Breads

Homemade Baking Mix – Healthified

By Cheri in Breads, Homemade 5 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

Homemade Baking Mix – Healthified

I love my regular homemade baking mix, it makes some of our favourite pancakes (and according to the comments I’ve received, many others favourite too). I like the quick and filling breakfast it makes during the week, but I’ve never felt like it had enough nutritional value for an everyday type of thing. If my kids are going to enjoy pancakes once or twice a week I want them to be healthier and have more fibre. I got asked quite often how to make it with whole wheat flour or how to make it the equivalent of the Bisquick Heart-Smart mix, so I thought it was about time to make the move.

I’ve taken the original recipe, subbed a portion or the white flour for whole wheat flour and wheat germ, and upped the baking powder a bit to make up for the heaviness of the whole wheat. My family loves whole wheat bread so I don’t really know why it took me so long to try this. So far I’ve used the mix for pancakes and biscuits – they were both delicious. Although I haven’t tried it in my other baking mix recipes, I’m fairly confident this will work, as the original, and be able to be substituted in any recipe that calls for bisquick or other baking mixes.

To get more tips on making it healthier and links to recipes, you should definitely scour the original post and comments. I love when readers chime in with their adaptations and recipes and there are plenty of good ideas to be found. I received an email from a reader, Elizabeth, who said “I am on a reduced salt diet and pancakes, waffles and biscuits are loaded with sodium. I changed your recipe just a little and got a great tasting alternative. I used unsalted butter, sodium free baking powder and half the salt. It is wonderful!” So, feel free to tweak these recipes to your liking and make them suitable for your family. Many people have also used the original recipe and subbed all of the white flour with white whole wheat flour and it sounds like it was a great success.

I’ve made the mixing process a bit easier by doing what has become the norm for me – grating in the cold butter rather than cutting it in with a pastry blender. This works great for me but feel free to go the normal route if you prefer.

For more recipes to use this mix in, head over to the original Homemade Baking Mix post.

Whole Wheat Baking Mix

  • 2.5 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 cups white flour
  • 1/2 cup wheat germ (or additional whole wheat flour)
  • 6 tablespoons baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter (salted or unsalted), cold

Mix together flours, wheat germ, baking powder, sugar and salt. Quickly grate in butter (using a cheese grater), in a couple additions, tossing with flour to coat the butter so it doesn’t stick together. Store in the fridge (for as long as the butter stays good for), or in the freezer for longer storage.

Drop Biscuits

Mix together 1/3 cup of milk for every 1 cup of mix. Drop onto un-greased cookie sheets and bake @ 450ºF for 10-12 min.

*Add any additional ingredients you wish such as cheese or herbs before adding the milk.

* 1 cup of mix will yield about 6 biscuits.

Pancakes

Mix 2 cups of mix with 1 cup milk and 2 eggs. Cook on hot griddle.

*As with the biscuits you can add any flavouring or other ingredient you would like, such as chocolate chips or blueberries.

Soft Honey-Wheat Sandwich Bread

By Cheri in Breads, Recipes 12 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Soft Honey-Wheat Sandwich Bread

Moving from Europe, where tasty, fresh artisan bread is readily available, I have to say, I miss it. I love baking bread, but the bread in Norway was so fresh and delicious I never had a reason to make my own. I’ve had such a hard time finding a sandwich bread that even compares to the ones that I took for granted there so, I knew it was time to start making my own once again.

I thought it might take a while to find a great recipe, but this was the first recipe I tried and it is perfect. Light and airy, thanks to the use of bread flour, and slightly healthier, thanks to the use of honey and whole wheat flour. There’s absolutely no sugar in this recipe – awesome! It’s not a european style bread at all but the slightly sweet and wholesome flavour makes it perfect for sandwiches. And, homemade beats store-bought hands down.

A Few Tips:

  1. The first time I made these I didn’t have any loaf pans so I just baked them freeform and they turned out fine. The shape isn’t perfect but the taste is just as good. :)
  2. These are made with a sponge but don’t let that scare you off. This is a simple bread recipe that’s easy to make. It has a couple more steps than usual but they only take a little extra time and that time is worth the results.

The other thing I love about this recipe is that it stays soft for a long time, longer then other recipes I’ve tried. I really can’t say enough good things about this bread. Now that the bread baking fire is renewed in me I know I’ll be trying my hand at many more recipes, but this will definitely be one that I return to when I want a soft and tender loaf.

Soft Honey-Wheat Sandwich Bread

You can make this bread by hand or using a stand mixer. It makes a lot of bread so I store them in the freezer. For tips on working with yeast doughs head here.

Sponge
  • 3 cups warm water
  • 2 (.25 oz) packages active dry yeast
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 5 cups bread flour
Bread
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 3+ cups whole wheat flour
After it’s baked
  • 1 tablespoons butter, melted

For the sponge: Mix together warm water, yeast, and honey. stir in the white bread flour until evenly combined. Let sit for 30 minutes, until risen and bubbly.

To make bread: Mix the melted butter, remaining honey, and salt into the sponge. Stir in 2 cups of whole wheat flour. Knead in enough flour until the dough is smooth and tacky but not overly sticky. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray, place the dough in the bowl and spray the top of the dough with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 hour).

Once risen, punch down the dough and divide it into 3 equal loaves. Place each into a greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, and allow to rise until the dough has topped the pans by one inch (about an hour).

Bake at 350º F for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and the bread sounds hollow when tapped. Brush the tops of the loaves with 1 tablespoons melted butter to prevent the crust from getting hard. Let cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. Let cool completely before storing in plastic bags.

Makes: 3 loaves

Adapted from allrecipes.com.

Mocha Chip Banana Bread

By Cheri in Breads, Chocolate, Christmas, Fall, Sweets, Valentine's 11 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Mocha Chip Banana Bread

This banana bread is much more reminiscent of a cake – with its rich chocolate flavour and deep undertones from the coffee. It’s almost guaranteed to win over even the harshest banana bread critic.

The deep chocolate look of this bread speaks romance to me. Although, the most romantic we got was to sit huddled up to the coffee table sipping milky chai tea and eating this moist, dark, chocolate, banana bread while watching Bones (admittedly not the best show to watch while you’re eating). That’s what romance is when you have a 7 month old and a 3-year-old at home. Any quiet moment to yourselves without being needed by someone else is considered a date! And, a good night sleep makes for marital bliss. :)

This is not the type of banana bread that you eat for breakfast. It’s much more reminiscent of a cake – with its rich chocolate flavour and deep undertones from the coffee. It doesn’t taste anything like a classic banana bread, which makes it a perfect way to use up those old bananas and serve them to people who are otherwise adverse towards baked bananas. I almost guarantee that if you call this Mocha Chocolate Chip Bread (or loaf cake) they will never guess. Not that you want to be sneaky… but sometimes it doesn’t hurt. :)

One note of advice: It’s important to sift cocoa powder, when using it in recipes, because there are always chunks in it that never quite mix into the batter. I don’t own a sifter, but a fine mesh sieve works just as well. Simply place it over your mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients and stir to push through. Discard any hard pieces that don’t want to break up.

Do you make banana bread? What’s your favourite way to use up bananas before they go bad?

Mocha Chip Banana Bread

The key to a moist loaf is to not overbake. Ovens vary in temperature so start checking for doneness earlier then the suggested time.

  • 1.5 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1.5 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 medium bananas, mashed (1 cup)
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon hot milk
  • 2 tablespoons instant coffee
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl.

In a separate bowl whisk together eggs, bananas, oil,sour cream and vanilla. Dissolve instant coffee in hot milk. Stir into banana mixture.

Stir wet ingredients into flour mixture, just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour into a greased 9×5 loaf pan. Bake at 325ºF for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool completely before slicing.

Perfect Burger Buns

By Cheri in Breads 14 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

Perfect Burger Buns

If you follow many food blogs you may have seen this recipe before. And, for good reason. I first saw it on Smitten Kitchen and was very intrigued, but it sounded like too much work at the time. Then I saw it on Annie’s Eats and her take sounded much more do-able with the same end result.

Both of these ladies were right. These are the perfect burger buns and my search is over. I’ve been making them for probably a year now (I’ve even photographed them before - here and here) and absolutely cannot get myself to buy them from the store anymore. I’d rather go burger-less then have a burger with a bad bun.

These light brioche-style buns are easy to make and have just the right amount of fluff and firmness that you look for in a burger bun. The bun actually accents the burger instead of distracting from it. So many times when I’ve eaten burgers I just notice that the bun is too doughy, too thick or too heavy. That has never happened with these buns. Really, they are perfect.

I make mine a little smaller than the original recipe because, although it’s the perfect size for a 1/4 pounder, I just can’t eat that big of a burger so I make them a little smaller and serve them with my 1/6 pounders. :) I also find this a much more appropriate size for my three year old. Feel free to make how ever many, and whatever size, you want.

I know that summer is almost over but we’re going to be grilling until the snow flies. Besides, I thought these would be perfect for the Labour Day weekend coming up.

New to making dough? Read my tips here.

Will you be cooking up anything for Labour Day?

Perfect Burger Buns

You will need a stand mixer for the instructions below. If you don’t have one, see the original for mixing instructions.

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 3 tablespoons warm milk
  • 2.5 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 3-4 cups bread flour
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 teaspoons salt
  • 2.5 tablespoons butter, softened
Topping
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • sesame seeds

Dissolve yeast in warm water in the bowl of your mixer. Add milk, sugar and egg. Beat with paddle attachment to combine. Add 3 cups bread flour, all of the all-purpose flour and salt. Beat with mixer until well blended. Beat in butter.

Switch to dough hook; add enough remaining bread flour until the dough comes together but is still a quite tacky. Knead for 6-8 minutes, until smooth. Transfer dough to a large greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled (approximately 1 hour).

Line a baking sheet (or 2) with parchment paper. Divide dough into 8-12 buns (8 for large, restaurant-style buns, 12 for medium-sized buns). Place the buns 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Spray lightly with cooking spray and cover lightly with plastic wrap (the spray is so the plastic wrap won’t stick to the buns). Let rise until nearly double (about 1 hour).

Pour water into a large pan and place on the lowest rack of the oven. Preheat oven to 400ºF.

For the topping: Whisk together egg and water. Brush lightly onto risen buns. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake for 15 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking time, until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly and then remove to paper towels or wire racks to cool.

Makes: 8-12 buns

Note: You cannot substitute all-purpose flour for the bread flour, you will simply not get the same stunning results.

Adapted from Annie’s Eats and The New York Times (original).

Jalapeno-Cheddar Drop Biscuits

By Cheri in Breads, Sides 8 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

Jalapeno-Cheddar Drop Biscuits

The season of soup is drawing near. And, in my opinion, soup is just not complete without a side of biscuits – warm from the oven. Thanks to my favourite homemade baking mix, these biscuits could not be simpler to make. Four ingredients get stirred together, dropped onto baking sheets and baked until golden. I’m addicted to making biscuits this way. It’s so easy to come up with variations. Just stir in whatever suites your fancy for the day and you’re guaranteed to have fluffy biscuits in a flash.

These Jalapeño-Chedddar Biscuits are one of our new favourites and will definitely be going into the rotation. I love how the cheese gets crusty and caramelized on the outside with little pockets of melty cheese on the inside. The jalapeño adds a little touch of heat without being too spicy. You could easily add more of either depending on your tastes.

If you’re like me, a batch of fresh biscuits can be the spot of sunshine that perks up a cold and rainy day, so it’s great to be able to make them on a whim. Especially when you’ve got broccoli in the fridge and can whip up a batch of Broccoli Cheese Soup to go with it.

Are you looking forward to the fall weather coming up?

Jalapeño-Cheddar Drop Biscuits

If you prefer you can use real jalapeño. I can never find them at my store, but always have the canned stuff on hand, which is why I use the pickled ones in this recipe.

  • 2 cups baking mix (or bisquick mix)
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped pickled jalapeños
  • 2/3 cup milk

In a medium-sized bowl mix together baking mix, cheese and jalapeños. Pour milk over and stir just until evenly moistened. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 450ºF for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are golden brown. Serve warm.

Makes approximately: 12 biscuits

Guest Post: Strawberry Scones

By Cheri in Breads, Breakfast, Easter 8 Comments Tags: , , ,

Guest Post: Strawberry Scones

This is a guest post from Karly of Buns in My Oven. If you don’t follow her blog yet, you should. It’s full of drool worthy eats that will get your tummy grumbling. Plus she’s tons of fun and you’re guaranteed to have a laugh while you’re there. I can´t wait to try these Strawberry Scones for myself. Welcome Karly!

When Cheri asked me to guest post on her gorgeous blog, I cried a little. I mean, seriously? Have you seen this woman’s gorgeous photos? And her scrumptious food? How the heck was I going to create something pretty enough and tasty enough for her blog?

Well. I don’t know about the pretty part, but these strawberry scones are outta this world good. They are perfect for a summer breakfast. Ask my son, he should know. He ate them all in about 5 minutes flat.

Side note: Growing boys are kind of scary. I have this fear that one day he won’t find anything that looks good in the fridge and he’ll just eat his family instead. Seriously, bottomless pit doesn’t even begin to describe tween boys.

Back to the scones, these were super quick to prepare and full of great strawberry flavor. While the scones are baking, the strawberries cook down a bit, so each bite has the taste of fresh strawberry jam, minus all the work of actually, you know, making fresh strawberry jam.

If you could take a bite out of summer, I’m pretty sure it would taste like this. At least, I hope it would taste like this. In truth, summer probably tastes a bit like stinky shoes and dirt. But, maybe that’s just the mom in me talking.

Strawberry Scones

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
  • 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup cold heavy cream
  • 1 cup diced strawberries
  • 1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk, for egg wash
  • 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 4 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In the bowl of your mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest. Beat in the cold butter until you have a coarse, crumbly mixture. Combine the egg and cream and slowly pour into the flour mixture with the mixer on low. Mix until just blended. Add the strawberries to the dough until combined.

Dump the dough onto a well floured surface and work into a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough into a rectangle about 3/4 inches thick. Flour a 3 inch round or fluted cookie or biscuit cutter and cut circles of dough. Place the scones on a pan lined with parchment. Gather the scraps to re-roll and cut more scones.

Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Scones should be lightly browned and feel firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Whisk together the confectioners sugar and orange juice and drizzle over the scones.

Recipe from Le Petit Brioche.

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