The Great Granola Bar Challenge (recipe at the end)

Recently, Elizabeth at Yes.They're.All.Ours sweetly challenged me to makeover her recipe for Craisin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars. She wondered if they could be made any healthier, but still be as yummy. Two of my favorite things are chocolate and berries, so I immediately knew I was up for the challenge.

My first thought was that I wanted to soak the grains in order to neutralize the enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid, making the grains more digestable and their nutrients more accessible.

My second consideration was what to do with the craisins. While I love their flavor, they always contain added refined sugar. But who wants to eat a cranberry that has not been sweetened? So, I nixed the craisins... and I thought of cherries, my very favorite fruit. And cherries go very well with chocolate... so I couldn't miss with cherries, right?

Well, I ran into a problem at the grocery store. I could only find cherries with added sugar. I know unsweetened cherries are available at Health Food Stores, but I did not have time to make that trip... plus they're pretty expensive.

So I thought I would just have to use apricots, since they are available unsweetened and taste yummy with chocolate and nuts. (In college I used to dip apricots in nutella for a "perfect" snack.) But before I left the grocery store, another idea popped into my mind. What about using a cherry "all-fruit jam"? Would that give the bars a cherry flavor without the added refined sugar? I figured it was worth a try.

On Monday I made my first batch of granola bars. I was hoping to call them Very Cherry Chocolate Granola Bars, but they were not very cherry. Even though I used the whole jar of Polaner All-Fruit Cherry jam, they still only had a hint of cherry flavor. They were good, and my children were pleased to eat them... but I thought there was room for improvement.

So, on Tuesday, I gave it another go. This time I used apricots... and we loved them. Now, if you are able to buy unsweetened, dried cherries, I still think they would be BEST. But, if you can not, the apricots were quite tasty with the chocolate and walnuts.

Here is the recipe... Elizabeth's original ingredients, then the ones I used in bold.

Chocolate Apricot Granola Bars

• 5 cups rolled oats (no change)
• 1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour (no change)
• 1 1/3 cup brown sugar (I used Sucanat, but you could use any natural sweetener that is not crystalized, such as Rapadura or Maple Sugar)
• 1 tsp baking powder (Make sure you buy non-aluminum baking powder.)
• 2 tsp cinnamon (I omitted this simply for our personal taste preferences.)
• 1 cup olive oil (I used melted coconut oil, but EVOO is fine.)
• 2/3 cup milk (For the soaking, I used 2/3 cup of warm water plus 2 Tbsp plain yogurt; then I omitted this milk.)
• 2 eggs (farm fresh!)
• 1 cup grated coconut (It's pretty easy to find unsweetened, grated coconut.)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (no change)
• 1 1/2 cup craisins (Use unsweetened cherries or apricots; unsulphered as well is best.)
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (You can purchase naturally sweetened chocolate chips... I chopped mine the second time around so that there would be more chocolate bites throughout... or you could start with the minis.)
• I also added 1/2 tsp of salt the second time around, which really helped punch the flavor.

First, mix the oats and whole wheat flour. In a separate cup, mix 2/3 cup of warm water with 2 Tbsp of plain yogurt. Combine the grains and the liquids. I used my hands because I was better able to get the moisture more evenly distributed than with a spoon. Let the wet grains soak overnight or all day long, covered loosely.

When you are ready to make the bars, break apart the clumps of grains with your hands. Then mix in the rest of the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and add the eggs and oil. Stir to combine thoroughly.

Spread on a cookie sheet or a jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

These are delicious and nutritious. But remember to eat everything in moderation, even the good stuff!

Enjoy,

Our Favorite Autumn Breakfast

There is something truly wonderful about the smell of cinnamon and apples simmering on a crisp fall morning! One of my favorite signs that autumn has arrived is my children's request for their favorite fall breakfast: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal. I love the smell warming up the house. And my kids love the taste! This dish is fabulously healthy too, so I thought I would share the recipe with you.

It is a "soaked" grain recipe. For those of you who are new readers, here is a quote from Sally Fallon to explain the soaking process.

Scientists have learned that the proteins in grains, especially gluten, are very difficult to digest. A diet high in unfermented whole gains, particularly high-gluten grains like wheat, puts an enormous strain on the whole digestive mechanism.... During the process of soaking and fermenting, gluten and other difficult to digest proteins are partially broken down into simpler components that are more readily available for absorption.

This meal is quite easy to make... it seems much simpler to me than eggs and toast, for sure. But, it does start the night before. I shared last week that as I clean up the kitchen from supper, I think ahead to the meals for the next day. At that time, I set out the oatmeal to soak, if that is what I am going to serve for breakfast.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
(This recipe has served me and my four children for the past year or two, but I discovered this morning that I will have to increase it by 50% in order to accommodate Rainbow and Spiderman's growing appetites.)

• 1 1/2 cups of warm water
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 3 Tbsp. plain yogurt or kefir
• 1 1/2 cups of whole, rolled oats
• another 1 1/2 cups of water
• 1/3 cup of diced dried apples
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 3 Tbsp. Sucanat, Rapadura, Maple Syrup or Raw Honey
• 1 Tbsp. freshly ground flax seed, optional
• Milk, Cream or Butter, optional

The night before, measure out 1 1/2 cups of warm water in a glass bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine.

Then, add 1 1/2 cups of whole, rolled oats and stir to thoroughly mix. Cover it, but not completely airtight. You can see from this photo that I just place a bowl over my pyrex mixing cup. A little air still gets through the spout opening.

The next morning, bring and additional 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Add the soaked oats plus 1/3 cup of diced dried apples and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Let this simmer for five to seven minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the oatmeal is cooked stir in 3 or more tablespoons of Sucanat (or Rapadura or Raw Honey or Maple Syrup). You can add more or less sweetener, depending on how sweet your children prefer their oatmeal. But I do suggest slowly weaning them off highly sweetened breakfast foods, if they have grown accustomed to them.

Stir it completely and serve it up!

Note: In the cookbook Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon recommends adding a tablespoon of freshly ground flax seed and butter or coconut oil to increase the nutritional content of her regular soaked oatmeal. The flax seed adds fiber and important fatty acids while the fat from the butter or coconut oil enables the body to more readily absorb the nutrients from the oats. You might want to try her recommendation for my Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal recipe too.

Enjoy your autumn!

Soaked Flatbreads

This is such a versatile recipe. We love Flatbreads in our family and would eat an entire double batch if I wasn't so firm about saving some for the next day. They are actually quite easy too. Here goes...

Soaked Flatbreads

Note: you will want to start this recipe either in the morning or the night before to allow time for the yogurt to fully predigest the wheat and neutralize the phytates. We call this "soaking"... read more about it here.

First thing in the morning, mix the following ingredients in your electric mixer:

• 3 cups of whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup of warm water mixed with 1/2 cup of plain yogurt
• 1/4 tsp. non-aluminum baking powder
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4. cup of extra virgin olive oil

Knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball. I use my mixer for this and let it knead for about four minutes.

Cover the dough lightly with wax paper or plastic wrap, and leave it for 10 or more hours at room temperature. (Soaking is a process and if you can only let the dough sit for seven hours, that is definitely better than no soaking at all.)

When ready to make the flatbreads, divide the dough into 12 equal sized balls. (I double the batch and make 24.) Either roll the dough to a six inch circle or use a tortilla press. Here you see I use a tortilla press, but these are definitely not as thin as tortillas. To make thin tortillas, I would have to roll the ball out to ten inches, which can be done with a rolling pin.


As you can see in this picture, after pressing (or rolling) the dough flat, I throw the breads onto a very hot, ungreased griddle. I use a large griddle to cook six at a time... and yes, it is coated with teflon (!), but in an ideal world where I had lots of time at my disposal, I would cook these one by one in an ungreased cast iron skillet heated to high.

These breads only cook for a minute or two on each side. You'll notice that they start to get brown circles on them (like tortillas) when one side is done. If you let them get too brown, they will be on the crunchy side instead of all-soft.

Let them cool on a rack. Serve them fresh!


So what do we do with flatbreads? We love them filled with Gyro Meat (homemade without preservatives), Tzatziki Sauce and tomatoes. Or we love them filled with hummus and other chopped veggies. They are also great dipped in soups. Last night I served them with a salad made with Grilled Meat, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Garlic, Parsley and a Feta Cheese Dressing.



Tonight, I think I'll melt some cheese onto them and put some chili beans inside.

Enjoy!

You Can Make Bread in 5 Minutes Too!

I am so eager to share this recipe with you! I have been baking our family's bread for nearly ten years now. In that time, I've tried a lot of different methods and recipes, including a few "soaked" and sourdough breads. (What is soaking grains?)

I can usually get a really nice, sliceable loaf of 100% whole wheat bread by using normal bread making procedures. However, I want to make a soaked loaf for its health benefits. I have had trouble with soaked breads crumbling before I can make them into a sandwich. Or, they crumble as you lift them to your mouth. In addition to sliceability, I also need a method that is quick. I'm here to tell you... making enough bread for my family takes a lot of time. Figuring on 8-10 sandwiches a day, that's 6 loaves a week! (My husband and Spiderman always eat two; Rainbow and I usually have one and a half... then the little girls... it adds up.)

I have been searching for a way to make enough sliceable, soaked bread for my hungry family WITHOUT bread baking commandeering my life. You can imagine my excitement with Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Really, it took me 30 minutes over a 48-hour time frame to make four loaves of bread and rolls. It would take considerably less time if I wasn't grinding my own grain. I didn't believe the title at first, but after making the quick master recipe, this bread REALLY only takes 5 minutes.

One more thing before I get to the recipe. The book includes an abundance of really helpful information and a multiplicity of tempting variations. Being the practical-mind that I am, I've just zeroed in on the bread we will eat on a daily basis. I highly recommend purchasing this book both for the troubleshooting help and for the extra recipes. Personally, I am looking forward to trying out the bagels and pretzels!

For six loaves of 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread, you'll need the following ingredients. You can cut this in half if you only want three, but bread freezes well, so why not six?

• 3 cups of lukewarm water
• 3 cups of lukewarm milk
• 3 Tbsp. yeast
• 2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup of honey
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. EVOO (that's extra virgin olive oil)
• 13 1/3 cups of whole wheat flour. Because my flour is freshly ground and not yet settled, I have had to increase this to 14 cups.

First, you are going to make your master recipe. In the following pictures, I used my mixer to combine the ingredients. Honestly, I probably won't use it again. There is no kneading to do, and the dough is really wet. So, it is more simple to combine the ingredients with a wooden spoon in the bucket I will use for storing the master dough. It is easy to mix by hand and then I won't have to wash all the parts of my mixer!

To make the master recipe, mix the milk, water, yeast, salt, honey and oil in a 5-quart container (or the larger container you will store your dough in). If you don't have a mixer this big, don't worry because like I said, it's really easy to combine by hand.

Once the first 6 ingredients are combined, mix in the flour. Don't knead. Just stir until the dry ingredients have been thoroughly incorporated. The dough will be very wet. If you have experience in breadmaking, you will be tempted to add more flour. But don't. According to the book, a stiff dough prevents rising whereas a wet dough allows the yeast to create nice air pockets. And again, the book stresses: "Do not knead." Here is my mixer doing the job:

Once the dough mixture is all wet, you're done. Making the master recipe is that simple. Grinding my wheat took about 15 minutes. Measuring and combining the ingredients took about 5 minutes.


The next step is letting the dough rest. Cover, but not airtight, in a large container and allow to rest at room temperature for two to three hours. Here is my bucket... the book gives suppliers for nice containers made especially for dough storage, but I am just using a three-gallon bucket with the lid placed on top but not closed tightly. A five-gallon bucket might have done fine, but would be hard to put in the fridge. You'll see in these next two pictures that you need to have plenty of room for expansion!

You will know that the initial resting is done when the dough rises to a round top and then flattens again... like it popped. Here, it is still rounding up. It flattened just near the top of my bucket, which was covered until I snapped this picture.

After this initial rise, transfer your container to the fridge and let the dough soak for 24 hours to 14 days. It has been our experience that the dough gets more and more sour the longer you keep it. Because we like slightly sour bread, I use my master dough within 48 hours. But, it will keep for two weeks.

Once you are ready to bake your loaves (or loaf if you want to spend five minutes for a fresh loaf every day), spray your bread pans with EVOO cooking spray. Then, pull off a cantaloupe sized ball of dough. This is the only tricky part... you want to make a "gluten cloak". It's like your covering the dough ball with a layer of stretched dough. The dough will be pretty sticky, so use wet hands. To make the gluten cloak, "quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter turn as you go." Did you get that? I stretch the top layer of dough to underneath the ball, turn it a quarter turn, stretch the dough to the underside again, turn, stretch, turn and stretch to the bottom one last time. That is all the shaping you do. I couldn't take pictures of me in action here, but the picture below shows that the top is a smooth layer of stretched dough... and the underneath is not a pretty sight.

Leave the loaves uncovered to rise for one hour and forty minutes. They will not double in bulk as other breads do. You'll see below that mine have only risen slightly, but the bread still turned out considerably springy for a whole wheat sourdough loaf. The book says to slash the tops of each loaf with a knife. I have had no success with this. This time around, I only slashed half and I found that it made no difference in the end.

5 minutes before the dough is finished rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. When the rising time is up, place the loaves in the oven (before temperature is reached) and bake for one hour. If you desire a crispy crust, place a shallow pan in the oven when you preheat it. Then, pour a cup of water into the pan immediately after you put your loaves in the oven and close the oven door quickly. My children like a soft crust, so I skip this step.

These rolls were perfectly delicious right out of the oven. The loaves need to cool completely before slicing so they hold together when cut thinly. Here are our rolls... YUM-O!

And here are the four loaves of bread... I am still working on tearing off that cantaloupe sized ball uniformly! You can see that my loaves are not all the same size.

After you try this recipe, please come back to post your comments and thoughts. If you have a question about the process, I'll answer it as far as I'm able. Or, if you learn other tips, please share them with us! Like I said, this book is very helpful. While I've tried to provide you with a reliable, healthy bread you can conveniently make for your family, there are so many more "company breads" worth trying out too!

OOOh... and definitely try making cheese toast with this bread. Very tasty!

Second Update on "5 Minute Artisan Bread"

So, for those of you who are keeping up with my progress in perfecting a 100% whole wheat version of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day... here goes.

I made my second master recipe on Tuesday evening. This time, I wanted to bake all the bread within 24 hours so that it would be only mildly soured. The 24 hours would allow plenty of time to properly neutralize the phytic acid, but leave it tasting more palatable for my littles. Last night I baked four loaves of bread and two batches of dinner rolls... in about five minutes of work time!

Good News :) It tasted marvelous. The bread had a perfectly soured, but not too snappy flavor! The kids and I enjoyed rolls with our breakfast and cheese toast for lunch. This bread makes GOOD toast... or, if you're talking to Spiderman, it's "GYOOD!"

Bad News :( The bread didn't rise very much at all. If I recall correctly, last week's bread was lighter, even if it was sour enough to bite! I know that sourdough artisan breads can be a little dense... and we are used to eating whole grains which are never fluffy like marshmallows... BUT, I would have like to have a bit lighter of a loaf.

Thanks for sticking with me here. I will give it another go next week. Maybe I didn't do the "gluten cloak" thing just right... maybe I didn't slash the dough deep enough... maybe this... maybe that. Like I said, thanks for sticking with me... this kitchen adventure will payoff when I arrive at a reliable method.

Soon, very soon, I will publish my tips for how to make six loaves of healthy, soaked, whole grain bread with very little time sacrifice. Doesn't that sound like a dream!

Update on "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day"

I have been experimenting with the "quick" bread making procedures from the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Wouldn't it be nice to only spend five minutes each day for a warm loaf of soaked bread? (Why "soaked"? Read this.)

I made my master dough recipe last Thursday. It seemed way too wet, even though the book says it will be wetter than "normal" dough. I wanted to try my best to follow the instructions this first time around, so I didn't add more flour. Resisting the temptation took an abundance of restraint on my part :) I am using freshly milled whole wheat. I think that because it has not settled in a bag, it is measuring differently.

I have baked two loaves of bread and two batches of dinner rolls. The bread smells absolutely delicious when baking! It has a very pleasant sour smell... like real sourdough from a quaint village bakery. The bread holds together and slices much nicer than other "soaked" breads I've tried in the past.

I would say the only drawback so far is the bite. The book says that the master dough will keep in the fridge for two weeks. But by Sunday in our home, the children were making their opinion known: "This bread is biting me back!" The bread, even though it is sour, makes fantastic cheese toast!

I will be trying a new master recipe this week. I think this time I will add a cup or more of additional flour and I will bake all of the loaves within 24 hours of "soaking." I might even try freezing some of the additional dough. Stay tuned for the finale... I will keep working at it until I get a reliable 100% whole wheat, soaked bread recipe. It will be a quick and HEALTHY way to eat fresh bread! And, the book includes all kinds of exciting variations like herb dinner rolls, soft pretzels, pizza dough, bagels and more!

How to Make "Soaked Granola"

Although whole grains are fantastically nourishing, they can also be very tough on our digestive systems. Grains contain phytic acid in the outer layer of the bran. This phytic acid can actually block the absorption of the minerals found in whole grains. In the process, it can lead to uncomfortable bowel symptoms as well. (To learn more on this topic, read Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions.)

However, there is a very simple way of preparing our grain foods in order to neutralize the phytic acid. By a simple soaking process, enzymes and friendly bacteria found in yogurt can "predigest" the grain for us. The soaking process also neutralizes enzyme inhibitors found in seeds and grains, making nutrients like B Vitamins more accessible.

One step at a time, right! If this information is new to you, don't fret. Take baby steps. Try substituting this granola for your current breakfast cereal and leave the next steps for later. The next steps will come... in TIME.

Soaking granola is actually quite easy. In the morning, mix together

• 6 cups of rolled oats
• 2 cups of whole wheat flour

Add 1 cup of yogurt. You might want to mix this with your hands so that all the grain is evenly wet. It will look like a clumpy mess.

Leave this mixture to "soak" all day long. You could also let this soak overnight if you were going to bake during the day. I like to bake in the late afternoon.

After at least 7 hours, break up any clumps with your hands and mix in the following dry ingredients:

• 1 cup of unsweetened dried coconut
• 1 cup of seeds (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin)
• 1-2 cups of chopped nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts)

Make a well in the center of the dry mixture, like this:


Pour the following wet mixture into the bowl:

• 1 cup of oil. I prefer to use melted coconut oil (see my post on coconut oil), but you could use melted butter, EVOO or any other "healthy" oil.
• 1 cup of honey
• 1 Tbsp. salt (If your nuts are salted, you will want to reduce this amount.)
• 2 tsp. real vanilla

Mix the granola until all of the ingredients are thoroughly wet. Pour onto two cookie sheets and bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour.

When the granola has cooled, scoop it into an airtight container. You'll see that I use the same lidded bowl in which I mixed the granola. Lastly, stir in 1-2 cups of dried fruit, raisins or dates. My photo doesn't have the dried fruit mixed in because my husband prefers his granola without. We sprinkle the raisins on once we scoop the granola into bowls.

This granola tastes great with milk. But my children love it best sprinkled over a bowl of thick smoothie. That is their choice breakfast. I have made many variations of this recipe. Here are a few additional thoughts.

• If you want to reduce the oil, you can use 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce. This makes a "cakier" granola.
• If you want to make granola bars, add two beaten eggs with the liquids and bake in a 9x13 pan at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Slice the bars while still warm.
• If you want to keep it cheap, omit the nuts and dried fruit. We have eaten plenty of coconut/seed granola and it tastes just fine.
• If you love cinnamon, add 1 tsp. with the dry ingredients.
• If you want to use a dry sweetener like Sucanat, simply add 2/3 cup of water to the liquids and you will still be able to mix the granola together.