Quick Bread

When it comes to the health of our intestinal tract, when choosing a bread, the slow and natural leavening of a sourdough bread is the way to go.

However, lunch time is soon and some bread would be nice...

Having no bread in the house and left over packets of flour sitting in the pantry, why not whip up a quick and easy loaf?

The flours I used where the ones I happen to have around, but most types will work.

To make 2 loafs: 
2 cups sprouted wheat flour
2 cups whole spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
3 Tbs honey
2 Tbs ghee  (or other oil)
Pinch of salt
1.5- 2 cup almond milk (or other)

Preheat oven to 450.
Whisk together honey, milk, and oil.
Mix together flours, salt and baking powder.
Gradually add the liquid mixture to the flour until a dough is formed.
Split and shape into two loaves (they will be rather small in size.)
Bake for 20 minutes.

Almond Biscuits

open faced and closed faced biscuit

Grain/Gluten-Free and Sugar-Free. And due to the season- Kosher for Passover!

2&3/4 cups almond meal*

3 Tbs flax meal

1/2 cup warm water

1 Tbs ghee (you could use butter, coconut oil or any other unrefined oil... I almost never choose a refined vegetable oil over a non-refined one) 

1 Tbs honey

1/2 tsp baking soda  

Preheat oven to 375.

Stir the flax meal in with the boiling water and set aside for 5 minutes. 

Mix all ingredients together.

Roll dough into a tube that is 7-8 inches long. Cut 8 wedges and place on a baking sheet (if you find this instruction confusing check out this posting on how to make scones.)

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. 

* You can find almond meal at Trader Joe's.

Coconut Maple Scones

Whole-Grain and Naturally Sweetened

Making Your Own Sourdough Breads

Sourdough vs. Yeast Based Breads

The Egyptians first leavened bread around 2300 BC. Mixing flour and water, they left it to ferment uncovered for several days. This mixture was then added to additional flour and water and baked into bread. This kind of natural leavening remained the basis of Western bread baking until the 20th century. In the 1950s commercial yeast was introduced, enabling bread to be made in less than 3 hours. These days some commercial bread can be made in less than an hour.

The importance of unleavened sourdough breads is that the proofing (the slow rising process) is needed in order to break down the complex carbohydrates and proteins and make them compatible for human digestion. The fermentation process serves as a digestive aid to all complex carbohydrate foods including other grains, beans, and vegetables.

The slow rising of a sourdough allows the bran in the flour to break down, releasing minerals that we are unable to digest in yeasted breads. It is when wheat gluten is properly fermented that it is the healthiest for human consumption.

Some theories state that yeasted breads are the main contributor to what has made wheat and gluten one of the highest allergenic foods we eat. It is not uncommon for people to have sensitivity to commercially yeasted breads but not experience the same sensitivities to naturally leavened whole grain sourdough bread.

It is similar to the controversy with soy which also can only be considered a health food if it is fermented long enough. Correctly fermented wheat provides us with 18 amino acids (proteins), complex carbohydrates (a super efficient source of energy), B vitamins, iron, zinc, selenium and magnesium, and maltase.

Sourdough bread rates a 68 on the glycemic index as opposed to the rating of 100 by other breads. Foods that have low ratings on the glycemic index are prominent in societies that tend to have lower rates of diseases such as diabetes.

How To Make a Sourdough Starter

There are various ways for making a sourdough starter; many include adding ingredients like grapes or potatoes, which provide extra sugar for the yeast to feed on and grow. I prefer the method of using only flour and water. There are a variety of yeasts and we want to be sure to be cultivating a kind that thrives best on flour. Besides, this method cuts out more of the sugars.

1 cup of warm (not hot!) water
1 cup of organic white whole wheat flour (you can use regular whole wheat too. The white wheat berry is lighter, producing a bread that is not as dense as bread made from regular whole wheat flour, which is made from the red wheat berry.)

Mix the flour and water with a wooden spoon in a jar. Cover with cheesecloth, and keep in a warm place (aim for about 80 degrees, but no warmer than 85.) The natural yeast from the air will be drawn to the flour and settle into the mixture. Keep the yeast covered with the cheesecloth for three days, mixing it once or twice a day with a wooden spoon. As soon as it's foamy and full of bubbles, your starter is ready to use!

While your first sourdough starter will take a couple of days to progress, after this first 2-3 day period it will be ready for immediate use at all times, provided you continue to feed it.

Once you've made a starter, take good care of it: sourdough starters impart more and more flavor the longer they live. Store your starter in a jar in the fridge, and be sure to feed it weekly, whether or not you're baking with it. Sourdough is a living culture, if you don’t feed it, it will die. Add equal amounts of flour and water.

Fresh Milled Bread (basic recipe)

2 cups white whole wheat flour (or other)
1 cup rolled oats, ground into a powder (a coffee grinder works great for this!)
4 Tbs of any of the following seeds ground (in coffee grinder:) sesame seeds, flax seed, sunflower seed, pumpkin seed. (I use 1 Tbs of each)
¼ cup sourdough
1¼ cup water

If you have a food processor with a plastic dough blade, add all ingredients except the water into the processor. While the machine is on, add the water gradually until the dough is all rolled into a ball. This should happen within seconds.

If you do not have a food processor, mix all ingredients in a bowl, adding the water last, until the dough is formed.

The dough should be on the damper side.

Shape into a ball or loaf and let it rise on a non-aluminum tray for 2 hours.

Knead the dough again, pressing out any air. Reshape into loaf. Let is rise on a non-aluminum tray for another 4-6 hours.

Fill an ovenproof dish with water and place it on the bottom rack of a cold oven. Place the loaf on the middle rack. With the bread in the oven, heat to 425 °F (in most ovens, this takes 10-15 minutes) and bake at that temperature for an additional 15 minutes. Turn the heat down to 350°F and bake for an additional 45 minutes.

Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool on a rack.


Walnut Cranberry Bread


The lighter bread in the picture is the recipe above. The darker bread contains walnuts and cranberries, butternut squash for moisture and a drop of maple syrup.


2.5 cups white whole wheat flour
1.5 cups rolled oats, ground into a powder (a coffee grinder works great for this!)
4 Tbs flax
¼ cup starter
1 Tbs maple syrup
½ cup butternut squash puree or sweet potato puree (can use canned)
1.5 cups of water
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped

If you have a food processor with a plastic dough blade, add all ingredients except the water, walnuts and cranberries will go into the processor. While the machine is on, add one cup of water. Turn the machine off and add the cranberries and walnuts. Turning the processor back on, proceed to gradually add the remaining half cup of water. The dough will unify into a ball as it spins around in the processor. 

If you do not have a food processor, mix all ingredients in a bowl, adding the water last, until the dough is formed.

The dough should be on the damper side.

Shape into a ball or loaf and let it rise on a non-aluminum tray for 2 hours.

Knead the dough again, pressing out any air. Reshape into loaf. Let is rise on a non-aluminum tray for another 4-6 hours.

Fill an ovenproof dish with water and place it on the bottom rack of a cold oven. Place the loaf on the middle rack. With the bread in the oven, heat to 425 °F (in most ovens, this takes 10-15 minutes) and bake at that temperature for an additional 15 minutes. Turn the heat down to 350°F and bake for an additional 45 minutes.

Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool on a rack.

Pumpkin Pie

Truth be told, I’m not a big fan of pumpkin pie. BUT I really enjoyed the filling in this one! It has a sweet finish without being too sweet. I wondered how others would receive it since it had less sugar than most pies. When taking it to a Thanksgiving meal, everyone loved it and there wasn’t a crumb left in the dish!

The Crust:
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats, finely ground

2 teaspoons raw coconut crystals (this is evaporated coconut tree sap. You can also try date sugar or pure maple sugar)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cold organic* butter, cut into small pieces
2- 3 Tbs very cold water

Grind the oat in a coffee grinder until they become flour. Combine flour, ground oats, sweetener and salt in medium bowl. Cut in butter using two knives until the mixture is crumbly (I use my fingers although your not suppose to as the heat of the hands will make the dough less flakey.) Sprinkle with water; mixing until the mixture holds together.

Shape the dough into ball; place on lightly floured sheet of wax paper. Top with additional piece of wax paper; roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Don’t be surprised if the dough is a little tougher to roll.

Remove top sheet of wax paper and invert dough into 9-inch pie plate; slowly peel away wax paper. Trim excess crust. Turn edge under; crimp as desired.
Cover by placing it in a plastic bag and store it in the fridge while you prepare the filling.


The Filling:
The filling is tailored from Alice Water’s Joy of Cooking.

1 15oz can pumpkin puree
1 Tbs organic* butter, softened
1 cup organic* heavy cream
2 teaspoons flour
3 eggs
1/3 cup raw coconut crystals
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of fresh-ground black pepper

In a small saucepan whisk together 1/4 cup the cream with the flour. Heat the mixture over a low heat until it fully heats and thickens. Slowly whisk in the rest of the cream. Continue whisking until the mixture returns to a boil. Remove from the heat.

Mix the pumpkin purée, butter and eggs together in a medium bowl. In another bowl combine the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, salt and pepper. Stir the sugar and spice mixture and the thickened cream into the pumpkin mixture.

Pour into the pie shell. Using a brush or your finger, dip into the remaining egg that tends to pool in the leftover eggshells and thinly coat the edges of the pie crust.
Bake for 45 minutes at 375, until the center is almost set. Let cool completely on a rack before cutting.

* Buying Organic Dairy Products: 
People often ask me what's "most important" to purchase organic if working with a budget. My answer is animal products. The dairy and meat industry has become unhealthfully contaminated with synthetic hormones, antibiotics, and harmful pesticides. Antibiotic overuse is a major public health problem and hormones are powerful that even trace amounts can cause dramatic changes in living beings. These agricultural methods have been implemented for the sake of profit at the expense of our health and the health of our planet.

Related Article: Truth or Dairy?

Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Cookies

(make one dozen)

3/4 cup pureed butternut squash (fresh or canned)

1/3 cup maple syrup (preferably grade B)

4 Tbs peanut butter (all natural, unsalted)

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup chocolate chips (preferably grain sweetened)

Preheat oven to 350.

mix ingredients together adding one at a time, following the order in which they are listed above.

bake for 20 minutes.

Protein Bar

1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup pumpkin/ pepita seeds
1/3 cup cashews
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup flax meal/ seeds
4 Tbs sesame seeds (or hemp seeds/ meal)
1/4 raisins
1/4 dried goji berries
1.5 cup oats- quick/ rolled
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup almond butter
3 Tbs. cocoa powder (preferably raw)
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
1/4 cup agave nectar

If you have a food processor, blend all nuts and seeds, adding oats in for last few seconds. Mix all other ingredients in as well. (This can also be done in a bowl with no processor.) Then press into a 8x8 baking dish and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Once cooled, cut into squares and store in fridge or freezer.

Optional: Add to recipe:
1 Tbs of spirulina along with 1 more Tbs of agave nectar and 3 more Tbs of cocoa powder

Quick and Easy Home Made Bread and Home Made Cheese

Having friends over for Middle Eastern cuisine this past weekend, I had to come up with quick and easy appetizers to match the dinner's theme. These were a great hit!

Home Made Labneh (strained yogurt)

32 oz plain organic yogurt (always choose organic dairy)

Cheesecloth

Optional: 2 Tbs. fresh mint (or parsley), chopped

Optional: 1 Tbs. olive oil

Place the yogurt in cheesecloth and tie the ends of the cloth together with a rubber band, making it into a little sack. Place the cheesecloth in a strainer over a large bowl. Let the liquid drain out of the yogurt (you can help it by gently squeezing the cheese cloth every few hours.) You can keep the yogurt on the countertop for a few hours before placing it in the fridge or put it directly in the fridge on a hot day.  Within 24 hours the cheese will have drained it’s liquid (about 2.5 cups of liquid!) and is ready to be served. It will taste even better if you give it 2-3 days before serving.

Presentation: You can either spread the cheese out on a plate or roll the cheese into little balls, topping with olive oil and fresh chopped mint. (These also taste great when served with freshly cut tomatoes.) 

Optional: you can also mix your favorite spices into the yogurt at the start of the process to flavor the cheese. 

If you'd like to store labneh for yourself in the fridge for a long period of time, place in a jar and cover with olive oil.

I needed some bread to go with it....

Quick Bread (makes 12)

3.5 cups white whole-wheat flour

2 cups water

1.5 Tbs. olive oil  (poured into a small bowl)

Optional: Za'atar (middle eastern spice)

Salt to taste

To make the dough, mix flour with water. The consistency of the dough should be elastic and shouldn’t stick to the rolling pin or countertop. 

Tear off small fist sized pieces of the dough and roll out with a rolling pin. (There should be no need to dust the counter or pin with extra flour). Each bread should be 4”-5” round and about ¼” thick. 

Dip you finger in the olive oil to coat both sides of each bread-round before placing the bread on a baking sheet. Once all breads have been made and placed on a baking sheet sprinkle za'atar and salt over the breads and gently rub the spices in.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Feel free to use any other spices to top the bread.  

These breads freeze well, they are whole grain, and yeast free!

After our appetizers, this recipe is what we had for dinner. Yum!

Sprouted Bread (known as Essene or Manna Bread)

The simplest bread of all: Grains and water, no additives necessary.

This bread has a moist consistency that resembles a hearty muffin. I often enjoy a slice topped with nut butter or honey as a light breakfast or a sweet snack.

Traditionally, the Hebrew tribes in ancient Egypt made Essene bread by grinding berry roots between rocks or millstones that were then laid to bake on stones heated by a fire or the sun.

These days we don't have to work quite as hard...

You can make your own essene bread or find it in the frozen bread section of your health food store.

Instructions for Making Your Own Essene Bread:
1.  Using 2 cups of dry wheat berries for each loaf, rinse the grains and cover them with twice the volume of water in a ceramic, metal or glass bowl, jar or pot. Cover with a screen or netting that will allow a flow of air and let soak overnight (at least eight hours).
2.  Drain in the morning and rinse at least twice a day for 3 to 4 days, keeping them covered with the netting. Make sure to drain out all the water each time you rinse while shaking the berries to prevent matting and spoiling.
3.  Allow the sprout hairs to grow at least the length of the berries and/or to be sweet to the taste before grinding. If they still taste starchy, give them another day of sprouting.
4.  Grind into a paste in a food processor, knead and shape into loaves (keeping them somewhat round and flat in shape.)
5.  Bake on a cookie sheet at low temperature (160-250°) for three to four hours or until browning occurs.
6.  Let cool and store. Refrigerate or freeze if intended to keep for more than three to four days.
7.  Cut with a wet and serrated knife, and enjoy!
8.  Variations: Add honey, seeds, or chopped nuts or fruit when making your bread.
* Ezekiel and other sprouted bread are made in a similar fashion from sprouted grains and water only with the addition of yeast.

Seasonal Pumpkin Oat Energy Balls

my solution to leftover pumpkin.... 

Balls:

2/3 cup pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
2 Tbs maple syrup
2 Tbs dry roasted almond butter
1/4 cup apple sauce
2 cups quick cooking oats
1/3 cup pepita seeds (pumpkin seeds)
1/3 cup walnuts

Coating:
1/4 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup pepita seeds

For Balls: Mix pumpkin, maple, almond butter and apple sauce. Add in oats, nuts and seeds. Roll into two dozen balls.

For coating: In a coffee grinder, grind oats and pepita seeds into a flour. Pour the mixture onto a plate and roll each ball in the flour until covered.

Variation: Roll balls in shredded coconut instead of oat and pepita mixture.

Pumpkin-Oat Power Bar
Press the ball mixture into a 8x8 baking dish and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Once cooled, cut into squares.

Winter Squash and Pumpkin Muffins!

Winter Squash

Not only sweet and filling, winter squash is known to have anti-cancer effects, is beneficial in fighting against diabetes and heart disease,  and is rich in the powerful antioxidant beta-carotene which contains anti-inflammatory properties.

The rich content of beta-carotene in winter quash makes it a healthy vegetable to fight against asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, all of which have inflammatory symptoms. Winter squash is also rich in beta-cryptoxanthin, which considerably lowers the risk of lung cancer.

Being high in fiber, winter squash helps lower cholesterol and protects the colon.

Not only does this vegetable provide us with its sweetness, its carotenoids help  regulate the blood sugar level. Its potassium content also helps lower blood pressure.

Gourmet Squash Recipe:

1 acorn squash
cooked grain (brown rice, quinoa, millet etc.)
dried cranberries  (preferably sweetened with apple juice concentrate rather than sugar)
1 onion
chard or kale
extra virgin olive oil
shredded goat or cow cheese (optional)

Cut squash in half, discard seeds, and place face down in baking dish with 1” water. Bake for 40 minutes at 375F until tender.
Sauté onion for 5 minutes, add greens until they soften 2-3 minutes.  Add cooked grain and cranberries, mix for another minute.   Stuff squash with grain mixture sprinkle cheese on top and bake face up for another 10-15 minutes.  Serve warm!

Daniel's Pumpkin Muffins (made with Quinoa!)

1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup pecan pieces
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or from a can)
2 Tbs ground flax seeds mixed with 1/3 cup hot water, cooled for 10 minutes.
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1 ½  tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups white whole-wheat flour**
additional 1/3 cup pecan pieces

Chop walnuts and 1/2 cup pecans. Add all other ingredients except flour and extra pecans and blend. Add flour and blend. Fold in in 1/3 cup pecan pieces.
Bake at 375 F for 25 minutes.

** White whole wheat is made from white wheat berries while standard whole wheat flour is made from red wheat. Still a whole grain flour, white wheat has a lighter texture and is great for baking.

Pumpkin "Cheesecake"

One of my favorites during the holiday season is pumpkin cheesecake. I now enjoy this healthier delicious version with no cream cheese, refined sugar or flour.   

Crust: 

1 3/4 cups almond meal (from Trader Joe's or grind your own almonds in food processor)

1/2 cup raw almond butter

1/2 cup dates

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Filling:

2 cups Greek yogurt (Fage brand works best and whole milk works best)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)

1/3 cup agave nectar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

Chop dates with almond meal in food processor. (If the dates are too tough and dry, add 1 tbs of hot water). Add almond butter and maple and pulse in processor until its all mixed in.

Press into a pie dish and bake at 375 for 10 minutes, until it starts too brown. Let it cool.

Meanwhile mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl until consistency is smooth. Once the crust has cooled down, pour the filling in. Refrigerate and let it set for a few hours.