Breads & Grains

Nettie's Multi-Grain Bread

The secret to the most nutritious and tasty whole grain bread is always in the freshness of the flour and other ingredients. That is why I have, over the past 3 - 4 years, developed a supply of different grains that I like to grind for use in my breads. The tools I have found to use for bread making have really facilitated the large amount of bread required by a moderate sized-family like mine.

The grinder I use is called the Diamant, and while it is a big, non-electric grinder, it is versatile enough that it is designed to be able to motorize, which Paul has done for me with a nice big 1hp motor. I used it without the motor for several months, so I am EXTREMELY thankful not to have to spend 40 minutes grinding every time I make bread!!

If you aren't sure about spending so much on a grinder, or you don't need as much bread every week, an excellent choice would also be the smaller, electric Grain Master Whisper Mill - which is really fast and easy (although the "whisper" part is a bit of a stretch - Paul says it's more like a "jet engine" - but I guess it's technically a softer sound than other electric mills, so it's all a matter of perspective).

For mixing the dough, I started out trying to use my regular sized Kitchen-Aid, but it was not up to the task in terms of the quantity of dough I was making, nor does the Kitchenaid motor have the required torque to deal with whole grain doughs, so I eventually upsized to the Bosch which I absolutely love. There are a variety of models - I have a small kitchen, but a big family, so I got the Concept 7 model; there's also a nice little compact model, as well as the original Bosch Universal Kitchen System, and all the accessories are available at the above link. You should know - I receive no kick-backs from the links I provide - I try to simply refer people to where I've been happy with the service. C. F. Resources is a Christian, family run operation, and I'm happy to send business their way! I have also purchased accessories from, and highly recommend, Pleasant Hill Grain Company.

Mill a canister (6-8 cups) of wheat in your grain mill. Set aside. Turn on oven to 175 - 190 F. Place dough hook and splash ring or lid on the Bosch bowl. Mix all of the following in the Bosch bowl on speed #1 until well mixed.

6   cups Hot Water
2   Tbsp. salt
3/4 cup Brown Sugar or Honey
3/4 cup Canola or Olive Oil
5   cups hard wheat flour, golden or red
2   cups multi grain cracked cereal mix
2   cups high gluten flour, or 1/2 cup Vital Wheat Gluten and 1-1/2 cups bread flour
1-1/2 cups Carnation milk powder
4   Tbsp. SAF Instant Yeast

Let this mixture stand until foamy and bubbly - at least 15 minutes, and no more than 30 minutes. Then add more fresh milled flour (about 6-8 more cups of flour) until sides begin to clean, changing speed to #2 when dough becomes stiffer. Begin kneading time when sides are just about cleaned. Let the Bosch knead about 9-11 minutes. Place dough on an oiled counter, let the dough rest 10 minutes and then divide dough in half, then divide the halves into halves or thirds, depending on the size of your loaf pans. I use a scale to make sure there is approximately the same quantity of dough in each pan. This recipe usually makes 4 large loaves or 6 small loaves. Using a rolling pin, roll out each lump of dough to a thickness of approximately 1 inch; fold in half or thirds and then roll up; punch rolled dough down into prepared loaf pans, (I spray mine with Pam cooking spray, or oil with Canola Oil) tucking the ends under and rounding to form a neat loaf shape. Place pans in warmed oven to rise, and turn oven off. (I always like to use the time while the dough is rising to clean the mixing equipment and counter.) When dough has at least doubled, anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes, turn oven back on, to 335 - 350 F. There is a range here because tastes vary in crust darkness. Also, if you are using dark pans rather than light pans, you will find that the crust gets darker more quickly. I use dark pans, and because the oven is already relatively warm when the baking begins, it heats up faster, so my routine is 335 F for 35-38 minutes. Loaves should be lightly browned - leaving them in either too long, or at too high a heat, will produce a dry loaf. Every oven is different so this is one of those areas where you just have to experiment and see what works best for you! Let loaves cool completely on a rack. Slice and enjoy!

And do e-mail me if there is anything I can clarify!

Banana Pecan Bread
This banana bread is so fun to make -- the whipped banana cream plus the chunky mashed bananas make a super-moist loaf. You can always replace the pecans with walnuts if you prefer; you can ALWAYS add chocolate chips or dried fruit... but make it at least once just the way the recipe says, it's superb.

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup sugar
3/4 cups (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
confectioners sugar for dusting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly grease a 9x5" loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together for a good three minutes; you want a light and fluffy banana cream. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla; beat well and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated; no need to overly blend. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Give the pan a good rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.

Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Don't get nervous if the banana bread develops a crack down the center of the loaf - that's no mistake, it's typical. Rotate the pan periodically to ensure even browning. Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes or so, and then turn out ont a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Toast the slices of banana bread, dust with confectioners sugar, and serve.

Nettie's Pumpkin-Oat-Cran-Chocolate-Chip Muffins
This is my 2007 version of the pumpkin muffin. I can't believe how great they are. I can't make them often enough for the family! I have to double this recipe to keep them around for a while. (I haven't tried this with white chocolate chips, but I have a feeling I will make that switch for a Christmas treat!)

Ingredients:

1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk, plain yogurt, or soured milk (1 cup milk and 1 TBSP lemon juice, let sit for at least 10 minutes)
1 cup canola or safflower oil
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 cup whole wheat or spelt flour (may use all-purpose flour, but these were made with freshly ground spelt.)
1-1/2 cup oatmeal that has been finely ground in a blender
1-1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup Ultra Gel
3 teaspoons ground Sweet Spice
1 teaspoon salt
2 cup dried cranberries
2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Place rack in the middle of the oven. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or spray with a non stick vegetable spray.

In a medium sized bowl mix together the pumpkin puree, eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, ground oatmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add the milk and egg mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Fold in the craisins and chocolate chips. Do not over mix the batter or the muffins will be tough when baked.

Fill the muffin cups with the batter using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. Place in the oven and bake for about 18 - 20 minutes, or until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let sit in pan for 4-5 minutes until slightly cooled before removing to cooling racks.

Makes 12 regular-sized muffins.

Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup Ultra Gel
1 ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
⅔ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup canned pumpkin
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
⅔ cup buttermilk
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease or paper-line muffin cups.

COMBINE flour, Ultra Gel, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, baking soda and ginger in large bowl. Combine butter, pumpkin, eggs and buttermilk in medium bowl. Add to flour mixture, stir just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Spoon into prepared muffin cups, filling ¾ full.

BAKE for 15 to 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Olé Corn Muffins

In your mixer, cream

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs

Add:

1 4-oz. can chopped green chilies
1 large can creamed corn
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded jack cheese

(or one cup shredded chedder/jack mix)

1-1/2 cups unbleached flour

1 cup fresh ground popcorn (it makes cornmeal)
4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup ultra gel

Mix gently. Fill each sprayed muffin cup 3/4 full. Bake muffins in a preheated 350° oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. (Less time in the oven for mini muffins - go with a standard baking time for any other mini-muffin recipe you use.)

Allow muffins to sit in pan on wire cooling rack for 5 minutes before removing. Cool on rack after removing.

This is a recipe that will not stand up well to substituting. Also, don't leave out the ultra gel. It is the secret ingredient.

Many creative cooks out there have been thinking up recipes for Lembas - here are some that have crossed my cyber-path:
From TheOneRing.Net

Lembas

- submitted by Robin C. Poe

What Tolkien says about Lembas
-They contain honey
-they are light-colored on the inside and light brown crust
-they are thin and regular-shaped. This implies they were made on some kind of griddle iron. The closest modern equivalent is a Krumkake iron. I used a pizzelle iron

Some other things we can guess.
They contain the fruit and maybe the flower-water of the Mallorn tree. I substituted oranges, although kumquats or a hand of Buddha fruit might be better.
They probably had some kind of finely ground light-colored nut in them. I used almonds.
They contained some kind of nourishing flour. I used semolina flour, which is a more primitive flour, and also more nourishing.
Galadriel probably used some kind of grinder to refine the ingredients. I used a blender.

The recipe:
3 eggs
1 cup honey (preferably wild honey)
1 tablespoon grated orange peel or three kumquats or one large finger of a hand of Buddha.
2 teaspoons orange flower water (optional)
3 oz blanched almonds
1/4 cup melted butter
2-1/4 cups semolina flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Place eggs, honey, orange peel or other fruit, orange flower water, and almonds in blender. Blend on high for 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of the flour. Blend for 1 minute. Scrape into a bowl and add remaining flour and salt. Whisk or stir until well blended. Bake lembas on a pizzelle or krumkake iron 15 seconds each or until lightly brown. You may substitute a waffle iron but add a teaspoon of baking powder. The texture will not be quite accurate in a waffle iron.

Dan Florio says:
I'd agree on some of these points. The cookie bars would have to be both tasty and superbly nutritious, able to travel well, and dense.

Acorn flour, if you know how to process it, would probably be a good matrix, but, then again, I'd probably go with a mix of wheat flour and whole wheat flour for convenience. Buckwheat flour is another option. Check around a health food store for interesting alternatives.

Almonds are a likely bet for the recipe. Almonds have a sweet taste, are packed with healthy calories, and grind up well.

Sweet butter would probably be used, and I'd even go so far as to make my own creamy butter for the batch. Here's an easy way to make your own butter: Pour heavy cream into a blender and set to a slow speed for ten minutes. Check for consistency, and run for ten minute increments until you've achieved a thick, spreadable texture.

Honey would be a must for sweetening Lembas. Go with organic, in whatever flower flavor sounds exotic. Orange Blossom or Mesquite would be good possibilities.

Using organic, free range eggs would be in keeping with Elvish philosphy too, I think. And organic whole milk. Not skim. Spare no calories!

Fruit would be optional, I think. Sam's closeup of Lembas from the movie showed a seamless testure - no "chunks." Maybe using dried fruit ground fine in a food processor would do the trick in providing tasty sweetness and an even texture.

When you mix the dough, take a tip from Outward Bound and slap your dough flat. You'll need this wafer to be as dense as possible to provide a day's worth of nutrition in a single bar. OB instructors even call their form of Lembas "Flappers", because of the intense process of slapping, slapping and slapping the dough in the communal kitchens. If you can make the dough dense at the pre-baking and mid-baking stages, you won't need to use the "griddle" idea Robin suggests. But you can experiment to suit yourself.

Here's a second offering, also from TheOneRing.net, proposed by someone going only as "Jincey":

Ingredients
6 TBSP butter or margarine, slightly softened
2 cups self-rising flour
1 TBSP granulated sugar
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1 egg, well beaten
1/2 cup milk
4 TBSP heavy cream
Mallorn leaves

With a pastry blender of fork, cut margarine into the flour in a mixing bowl until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Do this rapidly so the butter does not melt. Add the sugar and if desired, 1/2 cup of raisins. In a small bowl, beat the egg and milk together until mixed. Reserve 1 TBSP of this mixture to brush the tops of the lembas. Add the cream and egg mixture to the flour and mix just until combined into a stiff, soft dough. Knead three or four times on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough to a 3/4" thickness and cut with an oval or leaf shaped cookie cutter. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet, leaving 1" of space between lembas. Brush the tops of the lembas with the reserved egg-milk mixture. Bake for 12 -13 minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven.

For safe keeping, wrap each lemba individually in a fresh, clean mallorn leaf. If these leaves are unavailable in your area, store the lembas in a tightly closed container. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen lembas.

If you'd like to use leaves I'd suggest large Philodenron, Monstera or Peace Lily(non-toxic houseplants) greenery for wrapping. Or palm leaves. Or green tissue paper, eh? Cut em up like leaves.

*****

Carnimiriel's Lothlórien Lembas

2 cups all-purpose white flour
1 cup whole oat flour
1 cup whole corn flour
3 Tbsp. vanilla sugar (Freia Vaniljesukker)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. baking powder
4 Tbsp. cream cheese room temp.
1/2 cup butter room temp. (1 stick)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
dash ground cloves
6 Tbsp. heavy cream

Put dry ingredients a mixing bowl and mix together with a fork until blended. Add the cream cheese and butter and cut in, either with a pastry cutter or a mixer on low, till the mixture forms small pellets (a little bit smaller than Rice). Add liquid ingredients and spices. Mix till it comes together and forms a ball. Cover in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to an hour.

After dough is chilled, separate in half and roll out on lightly floured surface. Cut using a round cutter or a cup of the like size. Removing all excess flour place on a cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake at a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

Allow to cool and serve. Makes about 2 dozen depending on cutter size.

Freia vanilla sugar can be purchased online at http://www.scandiafood.com/baking.asp. If this is not available, regular powdered sugar could probably be substituted and the amount of vanilla extract increased slightly.

*****

And from Rivendell Knights:

Cram Recipe

3 cups Milk
8 cups Flour
8 tbsp Shortening
6 tsp Brown Sugar
3 tsp Salt

Mix the ingredients. Roll on a floured board to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into 3 inch squares. Poke holes in each square (three rows of three). Lightly grease a baking pan. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool and you'll have enough rations for a short journey.

*****

Lembas Recipe

2 1/2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
8 Tablespoons cold butter (1 stick)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
honey or maple syrup for dipping
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and mix with a fork or pastry cutter until mixture looks like fine granules. Add cinnamon and sugar and mix. Add milk and vanilla and stir with a fork until dough forms (you can add a little bit more milk than the recipe calls for if it gets too hard to stir). Roll into balls and place on cookie sheet, mashing them until they are about 1/2 inch thick and 3 inches across. Makes about 12 - 14. Bake for about 12 minutes or until insides aren't gooey. Wrapped in Mallorn leaves they will stay fresh indefinetly. Wrapped in plastic wrap they are good about a week. Delicious when dipped in honey or syrup.

*****

A nice variation on the above was found at Penwiper Unlimited Costumes & Creativity :

To make the lembas, I used an adaptation of this recipe. It makes a delicately lemon-flavored, lightly sweetened scone-type bread.

2 1/2 cups of flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 Tablespoons cold butter
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Preheat over to 425 degrees.

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Chop butter into mixture with a pastry cutter or knead in with your fingers until you get a crumbly mixture. Add sugar and mix. Add milk and lemon extract and stir with a fork until dough forms.

Roll the dough out about 1/2 inch thick. Cut out 3 inch squares and transfer to a cookie sheet. Criss-cross each square from corner to corner with a knife. Bake for about 12 minutes or until set and lightly golden. Makes 10 to 12.

Nettie's Quick Biscuit Mix

3 cups freshly ground Golden Wheat flour
5 cups unbleached All Purpose flour
1-1/4 cups Dry Milk Powder
1/4 cup Baking Powder
1 Tbsp. Salt
2 cups Crisco Butter-Flavored Shortening

Combine all dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Cut in shortening. Store in tightly closed container in cool place. Use as you would for recipes that call for store-bought biscuit mix.

Nettie's Quick Biscuits

2-1/4 cups Quick Biscuit Mix
2/3 cup Milk

Heat oven to 450ºF. Stir ingredients until soft dough forms.
For rolled biscuits: Turn onto surface dusted with flour or biscuit mix. Knead 10 times. Roll dough 1/2 inch thick. Cut with 2-1/2 inch cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
For drop biscuits: Drop by spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Nettie's Health Nut Granola

I'm going to put down here what I did last time, but this recipe can be made with infinite variations, depending on your taste for fruits, your preferred ratio of rolled cereal to cracked cereal (I like a lot of cracked cereal in my granola, as it makes it crunchier), what kinds of nuts and seeds you are able to find, etc. You can also use a variety of different sweetening agents, depending on your tastes, as long as you keep the quantities approximately the same. The last time I made this, I used dried cranberries with orange flavoring in them, and the sweet spice mix, and that makes for a great sort of Christmas-Holiday flavor. You can switch to cinnamon/nutmeg/ginger and use raisins and dates for more of a fall twist... etc. The possibilities are limited only by our imaginations! :) So use this recipe the way I use most recipes, as a jumping off point. The only thing to remember is, keep the ratio of dry to wet ingredients the same, otherwise, the specifics are up to you!

6 cups multi-grain rolled cereal*
6 cups multi-grain cracked cereal*
1 cup milled flaxseed
1 package shredded coconut
4 cups mixed nuts and seeds, including

millet

amaranth

sesame

sunflower

almond

pumpkin

flax

1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 cups Canola Oil
1 cup Honey
1 cup Molasses
1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
1 tsp salt - to taste
2 tsp. Sweet Spice Mix

4 - 6 cups dried fruits -- **see note

* Multi-grain rolled cereal, much like oatmeal but with different grains, and multi-grain cracked cereals,
can be found at health food stores and some supermarkets, or bought in bulk from Walton Feed or Bob's Red Mill.
** Use a variety of dried fruits for interesting taste: raisins, dates, cranberries, cherries, apricots, apples, peaches, etc. The more tart the fruit used, the nicer a foil it is for the coconut and other sweetening agents.

Granola mix:
In a large bowl, combine rolled and cracked cereals, milled flaxseed, coconut, and nut/seed mix. Stir until blended well. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, oil, honey, molasses, salt, vanilla and sweet spice. Heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. DO NOT boil. Pour syrup over dry mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until syrup coats all ingredients. Spread mixture in 13 x 9 x 2-inch pans or on large cookie sheets with raised edges. Make sure the granola is spread about 1 inch deep across the pans, as this will help it bake more evenly and quickly than if it is spread deeper. Bake in preheated 300-degree oven 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. For crunchier texture bake 7-10 minutes longer. Cool on racks. Stir in the dried fruit that has been chopped into bite sized pieces. You can put this into containers and keep in cool dry place for up to 6 months. Do not refrigerate.

Yield: About 24 cups.

Nettie's Pineapple Nut Bread

Last week I was trying to figure out how to make something for snack time at Church, and wanted to make banana bread. BUT I had no bananas. I did, however, have Pineapple, and out of this circumstance grew the following extremely healthy fruit-nut-granola bread!

2 1/2 cups Sugar
1 20 oz. can Crushed Pineapple
1 cup Melted Butter
4 Jumbo Eggs
1 Can Evaporated Milk
2 Tbsp. Cider Vinegar
2 tsp. Vanilla
5 cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Milled Flaxseed
2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp. Salt
2 Cups Nettie's Health Nut Granola

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix cider vinegar with evaporated milk and let stand. Cream together sugar, melted butter, and eggs. Add vanilla and soured milk mixture, mixing well. Fold in crushed pineapple and juice. Add flour, flaxseed, soda, and salt. Mix well. Fold in Nettie's Health Nut Granola.

Pour into four 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 inch greased loaf pans, or two 9 x 5 x 3 inch pans. Bake smaller loaves about 1 hour, larger loaves about 1-1/4 hours or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans. Cool completely before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days. Because of the granola and nuts in the recipe, slicing was a little crumbly when the bread was fresh; however, the loaves sliced particularly well after coming out of the freezer and standing till about half thawed.

Delicious when spread with butter and warmed in the microwave for about 10 seconds! Enjoy!

Harvest Loaf (with Nettie Optionals)

This is a delicious pumpkin loaf with lots of spice flavor - it's a holiday favorite that always gets rave reviews! My mother has made it for years, ever since I was a little girl, so it is a definite "comfort food" treat during the winter. Brings back lovely memories!

1 3/4 cups Flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ginger

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
3/4 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped nuts

Sift together dry ingredients. Cream butter, gradually adding sugar. Add eggs and beat until creamy. Add dry ingredients and pumpkin alternating, starting and finishing with dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips and half of the nuts. Pour into one prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle top with remaining nuts. Bake at 350F for 65-76 minutes; cool. Then drizzle with spice glaze.

Spice Glaze

1-2 tsp. canned milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
nutmeg
cinnamon

***For an interesting alternative, try replacing the pumpkin with canned cranberries (not the jellied kind, the whole berry kind), and leaving out the chocolate chips or better yet, use white chocolate chips!

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