A Week of Whole Grain Baking, Day 4: Multigrain Snickerdoodles

As previously mentioned, we had an in Shabbat this past weekend, and even though I didn't bake on a large scale for the girls, that didn't stop me from getting in the kitchen. One of the things I made was these Multigrain Snickerdoodles. It seems Whole Grains take very well to cookies, so when I saw these classic cookies made over with a twist, I set out to making them. The fact that the dough needed to have an overnight chill really appealed to my do-ahead nature, allowing me to check something else off my to-do list. Just like their white flour counterparts, these old-fashioned, classic cookies are, as one of my girls called them, Cinnamon French Toast Cookies. Heavily coated with cinnamon-sugar, these cookies are quite comforting. My only problem is, they turned out crunchy instead of soft. Mind you, this deterred no one from eating them, but I think I would try underbaking them more or adding a drop of corn syrup. This version is just as good if not better than the white flour ones, so I definitely would make this version over those for the benefit of the whole grains. That's assuming I dig myself into a hole again by buying more flours than I can handle....

A Week of Whole Grain Baking, Day 3: Gingered Apple Pear Crisp

I threw this crisp together a couple of nights ago after seeing the sad and neglected leftover apples and pears sitting in the dining room. I know I promised I wouldnt get myself into trouble taking more fruit than I could handle, but this time I took just enough to put to good use. Luckily, the perfect recipe was right in front of my nose (in the Whole Grain Companion, of course!) and I even finished up the crystallized ginger that a friend had given to me (thanks, S!). Points for me! After all these carbo-loading desserts, it was a nice change of pace to be making a fruit dessert- I remember how much I love making them and how much more virtuous I feel. Anyway, the original recipe called for just pears, but I used pears and apples as per what I had. The fruit filling simply has a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch, sugar and lemon juice and some chopped ginger. That's it! On to the topping. It calls for some spelt flour (finished the bag!!), whole wheat flour and gingerbread crumbs. (Truth be told, I used the rest of the spelt flour I had and made up the difference with whole wheat-- turned out great!) I didnt have any gingerbread crumbs, so I swapped in some oat flour instead, in an effort to mimic the texture. In addition, I upped the cinnamon and ginger. I admit this didnt make a tremendous size crumble, but nonetheless, it was gone in record time. I think they were nervous before flying to Poland. ;) This is definitely a keeper [base] recipe for fall, or whatever season has apples and pears in your country.

A Week of Whole Grain Baking, Day 2: Wheat Thins

I am on a cracker kick. Once I tried my hand at making crackers (my first try was the rye batch), it seems I just can not stop. (And I probably won't stop until I try at least a couple other combinations, too!) Anyway, this past weekend, we had an in Shabbat, our last together before the girls head to Poland and/or home for the holiday. Since I had time, I decided to bake for myself. Just like last time, I made some bread (more on that later) and these crackers. The whole grain of choice in these Wheat Thins are whole wheat flour. They are flavored with a bit of sugar, paprika and vanilla. The vanilla and sugar add a bit of sweetness that is quite pronounced, so I would omit the vanilla next time, cut back the sugar, and sprinkle some salt on the top to highlight the savoriness of the cracker. They taste most like their real counterparts when they are well done, so don't be afraid to let them get there. These are quite addictive- you won't stop at just a handful. I know I couldnt.

A Week of Whole Grain Baking, Day 1: Nutty for Oats Cookies

The countdown to Pesach has begun and with that, so have my efforts to rid my cabinets and fridge of all chametz and/or perishable items. Months ago, in my excitement about finding whole grain flours, I bought a load of them. I stashed them in the fridge for safe keeping, and periodically used them for something or other. Now that Pesach is right around the corner, I'm scrambling to use up those flours (I hate waste!!) and whatnot. In the flour category, we have barley flour (the toughest to use up, it seems!), spelt flour, oat flour, whole wheat flour and a bit of rye flour. All this means I've been baking A LOT and mostly from the KAF Whole Grain Baking book as it is the best source of recipes that I own to use the flours. And so I bring to you   this post that will be the first of a week of Whole Grain Baking recipes (or more, if need be, until those flours are gone!). Nutty for Oats Cookies are, as the name implies, made with peanut butter, bound together by oat flour and oats (nary a grain of white flour in sight), with a healthy dose of chocolate chips added for good measure. Pretty much three of your favorite types of cookie all rolled into one. The cookies come together quite easily. I subbed the oat flour that I already had instead of grinding whole oats, and used quick cooking instead of old fashioned, as that's what I had on hand. On the first bake of these cookies, I didn't flatten down the dough and they didn't flatten themselves in the oven so on the remaining batches, I flattened them down to get a more traditional (and more attractive, in my opinion) cookie. They are delicious and will disappear quickly- you can sort of feel good about them because they are full of fiber and therefore....virtuous? Perhaps that may be pushing it. Watch these carefully so their bottoms don't get too well done.

Mekupelet Cake

I'm happy to finally present to you the long awaited Mekupelet cake! Part of the reason it took so long to get this cake baked is because the recipe calls for self rising flour, a product that I have never bought and is quite pricey. I was going to make my own but...... A couple of weeks ago, I stayed in for Shabbat with two girls and asked them to buy my flowers because I think they really enhance the Shabbat table. One of the girls, who is very literal, came into my room with a small package of self rising flour (get it?). I was quite surprised and disappointed until I saw the second girl come in with real, beautiful flowers. When I got over the shock of the whole joke, it registered that this was exactly the type and amount of flour I needed to make this cake. So Tuesday, I finally made the cake. The cake is really easy to make, it's a typical butter cake enhanced with sour cream for moisture. Take care not to over bake the cake; I think I did slightly, and the cake was just bordering on dry, making this a great accompaniment for tea, coffee or just as a casual dessert. For those non-Israelis out there, without access to Mekupelet chocolates, use whatever you have.