7 Grain Whole Wheat Bread

I am a bread snob. I am really picky about my bread and I don't like any store bought bread sold in the stores in the Boise area.  Everything has too many nasty ingredients that are too hard to pronounce. I know very well that they are not needed to make bread. And if that wasn't enough I really think they are nasty.  I order my bread from Utah and it is shipped to me monthly.  That works great until we sometimes run out and then we have to go bread less, buy from Great Harvest which I do love but my girls don't and it is more on the expensive side or deal with nasty bread until my next shipment comes. I would eventually like to get to a place where I make all our bread but I have not found the perfect recipe yet.  I have tasted some good bread from friends but most of those recipes require a Bosch because they make something like 8 loaves. I can't afford a Bosch right now so that is going to have to wait.  Anyway, I have found/created a recipe that I really love.  The only problem is the base recipe that I started with only makes one loaf.  Which is good since I don't have a Bosch yet but I am going to try and double it next time and see how that goes in my Kitchen Aid.  Okay enough all ready, I will now get to the recipe. :)
The thing I love about this bread is that it is the perfect balance of moist, dense and crunchy.

7Grain Whole Wheat Bread

• 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast, or 1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 2 tablespoons warm water
• 1 1/3 cups warm water
• 
  
  1/4 cup  vegetable oil
• 
  
  1/4 cup Agave Nectar (you could sub Honey)
• 
  
   2 1/2- 2 3/4 cups fresh ground Whole Wheat Flour (if you don't have a grinder buy a really good whole wheat flour)
• 
  
  1 cup 7 grain mix ( I got it in the bulk section at Winco)
• 
  
  1/4 cup nonfat dried milk
• 
  
  1/8 cup vital wheat gluten
• 
  
  1 1/4 teaspoons salt

 

Mixing: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. Add the other 1/4 cup of flour if you think it needs it. (You may also knead this dough in an electric mixer or food processor, or in a bread machine programmed for "dough" or "manual.") Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 60 minutes, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

Shaping: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8-inch log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise until it's crowned about 1 inch above the edge of the pan (20 min-1 hour). A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly.

Baking: Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for about 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes. Test it for doneness by removing it from the pan and thumping it on the bottom (it should sound hollow). Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.

Here is a picture of the 7grain mix so you can see what it looks like-

Here is a picture of Agave encase you don't know what it is- 

Roasted Cauliflower

Did you know you can bake cauliflower in the oven? I will be honest, I just learned this.  I guess I just never thought about it before.  I can easily say this is one of my favorite veggies now.  It is safe to say that even those who really dislike veggies will like these.  My girls ate them and said they tasted like french fries and I realized they kind of do.  They are super easy too.

Roasted Cauliflower

• One head of cauliflower
• 1 T Olive oil
• Salt
• Garlic powder
• Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Cut cauliflower into individual florets and place on a cookie sheet.  Drizzle olive oil over cauliflower, sprinkle salt and garlic powder over it to taste. With a spatula toss cauliflower to evenly coat it with olive oil (you may do this in a bowl with a lid and shake it to get more even coverage, I just don't want to dirty extra dishes). With a fine cheese grater, grate Parmesan cheese over cauliflower.  Bake in oven for 20-25 min.  Serve immediately to preserve crunchiness. 

*There are many other possibilities for toppings. You can just do olive oil and salt; or olive oil, pressed or chopped garlic and lemon juice; olive oil, red pepper flakes and cheese etc. Have fun.

Kale

Kale is another one of those great vegetables like chard that we should try to eat as much as possible.  But also like chard and possibly even more so it is not the easiest vegetable to eat.  But I believe that if you don't like a certain vegetable you just have to find a way to cook it that helps you like it.  When my parents came to visit this past weekend they shared two really great recipes for Kale.  I seriously love these recipes and can't wait to get to the store to buy more Kale so I can cook them again. They are both wonderful sides but I could eat the salad as my main dish.

This first one was given to my mom from one of her friends who got it from a friend but my Mom made some really great changes to it that make it even better.

Kale Salad with Oranges

1 bunch kale

1 T olive oil

1/4 t kosher or sea salt

1 lime, juiced

1 t balsamic vinegar

1 T red onion, finely chopped

1 orange, peeled & sliced

*I don't think it would hurt to double everything in this recipe for 1-1 1/2 bunches of kale.
 
Chop or tear kale leaves into small pieces discarding the thick stem. Steam kale for 5-6 minutes just to soften it. Drizzle the kale with olive oil & sprinkle with salt. Massage the kale with your hands to soften it, then allow it to sit for 5 to 10 minutes. In a small bowl combine lime juice, vinegar and onion. Pour over kale and toss. Add the orange. Allow to marinate for 10 minutes. Serves 4.

*optional- you can also add other greens to this salad such as broccoli florets or water cress.  Just steam them with the Kale. We added water cress to the salad pictured above.

Kale Chips

This recipe was given to my parents by my Aunt Linda.  It was so good.  You can eat these as a side or a snack anytime.  I can't wait to eat it as my movie snack.  I LOVE THEM.

1 bunch of Kale
1 T olive oil
salt *optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and strip leaves from the thick stem and rib. Dry in a salad spinner. Drizzle olive oil over leaves and massage into them. Either lay out whole leaves onto a cookie sheet or you can tear them into individual pieces. Sprinkle with a little salt.  Bake for about 9 minutes until they are crunchy.

 *we should have removed more of the stem then we did in the picture above.

Now go eat you some Kale!