Phony Egg Claims

I came upon an article today that was distressing. This article about eggs that was pretty good, she didn't quote many actual studies but it was a decent piece. At the bottom she said that:

As for fortified eggs from hens whose feed is enriched with extra omega-3 fatty acids-- a fat that is good for your heart, your brain and your joints -- they may not be all that they're cracked up to be. Lab tests commissioned by the Center for Science in the Public Interest found that some of the eggs, said to have come from hens that had eaten feed rich in omega-3s -- contained less of the beneficial fat than advertised.

This was shocking to me as I have been using (a lot) of these high omega 3 eggs in my baked goods. They do cost more & I have been passing that cost to my customers believing that I was baking a healthier product. So it sounds to me after doing more reading that they need to do some more studies before it can be proved that high omega 3 eggs are better for you.

I have been buying most of my eggs from a local vendor at the market. His chickens are truly cage free (or pastured) & are treated more like pets. So I'm supporting the local economy, getting a great fresh product, and the chickens are very happy. It seems to me that happy free range chickens would produce healthier eggs than conventional chicken "farmers" who stuff the chickens in little cages, feed them hormones & antibiotics to keep them producing.

Here's a great article from Mother Earth News (yes does sound a bit hippy:) On the last page they reference several studies that support the health benefits of pastured eggs over conventional. Here's a few:

• A 1999 study by Barb Gorski at Pennsylvania State University found that eggs from pastured birds had 10 percent less fat, 34 percent less cholesterol, 40 percent more vitamin A, and four times the omega-3s compared to the standard USDA data.
• In 2003, Heather Karsten at Pennsylvania State University compared eggs from two groups of Hy-Line variety hens, with one kept in standard crowded factory farm conditions and the other on mixed grass and legume pasture. The eggs had similar levels of fat and cholesterol, but the pastured eggs had three times more omega-3s, 220 percent more vitamin E and 62 percent more vitamin A than eggs from caged hens.

These studies are enough reason for me to pay a few more dollars per dozen eggs.

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**

Fats can be very confusing

Today I was not supposed to be spending hours researching the best fats to cook with. But my plans to be productive were altered when I was stumped by a recipe. I'm working on a new muffin recipe for the market. I am going to have Double Yum (Bran) Muffins in less than a month. So I'm starting to work up a recipe. This usually begins by me selecting a recipe after searching for a lengthy time period. Then I change it so much it becomes more my recipe than anyone elses. So this recipe is a "6 week bran muffin" (I will not have the batter around for 6 weeks:). Because I do so much baking it will be handy to have a batter that is good for longer than a week.

So my recipe calls for shortening. Normally I would say no way and switch out for canola oil- my choice for heart healthy cooking. But this is a longer sitting batter so maybe some shortening might help the texture of my muffin. I have some Spectrum organics "mechanically pressed organic palm oil" . They call their product " a healthy, trans-fat free alternative to traditional shortening". Is it? As someone that has had some nutrition classes I know saturated fats are healthier than hydrogenated fats found in conventional shortening. I searched a good bit and the best I could find was Dr. Andrew Weil saying that palm oil contains vitamin E and is better than the evil palm kernal oil. And this product has 6g sat fat/ 1Tbsp. So in the quantity that I'm using it in my recipe each muffin will have 0.75g sat fat. That is really not much at all.

If you read my post on butter being not so bad for you then you understand my confusion over the choice of fats. In the nutrition realm it is agreed on that Trans fats are bad bad. I don't use any of those. Saturated fats are out of favor, but in baking they have their place. Butter is great for flavor and texture; too much of it is too many calories... weight gain... lots of health problems in general. And there is some conflicting research out there concerning what fats are the best for you. Chocolate has a high quantity of saturated fats and it is "good for you". There is a good bit of research showing that omega 3 fatty acids are good for our hearts, brains, ect. So I am choosing to use fats that are high in these: such as canola oil and flax seed.

I'm using canola oil for the remainder of the fat in the recipe. I chose that oil because it has a good amount of omega 3 fatty acids. The spectrum website is slightly confusing on this matter. Of course they would like me to buy their walnut oil for my baking (considerately more expensive than my canola) but their is little difference in the omega 3 fatty acid content of walnut and canola oil. I can tell you this because of several hours I spent digging up the facts! The USDA database rules again!

Grillin on a Sunday!

This is food related b/c we were on our way to the reservoir to grill with some friends when Barley (aka Hearth Leaven Loaves's beloved mascot) decided to show out. This picture is especially funny when you compare it to other pictures of Barley. I put one in just for comparison sake of course. This is his puppy expedition pack, a Christmas present from Auntie Becca! Anyway he looks so different with the wind blowing his ears & abundant fur back, and with his eyes all squinty.


So we took Barley to the reservoir to grill with friends. We all had a great time and enjoyed the gorgeous weather. I really hope the good weather follows us into April to kick off the market right! I'm working on new recipes right now. I have most of them listed on my current products page. I don't have posts for most of my new products b/c I'm still trying perfect my recipes. They should be appearing soon.

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

Cake Time!

I know this cake may not look like a big deal to some people but it is the prettiest cake I've ever made! Unfortunately I baked it a bit too long and it was a little dry. But didn't the icing turn out good? This cake was for my mom's birthday a few weeks ago. I baked a chocolate malt cake & frosted it with a malt milk buttercream icing. Oh and the hearts were part of the cake batter I baked in a mini heart pan.

I'm fairly certain I will not bake this for the market. If these kinds of baked goods were around me on a regular basis I would be in trouble. It was a whole grain batter, but not lowfat and not healthy fats either. It was really fun to make the cake. I'm glad both of my parents birthdays fell on market off-time so I could make their cakes from scratch.

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.

Cadillac vs. Newbie

Huh? Let me clarify. I'm doing a comparison test between two types of flour.

In one corner we have my old favorite: King Arthur traditional whole wheat flour. I started using this flour b/c another baker told me this was "the cadillac of flour". I have found that this is true. I get very consistent results with my bread using King Arthur. I have never bought any rancid flour, even buying from the grocery store. I usually order directly from them so my flour is fresh, additionally I have been treated very well by their customer service.

In the other corner we have my new discovery: War Eagle Mill organic whole wheat stone-ground flour. So why change a good thing? Well I have long been interested in stone-ground flour because it is supposed to have better nutritional value & flavor than roller milled flour. There is all kinds of information to be found, I never have found any firm comparison on the matter. The National Heart Foundation does briefly discuss the matter. I have used stone ground flour before, but I never had an affordable source for quality flour. That is until I found War Eagle Mill, now I'm willing to give it a try.

So I'm pitting these flours against each other in a run of sourdough bread. This is the easiest bread to test with, because I typically run 2 separate batches simultaneously.

1. Setting up the starter dough:

KA- looks redder
WEM- more golden hue, slightly bigger bran fragments (very slightly), upon tasting is slightly sweet













2. Preparing the bread dough:

KA- typical results for this bread- flour/water proportions perfect
WEM- this flour was wetter, I had to considerately more flour to bring the dough consistency to where I like it to be. Also I had to knead this dough for longer than the KA to get enough gluten development.


3. Bread dough rising:

KA- seemed to have a better rise as you can see from these profile shots
WEM- still rose, just not as much as KA







4. Baking

KA- browned more, perhaps more tannins in bran of flour (gives red color)
WEM- once baked the two loaves seem to be the same size






5. Slice & Taste

KA- seemed to have a more sour taste?
WEM- looks identical to the KA slice, doesn't appear to be a big difference in cell structure (holes in bread)


So at this point from the wetness of the dough and the sweeter taste the WEM flour seems fresher and that is a good thing. But as far as gluten content the KA flour may have a greater amount, and gluten is vital to the bread rising.





Now I'm really not convinced either way. I like supporting a local mill especially if their flour is fresher. But I don't want to sacrifice the quality of my bread. So more tests to come.

Joy of Cooking!

So when Daniel & I got married I disregarded his cook book collection for the most part. I didn't mean to be a snob, but really what did More Swamp Cooking & Manifold Destiny (cooking on your car engine) have that I might want to cook?


I'm not sure why but one day I opened Daniel's The Joy of Cooking. I had never heard of this cookbook, in my parents home the 70's edition Betty Crocker, The Mississippi Cookbook, and Bells Best were the everyday cookbooks. I fell in love with this cookbook. To this day it is one of my favorites. Why? 1) It has great basic recipes for new cooks- oven fried chicken, mashed potatoes, etc. 2) It has a recipe for almost every food you can think of- lamb ribs, boston baked beans, asparagus soup. 3) There are great write ups on many culinary subjects, for example a heading about different cuts of roast and how they should be cooked differently.

Well I was thinking of buying a copy for a gift. So I go to Amazon and there is controversy in the Joy of Cooking land. Apparently there is dispute about which edition is best. My beloved cookbook is the 1997 edition. Who cares about trifling editions? Well apparently some people really don't like 97' because ice cream, drink recipes, and short-cuts such as condensed soups were left out. Well those changes suit me fine because I buy ice cream and don't like condensed soups. I'd prefer to make my own sauces, for those that like these things there is the all new 2006 75th Anniversary edition. I decided after much research that this may be a better gift for my occasion.

Any comments? please tell me if you have an opinion on this.

Connection between the environment & baking bread

This post might not make much sense to you if you don't know what Orthodox Christianity is. There is a lot of information out there about Orthodox Christianity. Here's a starting point: Antiochian, http://www.antiochian.org/about.

There is a great Orthodox writer by the name of Clark Carlton who also has a podcast available from Ancient Faith Radio. He had a segment about the climate changes the earth is undergoing and how our Orthodox faith shapes our view of the earth: Clark Carlton, http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/carlton.

He made some good points. One thing he talked about was how many people live disconnected from nature due to living in a concrete jungle and our busy lifestyles. He recommends planting a vegetable garden and baking prosphora bread to mend this disconnect. Prosphora bread is our communion bread and this recommendation is limited to Orthodox Christians. But he has a great point, those who don't grow their own food and especially those who don't cook are missing out of the full experience of God's gifts to us. This quote was one of my first posts :"All the food of this world is divine love made edible" Metropolitan Anthony Bloom. Mr. Carlton says that just getting all your food from a fast food drive through turns it into a commodity rather than a gift to be thankful for.

This is one thing Daniel and I love about the market, the chance to meet the people who have produced the food we buy. And the opportunity to socialize with our community and celebrate the bounty of our Earth. The market opens the 1st Saturday in April, come & see us.

Local Mill

How many times have you said I wish there was a local mill close to me? OK so everyone has a different dream.

For those interested there is a "working water powered grist mill" in Rogers, Arkansas by the name of War Eagle Mill, https://wareaglemill.com/. I would love to get away one weekend and visit this place, hint hint Daniel. It even has an attached restaurant called The Bean Palace. Bags of stone ground flour and hot bean soup what more could you want?
So this mill grinds their own stone ground flours that they sell at the mill or online. The flours that I have tried have been fresh and I've had good results baking with them. This place even bags their flour in cloth sacks! How cool is that? They're sturdy and colorful. You can reuse them maybe for giftwrap. Additionally their shipping costs are affordable. So if you're looking for a local, affordable source for stone ground flours try War Eagle Mill.

Use what you're paying for!

Yeah Uncle Sam is a little intense I know. I want to let my friends know about the wonderful tool we have available from the government. This is the USDA database at: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/.

This is a great tool that I use all the time. You can put in a food (ex. oatmeal) and choose from the list given. Then you select the portion and you get a very complete list of what's in the food (vitamin, fat, fiber...). No every food you can buy isn't listed but many foods are. I use this to help me decide what ingredients I want to use (ex. is there a big difference between stone rolled organic oats and old fashioned steel rolled oats).

And you can use it to search for foods rich in a certain nutrient (iron, calcium...). Did you know that clams are the food most nutrient dense in iron? This is a great resource, most nutrition analysis programs use this database. Your tax dollars pay for it might as well use it!

Daily soapbox: Meat Thermometer

OK so when I check my daily nutrition news this is what I see: food poisoning, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/22/AR2008012200349_2.html. This article is pretty scary, it is about long term affects of food poisoning. Arthritis, kidney failure, and paralysis are very serious.

I knew about many of them b/c of my lab background. After seeing the picture from the clinical laboratory and then food prep side I know that food poisoning is nothing to play with. Most chicken in the grocery store has Campylobacter that is a fact. I don't remember the percentage of Salmonella contamination but it is "normal flora" in chickens. After processing sometimes some nasty Salmonella will be shrink wrapped with the chicken you take home from the store. And we all hear about the ground beef recalls due to E.coli.


Believe me I'm not saying to avoid buying meat. The easiest way to check if something is done is to get a reliable meat thermometer and cook your meat to the recommended temperatures. Once I got ours I wished I had bought one a long time ago. If you don't get a thermometer you will either undercook your meat and risk possible infection or overcook it and eat dry meat like we used to do. And little holes from the probe of the thermometer are far preferable to slashing the meat to see if it's done (also like we did pre-thermometer days). We use the CDN DTQ450 ProAccurate Quick Tip Thermometer, it is digital- 10 seconds to give a temp & is accurate. It runs about $20. If you want to spend more there is the $95 thermapen, it gives a 3 second readout and is also accurate (I reserve this one for my bread, but it would work for meat). I know you're thinking I don't want to fool with that, but it really is easier and will give you piece of mind about serving that hamburger or chicken.

Here's a link to a government site about recommended cooking temps: meat http://www.fsis.usda.gov/is_it_done_yet/. Use your common sense: wash hands after handling meat, use separate cutting boards for meat, and wash contaminated surfaces with hot soapy water.

Coffee & Miscarriages

I know my female friends out there probably already know what I'm talking about. Certainly we have all heard that when you're pregnant you should avoid caffeine or at least limit it. Why is this? Well when I was in nutrition school they told us that high caffeine consumption is linked to increased miscarriage risk. The recommendation given is to limit caffeine to 2 cups of coffee or less per day. And I kinda thought, big deal everyone should be able to cut their caffeine that much.

Well today I read that there is a study that correlates moderate caffeine consumption with miscarriages. Here the article: caffeine http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22718279/. Like every other study, this one study is not confirmative and they need to do more research. But it does cast some doubt to the old ≤ 2 cup rule. Moms to be that I know will do anything for their baby, so I imagine with a possibility of danger most would cut caffeine all together. I probably would too.

Snow Barley

OK so Saturday morning we had a little bit of snow. The fact that it wasn't cold enough for it to stick and it turned into slush didn't stop us from introducing our puppy to the snow. Our friends and family know what a scaredy doggy Barley is so I wasn't sure what he would do. He liked it so much he ate it, not surprising to anyone that has a dog I'm sure. Eating foreign matter (deadly or not) seems instinctive to dogs:)

Chocolate good for you?

Some scientist somewhere is always trying to spoil our fun. According to an article I read today chocolate consumption may have a negative affect on bone strength. Chocolate is a link to the article: http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=82549-osteoporosis-flavonols.

My personal take on this is:
- they need to do more studies
- eat a balanced diet with plenty of sources of calcium (especially dairy)
- don't eat too much chocolate (duh- not a balanced diet)

As for me, I eat plenty of calcium rich food and enjoy my chocolate. Those who know me well could tell you how unlikely it is that I will give up my chocolate!

Chocolate good for you?

Some scientist somewhere is always trying to spoil our fun. According to an article I read today chocolate consumption may have a negative affect on bone strength. Chocolate is a link to the article: http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=82549-osteoporosis-flavonols.

My personal take on this is:
- they need to do more studies
- eat a balanced diet with plenty of sources of calcium (especially dairy)
- don't eat too much chocolate (duh- not a balanced diet)

I eat plenty of calcium rich food and enjoy my chocolate. Those who know me well could tell you how unlikely it is that I will give up my chocolate!

Carrot allergies....

So when my husband tells me he's "allergic" to vegetables maybe he is telling the truth. According to this article anyway: allergies http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/2007/12/11/a-pesky-allergy-to-fruit-and-vegetables.html

I have never heard of this allergy. Apparently fruit & vegetable proteins mimic the pollen proteins (ragweed, birch...) that people are allergic to & cause them to have a mild but uncomfortable reaction like hives. Although the article mentions that if too much of the offending fruit or vegetable is eaten at once a serious reaction can occur. The article also gives some great tips for being able to eat the vegetable or fruit: peeling them or microwaving them for a short amount of time.

Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, lettuce) berries, and tropical fruits usually don't cause this problem. So allergies to cauliflower or cabbage are convenient, but not likely. Since Daniel doesn't have pollen allergies I'm not sure he can use this excuse.

Playing With Yer Food

http://bentobjects.blogspot.com/

Some are food related, some are not. All are clever.

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

Is butter really bad for you?

So I check some food blogs daily and I am just blown away with how proficient the authors are at updating their sites! I do good to put one entry per week. One of my New Year's resolutions was to be better at blogging.

So I often check the nutrition news, and if I run across something interesting I think I may post it here:)

BUTTER http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22116724/



So this article is one of the best I've run across in awhile. It makes many good points. I'm not shocked b/c in "nutrition school" we were taught to look at research and be ready to change the advice we give people. Our knowledge of the world around us is not static. Personally being a Christian I have had a hard time believing that butter, cheese, and meat are to be totally avoided. We say that God's creation is good, so why would he give us food that is "bad". Now I'm not saying to eat only saturated fat laden foods, but they can fit into a well balanced diet between fruit, veggies, and of course WHOLE GRAINS! If you want to comment after reading it go ahead!

Christmas Gifts

I hope all of my friends and customers have had a wonderful holiday season. The holidays are a fun and busy time. I always feel like I'm in a whirlwind.

I like many people ate too many rich foods, but I guess that's kind of what happens this time of year. Now it's time to get back on the track of healthy eating. I have been inspired to return to my friends fruits and especially neglected vegetables by my new cookbook Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld.



I have in the past been skeptical about "sneaky pea" cookbooks. That is hiding vegetables in cakes to get people to eat them. I mean there is something to be said about eating a food in it's natural form, texture intact. And vegetables cooked correctly are really delicious. BUT, after almost 2 years of marriage I can really understand the value of this cookbook. I love vegetables and fruits, but my dear husband does not. No he doesn't hate them, but it is rare that he eats his daily recommended servings of veggies and fruits. So I would recommend this book highly for those of you out there that like to cook.

Pros of this book:
1. The recipes look delicious (we have tried the zucchini & shiitake burgers- our friends liked them too)
2. Vegetables go down better for non-vegetable lovers as part of mac n' cheese, muffins, ect.
3. The purees Jessica recommends can be frozen- great for times that you don't have fresh produce in the fridge

Cons of this book:
1. The purees will take some time to prepare & some planning to have vegetable on hand

Winter Break

Well I know I'm a bit early for this post, but I wanted to catch any new customers that may receive a Christmas gift from Hearth Leaven Loaves. The last Belhaven Market of 2007 is Dec 22nd. The market will reopen in April. I know some of the vendors will be glad to have a little break. I will too, in fact I already have some home projects lined up for my "off time". And I have many things I could do for HLL (spruce the website up, work on a new display....) Oh and my very devoted husband would love to have some time away on Saturday for a change!

If anyone wants to order from me you can email me from this website, there is a link on the left side of the page. I will be glad to bake bread, cookies, cakes, biscotti, etc. for you while the Market is off.

We have 2 markets left so come and see me.

The Holidays are Here!!!!

Ok, so where is the gingerbread mans foot? Everyone knows that food pictures are supposed to be perfect- you've heard the lengths the industry goes to (glue for milk to look thick...) Well I am a baker not a professional photographer, and my dear husband just doesn't always have time to help me.

Well this time of year like everyone else I've been shopping, wrapping presents, getting our Christmas card together. And I have been very busy baking. I didn't take the time to take a pic of my cute gingerbread men & St. Nicholas's until after the market was over and my poor leftover guys had been ridden around in the truck, and exposed to 80˚ Mississippi December weather. So his foot fell off and who could blame him.

I promise if you come to see me at the market I will sell you an intact gingerbread man or St. Nicholas. And I'll try to get some pictures of St. Nicholas up too! They are very cute, for more information about fun St. Nicholas activities I found this website: www.thestnicholascenter.org.

My yummy & cute gingerbread men are made from whole wheat & whole oat flour, without refined sweeteners except for the icing. They are as healthy as I could get gingerbread men and are kid tested & approved (adults like them too!).

Ingredients: dough (whole wheat flour, cage free organic eggs, succanat, organic blackstrap molasses, organic raw cane sugar, butter, whole oat flour, canola oil, fresh ginger, lemon & orange zest, spices, salt, baking soda, cream of tartar), icing (powdered sugar, pasteurized egg whites, organic vegetable dyes), dark chocolate decorative pearls

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.

Kick off your fall with my Toffee Biscotti!

Ok, Daniel & I have missed quite a few market days lately. We've been out of town visiting family. And to tell you the truth the heat did make it a little harder to spend an entire Saturday morning outside. But last Saturday was beautiful, truly a blessing. We had a good many visitors to our booth and at the market in general. Thanks to all my loyal customers once again, without you buying my bread I wouldn't need to bake it!

So autumn begins next Sunday, I think a great way to celebrate that would be to come & check out the Belhaven market (a day early of course). And a delicious way to enjoy your time there would be to try some of my new Toffee Biscotti! Crispy, buttery biscotti with chunks of toffee are especially delicious dipped in coffee or milk. Did I mention they have 3/4 the butter of regular biscotti & are 100% whole grain?

Ingredients: organic stone-ground white whole wheat flour, organic cane sugar, canola oil, butter, cage free eggs, organic stone-ground whole barley flour, toffee bits, baking powder, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt

Nutrient analysis: 1 biscotti: 205 kCal, 30g carb ( 14g sugar, 2g fiber), 8g fat (3g sat, 3g monounsat, 1g polyunsat), 5g protein

I will be adding some more delicious breads to my line-up for the up coming holiday season. So come check the Hearth Leaven Loaves booth out!

Barley Apricot Bread & Barley Root

Barley is my favorite of all the grains, of course I love wheat b/c it's what we make bread with. But Barley is mild, nutty, chewy, and a bit sweet. Apparently I love it so much I named my new puppy after it. We now have a 10 wk old Westie named Barley Root.

Barley Apricot
This whole wheat bread is enhanced by rolled barley flakes, which gives this bread a milder taste and moist crumb. Diced apricots found throughout this loaf provide sweet & tart bursts of flavor. Great for breakfast, a turkey sandwich, or an anytime snack!

Ingredients: organic stone-ground whole wheat flour, water, chopped apricots, malted barley syrup, rolled barley flakes , dry milk powder, orange juice, Mississippi honey, canola oil, butter, egg whites, salt, yeast

Hopefully I'll have a picture of my bread up soon. I'll need to consult with my photographer/ husband...

Out Again!

Hi to all my wonderful loyal customers. I hope everyone is surviving the heat. I wasn't sure I would last week at the market!

Right now I'm in a library in Smithtown NY. So obviously I'm not baking bread to sale. I will be out this weekend for a family event on Long Island. This is my first trip to NY & it's not bad. I haven't found a good bakery to go to yet, so I'm still looking. I miss good old Mississippi, but certainly not the heat. It's pretty pleasant here today.

Don't worry I'll be back next week.I'm enjoying my little trip, but can't wait to get back into my kitchen. See you next weekend (Aug 18th)!

Hello From Branson, MO

Truth be told, we're actually in Hollister spending a few days fishing and having fun with the family. But we're miles away from Belhaven Market, so we won't be there this Saturday. Look forward to seeing everybody next week!

-Elizabeth and Daniel

The Best Cookies Ever

Ok with a title like that I should have a cookie to back up my claim. Well I do: ginger chewies. I will have to admit I'm really a chocoholic; but these cookies are really really good to be missing chocolate! And everyone that tries them likes them. What makes them so great? The best ingredients. I use the best blackstrap molasses I've ever tasted (full flavored without the bitterness that usually mars the flavor of dark molasses). Also fresh ginger, lemon & orange zest gives these cookies a great taste that is best described as fresh & zingy.

I know someone is out there thinking what could be healthy about cookies (and healthy baking is my mantra:). Well I mentioned that there is blackstrap molasses in these cookies, I also use dried cane juice (sucanat) as a sweetener. These sweeteners are unrefined and contain significant amounts of vitamins & minerals. In addition to the more nutritious sweeteners these cookies are 100% whole grain, and low in fat. So try a ginger chewie at the Hearth Leaven Loaves stand, at Belhaven Market. But you better get there early, because they go quick!

Ingredients: organic stone-ground spelt flour, organic stone-ground white whole wheat flour, dried cane syrup, organic cane sugar, organic blackstrap molasses, cage free organic egg, canola oil, butter, orange zest, lemon zest, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, fresh ginger, cloves, salt

Market 7-7-07

Hi to all my faithful customers,

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July planned, and enjoys celebrating the freedoms we have in this country with friends and family. Due to a death in my family I will not be baking much this week. My Aunt Phyllis after a long battle with cancer fell asleep in the Lord last week. So I will not be at the market on Saturday. But I will return next week. I will miss seeing everyone and look forward to seeing you all next week. Enjoy the 4th!

Yummy Asiago ...

Ok so what in the world is this picture? Well it's a vat in a cheese factory where the curds are separated from the whey. Pretty cool right. If you ever get a chance to go to a dairy factory (especially where they make cheese) it's pretty cool. My grandparents took me when I was about 9 and it is a very distinct memory. I remember seeing a vat like this.

So thinking about my newest bread: Asiago Herb, made me think about cheese and the factory. My new bread is whole wheat, light textured, and flavorful with savory fresh herbs and delicious Asiago cheese throughout. But don’t take my word for it- try it for yourself!

Ingredients: organic stone-ground whole wheat flour, water, yogurt, orange juice, shredded asiago cheese, canola oil, honey, fresh chopped thyme, oregano, basil, and rosemary, salt, yeast

Mediterranean Cafe

Our favorite restaurant by far is Mediterranean Cafe, located on Old Canton just on the Ridgeland side of County Line. (And by favorite, we mean they catered our rehearsal dinner, and we hardly ever go anywhere else.) This is one of those local spots that beats any chain restaurant hands down. The owner, Elias, greets his customers by name and cares about providing healthy, quality food. Be sure to chat with him when you go.

We haven't had a bad meal there, but the Kibbi and the Red Snapper are our favorites. Kibbi is a Lebanese meat dish- made fresh by Elias's wife, Joanna. The Red Snapper is perfectly flakey, sauted and topped with tahini, olive oil, and other spices that you will come to crave. The hummus is very good, and a simple veggie plate is a full meal even for carnivores like me. I never liked dolmas (grape leaves) until I tried them here. The walls are lined with tons of hard-to-find ethnic foodstuffs like spices, nuts, dates, and canned goods. Round things off with a glass of wine (Wente Shiraz is my favorite there), or a slice of Joanna's tiramisu.

There's a crop of new Mediterranean-styled restaurants like this in the Jackson area- Alladin's and Jerusalem Cafe are also good, and all beat Keifer's southern-fried-Greek food. But Mediterranean Cafe has got to be the best. So, check them out, and tell them Daniel and Elizabeth sent you!

Luau!

Ok so this post relates to food b/c Hawaii is what inspired Daniel and I to get involved in Belhaven market.

So when we went to a luau (roasted pork-yum!) in Hawaii they had a band and the music was really fun and mellow. I have thrown a luau party for Daniel's birthday since we've been married (so last week we had our second luau birthday)! Well I wanted to find some theme music and this is what I came up with. Na Palapalai is the name of the group. For those of ya'll blessed enough to go to Hawaii, this should take you back. And for those of you who haven't been, you can still enjoy this CD, really mellow and fun.So in Hawaii Daniel and I really enjoyed going to the local Kauai Farmer's Market and buying local foods (fern, sweet potato shoots, mango, avocado- to name a few) to cook. We can do that here at the Belhaven Market and so can you. I hope to see you there.

Our First Belhaven Market

Here are some pictures from our first Belhaven Market! It was a great success- we sold out and had a great time. Tim Avalon's bluegrass band provided fun background music, and friends and family stopped by to say hello. Special thanks to the Passion Fish Potter, Kjon's, Deva's Harvest, and everybody else for helping us newbies figure things out!

Lineup for June

Ok, Ok. I know I've done a poor job of updating this blog. It's a good thing I have Daniel's help! Maybe now things have settled down I will be better at updating theFoodRoots. We'll see...

For June we will have these breads at the Belhaven Market (Sat AM @ McDade's on Fortification):
Hearth Loaves- Barley Apricot, Fig & Rosemary, Honey Oat, Wheatberry, Pumpernickel Currant, Malted Apple
Rolls- Wheatberry Sandwich
Baguettes- Mississippi Sourdough
Kids stuff- Peanut Butter & Jelly Turtles

So come & check us out!

Pumpernickel Currant Rye

My Personal Favorite! Just look at the ingredient list and you'll see why: cocoa powder and blackstrap molasses in addition to other ingredients give this bread a great flavor. This bread isn't too sweet for a sandwich though. A customer suggested I add raisins, great tip! I did and really liked them, currants seem to work well because of their small size.

Ingredients: organic stone-ground whole wheat flour, organic stone-ground whole rye flour, water, currants, cocoa powder, blackstrap molasses, apple cider vinegar, canola oil, salt, yeast, caraway seeds

Coming to Belhaven Market

PB & J Turtles for kids and kids at heart- coming this Saturday to the Belhaven Market!

These tasty snacks are made from a buttermilk white whole wheat dough. They have a fluffly texture and great mild taste in addition to being filled with natural peanut butter and organic jelly! As with all our breads, these are 100% whole grain- but your kids don't have to know that!


Ingredients: white whole wheat flour, water, (filling: natural peanut butter, organic jam), honey, dry buttermilk powder, oil, butter, egg whites, salt, yeast

Fresh Mississippi Sourdough

Here's one of the fresh whole-grain breads we'll be selling at Belhaven Market starting next Saturday! Beneath the crust of this rustic loaf this bread is full of clean, tangy sourdough flavor.

This is Daniel's favorite bread so it will definitely stay in the line up.



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

Half of the Food Roots enjoying some hawaiian chow March 06

Test Post

Testing out pictures and more...

Quick Tip!

When making muffins it's best not to grease the sides of the tin, grease only the bottom. This is so the batter can climb up the sides during baking. Don't fret: the muffins will come out when done, the cooked muffins will draw back from the sides of the tin (or pan) :)

Ok. I'm still waiting on my beloved husband to hook up some pictures. I'll just put a little tip I've picked up in my class. 

Did you know that older cheeses have stronger flavors? That's pretty common sense right. I mean the longer the cheese sits around molding the stinkier it gets :) Well what I didn't know is that older cheeses melt better. Really that's what they taught me in my food preparations or "cooking" class. Just passing on a tip.  

Experimental Foods

Hi there to all my many fans who I'm sure have been missing me. I'm sorry I haven't posted much. Really the hold up has been getting pictures hooked up to my site. Who wants to talk about food without seeing pictures? My wonderful husband is working on fixing it though. He's pretty busy though.

As for our experimental food, I'm in school so we've left the field of gourmet food to cheap food. No really we are on a student budget, but are managing to eat tasty and healthy foods. We're really missing our stone ground grits though.

I'm working on a recipe modification for my experimental food class. I modified this recipe for a patient with diverticulosis or another disorder requiring high dietary fiber, but in actuality all Americans are at risk for intestinal problems if they're not meeting daily fiber requirements. And most Americans aren't. So enjoy: yummy, healthy, pretty cheap and a meal I would feed my family!

Modified Lentil Sloppy Joes

Ingredient List

1-1/2 cups dried brown lentils
2-1/4 water
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup catsup
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
6 hamburger buns

Instructions

1. To cook the lentils bring the 2-1/4 cups of water to a boil.
2. Add the lentils, allow the water to return to boiling.
3. Reduce the heat, partially cover and simmer for 25- 30 minutes.
4. Test the lentils for doneness, they should still hold their shape, if cooked too long- they'll be mushy.
5. Add the rest of the ingredients, stirring well.
6. Turn down to low/med heat, simmer mixture for 30 minutes covered.
7. Serve on hamburger buns.

Beautiful Blue Mixer

So my breadmaking adventures continue. My beloved mother bought me a professional 600 Kitchen Aid mixer for my birthday, which I really really wanted (primarily to make bread). Well at first I was kinda upset (a little) b/c they are really expensive $300 +. But after she told me she got it on sale at Williams Sonoma half off b/c of the color. And it's really not a bad color, it's b/w pastel blue and seafoam- a nice shade really. Maybe I'll post a picture of it whenever my husband helps me figure out how to post pictures- technical difficulties.

I am really really thankful to own a lovely piece of kitchen equipment that performs so well. Really you should hear to motor- it really sounds like it has some power. I finally got around to making bread in it last friday, kneading the bread in there was so quick. I have actually kneaded bread by hand (MESSY!), but this was a nice medium b/w hand kneading and a bread machine. The bread machine is a closed system allowing little input from the use. The mixer on the other hand requires some thought to knead bread. It is up to the baker to decide if the dough has a good consistency- too wet or too dry. And the baker must decide when the dough has been kneaded adequately and it's pretty quick in a mixer so I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to overknead some bread (adversely affecting it's ability to rise).

My first attempt at bread baking using my pretty blue mixer went well, I can't take too much credit. I followed a recipe and the bread turned out pretty and tasty. If anyone has tips on whole grain baking (100% ) I'd love to hear them.

The death of my breadman

So article title catch your attention? Well it is just like it sounds: I killed my breadman, breadman breadmachine that is. I became interested in making my own whole grain breads about a years ago. My dear husband (fiance at the time) gave me the bread machine, I selected after much research, for a Christmas gift last year.

I tried for half a year to make bread in that bread machine. There were a few loafs that came out, most were hard as a brick. Now many home bakers out there probably have good results with their breadmachine. But the trick is making whole grain bread in the bread machine. It just doesn't work most of the time, and the loaves don't turn out as well if you make them by hand.

What am I suggesting you do all that messy kneading by hand, not really. I just received a kitchen aid mixer as a birthday gift after reading rave reviews (and hearing some in person) about it's ability to quickly knead yeast dough. I haven't used it much yet, but I'm very optimistic about the results.

I will say I have made rolls and several loaves of bread outside of my bread machine. I did all the kneading by hand and it was messy but my kitchen survived. The resulting bread (100% whole grain) was light and very tasty. Even the best whole grain bread is not white bread, it is not white and super spongy. It tends to be denser, heartier, and more flavorful.

I have some thoughts on why whole grain breads work out better not baked in a bread machine:
1. Whole grain breads are far denser, the dough is heavier- most motors in breadmakers can not handle this load of work

2. Whole grain breads need to be kneading for longer periods of time, I found my breadmachine was not kneading the dough a sufficient amount of time. I have read a suggestion to run the knead cycle twice, but I couldn't tinker with the cycle of my breadmachine. When I did run it twice it ended up overheating, leading to its demise

3. Whole grain breads needs a longer rise period, the dough should double in size this is not always a exact time. It really takes a person there to monitor when the dough is ready to go to the next stage.

Now I'm not knocking the breadmachine without reason, I love the idea of load it up, walk away, and have beautiful bread 4 hours later. But the reality is whole grain bread baking is best done away from the bread machine. These have been my experiences, too bad I had to learn the hard way. Many brick hard loaves of bread later I've learned good whole grain bread is worth the effort and time it takes to make it by hand. Try it for yourself and tell me if you agree or don't :)