Buttermilk Biscuits

As quick and tasty as it gets…

Source

Forgiving Martha



Taste 5 (out of 5)



Difficulty 1 (out of 5)



Ingredients

- 2 cups all-purpose flour (910 cal)

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 2 tbsp sugar (90 cal)

- 1/2 tsp coarse salt

- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes (815 cal)

- 3/4 cup buttermilk, chilled, plus additional for brushing (105 cal)

Total 1920 cal, 12 biscuit, 160 cal / biscuit



Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicon mat.

2. In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the butter with a pastry cutter or a fork until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and stir until the dough comes together in a ball.

3. Gather the dough into a bowl and knead gently 6 times. Divide the dough in half, pat each half into a 1/2 inch thick circle and cut into 6 slices. Place on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Brush with buttermilk.

4. Bake until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.



Afterthoughts

- They are super easy to make – you can serve warm yummy biscuits in 30 minutes, out of which 15 minutes is the baking time. And they are really perfect for a weekend brunch, especially if it’s a sea-side picnic :-)

- All the stars in heavens and all the ingredients in my fridge conspired to make me bake those ;-). Usually when I see a nice recipe, I am missing some ingredients or have other plans for that day, and so the recipe goes into my long-long wish list. This time I wanted something baked and nice for a brunch, and I had all the ingredients ready, and it did not rain, so we could actually go out and have a picnic. It must have been fate :-).

- Thanks to Jess from Forgiving Martha for this delish recipe. You have to check out her site – there are soooo many great posts there. I will be making more of them soon…

Greek Salad in a Bread Bowl

For the April 2011 Daring Cooks Edible Containers challenge

Source

The bowl from Renata’s site



Ingredients

- cucumbers

- tomatoes

- red leaf lettuce

- dill

- olives

- feta cheese

- walnuts

- lemon juice

- olive oil

- salt and pepper to taste



Instructions

For the bowl all the ingredients and instructions are on Renata’s site.

For the salad, chop the veggies and add the seasoning :-).



Afterthoughts

- First of all, I really LOVE the edible container idea! Thanks, Renata, for the challenge and for all the creative suggestions!

- I tried many different bowls, but I guess this was not my month – they all fell apart. The bread bowl was the only survival :-). I can’t wait to see the posts of the other Daring cooks with their recipes!



Blog-checking lines: Renata of Testado, Provado & Aprovado! was our Daring Cooks’ April 2011 hostess. Renata challenged us to think “outside the plate” and create our own edible containers! Prizes are being awarded to the most creative edible container and filling, so vote on your favorite from April 17th to May 16th at http://thedaringkitchen.com!

Spelt Bread

Tasty, simple, healthy and homemade from scratch.

Source

Improvised



Taste 5 (out of 5)



Difficulty 2 (out of 5)



Ingredients

- 2 cups all-purpose flour (900 cal)

- 1 1/2 cups spelt flour (720 cal)

- 3/4 tbsp yeast

- 1 tsp agave syrup or honey (15 cal)

- 1/2 tbsp salt

- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (temperature of about 90-100F, a little bit warmer than the body temperature)

Total 1635 cal, 1 loaf, about 15 slices, 110 cal / slice



Instructions

1. In a plastic container (not airtight) or a bowl of about 3/4 to 1 gallon, mix the water and the yeast with the agave syrup or honey. Let stand for about 5-10 minutes to activate the active dry yeast. If you are using instant yeast, you can skip this step and omit the sweetener from the recipe.

2. Add the flours and the salt, mix all the ingredient with a wooden spoon, and then with your hands, until they combine and all the flour is incorporated. There is no need to knead the dough beyond that. Cover the container with a non-airtight lid, or with a plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for about 2 hours. By that time the dough should be approximately double in size.

3. Now you can either refrigerate the dough and use it within the next week or so, or you can make your bread on the same day. To make the bread, grease a 4’’ x 8’’ loaf pan with cooking oil, non-stick spray or Crisco shortening. With slightly wet hands, collect all the dough from the container, quickly shape it into a loaf shape and place it smoother side up into the pan. Cover the pan with a wet towel (I use a wet paper towel), and let it rise for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

4. Half an hour in advance, start preheating the oven to 400F. When the bread has risen and oven is hot, score the top of the bread with a sharp serrated knife, dipped into cold water. Scoring the bread allows the air to escape.

5. Bake the bread for about 50 minutes. Once it’s done, you can remove it from the pan, turn the oven off and leave the loaf directly on the rack in the oven for another 10 minutes, with the oven door slightly open. Then let the bread cool on the wire rack at room temperature.



Afterthoughts

1. It’s a super easy bread to make, with practically no kneading, no special equipment, minimal cleanup (only one container and one loaf pan) and a delicious result. It’s only about 10 minutes of active work, but the whole process takes about 5 hours, from the moment you mix the dough until you can slice you loaf. If you refrigerate the dough after the initial 2 hour rise, you can have the bread ready in 3 hours.

2. This bread has a relatively soft crust, because that’s how my bf likes his bread. But if you prefer crispier crust, bake your bread at a higher temperature (about 450F) for a shorter time (about 40 minutes). You can also place a broiler tray on the lower oven rack. Leave it in the oven while it preheats, and when you put the loaf into the oven, pour a cup of hot (not boiling water) into the hot broiler tray, and immediately close the oven. This will generate steam that will help form the crispier crust.

jam on it: shaker squash bread

you may have a bunch of these hangers-on from your summer garden



that are just about ready to jump.

or you might have been caught in the eye at your local farmstore by a few too many of these gorgeous gourds.



or maybe, you just like the smell of damn good bread wafting through your kitchen on a cold winter morn.

shaker squash bread

adapted from country breads of the world by linda colister

1 cup milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
scant 1/2 cup sugar (i use raw)
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast, or 2 & 1/2 teaspoons rapid rise yeast (that's 1 packet of the kind you find in the grocery store)
1 & 1 /2 heaping cups mashed winter squash, room temperature*
4 cups whole wheat flour
4 cups all purpose-white flour
2 large eggs, room temperature, whisked
melted butter for brushing the top after baking
2 loaf pans, approximately 9x5x3, greased

1. heat milk and 4 tablespoons butter just until butter melts. let cool, stir in salt & sugar.

2. combine yeast with half of the flour, add milk mixture and stir until completely combined. you can do this by hand with a wooden spoon, or in a stand mixture on medium low for about 2 minutes.

3. add squash mash and whisked eggs, stir until combined.

4. gradually work in remainder of flour until the dough is firm but not dry and is lifting from the sides of the bowl. you may not need all of the flour.

5. if you are using a stand mixer with dough hook, turn it up to medium and let it run for 7 minutes. if mixing by hand, turn the dough out to a lightly floured surface and knead for 7-8 minutes.

6. place the dough in a lightly greased bowl - you can do this with a flavorless oil - and flip so that both sides of dough are greased. cover with a damp dish towel, and let sit for approximately 1 & 1/2 hours, until dough looks as if it has doubled in size.

7. once risen, press the dough down firmly in the center. divide the dough in half and shape into sandwich loaves. place in loaf pans and cover with a damp dish cloth.

8. let loaves rise for about 1 hour, until they look as if they have doubled in size. at 45 minutes, preheat oven to 400 degrees. if you have a baking stone, you should put it in the oven.

9. bake loves for 35-40 minutes. very important: for the best rise, do not open the oven for the first 10 minutes. switch the positions of the loaves halfway through to insure even baking. bake until the tops are a deep golden brown.

to determine if breads are fully baked you'll want to pop the breads out of the pans immediately after removal from the oven, silicone gloves or the like are best for this job. breads are done if you hear a hollow sound when tapping the bottom, if not put them back in the oven, unmolded, for 5 additional minutes.

10. brush the tops with melted butter and let cool completely on a wire rack.

this bread is best eaten within 4 days, toasted thereafter, or frozen for up to 1 month. when toasted it has a tender crunch that melds perfectly with your jam of choice. it's also just right for all manner of sandwich bread uses. it's a staple in my kitchen every winter around this time, when my winter squash are getting antsy. plus how cool, it's a real shaker recipe!


*pawnote - to make squash mash: slice unpeeled squash in half and discard seeds. brush squash flesh lightly with a neutral oil and place cut side down on baking sheet. bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. let cool completely and peel skin away. mash roasted squash with a fork. squash mash freezes well.

jam on it: a once and again series celebrating toasty things fit to be slathered.
i mean, you gotz jams, don't ya? ...get in there and bake!