This is the recipe I use most often for the cakes that I regularly give as offerings. It is a super easy recipe and easily varied. I'll give the basic recipe first, then some ideas for variations.
Sweet Scones
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Ungreased cookie sheet
ingredients:
2 1/2 c flour
1 tbsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick of cold butter sliced into smaller bits
1/3 c sugar
2/3 c milk
Begin by mixing the dry ingredients. Add the butter and cut it into the flour mixture with a fork or pastry cutter (I make these all the time - I find the pastry cutter to be an invaluable tool!!) until the mixtuure resembles fine crumbs. Toss the mixture with the sugar. Add the milk and stir with a fork until a ball of dough forms. Knead the dough 12 - 15 times and roll out to 1/2 inch thickness to cut with cookie cutters or divide the dough into two rounds, flatten to 1/2 inch thickness and cut into 6 or 8 wedges and put them onthe cookie sheet. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until the scones are golden brown. Cool on a rack. EASY!!!!!
Here is what i do with them:
I add about 1/2 tsp or so of cinnamon to the dry ingredients and I substitute 1 tbsp of rosewater for the same amount of milk (put 1 tbsp of rosewater in the measuring cup, add the milk till it reaches the 2/3 cup mark). These are my basic cakes of offering to my patron god . Oftentimes I add a bit of vanilla - sublime! They are amazing with butter and honey!! Chopped crystallized ginger has also been known to make its way into these from time to time - yum :)
You can mess about with just about anything in this recipe. Vanilla yogurt instead of milk makes a really rich, scone - absolutely deeeee-lish. You can add chocolate chips, nuts, raisins, currants, citrus zest, spices, crushed heath bar bits (absolutely amazing!!!!), you can add various kinds of extracts, mess with the sugar (brown sugar is nice), mess with the milk (yogurt and buttermilk) technically, you should decrease the amount of baking powder and add a small amount of soda if you use brown sugar or buttermilk or yogurt. I don't find that it makes any difference pesonally. But perhaps my tastebuds or sensitivities are not as rarefied as I think they are ;) . They can be topped with sugar, nuts, seeds, icing - this is an incredibly versatile recipe and can be adjusted to fit your own traditions :) They also make a phenomenal base for short cake :)
This is soooo easy. People like to make it complicated. It is easy! It's really a matter of proportions and keeping a few simple guidelines in mind: (these are for use with the recipe I gave. There are all kinds of amazing recipes for bread that will say other wise)
1. I find whole grain bread tastes better when made with honey or molasses instead of sugar. You can substitute the same amounts or adjust it to your liking.
2. I find it best to keep some of the white flour in the recipe, just for texture purposes.
3. I tend to underknead whole grain bread because I like the texture a bit crumbly. Though in truth, it should be kneaded longer in order to get the gluten to do what you want it to. It's a personal preference that I go back and forth on.
4. Add your whole grains to the first cup of flour that you mix in before kneading.
5. Things like oat bran suck up moisture, hence the reputation this wonderful substance has for being like sawdust. Leave the dough a little bit sticky after you knead it and the bread should not wind up too dry and dusty.
Proportions
I usually add 1 cup of white flour and 1/2 - 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour to the yeast-water mixture. From there on, it's whole wheat flour.
Some interesting things to add to your bread: flax seeds, sesame, poppy, sunflower, oatbran, wheat bran, a tiny touch of cinnamon, a tiny touch of coriander, millet, nuts - toasted (or not) but chopped, certainly.
I usually add up to a half cup total of oat and wheat bran then a tablespoon of two kinds of seeds/grains. Maybe 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of spice, not more.
General Tips
Store Whole grain flours in the freezer. They will go rancid quickly otherwise : o
Store seeds in jars in the fridge - same reason.
Because you need to leave the dough a little sticky, grease your bread pans (even if they are well seasoned)
So I've spent the last week settling back into life at home after quitting the barista job I had ever-so-briefly. I have an odd little schedule that I keep here at home, as far as cooking and housework. I do most things the hard way :) I have a fondness for doing things from scratch and a need to know and experience the entire process of well...anything really. So everything here is cooked from scratch, even the bread, which I make twice a week. Making bread frequently makes people's jaws drop. I think this is funny. Bread is actually quite easy to make and after making a few loaves, you begin to get a feel for the process. In fact, the process itself is quite magickal indeed :) And recently, after having a difficult time getting bulk yeast from my local healthfood store, I have decided to give yeast making a try. Will let you know how that goes :) But anyway, I wanted to share my process for making bread and really hope you will give it a try. It's a wonderful thing to do if you have a day off around the house and it will make the whole place smell heavenly!! The recipe that I use most frequently is a very simple one called Vienna Bread, though I have tweaked and adjusted and varied the recipe a million times. It is a traditional recipe for a simple white bread, but I will tell you how to turn it into whole grain happiness later on :) you will need the following equipment: an oven (or a grill or a stove), a large, wide bowl, a wooden spoon, a measuring cup, measuring spoons
Vienna Bread
2pkgs dry yeast (if using bulk yeast, I usually use about 1 tbsp)
1 c very warm water
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
3 tbsp butter, melted
1 cup milk
5 - 6 cups white flour (unbleached!! I use king Arthur all purpose - really fantastic flour - you can absolutely taste the difference)
1. dissolve yeast in the warm water and add 1 tbsp sugar. Let it sit for a moment until it foams (an easy test to make sure the yeast is alive and kicking
2. pour the yeast mixture into the bowl and stir in flour, about 1 1/2 - 2 cups, enough to make a loose dough (the amount will vary on the flour you are using and the humidity in the air that day). cover and let sit until the dough is doubled in size or about 1 hour, give or take a bit.
3. stir in the remaining sugar, the salt, milk and butter.
4. begin, one cup at a time, adding flour. Sitr in each cup of flour before adding the next until the dough becomes too stiff to stir. When you reach this point, lightly sprinkle some flour on the counter and turn out the dough. sprinkle enough flour on the dough to keep it from sticking and begin kneading the dough. This is a huge workout for the arms! You will need to knead for at the very very least, 10 minutes, with 15 - 20 minutes being the best. More if you are using bread flour. You will know you are done kneading when the dough feels very smooth and elastic. It should feel like your earlobe :) When you finish kneading, form the dough back into a ball, put it in the bowl, cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in bulk, again, about 45 minutes to an hour.
5. When the bread is done rising, punch it down and turn it out on the counter. Or turn it out and then punch it down. Either way. Knead it for 2 or 3 minutes more and then divide it into bread pans or rolls or braid it (my fave). cover with the towel and let rise once more, same as before.
6. Preheat oven to 425 f.
7. Brush the tops of the loaves with a mix of 1 tbsp milk and 1 egg yolk if you like. Sprinkle with sees too if you want :)
8. Put it in the oven and let it bake for about 5 minutes then reduce the heat to 375f Bake it until it's done (my oven is screwy and runs hot - so everything gets done fast. I guess give it about 20 minutes and then check on it) . the loaf should be brown and should sound hollow when rapped on the bottom *snicker*
9. put the bread to cool on wire racks. Don't eat any. ROFLMAO!!! It makes two loaves! One for destroying immediately with butter and/or honey. The other for eating later. Unless of course you braided it into one giant loaf. That's your problem, not mine :)
Okay, please bear with my style of recipe writing. I'm not going to win any cookbook writing awards anytime soon - I cook a little too instinctively :) Mainly, whatever i give as a recipe is merely an idea that seemed to work for me :)
You will need:
1 top round steak (use a good one - go to your local butcher, not the grocery store. A good butcher is a thing of beauty. I am practically in love with my cranky old polish/italian butcher. He has my heart... lol)
Marinade:
juice of one lime (or two if they are small or you like more lime or the steak is big. chop up the squeezed lime bits and add them to the marinade
Chipotle Tabasco (the chipotle is important - regular tabasco or other hot sauce just doesn't seem to work as nicely)
Honey (use a nice local honey - small local beekeepers are soooooo important - support them!!!!!!)
Oil (lighter olive , safflower or cold pressed canola is nice)
Combine the lime juice, chunks of spent lime, several dashes of chipotle tabasco (depending on how hot you like it), a tablespoon or so of honey, a tablespoon or so of oil. Whisk it up nicely until it is emulsified. then pour it over the steak and set in the fridge to marinate for many hours, turning it over now and then. I like it to go for about 8 hours, but I have set it to marinate for near 24 without any problems.
In the meantime acquire the following:
soft flour tortillas (Mission makes the BEST, imo. I still haven't had much success making my own tortillas - it's an art)
sweet white (or red) onion, chopped
cilantro, chopped (fresh!! I will know if you are using that dried stuff and I will track you down and spank you! And not in the fun way!!)
salsa verde (Use Rick Bayless's or Mrs. Renfro's - yum! but if you can find tomatillos, it's easy to make)
Grill that steak till it's as done as you like it (don't overcook steak, that's just nasty), slice it very thinly, crosswise, and serve it wrapped in warm tortillas with chopped onions, cilantro and just a drizzle of salsa verde. You can also serve them with a tiny bit of shredded soft white chees (we use Helluva good or Cabot Muenster here - an odd choice, I know, but you try to get Mexican cheese here in the middle of French/Dutch/Irish land). Don't overdo it on the garnishes, these are super yummy without. Serve the tacos with some kind of lovely black beans and a small salad of very crisp romaine or iceberg with radishes. I can't tell you how many people this serves, it depends on your level of self control. My mate and I can demolish most of an entire steak in an evening - this steak is almost irreesistible to pick at in the process of putting the tacos together :) This is also a REALLY healthy dish. But don't let that scare you. Most real, good food is healthy for you, in the right quantities. Good luck and if you make these and have a question about my obtuse instructions let me know or come up with your own variation. That's cooking!!
