Raisin Walnut Cake

Raisin Walnut Cake

Serves 15

Ingredients

1 ½ C Sugar

2 C whole wheat flour

½ C white flour or cornstarch

½ tsp salt

1 c buttermilk

½ C natural yeast starter

½ c vegetable oil

¾ c pureed pears or applesauce

1 c raisins (will be chopped in the blender)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp allspice

¼ tsp ground cloves

Sponge above

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1 c chopped walnuts (optional)

3 eggs (optional)

Put flour, salt, spices and sugar in a mixing bowl and blend well with wire whisk

In blender puree buttermilk, fruit, oil and raisins

Add starter and mix on low speed

*Add blender mixture to dry ingredients and beat for at least 2 full minutes

Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and allow to sponge (set in a warm place for at least 6 and up to 24 hours)

After sponging time mix  in  beaten eggs, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and walnuts. Mix very well.

Pour into 9x13 baking pan and bake at 350’ for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool slightly and drizzle with lemon or orange glaze.

Orange or Lemon Glaze

1 C confectioners’ sugar

¼ tsp orange or lemon juice

Start with sugar in a bowl and add juice a Tablespoon at a time until the right consistency is achieved.

*To use whole wheat in your favorite cake recipe, substitute approximately ¼ of the amount of flour given in the recipe with cornstarch and use whole wheat flour for the other ¾.  This will give the cake a finer texture and help it keep its delicate lightness.

*To eliminate a course texture in a cake, be sure to beat it thoroughly together.  Most cakes require that the batter is beaten about 300 strokes by hand or 2-3 minutes with electric mixer after the last ingredients have been added.  After the batter is poured into the pan, gently tap the pan on the countertop so the small bubbles will rise to the top.  Break bubbles with a spoon and then bake as per recipe directions.

Light Rye Bread

Light Rye Bread

Adapted from Beyond Basics with Natural Yeast by Melinda Richardson

Yields 2 loaves

Ingredients

½ C starter

2 C  water

¼ C honey

2 Tbsp. coconut oil

2 tsp salt

2 C  rye flour

3 ½-4 C whole wheat flour

2 Tbsp. caraway seeds

Setting up the dough

(at least 10 hours before baking)

Combine the starter, water, honey, oil, and salt in a mixer.  Add the rye flour, caraway and 2 C wheat flour and mix.  Add the rest of the flour and a little bit more if needed, until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. Let the dough sit for 5 minutes then knead until thoroughly combined.  You will see the gluten starting to form as the dough pulls into a ball and starts wrapping around the center.  (about 5 minutes.)

Place in a greased bowl with a lid, greased plastic or wet towel over. (be sure the towel stays wet during sponge period)  Minimum 6 hours.

Shaping and final rise.

Pull the dough onto a very slightly wet surface again and divide into 2 equal pieces.  Let it sit for 10 minutes while you grease 4 loaf pans.  (I like to invert the second pan on the loaf during rise to let breathe but keep from drying out.)  Keep your hands wet and press the dough into a big rectangle fold into thirds horizontally and then vertically and then tuck ends under making the top smooth.  Place in the pans and cover.  Let rise a second time.  After 2-2 ½ hours, when the dough has a nice rounded top, bake for 30 minutes in a 375’ preheated oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees.  Do not slice until completely cool or it will be doughy.

Cranberry Ginger Loaf

Cranberry Ginger Loaf

Adapted from Beyond Basics with

 Natural Yeast by Melinda Richardson

Yield 2 loaves

Ingredients

2 ½ C Water

½ C starter

2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp. coconut oil

¼ C Honey

1 tsp ground ginger (or to taste)

5-6 C whole wheat flour

1 C quartered fresh cranberries

Setting up the Dough (at least 10 hours before baking)

Combine the water, starter, salt, coconut oil, honey and ginger in a mixer.

Add the flour 2 cups at a time allowing the mixer to incorporate the flour before adding more.

Continue adding flour until the dough cleans the sides of your mixer bowl.  (There may be residual bits near the top and here and there along the sides, but the lower half of the bowl should be clean.)

Once the sides have cleaned, allow the dough to knead for 10 minutes.

While the bread is kneading, prepare your cranberries.  I use the quartered berries as they are but here are a few tips: If you want your berries to bleed more color into your loaf, toss them lightly in a tablespoon of sugar and let them sit for a few minutes before adding them to the dough.  For less bleeding, toss the in a tablespoon of flour before adding them.

A few minutes before the end of kneading, dump your cranberries into the mixing bowl.

When the dough has been kneaded long enough to pass the windowpane test, remove the dough and make sure any loose berries and all flour is incorporated.  Knead a little by hand if needed.

Place the dough into a greased bowl with a lid, greased plastic wrap or wet towel.  Make sure towel doesn’t dry out during sponge time.

Place on the countertop to rise overnight or all day. (6-12 hours)

Does your starter need to be fed?  Now is the time!

After a minimum of 6 hours, turn the dough out of the bowl onto your work surface.

Use a dough scraper or sharp serrated bread knife to cut the dough into 2 equal pieces.

Set pieces aside and grease your pans.  Let the dough relax for a few minutes before shaping.

Shape each piece into sandwich loaves, artisan boules or rolls.

Allow to rise in a warm place for 2-2 ½ hours or until the dough slowly returns a gentle finger print.

Preheat oven to 350’

Bake for 35 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the bottom of the loaf reads at least 180’.  You can also invert a loaf out of the pan onto your gloved hand and thump the bottom.  Hollow sound indicates bread is done.  Rolls will be lightly brown on top and bottom.

Remove from the pans and allow to cool completely before cutting. 

Banana Bread

Banana Bread   

Yield one loaf

From Beyond Basics with Natural Yeast by Melissa Richardson

Soak

(6 hours before baking)

1 C natural yeast starter

1 egg

1 C whole wheat pastry flour or (¼ C corn starch and ¾ C whole wheat flour)

Mix together the starter and one egg.  Add flour and mix until all flour is incorporated into a rather firm ball of dough.  Cover and set to sit for 6-12 hours.

Final Batter

½ C butter or coconut oil

¾ C brown or raw sugar.  May also substitute molasses or real maple syrup.

1 egg

2 1/3 C. over ripe bananas (about 6 large bananas)

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

½ C chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350’.  Cream together the butter and sugar.  Add the egg.  Add  sponge mixture  in chunks, mixing well after each addition.  Add the mashed bananas.  To bake walnuts into the loaf, add them now.  Sprinkle the baking soda and salt across the top and mix well.

Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan.  To bake walnuts into the crust only, sprinkle walnuts over the top and press gently with the flat of your hand or the back of a spatula to set them into the batter.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  If the top of your loaf is browning too quickly, cover it with tented tin foil and continue to bake. 

As impossible as this sounds, try to wait until the loaf is relatively cool before cutting.  While hot, it will be more prone to crumbling.

Sprouted and Fermented Sandwich Bread Recipe

Such a long title but well earned for such a delicious staple in your kitchen.

A year or two ago I was chatting with the owner of our local flour mill and she was telling me that they sell wheat sprouts for baking.  I really wanted to try them but I never got around to going there to get them.

A couple of weeks ago I had an extra tray in my sprouter so I put some white wheat in it.  A couple of days later I had some really cute shoots and I decided to try some sprouted wheat bread.

My go-to bread recipe is adapted from a very old pioneer recipe that was in our church recipe book.  My

White Wheat Sprouts

young friend Ryan Smith actually went to Neta Allen's house and watched, measured and recorded the pinches, handfuls and dollops of ingredients.  Thank you, Ryan and Neta.  Neta has since passed on and I feel her spirit with me often as I make her recipe which was actually used in the advertising the Young Women in our ward who sponsored the book as a fundraiser for camp.  "Order our book!  It contains Neta Allen's bread recipe!"  Oh, yes. I snapped that thing right up.  It is full of great, yummy goodies from people I know and love.

I also love freshly ground wheat and then I use a little unbleached, un-bromated white flour that I buy from our local grain mill.  I know it's fresh and it helps the texture.  I made a batch last week and have another batch of Sprouted and Fermented Sandwich Bread in the bowl on my counter getting happy for a day.  This also makes the most amazing toast!

I'm not one who likes to scroll through lots of fluff and talk so I'll get right down to the recipe.

Sprouted Sandwich Bread

makes 4 loaves

5 C Scalded milk (cooled) or water with 1/3 C powdered milk
4 C wheat sprouts
1 C Organic Sugar. (white sugar won't feed natural yeast growth)
1 1/2 Tbs Salt
1/2 C oil
1/2 C natural yeast start

Blend milk/water and milk powder, and sprouts in blender.  I use a Vitamix and it is pretty much liquified
Pour liquid into large mixing bowl (I use my Tupperware fix and mix with the lid but you can also use your Kitchen Aid or other bread mixer.)

Natural Yeast Start

Add 1/2 c. natural yeast start, (be sure to feed your start and return to fridge.) sugar, salt, oil and 3-4 c. flour of your choice.  Mix well.  (I use a whisk for this part then use a wooden spoon until the dough is ready to be kneaded by hand.)  Keep adding flour and kneading until your dough is smooth and elastic.  Make sure all the flour is incorporated and the dough is still slightly sticky.
Put on a lid or wet dish towel and let set for at least 8 hours. If it raises out of the bowl, punch it down and continue setting. (I typically make it one day and bake the next..  This dough also stores wonderfully in the fridge so you can make scones or bake at different times.)

The dough should at least double and then it is ready to shape into loafs and let rise in pans. If your room is cool, let it set a while longer to fully feed.  Natural Yeast will actually pre-digest the things in the wheat that makes it easier to digest and uptake the vitamins and minerals.

I grease two bread pans for every loaf and put the second pan upside down over the bread.  This gives it protection from drying out and lets it rise.  Natural yeast bread tends to rise more slowly than yeast bread but my sprouted bread was a little quicker.  Just watch it.

When your bread is ready to bake, preheat your oven to 365', turn it down to 350' as you put in your bread and set your time for 25 minutes.  Oven temperatures and times may vary. 

When done your loaves should be golden brown on top and sound somewhat hollow when you tap the bottom.  Internal temperature should be between 195' and 200'.It's better to over-bake a little than to under-bake it.

Natural Yeast bread tastes fresher longer and does not mold as quickly as traditional yeast baked breads.  Please let me know how it goes for you.

Proper Care and Feeding of Your Live Yeast Start

by Lynette Robinson

Your New Baby Natural Yeast Start

Don't you just love the smell of fresh homemade bread?  Do you have a little tummy issue with bread?  Well, you just might be in luck.  Ever since cave woman first rubbed two sticks together, well, maybe not that far back, but for a very long time, woman has baked bread.  Man came home from a rough day hunting or farming and sat down to a big bowl of stew and a hunk of hot bread with butter and jam.  Bread is a comfort food that fills us and makes us feel better.  My taste buds are active now and I am in luck because, actually, I have a batch in the mixer even as we speak.

OK, let's get back to business.  I've heard a few women say that they want to make their own natural yeast start from scratch and Yes! you can do that.  There are even instructions on making your own yeast start in Melissa Richardson's book, The Art of  The Art of Baking with Natural Yeast but, I have also heard them say that it is more difficult than they thought it would be or their bread isn't as sweet and smooth as mine.  You see, your natural yeast start is a living organism and as we know, all living organisms have unique characteristics.  The characteristic of my natural yeast start is that it is healthy, has been around for awhile and is full of the love that I send it every time I feed it with the very best, very best food and most perfect water.  I love my natural yeast start and besides, I don't want you to get discouraged before you even bake your first loaf.

Tattler Lid on the left and a canning flat upside down on the right.

If you have received a 1/2 or 1/4 cup of start, the first thing you want to do is feed it as soon as you get it home.  I feed mine about once a week.  For two feedings it gets organic spelt flour and for one feeding it gets organic unbleached white flour.  The white flour keeps it sweet.  Your start should be kept in the frig but in the front where you will see it every time you open the door.  If liquid, usually a little darkish color starts to form, this means that your start needs to be fed again.  Don't be surprised if it needs nourishment a little more often for the first few weeks as it is adjusting to it's new environment.  Make sure that it's new home is large enough to accommodate a double in volume as it grows and then falls a bit.  I bake around 4 loaves a week and my start lives in a wide mouth pint jar with a tattler lid minus the rubber ring.

Feeding Your Natural Yeast Start

It isn't always necessary to remove your start from its bottle but you can if you like.  For your first feeding, go ahead and measure it out in to a bowl.  At this time note the consistency of your start because you will want it to be just like this after feeding each time.  The measurements aren't exact and you can always feed a little more if you would like a larger start.  For your first feeding add 1 Cup of either organic unbleached white flour or organic spelt flour to your start and about 1/4 Cup of water. (I filter my water then let it sit out on my cupboard for at least 24 hours to allow the chlorine to dissipate.  You can also feed it with bottled water.)  I love Smart Water for this.  Stir with a wooden or plastic spoon as your start does not like too much metal.  Yes, my mixing bowl is metal but this is just what I was taught.  Stir and add little bits more of water until your start is the original consistency.  Put your start in to it's new home, bottle or jar and make sure the lid allows a little breathing space. Referigerate and watch for your start to raise a bit and have a few bubbles.  As long as you have fed and watered it correctly and sent it a little love, it will make lovely bread, with your help, for years to come.

When I Need a Bigger Start

This is a good place to talk about your natural yeast start's dwelling.  When I'm teaching classes and need a larger start, I keep her in a 2-quart jar, If you are baking multiple times a week or for a family, you might need a 1-quart size jar,  DO NOT use an air tight lid.  You can simply flip the flat upside down or use a Reusable Tattler Lid.  Tattlers are great for dry food and for more acidic food storage also.  If you use a Tattler lid, don't put the rubber ring on the jar and this will give a little breathing air without drying out your start.

Referigerate and feed your start.  Check it every time you open your frig door or at least every 7-10 days.  You'll get the hang of it.  Enjoy!

P.S. I do very highly recommend Melissa's book that is full of great explanations and recipes.  My favorite bread recipe is Honey Molasses Sandwich Bread found on page 56.  Melissa's Second book, Beyond Basics with Natural Yeast  Her recipe for Dad's  Sourdough Pancakes found in page 62 is the best.  I've fed many a missionary at camp with these pancakes.  You just have to remember to mix them up the night before.

I'm going to post an exquisite white wheat bread recipe that was adapted from a 100 year old yeast recipe.  A sweet woman from our ward, who has since passed away, used to supply our Sacrament bread every Sunday and since she is gone, my husband has said how much he missed Neta's bread.  I was fortunate to find it in the ward cookbook from her ward, as we were caught up in a boundary change a few years ago, and adapted it to my natural yeast.  I get raves each time I share a loaf.  Watch for it.

And in the meantime please follow my blog and join me on Facebook for tips and tricks on eating healthy by adding more whole foods to your diet and on food preservation and storage.