Whole Wheat and Roasted Oat Bread

I love the ritual of baking bread: the blooming of the yeast, the kneading, the rise, the punching down, the second rise, the baking, and finally, the eating. I also love the warm, sweet scents that accompany this ritual. Baking bread can be challenging, and many view it as a chore, but instead, let yourself get lost in the ritual. Be patient. 

This hearty bread has a beautiful crust and soft crumb. The roasted oats give this bread a nutty caramel flavor. Try adding fresh herbs, such as sage or tarragon, when kneading for a more complex flavor.

What You'll Need:

• 4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast*
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/3 cup walnut oil
• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cup white, all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup quick rolled oats

*A word about yeast. When I first began baking bread, I always bought yeast in packages. I often found that my yeast often did not bloom correctly, resulting in flat, stiff bread. I recommend using Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast from the bottle. It's a little more of an investment to buy it in bottle form, but it's actually a better deal and seems to work much better than the packages. 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lay the oats on a cookie sheet and spread evenly. Toast the oats in the oven for 5-7 minutes until fragrant. Remove from oven and let cool.
2. Combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water in a large bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. This allows the yeast to bloom - it should look foamy, if not, throw it away and start again.
3. Once the yeast has bloomed, add the walnut oil, flours and salt and gently stir with a fork to combine. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth. Knead for an additional 2 minutes, working in the oats as you knead. 
4. Form the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm, draft free spot until the dough doubles in bulk, about 90 minutes.
5. When the dough has doubled, gently punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead gently for 30 more seconds and form into a loaf. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes.
6. While the dough is resting, place a sheet of parchment on a cookie sheet. After the dough has rested, place the loaf on the prepared cookie sheet and cover with a clean towel. Let rise in a warm, draft free spot until it doubles again, about 40-60 minutes (I find the best spot is on top of my preheating oven).
7. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Once the dough has rested, remove the towel and dust the loaf with flour. Using a serrated knife, slash a long line from tip to tip about 1 inch deep. 
8. Place the loaf in the oven and reduce the heat down to 400 degrees. Bake until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack and enjoy while still warm with freshly churned butter. 

Yield: 1 loaf

Blood Orange and Lavender Curd

I always look forward to blood orange season. These little jewels brighten the starkness of the mid-winter snow and ice. After trudging through the snow, I arrive home with my precious cargo. I take off my snow boots, my snow covered coat and hat and hang them above the heater to dry. I set the oranges in a hanging basket in the window and I begin to search around the kitchen for inspiration. While searching through cupboards, pantry and spice racks, I see hanging above the basket a bunch of dried lavender, plucked from my garden on a warm summer day. After flipping through over 20 curd recipes, I came up with my recipe for Blood Orange and Lavender Curd. This lovely curd is perfect for cakes, pastries, pies, or slathered on a fresh baked piece of rye bread. 

What You'll Need:
zest of 2 blood oranges
1 cup fresh blood orange juice (about 4 oranges should do the trick)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cups butter, cut into pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons dried lavender flowers
6 egg yolks

1. Place all the ingredients in the top of a double boiler (or do what I do and use a metal bowl on top of a sauce pot filled with about 2" of water).
2. Cook over high heat and whisk until the butter is melted and the ingredients are combined. Once the butter has melted, cook, whisking constantly, for another 10 minutes until thickened. 
3. To test if the curd is done, coat the back of a wooden spoon with the curd and draw a line with your finger. If the curd falls back in on the line, it is not ready. However, if the line stays clear, the curd is ready.
4. Pour the curd over a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. This curd can be canned and kept for 1 year, or refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Yield: About 3 cups

Lavender Flower and Mint Challah Bread

Every Easter for the past few years, I have made a challah bread to share for Easter dinner. Even though I generally only make it once a year, challah bread is one of my most favorite breads because of its light texture and eggy flavor. This year I thought it would be lovely to add something different, something special to our Easter challah. I immediately thought flowers! The lavender gives the bread a delicate aroma and flavor and the sprinkled flowers on top look beautiful on the table.

What You'll Need:

• 2 packages of active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• ½ cup Lavender Flower and Mint Syrup, plus ¼ cup for the glaze
• 3 large eggs
• 5 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let is stand, untouched, until it is foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the syrup, eggs, and 5 cups of flour, salt and butter.

2. BY HAND: Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together. It will be VERY sticky. Pour the dough onto a floured work surface. Begin to knead the dough, adding the last ½ cup of flour as you go, until the dough is smooth and elastic. About 8 minutes

BY STANDMIXER: With the dough hook attached, knead on low speed. Add the remaining ½ cup of flour. Continue to knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. About 8 minutes

This dough is VERY VERY sticky. Do not be tempted to add more flour, otherwise our challah will be tough. Trust me - I've made that mistake multiple times.

3. Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl with high sides. Cover with a damp, warm kitchen towel and let rise in a warm spot for 2 hours until doubled in size.

4. Lightly oil a large, rimless cookie sheet, or cover it with parchment paper. Uncover the dough and gently punch it down. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Form the dough into a ball. Now you have a choice - you can make one huge loaf of challah, or two smaller loaves. For this recipe, I will be making two loaves. Using a sharp knife or pastry cutter, cut the ball in half. Place one half back into the bowl and cover with the towel. Take the other half and cut it into 4 equal pieces.

5. Roll each piece into a long strand as shown below:

6. Arrange the strands on the baking sheet as shown below. Pinch the 4 strands together at the top.

7. Now comes the fun part - the braiding. Instead of writing a bunch of confusing steps, I've decided to share a series of photos for you to follow. Don't feel too much pressure with this part - even if you mess up, your bread will still look beautiful and I bet no one will even notice!

8. Phew! Repeat this process until you run out of length. At the end, pinch the four strands together as you did with the other side.

9. Cover the loaf with a dry kitchen towel and let rest for 1 hour. If you are making 2 loaves, then repeat this whole process with the second ball of dough.

10. Preheat the oven to 350.

11. When the loaf has risen and almost doubled in size, paint the remaining ¼ cup of syrup over the top of the bread. Wipe away any excess on the cookie sheet with a paper towel. Sprinkle the lavender flowers on top.

12. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until lightly golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped with a spoon on the bottom.

Sweet Whey Bread with Fresh Rosemary Cheese and Bourbon Fig Compote

My, my that sounds complicated - but it isn't! I came up with this bread recipe because I hated to waste the left over whey that comes with making cheese. It is a sweet, dense bread with a light crust and it only uses a few ingredients that you most likely have on hand (with the exception of the whey of course). The compote is great for canning and looks beautiful when spread over the cheese*. With the sweetness of the bread, the saltiness of the cheese and the tanginess of the compote, this tasty tidbit it sure to please!

*see my previous post for the cheese recipe

What You'll Need:

Sweet Whey Bread

3 cups white flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 cup of whey

1 egg

1/3 cup of sugar

Bourbon Fig Compote

1 ½ cups dried, chopped figs

¼ cup bourbon

¼ cup fresh orange juice

2 tblsp brown sugar

¼ tsp orange zest

¼ tsp ground clove

For the bread:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine the flour, soda and salt in a large bowl. Sift them together, or do what I do and run a whisk through the mixture a few times.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the whey, egg and sugar. Beat on high until foamy and tripled in volume.
4. By stand mixer or by hand: 
• By stand mixer: switch to the kneading attachment and turn on to a low speed. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in 3 parts. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic about 5 minutes. The dough will be sticky and soft.
• By hand: slowly fold in the dry ingredients to the wet in 3 parts. Once all flour is incorporated, turn out the dough onto a floured work surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. The dough will be sticky and soft.
5. Once your dough is ready, form it into a loaf and place it on a buttered and floured cookie sheet. Brush the top with any leftover whey or melted butter. Run a knife down the center of the bread to make a slit for air to escape as it bakes.
6. Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
7. Let cool on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes before serving. Be sure to slice the bread as thinly as possible, about ¼" thick to serve.

For the compote:

1. Place all of the ingredients into a medium size sauce pot over medium heat.
2. Stir constantly until the liquid is absorbed and the fig starts to break down, about 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Serve warm or can it to save for later.

Yield: About 12 ounces

Enjoy!