Blueberry Muffins When we tossed the crackers and chips from our cupboards we needed to replace them with healthier snacks, because kids still need to snack!
Muffins of all sorts have been a wonderful replacement for the empty, dead calories we used to consume in order to pacify our hunger until dinner. So, bring on the muffins!
Homemade Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients:
3 cups whole grain flour (I use any combination of whole wheat, white whole wheat, or whole wheat pastry flour)
1 1/2 cups sucanat
1 t vanilla
1 cup milk
1 1/4 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t sea salt
1/2 stick organic butter
1/4 cup organic coconut oil
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
In large mixing bowl, with mixer,
mix together coconut oil and softened butter, then add sucanant and mix until well blended. Add vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients together. Add into butter mixture, add milk. Mix together by hand. Add blueberries last.
Spoon into baking cups and bake at 350 17 minutes or until desired browing. My kids like them mushy so I often pull them out sooner. If you like a drier muffin, add an egg to the inital butter-sucanat mixture.
There you are!
A healthy snack high in fiber, whole grains, antioxidants, calcium, and low on the glycemic index!
Filling and yummy! You will be so surprised how good they are.
Pepperoni Balls THESE ARE SLAMMIN!!!!!! Best bread good I have ever made by far!
I recommend making a double batch because they vanish quick -- or making extra to freeze...
I miss these so much from back home! These are a Western PA staple for sure...the kids tried them for the first time while we were at the Cherry Festival in Northeast last year and have wanted them ever since.....not a big item on the menu down here in Amish Country......
Don't know why I never thought to make them myself before! Duh....
4 1/2 c unbromated, unbleached flour
1 c hot water (temp 105-115) for proofing yeast
2 t yeast (I use 1 1/2 packages Hodgen Mills yeast for whole grains)
1-1 1/2 c warm water
1 T honey, 1/4 c honey
1 bag or 1 stick nitrate/nitrite free turkey pepperoni, chopped
16 oz mozzerella cheese
4 oz cheddar, freshly shredded
1 t sea salt
1 T olive oil for basting the dough
2 egg whites, whisked to apply with brush
In a seperate bowl or large mug mix 1 T honey with 105-115 degree water, add yeast promtly and stir. Set aside and let rise (6-8 minutes)
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, 1/4 c honey, 1/2 the pepperoni and 1/2 the mozzerella.
Add yeast mixture and stir together. Add 1/2 c warm water and begin kneading together. Add additional water as needed. Dough should not be dry and crumbly but also not sticky or wet. AS you knead, it should become smooth and almost elasticy. Place back in bowl, cover with a damp cloth, place in a warm place and let rise until double.
Punch dough down and pull apart into 3 inch bunches. Before rolling into ball add some pepperoni and mozzerella and cheddar into the centers. Now roll into balls.
Place on greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise until double.
Baste tops with egg whites.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Didn't feel like cooking tonight and Markie made French Bread dough and had it rising. My initial thought was Pepperoni Balls!!! But, the dough was too far along. SO, we created something new, bread and a meal in one!
Ingredients:
Bread dough from Easy French Bread recipe
1/2 bag nitrate free turkey pepperoni
12 oz mozzerella cheese, freshly shredded
Olive Oil
Prepare dough according to Easy French Bread recipeand allow to rise.
After the first rising, punch down and roll out according to Easy French Bread instructions. .
Sprinkle the bread with 1/2 the mozzerella. Make a double line of pepperoni length wise down the dough. Top the pepperoni with remaining mozzerella. Roll up bread loaf lengthwise according to French Bread instructions. Place on greased baking sheet, brush with olive oil, cover and let rise in warm place until double (I ususally use the top of my oven with the oven on "warm"). Bake at 350 25 minutes or until golden brown and makes a "hollow"sound when you knock on it. Pull it out of oven and butter the top to keep it soft.
Let it cool about 10 minutes before cutting into so the cheese has time to soldify rather than ooze out ( although the oozing is yummy -- but then there isn't enough cheese for everyone else!)
Didn't know what category to include this under so here you go. So many recipes call for bread crumbs and you can either pay $5 or more for a can of organic, store bought, still processed and preserved bread crumbs or you can make your own in 30 seconds or less.
It seemed like I always was tossing out ends plus a few pieces of 2-3 day old bread. Honestly it gets crumbly and hard after a couple days and is not worth talking the kids into eating.
Then, one day, HARK! An idea. I was out of bread crumbs and making meatballs or something so it suddenly dawned on me that I could just toss some crusts of my homemade bread (or if you use whole grain store bought bread) intothe food processor and whala! Bread crumbs.
If you really want to get fancy and make italien bread crumbs which I definitely recommend for Italien meatballs, add some dried oregano, basil, sea salt, and pepper to your tastebuds desires flavoring. Then process. I do this all the time and freeze them in 1 cup servings in freezer bags so I always have them on hand and don't need to measure.
Ingredients:
2-3 day old bread (yes I have used fresh bread in emergencies and that is fine too)
Break apart and toss into food processor. Process. Use.
Yummy, not too sweet, a wonderful treat! Simple to make!
Dough Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups unbleached, unbromated white flour ( I use Bob's Red Mill Organic -- it is actually a whole grain flour -- I love to bake cookies and lighter baked goods with it -- less dense than a hard red whole wheat)
1/3 cup organic sugar
2/4 t salt
1 T baking powder
1/2 cup cold butter
2 T lemon juice ( I prefer fresh squeezed)
2 large eggs (farm fresh, free range are always
1/2-2/3 cup milk or cream (I use raw whole milk which works beautifully)
Topping:
2 t milk
2 t sugar
Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
2. Work in butter until crumbly. It's fine if some of the butter remains large and not mixed well (the colder the butter remains, the better).
3. In a seperate bowl whisk together eggs, vanilla, and milk
4. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until ingredients are all moistened and stick together. Depending on the brand of flour, you may need to add a bit more -- the dough should be moist but not wet and gooey.
5. Line your pans with parchment paper and form 4 inch circles about 3/4 inch thick.
Cut a part into small wedges, about 1 - 1 1/2 inch wide at the outer edge. Should have around 2 dozen wedges.
6. Seperate wedges so they have plenty of room to expand and rise while baking.
7. Place cookie sheet in freezer 30 minutes before baking. This allows for greater rise and a flakier scone.
8. Mix topping ingredients together and baste on top of wedges with a brush.
9. Bake in a 375 degree oven 25 minutes or until done. Should be a golden brown on top, or, if you like a softer, doughier scone like me (I just like stuff doughier), remove when just starting to brown and firm to the touch.
This recipe is our favorite bread recipe because it is so simple. I found the original recipe over at www.passionatehomemaking.com, which is my favorite kitchen and whole foods resource. I have modified it to suit my needs as I am sure you will as you go but I definitely suggest giving it a try. This recipe took the intimidation out of making homemade bread for me. This is the unsoaked method, I am getting more faithful with soaking and looking forward to a Bosch mixer to simplify that process! If you are into soaking, I recommend it -- my bread always turns out softer and richer tasting when I remember to soak the grains....and WAAAAY easier on everyone's digestive systems. Soaking your grains breaks down the phytates in them which eases digestion and protects your digestive system. See my link for soaking to incorporate it into your bread! Lindsey at Passionate Homemaking describes this process very simply! Click here to learn more. Step 1: Proof the yeast 1/2 cup warm water (Temperature between 110-115 is important for activation) 5 t (2 packages) yeast -- I use Hodgens Mill active yeast for whole grains and have been very satisfied 1 t honey In a separate bowl or mug, add honey and water. Then add yeast and stir. Allow to activate (rise) about 5-10 minutes. Step 2: Bread Dough 3-4 T honey 2 T olive oil 8 cups flour (I use 1/4 part unbleached, unbromated white flour -- it is actually whole grain, too -- sometimes I make 1/2 and 1/2 -- the more white flour, the less water you will need. If you are soaking your grains, you may need to add another cup or so after adding the yeast mixture to the soaked grains) 2 t sea salt 2 cups hot water -- maybe a little more or less, I have found water depends on the brand of flour, especially when using whole wheat flour. Combine the bread dough ingredients with the yeast mixture and mix together and knead until smooth and elastic-like. It should not be dry and crumbly (not enough water) and it shoudl not be wet or sticky (too much water). After kneading a while, usually about 7-10 minutes, the dough will change consistency a bit and literally feel smoother and stretchier. Cover bowl with damp towel, place in warm spot and allow to rise until doubled. Punch down (releases more CO2) and allow to rest fifteen minutes. Divide dough in half and roll each half into a rectangle, 12x15. Starting from the long edge, roll up and then cut a few diagonal slats across the top. Cover with damp towel and allow to rise to double. Baste with egg white if desired, sprinkle with poopy seeds, if desired, and place in 375 degree oven to bake about 20 minutes or until gloden and makes a hollow sound when you tap it. Remove from oven and immediately top with butter to keep from getting hard. Enjoy!!!
 This is a huge family favorite, especially when served woth homemade turkey sausage and topped with a fresh made fruit"syrup". I have shared this recipe with a number of people and it has truned out great for everyone. I love using spelt flour and am always lookign for more recipes I can use it in though I use it regularly for Lindsey Edmund's No Yeast Spelt Bread, pancakes, and pizza dough. It is a grain from ancient times, it is loaded with wonderful nutrients, and it is high in protein. Spelt Gingerbread Pancakes
Soaking Method:
3 cups spelt flour 1 1/2 cups acid medium ( I usually use yogurt or kefir) 2 T coconut oil 1/4 cup rapadura/sucanat 1 t vanilla 1/2 cup water Mix ingredients together, cover bowl and let soak 12-24 hours. (For benefits of soaking see www.passionatehomemaking.com -- Lindsey does an excellent job explaing all the reasons why it is so good for your body to soak your grains.) In the AM add the following ingredients and blend in a blender or with a mixer, I am currently in the market for a new blender so I use a mixer for now. 1 cup very warm water (star mixing now) I usually need to add some milk , too, to get a relatively runny consistency (chocolate shake consistency) 1 t cinnamon 1 t ginger 1/4 t cloves Blend well to the chocolate shake consistency. Add leavening ingredients as follows and mix VERY briefly: 1/2 t salt 1 t baking powder 1/2 t baking soda Top however you desire. The picture above is pretty standard here. We have been steering clear of extra seeteners where possible so I will use some agave nectar on Julia's pancakes and some sort of fruit topping on the rest. If Ihave whipping cream on hand, I love to whip it up for pancakes....soooo good! Above I have pictured fresh sliced peached and whole blueberries, fresh from the market. In the winter months when fresh organic fruit is harder to come by, I like to take 1-2 cups of frozen fruit, add 2 T coconut oil, 1 T honeyor agave or 1 package Stevia and slow cook it about 10 minutes on a stove, covered, over a low flame. Makes a fruity syrup/compote for on top of fruit. Yummy!!!!
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