Gleanings of the Week Ending November 10, 2012

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles I read this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article:

Genetic Roulette - The Gamble of our Lives - 1.5 hour video about GMOs….even if you want to dismiss the issue as unimportant to you, you should understand why many people and countries are not.

Non-GMO Shopping Guide - Even without labels…you can

Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week #26 - Which one is your favorite? I like the painted sandgrouse this week although the great blue heron is always a favorite too.

Eight National Park Lodges Join Historic Hotels of America - Don’t all of the sound inviting…for themselves and where they are located.

Are Facebook and Internet Addictions Affecting Our Minds? - infographic

Golden stollen - wonder how one could make a gluten-free version of this

9 New Tree-Loving and Endangered Tarantula Species Discovered in Brazil - includes pictures of 6

Five Parks Where Winter Is Anything But Off-Season - Acadia, Biscayne, Channel Islands, Joshua Tree, and Yosemite

The most important education technology in 200 years - What will the surge in free instruction online do to the education business?

9 Varieties of Nutrient-Rich Winter Squash

Sandy Superstorm Development Animation - From University of Delaware using 800 infrared images from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite

Recipe of the Week: Sourdough Adventure - Sweet Potato Bread

This recipe takes time…but the results are luscious. I’ll make a larger batch next time. The combination of the sweet potato, buckwheat, and drizzle of molasses makes it good by itself or as an accompaniment to a special meal. I enjoy toasting slices of it for open faced sandwiches with deli smoked turkey or ham for lunch….or slathering it with butter for mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack.

In a food processor with the dough blade - combine: 

• 1/2 cup whole wheat sourdough starter
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour 

Mix thoroughly. Let sit 2-4 hours (or more) to mature. 

• 1 medium sweet potato, cooked in the microwave until soft, peeled
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (or half whole wheat/half buckwheat)
• Drizzle of molasses 

Add all ingredients to the sourdough starter already in the food processor. Process until all ingredients are well mixed and the dough is smooth. It should begin to pull away from the sides of the processor (if not add a little more flour). Spray ovenproof pan or baking dish with cooking spray. Spread the dough evenly and let rise for 2-4 hours until double in bulk. I like to use my oven with just the oven light on (otherwise no heat); it’s out of the way and there are no drafts.

Cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes or until the top begins to brown. Remove from oven. Brush with olive oil (optional).

Recipe of the Week: Sourdough Adventure: Focaccia

I like the ease of no-knead breads. I saw a recipe on the King Arthur Flour site for focaccia and decided to convert it to use sourdough instead of instant yeast. I also experimented with replacing half the wheat flour with quinoa flour. And the result was a recipe I’ll be making again and again - trying a different seasoning every time!

~~~~~ 

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1/2 cup mature whole wheat sourdough starter
• 3 tablespoons olive oil + additional for drizzling
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cup quinoa flour
• 4 teaspoons seasoning of choice (I used Penzeys Forward! Spice) + additional for sprinkling on top

 Spray 9”x13” pan with cooking spray.

Mix water and sourdough starter with an electric mixer (do this step for the same reason to mix the water with the sourdough starter as the first step when feeding the starter - to get the micro-organisms evenly distributed so they will be throughout the resulting batter after the flour is added).

Add all the other ingredients and mix with the mixer for a couple of minutes.

Scoop the sticky dough into the prepared pan and let rise until it doubles in height. It took 4 hours in my oven with the oven light on. I set a pan of water in the oven to make sure the air stayed moist.

When the dough has risen enough - gently poke the dough all over with you index finger. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning. Brush gently to evenly distribute.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for 35-40 minutes.

Remove bread from oven, wait 5 minutes, then remove from pan onto a rack. My favorite pan is Pyrex that has a lid so I simply leave it in the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe of the Week: Sourdough Adventure: Italian Spice Bread

This is an easy bread that only goes through the rise process once so does not have a ‘sour’ taste. If you want a sour taste - punch it down after the 1st rise and let it rise again before baking.

1 cup mature whole wheat sourdough starter

3/4 cup lukewarm water

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash)

4 tablespoons sugar or other sweetener

Extra flour as needed

Small amount milk and extra seasoning to brush on right before baking

Olive oil to brush on when it comes out of the oven

Mix starter, water, and olive oil in a large bowl. Combine flour, soda, seasoning and sugar in a medium bowl then add to large bowl. Stir until well mixed. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Stir the dough. Put flour on board (or cabinet top) and hands. Roll dough from bowl onto board. Knead for 5-10 minutes - minimizing the amount of flour added. Let rest for 10 minutes. Knead for another 5-10 minutes. Continue kneading/rest cycle until dough is smooth and easily shaped.

Place in pan that has been previous sprayed to avoid sticking. I like to use a Pyrex baking dish that has a lid so that I can later store the bread in the container I bake it in. Spread the dough to the edges of the dish. Cover with a damp towel, place in a warm place and leave until it doubles in size.

When it has doubled in size, sprinkle with Italian seasoning and brush with milk. Place in an oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook until browned on top. Brush with olive oil and wrap in a damp towel while it cools.

Enjoy warm (yummy by itself or with butter/olive oil). Store leftovers in the refrigerator. This bread makes excellent sandwiches (see picture to right with smoked turkey, Italian parsley and Ranch dressing)

Previous Sourdough Adventure posts: 

• Pancakes
• Sally Lunn
• Spice Muffins

Recipe of the Week: Sourdough Adventure: Sally Lunn

My sourdough adventures continue. My second success is making Sally Lunn. I had a basic recipe which was significantly morphed to use whole wheat flour, powdered sugar (since I somehow was out of other sugar!), and added cinnamon. Here’s the recipe:

• 1/2 cup butter (melted)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar (next time I’ll use 1/3 cup regular sugar as the recipe originally called for…or honey)
• 1 1/2 cup sourdough starter (that has been grown on whole wheat flour)
• 1 cup lukewarm milk
• 3 eggs, beaten
• Pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 1/2 or 4 cups whole wheat flour (don’t let the dough get too stiff)

Cream butter and sugar. Add starter. Mix well. Alternatively add milk and beaten eggs. In a separate bowl blend together salt, cinnamon and flour. Add to sourdough mixer. Beat until smooth. Cover with a cloth. Set in warm place free from drafts and let rise until double in size.

Stir down and pour into a greased cake pan or loaf pan. Let rise again until double in size. 

Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve hot or cold.

Notes:

I used a Bundt pan and it did create beautiful bread. We ate it with butter right after it came out of the pan then the next morning for breakfast toasted with butter and smoked turkey on top.

The down side of using a Bundt pan is it is hard to cut into regular slices to make sandwiches and this would be an excellent bread for sandwich making.

I made grilled buttered rounds with this bread to have with dinner --- yummy.

The bread definitely has a wonderful mild sourdough flavor.

Previous Sourdough Adventure Posts: Pancakes

Favorite Smells of Winter

What are your favorite smells of winter?

Mine are indoor smells that I associate with home…cozy and warm even when the outdoors if very cold.

Vanilla. It’s often combined with other scents, perhaps because it is a ‘comfort’ smell. There are artificial forms now but I always try to buy the natural form. It pleases me to know that it comes from an orchid that requires special care to produce the seed pods that contain the scent. It took quite a long time to figure out how to grow the plants in tropical places where they were not native! The scent can waft from cooking or tea or a candle or hand lotion. 

Baking bread. I am not a bread baker but I enjoy the smell when I am drying bread crumbs (bread going stale processed in the food processor then dried in a 200 degree F oven for a couple or hours). It makes the whole house smell like baking bread. Somehow that smell is the one I associate most with warmth. 

Cinnamon - cloves - nutmeg (i.e. the pumpkin pie spices). The smell of these spices are such a favorite that I make pumpkin custard (who needs the crust!) almost once a month and the candles I buy are most likely to be this scent.

So - are these smells among your favorites…or do you have completely different favorite smells of winter?