Postcards from the Trail

I've been subscribing to the blog of the authors of "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day". I've been making their recipe for a simple crusty bread for a while.

They have a new book out - "Heathy Bread in 5 minutes" and they recently wrote about their Whole Grain Master Recipe. I have been trying to increase the amount of whole grains in our diet and this would be a perfect addition. The secret ingredient is Vital Wheat Gluten.

I was grocery shopping this weekend and my grocer had a great sale on organic Whole Wheat flour from Bob's Red Mill - $2.50 for 5 lbs. They also had the wheat gluten but it was not as inexpensive - $7/bag. Fortunately - it should go a long way since it only uses a couple of tablespoons.

I made the bread this weekend and it is super easy to make. You mix the dry ingredients first and then pour in the water. It takes a bit longer to rest after removing from the refrigerator - 90 minutes instead of 40 minutes. Otherwise, the methods are very similar. I cut the recipe in 1/2 and it made two nice loaves. I also reduced the amount of yeast and salt by 1/3 and it was fine - even in my cold kitchen.

It is very tasty and filling. It had a moist crumb and firm crust. The two of us were not able to finish the loaf like we are the white variety. We can't resist the softer white bread - especially with olive oil. But it was perfect with soup on a cold rainy night.

If you want to try it yourself - check out their blog - Healthy Bread in 5 minutes.

Ingredients

Finished rising and out of the refrigerator

Shaped loaf resting before baking

Ready for the oven

Wanna slice?

Last weekend, I made Dutch Baby Pancakes. They were oh-so-good but I wanted to try another recipe for traditional pancakes.

Some people call them hotcakes or flapjacks. I can not remember exactly what my Mother called them. I think she called them hotcakes. She would make them on occasion. I don't remember any particular recipe. Actually, I think she used Bisquick.

I used Bisquick for a bit and later tried a variety of different mixes. One was the local mix from one of our famous Breakfast locations - Snoqualmie Lodge. These are both okay but not my favorite. Another mix that I used to use is from Bette's Diner in Berkeley. The Buckwheat mix is still one of my favorites for waffles. I just can't find it in my local stores any longer.

But there really is no reason to use a mix. It is also comforting to make from scratch and only use a few fresh ingredients - milk, eggs, flour and leavening agent like baking powder. Instead of a long list of mysterious ingredients listed on the mixes. The key is how you mix the ingredients. You do not want to over mix the batter. The second trick is to figure out how hot to have your pan or griddle. That just takes time and experience.

Maya of The Many Walks of Maya posted comment on my Dutch Baby post about Bill's Ricotta Hotcakes. Bill Granger is a well known Australia chef who owns several restaurants in the Sydney area. He is known for the Ricotta hotcakes. Maya blogged about them a couple of months back on her blog.

I just happened to have some ricotta and made them this weekend. They were excellent. The ricotta makes them very tender. The flavor is very slight but very yummy. They are traditionally served with a butter honeycomb but I choose to serve them with loads of butter and warm maple syrup. Excellent.

For the recipe - pop over to Maya's blog and check it out. - Hotcakes

This week's photohunt theme is music. I was surprised that I didn't have more pictures applicable to this theme but I only found a few. I decided to go with this photo of two street musicians in Menton France. They set up late one afternoon at a small plaza on Rue Saint Michel. We were sitting at a small cafe relaxing after a day of siteseeing. You could tell the two men loved making and sharing music. It was lovely.

Last week, I made these Buttermilk Pancakes. I was very doubtful about using sour cream in addition to the buttermilk, but they were the best! The batter was very thick but they cooked up very high and fluffy. These are a definitely keeper.

This week I wanted to try something different. I remembered Dutch Baby Pancakes that I used to frequently make but haven't had for several years. I never came across these in California but they seemed very popular here in the Northwest. They are a specialty of The Original Pancake House in Portland and sometimes also called German Pancakes. I have an old recipe from Sunset Magazine that I've used over the years.

The pancake is similar to Yorkshire pudding or popovers. A thin batter of eggs, milk and flour are poured in to a pan with hot melted butter. Baked in a hot oven for 20-25 minutes and magic happens. Sometimes they are cooked with sauteed apples or flavored with vanilla and cinnamon. I like mine plain with cooked fruit and warm maple syrup. I had some poached pears - it was delish!

Here's recipe and pictures follow:

Dutch Baby Pancakes

1/4 cup Butter
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup flour

Heat oven to 425 degrees. While oven is heating, put eggs in blender and blend for 1 minute. With motor running, pour in milk, then slowly add flour whirling 30 seconds more. Put butter in a 2-3 quart heavy pan such as a 10" cast iron pan. Put oven in pan. When butter has melted, add the egg/milk batter. Bake until puffy and well browned approximately 20-25 minutes.

Serve immediately. Serves 2 people.

Old recipe card

Poached Pears

Batter in the oven

Quick - it is falling!

Local Vietnam Veterans group - Edmonds 4th of July Parade

This week's photohunt is Veterans or Military. And a very appropriate choice to start November. November 11th is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war. In the US, it is Veterans Day; in the UK, Canada, Australia and other countries in the Commonweath of Nation, it is Remembrance Day; in several other countries it is known as Armistice Day.

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, war ceased on the Western Front during World War I. Since that time, many countries have taken time on November 11th to recognize the sacrifices of the soldiers during war.

In my hunt, I came across these pictures from the 4th of July parade in Edmonds.