Great gift wrapping ideas

Well I have been busy as usual. I must confess I am spending a good bit of time baby stuff shopping and researching. I did have a large order for some individually packaged biscotti (40 packages with 2 biscotti). I think they turned out nicely. I have got to post some pictures of my chocolate dipped biscotti soon.

I packed the biscotti in biodegradable cellophane bags tied with colorful natural raffia bows. They were really snazzy.

In the past to obtain eco-friendly packaging materials I've had to order from some place like California or Oregon and pay too much for shipping. Well I made a great discovery recently, Nashville Wraps has a wonderful selection of cellophane, raffia, kraft bags, and other eco-friendly wrapping. They are closer to me than CA, so shipping was very reasonable. The other great thing about ordering from them is they sale in small quantities, so you don't have to buy 1000 of any one item.

In addition to some business supplies, I ordered a box of 150 plain kraft bags to use as gift wrap. They were really cheap per bag, and who wants to spend a fortune on gift wrap? Add some colorful tissue paper and raffia and your gift is ready to go. If you like to keep a stock of gift wrap at home, you may want to check it out. Order with a friend and you can split shipping.

New beginnings

Daniel and I are embarking on new experiences in the new year. We are expecting a baby in August! We are very excited about him or her. So we have yet more home repairs/remodelings to add to the list.

I am not sure now whether I will be returning to Belhaven Market. I am still in business however. I have been working on a few orders.


I have been baking for the wonderful Coffeeshop at Eudora Welty's birthplace. It is located on Congress Street and is a fun place. Go check it out and have a ginger chewie or a wholesome & yummy muffin. I am having a lot of fun doing that. I will be exploring new muffin possibilities soon. Right now I have baked Sour Cream Peach and Banana Nut, both 100% whole grain. I hope to continue baking for them as long as they want me to bake. I spent some time this morning looking at some fun new ways to package muffins without breaking the bank. There are some creative people out there.

If you want to order anything send me an email. I hope all my readers are having a great new year.

New stuff for the holidays

So I have been rolling along with some of my established breads:

• Oatmeal Pecan
• Wheatberry
• Rosemary Fig
• Loaded Potato
• Mississippi Sourdough
  
• Italian Sun-dried Tomato
• Asiago Herb

Plus the ever popular

• Ginger Chewies
• Toffee Biscotti

But we Americans love new stuff, so I do have some new items too. In addition to my excellent homemade organic butter seasoned with sea salt and mediterranean herbs, I've added cinnamon sugar and honey butter. This is really good stuff. I will elaborate some on why you want my butter when every grocery store has butter:

• I use high quality organic cream. I started out with cream from our local dairy, but have switched for health reasons. Organic cream is higher in Omega 3 fatty acids than cream from cows that are kept pinned up in a barn and not allowed to pasture enough.
• I culture my butter- by adding yogurt and letting the cream sit out for a day the butter has an enhanced flavor and shelf life.
• My butter is fresh and much easier than making your own:)

This year I'm changing up my gingerbread men. Notice this will not affect my Ginger Chewies at all, I'm leaving them just as they are. My Ginger Chewies are a different dough it is far too sticky to roll out. I wanted a more old fashioned gingerbread man, kinda like the ones I would get from the Old Time Deli as a child. I have changed my dough recipe to be more buttery and bready and less sweet. I am making a bigger gingerbread man and decorating him more subtly. I have done a trial run and they went over very well with the husband. I'm using chocolate beads for the eyes and buttons and a little candied lemon or orange peel for the mouth. I hope to have pictures soon.

Muffin Mishaps

Ok so I have another confession... this "expert baker" (I laughed when I read that in the newspaper writeup) is having muffin problems. It all started when I read Nourishing Traditions that my dear friend Amber sent me.

I have never been extremely satisfied with my muffin recipes that I've used in the past. Why:

1. They are really more like cakes
   
2. They are too dense
3. I want to find a good basic recipe that I can use with different add-ins
   

So in NT there are several recipes where you soak the flour overnight in a cultured dairy product (kefir, buttermilk, or yogurt). On that note my poor husband is terrified that I'm trying to bake up some of my scary kefir to feed him. Have no fear, I have used buttermilk and yogurt. I have found that the buttermilk is far thinner than yogurt and I haven't had as good of results with this. If I were going to use buttermilk in the future I think I would use less and then increase the fat called for in the recipe. So I have had flop after flop with these recipes.

After researching my muffin mishaps on the internet it seems that there are real flaws with her recipe. This is my fourth or fifth week to tinker with the recipes and I may have a success, we'll see if my peach cakes make it to the market or if Daniel gets to eat fallen cakes all week!

Why would I continue working on this recipe? Because I have noticed in my failures wonderful flavor, soft (not harsh, dense) textures, and according to several scientific studies presoaking grains in an acidic medium will increase the nutritional value.

One reason I wanted to relay my disasters is to encourage my friends and customers out there to keep on trying to bake on your own despite the difficulties. I have people come up to me and express that they have trouble trying to "bake outside the mix box" well who doesn't. For almost a whole year most of my bread loaves were bricks. It took me a long time to get to a point where I think I can make a pretty good loaf of bread. Cooking from scratch is more work, but it is healthier and more satisfying that opening a box. So if you have time get your bake on:)

Freshening things up

I know I'm not the only person that craves change, new things. My customers seem to like new items and I enjoy making new items. Unfortunately adding new items to my lineup can be very time consuming.

I have added a few fun new things for this weekend, more than anything I have freshened up some of my old favorites.

- My bran muffins will be at the Belhaven Market this weekend. I have decided to add some shredded apple into the batter to help lighten up the texture of this super hearty muffin!

- I'm going to add some blueberries into my summery Just Peachy Cakes. Blueberries & peaches are a great combination.

- I have made cultured butter. Ta da! If you're interested in trying it yourself the link is to the website I got my recipe. Pretty website. It wasn't too hard to do, lots of fun, definitely some time involved in cleanup. From experience if you have trouble whipping it up your cream may not be cold enough.

I started with Luvel whipping cream (local yeah!) and my fresh homemade yogurt (so, so good). And I followed the instructions and when I finished I decided to spice up the yummy butter. To half of the batch I added garlic and zataar (a delicious Lebanese spice blend) and to the other half I added organic sugar & Penzey's cinnamon. I did blend in some canola oil to make it more spreadable, but no preservatives, coloring, weirdo chemicals. If you're asking yourself at this point "Why is Elizabeth , the health nut, promoting butter?" see this post.

So Saturday I will have some revamped treats, awesome breads, and wonderful homemade butter spreads to freshen your palette. Please come & see me.

Oatmeal Pecan Bread

I try to cater my bread to different tastes. I realize that everyone doesn’t like a hearty robust whole wheat. Last market season I had a Honey Oat, 100% whole grain of course. This was my version of a milder whole grain bread. I have improved on that bread & am introducing the new Oatmeal Pecan. It is creamier than my honey oat, but still mild and lightly sweetened with MS honey. Roasted pecan add a nutty richness to the creamy mildness. This bread has something yummy for everyone!

Ingredients: organic stone-ground white whole wheat flour, organic stone-ground whole wheat flour, MS honey, organic thick rolled oats, roasted pecans, dried milk powder, orange juice, canola oil, egg whites, salt, yeast

Malted Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins

I'll admit in the spectrum of healthy breakfasts this isn't in the bran muffin category. But it's not down with the doughnuts either!

These muffins are very yummy. Most of the sweetness is from the barley malt (in malted milk powder). Although sweet enough to be considered a treat they are 100% whole grain and full of healthy ingredients like fresh bananas, dark chocolate chunks, and cage free eggs.

Ingredients: fresh bananas, belgian dark chocolate chunks, organic stone-ground barley flour, organic stone-ground spelt flour, organic stone-ground white whole wheat flour, malted milk powder, cage free eggs, organic cane sugar, buttermilk powder, canola oil, melted butter, baking powder, vanilla, salt

Nutrient information- 1muffin: 277 kCal, 43g carb (2g fiber, 22g sugar) 10g fat (4g sat fat, 3g monounsat fat, 1g polyunsat fat) , 6g protein

• keep in mind these muffins have a lot of dairy which is high in natural & unrefined sugar

• **approximate calculation- not actually tested**

Loaded Potato Bread

So you read this and thought: potatoes don't belong on a healthy food blog. Well yes they do. The USDA says:

Potatoes are an important source of complex carbohydrates. In addition, they contain vitamins C and B ₆ , iron, potassium, and trace minerals such as manganese, chromium, selenium, and phosphorus. Potatoes are low in sodium, are virtually fat free, and provide fiber when the skin is eaten.

Here's another article I ran across about why potatoes are healthy. So great eat some baked potatoes right. Well eating them in whole grain bread is another great idea. I've had grocery store (not fresh, blahhh) potato bread so I wasn't expecting the addition of fresh mashed potatoes to be a big deal.

• Potatoes give the bread a soft & moist texture.
  
• Eggs add a bit more rise
• Fennel lends a subtle herby note
  
• Sesame seeds top it off with a nutty crunch

Of course it’s 100% whole grain. To experience the full effect try it for yourself!

Ingredients: organic stone-ground white whole wheat flour, mashed potatoes, Mississippi honey, eggs, buttermilk powder, canola oil, sesame seeds, egg white, roasted sesame oil, salt, yeast, fennel

All about the fiber

I'm introducing my Double Yum (bran) Muffins. Bran in parenthesis b/c some people are afraid of healthy things like (bran). Males age 14-50 need 38g fiber/day and females that age need 25g fiber/day according to the US dietary guidelines. These muffins with 6g fiber will help you get there. Let's quickly review why we need all this fiber.

According to the American Dietetic Association fiber is important because it:

• lowers bad (LDL) cholesterol
• helps our GI move things along normally
• slows digestion & makes us feel full
• can prevent & help manage these diseases: Diabetes, heart disease, & diverticulitis
• may prevent cancer
  

These muffins are really good & good for you. They are have a roboust whole grain taste with bits of sweet and tart apricots. The addition of fresh spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, & cloves) kicks the flavor up a notch. With a double dose of bran: high fiber wheat bran and heart healthy oat bran, not to mention the additional fiber from the dried apricots & flax seed.

Ingredients: organic stone-ground white whole wheat flour, dried unsulfured apricots, oat bran, succanat, wheat bran, organic stone-ground spelt flour, cage free eggs, blackstrap molasses, canola oil, dried buttermilk powder, flax seed, mechanically pressed palm oil, organic cane sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, cloves

Nutrient information- 1muffin: 204kCal, 8g fat (1.5g sat fat, 3g monounsat, 2.5g polyunsat) 33g carb
( 6g fiber, 14g sugar), 6g protein
**approximate calculation- not actually tested**

Change is a comin'

I really am working in my market off-time, see Cadillac vs. newbie if you don't belive me:) After some time to think about it & some more baking comparison tests I have decided to try something new.

I am changing the brand of flour I use for all of my baking! This is a pretty big deal, but I have done some research and spent time on the decision. I will be using War Eagle Mill's flour instead of King Arthur's flour. Here are some of my reasons:

1. I like to bake for your family like I do for my own- for health reasons stone ground flour is superior to modern flour processing.
2. WEM flour has a fresher flavor
3. WEM is a local establishment & I like to shop local when possible

King Arthur has good flour, and if I have problems with War Eagle Mill then I would switch back to King Arthur.

So all my bakery products now in addition to being Whole Grain contain Organic Stone-ground flour. I'm excited about being able to offer my customers a healthier, higher quality product.

**Another change I'm making is the incorporation of more spelt flour in my baked goods. I tried spelt last season and liked it so I have continued to experiment with it. Look for it in the ingredient listings of my cakes, cookies, and muffins.

Rosemary Fig

This bread was probably my #1 seller last market season. It is different, but also familiar. I'm sure we all know someone that has a fig tree. I wish I had one, one day in my dream yard with my muscadine vines, wonderful garden, every herb you could want...









Figs are a much loved fruit in Mississippi. So I took a hearty whole wheat bread and added dried fig pieces and fresh rosemary leaves. The resulting bread has been popular. It is one of my favorites. I love this bread with dinner, but I am told that it makes a wonderful peanut butter sandwich. The rosemary is subtle in this bread, there is enough to taste but not to overpower.



Ingredients: organic stone-ground whole wheat flour, water, chopped figs, malted barley syrup, dry milk powder, orange juice, Mississippi honey, butter, rosemary, egg whites, salt, yeast

You want the numbers...

I've had several customers request nutritional analyses on my bakery goods. So I analyzed my Toffee biscotti recipe using my nutrition software. If you are interested go to the Toffee biscotti post.

It wasn't as easy as it should have been, but I'm fairly confident that it is a good approximation. I would have analyzed all my recipes already if not for several obstacles:
1. my items are handmade so the portions aren't exact
2. the bread doesn't come pre-sliced
3. my analysis software does not contain all my specialty ingredients in its database
4. I am not required by law to have nutritional information b/c I am a "mom & pop" operation, to have real nutrition info I would need to have my food sent off and physically tested

All that said I'm glad to provide some information. On my biscotti I have listed the information for a serving size of 1 large biscotti (or sometimes 2 small) equal to 1/12 the recipe size. And when I get the bread analyzed I will list the numbers for a portion of the bread- your slices may be bigger or smaller than mine. But hopefully my analysis will be helpful.

What's a wheat berry? And what about farro?

My loyal customers would say, "Elizabeth's whole wheat bread with the nutty little grains in it".

Now I like this basic picture provided by our friends at Mypyramid.gov. I may add your tax dollars are paying for this site so might as well make use of it. There is a more detailed illustration at this website: www.mainebread.com for those food nerds like me who want to know more.

So the wheat berry is the fruit of the wheat grass that we use to make bread, cookies, pilafs, ect... And if you use the entire grain without removing the germ and the bran then you have "a whole grain" product.

So my Wheatberry bread is 100% wholegrain just like all of my breads, but it is unique in that it has roasted farro berries added to the dough. Farro is variety of the ancient grain spelt. I have written about spelt in my post Crisp mornings, pumpkins & cranberries . For more information about spelt check out this page from one of my suppliers: www.ansonmills.com/farro.htm. So I should call this bread farro berry, but being most people don't know what farro is I think Wheatberry is ok. My wheatberry is an excellent everyday bread. It rises very well (for a whole grain bread), has a lightly sweetened whole grain flavor. The roasted farro berries are sweet (less bitter than our modern wheat), slightly smoky, and nutty. It is a popular bread and one I always try to have on hand.

Ingredients: Ingredients: organic stone-ground whole wheat flour, water, roasted farro (spelt) berries, buttermilk powder, orange juice, Mississippi honey, molasses, canola oil, butter, egg white, salt, yeast

For all the Health Nuts: Kauai Sunshine Mix

Ok I'll let you in on a secret. I am really a health nut, and the greatest proof of this is my homemade yogurt. Fresh plain yogurt maybe with some fruit or granola on top is one of my favorite snacks. Hmmm backup, granola- full of healthy grains, nuts and maybe some dried fruit.

Well I had been kicking around making granola and I decided to go for it when some customers requested it. I love my bread, but granola goes better with yogurt. The ingredients: lime, coconut, honey, mango, and banana chips remind me of the fresh foods I saw at a Kauai farmers market! The other ingredients make for a wholesome snack. Come and try some and if you want I'll tell you how to make yogurt:)

Ingredients: rolled oat flakes, rolled barley flakes, MS honey, unsulfured banana chips, organic dried unsulfured mango, unhulled sesame seeds, pecans, wheat germ, organic cocoa nibs, flax seed, coconut flakes, canola oil, nonfat dried milk powder, powdered lime, salt

Let me help you out this Thanksgiving!

That's right it's almost Thanksgiving, in fact 2 weeks from today most of us will be quite stuffed by this time:)

There's alot that goes into preparing a big meal like Thankgiving dinner, and I know most of us are busy people. If you don't have time to bake your own rolls this year and want a step up from the grocery store variety (in taste & nutrition) come & see me. I will be at the Belhaven Market selling frozen brown & serve Wheatberry rolls this weekend and next weekend. These rolls are based on my popular Wheatberry bread, with a few additions to make them tastier and more tender for a holiday occasion!

Here are the ingredients: organic stone-ground whole wheat flour, water, roasted spelt berries, buttermilk powder, Mississippi honey, eggs, orange juice, molasses, canola oil, butter, egg white, salt, yeast

Email me if you would like me to reserve a pan for you!

Italian Sun Dried Tomato Bread

This bread isn't brand new, I'm just getting around to writing about it. Isn't that picture gorgeous? Of course I have my dear husband to thank for it.

The bread is really that nice. It is a very moist dough, so it makes a nice springy flat bread. The flavor is great, rich thanks to the olive oil and sun-dried tomatoes but also smooth due to the white whole wheat flour that gives it a nice golden hue.

Ingredients: Organic stone-ground white whole wheat flour, water, sun dried tomatoes, olive oil, nonfat dry milk, salt, yeast

Daniel & I have really enjoyed this bread; it makes a delicious sandwich, a great pizza, and it delicious by itself as a dinner bread.

Come by the market Saturday and try it for yourself.

New Dairy & Egg Free Cake & A Favorite Bread

Some of you are asking why take out the good stuff. And being a baker I know what dairy & eggs contribute to baked goods. However I have some customers with allergies and those that just try to avoid those ingredients for other reasons. Even though I am not baking these products with dairy & eggs I do use them in my kitchen so for someone with a serious allergy don't chance it. So my egg & dairy free products are Vegan Chocolate Mint Cake & Mississippi sourdough.

Vegan Chocolate Mint Baby Cake
Some of you may have heard of a wacky cake, it is a cake some of our grandmothers, mothers, or maybe you baked during the depression when rationing was common. I took a wacky cake recipe switched the white flour for spelt flour, and added a dark chocolate mint glaze.

Ingredients: organic stone-ground whole spelt flour, organic raw cane sugar, water, vinegar, canola oil, cocoa powder, baking soda, powdered vanilla, salt




Mississippi Sourdough
This bread has such of a simple ingredient list, but don't underestimate it! Beneath the crisps crusts of this hearth loaf this bread is full of tangy sourdough flavor. For those watching calories, this whole bread has no sugar or fat but tons of taste.

Ingredients: organic stone-ground whole wheat flour, water, sourdough (organic stone-ground whole rye flour, water, yeast), salt, yeast

MS state fair & Breadcrumbs

So what does the MS state fair have to do with breadcrumbs? Well I'm sure lots of people had fun at the fair last weekend, at any rate they did not come to the Belhaven market. I'm blaming the fair for the small crowds at the market Saturday. So I was blessed with an overflow of delicious homemade whole grain bread and more than my family could eat in a week!

My friend Paul, New Orleans Restaurant veteran & vendor of fabulous stuffed breads, suggested I make breadcrumbs. Well who would buy breadcrumbs from me when they could just go to the grocery store & buy a huge can for $1.50 or whatever the price is? I will tell you why you should come to the Belhaven market & buy my breadcrumbs.

1. They are delicious- the old idea of good ingredients make yummy meals- hearty delicious whole grain bread crumbs lightly seasoned with italian herbs are a great start to oven baked chicken, crab cakes, etc.

2. My breadcrumbs are fresh & superior to that can of breadcrumbs at the grocery store that has been on that shelf for months!

3. They are better for you- you are what you eat, why not get a serving of whole grains from that oven fried chicken?

So come by my stand & see me Saturday and get some breadcrumbs or a loaf of bread! And if you buy some breadcrumbs I'll give you my favorite recipes that use my yummy breadcrumbs.

Crisp mornings, pumpkins & cranberries

I hope that all of you out there have been enjoying the cooler weather we have had lately. I personally love it! My husband and I walk our spoiled rotten westie every morning; amazing how motivating a puppy can be (walk the dog or have him wreak havoc in the house hmm...) So we have all been enjoying the pleasant morning temperatures, especially the very furry puppy!

So the cooler temps have me thinking about autumn meals. What is more autumnish than pumpkins & cranberries? I love pumpkin anyway, ask my husband about how I sneak a can in mac & cheese, chili, etc. It is so mild flavored no one will ever know, and you're adding vegetables!



Ok enough of the sneaky vegetable discussion. I'm adding a new item to my line up. Pumpkin cranberry spelt baby cakes Let me break that down, I started with a pumpkin bread and swapped whole spelt flour for wheat flour and the baby cakes refers to the mini bundt cake pan I bake them in. Now even though I'm calling this a "cake" it is much healthier than the standard cake. There is more pumpkin in this recipe than most other pumpkin breads, as a result the texture is moist & creamy. I cut down the amount of sugar to have a lightly sweetened cake, but not a toothache. The fat is primarily canola oil with a little bit of butter. There are yummy spices to lightly flavor but not overpower the mild taste of the pumpkin. Oh yeah other healthy stuff like cranberries & flax seeds (a great source of omega 3's that doesn't taste fishy!) What about the spelt? Well I have had several customers request spelt yeast breads & I have stayed away because of the difficulty of making a yeast bread with entirely spelt flour- it doesn't rise as well. Whole spelt flour is great in quickbreads (cakes, muffins...), it is more tender than whole wheat & has a milder flavor. Although it has gluten, people with gluten intolerance may be able to handle spelt. This is a good list of facts about spelt, there is plenty of information out there.

My reason for wanting to include spelt in my lineup of goods is to increase the diversity of ingredients I bake with. With any diet it is best to have variety (of good nutritious choices of course). Spelt has advantages over oatmeal and vice versa depending upon the nutrient.

Ingredients: organic stone-ground whole spelt flour, pumpkin, sucanat, organic raw cane sugar, cage free eggs, water, canola oil, flax seed, egg whites, butter, dried buttermilk powder, cake spice, baking soda, salt, powdered vanilla


Most importantly my Pumpkin cranberry spelt baby cakes are yummy! So please come try some, I'll be at the market Sat, October 6th.

You are what you eat...

Yeah that old saying really is true and we seem to hear more about it these days.

But people still like cookies, muffins, biscotti, cinnamon rolls... So my philosophy is eat those things, but healthier versions and in moderation. When I say my cookies are better for you I don't mean substitute one for the piece of fruit you were going to eat! There is room in a healthy diet for treats.

So how do I make "healthier" treats? Pay attention to the ingredients I cook with. Yes using higher quality, healthier ingredients is more expensive, but I don't want to sell baked goods that I wouldn't bake for my own family. So let me break down some of the products I use and give you more information. I think for now I'll touch on sweeteners and leave the other ingredients for later.

Sweeteners:

Honey- I use local organic honey to help support our local farmers and to decrease the amount of pesticides we are ingesting. Here is a link to some nutrition info.

Blackstrap molasses- I love the flavor of this nutritious syrup, so hearty & rich. I use it in my ginger cookies, wheatberry bread, pumpernickel bread. The organic, unsulfured molasses I use has the best flavor of any molasses I have ever tasted. I love the fact this is a great source of calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium among other nutrients.

Sucanat- b/c I can't always use molasses in baking I use this unrefined dried cane juice in place of brown sugar. It is in my cinnamon rolls and ginger cookies. I figure it's better to get some nutrients with your sugar. On the very bottom of this page is some info nutrients found in sucanat.

Organic raw cane sugar- in some recipes (toffee biscotti, chocolate cherry muffins) I don't want the flavor of molasses overpowering more subtle flavors. So instead of using completely refined sugar I use this. Although it is not as nutrient rich as molasses it does have some of the nutrients that refined sugar is void of.

Organic barley malt syrup- has a distinct malted flavor that is nice in my barley apricot bread. This is not the brand I use but here is some good information malt.

Boiled apple cider- it is what it sounds like, a fruit juice that has been reduced to a syrup. It is sweet, but in a mild unassuming way. B/c it is mild & expensive I can't use this for everything. It is a nice subtle sweetener for my malted apple bread & the only sweetener I use in that bread. Certainly it can not be considered a fruit, I know the fiber & nutrients were lost in processing, but it is a less refined sugar for sure.