whole wheat bread

Ok so another one I thought that I had already put up.... apparently not! This is a recipe that I got out of a cookbook that my mom gave me, the one my husband calls my hippy monk book... I love this bread, and the fact that the recipe makes 4 loaves. It uses the sponge method, which I had never used before, and I was a little intimidated the first time, but it's super easy! After a little altering, this is how I make it:

Sponge stage:
6 cups lukewarm water
4 Tbs yeast
3/4 cup sweetening(I use honey, but you could use sugar or whatever)
8 cups whole wheat flour

Pour water into a LARGE bowl, and sprinkle the yeast overtop. Mix lightly with a wisk. Add sweetener, and mix to dissolve. Add in the flour 1-2 cups at a time, stirring until incorporated. Wisk until all the flour is mixed in and creamy. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set in a warm place to rise. Let rise about 45 minutes. It will get extremely high and overflow all over your counter if you don't use a big enough bowl... believe me! HAHA!

Either fold in, or use your dough hook on your mixer to add in:

2 1/2 Tbs salt
1/2 cup oil(or butter etc)
7 cups whole wheat flour
additional flour for kneading

Once the salt, oil, and flour are incorporated, tip dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and even. Place in oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set in a warm place to rise. Let rise 60 minutes.

Punch down(using your fist push the dough down) about 30 times, then re-cover and rise for another 45 minutes.

Shape your loaves. This is how I do it:

Separate the dough into 4 equal pieces, fold over and push down edges of each piece in a circular motion to making a circle. Roll up the dough and pat the edges to make a log, then roll over and pinch all the edges together. Place into a bread pan seam side up and press down into pan with the back of your knuckles. Flip the dough out and place back in the pan seam side down and repeat pressing. Repeat with the other 3 loaves. Cover and allow to rise 25 minutes from the time you finish the last loaf.

Preheat oven to 350. Make a 1/2 inch slit in each loaf, and brush with egg wash(1 egg plus 1/4 c. water or milk). Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown on the top and has a deep hollow sound when tapped with your finger. Remove from pan immediately, cool completely for easy slicing.

Enjoy! BTW, in case anyone is wondering, my favorite pan to use, the one that turns out the best loaves and is easiest to get the bread out, is a stone loaf pan! :)

Banana Bread

Ok here's my banana bread recipe I've been making forever, although it's not super healthy, you can definitely make it that way! :) This makes 1 loaf, or about 12 muffins.

1/2 cup butter(could substitute for applesauce or ground flax seed)
3/4 cup sugar(or sweetener)
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour(whole wheat or white or any combo in between)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in bananas, milk and vanilla. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Pour in to a 9X5" greased loaf pan or lined muffin tin. Bake 50-60 minutes, or 20-30 for muffins.

I just tried adding in 1/2 cup peanut butter and 3/4 cup chocolate chips, and it was AMAZING! This recipe doubles super easy! Have fun and make it your own! :)

tortilla soup

This one I got from a friend, and it's soooooo yummy! :)

2 cans diced tomatoes
3-4 chicken breasts cubed
2 TBS cilantro(I use WAY more than that!)
1 TBS cumin
2 cans(or 4 cups) of chicken broth
1 cup salsa
1 tsp garlic(again I use WAY more than that!)

Cook 8 hours in the crockpot then add:

1 can rinsed black beans
1 can mexicorn(I use 2 cups frozen corn)

Serve with chips(or tortilla strips), sour cream, diced avacado, hot sauce or salsa and cheddar cheese!

hot dog or hamburger buns

Another one from online. You can do this whole wheat, or white and they are very good! It's also a very quick recipe, about an hour start to finish!

1 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup butter(or oil, last time I used coconut oil and it was great!)

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp instant yeast

2 tablespoons sugar(or other sweetener)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 egg

In a small saucepan, heat milk, water, and butter until very warm(about 120 degrees but not too much above that)

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add in milk mixture and egg. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth.

Divide dough into 12 equal pieces for hamburger buns or 16 equal pieces for hot dog buns. Shape into smooth balls, and place on a greased baking sheet, and flatten slightly for hamburger buns. For hot dog buns, roll out into 4X6" rectangles and roll up into buns and pinch ends. Cover, and let rise 30 to 35 minutes.

Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

tortillas

This is a recipe that I got online, and it's very easy and versatile! You can make it all whole wheat, or all white, or any combination that you want!


1 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups whole wheat bread flour

1/2 cup oil of some sort(or butter) last time I used grapeseed and it was awesome!

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups boiling water

all-purpose flour for rolling

In a large bowl, stir together flours and salt. Mix in the oil then rub by hand until the mixture is the texture of oatmeal. Make a well in the center, and pour in the boiling water. Mix with a fork until all of the water is evenly incorporated. Dump out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. 

Divide into 18 balls and leave on counter covered to sit for at least an hour, and up to 8 hours. 

Heat griddle or skillet(the heavier the better, I use my cast iron griddle) to about medium. Roll out each ball very thin into as close to a circle as you can get it. Place tortillas one at a time on heated griddle or skillet for about 30 seconds on each side. Adjust heat as necessary. You can also slice these up after you cook them and bake them in the oven to make tortilla chips, or strips.