Sunflower Millet Bread, Egg Salad and Pickled Onions
April 26, 2011
Easter and the its accompanying sugar rush have past. Now I am left with the daunting question of what to do with three dozen hard-boiled eggs!?! Luckily, with the exception of my son, we all love eggs. My daughter was peeling them and eating them as she hunted, but of course that only took care of 2 or 3.
One of my favorite ways to prepare hard-boiled eggs is to make an egg salad. I happen to love egg salad, but admit that it can be somewhat bland at times. Sunflower Millet Bread is ideal for egg sandwiches, because it has so much flavor and crunchy texture. The millet toasts and pops in your mouth. It has a nutty flavor, as do the sunflower seeds. Topping the sandwich with pickled red onion adds a bright color contrast, as well as a tangy counterpoint to the egg.
I first fell in love with Sunflower Millet Bread when working at a natural food store in high school. This recipe is from The Greens Cookbook. Though it is almost completely based on whole wheat flour, it has a very open, light texture. The bread slices and toasts very well. I used the first loaf for egg sandwiches, then sliced and froze the second for breakfast toast in the coming weeks.
The Red Pickled Onions are also from The Greens Cookbook. They are very easy to make and take only a day to sit and cure. They are great with this sandwich, but also with sausages or any meal that you want to add a zippy condiment.
Find this and other delicious breads at Yeast Spotting.
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Oatmeal Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
March 30, 2011
Whoever invented the peanut butter and jelly sandwich was a genius. What other meal takes only minutes to prepare, but is incredibly nutritious, and with any luck will inspire cheers from the happy and hungry youngsters (or more mature eaters) ready to devour their sandwich? This sandwich has saved the day millions of times for mothers and fathers around the world, myself included.
As with any meal, the quality of the product is dependent on the quality of the ingredients with which you start. In our house, PB & J stands for peanut butter and jam since the pantry is generally loaded with various homemade jams and very little jelly. Our favorite is berry jam, either blackberry (as pictured above), ollalie berry, or raspberry. The next layer is organic, natural peanut butter (surprisingly enough Costco makes a great one), and of course the bread.
Oatmeal Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread is my go-to slicing bread. In the summer when my kids and I hide from the world (and the grocery stores) in the Santa Cruz Mountains, this is the bread that feeds us between the weekly trips to town for provisions. It is very easy to put together and turns out beautifully every time. The bread is slightly sweet from the maple syrup which makes it perfect for peanut butter and jam sandwiches or even grilled cheese. The bread also toasts beautifully, so in the off-chance you have leftovers the next morning, it will taste great toasted and slathered in butter and jam or honey.
Oatmeal Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
makes 1 loaf (enough for 6 sandwiches)
adapted from Bon Appetit
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons warm water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (divided)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon salt
Mix warm water with yeast. Allow to sit 5 minutes while the yeast dissolves. Pour yeast mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients except for 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour. Mix until dough ball forms, then knead on a lightly floured board until dough in stretchy and supple. Add some of the reserved flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until the dough is soft, but not sticky.
Place dough ball in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a plate or plastic wrap. Let rise 1 1/2 hours in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured board. Press into a 8-inch square. Roll the square into a log. Place log seam side down in a buttered 8 x 5 x 3 inch bread pan. Let rise 45 minutes until 1 1/2 inches higher than pan. (see picture)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 30-40 minutes until center registers 180 degrees. Cool 15 minutes, turn out on rack. Bread will slice most easily if you allow it to cool completely.
Here is a printer friendly version of the recipe:
Oatmeal Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
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Biscuit-topped Chicken Pot Pie
February 21, 2011
We all have those meals that are burned in our memory for one reason or another. These are the meals that when we recall them, define a time in our lives. Though I’m slightly embarrassed to admit it, chicken pot pie is one of those meals for me. Occasionally my parents would leave me at home to go out for the night. I was always excited, because I could have a frozen dinner (those were not common fare in our home). One of my favorite dinners was always a chicken pot pie. I loved the creamy chicken and the flaky crust. Invariably, I burnt my anxious tongue on the steaming hot sauce. Those hot little pies were the highlight of my night. Even so, I always knew that the dish was not quite right. The chicken and vegetables were too small and uniformly cut. The sauce was too salty. The crust too bland. At that time, it never occurred to me that this special meal could be made at home!
Biscuit-topped Chicken Pot Pie is my effort to right the wrongs of pot pies of my past that missed the mark. Every ingredient and every step come together to create what I imagine a pot pie should be like. The chicken is poached in broth, then cut into large tender pieces, so there is no mistaking its presence. The vegetables are abundant and fresh. The potatoes are creamy. The sauce is based on a homemade chicken stock that is reduced and mixed with fresh thyme and cream. The potential of this dish is dependent on the quality of the broth used. I highly recommend using your own stock. It is so easy to make and the flavor is incomparable.
Oh, and the topping. Though I do love pie crust atop meat pies, biscuits are my favorite. Floating the biscuits on the pot pie allows the tops to brown and puff and the bottom to saturate with the rich gravy. It is the best of both worlds. This is definitely a comfort food.
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Satsuma Vanilla Upside-down Cake
February 18, 2011
This is definitely one of my favorite winter cakes. Every year, I watch our satsumas ripen and dream of this dessert. I invent reasons to gather with friends, just so I can share this cake. I am not to be trusted with this buttery, tangy, orange vanilla cake without many mouths with which to compete. It is that good. Make it quick, while satsuma mandarins are in peak season! This cake would be great with any tangerine or mandarin. We have an overabundance of satsumas so that is what I use.
Upside down cakes are a new thing for me. Nothing against the legendary pineapple upside-down cake, but it has never really captured my attention. To be honest, I have a hard time veering from chocolate when choosing a dessert to make, especially in the winter. This cake is so incredibly flavorful, moist, and buttery that I really don’t miss the cocoa (If someone has an idea of how to make this better by adding chocolate, please let me know. Though as is, I think it may be perfect.) Using real vanilla scraped from the pod infuses the cake with a serious dose of deliciousness.
To make this cake, start by thinly slicing the satsumas. It is easiest to use a mandoline, but if you don’t have one you can use a knife. Be sure to make the slices as even as possible. Blanch the satsuma slices and then dry on a cloth. Melt the butter, vanilla, and part of the sugar in the cake pan, then arrange the satsuma slices.
Gently layer on the cake batter and bake in the oven until the top is browned. This batter is fabulous with other toppings as well. I recently made a cranberry upside cake with this base and it turned out delicious! This cake is best eaten the day it is made. It is delicious the next day as well, but the top gets a bit moist.
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Cheesy Onion Corn Muffins
February 3, 2011
Cornbread may be the ultimate quick bread. In under 45 minutes, basic pantry staples- flour, cornmeal, milk, and eggs- turn into hot, tender, crumbly goodness. Cornbread is a natural accompaniment to chili, but is also great with any other bean based soup or grilled meats.
This recipe is one of my favorites, I have made it many times. The onion and cheese add deep flavors to the bread. This combination not only tastes great, but the additional moisture also increases its shelf life. While most cornbread is best eaten right out of the oven, these muffins will stay moist through the day. For added color, try green onions in place of the white onions.
My Pantry Shelf 