Honey Wheat Pancakes

Well, February is gone, and I know neither where nor how. I did try some new recipes, but somehow didn’t get around to telling you about them. I do this too much, I know, but as I flip a new calendar page, I try to start fresh, try not look back (except to repeat a good meal, dish, snack or dessert, of course). Flip. Flip. Flip.

Just like pancakes. Delicious, honey-sweetened, whole-grain enhanced buttermilk pancakes. I’ve made these on a couple of non-working weekends, and they’ve made us very happy.

Lately, when I try a variation on pancakes, I start with a very simple buttermilk pancake recipe that I have memorized. That was the case here as well. All I did was sub in whole wheat pastry flour for some of the all-purpose, honey for the sugar, butter for the oil. I tried these with both whole wheat pastry flour and regular whole wheat flour and found that, while both were very good, the texture of pancakes with the regular whole wheat flour was a little more coarse. I found that I favored the softer pastry flour pancakes just a bit.

That difference is small, however, so I’ll probably flip back and for the between them as well as flip back to a white flour pancake or this butter pecan version. Just like I flip that calendar. Except, of course, the flip of the pancake is temporary as I intend to enjoy both sides.

Honey Wheat Pancakes

If you do not have buttermilk on hand, you could substitute with ¾ cup plain or vanilla yogurt and ¼ cup milk.

½ cup whole wheat pastry flour or regular whole wheat flour

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 egg

2 tablespoons honey

1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat an electric frying pan or electric griddle to 350 F, or heat a large skillet on the stove over medium heat. Preheat the oven to 200 F for holding finished pancakes.

2. In a medium-size bowl, combine the whole wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together to combine well. Set aside.

3. Meanwhile, melt the butter. In another medium-size bowl, lightly beat the egg. Gradually pour in the melted butter and whisk to combine well. Whisk in the honey. Whisk in the buttermilk.

4. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until all the dry ingredients are moistened.

5. Spray the heated griddle or skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Pour a scant ¼ cup of the batter onto the pan for each pancake. Cook until the bottom is browned and bubbles begin to form on the top. Flip the pancakes over and cook on the other side until browned. Place the cooked pancakes in an oven-safe dish and hold in the preheated oven while cooking the rest of the batter. Serve with butter and maple syrup or honey.

Makes about 8 pancakes.

Other recipes like this one: Butter Pecan Pancakes, Barley Pancakes with Orange Juice and Vanilla

Whole Wheat Butterscotch Bars

I’m way into cookies and bars. Not as a trend-follower, but as a life-long devotee. There are a lot of desserts I can walk right on by even if I think they would be pretty delicious, but, boy is it hard for me to pass up a plate of bars or cookies. In fact, I don’t make them as often as I’d like, unless I know where I can take them to share, for fear that I will eat them all.

These bars are no exception to my I-love-cookies rule. They’re based on the popular whole wheat chocolate chip cookie recipe published by Kim Boyce in Good to the Grain. I love those chocolate chip cookies, too, although I can’t say they’re my go-to chocolate chip cookies. (These are.) One day, some months ago, I dumped all the partial bags of baking chips into that whole wheat cookie batter: a couple kinds of chocolate, white chocolate, butterscotch.

My favorite bites were the ones with the butterscotch chips in them, so I decided to make a cookie just with those. Then I started thinking that pecans would go well in there, too. I made those cookies and they were delicious! I was going to post that recipe here (and I do give those alternate baking directions below), but before I could get good photos, I decided to try making pan cookies (aka bars), by baking the whole batch of batter in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

Quite a success, I must say! The nutty richness of the whole wheat flour pairs well with the butterscotch-y goodness of dark brown sugar and butterscotch baking chips. The bars get quite crisp on the outside, just like the cookies, and stay really soft but not quite gooey on the inside. The contrast between crispy and chewy is so pronounced that if the bars are cut too small, they kind of crumble apart. They’re best when cut into a generous square, thick and moist with a crunchy-crumbly outer layer. 

 

It might just be a little too easy to indulge in these goodies. Yes, the whole wheat flour with its higher Whole Food Quotient may have some health benefits over white, all-purpose flour, but there’s still some serious butter and sugar going on here. I may be in trouble!

Whole Wheat Butterscotch Pecan Bars

Based on a recipe in Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup white granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

1 (11 ounce) package butterscotch baking chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. (If not baking right away, you can preheat the oven just before baking.) In a medium size bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir together with a whisk to combine well.

2. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or another bowl if using a hand mixer or spoon). Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat, using the paddle attachment for the mixer, on medium speed until well-blended and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Continue beating until very smooth. Beat in the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture until just moistened. Stir in the pecans and butterscotch chips.

3. Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or grease it with butter or oil. Press the cookie batter evenly into the prepared baking dish. Bake at 350 F (or cover and refrigerate for up to a day and allow to come back to room temperature before baking) for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in the middle of the bars comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Makes about 2 dozen bars.

Note: To make cookies instead of bars, scoop the batter in about 3-tablespoon portions onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350 F for 16-20 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Other recipes like this one: Milk Chocolate Chip and M&M Cookies, Cocoa Chocolate Chip Brownies, Irish Cream Brownies, Peanut Butter Chocolate Revel Bars, Peanut Butter Butterfinger Blondies

One year ago: Spinach Custard Pie

Crispy Light Wheat Waffles

 

There’s a really great light and crispy waffle recipe from Fine Cooking magazine that I love. It was published in The Best AmericanRecipes 2002-2003, which is where I found it about 10 years ago. It makes delicious waffles with a gently crispy texture. They require a bit of extra time and result in some extra dish washing since they contain a (as in one, single) beaten egg white. I, however, have always found it worth that time and effort.

I’ve also always thought the recipe looked like a good starting point for all kinds of variations (such as this good one from a few years ago). This time I took a cue from some of my recent baking excursions and replaced some of the white flour with whole wheat flour. Again, exchanging about a third of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat seemed like a safe place to start, and this worked well. What worked even better, at least as far as new flavors in a familiar recipe are concerned, was to add cinnamon as well.

The combination of the slight nuttiness of that little bit of wheat flour and a decent dose of cinnamon is a really winner. Of course, I also added some more sugar, though there’s still not a lot in the recipe, which I think makes the cinnamon come through even more. The whole wheat flour did nothing to diminish the lovely crisp texture of these waffles, which gets a boost from a few minutes in a warm oven. I highly recommend not skipping this step for maximum loveliness.

I liked this version of my favorite waffle recipe so much that I think it’s going to achieve status as the new favorite. I hope that doesn’t stop me from trying other variations. I think other whole grain flours could work (and be delicious) in place of the whole wheat and other warm spices, such as nutmeg, cloves, or blends like Pumpkin Pie Spice or chai spice would be good, too. I also think that this recipe could be easily doubled. So many waffles to try, so few weekends off!

Crispy Light Wheat and Cinnamon Waffles

Based on a recipe in The Best American Recipes 2002-2003 and Fine Cooking magazine

½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup cornstarch

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon fine salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 large egg, separated

¼ cup canola or other neutral oil

¾ cup buttermilk

¼ cup milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat a waffle iron. Preheat oven to 250 F. Place a cooling rack on a rack in the oven.

2. In a medium-size bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Whisk or sift together to combine well. Set aside.

3. In another medium-size bowl, combine the egg yolk and oil. Beat together until well-combined. Add the buttermilk, milk and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.

4. In a small bowl, beat the egg white to firm peaks with an electric mixer. Set aside.

5. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the flour mixture and stir until all of the dry ingredients are moist. Fold in the beaten egg white, taking care to keep it light and puffy. Stir just until the white is evenly distributed.

6. Spray the heated waffle iron with cooking spray or brush it with butter or oil. Pour a portion of batter (the sized will depend on the size of your waffle iron) onto the iron and bake according to manufacturer’s instructions.

7. Remove the baked waffle from the iron and place on the rack in the preheated oven. Repeat with the remaining batter. The waffles will not only stay warm, but will also crisp in the oven. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Makes about 4 waffles.

Other recipes like this one: Orange Millet Waffles, Overnight Yeasted Belgian Waffles

One year ago: Cinnamon Raisin Buttermilk Biscuits

Baking with Basil, Volume 1: Whole Wheat Cornmeal Bread

I know what you’re thinking. It’s hot, the days are lazy, there’s grilling to do and salads to prepare. And you want to bake something. Are you crazy?

First of all, the answer to that question is beyond the scope of this cooking journal. Second, we’ve had a few cooler days recently, and I got in some baking while it was bearable to use the oven. And finally, but most importantly, those obligatory summer tomato sandwiches have to go on something. It might as well be a couple slices of whole grain bread laced with fresh basil.

I also use this bread for toasted cheese sandwiches and thick slices are good alongside soups and, especially, chili. It’s a little coarse and a bit nutty from the whole wheat flour and cornmeal and the flavor of the basil is in every bite. Whether you’ve got a field of basil or just a few sprigs, this is a good place to put it.

The recipe is adapted from The Complete Guide to Bread Machine Baking published by Better Homes and Gardens. I wore out my bread machine years ago, and have been re-adapting my bread machine recipes back into mix-by-hand-and-bake-in-the-oven recipes ever since. The dough for this one, as with many bread recipes with whole grains, is kind of stiff to knead by hand. It might be a good candidate for a heavy-duty mixer with a dough hook, and that must have been how I made it in years past, because I didn’t remember it being such a workout.

I guess if I’m going to make tomato sandwiches slathered with homemade mayonnaise, or toasted cheese (that’s Monterey Jack with buffalo sauce in it in the photo above) I need to find a way to work off those calories anyway. It may not be baking season, but it is basil season. As far as I’m concerned, the great flavors and aromas of this bread are worth getting my apron a little sweaty as well as messy in a hot July kitchen.


Whole Wheat Cornmeal Bread with Basil
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens: The Complete Guide to Bread Machine Baking

I have given directions for mixing and kneading by hand. You could use a heavy-duty mixer and knead using the dough hook.

¼ cup warm water (about 100-110 F)
1 tablespoon sugar
2-2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (about 1 envelope-style package)
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon sunflower or canola oil
¾ cups whole wheat flour
½ cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon gluten
2 cups bread flour, divided
1 teaspoon fine salt
2 tablespoons finely sliced or torn basil

1. In a large bowl, mix together the water, sugar and yeast. Let stand about 5 minutes or until the yeast appears foamy.

2. Warm the milk to about 100-110 F. (I microwave cold milk about 30 seconds. Be sure to test it to make sure it’s not too hot). Add the milk, oil, whole wheat flour, cornmeal, gluten and about half of the bread flour to the yeast mixture. Stir together to make a batter-like dough. Cover with a towel and let stand 15-30 minutes.

3. Stir in the salt, basil and enough of the remaining flour to make a stiff dough. When the dough becomes difficult to stir, turn it out on a kneading surface. Knead until the dough is smooth and only slightly tacky, adding in as much of the remaining flour as you can (or more if needed). If the dough is already stiff and you have more than about ¼ cup bread flour left, add a small amount of water to the dough, 1 teaspoon at a time, and continue kneading in the remaining flour. Kneading should take about 10 minutes.

4. Shape the kneaded dough into a ball. Spray a medium-size bowl with cooking spray or brush it with oil. Place the dough in the bowl and spray or brush the top of the dough. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the dough. Cover with a towel and let rise about 1 hour or until roughly double in size.

5. Spray an 8 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray or brush it with oil. Gently deflate the risen dough and let stand for a few minutes. Shape the dough into a loaf and place in the prepared pan. Cover with a towel and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until about double in size and a gentle press with the finger leaves an indentation without springing back.

6. Preheat oven to 375 F. Remove the towel from the risen loaf and bake at 375 F for 30-35 minutes, or until the bread is done. (It should sound hollow when tapped, or have reached an internal temperature of about 200 F.) Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

Makes a 1 ½ pound loaf.


Other recipes like this one: Multigrain Baguette, Wheat Sandwich Bread

One year ago: Cherry Clafouti

Two years ago: Sauteed Cabbage with Caraway and Cider Vinegar

Gateway Cookies

I’m surprised that my copy of Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce isn’t stained with drool yet. It is, however, liberally tagged with sticky notes, marking the pages of recipes I want to make now. It will probably also one day have splatters of various baking ingredients worn like badges of honor accumulated as I bake my way through this wonderful book. And I will bake my way through this one, at least mostly. I can just tell. Sure, there are a few recipes that I intend to skip (I’m not feeling quite brave enough to put aside my beet hatred to try the Quinoa and Beet Pancakes on p. 140, for example), but I’m already amping up my exercise routine to burn off the extra calories I know I won’t be able to resist.

To kick things off, I tried the recipe I had seen raved about the most on the internet: Chocolate Chip Cookies (p. 41) made with 100 % whole wheat flour. These cookies are indeed quite fabulous. Sure, they’re just a plain chocolate chip cookie, but that’s the whole wonderful surprise. A good, nay, great plain ol’ chocolate chip cookie, can be made with whole wheat flour. All whole wheat flour. With none of the white stuff. None.

These cookies are slightly soft in the middle and crispy on the outside while still a little warm, and they cool into pleasantly crunchy cookies with just a subtle hint of something a bit nuttier, heartier, and whole-grainier than a traditional white flour cookie. They don’t taste like some kind of health-food compromise (plenty of butter, sugar and good-quality dark chocolate see to that). They taste like, well, like a really good chocolate chip cookie.

Whole wheat chocolate chip cookies are just as easy to make as any other chocolate chip cookie. I loved that he recipe calls for cold butter because I usually forget to take some out to soften when I want to bake. I think the best way to tackle the creaming process (blending the butter and sugar) with the cold butter is to use a heavy duty mixer. I think that you might be able to use softened butter if you plan to mix the batter with a spoon or lower-power hand-held mixer.

I used good-quality bittersweet chocolate chips instead of the chopped chocolate bar in the original recipe, but I think that really didn’t change much. Also, the dough in this recipe is designed to go straight from the bowl to the cookie sheet to the oven, but I put aside some dough in the refrigerator to bake a day or two later. The refrigerated dough performed just as well, although I did not notice the improvement in flavor that I usually get from chilling a drop cookie dough before baking.

Since these cookies are so great, I’m left wondering why we don’t just make all or most of our cookies with whole grain flours. To me there was no compromise with the possible exception of crunchiness if you prefer a soft or chewy cookie (and there’s probably a simple way to adjust the recipe if you want something like that.) If you’re on the fence about accepting more whole grains into your life, this cookie might just be the perfect gateway. And if you’re feeding them to a skeptic, just withhold information. They’ll never know they’re eating whole grains.

The recipe for these cookies is on p. 41 of Good to the Grain. An adaptation can also be found at the blog Orangette, and there’s a skillet cookie version at 101 Cookbooks.

Messy Apron recipes like this one: Milk Chocolate Chip and M & M Cookies, Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies with Black Walnuts

One year ago: Spinach and Feta Souffle

Two years ago: Spring Vegetable Tabbouleh