Artisan Bread- June 10

Sorry it has been a long while since my last post. I keep forgetting to take pictures of our cooking adventrues!
The first batch of this was yummy, the second... not so fantastic, I didn't bake it long enough. Creating the dough was pretty labor intensive but then making a loaf the second time once the starter is already in the fridge was a lot faster. I think I'll stick with my trusty wheat bread recipe though. I'll have to post that one soon.

Whole Wheat Thin Pizza Crust- April 10

Thin Crust Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

* 1/3 cup warm water (~120 degrees)
* 1 tbsp honey
* 1 envelope active dry yeast
* 1 & ¼ cups (150g) whole-wheat flour or white whole wheat flour (separated)
* ¼ cup soy flour (28g) (optional)
* 2 tbsp ground flax seeds (14g)
* 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
* 1/2 tbsp cornmeal
* Non-stick cooking spray

Mix the water, honey and yeast, let sit for 10 minutes while you prepare the flours it will get frothy. (Tip: the water should be about 120 degrees. I use tap water and my digital meat thermometer to know how hot it was. Just fill a cup with warm tap water and submerge the thermometer – worked like a charm!)
Mix ground flax seeds, 1 cup of the whole-wheat flour, soy flour (if using) and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the water mixture and mix using a wooden spoon until dough balls start to form. Then use hands to incorporate all the flour and form into a ball. (at this point you may have to ad a bit more water especially if you used soy flour)
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface using the remaining ¼ cup of flour. You may need it all you may not, just keep adding it while kneading if the dough is too sticky.

Knead for about 1-2 minutes.

Spray medium bowl with non-stick cooking spray and place dough inside. Cover with a towel. Place the bowl of dough and a cup of hot tap water in the microwave (do not turn on, it’s just a nice warn place in there to rise). Let rise 20-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Spay a cookie sheet or pizza pan with non-stick cooking spray and dust with cornmeal.

Once dough has risen, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and, using a rolling pin, roll dough out thin.

Place on your preferred pizza pan. I used a pizza stone wrapped in aluminum foil (don’t ask). I sprayed with non-stick spray and sprinkled with corn meal. (I also experimented with a cookie sheet which yielded good results as well – just roll into an oblong sphere and then form in the cookie sheet)

Top with sauce and toppings and bake on the lowest rack in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!

Heathly Brownies!?- April 10

Okay, so I got an email from a friend who mentioned she wonders what these brownies taste like but doesn't know if she wants to go through the work of trying them. I gladly gave them a try and sent the results to my expert taste testers!

I don't have a food processor, so I used what I had.








He liked them... a lot. She didn't. I would rather in moderation of course, eat a real no veggies added, super rich brownie!


Brownies (with carrot and spinach)
Added by: Jessica Seinfeld

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
These brownies fool everyone! You won't believe how scrumptious they are (or how good they are for you) until you make them yourself. Just don't serve them warm - it's not until they're completely cool that the spinach flavor totally disappears.
Ingredients
3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup carrot puree (after peeling and trimming the ends, steam for 10-12 minutes and then puree in a food processor for 2 minutes)
1/2 cup spinach puree (steam for about 30 seconds, then puree in a food processor for 2 minutes)
1/2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
3/4 cup oat flour or all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Nonstick cooking spray
Preparations
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over a very low flame.

In a large bowl, combine the melted chocolate, vegetable purees, sugar, cocoa powder, margarine, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in egg whites. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt with a wooden spoon.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before cutting. (Makes 12 brownies)

Welcome!

Hi, welcome to my cooking blog. Recently, I quit all my outside work to be at home with my kiddos. I'm homeschooling now and part of that adventure involves cooking. The purpose of the blog is to encourage and entertain. We hope to encourage you to be courageous in your own kitchen and try new and some older classic tastes and techniques. We are by no means experts in the kitchen, though I hope to improve in this process, so I'm sure some of what we post will be of no value other than sheer entertainment. This blog is also a journal for my children to enjoy when they are older. Thanks for visiting. Feel free to check out our creations from time to time.
Sincerely,
MJ