Is it Okay to Buy Crackers at the Store?

image by markn3tel

"Cracka" was my first word. Supposedly even before "mama" and "dada." These crunchy guys and I go way back: my mom still jokes about how I used to hold one in each hand and munch away, kind like this:

image by Joe Shlabotnik

Are Crackers Healthy?

I still love crackers, especially with some nice nutty grass-fed cheddar or a shmear of almond butter. But most crackers from the store, even a health food store, are not Plus Other Good Stuff approved. (Don't get me wrong: I gladly partake of any cracker at a party if there are delicious toppings to be had.) What's so bad about them?

The grains are either refined or whole but not soaked or sprouted which makes them hard to digest. The oils are usually either hydrogenated or rancid vegetable oils like soybean, cottonseed, or sunflower. They often contain high fructose corn syrup or "evaporated cane juice," AKA sugar.

Homemade Sourdough Crackers with Garlic Scape White Bean Dip

Some Solutions to the Cracker Dilemma

To avoid those unfortunate ingredients, I like to make my own crackers.  It's easier than you would think, and certainly gets some "ooh's" and "aah's" at a party. But in this busy and often overwhelming season of motherhood, I confess: I buy crackers from the store. I bake most of our bread and granola, and cook meals from scratch seven days a week. I ferment kombucha and make my own yogurt. All in a teeny tiny kitchen. But most of the time, I don't have time to make crackers. (I often don't even have time to take a shower!)

So here you have it: my favorite store bought crackers.

Why I Love Ak-Mak Crackers

1. No junk. Check out these ingredients:

Simple, clean, short list of ingredients. Can't beat that! I'm not worried about the sesame oil in small amounts, especially because it is not GMO.

2. Made with butter!
You know me, I love me some butter. Their butter may not be organic, but I'd rather have conventional butter than organic soybean oil! Also, their website states that some of their ingredients might be organic without being listed as such. So one can hope that it's even better than it looks!

3. Stone ground flour.
More nutrients are preserved when flour is stone ground, as opposed to steel ground. And I hold out a little hope that maybe they grind it themselves right before baking, which means it retains even more nutrients. No, it is not soaked or sprouted, but as an occasional snack I'm not too worried about it.

4. Cheap!
I get Ak-mak at Trader Joe's for less than $2 a box. I'm sure it's still cheaper to make my own crackers, but this is about as good as you can do for store-bought crackers. (We in West Michigan are still waiting and hoping for Trader Joe's to get with the program and open stores near us, but in the mean time our family stocks up whenever we visit relatives in the Chicago area.)

5. Delicious.
They really do taste great. How could they not, with those ingredients? I love the crunch of the sesame seeds and the very subtle sweetness of the honey. Delicious with hummus, cheese, nut butter, or even by themselves.

Do you buy crackers from the store? Have you found anything with ingredients you can be happy with?

This is part of Real Food Wednesday, Healthy2Day Wednesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Simple Lives Thursday, Thank Your Body Thursday


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Cinnamon Pecan Granola: my new favorite soaked granola

Soaked granola is a staple in this house. Whenever my husband needs a snack to bring with him to class or to the coffee shop or on a trip, he grabs some of my homemade granola. I try to make a batch every week, and I can barely keep up with our granola consumption!

Recently some dear friends sent us a care package of delicious healthy foods. Included in the box was some of this granola. I fell in love with the taste: it was so simple, and yet so flavorful! The ingredients are by far the best list I've ever seen on store-bought granola:

Ingredients: Organic Rolled Oats, Wheat Bran, Butter, Organic Honey, Pecans, Spices, Salt

In stressful seasons when I haven't been able to make enough granola for us, I've often found myself perusing granola packages at the grocery store, hoping for something that doesn't contain canola oil and refined sugar. Fail all around. Even "healthy" brands like Bear Naked are, simply put, full of junk.

So I was psyched when I tasted this granola and read its ingredients.

And being the real foodie I am, I thought, "Could I make granola that tastes like this...and is soaked?!"

So I tried, using this recipe as inspiration.

And what I got was delicious.

Admittedly, it has a slight tang from the soaking process, but I happen to like it. And on top of that you taste cinnamon and butter and pecans. Is there anything better?

Soaked Cinnamon Pecan Granola

 

Ingredients:
6 cups thick rolled oats (available at health food stores or natural foods co-ops)
2 cups rye flakes (if gluten free see this post)
1/2 cup grass-fed butter, melted
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup whole milk yogurt
1 cup filtered water
3/4 c. local raw honey
1/4-1/2 c. pure maple syrup
1 t. unrefined sea salt
1 T. + 2 t. cinnamon (adjust to taste)
1 T. vanilla extract
1 c. chopped pecans, preferably soaked and dried

Directions:
1. The day before you want to bake the granola, combine the oats and rye in a glass or stainless steel mixing bowl with the melted butter and coconut oil. Add the yogurt and water. Cover and let soak at room temperature for 12-24 hours. (I do this in my KitchenAid stand mixer.)
2. When you are ready to bake the granola, preheat your oven to 200 degrees and line two rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper (you can try greasing them, instead, but I choose to save on dishes).
3. Whisk together the honey, syrup, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla in a glass measuring up.
4. Add the liquid ingredients and the pecans to the soaked mixture. Mix using your mixer (depending on how big the bowl is; it's a little risky with mine since I don't have a bowl guard) or your (clean) hands.
5. Once the oats are thoroughly coated in yumminess, spread the mixture onto the cookie sheets in an even layer.
6. Bake at 200 degrees for about 8 hours, stirring every two hours to break up clumps. The granola is finished when a cooled piece is golden and crispy. If you happen to be baking your granola while you sleep (I do this often) just lower the temp to 150 and stir it in the morning. It will need a little more time after you've stirred it. As long as you keep the temp low, you can't mess this up!


**This is part of the following real food and natural living link-ups: The Homestead Barn Hop, Natural Living Monday, Real Food Wednesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Frugal Days Sustainable Ways

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Rancid Flour, Anyone? 4 Ways to Keep Whole Grain Flour Fresh

 

Perhaps you've decided that this year, you want to eat more whole grains. Even better, perhaps you've decided you want to start soaking your grains so your body can absorb more of the good stuff they contain.

Maybe, on a recent trip to the grocery store, you bought some whole wheat flour. Then you came home and put it in your pantry. And there it sits. And sits. And sits.

Did you know that as your flour sits there, it loses nutritional content day by day and turns rancid? Rancid. Rancid means fat gone bad. Whole grain flour goes rancid because it still contains the germ and bran, which is where the oils of the wheat berry reside. So it doesn't just get stale. It gets rancid. There are two downsides to rancidity. One: it makes things taste bitter. Two: the body doesn't like it!

What Does Eating Rancid Flour Do To the Body?

When you eat rancid oils, they cause free radicals in the body. Those buggers wreak havoc on the body and cause disease, and must be counteracted by anti-oxidants. Moral of the story: we don't want to introduce any more free-radicals into our bodies than necessary. Eating store-bought whole wheat flour that has been sitting in your pantry for awhile is a sure way to flood your system with free radicals. No, thanks!

4 Ways to Keep Whole Grain Flour Fresh

Follow these tips to avoid the free radicals and ensure the most nutritious flour possible!

1. Buy from a company with a high turnover rate.
Chances are good that whole wheat flour at the grocery store has been sitting there at room temperature for awhile before it even gets to your house. Try buying whole grain flour from a local health food store that grinds their own, or ordering from a whole foods Co-Op with high turnover. Here in West MI, I sometimes buy Wheat Montana flour from Country Life Natural Foods. They also grind at low temps which helps prevent some rancidity and preserves more nutrients.

2. Tightly seal.
As soon as you get your flour home, put it in an air-tight container or Ziplock. Keeping out air and moisture will help it stay fresh longer.

3. Refrigerate or freeze your flour.
If you have room in your freezer, place your fresh, sealed whole grain flour in there. It will last for several months. If not, put it in the second best place: the fridge. Every source says something different about the shelf life of whole grain flour, but this source says 6-8 months in the fridge, 2 years in the freezer. I'm guessing that's a bit generous, but if you are baking regularly your flour won't last that long anyway.

4. Grind your own.
The best way to ensure fresh flour is to grind your own from whole wheat berries just before baking. I do this in small quantities (2 cups at a time) with my Vitamix and I've been quite satisfied with the results. If you are ready in invest in (and have the space for) a grain grinder, I have heard good things about the Nutrimill. Either way, either grind just enough for your recipe or grind extra and store tightly sealed in fridge or freezer. And then bake some honey oatmeal bread or graham cracker bites!

For more information:
Food for Thought: Is Freshly Milled Flour more Nutritious?

The Importance of Grinding Your Own Flour

Do you bake with whole grain flour? If you grind your own, what is your method of choice?

This is part of Fight Back Friday, Tasty Traditions, Sunday School, Make Your Own Monday, Natural Living Monday

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Quick & Nourishing Lunch Idea: Cheesy Veggie Quinoa

On days when we don't have any leftovers, and we're out of bread or don't feel like tuna again, I'm stumped for what to eat for lunch. I need something fast and easy that will sustain us until dinner, or at least until a mid-afternoon snack. 

This quinoa is perfect for those days. It cooks in just 15 minutes, during which you can unload the dishwasher, sweep the kitchen floor, or play with your kids. Using organic frozen vegetables means you don't have to chop or wash anything; just dump it in.

And I love having another way to get quinoa into our diet, since this pseudo-grain is higher in protein than any "real" grains out there. I choose to soak it to reduce anti-nutrients like phytic acid (even though it's not a grain, it's a seed, so it still contains phytic acid which binds to minerals and prevents our bodies from absorbing them). But don't be scared; soaking quinoa is really easy! 

If you're pantry's a little bare and you know you need something to eat for lunch tomorrow, soak some quinoa before you go to bed and lunch will come together in minutes!

Cheesy Veggie Quinoa

(Serves 2-3 for lunch)
Ingredients:
1 c. quinoa, rinsed in a fine-mesh sieve
1 T. apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
filtered water to cover
1.5 c. homemade chicken stock
1/2 t. unrefined sea salt, plus more to taste
1.5 -2 c. organic frozen veggies: I used broccoli, spinach, and grated carrots (I grated & froze those myself when I had a lot of carrots to use up; they're great to throw in soups or whatever for an extra veggie punch)
spices of your choice: I sprinkled in garlic powder, ground mustard, and nutmeg
cheese: as much as looks good to you, I used about 1/2 a cup of Dubliner

Directions:

1. The night before, combine rinsed quinoa, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, and filtered water to cover in a medium saucepan. Allow to soak overnight at room temperature. (a warm place is best, like in the oven with the light on or next to a warm crock pot).
2. The next day at lunch time, drain and rinse the quinoa again, and return to the pot with the chicken stock and salt.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook covered for 10 minutes.
4. Add the frozen vegetables and spices, stir, cover, and cook for 5 minutes or until veggies are done.
5. Add grated cheese and stir to combine. Serve and enjoy your easy, delicious, filling, nutritious lunch!

This is part of: Thank Your Body Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Simple Meals Friday

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Five Baked Goods to Give as Gifts

I can't really believe it's time to start thinking about the holidays. I'm a terribly last-minute holiday planner, but I'm attempting to be a little more on top of things this year. I already have some vanilla extract brewing in my basement, and I'm planning some very fun gift-related posts for you in the coming weeks.

All my gift-related posts are going to be a part of a four-week series by the Modern Alternative Mama Team, of which I am a part! Starting next Friday, a different blog will host Homemade Holiday each week for four weeks. I'll be hosting one of the weeks and I'm SO excited! The host will also link to related posts on other MAM team sites. So you're going to get a ton of awesome gift ideas!

So, do you need some no-brainer gift ideas?

I know I do. I've been trying to make almost all the gifts we give for Christmas for the last several years. Some years, this has been rather stressful, as I try to make something really special for each person. It has become more stressful with two kids in the mix. So this year, I'm trying to go even simpler. Baked goods will definitely be a large part of the gifts we give this year!

Why give baked goods?

• Baked goods don't fill people's homes with more stuff.
• If you already bake, it's just a matter of baking a little more and giving it away. Easy!
• If you have kids, baking is a great way to involve them in the gift-making process.
• People love to eat!

But you realize, of course, that we're going to to this "Real Food" style. I don't want to fill people's lives with more white sugar, white flour, and hydrogenated oils. I want to fill them with delicious nourishing goodness.

So here are five [nourishing] baked goods you can give away as gifts.  

  Five Baked Goods to Give as Gifts

 

#1. These Cranberry Orange-Ricotta Muffins scream "holidays" to me. Made with sprouted whole wheat flour, real butter, and pastured eggs, they are loaded with nutrition! Put a few in a little basket lined with a pretty cloth napkin, or wrap in a paper bag tied with twine.

#2. Have some rhubarb in the freezer? Remind your friends and family that spring will come again with a pan of this delightful Rhubarb Coffeecake.

#3. Who doesn't love a loaf of homemade bread? This Soaked Honey Oatmeal Bread is a nice reprieve from sugar-laden treats. This would make a great gift for a teacher or the host of a holiday party.

#4. Last year I gave away pint-sized jars of my Perfect Soaked Granola to extended family members. I make this granola all the time so it was a breeze to make a big batch and jar it up. And they were so cute!

#5. Breakfast Brownies: They're breakfast. They're dessert. They're both! These brownies are loaded with oats, nuts, & dried fruit, making them a hearty and satisfying snack anytime of day. I wrapped them up in parchment and tied with kitchen string for a quick & easy package.

Do you give away baked goods as gifts during the holiday season? What are your favorites?

This is part of Farm Girl Friday, Foodie Friday, Freaky Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Fill Those Jars Friday, Natural Living Monday, Monday Mania, Make Your Own Monday, Traditional Tuesday, Hearth and Soul, Fat Tuesday, Tiny Tip Tuesday

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Soaked Banana Bread that is Actually Good!?

 

I've tried several soaked banana bread recipes. The one in Nourishing Traditions, a few around the web, and some I've tried adapting from non-soaked recipes. And I've never found one I've liked.

This is very disappointing, because I grew up with awesome banana bread. My mom's recipe, entitled "Linda's Easy and Delicious Banana Bread" in the church cookbook, is really the best I've ever had. I'm so proud of her for transitioning to making it with whole wheat flour, coconut oil, and unrefined sugar! Go mom!

I do try to make most of our baked goods soaked, soured, or sprouted, but I don't stress about it. If we want muffins and we want them now, I let it go. And I'm okay eating my mom's banana bread because it's so yummy and much healthier than most banana breads out there.

But I was determined to find a good recipe for whole grain, soaked banana bread.

And I think I finally did.

This is adapted from the recipe for "Banana Crunch Cake" in King Arthur Whole Grain Baking. I've made that coffee cake soaked and it turns out great! So why not just put it in a loaf pan and call it "bread"?

This recipe is not a replacement of my mom's banana bread. It's completely different. The banana is a little less pronounced, and it's a little more tender and less moist. But it's not dry, either. It's melt in your mouth, subtly sweet, and about as light as whole grain gets. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Notes:

• I only used 1/3 cup sucanat because my bananas were super ripe (by super ripe I mean almost black) and I wanted it only mildly sweet. If your bananas are just a little freckly or you want it a bit sweeter, you can use up to 2/3 cup. 
• I decided to make two smaller loaves to make sure they cooked all the way through, since my problem with soaked banana bread in the past has been that it never cooks all the way through.
• Feel free to try this as muffins or mini loaves!

 

Joanna's (actually good) Soaked Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1 c. oat flour (grind rolled oats in your coffee grinder or blender)
1 c. white whole wheat flour
1/2 c. plain yogurt, kefir, buttermilk, or sour milk
1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted
1 c. mashed very ripe banana (2 large or 3 medium)
1/3 c. sucanat
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans
1/4-1/2 c. chocolate chips, optional

1. Combine flours, yogurt, and melted butter in a mixing bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined. Cover and let soak 8-24 hours.
2. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour two loaf pans.
3. To the soaked mixture, add banana, sucanat, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until there are no more lumps of soaked mixture.
4. Sprinkle on baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add walnut and chips, if using. Mix just until everything is incorporated.
5. Gently pour the batter into the two prepared pans. It will only be a couple inches high in the pan.
6. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown and no longer jiggly when you touch the middle.
7. Let cool in pans for five minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. Serve with plenty of butter!

Do you make banana bread? What's your favorite recipe? If you try this one, let me know how it goes!

This is part of: Freaky Friday, Foodie Friday, Figure Friendly Comfort Foods, Make Your Own Monday, Monday Mania, Monday Musings, The Better Mom Link Up, Scratch Cookin' Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Hearth and Soul, Living Green Tuesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Frugal Food Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday 

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Granola Recipe UPDATE!

Peanut butter granola, blueberries, and whole milk Greek yogurt.

I'm in love with homemade granola. It's flavorful, satisfying, an easy breakfast or snack, and I wouldn't be able to buy anything nearly as healthy in the store.

That being said, my husband is hooked on Bear Naked's Heavenly Chocolate Granola. Since it's expensive, contains sugar and canola oil, and isn't soaked, I decided to try to make some chocolate granola to satisfy his craving.

All I did was make my usual granola, and after it was finished cooking, but still warm, I sprinkled on some dark chocolate chips (maybe next time I'll try homemade) and drizzled on some honey. Then I stirred it up and let it cool. The result is a super yummy chocolate-coated variation!

I only did this with half of the batch. With the other half I stirred in some peanut butter and honey (inspired my a delicious granola recipe a friend sent me) as it was cooling and then finished it off with dried fruit as usual. I love how both these variations have flavor on the inside and the outside. You know how store-bought cereal has flavor that just explodes in your mouth? I think this is as close as we're gonna get to that, but much healthier. You can feel good about serving this granola to your family. And even though it's a two day process, it really doesn't take that much hands-on time.

If your family is addicted to store-bought cereal, give this recipe a try! I've updated my original recipe with these two tasty variations. Enjoy!


This is part of Whole Foods Wednesday and Pennywise Platter Thursday.

Healthy Cookie Dough Bites

 
Mmmmm cookie dough. Full of sugar and raw eggs and indigestible flour.

I've been in need of snacks that are high in protein and easy to grab and eat. You know, for middle of the night "oh crap I'm hungry!" attacks. And I've had a sweet tooth that I'm trying to indulge healthfully. :) So I was pretty pumped when I found this recipe for cookie dough sans white flour and loads of sugar. I adapted it to make it even healthier, and all I can say is...next time I'm making a double batch.

I made these using soaked and dried nuts and oats, which are lower in phytic acid and therefore have more available nutrients.

It may seem like a lot of work to soak and dry the nuts and oats. If you were doing it just for this recipe, then it would be a lot of work. I prefer to soak and dry nuts and oats in large batches (perhaps 8 cups or so) to keep on hand whenever I need them (for baking, snacking, granola bars, etc.). If you already have them prepped, this recipe is very quick to put together.


Healthy Cookie Dough Bites
ingredients:

2/3 c. crispy almonds
2/3 c. crispy walnuts
2/3 c. soaked and dried oats
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/8. t. salt
1 t. vanilla
2 T. coconut oil
2 T. honey
3 T. dark chocolate chips (I want to try making homemade ones!)

method:
Grind nuts, oats, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor to make a meal. (My food processor isn't very powerful, so mine wasn't quite a "meal." But they still taste great and have a nice crunch.)

Add vanilla, oil, and honey and pulse until it comes together. Add chocolate chips and pulse again to distribute.

Roll into balls (a cookie scoop and wet hands are useful), and place on a piece of parchment on a plate or cookie sheet. Place in refrigerator or freezer until firm (an hour or so). Move the cookie dough bites to an airtight container in fridge or freezer. Try not to eat them all right away.

What's your go-to protein-packed slightly indulgent snack?

This is part of Monday Mania, Weekend Gourmet, Fat Tuesday, and Whole Foods Wednesday.

Sourdough Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Sourdough bread can be one of the most complicated things you do in your kitchen, or it can be one of the simplest. I vote for option B. Want to know how?

You've probably heard of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I laughed when I first heard about this book. I thought it was a joke. But they don't really mean five minutes total. They mean five minutes of hands on time. The basic premise it this:

1) You mix up a big batch of high-moisture, no-knead dough.
2) You keep it in the fridge, waiting for whenever you need it over the course of several days.
3) When you want to bake a loaf, you pull off a hunk of dough, shape it into a loaf, let it rise for a bit, and bake it.

You can do this the same exact way with sourdough, provided you have a happy starter going. The only difference is that you are using sourdough starter instead of commercial yeast when you mix your dough. Here's how you do it:

Sourdough Bread in Five Minutes A Day

Yield: 3-4 small to medium loaves. This recipe is easily doubled.

Ingredients:
3 c. filtered water
1.5 c. active sourdough starter (fed within the last 8 hours, ideally)
1-1.5 T. sea salt (depending on how salty you like your bread)
up to 6.5 cups flour (I start with one cup of unbleached flour, and use whole wheat for the rest)

Method:
1. In a large container or bowl that will fit in your refrigerator, stir together water, sourdough starter, and sea salt.

2. Add flour, one cup at a time, stirring as you go with a wooden spoon or your hands (messy, but efficient!). Don't add too much flour; you want the dough to be fairly wet. Don't knead it, just stir until the flour is incorporated.

3. Put it in the fridge, covered but not tightly sealed, for a day or so.

4. When you want to bake, sprinkle some unbleached white flour over the surface of the dough and pull off a hunk of dough about the size of a small melon. Shape it into a rough round and place it on a piece of parchment paper. (I put the parchment on my pizza peel for easy loading onto my pizza stone. A rimless cookie sheet would work too.) Rub the top of the loaf with a little unbleached flour.

5. Let the dough rise for 30 minutes to two hours. (I've left it much longer and it's been fine.) It might spread out a lot, but it will still taste good.

5. Preheat the oven to 400 or 450 degrees F, with a pizza stone on the top rack (if you have one) and a rimmed cookie sheet or broiler pan on the bottom rack. Let it preheat for a good 30 minutes before baking.

6. Bring a cup or two of water to a boil. Slash the loaf with a sharp knife in an X shape or diagonally.

7. Load the bread (and parchment) on the pizza stone, or bake on a cookie sheet. Pour the boiling water into the pan you placed on the bottom rack and shut the oven door. (The steam will make the crust nice and crusty.)

8. Bake until the crust is brown but not burnt, and the loaf feels firm when you push on it. (This usually takes 45 minutes to an hour for me, depending on the size of the loaf.)

9. Let cool at least partially, slice, and eat! To keep the crust crisp, store the bread on a cutting board, cut side down, covered with a clean kitchen towel. Or for convenience (but a softer crust), slice the whole thing and place it in a bread bag.

10. Repeat steps 4-9 anytime you want to bake a loaf, over the course of 5 days. When you run out, mix up another batch right away for an endless supply of delicious sourdough bread! (That way you don't have to wash the container.)

Have you ever tried this method? What do you think?

This is part of Fight Back Friday.

Peach Coffeecake Muffins

I have some peaches in my freezer from 2009. I think. I froze a ton of them after going u-picking and just haven't gotten around to using all of them. Then I froze some more last summer. I just couldn't help myself.

So last week I made some of these:

They are a variation on this recipe that I posted last June. I can't decide if I like it better with peach or with rhubarb! I thought I'd post this peach-muffin version, even though it's February, for those of you who have some ancient frozen peaches that you'd like to get out of your freezer. I still have one more large container of the old ones, in addition to the newer ones...so I might be making it again soon. :)

Peach Coffeecake Muffins

(Adapted from King Arthur Whole Grain Baking)

Soaking step:

2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 c. buttermilk, sour milk, yogurt, or kefir

The next day:

1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. unrefined sea salt

1/2 c. butter, softened

2/3 c. sucanat (an unrefined cane sugar)

1 large egg

1 1/2 t. vanilla

2 c. chopped, peeled peaches (thawed and drained if frozen)

Topping:

2 T. butter, softened

1/3 c. sucanat

1 T. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 T. cinnamon

Method:

To soak, combine the whole wheat flour with cultured dairy and stir until evenly moistened. Cover with a damp towel and a plate and put in a warm place for 7-24 hours.

When you are ready to bake the muffins, preheat the oven to 350 and grease two muffin tins or line with paper liners. (Or make two 8 or 9 inch round coffeecakes.)

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl), cream together the butter and sucanat. It won't be as light and fluffy as you're used to with white/brown sugar.

Add the egg and beat to combine.

Add the soaked dough back and mix until there are no chunks of dough left. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the buttermilk.

Stir together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and add, mixing just until combined.

Add the peaches and stir to distribute. Fill the prepared pans, filling muffin cups 3/4 full. 

Prepare your topping: Mix together the softened butter, sucanat, flour, and cinnamon until evenly combined. Sprinkle over the batter. (It's very moist and doesn't "sprinkle" very well. Just drop little globs evenly over the muffins.

Bake for 15-25 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Don't be alarmed if the topping sinks into the batter as they bake. There will be bits of cinnamony goodness inside the muffin that way, which is almost better than on top. :)

I made some into a coffeecake, too. Yum!

This is part of Fight Back Friday.

Adapting a Yeast Bread for Soaking

If you bake your own whole grain bread, you are already giving your family a great nutritional advantage over eating store-bought bread. Even organic, whole grain breads from the store almost always contain refined sugar, processed vegetable oils, and added gluten (which, I speculate, is one reason we are seeing such a rise in gluten intolerance in this country!). You can avoid those undesirable ingredients - and fill your house with the most glorious smell - by making your own bread at home.

I used to think that baking yeast bread was really difficult. It's true that there are many factors at play and that flops sometimes do happen, but it's definitely not the most complicated thing I've done in the kitchen. If you are afraid, just give it a try! You can start with my honey oatmeal bread recipe. If you're afraid to try on your own, ask a bread-making friend if you can come over and bake bread with them sometime! This was how I first learned how to make bread (thanks friend!).

Whole grain bread made at home does present us with an issue, though. Whole grains can cause vitamin deficiencies (which can lead to tooth decay and osteoporosis, among other things) if they are not properly prepared by soaking, sprouting, or souring. I think soaked yeast bread is the easiest of these to incorporate into your break-baking routine. We also love sourdough in our house, and we sometimes buy sprouted bread, but sometimes it is nice to be able to make a healthy bread without the fuss of a sourdough starter.

Why soak?
We've been told that whole grains are better for our health than refined grains. And it is true that they contain nutrients that are stripped away during the refining process. However, many of those nutrients are bound in a substance called phytic acid, which prevents our body from actually absorbing and using them. It doesn't matter what is in your food if your body can't use it! Grains also contain enzyme inhibitors that make then more difficult to digest. When you soak, sprout, or sour grains (as many traditional societies did), it neutralizes these substances and allows more of the nutrition from the grains to be used by our bodies. Some people have experienced quite a difference in how they feel after eating soaked whole grains vs. unsoaked whole grains. I choose to incorporate this practice into our lives as much as possible.

Is it hard?
Not all types of baked goods can be soaked, for example those that do not call for enough liquid to saturate the flour. In those cases it is best to use sprouted flour, which doesn't need to be soaked. Yeast bread is one example of a type of food that is easy to soak, because the amount of liquid called for easily moistens all the flour. So no, it is not hard! All it takes a little forethought, which is easy if you are already meal planning. I write down "soak bread" and "bake bread" right on my meal plan so I know when I'm going to do it. All you need is 7-24 hours between the soaking time and when you plan to mix, rise, and bake your dough.

Now get this: you don't need a special recipe for making soaked yeast bread. You can convert your favorite recipe following my method below.

Adapting Your Favorite Recipe for Soaking

Step one: Combine flour and liquid.

First, look at your recipe and find all whole grain flours and other whole grains. Add them to a mixing bowl. (My Honey Oatmeal Bread calls for 2 c. rolled oats, 2 c. wheat flour, and 2 c. white whole wheat flour.)

Then find out how much liquid - usually water or milk - it calls for. If you are not using instant yeast, leave out 1/4 c. of the liquid in order to dissolve the yeast when you are mixing the dough. Replace at least 1/4 c. of the remaining amount of liquid with cultured dairy such as whey, yogurt, buttermilk, or kefir. Gently warm the liquid (do not heat it to the temperature that would make your say "ouch!" because then you are killing the good bacteria in your cultured dairy). Add the liquid to your flours in the mixing bowl and mix thoroughly so that all the flour is moistened.
 (My Honey Oatmeal Bread calls for 2 1/2 c. of water. I leave out 1/4 c. of that for dissolving yeast, which brings me to 2 1/4 cups. I replace 1/4 c. with whey. So in all I am adding 2 c. of water and 1/4 c. of whey. The remaining 1/4 c. of water will be used to dissolve the yeast the next day.)

Note: if you do not find the amount of liquid sufficient to moisten all the dough, you may add some of the liquid sweetener or fat from the recipe at this point. Some suggest that sugars and fats inhibit the soaking process, so I choose to leave that out of the soaking step if possible.

Step two: Soak.
Cover the mixture with a plate or damp towel (or both) and leave it to soak in a warm place (such as next to the fridge or in the oven with the light on) for 7-24 hours. Warmth is important because phytic acid is best neutralized at warmer temperatures.

Step three: Mix the dough, etc.
After the soaking time, add the remaining ingredients to the soaked mixture. Be sure to dissolve the yeast in the 1/4 c. of liquid you left out of the soaked mixture, unless you are using instant yeast. Mix and knead the dough as usual, and continue on with your recipe!

Have you ever adapted a recipe - yeast bread or other - for soaking? Was it successful? I'd love to hear about it! 

This is part of Fight Back Friday, Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, and Real Food Wednesday and Simple Lives Thursday.
 

Soaked Honey Oatmeal Bread

For a couple years, my husband and I, along with some good friends, led a mid-week prayer service for college students called Ruminate. As a symbol of how God's word feeds us, we baked bread every week to share together after the service. We switched it up once in awhile, but we almost always made this delicious Honey Oatmeal Bread. The original recipe comes from King Arthur Whole Grain Baking, but we adapted it to include more whole grains, and I also figured out this tasty soaked version!

This also happens to be my husband's favorite bread recipe. When I ask him what kind of bread I should bake, he always says "You know my answer: the Ruminate bread." :)

Adapting a yeast bread recipe for soaking is really quite simple. I'm going to share that method with you soon, so you can turn your favorite whole grain yeast bread into a healthier, soaked yeast bread!

(confused about soaking grains? Check out this helpful post.)

This recipe makes two loaves. I don't go through the effort of baking bread unless I can make at least two at a time. I haven't ever made more than two of this recipe, since my Kitchen Aid can't handle much more than that. If you have a Bosch mixer, I'm sure you could double this and make four loaves at a time.

It is not 100% whole grain. It's more like 80%. But it balances the fine line between hearty and light that is sure to please normal people and whole grain lovers alike. It has a slightly craggy, soft texture from the oats and a delicious sweetness from the honey. I recommend slicing it while it's still warm and slathering it with butter. It also makes kick-butt French Toast. Oh my.

Soaked Honey Oatmeal Bread
(makes two loaves)

1) The night before you want to bake, combine in the bowl of your mixer:

2 c. rolled oats
2 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. white whole wheat flour
2 c. warm water or half water and half milk
1/4 c. whey, yogurt, buttermilk, or kefir

Mix until evenly moistened. Cover with a plate and let soak 7-24 hours.

2) After the mixture has soaked, combine in a small bowl:

4 t. yeast
1/4 c. slightly warm water

Stir gently to dissolve the yeast. (It doesn't need to bubble, just dissolve. If you have instant yeast, skip this step and just add the yeast to the bowl of your mixer. You can either add the 1/4 c. water at that point, or add it to the soaked mixture the night before.)

3) When the yeast is mostly dissolved, add it to the bowl of your mixer, and add the remaining ingredients:

1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. butter, softened
2 t. salt
1 1/3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 c. ground flax seeds (opt.)

4) Knead in your mixer until all ingredients are fully incorporated and the dough has a soft, stretchy texture. Only add more flour if it is really wet, but be patient, because it usually absorbs the moisture by the end of the kneading time. I do the windowpane test to know if it's done being kneaded: remove a small piece of dough and stretch it gently until you can see light through it. If it breaks before it gets to that point, knead it for a couple more minutes. Grease the bowl and let the dough rise for 1 hour or until it is about doubled in bulk.

5) After the dough has risen, grease two loaf pans (I like to use butter wrappers that have a little butter left on them). Gently deflate the dough and shape it into two log shapes the length of your loaf pans. Place the dough in the pans and cover with a clean, moist towel (I wet a towel with warm water and ring it out thoroughly). Allow to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until it is an inch or two above the rim of the pan. Toward the end of that time, preheat the oven to 350.

6) Place the loaves in the hot oven and bake for 45 minutes, covering with foil after 20 minutes (don't skip this - it will get too dark!). To find out if it's done, stick in an instant read thermometer and make sure it's at least 190 degrees. (No more underdone bread! Yay!) Take it out of the oven and, after a minute or so,  remove it from the pans to a cooling rack. Let it cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing. The longer you wait the easier it will be to cut, but it is oh-so-yummy while it's still warm!


If you try this recipe, or have a favorite soaked yeast bread recipe, I'd love to hear your feedback!

 

This is part of Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, and Pennywise Platter Thursday.

Two (Cheap) Thermometers to Save Your Baking

I love when spending just a few dollars makes life so much easier. Here are two pieces of kitchen equipment that won't break the bank and will help your baking become more successful and consistent.

#1 An instant read thermometer
I have sliced into way too many loaves of underdone bread. If I had friends partaking of the bread, they often said they didn't mind and gladly ate a mushy slice or two. I've never been good at the tap test; you know, the one where you tap and see if it "sounds hollow" or not? Come on. And I certainly can't tell from the outside whether a loaf is done. Often the top will be edging on too dark an the inside is still doughy. Super. Annoying.

So finally... I got myself a thermometer.

All you need is an "instant read" thermometer. Mine looks a lot like this one, which is going for $4.43 on amazon. As long as it goes up to 190 F, you're good. When you think your bread might be done, take it out of the oven and stick the thermometer right into the middle, about halfway down. If it reads 190 or higher, you're good. If not, keep cookin'! (And you can tent the bread loosely with foil if the top is getting to dark before the center is done.)

Now wasn't that easy?

#2 An oven thermometer
Being a renter, I don't have much control over the quality of my appliances. For a couple years in a couple different apartments I thought I was just terrible at baking, because baked goods would either burn long before they were supposed to be done, or take much longer to cook than the recipe said. It was so frustrating!

So finally... I got myself a thermometer. Again.

But this time it was an oven thermometer. (That one is going for $2.77 on Amazon.) You just hang it on an oven rack and it tells you what temperature it is in there. It turns out my current oven runs 50-75 degrees hotter than it should. Who knows what was going on in my previous ovens, but I'm glad to know what's going on in this one! Now I can adjust the temperature accordingly. It's also helpful to be able to peek inside and know if the oven is preheated yet. AND, no more guesswork if I'm trying to dehydrate something, and I don't want to go above a certain temperature. Baking has been much more successful since I spent those three dollars at Meijer.

What inexpensive kitchen gadgets that have saved the day in your kitchen?

This is part of Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday and Pennywise Platter Thursday.

Garlic Sesame Naan: a soaked whole grain recipe

I don't think this naan is necessarily traditional, but it sure is tasty! It is surprisingly light and fluffy for being almost all whole wheat! 


I adapted the recipe from this one I found on the King Arthur Flour site. I added more whole grain flour, extra sesame seeds, and thought some minced garlic would be a nice upgrade. I also adapted it for soaking, which makes it even more nutritious because it allows your body to absorb more of the nutrients found in the whole grains. I'm going to try a sourdough version next, which is even healthier than a bread made with store-bought yeast. But my starter needs a little lovin' before I can attempt that!

Recipe notes:  
--You can use traditional whole wheat flour instead of the white whole wheat, but they will probably be a bit heavier and darker.
--Feel free to increase the sesame seeds and garlic to taste. 
--If you don't have whey, I bet water would work fine. But whey is easy to make: just strain some plain whole milk yogurt through cheesecloth to make a thickened Greek-style yogurt, or strain longer to make cream cheese. The remaining liquid is whey and is great for soaking grains or stirring into soups. If you have any foodie friends who are into cultured dairy, they might just have some extra whey lying around that they're willing to share with you. :)

Garlic Sesame Naan

(whole grain, soaked)
makes 8-10 small loaves

ingredients:

3 cups White Whole Wheat Flour
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup whey
2 teaspoons yeast
1 large egg
1/2 cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
3 cloves minced garlic

method:

Gently warm the yogurt and ¼ c. whey. Whisk in the melted butter. Add to mixing bowl with whole wheat flour. Allow to soak in warm place 7-24 hours.


After soaking time, gently warm the remaining ¼ c. whey, and dissolve yeast in it. (If you have instant yeast, you can add the liquid and yeast directly to the mixing bowl without dissolving first.) Add it to the soaked mixture along with the egg.


Whisk together white flour, salt, baking powder, and sesame seeds. Add to soaked mixture. Add chopped garlic. Knead by hand or with dough hook of stand mixer until it is smooth and stretchy, only adding a little more white flour if necessary to keep from sticking. 


Put the dough into a greased bowl, cover, and set it aside to rise for about 1 1/2 hours, or until it's about doubled in bulk. 


Divide the dough into 8-10 pieces, and roll and/or stretch each piece into rustic circle about 1/8 inch thick. Let the pieces rest while you heat an iron skillet to medium high heat. Cook each one about 2-3 minutes on the first side, until if puffs slightly and the bottom is nicely browned. Flip over and finish cooking. Keep warm in a tea towel while you cook the remaining pieces. Serve warm, brushed with melted butter. (Or just rub the warm naan with a stick of butter.)




We ate ours with this delicious spinach dhal. We have a tradition of eating lentils after a holiday or any time we feel we need a little cleansing. Steven said as we were eating this dhal, “This might be our new cleansing meal!” We at the leftover naan as pizza: spread with sauce, topped with sausage, mushrooms, olives, and cheese, and baked until hot and melty. It made a delicious and easy meal! 


This is part of Real Food Wednesday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, and Simple Lives Thursday. 

Perfect Soaked Granola, with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Variations!

I've tried a lot of soaked granola recipes. The first several failed. Then I tried the recipe in Healthy Snacks to Go by Katie of Kitchen Stewardship. It was almost right. It was more like chunky cereal than granola, but very delicious. Recently I tried another recipe that had all the same ingredients but different proportions. But the best yet is a combination between a few recipes. It is chunky but not a solid mass, with distinguishable oats.

So here it is: my perfect soaked granola!

Why soaked? When you soak grains in an acidic medium, like yogurt or buttermilk, the good bacteria and acid can help break down the substances that inhibit our digestion of grains, called phytates (or mineral blockers) and enzyme inhibitors. That means you absorb more of the good stuff in the grains! I for one would like to actually be able to use the nutrients in my food! An added perk of soaking granola is that it makes it chunky and clumpy - something many granola-bakers (including myself) strive to achieve!

This recipe really has limitless variations. Alter the nuts, seeds, and fruits to your taste. Add extra spices if you want. I like a hefty dose of cinnamon. Lately we've been enjoying it with sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, pecans, and dried cranberries. We just have to try to keep our toddler from eating only the dried fruit!

I use my Kitchen Aid mixer to make this but you can also use a strong arm with a wooden spoon or your hands - though the latter option is pretty messy! This batch is almost too big to fit in my mixer, so when I turn it on I have to guard the edge with my hands to try to keep granola from getting all over the counter. :) But it's still easier than mixing by hand!

Perfect Soaked Granola

Ingredients: 

6 c. rolled oats (I use thick rolled oats)

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. plain yogurt

1/4 c. water (or enough to make the mixture sticky)

1 c. unsweetened shredded coconut (I order this in bulk or get it from the health food store)

1 c. seeds (pumpkin, sesame, or sunflower)

1 c. chopped nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, etc.)

1 T. cinnamon

1 c. coconut oil (you can also use butter)

3/4 c. honey

2 t. salt

2 t. vanilla

1 c. dried fruit (raisins, cherries, cranberries, papaya, apples, etc.)

1. Mix together oats, flour, yogurt, and water. You want it to be evenly moist but not overly wet. Leave this mixture to soak 7-24 hours at room temperature or slightly warmer (the oven with the pilot light or oven light on is a great place).

The soaked mixture is evenly moist and holds together if you grab a handful, but is not especially wet.

2. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 250. Add to the soaked mixture the coconut, seeds, nuts, and cinnamon.

3. Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan. Add the honey, salt, and vanilla to the melted oil and stir. Add the wet ingredients to oat mixture and mix thoroughly. 

4. Spread on 2 rimmed cookie sheets lined with parchment or a nonstick baking mat and bake at 250 until dry and crisp, stirring, flipping, and breaking up as needed. When cool add the dried fruit. Store at room temperature if you will eat it within a couple weeks. If not, store in the refrigerator to keep the nuts from going rancid.

Variation: Chocolate Coated Granola

Directions are for half of the recipe. Double proportions if you want the whole batch to be chocolatey.

When granola is finished cooking but still warm from the oven, sprinkle onto half of it: 1/3-1/2 c. dark chocolate chips and drizzle with 2 T. honey. Stir on the cookie sheet to mix evenly and let cool before storing in an airtight container. Omit dried fruit.

Variation: Peanut Butter and Honey Granola 

Directions are for half of the recipe. Double proportions if you want the whole batch to be peanut-buttery.

When granola is finished cooking but still warm from the oven, drizzle on to half of it: 1/3-1/2 c. creamy natural peanut butter and 2 T. honey. Stir on the cookie sheet to mix evenly, then add dried fruit. Let cool before storing in an airtight container.

(I'm pretty sure this would also be good with peanut butter AND chocolate...but I haven't tried it yet.) 

This is part of Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Freaky Friday, and Fight Back Friday.