There are certain things my husband loves to eat with crackers… and I wanted to get him some the other day. I carefully read label after label, trying to find something that didn’t have any scary ingredients like soy oil and other things that he doesn’t eat anymore. There was NOTHING except some little round “melba toast” garlic-herb thingies and they were made with white flour. I did get those for him. And I got to thinking I might be able to come up with my own version. Here it is and we like it. They are very crunchy, but nicely tasty with some liver pate or broken into soup.
Combine the sourdough starter, water, garlic, herbs and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Begin adding whole wheat flour, a little at a time and stir in thoroughly.
Add and stir in flour until the dough is stiff enough to knead.
Using a little more flour to prevent sticking, knead vigorously for 10 minutes.
Wash and dry bowl.
Put a little olive oil in the bowl and rub it around.
Put the dough in and turn it over to oil the top.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap.
Let rise for 12 hours.
Moisten your work surface with water and place the dough on it.
Divide it into two, and form into two long skinny loaves that will fit in your French bread pans that have been buttered well.
Alternately, you can put them on a buttered baking pan, but they will be less “round.”
Allow to rise in pans until when you touch it lightly with your finger, the dough springs back slowly.
Bake in pre-heated oven at 400 degrees F. for 30 min.
Cool completely on wire rack.
Slice into 1/4 inch slices.
Place slices on baking sheets and into a 200 degree F. oven.
After 2 hours, turn slices over and put the baking sheets back into the oven for 1 more hour.
Remove from oven and check to make sure they are dry and crisp.
Do not let them cool before putting into containers if you live in a humid climate.
Store in air-tight containers at room temperature.
My husband is an OTR Truck Driver (Over-the-Road), and you know how healthly these guys eat. NOT! I developed this recipe because he needs whole foods that will keep him filled and nourished throughout those long days. He loves it too. This recipe yields to large loaves, and it freezes well. Great with roast beef sandwhiches or in a classic Rueben!
In a large mixer bowl add yeast, water, succanat, oil, molasses.
Stir to mix, let sit for 10 minutes or until mixture becomes creamy.
Add caraway seed, orange peel, and rye flour.
Mix to combine and let rest for 10 min.
Add salt to whole wheat flour.
Add whole wheat (2 lb), using dough hook, knead with mixer until dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides.
(About 7 min)
Remove from bowl and knead in remaining flour if needed.
Cover and let rise until doubled (6-8 hours or overnight)
Remove from bowl and shape into two loaves.
Let proof for another 4-6 hours or until it is twice the size.
(This bread will have a nice dome on the loaves)
Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
The long, slow raising of this dough nicely eliminates anti-nutrients. The additon of ground flax seeds, brewer’s yeast and blackstrap molasses kicks up the nutritional punch. This is a lovely moist loaf, good for sandwiches, toast, and it stands alone very nicely! Start this dough in the morning. You will probably be baking it early evening.
Put the yeast into a large bowl. Add the water, all at once.
Grind the flax seed in a little electric coffee grinder.
Add the ground flax seed, olive oil, molasses, brewer’s yeast and salt to the bowl. Stir.
Add 7 cups of flour. Stir well.
Begin adding more flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring each time. Keep adding the flour until the dough is stiff enough to knead. Don’t add too much. The amount will vary with your circumstances (flour, humidity, etc.)
Turn dough out onto floured surface, and knead, vigorously, for at least 10 minutes, adding a little flour as you go if it gets too sticky.
If you are an accomplished bread maker, 10 minutes may be long enough. If not, it might take up to 15 minutes to get a smooth, elastic dough.
Wash and dry the bowl. Pour a Tablespoon or so of extra-virgin olive oil into the bowl, and using your hand, spread it around. Place the dough in the bowl and then turn it upside-down. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set it on the kitchen counter.
When it has raised until it “sighs” when poked by your finger, punch it down. Replace plastic wrap and let it rise double again.
Form into 3 loaves using a little more olive oil to prevent sticking on your work surface and place in well-greased medium-sized bread pans. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. When it has raised double again, and is springy, put into a pre-heated 350 degree oven.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Remove from pans to a cooling rack.
This bread has good keeping qualities, but if you will not use it all soon, slice and freeze for later!
I am in love with white whole wheat flour. I use it in place of hard red wheat. The kids enjoy it! I started making pita while in pastry school, and I really enjoy eating them better than store-bought. On a side note, make sure your skillet is piping hot in order to get the bread to puff up.
In a mixing bowl, add whole wheat flour, salt, yeast, olive oil, and water.
Knead for 7 minutes unitl it forms a tight ball.
Let rise over 6-8 hours (or over night), or until it has doubled.
Divide dough into 2.5 oz balls, this recipe should give you 10.
Let it rest for 10 minute, cover with a damp towel.
Flaten dough balls, cover again, and rest for another 10 minutes.
In the meantime, heat a cast iron skillet until it starts to smoke.
Roll dough to a quarter inch.
Place each pita on the hot skillet, cook until bread puffs in the center.
Flip over to cook on the other side.
Remove and place on a rack to cool.
These protein-packed, grain free muffins are perfect to make in advance and then grab for a last minute meal or snack! I like these for a change from the usual sweet muffin, and find they are good even at room temperature spread with lots of grass fed butter. You can eat them fresh from the oven or even pack them for the road.
Cook bacon until it starts to crisp up, then blot with paper towels and set aside to cool. In an electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream until light and fluffy.
Mix up dry ingredients separately, and then stir them into egg mixture until well combined. Chop bacon finely and stir into batter along with cheese, and then pour into a paper-lined muffin pan. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, until set.
Sprouting wheat not only deactivates anti-nutrients that can interfere with proper digestion and absorption of minerals in the wheat, but it also provides a boost in nutrition, bringing into play enzymes and vitamin C that do not exist in un-sprouted wheat. This dense, satisfying loaf is easy to make, and freezes well.
First, sprout the wheat: Pour 2 cups of wheat berries into a wide-mouthed canning jar. Fill the jar with filtered water, cover with either a sprouting lid, or a canning ring over a piece of cotton cloth. Let it sit on the counter overnight, or 8 hours.
Drain the water out of the jar, fill again with water and drain well. Rinse the wheat berries, in this way, twice a day, until the little sprouts that are growing are slightly less than the length of the wheat kernels. Be sure you are looking at the sprouts, and not the little fine rootlets. Depending on the conditions in your kitchen, it can take 1 to 3 days for the wheat to sprout sufficiently. Watch them carefully. If they get too long, the sprouts will taste bitter. It is not a good idea to store them in the refrigerator. They will continue to grow.
Prepare a baking pan by lightly greasing with coconut oil, or put a silicone baking mat on a baking sheet.
Put the sprouted wheat berries into the bowl of a food processor with a metal blade. Add raisins and salt. Attach the lid.
Pre-heat oven to 225 degrees F.
Turn on the processor and let it run for 2 minutes. The dough should be soft and not very grainy at all.
Grease your hands with coconut oil (Important! This dough is STICKY!)
Remove the dough from the processor and on your baking pan, form it into a rectangular flat loaf that measures 4 inches by 8 inches.
Bake at 225 for 3 hours. Allow to cool, completely, on a wire rack before slicing.
Serve with butter, nut butters, honey, fruit spread, or simply plain!
This bread freezes well when tightly wrapped and makes a lovely gift for a like-minded friend along with a jar of your favorite topping or even a package of grass-fed butter.
I like to make 4 at a time, which only takes a few more minutes and saves much time and clean-up in the long run. I simply sprout 4 jars of wheat berries. It smells wonderful when it is baking.
It’s not a pretty muffin as muffins go, but don’t let its look deter you. With a soft-yet-dense texture that’s unusual for a coconut flour bread and a flavor rich in chocolate, this muffin is a palate-pleaser to be sure. Don’t think you’ll finish off a whole recipe? Freeze leftovers for later. You’ll be glad you did.
Preheat oven to 350º. In a mixer, beat coconut flour until all the lumps are out and the flour is smooth. On low speed, add salt, soda, and cinnamon. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add the zucchini and mix thoroughly. Mix in chocolate chips.
Spoon batter into greased or lined muffin pans, about 2 tablespoons for each muffin.
Bake about 20 minutes or until spongy-feeling in the middle.
If you make bread on a regular basis for your family, you know you almost always end up with some stale pieces. Toast, croutons, bread pudding and now these nice “Piedras” are all excellent ways to avoid wasting your good breads!
Using a food processor, make fine bread crumbs from leftover stale heels and slices of bread. Measure out 4.5 cups into a mixing bowl.
Add the flour, sucanat, soda and baking powder and mix well.
Melt the butter and add to the dry mixture.
Work the butter in thoroughly with your hand.
Begin adding milk, a little at a time and squishing and kneading it over and over with your hand, until it is a nice soft, moist dough. Continue to work it with your hand. It should be like cookie dough.
Add vanilla and work that in well.
Place 1/2 cup sunflower seed kernels in a dry cast iron skillet. Place it on medium heat on your kitchen stove, and stirring, cook until fragrant and several of the seeds have turned brown. Do not burn them. Add them to the bowl.
Add the raisins, and again, working it with your hand, combine thoroughly.
Cover bowl and place in the refrigerator overnight. When you are ready to bake, the next day, leave it out on the counter for at least 1 hour to warm up. It needs to be soft enough to scoop out.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cover baking a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Use a 2.5-inch ice cream scoop to measure out the Piedras dough. Place the scoops 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. If you have a scoop with a mechanism that slides and removes the contents, use that, but if not, dip the scoop in water between each Piedra. Alternately, you can use a big spoon and just form them with your hands.
Mix 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon into 2 Tablespoons of Sucanant and sprinkle a little of that over each Piedra before baking.
Bake for about 20 minutes at 350. They should be set and the bottoms beginning to turn brown.
Remove to a clean dish towel on the counter to cool.
This recipe is versatile. Feel free to add other nuts, seeds, chopped dried fruits, etc. Just don’t add too much or the Piedras will not hold together well. 1 cup total of additions is about right. Cinnamon and vanilla are optional. You may also increase or decrease the sweetening to your taste.
These may be frozen. If you flash freeze them, and store in an airtight container in the freezer, you can add one to a lunch box at the last minute and it will thaw nicely by lunch time.
Coffee cake usually has some sort of a crumbly topping, but this lil’ dish o’ goodness needs no such thing. It’s already plenty sweet and satisfying on it’s own, and simplicity is the name of the game. No one would ever guess it’s made with almond flour; even the gluten-free-wary can’t help but delight in a square. Or two.
Preheat oven to 350º. Grease a 9×13 pan.
In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients but the apples and beat on high for about 1 minute. Add grated apples and stir on low just until incorporated.
Scrape batter into greased pan and bake for 25 minutes or until the edges are brown and the middle doesn’t wiggle. Cool for about 10 minutes and serve warm.
These grain-free, dairy-free muffins are a tasty, springtime treat; a great way to enjoy fresh strawberries! If you can tolerate dairy, top with plenty of grass-fed butter or whipped cream and fresh strawberries!
Beat eggs with coconut oil, maple syrup, almond milk, stevia, and strawberry extract. Mix dry ingredients together in a smaller bowl, breaking up any lumps. Stir into the egg mixture, then add strawberries until well combined. Drop about 1/4 c. at a time into a paper-lined muffin pan and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool.
Babka bread originally came to this country from Poland and is traditionally served at Easter. There are many recipes available. This is my super-healthy adaptation.
Grease 2 medium-sized loaf pans with coconut oil.
Measure the flour into a large bowl. Stir in the salt.
Pour milk into a small saucepan and scald (heat gently until bubbles form all around the edges) and add the coconut oil to allow it to melt. Add the honey and when the mixture is lukewarm, add the eggs and beat together.
Heat 1/4 cup water to 110 – 115 degrees F. Sprinkle the yeast onto the warm water and stir with a fork.
Add the milk mixture, 1 3/4 cups more water and the yeast/water mixture to the bowl containing the flour and salt.
Stir thoroughly, and if need be, add more sprouted whole wheat flour to make a soft kneadable dough.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, adding more bits of flour to prevent sticking.
Wash and dry the bowl and grease well with more coconut oil.
When the dough is springy and elastic, place it in the greased bowl, rub a little more coconut oil over the top and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap.
Allow to raise until it doubles in bulk in a warm place. (80 degrees F.) You can tell when it is double if when you poke it with your finger, it “sighs” and the hole does not fill back in. Watch it carefully. You don’t want it to rise beyond that point.
Press the dough down to release the gas, re-cover, place in your warm place again and allow it to raise for 30 more minutes.
Flour your work surface (continue to use the sprouted wheat flour) and pour the dough out. Do not handle the dough anymore than necessary. Cut it in half and place the extra piece back in the bowl.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle, approximately 20 by 10 inches.
Combine the Rapadura, cocoa and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the dough rectangle.
Check my blog for pictures to explain all of this. (link at the top)
Now… working from one short end, “accordion – fold” the dough, trying to get the individual folds to be about 3 inches in height. When you get near to the end of the dough piece, use the unfolded part to wrap across the top of the folds. Pinch it along underneath, pinch and tuck the ends under and place it in a bread pan, seam side down.
Repeat with the second piece of dough.
The reason you should not handle it anymore than necessary, is that as it raises, gas bubbles are formed in little pockets of gluten fibers. You want to maintain those little pockets and not rip them apart. This is particularly important when using dough made from sprouted wheat flour, as it is more tender.
Start pre-heating your oven to 350 degrees F. Set the 2 loaf pans on top of the stove.
Allow to raise until it doubles, and is springy when you poke it.
Place both loaves in the oven and bake for 50 minutes. Remove from oven. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
Slice thickly and serve with plenty of nice butter!
If you like, you may add raisins or other dried fruits and/or chopped crispy nuts when you sprinkle on the Rapadura/cocoa/cinnamon mixture.
Perfect for a special brunch, this tender sweet cake melts in your mouth! Served with real butter… dreamy!
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an 8″ x 8″ glass baking dish. (I use more coconut oil for this.) Sift together: Flour, baking powder, Rapadura, salt and cinnamon. Combine milk, egg and oil and beat well. Stir the walnuts and raisins into the flour mixture. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture all at once and stir gently with a fork until all the flour is damp. Pour the batter into the greased dish and spread evenly. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. When you tap the center, lightly, with your finger, it should spring back. Then it is done. Remove from oven, sprinkle the Rapadura and cinnamon over the top, and serve warm with butter. When I was young, “coffee cake” was served, obviously, with coffee, to guests. I do not hear that term any more, and I don’t happen to drink coffee, but we still call it that. 🙂