My Reasoning

The plethora of posts below is due to the fact that I am lending one of my favorite cookbooks--King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking--and wanted to keep these recipes around. Especially since I've recently decided to start baking our bread again. There are some really excellent bread recipes in here.

A few notes:
1. Don't be afraid of the orange juice in these recipes. Turns out that orange juice mellows out the tanic acid taste that accompanies many wheat recipes. You taste no orange, just nice bread.

2. I love the yogurt/milk substitute for buttermilk, especially in the pancake recipe.

3. The sprouted wheat recipes are wonderful! I'll post later on my sprouting methods.

4. Even though most of the recipes have some white flour, it really makes the food enjoyable. Whole grains are awesome, and the slight addition of white flour makes you hardly miss the full white flour counterparts of these recipes.

Most are my favorites, but there are a few that, as I leafed through, I just wanted to try. Good luck and happy baking!

Dark and Dangerous Cinnamon Buns

Haven't tried this one yet, but it sounds good.

Dough:
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs lukewarm water
1/4 cup orange juice
5 Tbs honey
1 large egg, separated (reserve the white)
4 Tbs unsalted utter, cut into 6 pieces
3 1/2 cups traditional whole wheat flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
Heaping 1/2 cup dried potato flakes or 3 Tbs potato flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp instant yeast

Filling:
1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1 large egg white
2 Tbs ground cinnamon
pinch of salt

Icing:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
Pinch of salt
2 or 3 Tbs milk or cream, enough to make a spreadable icing

To prepare the dough:
Combine all the dough ingredients using the egg and setting white aside to use in the filling. Mix and knead them--by hand, mixer, or bread machine--until you have a soft, smooth dough. Cover and allow the dough to rise until it's puffy and nearly doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours. While dough is rising, make the filling.

To prepare the filling:
Combine all filling ingredients in a small bowl, stirring until smooth.

Lightly grease a 9x13-inch, 11-inch-square, 12-inch round or similar sized pan.

To shape the buns:
Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface. Roll and pat it into a 12x16-inch rectangle. Spread the filling over the dough, leaving a 1-inch margin along one long edge. If the filling seems too sticky to spread easily, wet your fingers and smear it over the dough as best you can.

Starting with the filling-covered long edge, roll the dough into a log, turning it so the seam is flat against the work surface. Using a serrated knife or dental floss, gently cut it into 16 pieces.

Place buns in pan, spacing evenly; they won't touch one another. Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap or a proof cover, and allow the buns to rise for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. They won't double in size, but will become about half again as large as they were originally. They should barely touch each other. Near the end of the buns' rise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To bake the buns:
Bake the buns, until they're a deep golden brown on top, 25-28 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and after 3 minutes, carefully turn them out, upside-down, onto a rack. Place another rack, feet side up, on the buns, and invert them once again, so their tops are up. They'll be hot and delicate, so be careful. While the buns are cooling a bit, make the icing.

To finish the buns:
Beat together the sugar, vanilla, butter, salt and 2 Tbs milk in a medium mixing bowl. Beat in additional milk if the icing is too stiff to spread. Spread the icing on the lukewarm buns. Serve immediately, or cool to room temperature. Buns will keep well, covered, for several days.

~King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

2 Tbs orange juice
1 cup lukewarm water
4 Tbs unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
3 cups traditional whole wheat flour
3 tbs sugar
Heaping 1/2 cup dried potato flakes or 3 Tbs potato flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp instant yeast

Combine all the ingredients and knead them--by hand, mixer, or bread machine--until you have a soft, smooth dough. Cover and allow the dough to rise until it's puffy and nearly doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.

Lightly grease an 8 1/2x4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Gently deflate the dough and shape it into an 8-inch log. Place it in the prepared pan. Cover it gently with lightly greased plastic wrap or a proof cover, and allow it to rise till it's crowned about 1 inch over the rim of the pan, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Near the end of the bread's rising time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Uncover and bake the bread for about 35 minutes, tenting it with foil after 15 minutes. The bread is done when it's golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 190 degrees. Remove it from the oven, and after a minute or so turn it out onto a rack. Brush with melted butter, if desired; this will keep the crust soft. Cool the bread for 30 minutes before slicing.

~King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

Sprouted Wheat Sandwich Bread

1/4 cup wheat berries, sprouted, or about 3/4 cup sprouted wheat berries
1 cup lukewarm water
3 Tbs orange juice
4 Tbs unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
2 Tbs honey
2 1/2 cups traditional whole wheat flour
2/3 cup unbleached bread flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp instant yeast

Process the sprouts, water and orange juice in a blender or food processor until the sprouts are chopped and the mixture is milky white. Don't be tempted to leave the sprouts whole; though they're soft when you put them into the dough, baking turns them unpleasantly hard and crunchy.

Combine all the ingredients, including the water-sprout mixture, and mix and knead them--by hand, mixer, or bread machine--until you have a soft, smooth dough. Cover and allow the dough to rise until it's puffy and nearly doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.

Lightly grease an 9x5-inch loaf pan. Gently deflate the dough and shape it into an 9-inch log. Place it in the prepared pan. Cover it gently with lightly greased plastic wrap or a proof cover, and allow it to rise till it's crowned about 1 inch over the rim of the pan, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Near the end of the bread's rising time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Uncover and bake the bread for about 40 minutes, tenting it with foil after 20 minutes. The bread is done when it's golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 190 degrees. Remove it from the oven, and after a minute or so turn it out onto a rack. Brush with melted butter, if desired; this will keep the crust soft. Cool the bread for 30 minutes before slicing.

~King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

Honey Sprouted Wheat Bread

I love the sprouted wheat in this bread. Makes it just a little bit yummier!

1/4 cup wheat berries, sprouted, or about 3/4 cup sprouted wheat berries
2/3 cup lukewarm water
2 Tbs orange juice
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbs unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
1 1/2 cups traditional whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp instant yeast

Process the sprouts, water and orange juice in a blender or food processor until the sprouts are chopped and the mixture is milky white. Don't be tempted to leave the sprouts whole; though they're soft when you put them into the dough, baking turns them unpleasantly hard and crunchy.

Combine all the ingredients, including the water-sprout mixture, and mix and knead them--by hand, mixer, or bread machine--until you have a soft, smooth dough. Cover and allow the dough to rise until it's puffy and nearly doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.

Lightly grease an 8 1/2-4 1/2 inch loaf pan. Gently deflate the dough and shape it into an 8-inch log. Place it in the prepared pan. Cover it gently with lightly greased plastic wrap or a proof cover, and allow it to rise till it's crowned about 1 inch over the rim of the pan, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Near the end of the bread's rising time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Uncover and bake the bread for about 40 minutes, tenting it with foil after 20 minutes. The bread is done when it's golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 190 degrees. Remove it from the oven, and after a minute or so turn it out onto a rack. Brush with melted butter, if desired; this will keep the crust soft. Cool the bread for 30 minutes before slicing.

~King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

Honey-Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

Derek really likes this particular bread.

1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 Tbs unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup honey
1 cup traditional whole wheat flour
1 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional--and no never tried it)
2 tsp instant yeast

Place boiling water, oats, butter, salt and honey into a medium bowl, stir, and let the mixture cool to lukewarm.

Mix the remaining ingredients with the oat mixture, and knead--by hand, mixer or bread machine--until you've made a soft, smooth dough. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise for 1 hour; the dough should be doubled in bulk.

Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Gently deflate the dough--it'll be sticky, so oil your hands--and shape it into a 9-inch log. Place it in the prepared pan. Cover it gently with lightly greased plastic wrap or a proof cover, and allow it to rise till it's crowned 1 1/2 inches over the rim of the pan, about 1-1 1/2 hours. Near the end of the bread's rising time, preheat the oven to 350.

Uncover and bake the bread for about 45 minutes, tenting it with foil after 20 minutes to prevent over-browning. The bread is done when it's golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 190 degrees. Remove it from the oven, and after a minute or so turn it out onto a rack. Brush with melted butter, if desired; this will keep the crust soft. Cool the bread completely before cutting it.

~King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

Honey-Whole Wheat Biscuits

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, traditional or white
1/2 cup unbleached bread flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk, plus more for brushing
3 Tbs honey

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease baking sheet.

Whist together dry ingredients. With a fork, two knives, a pastry cutter or a food processor, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Whisk together egg, buttermilk, and honey in a small bowl. Add, all at once, to the flour mixture, and blend lightly and quickly with a fork until mixture is evenly moistened.

Turn dough onto floured surface, and using a bench knife or dough scraper, fold the dough over on itself three or four times until it comes together.

Pat the dough out (or roll lightly) until it's 3/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into squares or rounds with a 2-inch biscuit cutter, and transfer biscuits to the prepared baking sheet. Stack the scraps on top of each other, fold them as you did the original dough, pat out and cut again.

Brush tops of biscuits with buttermilk, if desired.

Bake until tops are golden brown, 20-22 minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm, or cool on a rack.

~King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

Pumpkin Bread

*Haven't tried this one yet, but I want to so I'm writing it down.

Pumpkin Bread
2 cups whole wheat flour, traditional or white
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup chopped nuts
3/4 cup raisins, dried cranberries, or chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices in bowl.
Cream together the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. Beat in the vanilla and pumpkin. Add the dry ingredients, mixing until evenly moistened. Stir in nuts and raisins.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 1 hour. Remove the bread from the oven and place it on a rack to cool for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, run a table knife around the edges of the pan to make sure the bread isn't sticking, turn it out of the pan, and place it on the rack to finish cooling completely before slicing.

~King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

Ham & Cheese Rye Muffins

I love these! They sound a bit odd, but if you like a savory muffin, these are for you!

2 cups whole rye flour
3/4 cup unbleached bread flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 cups grated Swiss cheese, divided
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
4 oz diced ham or 1/2 lb bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a muffin tin or line with papers and coat the paper well with nonstick spray; the cheese tends to make them stick a bit. (I've found these work better w/o papers.) Whisk flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt,and onion powder in a large bowl. Add 1 1/4 cup Swiss cheese, tossing to coat.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk and melted butter. Add, all at once, to the flour mixture, and stir until evenly moistened. Stir in ham.

Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over the tops. Bake the muffins until the cheese on top is toasted golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25-27 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn them onto a rack to finish cooling or serve warm.

~King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

Homemade Whole Grain Pancake Mix

3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
4 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 Tbs sugar
3 Tbs baking powder
1 Tbs salt
1 Tbs baking soda
3/4 cup vegetable oil

To make the mix:
Grind the oats in a food processor until they're chopped fine but not a powder. Put the round oats, flours, and remaining dry ingredients into the bowl of a mixer with a paddle. Mix on slow speed, and drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running. When all the oil has been added, stop the mixer and squeeze a clump of mix in your hand. If it holds together, it's just right. If it won't hold together, stir in 1 Tbs of oil at a time until the consistency is correct. Store in an airtight container indefinitely in the freezer.

To make the pancakes:
1 cup mix
1 cup buttermilk (or use 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 cup plain yogurt)
1 Tbs orange juice
1 egg

Whisk all together. Batter will be thin at first. Let sit about 15 minutes for whole grains to soak up liquid. Cook.

~King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

And Stickin' to It

Here is my menu for the week, and I am hoping to actually follow it this time.

Thursday: Chicken Strips, Potato Wedges, baked Zuchinni Chips
Friday: Honey Lime Enchilladas (Pork)
Saturday: Easy
Sunday: Baked Chicken & Twice baked Potatoes
Monday: Ham & Cheddar Soup
Tuesday: Chicken and Bow-tie Pasta from The Sister's Cafe
Wednesday: Leftovers

Now I just need to write my shopping list!

Pork Chops

I had some left over sauerkraut and I wanted to finish it off on Tuesday. I decided to make Pork Chops! They were the delicious ones Mom made when we were little. They had sauerkraut and brown sugar and soy sauce. Remember? They were delicious and the chops were not very much money. It was worth it. I just remembered how much I love them.

Dinner Menu

Tuesday: Italian Chicken with Spinach, Broccoli & Alfredo Sauce
Wednesday: Crockpot Barley Stew & Rolls
Thursday: Steak & Potatoes
Friday: Hamburgers & Pasta Salad
Saturday: Spinach Lasagna & Bread
Sunday: Leftovers
Monday: Turkey Taco Salad