Whole Wheat (Fresh Milled of Course) Sourdough Bread

I have finally gotten my whole wheat sour dough working during the holidays. The recipe for this is in the newest book by Peter Reinhart on Whole Grain Baking. I was getting worried that this was going to end up being a lot of work for a modest taste treat, but today after finally baking the bread it is really great. I used fresh milled hard whole wheat flour that I grind in my old trusy Hawo's flour mill. I forgot the butter from the recipe (It ended up in the microwave, forlorn and forgotten after I melted it!) It is a dense loaf, with loads of flavour. The starter is more like a dough, and you keep it in the fridge and replenish it. The steps seem like a lot of work, but I think once you get the idea you can do a lot ahead, and the final mixing of the dough on the last day is really quick. I learned a great deal from Peter's previous book, the Breadmakers Apprentice, and bought this one as soon as I saw it. I have made the Seed Crackers several times, and the price of the book is worth it just for the seed cracker recipe even if you make nothing else. I have not bought crackers since! My husband is gluten intolerant, and I was able to adapt this recipe and use a gluten free flour mix plus xanthum gum successfully as well.
Anyway, if you like baking and want to be eating more nutritiously, buy this book!

Biscotti

Here is a pic of new recipe trial - Cranberry and Pistachio Biscotti from the Martha Stewart Baking Book. I really love this cookbook and have made several things from it - all have been very good. I am on a whole grain kick, so I used 1 cup ( 3 cups total in the recipe) of fresh ground whole wheat pastry flour. I told you I am a purist, so yes, I have a flour grinder. Thanks to my friend Peter who fixed my grinder last year when the glue on the stones wore out.

In case you have never made biscotti, they are first baked in a loaf, then sliced up and then baked again until dry. Some have butter in them, and some have just eggs, which tends to make a harder biscotti. Both types are good.

These are good, less butter than a shortbread. Not too sweet, which I like. I really don't like cookies that are really sweet. The whole wheat pastry flour is a little too soft, so I think I will try this with hard wheat next time.

What other things do I recommend from this cookbook? I love the icebox cookies and have made several versions of them, including rosemary lemon - yumm. They are like shortbread but have a little crunch that is different. This book has a few really unusual things such as flat cookies with olive oil that I love, and a Sicillian cookie that I used to get in Toronto that is wonderful, but a lot of work. I highly recommend this cookbook.

Whole Grain Baking

I just finished reading a new cookbook, Whole Grain Breads by Peter Reinhart. I have used one of Peter's other books, The Breadmaker's Apprentice, and from it have made several delicious breads. Since whole grains are better for us overall, I thought I would get his new book.

The methods take a lot of time and you need to plan ahead. He uses a sourdough type starter and overnight fermentation for several of the breads. The minimum for most of the recipes is 2 days. I will let you know when I have tried some, I need a week when I am in town and able to do the prep ahead. There are also recipes for crackers and flatbreads. The nut and seed crackers look great, and a recipe for wheat thins is intriguing.

The breads from the Breadmaker's Apprentice were the best I have every made, so I am motivated to try the new recipes in the whole grain book. I will keep you posted.

New to Blogging

I have really appreciated the up to date and interesting content on several blogs I have been reading recently. So....I decided I should try one.

I hope to keep my friends posted on the recent things I have been up to in my personal life, and due to the distance of many of my friends and family, to post some pics that everyone can see.

I hope some of you will comment on my blog to keep this interactive and interesting.