My new kitchen is much smaller than my last, but I'm finding baking to be just as enjoyable with the reduced square footage. In fact, since the kitchen is so tiny I've found that I'm far more organized and that my messes have shrunk as well. I'm curious to see how baking will fare during the warm, summer months when a non air-conditioned kitchen will face the daily heat of the oven. But knowing me, I will bake regardless of the seasons; I may just have to get up a lot earlier.
Yesterday, I attempted to make a loaf of bread, bread sticks and rolls at the same time. It wasn't my smartest move, but after some clever arranging in the oven, I got everything in and smelling delicious. A loaf of homemade bread is always impressive, but I've found myself wanting to make larger batches of yeast goods when I do bake.
I made two batches of dough. The first was my stand-by, honey yogurt wheat bread, which rose beautifully and tastes as wholesome as ever. The second was an experimentation with a dough I've worked with in the past. In this recipe, I added flax seeds, which gave the dough a wonderful, nutty flavor. This dough could easily be turned into a loaf or traditional dinner rolls, but I enjoyed shaping them into bread sticks, or bread twists, really.
Tonight, Ryan and I are going to share a plate of lentil spaghetti, and we are both excited to have these twists to dip into the "meaty" sauce. Last night, in one of my many midnight raids of the kitchen, I toasted one of these and spread a thin layer of apple butter over top...delightful.
I'm excited to explore cookbooks today to find a recipe for our Monday night dessert...I'm toying with the ideas of Kahlua brownies or a raspberry almond tart...I'd love your opinion, leave me a comment!
Yesterday, I attempted to make a loaf of bread, bread sticks and rolls at the same time. It wasn't my smartest move, but after some clever arranging in the oven, I got everything in and smelling delicious. A loaf of homemade bread is always impressive, but I've found myself wanting to make larger batches of yeast goods when I do bake.
I made two batches of dough. The first was my stand-by, honey yogurt wheat bread, which rose beautifully and tastes as wholesome as ever. The second was an experimentation with a dough I've worked with in the past. In this recipe, I added flax seeds, which gave the dough a wonderful, nutty flavor. This dough could easily be turned into a loaf or traditional dinner rolls, but I enjoyed shaping them into bread sticks, or bread twists, really.
Tonight, Ryan and I are going to share a plate of lentil spaghetti, and we are both excited to have these twists to dip into the "meaty" sauce. Last night, in one of my many midnight raids of the kitchen, I toasted one of these and spread a thin layer of apple butter over top...delightful.
I'm excited to explore cookbooks today to find a recipe for our Monday night dessert...I'm toying with the ideas of Kahlua brownies or a raspberry almond tart...I'd love your opinion, leave me a comment!
Flax seed bread sticks
4 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups warm water (around 110 degrees)
1 TBSP instant yeast (this is a very scant TBSP)
3 TBSP honey or agave nectar
1/4 cup ground flax seed (whole flax would work well too!)
1 tsp salt
1. In a large bowl, combine your ingredients. Using a large wooden spoon or the paddle attachment on your stand mixer, mix until ingredients are incorporated. Knead dough on a floured surface or use the dough hook on your stand mixer. Knead dough for 5-8 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
2. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for an hour or until doubled in size. Punch dough and divide. Place one half of dough on a lightly floured surface, roll into a rectangle, and cut into eight equal strips. Taking one strip at a time, roll between hands and then twist to form bread sticks. Repeat with remaining strips and second half of dough.
3. Place bread sticks on a greased cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and allow to rise for 40 minutes.
4. Bake twists in a preheated, 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
4 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups warm water (around 110 degrees)
1 TBSP instant yeast (this is a very scant TBSP)
3 TBSP honey or agave nectar
1/4 cup ground flax seed (whole flax would work well too!)
1 tsp salt
1. In a large bowl, combine your ingredients. Using a large wooden spoon or the paddle attachment on your stand mixer, mix until ingredients are incorporated. Knead dough on a floured surface or use the dough hook on your stand mixer. Knead dough for 5-8 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
2. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for an hour or until doubled in size. Punch dough and divide. Place one half of dough on a lightly floured surface, roll into a rectangle, and cut into eight equal strips. Taking one strip at a time, roll between hands and then twist to form bread sticks. Repeat with remaining strips and second half of dough.
3. Place bread sticks on a greased cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and allow to rise for 40 minutes.
4. Bake twists in a preheated, 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
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