than the big holes in the middle! I will never again roll my dough out and then snail it up again to get a dough log for rising. I keep getting these darn holes in the middle. Other than that it was delicious, could have been a little sweeter. It's super fluffy making it a little harder to slice but it is so nice and tough from the vital wheat gluten that it doesn't tear! So yippie. I'm so close to my perfect loaf! Enjoy and let me know how you might do things differently.

Yield:

2 loaves

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons active dry yeast
2 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons oil
4 tablespoons honey (I replaced it with agave &/or white sugar because I was out of honey)
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons Vital Wheat Gluten (Bob's Red Mill is what I used)
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup old fashioned oats (dry - uncooked)

Instructions:

1. Combine first 2 ingredients with a pinch of sugar and let proof for 5 minutes. I did this in the measuring cup so that I could put the next 4 ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir while waiting for the proof. Once bubbly and fluffy yeast mix the yeast mixture into the mixing bowl and stir.

2. Add flours, vital wheat gluten, oats and salt and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes. I do this in my kitehenaid mixer. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes. Well it's winter so I left it for almost 3 hours but mainly cause I had to go grocery shopping. Came home and it was HUGE!

3. Punch dough down; knead for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Place in 2 greased loaf pans and cover. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes. I left it for about an hour or until I thought it was a good height for baking. It rose slightly int he oven but not much at all. So pick your height.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon.

5. Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. I covered it with plastic wrap for about 5-10 minutes to soften the crust. Then I removed it to a wire rack and covered it with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm! Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen until needed.

Note for next time:
More sugar/agave/honey

Here it all begins....I accept the challenge to bake my own bread for 2011

Bread Experience is offering a Bake Your Own Bread 2011 Challenge. Here is link for all the details.

I will start at the beginning by accepting this challenge. Next I will post pictures of my wheat bread that I just defrosted. I'm a little late but I have been baking all my own breads since last July (2010). Hopefully I can actually find the time to chronicle my triumphs and tribulations. I am excited to to work on some of the healthy bread in 5 minutes a day recipes too. That will come a little later. I'm still trying to find the "perfect" whole wheat loaf recipe that slices great, is nice and sweet but tangy and doesn't tear easy. I think I'm pretty close with this one. I have a few requirements that I will post about with the pictures.

So we will start there.

I LOVE freshly baked bread...who doesn't!