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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Coffee Shop Corn Muffins

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Growing up my mom used to make cornbread all the time. She loved it fresh out of the over with melted butter. Yum! But I could never seem to get over how dry it seemed. Not to mention that if you didn't eat it piping hot outta the oven, it didn't seems to taste as good. Years later I found this recipe and it's been my favorite way to make cornbread ever since. These are so moist and have almost a sweet taste so they make the perfect addition to any meal (such as chili, soup, or stew) or you can make them for breakfast. They are super fast to make and even taste good the next day!
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Grind corn on the "bread" setting! Cornmeal will look like picture above!
 
Preheat oven 425 degrees
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In a mixing bowl combine dry ingredients:
 
1 1/4 cups cornmeal (ground in your WonderMill)
1 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
 
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Add to the dry ingredients and mix well:
 
1 egg
1 cup milk
 3/4 cup oil (I use safflower)
 
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Using a non stick cooking spray, lightly spray a muffin pan. Fill muffin cups 2/3 - 3/4 full (depending on the size you want your muffins).  Bake in oven for 13-15 minutes on 425 degrees. Note: These muffins brown really fast, so make sure you check them around 13 minutes. Also, some overs cook hot, so you may need to turn your oven down just a bit.
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When tested done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for a few minutes. Serve warm with butter!
 
Note: If you want a more chunky texture, you can add some drained canned corn. These are really delicious that way too! :)
 
*This was the last of the recipes posted for the Grain Mill Challenge

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Whipped Cream

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I did a lot of playing around with recipes and mixing different ones to make what you see here. At the time, my dad couldn't have wheat, but I didn't like most of the gluten free cake I had tried on account of them being too dense. So I set out to experiment, and this is what I came up with.
In this recipe I used a grain called Amarantha. It has a nutty flavor and is gluten free! You can buy the grain at your local health food store. If you do not have a grain mill, you can also buy the flour there. But it's cheaper and fresher if you can buy the grain and mill it yourself.
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Start by grinding about 1/2 cup of Amarantha grain (this gave me about 3/4 cup Amarantha flour) on the "pastry" setting in your WonderMill. Now you're ready to begin!

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl combine dry ingredients:
3/4 cup (rounded) Amarantha Flour (use your WonderMill to grind the grain to flour)
3/4 cup (rounded) Tapioca Starch
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup evaporated cane sugar (any sugar will work)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. xanthan gum
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Add wet ingredients to your dry ones and mix:
1 cup warm coffee, milk, or Almond milk (I used 1/2 cup coffee and 1/2 cup milk)
2 eggs
3 tab. oil (I used safflower oil)
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp. hazelnut (optional)
1/2 tsp. vinegar
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Line muffin pan with paper baking cups. Spray lightly with non stick cooking spray.
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Fill each muffin cup 2/3 - 3/4 full (depending on how big you want your cupcakes). Bake in 350 degree oven for 18-20 minutes.
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When done, pull out of oven and place on cooler rack to cool. While they are cooling you can make the Whipped Cream for the top!
Chocolate Whipped Cream:
Begin with making a stabilizer for the whipped cream. This will help to keep if from "melting" and getting drippy when it sits for a bit.
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Place in a small pan:
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
4 tsp. cold water
Combine and let sit until thick. Place over low heat, stirring constantly just until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
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In a mixing bowl combine:
2 cups heavy whipping cream (at least 24 hours old and very cold)
2/3 cup - 1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract.
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Beat until slightly thickened.
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While beating slowly, gradually add gelatin to whipped cream mixture. Whip at high speed until stiff.
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Add:
3 tab. cocoa powder
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Frost cooled cupcakes or put whipped cream in a pastry bag and pipe onto cupcakes. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Makes 12-18 cupcakes.
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Note: This recipe was one that I entered in the Grain Mill Wagon Challenge!
 
 
 
 

Friday, January 4, 2013

Whole Wheat Bread

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There is nothing like the fresh smell of homemade bread baking in the oven! So let’s get started!!
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Start with grinding your whole wheat I used about 12-13 cups of wheat berries to have enough wheat to make this recipe!
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In your bread mixer combine:
2/3 cup oil (I use 1/3 each of olive and safflower oil)
2/3 cup honey
1 tab. sea salt
5 cups warm water
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With mixer on med speed, add to it:
About 8 cups of  wheat flour
3 tab. yeast
Vitamin C powder (this is optional, but it’s a natural preservative, so it helps to add it)
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Let rest for about 5 minutes. Mixture will begin to look bubbly (like pictured above). This helps to “activate” the yeast.
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While mixer is running, add:
2 tab lemon juice (this is also optional but  helps to enhance the natural gluten in the wheat)
About 10-11 cups of wheat flour
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Note: Depending on the humidity of the day and how fresh ground your wheat is and how exact your measurement of water is, the amount of wheat flour you need will vary a little. The rule of thumb I learned was to add the wheat a little at a time until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl (like pictured above).
When you’ve added the remainder of your wheat flour, kneed the dough for 2-3 minutes on med/high speed, or the “kneed” setting on your mixer.
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Depending on your size pan, divide dough into 5 or 6 sections ( I used a large bread pan so I did 5). Tuck the sides of each section of dough under and pinch together at the bottom. Place in a greased bread pan. Cover (I use plastic wrap, but you can also use paper towels) and let rise for a half hour, or until about double in size.
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Gently remove cover and carefully (so that bread does not fall) place in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for about 30 minutes (if your oven bakes really hot, you may want to check them a few minutes early).
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Remove from pans and let cool on a wire wrack. I like to brush the tops with butter before they are cooled, as this keeps the top crust nice and moist. Enjoy!!
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This recipe was part of the recipes I post on the Grain Mill Challenge

Whole Wheat Waffles


 Another recipe I posted on the Grain Mill Wagon Site
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These are so delicious with butter, maple syrup, homemade jelly, honey, etc. You can also play around with the recipe and add some different grains to your WonderMill while you're grinding your whole wheat. I often like to add a little spelt, or barley.
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Grind enough wheat berries in your WonderMill to make 2 cups milled flour.
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In a mixing bowl combine dry ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour (can also do half whole wheat and half unbleached white)
1 Tab. + 2 tea. baking powder
3 Tab. Sugar (I like to use Evaporated Cane Juice)

Add to it:
2 cups milk
2 eggs
3 Tab. oil

Mix well and let sit for a few minutes for the baking powder to start working. Cook on a hot waffle griddle. Yum!
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This recipe makes about 6 servings.










Multigrain Tortillas

I just posted this recipe on the GrainMill Challenge, so I thought I'd post it here as well!
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I love tortillas, and used to buy them all the time at the store. But as I became more health conscience, I realized that there was a ton of ingredients (like hydrogenated oils that were on the "dirty" list for healthy living) in them. Not wanting to give up tortillas, I started trying to find recipes to for making them at home. To my delight, after combining two recipes, I was able to make them super easy and they tasted so much better than the ones at the store. This recipe is a spin off the one I just mentioned.  I made it up myself trying to incorporate  whole grains into it, instead of just white flour. Hope you enjoy it!
Before you start mixing up the recipe...
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Mix:
1/2 cup of each grain...barley, millet, whole wheat, and spelt.
1/4 cup Amarantha (this can be optional if you don't have it)
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Pour all your grains into your WonderMill and let grind into flour (I used the bread setting). Will look like this when done...
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Now you're ready to begin making the tortillas.
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Mix in a bowl:
3 cups of mixed whole grains (the ones you just ground)
1 cup unbleached white flour
2 tea. xanthan gum (to help the whole wheat grains bind better)
2 tea. baking powder
2 tea. salt
Then cut in:
1/3 cup shortening (I like to use Spectrum Organic Shortening)
Add:
1 1/4-1 1/2 cups warm water.
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Mix and then kneed on a lightly floured surface for a minute or two (until all the flour is incorporated).
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Divide into 6-8 balls (depending on how large you like them). Place a piece of wax paper on your counter, flour the top, place ball of dough on that, and then place another piece of wax paper on top of the dough. This keeps your dough from sticking to your counter while not having to add too much flour (so that it wont make it too dry).
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Roll out your ball of dough into a flat, round, tortilla.
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Spray (with pam) and heat a non stick, flat, cooking pan on medium heat. Peel wax paper
off your dough.
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Please in hot pan (your pan needs to be hot enough to cook your tortilla fairly quickly, but not hot enough that it begins to burn before you can get it cooked enough. It should take maybe 20 to 30 seconds on each side).
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When tortilla looks like this on the bottom, flip it and let it cook until it looks like this on the top too. Place on wire wrack to cool.
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When tortillas are cooled, store them in zip lock bag to prevent from drying out. If I'm not going to eat them the same day I make them ,  I like to store them in the freezer to keep them fresher longer!