Tag: homemade

Bread, Breakfast, Food Storage, Recipe

Sprouted Grain Buttermilk Biscuits

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My favorite biscuits are Baking Powder Biscuits from Kraft (https://www.myfoodandfamily.com/recipe/051722/baking-powder-biscuits). Out of all of the recipes I have ever tried, these always turn out fantastic. So, I thought I would try to adapt that recipe for my sprouted grain flour. I think I have a winner!

Sprouted Grain Buttermilk Biscuits

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Sprouted Grain Buttermilk Biscuits
8 – 10 biscuits
2 cups sprouted grain flour (or whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup COLD butter, cut into cubes
1 cup buttermilk (for quick buttermilk, add roughly 1 teaspoon vinegar to 1 cup of milk)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Add the cubed butter and cut it into the flour (you can use a fork or a pastry blender) until the butter is about the size of a dried pea. Add the buttermilk and mix until almost all of the flour in incorporated (do not mix too much or the biscuits will be dense).
Sprinkle flour on your countertop and scoop out the biscuit dough. Gently fold the dough until it becomes more solid (roughly 20 times), only adding flour to prevent it sticking to your hands or countertop. Pat flat so the dough is at least 1/2 inch thick.
If you want circles, cut with any item that is at least 2 inches round (a biscuit cutter, a drinking glass, an empty food can, etc.). If you want squares, just cut with a knife. Place biscuits on the parchment-lined baking sheet an bake for 8 to 12 minutes (until the edges start to brown). Let cool a few minutes, then split with a fork (use the tines of a fork to split the biscuit instead of a knife). Serve.
Bread, Food Storage, Recipe

Sprouted Grain Bread

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Since the sprouted grain flour is more like whole wheat flour (make sure you watch that video here: Sprouted Grain Flour), that’s the recipe I ended up using. I tried one written for all purposed flour and it did not work at all! This video is almost the entire process, including hand kneading, but in the description I included a link so you can fast forward past my kneading (and rambling).

Basic Whole Wheat Bread

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Basic Whole Wheat Bread
from NutriMill
Small Batch (2 loaves)
2 cups warm water
1/4 cup oil (vegetable or olive or whatever)
1/4 cup honey
2 t. salt
2 t. dough enhancer (optional and did not use)
2 t. vital wheat gluten (did not use)
5-6 cups whole wheat flour – milled medium
1 T. SAF instant yeast
Large Batch (6 loaves)
6 cups warm water
2/3 cup oil
2/3 cup honey
2 T. salt
2 T. dough enhancer (optional)
2 T. vital wheat gluten
14 – 18 cups whole wheat flour – milled medium
2 T. SAF instant yeast
By hand instructions:
In a large bowl, add the first 6 ingredients, about half of the flour, and the yeast. Mix for about one minute.
Optional step (I did this): for enhanced flavor and texture, allow the batter to sit for 15-30 minutes until it becomes bubbly.
Mix in the rest of the flour, a little at a time (about 1/2 cup at a time) until the dough pulls away from the sides and bottom of the bowl. You may not need all of the flour. On a lightly floured surface, place the dough and begin kneading in the rest of the flour until the dough is smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into equal portions. Shape into loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled (about 1 hour). Bake at 350 degrees F 30-40 minutes (or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F).
Mixer instructions:
In BOSCH mixing bowl with dough hook and dough hook extender in place, add forst 6 ingredients, about half of the flour, and the yeast. Mix on speed 3 for about one minute.
Optional step (I did this): for enhanced flavor and texture, allow the batter to sit for 15-30 minutes until it becomes bubbly.
Increase to speed 2. Continue adding remaining flour, a little at a time, until dough pulls away from the sides and bottom of the bowl. You may no need all of the flour. Knead on speed 2 for 6-8 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. Lightly oil your hands and counter. Divide the dough into equal portions. Shape into loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled (about 1 hour). Bake at 350 degrees F 30-40 minutes (or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F).
Canning, Dinner, Food Storage, Low Carb, Lunch, Preserving, Pressure, Recipe, Supplies

Homemade Corned Beef

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I can’t believe I didn’t post about this!  I made homemade corned beef last year, leaving out the sugar and the pink salt, and it was fantastic!  I thought, well, I could make this, then can it so I know exactly where it came from and what was in it.  I haven’t gotten around to canning this because it usually doesn’t last that long!

Anyway, if you are interested (I wanted to see if I could and I did), here is how I did it:

http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/home_made_corned_beef.html

And here is how to can it (ever since I canned that chicken, I prefer raw canning meats):

http://canninggranny.blogspot.com/2011/05/canning-corned-beef-brisket.html

There you go!  Give it a shot (even if you only do one).  It really wasn’t as difficult as my brain said it would be!

Recipe

Fish-Free Worcestershire Sauce

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Here’s my recipe for Fish-Free Worcestershire Sauce. I found the tamarind paste at an Indian (Asia) grocery store locally. I had eaten some Mexican tamarind candy before, looked at many Mexican grocers and no one knew what I was talking about. I walk into the Indian grocer, ask for tamarind paste, he says, “Sure! Right over here.” I could have hugged him! The amount of ingredients can be played with but the most important are the tamarind and vinegar. Tamarind is what gives Worcestershire sauce it’s unique flavor and color.

Anyway, here’s the recipe:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To make about 2 cups:

  • 1 large Onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of Garlic, crushed
  • 1 1/4-in thick slice Ginger
  • 3 T. Yellow Mustard Seeds
  • 1 t. Black Peppercorns
  • 2 t. Red Pepper flakes
  • 1 1-in. Cinnamon stick
  • 1 t. Cloves, whole
  • 1/2 t. Cardamom Pods
  • 2 c. Vinegar
  • 1/2 c. Molasses
  • 1/2 c. Dark Soy Sauce
  • 1/4 c. Tamarind Pulp
  • 2 T. Salt
  • 1/2 t. Curry Powder
  • 10 Kalamata Olives, pitted and crushed
  • 1/2 c. Water

Place the onion, the garlic, the mustard seeds, the red pepper flakes, the peppercorns, the ginger, the cinnamon, the cloves and the cardamom on a large piece of cheesecloth and tie in a little bag.

In a large saucepan, combine the spice bag with the vinegar, the molasses, the soy sauce and the tamarind. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 45 minutes.

Mix together the salt, the curry powder, the kalamata olives with the water. Add to the liquid in the saucepan. Remove from heat. Pour the contents of the saucepan (including the spice bag) into a quart jar. Cover with plastic wrap (to prevent the vinegar from degrading the lid), lid and ring. Place in the refrigerator for two months, shaking occasionally. Place a small holed strainer over a bowl and strain the liquid. Squeeze the spice bag over the strainer and discard. Bottle the sauce. Keep in the refrigerator and shake well before use.

Bread, Recipe

Buttermilk Recipes

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For years, I have been told that the perfect replacement for buttermilk is milk with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar added to it. That’s all I had been using in recipes that require buttermilk. I never knew there was a difference because I did not have anything to compare it to. The first time I tasted buttermilk was when I was 4 years old (the flavor left that large of an impression). I decided from that day on I would never have buttermilk in my house.

So, 37 years later I’m surfing the internet looking for the “perfect” pancake recipe. I found this one:

The Best Buttermilk Pancakes

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The Best Buttermilk Pancakes
Makes nine 6-inch pancakes The key to fluffy pancakes is not to over-mix the batter; you need small (the size of peas) lumps to remain.
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3 cups buttermilk
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1/2 teaspoon for griddle
  1. Heat electric griddle to 375° (or medium heat for a non-electric griddle). Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps.
  2. Test griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If water bounces and spatters off griddle, it is hot enough. Using a pastry brush, brush remaining 1/2 teaspoon of butter or reserved bacon fat onto griddle. Wipe off excess.
  3. Using a 4-ounce ladle, about 1/2 cup, pour pancake batter, in pools 2 inches away from one other. When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.
  4. Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes on a heatproof plate in oven. Serve warm.

How could I go wrong with a recipe from a website called “Perfect Pancake”? So, I made the recipe with my tried and (what I thought was) true buttermilk replacement. The batter was so thin I ended up adding at least one more cup of flour and the resulting pancakes were too ‘flour-y’. I thought I was just doomed to not have good pancakes (since I refuse to buy pancake mix).

Then, my husband broke down and bought some buttermilk. His mother always cooked with buttermilk but I can be one stubborn woman. I hate buying one item (or ingredient) that will only be used for one recipe.

So, we made the recipe as written and wouldn’t you know these were/are the best pancakes I have ever made! They also make the best waffles! So, I have been on a buttermilk kick!

I had never understood what buttermilk was. I know traditionally it was the milk left over from the process of making butter but also knew that is not what we buy in the store. That’s when I found this web page:

Making Buttermilk:

Making Buttermilk, Illustrated

Thanks to this web page, I have made one and a half gallons (it would have been even more but we needed to have waffles last night before the latest batch was finished … had to use 3 cups of the store bought buttermilk for the recipe) from a half gallon container.

So now I am hunting around for recipes that call for buttermilk. I found one that I just had to try:

From “Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book – Revised and Enlarged” circa 1958:

Old-Time Cinnamon Jumbles

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Old-Time Cinnamon Jumbles
Made with buttermilk … delicately soft and cake-like. “So easy … that making them is a thrill for the girls in the Home Economics classes each year,” according to Miss Sarah M. Knight of Buffalo, New York. And even her little sixth-graders report making them with great success in their own homes!
Mix thoroughly …
1/2 cup soft shortening (part butter) (Brenda: I used only butter)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
Stir in …
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Sift together and stir in …
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Chill dough. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls about 2” apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with mixture of sugar and cinnamon (1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon). Bake until set but not brown.
Temperature: 400 degrees F (moderate hot oven).
Time: Bake 8 to 10 minutes.
Amount: About 4 dozen 2” cookies.

“Delicately soft and cake-like” is the perfect description for these cookies. They are VERY soft and have the consistency of a flattened cupcake. They are also very mildly flavored. I’m not sure what I expected prior to making this recipe but know I did not get what I wanted. I did not like the cinnamon on top but I’m not sure what I could have replaced it with so I would really like these cookies. I will not make this recipe again but thought I would share … I’m sure some will like this recipe.

I will not give up my search for buttermilk recipes! I’ll share more as I find them!

Bread, Hamburger, Recipe

Hot Dog and Hamburger Buns

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I just made these tonight.  They are quite good!  They aren’t too “yeasty” tasting but not as sweet as store-bought.  I used honey instead of the sugar (read somewhere the commercial buns have corn syrup in them so thought honey would taste more like the real thing) but next time I will double the amount of honey.

As soon as hubby gets home, the Casper’s go into the pot!

http://44dinner.wordpress.com/2009/04/05/burger-bun-bonanza/