Soaked Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

Makes  loaves, 1 hamburger buns, or  dozen dinner rolls 

Soaking: The night before you want to bake, combine:

4 c. freshly ground wheat or spelt flour 1 1⁄2 c. cultured dairy product (buttermilk, kefir, or half yogurt and half

milk) 1⁄2 c. butter or lard, melted and cooled

Knead with mixer or by hand until all the flour is moist and it forms a ball. Cover and let sit on counter overnight.

Mixing: The next day, combine: 1 scant T. yeast 1⁄4 c. honey 1⁄4 c. warm water (if you can keep your finger in the water, then it’s not

too hot)

Let proof for  minutes then pour into the bowl with the dough. Add

2 eggs

1 1⁄2 t. salt

Mix on medium speed until the liquids are combined thoroughly with the soaked dough, then gradually add: 1-2 c. flour

until dough begins to come away from sides of bowl and forms a ball. 

Kneading: Continue mixing for  -10 min. Dough will change as the

gluten develops. It will lose its shape again, appearing too wet. Just wait. After about  minutes it will start to form a ball again. Don’t add more than 2 cups of flour unless the dough does not firm up on its own after 10 min. of kneading.

Rising: Cover dough with plastic wrap or a tea towel and set in a warm place to rise. (You can preheat your oven for  minutes then shut it off again to create a nice place to raise dough) When dough has doubled in size, wet your hand and punch it back down into the bowl. Let rise until double again and punch down. Grease pans with lard or butter and divide dough in half. Shape dough into loaves and set in pans to rise a third time. The minimal amount of yeast and several rising times makes this a very sturdy dough. It will rise well and not fall as easily as other doughs.

Baking: When dough is level with top of pans, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. When the dough has risen an inch above top of pans, place in oven. Bake for  minutes or until crust is dark, golden brown. While still hot, butter the tops of the loves to make a soft, tasty crust.

via Trina Holden

Fudgey Nutella Cookies

Yield: 12

ingredients:

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 large egg
1 cup of Nutella

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Combine flour, egg and Nutella in a large bowl and mix together with a spoon until dough comes together and no flour lumps remain. Stir in chocolate chips until evenly mixed into the dough.
2. Make dough balls, about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. Place on cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Press down slightly on dough so the dough balls are more like very very thick round disks rather than perfectly round balls. Smooth edges that may have cracked from the pressure of pushing down on the balls, so that you have thick round smooth disks.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes. Cookies should be mostly set, but might be slightly still soft in the middle. Let cookies cool on rack until completely set. Enjoy while still slightly warm or after completely cooled.

Found here.

Roasted-Vegetable Panzanella

Gourmet | June 2006

by Melissa Roberts-Matar

This version of the Italian classic is an irresistible mix of crusty-chewy bread cubes and colorful roasted vegetables, all bathed in a lusty balsamic vinaigrette. Be sure to use a good-quality French-style baguette, as a lesser bread won't keep its texture. Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings Active Time: 35 min Total Time: 1 hr 1 large garlic clove 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 (12-inch) lengths of crusty baguette, cut into 1-inch cubes (12 cups) 3/4 lb cherry tomatoes, halved 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 lb asparagus and zucchini combined, trimmed and cubed 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (preferably white) 3 tablespoons capers (packed in brine), rinsed, drained, and chopped 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1 (19-oz) can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained 1 lb lightly salted fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/3-inch dice 3/4 cup chopped fresh basil Arrange oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 425°F. Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt using a large heavy knife, then transfer to a small bowl and add 1/2 cup olive oil in a slow stream, whisking until combined well. Put bread cubes in a large bowl and drizzle with 3 tablespoons garlic oil, tossing to combine, then divide bread between 2 large shallow baking pans, arranging in 1 layer. Toast in oven, stirring once or twice, until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Leave oven on. Gently toss tomatoes with 1 tablespoon oil (not garlic oil), 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a bowl, then arrange in 1 layer on a large shallow baking pan. Toss green beans in same bowl with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper, then arrange in 1 layer in another large shallow baking pan. Roast vegetables, switching position of pans halfway through roasting and shaking pans once or twice, until tomatoes are very tender but not falling apart and beans are just tender and browned in spots, 12 to 16 minutes. Cool vegetables in pans until ready to assemble salad. While vegetables roast, add vinegar to remaining garlic oil along with capers, sugar, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and whisk to combine well. Put green beans, tomatoes (along with any pan juices), toasted bread, beans, mozzarella, and basil in a large bowl, then drizzle with dressing and stir to combine well. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature to allow flavors to develop, then stir just before serving.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Roasted-Vegetable-Panzanella-234991#ixzz2PpIwWDAm

Sticky Toffee Pudding

225 g dry & pitted dates
1 tsp baking soda
200 ml boiling water

1/2 c butter, softened
3/4 c brown sugar
2 large eggs

1 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pumpkin spice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp Ovaltine

2 Tbsp buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Butter and sugar 10 ramekins

Put dates in a bowl with the baking soda, and cover with 200 ml of boiling water. Leave to stand for a few minutes. Whiz dates, gradually adding water from bowl until you have a puree.

Meanwhile, cream butter and sugar, add the eggs, then dry ingredients. Fold in puree and buttermilk.

Fill ramekins, bake for 30 minutes.



For the Toffee Sauce:

1 c butter
1 c brown sugar
1 c cream

Cook together over low heat for approximately 10 minutes until thickened and darkened in colour.



(adapted from Jamie Oliver)

Irish Lamb Stew

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds thickly sliced bacon, diced 6 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 2 inch pieces 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 large onion, chopped

1 can beef consumme, 1 can beef broth 4 cups diced carrots 2 large onions, cut into bite-size pieces 6 potatoes 1 teaspoon dried thyme 2 bay leaves 1 cup white grape juice

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
2.	Put lamb, salt, pepper, and flour in large mixing bowl. Toss to coat meat evenly. Brown meat in frying pan with bacon fat.
3.	Place meat into stock pot (leave 1/4 cup of fat in frying pan). Add the garlic and yellow onion and saute till onion begins to become golden. Deglaze frying pan with grape juice and add the garlic-onion mixture to the stock pot with bacon pieces, and beef stock. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
4.	Add carrots, onions, potatoes, thyme, bay leaves to pot. Reduce heat, and simmer covered for 20 minutes until vegetables are tender. (allrecipes.com) I used 2 Costco packages of lamb chops, cooked them with bone on, then removed meat from bone at the end. I found this actually was a little thin, and at the end I added a roux of flour, butter, and broth to get it to the thickness I wanted in a stew.

Irish Brown Soda Bread

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups whole wheat flour 1 cup white flour 1/3 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vital wheat gluten 2 1/2 cups buttermilk

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease two baking sheets.
2.	In a large bowl, stir together whole wheat flour, white flour, rolled oats, baking soda and salt. Gently mix in the buttermilk until a soft dough is formed. Knead very lightly. Divide dough into 4 pieces; form into rounded flat loaves. Mark each loaf with an 'X' and place on prepared baking sheets.
3.	Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 40 minutes. (allrecipes.com)

Nutty Granola

5 c. oats

1 c. malted milk powder or protein powder 

1 c. coconut flakes

1 c. whole roasted almonds

1 c. pecan pieces

1 c. dried cherries and/or Craisins 

1 c. dried apricots, diced

1/2 c. pepita or pumpkin seeds

1/2 c. roasted sunflower seeds

1/4 c. flax seeds

Then mix in a saucepan:

1/4 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. coconut oil

1 c. honey

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

Heat until sugars are well dissolved but not boiling:

Pour wet into dry ingredients and stir well.

Spread out on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 for 12 minutes. Remove from oven, flip over by sections and bake for 10 more minutes.

Let it cool completely before removing from pan.

via: 71 toes