Sourdough Noodles

Although rolling out the dough takes a bit of practice, it is really quite easy to make pasta at home.  The sourdough gives it a slight flavor kick and the whole wheat makes it so filling.
Adapted from gnowflins.com 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sourdough starter
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour.

Mix all the ingredients together and let the dough ferment for 6-8 hours.
Roll out the pasta and cut it into strips for noodles or use a pasta maker if you have one (I just use a rolling pin).  Make sure to flour underneath the dough so it doesn't stick.
You can now cook it fresh or dry it out in a dehydrator or on a hanger (any place that will lat it get dry that you have).

Sourdough Crackers

These are my family's favorite crackers.  They are easy to make and more importantly, easy to roll out.  I roll them out quite thin.  They are true wheat thins!

Adapted from http://gnowflins.com

Ingredients:
1 cup sourdough starter (fed in the last 12 hours or so)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1-1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Mix these together in a medium bowl until a soft dough forms.  It should take just a couple minutes by hand.  Leave it in the bowl to ferment (cover the bowl with a plate or plastic wrap to prevent it drying out.  
After 6-8 hours the dough should look risen and ready to roll.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Sprinkle the dough with:
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

Knead these into the dough for about 1-2 minutes so that they are well combined.  Divide the dough into 4 pieces.  Roll the dough out directly on parchment or a baking mat.  It will be very soft and easy to roll out thin.  Cut the crackers into what ever size you like and sprinkle with salt.
Place the mat or parchment on a cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes depending on how thick/thin they are.  Mine are done in about 11 minutes but check them to make sure they don't burn.
Let the crackers cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove them onto a cooling rack.  Repeat with the remaining dough and enjoy!  My kids and husband will eat them all before I get a chance to finish cleaning up.

Croissants with Whole Wheat

This one I am really proud of.  These end up so flaky and buttery that you would never know that they were more than half whole wheat.  

This is adapted from the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book.

For the dough:

2 1/2 cups freshly ground white whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour

2 tsp sea salt

1 3/4 tsp active dry yeast (activated in 1/2 cup warm water and 2 tbsp sugar)

1 egg

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

Activate the yeast for 5 minutes.  Mix in salt, egg, milk, and warm water.  Mix in the flours and knead very lightly until well combined.  Pat into a 9 inch square, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.  

Meanwhile prepare the butter by mixing:

2 cups (1 lb) of butter cold be workable

1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour

When well mixed spread on a sheet of parchment or plastic wrap and make into an 8 inch square.  Wrap in plastc and place in fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.

When the hour is up remove the dough onto a floured surface.  Lay the butter (unwrapped) at a 45 degree angle on in the center of the dough so it looks like a diamond in a square.  With a bit of water wet the ends of the dough and seal all the sides up to make an X on the dough.  Turn over and roll out the dough, keeping it floured underneath so it doesn't stick.  When it is about 12 inches by 18 inches stop rolling.  If any butter peaks though brush some flour on it so it doesn't stick to the rolling pin.  Fold the dough like a letter; fold one third in and the other third over that third.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes (or up to 1 hour).  Repeat this process 3 more times to complete a total of 4 rolls and turns.  Wrap the dough and refrigerate overnight to increase the flavor and let the dough rest.

On baking day roll out the dough into a 12 by 24 inch rectangle.  Trim the edges to make a perfect edge all around.  Cut into 4 rectangles each about 6 by 12 inches.  Divide each into 3 rectangles each 4 by 6.  Cut each rectangle across by a diagonal to make into 2 triangles.  You should end up with 24 triangles.  Make a notch on the wide end of the dough and fold rolling to the point.  Place point down on a baking sheet.  Cover loosely with plastic and let rest for 30 minutes.  

Preheat oven to 425 F and mix 1 egg with 1 tbsp water to make an egg wash.  Careful spread egg wash on croissants.

Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes and reduce heat to 350 F and bake 15 min more.  Let cool on rack.

For chocolate croissants place chocolate chips in the center before you roll.  

For cinnamon-sugar place a bit of the egg wash in the croissant and then sprinkle with a cinnamon sugar mix to your liking.  (I use about 2 tbsp sugar and 1/4 tsp cinnamon mixed together and put about 1/2-1 tsp in each). 

For almond take some marzipan and flatted a triangle and roll into the croissant.

Get creative and try what ever strikes your fancy.  

Soaked 100% Whole Wheat Bread

This recipe starts with soaking about half the flour.  Soaking flour in an acid solution breaks down phytic acid making the minerals in bread more bio-available.  
This recipe was adapted from http://www.healthbanquet.com/homemade-bread.html

This recipe will yield 2 large loaves.  A bit more than half the flour is soaked.

Ingredients on day 1

4 cups of freshly ground whole wheat flour

2 1/2 - 3 cups warm water

3 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

Mix the ingredients together making sure all the flour is moistened.  Cover loosely and let sit at room temp for up to 12-24 hours.  This lets the acid in the vinegar or lemon juice breakdown the phytic acid in the wheat.

Ingredients on day 2

In a mixer (or by hand) mix the flour/water/acid mix with

1/3 cup melted butter (not hot)

1/3 cup honey

1 Tbsp sea salt

1Tbsp yeast

2 1/2 - 3 cups of freshly ground whole wheat flour

Mix and knead until you have a nice supple dough (about 10 minutes by mixer, 20 by hand).  The four you add depends on the day, the flour, and the humidity.  It may be slightly different each time. 

Place in a greased bowl and let rise for about 1 1/2 hours (until is doubles in size).

Punch down the dough and let rise again until double (it won't take as long this time ~ 1 hour).

Grease 2 loaf pans.  Punch down the dough and shape the loaves.  Let them rise until the are about 1-2 inches about the top of the rim of the pan (about 30-45 minutes).  

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Bake the bread for 20 minutes.  Turn them and bake another 20 minutes.  Cool them out of the pan on a wire rack.  Wait at least 2 hours before slicing.  

I usually double this recipe and freeze the extra loaves.  Wrap well and store in the freezer.  To thaw just leave on the counter overnight.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Anyone who has tried my chocolate chip cookies in the past will tell you that they are delicious.  I made them about 50% whole wheat.  I wanted to make them 100% so I started trying out other recipes and mixing things about.  For Christmas Martin, my wonderful husband bought me a cookbook (3 actually) which had this recipe in it.  I was skeptical until I bit into one.  Now I will be using this one as my go-to cookie recipe.  Not only does it taste amazing and have great texture it is also 100% whole grain.  What's not to love?
A word on flour:  I always use freshly ground wheat.  If you can't don't worry, they will still be fantastic.
So here it is:

Chocolate Chip Cookies
from 'Deliciously Organic' by Carrie Vitt

1 cup rolled oats (ground fine in a food processor)
2 cups white whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup softened butter
1 cup sucanat or rapadura
1 cup muscovado sugar (or brown sugar)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 F.  Line cookie sheets with parchment or a silicon mat.

Mix the flours, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.  In a separate bowl cream the butter for a minute.  Then beat in the sucanat and sugar.  Add the vanilla and eggs beating until well combined.  With mixer on low, slowly add in the flour.  Stir in the chocolate chips (this will take some power as the dough will be stiff).

Scoop out a generous 2 tablespoon size scoop of dough for each cookie.  Place a couple of inches apart on the cookie sheet.  Bake for 12-14 minutes until dough is set and golden on top.  Cool for 5 minutes in the pan and transfer to cooling rack to finish cooling.  Enjoy!

By the way these cookies are quite big and very filling.  My kids say they taste even better the next day!

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls

So to start my whole wheat baking adventures I thought I'd make one of my favorite treats, cinnamon rolls.  I've made them many times but never whole wheat.  I like my cinnamon rolls soft and moist.  I was worried that they might end up tough from using only whole grain.  I am glad I tried!  This recipe turned out delicious, soft, and moist; just how I like them.  Enjoy!
Adapted from The Hope Mennonite Cookbook and mylittlecelebration.com

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls


Dough:
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (dissolve with 1 tsp sugar in 1 cup warm water)
1 (more) cup warm water
3/4 cup melted, cooled butter
2/3 cup honey
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
6-7 cups freshly grounds whole wheat flour (if using store bought flour you may use slightly less flour)

Filling:
1 cup muscovado sugar or brown sugar
1 cup sucanat
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp milk

Directions:

Let the yeast dissolve with the sugar for about 5 minutes to activate it.
In a mixer bowl put in the activated yeast, water, butter, honey, salt, eggs, and 2 cups of the whole wheat flour.  Mix for about 5 minutes at medium speed.  Then add the rest of the flour switching to a dough hook and kneading for 5 minutes (you can mix/knead by hand for about 8-10 minutes).  The dough should be soft and moist but not too sticky.
Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours.  I usually just set my oven temperature to 350F and let it preheat for 1 minute then turn it off.  It makes a nice warm environment for the dough to rise (my sourdough breads love this set up!).

Next combine the filling ingredients in a bowl until well mixed.  It should be like wet sand.
When then dough has finished rising punch it down and roll it out into a large rectangle (about 14" x 24").  Spread the filling over the retire area leaving a 3/4" border on a long side.  Now roll the dough starting from the long side without the border.  Once you've rolled it pinch the dough together closing the seam.  Slice your cinnamon rolls about 1" thick.  I get about 24 rolls.  

Place rolls on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or greased with butter.  Cover and let rise about 30 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 375F.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  When finished cool for about 10 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Prepare the icing by mixing the ingredients together until smooth.  Ice the warm rolls and enjoy warm or at room temperature.

A note:
Since this makes 24 rolls and they taste best fresh I usually bake one pan and freeze another pan.  When I am ready for more (breakfast tomorrow maybe?) I'll take it our and let it sit for about an hour or two and until done.