Breads and Muffins Archives

November 20, 2014

Cranberry Pecan Cornbread

Keeping it short and sweet today with a festive twist on a traditional cornbread which is completely whole grain and naturally sweetened. This Cranberry Pecan Cornbread incorporates both white whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour and is sweetened with maple syrup and a touch of honey. It would be a beautiful addition to any Thanksgiving spread, but it also makes a nice breakfast bread or afternoon snack. I like this best served warm with some extra raw honey spread on top.

Cranberry Pecan Cornbread

Ingredients

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1¼ cups plain whole milk yogurt
½ cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons honey
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
⅔ cup dried cranberries
½ cup chopped pecans, plus 10-12 pecan halves for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9x5 loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together both flours, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, syrup, honey, butter, and eggs.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the cranberries and chopped pecans. Transfer batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top. Arrange pecan halves neatly in a row down the center.
Bake until bread starts to become golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool in pan for 20 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

adapted from Epicurious

November 3, 2014

Olive and Rosemary Breadstick Twists

There is a certain reward that comes from baking your own bread at home. Unlike other forms of cooking or baking, working with bread dough forces me to slow down and it calms my soul. The process is beautiful and there is no substitute for warm crusty bread fresh out of the oven. Over the past few years I’ve experimented with various bread baking techniques in trying to achieve the crust found on most artisan breads. For these Olive and Rosemary Breadstick Twists, I used a steaming method that I once learned from a Zingerman’s bread baking class. In addition to making a fairly wet dough, a steam tray is placed in the bottom of the oven, helping the bread to develop a golden, crisp, and chewy crust.

With the abundance of rosemary plants at Whole Foods last week, I was reminded of a whole -grain rosemary loaf that I once tried at the farmer’s market. In these breadsticks, I added kalamata olives with the rosemary and found that those pair quite well in this savory bread. I used a combination of all-purpose, whole wheat, and rye flours for character and flavor. This bread does require some planning ahead as it needs to be started the night before, but the dough comes together quickly and no kneading is necessary. During the overnight resting period, the bread develops an incredibly deep flavor and a great chewy texture. Lastly, in the recipe I’ve included measurements by weight and by volume, but using weighted measurements will most accurately help you to achieve the correct flour to water ratio. It’s hard to believe that such a simple method can lead to such great results, but I hope you will give this a try!

Olive and Rosemary Breadstick Twists

Ingredients

10 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
3½ ounces whole wheat flour (about ¾ cup)
1½ ounces rye flour (about ¼ cup)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon yeast
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
⅓ cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
7 ounces water (about ⅞ cup)
3 ounces beer (about ⅓ cup)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
coarse finishing salt for sprinkling on top
special equipment: pizza stone

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, and yeast. Stir in the rosemary and kalamata olives. In a small mixing bowl or liquid measuring cup, mix together the water, beer, and vinegar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together with a wooden spoon until well combined.
Cover and let rest for 8-18 hours.
Place pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven. Place a large rimmed baking sheet on the bottom rack. Preheat oven to 425.
Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead 10-15 times. Divide dough to make 10 smaller pieces. Roll each piece to make a 10-inch rope. Twist 2 pieces together and pinch the ends. Repeat with the remaining 8 pieces. Cover and let rise 30-40 minutes, until the indentation springs back when a finger lightly presses the dough. Sprinkle lightly with coarse salt.
Quickly sprinkle the pizza stone with cornmeal and gently transfer the breadstick twists to the pizza stone. Pour 2 cups of water in the rimmed baking sheet and quickly close the oven door.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until bread is golden brown.

October 20, 2014

Pistachio Almond Baked Donuts

How did it take me so long to buy a donut pan?! For a long time I kept convincing myself that I did not need another specialty baking pan, but after seeing this recipe, I finally decided that I could go no longer without a donut pan. Now I wish someone had convinced me that I needed a donut pan a long time ago. In terms of cookware, donut pans are relatively inexpensive and they take up very little space. I think this could possibly be my best purchase of 2014.

Baked donuts have brought such a welcome change from the usual muffins and quick breads that I often bake. Shape indeed does make a difference. Since I have been making them mostly for breakfast, I wanted to create a recipe that was whole-grain and refined sugar-free. These Pistachio Almond Baked Donuts are a combination of some of my favorite flavors. They are made with whole wheat pastry flour and ground pistachios, lightly sweetened with coconut sugar and honey, and finished with a dark chocolate glaze. I like these best served warm out of the oven.

Pistachio Almond Baked Donuts

Serves: 6 donuts

Ingredients

Donuts

¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
⅓ cup finely ground pistachios, plus extra for sprinkling on top
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 egg
⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1½ teaspoon almond extract

Glaze

1.5 ounces dark chocolate
¼ teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon coconut oil

Instructions

Donuts

Preheat the oven to 400.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, ground pistachios, baking powder, and salt.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, butter, coconut sugar, honey, and almond extract.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together until just combined. Do not over mix.
Pipe the mixture evenly into the donut pan. (I use a small ziploc bag and cut the tip off one corner for piping.)
Bake for 10 minutes, until donuts are light golden brown. Let cool in pan for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Dip donuts in chocolate glaze and sprinkle with additional ground pistachios. Donuts are best served slightly warm.

Glaze

Melt chocolate and coconut oil together in a double boiler or in a microwave. If using a microwave, heat for 15 second intervals and stir after each interval. When chocolate is almost completely melted, remove from heat and stir until smooth. Stir in almond extract.