Basic Bread - Quick Rise Method

 This is the base quickrise bread recipe which can be modified.

In a large bowl mix:

2 cups bread flour

1 Tbsp yeast

1 tsp salt

Add 

1 cup room temp water

1 - 2 Tbsp olive oil (or other fat)

Wire whip to a batter *

Knead in 2-½ to 3 cups (whole wheat!) flour with dough hook or hand. Watch for the dough to separate from the bowl as you add the last bit. This is your cue that you have a good soft dough in process.

Knead for 10 minutes.

Make a ball of the dough.  Place in oiled (3 quart or larger) bowl. Turn the dough over so the top is also oiled.

Cover with plastic wrap and towel.  Let rise for about an hour or till doubled in size.

***

Punch down the dough.  Let rest for a few minutes. Prep your bread pan with shortening or oil.  

Form the loaf and place in the pan (or on the baking sheet, or…) Cover with towel again.

Let rise for another hour or doubling in size.

***

Pre heat oven to 350 F.  (start pre-heat halfway through the second rise)

Bake ~45 minutes for loaf bread

***

We can discuss variations in comments.

Earl Grey Chiffon cake from Hellen Rennie

 Esther this year asked for an Earl Grey Chiffon Cake.  I like baking cakes, so I said I would make that if she sent the recipe.  It is a lovely, light sort of cake, similar to sponge, but softer.  The video below is where I learned it, and below that is my transcription.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=2IqQkouHYag&feature=youtu.be

For the cake
Dry ingredients
256 grams cake flour (9 oz )
285 grams granulated sugar (10 oz )
1 Tbsp baking powder (14.7 grams)
1 tsp table salt or 2 tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher salt (5.7 grams)

Wet ingredients
5 large egg yolk (about 90g)
177g freshly brewed and cooled earl gray tea (3/4 cups)
112g vegetable oil (1/2 cup )
1 tsp vanilla
Separate wet ingredients
8 large egg whites (about 240g)
1/2 tsp cream of tartar57 grams granulated sugar (2 oz)
* * *
For the icing
90g freshly brewed and cooled earl gray tea (6 Tbsp)
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
1 tsp vanilla
464g cold heavy cream (2 cups)
56 grams sifted powdered sugar or to taste (2 oz)
* * *
brew 3 Tbsp of loose tea in two cups of water. set aside.
preheat oven to 325 F.

sift dry ingredients together twice.

mix (use hand mixer) wet ingredients thoroughly, add in the wet tea leaves.

mix this with the drys, making sure nothing dry is left.

beat the egg whites. when foamy but droopy slowly add in sugar

fold egg whites into yolky flour mixture.
pour into tube pan. (no grease.)
tap sides to remove big air bubbles
put in hot oven. check at 60 minutes

for whipped frosting.
sprinkle gelatin on tea in microwave safe bowl. let stand 5 minutes. microwave in 10 second increments until completely dissolved. set aside.
sift powdered sugar.
combine vanilla with tea
whip cream. as it thickens add in the gelatin, then slowly add in the powdered sugar.

When the cake comes out of the oven, you want to hang it so that it cools fluffy and is less likely to condense itself a bit. (Our Worcestershire bottle proved a good way to support the tube pan).
Once it is cool, slide a knife or spatula around the edges, release the out shell of the tube pan first and then the base and tube.

Now decorate with the whipped frosting.

I made this again with a citrussy rooibus instead of earl grey and an added bit of cointreau to enhance the citrus flavor along with and partially replacing the vanilla. This was excellent.

I made it using a sencha green tea, with added matcha. I think I should have left off the matcha, and I know that I want jasmine instead of green to get the right flavour. Do not go cheap on your tea for flavour. If the tea smells bad, don't use it. I threw out a cup of green tea citrus-just too bitter--and though the sencha/matcha was good, it really was't quite right for getting across a nice light green tea flavor.

Basically, though, this is a happy cake recipe. Like sponge cake, it has a higher egg content. which I think translates to a more filling cake. The frosting is not too sweet, and I really like how the gelatin holds the whipped cream up.

Breakfast for the bold

 This morning after treadmill, shower and prayer I made masala oats for breakfast.  First had them from little instant packets from Patel's.  Here is my quick homemade style.

Prep:  I have chopped onion and chopped green peeper in separate plastic containers to make small servings easier.

***

Masala Oats - (PDRU approved)

In a small sauce pan saute on medium heat:

1 tablespoon butter (be generous)

a palm full of chopped onions (1/4 cup ish)

1 thin sliced cayenne or other warmth maker

Cook until onion go translucent... not brown.

Add and saute for 2 more minutes:

half as much chopped green peppers as onion

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 pinch salt

Add water and oats.  Continue cooking.

1-1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 cup quick steel cut oats  (or other type ...water/oat ratio....directions) 

This makes two small or one large serving which needs no other condiments.  Water and coffee recommended.  

Cook until done (three minutes for my quick steel cut oats).

Keto Pancakes from the Tribal Kitchen

Obligatory Introductory Blather:

My dear co-conspirator, Donna, eats healthier than do I, but Sunday morning pancakes have been a trial and a thorn.  Many attempts with various sugar-free and keto recipes have been less than satisfactory.  This version is based loosely on something from random-keto-foodie-blogs with tweaks arrived at by discussion and experiment.

---

Keto Pancakes from the Tribal Kitchen

Preheat griddle to 320ºF/160ºC

Sift together

•     1/2 cup almond flour
•     2 tbsp coconut flour
•     1 tsp cinnamon
•     1/2 tsp baking powder
•     ¼ tsp glucomannan
•     1-2 tbsp granulated sweetener of choice

Whisk together

•     2 tbsp oil (light olive is what I use)
•     3 large eggs
•     1/4 cup milk of choice (½ cream - ½ almond milk ?)
•     Perhaps a splash of vanilla extract

Add dries to wets and whisk until smooth.

Butter the preheated griddle.
Pour ⅓ cup of batter on the buttered griddle
Cook for 4+ minutes per side till nicely browned and bubbly


Another cooking method:
Warm a small pan (I have a 6” cast iron) with a lid over medium low.
Before each pancake add a bit of butter or coconut oil to the pan.
Pour 1/4 cup of batter in the pan.  It should sizzle slightly.
Cook covered for 4+ minutes per side.  The pancakes fluff more using this method.

Makes 4-6 pancakes.

---

Serve with butter, (sugar-free) syrup, almond butter, cottage cheese, yogurt, or whatever else makes for a good morning.

Miso Soup

Joshua wanted to have Japanese food for his birthday, and I have always liked miso soup, therefor I had to look up a good recipe and try my hand at really making some.  I have previously played around with miso in soup.
I found this helpful site and went to work.  We have miso paste. We did not have the tofu I was hoping for, nor did we have dashi.  On the other hand, we did have a bag of cabbage and Mama had just gotten some miso with "dashi extract" (bonito flavorings).  So, this would have to work...I was hopeful.
Papa was going to the store and I asked if he could pick up mushrooms, or dry shitakis on the off-chance the local Kroger might have them.  The store had fresh shitakis so that is what we got.

I poured 12 cups of water into the heavy pot and set it to boil while I pulled out the cabbage.  The cabbage was that bag of coleslaw mix with mostly green cabbage, a little purple, and a little bit of carrot all thinly chopped.
I noticed a bag of chopped onion and dropped a handful into the heating water.  It came to a boil.  The heat was turned down to medium low. 
I dropped in three big handfuls of the cabbage mixture and waited around 15-20 minutes.  It was bright and lovely.
Next came the carton of shitakis, dumped in minus one or two that appeared not so good as the rest.
After a stir, I turned off the heat and began stirring the miso with dashi in, one big soup spoon at a time, approximately how the lady in the video does--she mixed the paste in the ladle before adding it to the rest of the pot.
I think I put in around six spoonfuls or so.  I tasted it it and added a little more.

It tasted good.  It is best fresh and hot or warm.  I ate some with an egg for breakfast the next day.  I did not like the mushrooms cold, but the broth and cabbage were still good cold.  I warmed it after tasting the cold mushroom and enjoyed the soup.

The Definitive Bagel Recipe

It is high time I post the bagel recipe I use.  I promised that I would share it when I was able to make bagels for the family in Tennessee, and that was a few months ago.  It was a hectic weekend, and I simply forgot to give them the recipe.  Hopefully this will suffice to make amends.

For a while, I was making these at least once a week, sometimes two or three times depending on my baking mood.  I am sure if you follow me on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram you must have seen many many posts about these magical goodies.  Homemade bagels are, indeed, goodies.  The family in Illinois can testify.

I don't even remember what got me to make bagels in the first place.  I think the family here must have been buying bagels, and I thought, "I can totally make bagels.  Let me find a good recipe."  And they never bought bagels again.

Sophisticated Gourmet's recipe was the only recipe to completely appeal to me in my quick Google search.  It's easy, short and beautifully written.  My favorite thing about the process is the length of time.  If I stay on top of everything, I only spend about two and a half hours from start to finish.  Bagels, people!!!  In under three hours!!!  The results from following the recipe are even better.  I would even call the recipe fool proof.  I have done so many things that I was sure would adulterate the bagels.  Every time, they just sit there defiantly perfect and delicious.

I have a few notes for the recipe.  When you are forming the dough into balls before making the bagel rings, it is really important to make sure that the dough balls are smooth all the way around so that the finished product comes out looking like a bagel.  Water can get caught in the nooks while boiling and can make for soggy bagels coming out of the oven.  Yeah, I did that.

Now this is just a personal preference, but I think that the optimal boiling time for each side of the bagels is a minute and a half.

In a pinch, these can be made in about two thirds of the time.  If you put your oven on the lowest, or warm setting and pop the dough in there to rise, it cuts rising time at least in half.  Make sure to leave the oven door open or the dough will start to cook on the edges, and that is no bueno.  I only do this as a last resort, but the bagels came out just fine.  Samuel thought they were better than usual.

Now, go and enjoy your bagel adventures.

Black bean and Sweet Potato soup

Okay, several times when I have been at home, I have talked about this delicious soup. Well, here is the recipe in its original measurements. Be warned, it is portioned for one person. 

I tend to double it so as to have leftovers.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Soup

Estimated time: 25 minutes

One serving

Author’s note: Hearty, yet bursting with the fresh flavors of lime and cilantro, this is the perfect late autumn soup. I like it cold in the summer – make it the night before when you’re cooking something else and eat it cold for lunch or dinner the next day.

1 Tbsp oil

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp chili powder

1/8 tsp cayenne powder

1/2 cup sweet potato, peeled and diced (1/4 medium)

1/3 c cooked black beans (drained, if canned)

2/3 c water or broth

1/2 lime, juiced

1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Saute the onion in the oil until nearly translucent. Add the garlic and spices and sauté for about a minute. Add the black beans and sweet potatoes, along with enough water or broth to cover. When the sweet potatoes are well-cooked, add enough lime juice to taste and garnish with cilantro. 

                          Product Highlight:

Since I have been cooking for myself, I don't tend to keep bunches of herbs; however, Wal-mart has some awesome chopped cilantro in a tube that tastes pretty much like fresh. They also have garlic, ginger, basil, chili pepper and lemongrass.

I love this stuff!