Evidence of the end of days

Jake and Henri love each other. I'll let you guess which one is the lion and which one is the lamb.

Bread Recipe (White/Rosemary)

So here's our first bread recipe. Warning, it's ridiculously good.

It's mildly more complicated that a basic white bread recipe, but I mean 'mildy'. Basically, the only hard part is remembering to start it 24 hours before you intend to make it. Add the rosemary for a delicious variation.

Incidentally, the easiest way to do this is with a mixer with a bread hook. If you don't have that you'll have to do your kneading by hand. So here it is:

DAY 1

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1 tsp instant yeast

Directions:

Mix together and then turn the blender on high for about a minute to get some air bubbles into it.

Ingredients:

2 2/3 cup of all purpose flour
1 tsp instant yeast

Directions:

Mix together and then sprinkle on top of the liquid to cover

Cover loosely, let stand for 1 hour on the counter top, and then place into the refridgerator for 4-24 hours (24 is recommended).

This is called a sponge, by the way.

DAY 2

Ingredients:

1/3 cup milk (scalded)
2 TB butter or margarine
2 TB sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 TB rosemary (* optional)

Directions:

Scald the milk (put on med heat until it just starts to bubble on the edges and then cut the heat). Add the butter, sugar, salt, and rosemary (* optional).

Put the mixture (sponge) from the previous day back onto the mixture and begin to blend it with the bread hook. Slowly pour the milk mixture (make sure it's not still too hot to put a finger into) into it until it comes together.

Knead for 10 minutes on med-low speed.

Spray a bowl with oil-spray (we use canola) and then, use a spatula sprayed with the oil spray, remove the dough from the mixing bowl and bread hook into it.

Spray the top of the dough with the oil-spray and then cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for approx 1 hour (until doubled in size).

Press the dough down (use more spray if necessary to keep from sticking to counter and hands) and shape the dough to fit 5x9 bread pan. Spray the bread pan (if necessary) and place the dough into it. Spray again and cover loosely with the plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size. The dough should be approximately 1 inch above the top of the pan when ready.

COOKING:

Directions:

About the time you start your second rise, place a cookie sheet (preferably one that isn't your favorite) onto the bottom rack of your oven at the lowest position. Place the second rack in the second lowest positioin. If you have a baking stone, put it on the second rack. Then preheat the oven to 425.

When the dough is ready and the oven is hot, fill a half a cup with ice cubes.

Without being too slow about it, open the oven, put the bread on the second rack (on the stone if you have it), pull the baking-sheet out a bit, dump the ice into it, and close the oven.

Immediately lower the temperature of the oven to 350.

Cook for approx 45 min or until crust is golden brown.

Remove from pan and cool upright on a cooling rack for 30 minutes.

There it is. Like I said, a bit more complicated but, oh so good.

Usually if we do the rosemary bread we don't use a bread pan, but instead split the dough into 2 balls and then let rise and cook on a flat pan (last time I used a glass cake pan). Cooking time may be slighlty less (perhaps 30 min) if you do it this way. Just go for the rich, golden brown look and it should sound hollow when tapped on the underside (like this is a viable option. Stupid bread baking books. Like I'm gonna pull the loaf out, de-pan it, tap the bottom (While still hot? Come on) and then put it back into the pan and back into the oven. Sheesh.

Pancake Sandwiches

So Bry and I have developed a recipe that we just love. It was based on the fact that we like McGriddles from McDonalds...particularly the bacon, egg and cheese McGriddles. If you don't have any taste for McGriddles at all, ignore the following. That being said, these are WAY better than McGriddles, and much healthier. Whereas McGriddles will leave you feeling sick and heartburned, these will not.

Pancake Sandwiches
3/4 cup Hodgson Mills Whole Wheat Pancake Mix
1/2 cup skim milk
1 egg
1 TBSP Canola Oil

3-5 Strips of Turkey Bacon (Oscar Meyer)
5 Eggs
2-3 Fat Free American cheese slices
Maple Grove Farms Sugar Free Butter Flavor Syrup

Mix up the Pancake mix, milk, egg and oil and let it sit for a few minutes.

In one pan, slice up the bacon and fry it. In two smaller pans on med heat(or a large griddle) portion out half (a fourth in each pan) of the pancake mix. Pour a swirl of syrup onto these as they start to cook. Once the bacon is done, pour the 5 eggs into the pan and scramble away. You can overcook these eggs without affecting flavor or dryness. We actually like to brown them somewhat. Flip the pancakes when they're done on the first side and then add a bit more syrup.

When the first pancakes are done, put them on a plate, adding a bit more syrup if you'd like. Start the second pancakes with the rest of the batter, cooking them the same way with the syrup. When the eggs are finished put them on top of the plated pancakes and then put the cheese slices over them. Once the second pancakes are done, add them to the top of the eggs/bacon/cheese and then add more syrup to your liking.

SO -- VERY -- GOOD!!!

Obviously one could substitute out the bacon, fat free cheese, sugar free syrup or whole wheat pancake mix for the "real" stuff. But it won't taste any better and you'll just get fatter from it that way. Do as you will.

Everything but the pancake mix (brand wise) can be had at Walmart. The pancake mix we get at Maceys. And another note. The Butter Flavor Maple Grove Farms Sugar Free syrup makes a difference. Use other Sugar Free syrups at your own risk. Disclaimer offered.

Edit: DO NOT try and eat these as an actual "sandwich". Use a fork for goodness' sake!

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

Here is our healthy pumpkin muffin recipe. A note on the 'healthy' part of the recipe. Obviously the 2/3 cup of AP flour can be replaced with more of the King Arthurs. The King Arthurs flour can be replaced entirely by regular whole wheat, but the muffins will be grittier. You can use a cup-and-a-half of Splenda and no Honey (add a bit more water then) to keep the calories a bit lower too, or you could use all honey (just one cup) and add a bit less water. But this is the way we usually make them and they turn out the best.

(Dry) Blend together:

1 c - King Arthur's Whole Wheat White Flour
2/3 c - All Purpose Flour
1 TBS - Baking Powder
1/4 tsp - Baking Soda
1 c - Splenda
3/4 tsp - Salt
1 tsp - Cinnamon
1 tsp - Nutmeg
1/2 tsp - Cloves
1/2 tsp - Ginger

(Wet) In a seperate bowl, blend together:

1/2 c - Canola Oil
1/2 c - Honey
2 - Eggs
1/3 c - Water
1 c - Pumpkin Puree

Dump the wet ingredients onto the dry and then stir gently just until they come together.

Fill muffin tins 2/3 of the way full

Bake at 350 for 20 min or until a toothpick comes out clean

EDIT: In spite of the fact that they claim Splenda may be exchanged cup for cup with sugar, I have found in my experiments that this is not true. Consequently, I use more splenda than one would need if using real sugar. If you use sugar instead of Splenda, and use an entire cup in these... Well, you're making a very, very sweet dessert.