Maple Oatmeal Bread Perfect for a Fall Morning, a bread from Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes A Day

With the nip in the morning air and the challenge on the Healthy Bread calendar I decided to get out the book and make 100% Whole Grain Maple Oatmeal Bread. It turned out wonderfully. Who doesn’t want to wake up to the smell of maple syrup wafting through the house? Because of the high fiber content you can almost feel good about eating it. Do you know how good oatmeal is for you? It has both soluble and insoluble fiber. Check this article out if you want to know more. I’ve been trying to watch my portion sizes so I made the bread in teeny tiny muffins and a small loaf to keep me from wanting to eat too much. I must admit that I still consumed three muffins right away . . .

I haven’t ever included a recipe before from one of the Artisan Books, but I am going to today. This recipe has oil & buttermilk in it, which adds immensely to the flavor and texture- the maple syrup doesn’t hurt either. My recipe has been adjusted to the altitude in Salt Lake City. printable recipe

Check in on the round-up of the HBin5 group by visiting Michelle's blog, there will be a plethrea of wonderful ideas there for healthy bread options.

Balsamic-Rosemary Syrup and a Multitude of Ideas of How to Use It

One of my favorite things to have on hand is my bottle of Balsamic-Rosemary Syrup. I keep it in a squeeze bottle in the side door of my refrigerator and you’d be amazed at how often I put it out.It’s so simple to make and the flavor is a power punch that can send a simple meal into the extra special category.

So how do I use this deliciousness in a bottle?

· A flat bread with feta cheese, dried tomatoes and olives with just a drizzle of Balsamic-Rosemary Syrup to finish it off.

· Strawberry Crepes with powdered sugar with an aioli on the plate of Balsamic-Rosemary Syrup.

· Dress simple greens with some crunchy croutons and garden vegetables

· Drizzle it over pork chops and you have a perfect finishing sauce

How about an appetizer made up of cubes of fresh mozzarella, grape tomatoes, your choice of black or green olives threaded on a skewers, drizzle Balsamic-Rosemary Syrup on top, just before serving sprinkle some chiffonade basil on top and add another few additional drops of the syrup. Your guests will love you for it. I served it at this memorable event.

Do you have a delicious sauce that is your favorite multi-tasker?

If you haven't had a chance to check out my give-away, take a minute to look at the great cookbook with Melissa Peck's beautiful artwork. I think you'll fall in love, I did.

Canyon Extravaganza and Dutch Oven Cooking

We were invited to attend a Canyon Extravaganza last weekend that included a Dutch oven dinner, entertainment and fabulous company. Of course we accepted the invitation. Being together with family and friends up Big Cottonwood Canyon on a Saturday evening, eating delicious food and singing around a real campfire and capping it off with some great s’mores. Honestly, life’s simple pleasures are really the best.

The head chef, Joe, together with his favorite sous chef, Marianne made some mighty fine main dishes in their 12 inch deep Dutch ovens. Joe pointed out to me that both the braised short ribs(which were absolutely fabulous) and the chicken bouillabaisse were recipes that were written for regular ovens. He simply cooked them in a Dutch oven.

Cooking in a Dutch oven doesn’t need to be scary. You just have to be thoughtful about timing your coals, where you put them on and below your oven and how long it takes to actually cook the specific dish you’ve chosen to serve. It's a math problem, and not a difficult one.

My assignment for the evening was bread. You haven’t lived until you’ve had Sheepherder’s Bread with honey butter from a Dutch oven. I got this recipe from a class I took several years ago at Thanksgiving Point from Lori Bennett.

I’ve found that with any cast iron cooking one of the most important things you can do to insure a positive experience with a Dutch oven is to have an easy and quick clean up. It might sound strange, but not if you’ve ever had to clean one up. I have 10 steps to cleaning a Dutch Oven on a separate post, it’s worth your time if you’re headed out to do some great outdoors cooking.

What is your favorite Dutch Oven dinner or memory?

4th of July Traditions and the Famous Grandma June Scones

Family traditions are beautiful things. This past 4th of July we were invited to attend an event that I’ve been hearing about for sometime that is a long standing family tradition. Simple and sweet, scones with honey, butter and jam mixed together with family and friends in a lovely backyard. It was just delightful to be included with the Little family. If you want to read more about this, the originator of this event, June Little was written up in a local paper 13 years ago as well as having the recipe included in the cookbook Favorites, a Make A Wish Utah chapter's fabulous collection of recipes. Since June has passed on, her children have carried the making of scones on in their own backyards. One of my daughter’s is lucky enough to marry into this tradition and we’ve been the beneficiaries. With permission I've included some pictures of the weekends event as well as Grandma June's recipe for her famous SCONES! You might want to find a way to wiggle them into one of your families traditions, you won't be sorry.

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Do you have a favorite family tradition for the July 4^th Holiday?

What's Up Doc? Carrot Bread made from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes A Day

What do you get when you mix carrots, coconut, dried cherries, dates, golden raisins, brown sugar and cinnamon with some yeast and white whole-wheat flour? Some mighty fine bread.Healthy Bread in Five Minutes A Day, Carrot Bread (pages 157-159) is a hardy loaf that starts to grow on you about the second slice. I very much recommend this recipe for a unique change from the standard honey whole wheat you might be making.

Here are my changes:

• 1/2 cup additional brown sugar
• ½ cup additional dried fruit, as well as 1/2 cup additional coconut
• 1 tablespoon additional cinnamon
• cooking time increased by 25 minutes with the temperature lowered to 300 degrees and the loaf covered with foil

Olive Spelt Bread was also included in this bread braid, the recipe can be found on pages 96 & 97. I made a standard loaf today and am still on the fence as to how I feel about it. The crumb is perfect. It was easy to work with and fashion into a loaf. The taste is unique and I happen to love green olives, I’m not sold on the bread . . . but it is just the first day. I’ll have to comment on my own blog as this one settles.

I’ll be checking on all the blogs of my fellow bakers

in the google group,

and hope you do as well to see how they felt about these two breads.

Check Michelle’s blog for the healthy list.

Pesto and Pinenut Bread & the Soft Pretzel

Today was baking day with yet another bread from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, the second book from Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François. The recipe choice came from the google group HBin5 run by Michelle who has made a wonderful schedule and this one is timed perfectly to coinside with St. Patrick's day . . . Pesto and Pinenut Bread (found on pages 98-99). I followed the recipe fairly close with miner changes for altitude ajustments.

Having read a few fellow members blogs and talked with Bonnie of City Home/County Home, I made a focaccia with 1/3 of a full batch of dough. I pressed the dough inside a 9 by 13 inch pan that had been oiled with olive oil. Let it rest for one hour, on the top drizzled olive oil and grated some quaility parmesan cheese and baked it for 25 minutes in the standard way with a steamed oven. What a delicious return! This is a great sandwich bread and will be used again. It had an excellent flavor and crumb.

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Next I made some soft pretzels. They were very easy to fashion. If you haven't made pretzels before you might view a youtube video here before you begin. After mine had rested for 40 minutes I washed them with an egg yolk , sprinkled them with coarse salt and baked for 18 minutes. They were quick and easy to make and disappeared just as quickly with a favorite marinara sauce.

I took the final pound of dough and dusted it with flour and put it in a zip lock quart bag, marked it with today's date and froze it for another day's pretzel or focaccia. This dough receives extremely high marks and I recommend it to all of you with the book and to those of you who haven't gotten it yet, what are you waiting for?

Go HERE to view other ideas of how to use this bread recipe on

the HBin5 7th Bread Braid

Be Still My "Beeting" Heart

Beets, who likes beets?!? I do. They come in different colors, did you know that? They range from deep red to pink. The golden beet is yellow on the inside and when cooked turns a beautiful orange. It has to make you smile. And if that isn't enough-- beets are full of good things for you: potassium, vitamin C, fiber, iron, antioxidants and betaines. Dave Lieberman recently said it may be nature's multivitamin, check his full article out here.

There are a few downsides to beet preparation. They bleed. When I made my recipe for Red Beet Buns from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes A Day I did take a few precautions and all went well and the red juice on my food processer was more than worth the delicious outcome.

I made heart shaped bread (sort of a pita type bread) and some tiny buns. The sandwiches were a complete hit, in fact we'll be dining on these for Valentine's Day. Who can resist a heart shaped sandwich that is truly good for you and your heart?

While the processor was out I made the fixings for wonderful chicken and beet dinner. I got my organic beets from Whole Foods and they actually had some great greens on them. The recipe comes from the Epicurious site and I followed it fairly closely and enjoyed every bite, including the leftovers the next day. Hard to "beet" a 20 minute dinner that cooks up in one cast iron pot.

Please stop in at Michelle's blog and see what other bakers in the HBin5 have done with this wonderful vegetable bread.

Lord Sandwich, Mapperton & Soft Whole Wheat Bread

The second bread braid of the Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day was the Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread. I made mine from white whole wheat flour, adding a bit more salt and a tad less yeast than the original recipe due to high altitude issues. True to the recipe, it was a soft bread and so I decided to turn some of my dough into rolls- they disappeared rather quickly at Sunday dinner.

My husband's family hails from a beautiful place in Dorset, England where they have tall hedges and thatched roofs. The story goes that for generations they were gardeners for Lord Sandwich, at Mapperton Manor. When we eat a sandwich at our house, we can't help but think a moment about the man who gave his name to the convenient hand-held bread, meat and cheese. Go here to learn more about Lord Sandwich, John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich.

There are many good bakers out there with wonderful blogs that have been

baking up a storm with this healthy sandwich bread.

Go to Michelle's blog, Big Black Dogs to see the entire list.

And go make your self a sandwich!

photo credit: Mapperton Garden

Healthy Bread in Five Minutes A Day & Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest AND a New Coffee Cake for the Holidays!

Today I got to make challah for Hanukkah! It wasn't a regular challah loaf, but a unique one for two reasons-- 1st, it's made from the technique taught in the book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, and 2nd it has some special additions to the regular challah loaf as you can glean from the title- Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest. This is the second bonus recipe for the Google group HBinFive. It has been a delightful dough to work with. You can go here to see the original recipe by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François. I made some modifications after reading several emails from the HBinFive Google group. I only used white whole wheat flour, replaced wheat bran flakes for wheat germ and increased the salt and vital wheat gluten to rounded portions ( I do live at a high altitude). I loved how this bread has turned out!

Challah is no ordinary bread, and I knew that I needed to treat it with a measure of respect. I was happy to see this explanation on

Kosher Foods For Body and Soul:

The dough is made with an especially large number of eggs, and sweetened with honey. The dough is traditionally cut into three rope-shaped pieces and then braided together before baking. An egg wash is applied to the dough to give a golden color after being baked. Poppy or sesame seeds are sprinkled on the bread before baking; the seeds represent manna that God gave to the Israelites to eat while they wandered in the desert.

After making my challah, I took my finished loaf to my neighbors for a picture with their beautiful menorah. They explained to me the Hebrew letters running down the middle represent the Ten Commandments - I love that. Getting the right picture took longer than it should have, I have the most gracious neighbors!

Next recipe: Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake filled with an Almond Cranberry Relish

Same dough, Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest, just put together in a different manor for a different audience. This is something you could serve at breakfast or brunch- it's both sweet and tart with a great crunch. I used a simple technique of rolling the dough as you would for making cinnamon rolls, then changed it up a bit. Check out the pictures to see how it is made.

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This dough, Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest will become a standard at my house during the holidays. It works like magic, try some and let me know how it goes at your house.

You may also like my version PUMMPKIN PIE BRIOCHE AND EBELSKIVERS

And don't forget to get online and get your self or someone you love one

of the best gifts for the kitchen,

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day & Healthy Bread in Five Minutes A Day!

Pumpkin Pie Brioche and Ebelskivers, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes A Day

I am a member of the Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day google group, and the first bonus assignment was to make this fabulous seasonal brioche- the deadline has passed, but I decided to go ahead and make it anyway and I'm glad I did. You may want to make this delicious bread for your table as well, Pumpkin Pie Brioche.

The Pumpkin Pie Brioche recipe was available on the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day web site, but has now be removed. You can access it from Michelle's blog {Big Black Dog} who has permission from the authors of HBinFive, Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. The changes I made in the original recipe were made because I live at a high altitude. I took the suggestions that were made in the book -- they worked beautifully. Here are the changes: 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon yeast, 1 rounded tablespoon kosher salt, and 2 rounded tablespoons vital wheat gluten.

The dough has a wonderful consistency and I found it easy to work with. I absolutely had to make a brioche, which will find it's self turned into french toast in the morning, but decided that pumpkin ebelskivers would be just the thing to best use this flavorful dough and they worked like a charm.

Christmas brunch at my house finds me making ebelskivers, it's been a tradition as long as any of my children can remember. These delicate puff pancakes can be quite delicious but unfortunately a bit of a time eater as well. This Pumpkin Pie Brioche dough worked out famously to cut down in the time area because I was able to make the pinch balls and set them out to rise and then cook them up quickly. I may have to think about mixing this into my menu this year. It is a winner recipe served with nutmeg syrup and orange butter.

When I make ebelskivers I use a cast iron pan. I love cast iron. It cooks these cute little pancakes evenly and perfectly light brown. I put the cast iron in a hot oven for about 15 minutes before I'm ready to cook to get the pan nice and hot. Once it's hot, place it on the stove top on a low setting. Put a little canola oil in the bottom of each round cup and place one of the risen pinched balls carefully into each hole. Watch them attentively until you get an idea of how quickly they will cook. You need to have a tool to turn with, I've used everything from a bamboo skewer to tongs. This year I have a set of new tools that I picked up at Williams-Sonoma made by Littledeer. They made quick work of lifting and flipping the delicate little babies. They were a bargain at $12. Once the ebelskivers are done, sprinkle them with powder sugar, serve and and watch them disappear.

Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day & the their NEW BOOK!

I have been singing the praises of the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day ever since I checked it out from the library and then quickly bought my own copy back in the winter months. Because I am a bread maker myself, I was hesitant that this would really work- but I couldn't have been more wrong. Last week I demonstrated to 30 women just how fabulous this book really is- and honestly once you've tasted the bread and seen the technic in person you're sold.

In our busy world where most of us barely have time to purchase bread, little lone make it-- this is a gift to anyone who wants to have a wonderful product without spending copious amounts of time making it. By utilizing different master recipes you can bake artisan free form loaves, flat breads, peasant bread and things as delicate as brioche. I would recommend if you are interested in learning this technic that you watch this youtube, visit their official web address and give it a try. The authors Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois are very down to earth and approachable and will even answer your questions on Twitter or their website. It doesn't get better than that . . .

Except that their new book just hit the bookshelves yesterday! Now we can all make a healthy version of this incredible bread. Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day offers whole wheat and other whole grains and whole vegetables versions as well as a chapter on gluten free bread. I will certainly be giving this book a try and can hardly wait for mine to arrive. Check out this segment for a recipe that you could try today with ingredients you may already have in your pantry as well as a link to purchase the new book at a great rate.

If anyone would like to see how this is done in person, contact me and I would be happy to give you a lesson. I have two different types of dough in my fridge at the moment just waiting and hoping for a good home. Happy Baking and tasting!

A Bad Day in the Kitchen, Should have used Cookwise, by Shirley O. Corriher OATMEAL BREAD

Have any of you ever had a bad day in the kitchen? Yesterday I started to make some bread a little late in the afternoon and by the time evening came around I had to leave for a meeting and left someone at home in charge of baking the bread. Things got a little crazy and they sort of forgot about the bread and before long the bread was left by it's lonesome sitting on the counter to rise and rise and rise. That spells trouble for all those air bubbles. However, when I got home I baked it anyway and it makes great toast!

Today's kitchen efforts worked out much better for everyone including todays batch of bread. I love this recipe for Oatmeal Bread that has been adapted from a favorite cookbook of mine, Cookwise, by Shirley O. Corriher. You can go here to get details on this one-of-a-kind book. It has answered many questions for me to help me avoid bad days in the kitchen or at least to help me understand why some things happen.

NOTE: Correction to the recipe- Just before you put the bread in the oven, turn heat down to 350 degrees for the duration of baking or you will have two very, dark black loaves of charcoal something or other in your oven.

UPCOMING CLASSES

My next teaching opportunities will be at a wonderful new store that has opened up in Gardner Village called Lorken

Food Finery. The classes coming up are on roll making and how to use a cast iron skillet. You can sign up by accessing their web site or calling them at 801 938-1982 www.lorkenfoodfinery.com/.

On Thursday, March 5^th I'll be teaching one of my most requested classes, Tricks of the Trade- How to Make Homemade Rolls. We'll discuss everything from how to purchase the right kind of flour to making sure that your yeast actually makes it live into the dough. I'll show you busy cooks how to cut your time in half by using the "micro-rise" method as well as discuss the principles behind freezing your dough for later use. You'll go home with a firm recipe for dinner rolls and a variety of ways to shape them, as well as recipes for cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting and orange craisin swirls. You'll find yourself intoxicated with the smell of homemade rolls and plan on tasting everything we make. Your friends, family and coworkers will love you for taking this class!

Thursday, March 12 is a night of learning how to use a basic pan that every complete kitchen should have to be complete, and is why everyone will go home with a skillet as part of the price of the class. The Miracle Pan- Cast Iron Skillet (8 inch pan) is all about learning how to use cast iron. If you haven't tried cooking with cast iron, or if you have and been unsuccessful- here is your chance to begin anew. In this class we will be doing the best scrambled eggs you'll ever have- and in 45 seconds or less, simple omelets, baking traditional corn bread, and making chocolate applesauce snack'n cake. The best part is you will go home with the feeling of confidence that you too can use your pan, take care of it and it will be in your family for several generations. After all, it is The Miracle Pan.

Please feel free to email me (Cristie) at thetablerunner@gmail.com if you have any questions.