Best Whole Wheat Bread EVER

Note: This is another transfer over from my family blog... original post here. Circa May 2012.

I made a batch of white bread late last night, and decided that I would try a recipe for wheat bread this morning. The recipe called for DOUGH ENHANCER, and for some reason I thought I had seen it before at the grocery store... so after getting the girls off to their FINAL DAY OF SEMINARY FOR THE YEAR, I headed to Safeway... then Walmart... then King Soopers (yes, 6am). No dough enhancer. I determined to make the bread anyway. I found the recipe here a long time ago, but had never taken the opportunity to make it, most likely due to my aversion to whole wheat bread ingrained in childhood from sack lunches with sandwiches made from small, dense, dark loaves. If they were tuna sandwiches, it was even worse. My mom was determined to feed her family healthily. She would grind wheat and bake bread weekly, I'd guess. I can vaguely remember conversation about how that "store-bought" Wonder-type sandwich bread was nothing but air. No nutritious value. "Wheat for man," she'd say. I certainly see her efforts were valiant and worthy, but at the time it just felt like torture.

But thanks to such an upbringing, I have a desire to feed my family healthier, too. I BUY wheat bread, I just don't eat it (unless I have to). And I'll admit to a twinge of guilt every time I put that white bread in my shopping cart.

Back to today. I was going to make wheat bread (from wheat I ground myself last night, even), and I was going to see if Shawni's recipe really WAS "the best home-made bread." Dough enhancer or not. I could always blame a less-than-successful attempt on that anyway.

One of my loaves turned out looking a little "funny" - certainly not Bake Sale worthy (which is why I was making a lot o' homemade bread in the first place) - so I decided to cut it open and give'r a try.

Oh. My. Stars.
Light, fluffy, de-lish. I wouldn't have believed it was 100% whole wheat had I not ground the wheat myself.


BEST WHOLE WHEAT BREAD EVER

Put into a small bowl* and let sit while you mix the rest of the ingredients:
2 Tbs. yeast
1/2 cup warm water (tap hot)
1 Tbs. sugar

(*Use something bigger than a 1-cup measure - mine foamed over the top, so my bread was most likely lacking a bit of leavening)

In mixer, combine:
5 cups warm water (tap hot again)
7 cups ground whole wheat flour

Mix.

Add:
2 Tbs. salt (you could reduce amount if you are watching your salt)
2/3 cup oil
2/3 cup honey (if you put the oil in the measuring cup first, then add the honey, it will come out all slick into the mixing bowl)
2 Tbs. vital wheat gluten
2 Tbs. dough enhancer (didn't have it, didn't use it... the bread still turned out awesome.)

Mix all together.

Add one more cup of wheat flour.

Add yeast mixture, and mix again.

Gradually add 3 to 5 more cups wheat flour until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl (I used about 4-1/3 cups).

Knead for 10 minutes - either by hand or in the Bosch
(I think I've mentioned how much I love the $5 Bosch my mom found at her local DI years back and gifted to me. It isn't pretty -less so now that I've used for years - but it gets the job done. LOVE IT.)

Shape into 4 loaves of bread (I spray non-stick spray on my hands so it's not so sticky)

Put in well oiled bread pans. Let rise for 35 to 40 minutes or until almost doubled.

Bake at 350 degrees for 28 minutes.

Another thing I learned: Apparently bread rises faster/higher in glass baking pans. I didn't know. Now I do, and plan to purchase a few more glass pans in the future. When I have some extra dough. Haha.

Bake Sale bread (wheat AND white)... ready to go.

ENJOY!!

Blueberry Protein Shake

I love this protein smoothie/shake (recipe courtesy of a good friend of mine). I made it for my daughter, Britt, while she was here visiting a while back and she said, "It must have to grow on you... it still has that protein aftertaste." Another daughter, Lolo, said, "I don't like feeling like I have to chew it." Just warning you if you have a strong aversion to a "protein aftertaste" or chewy smoothies!!

I, on the other hand, immediately liked it. It tastes like a blueberry graham cracker milk shake - but so much healthier for you!

Give it a try. Then give it another. It just might grow on you, or you just might think it's delish right off the bat.

Blueberry Protein Shake
Makes 2 servings.

2 scoops protein powder
1/2 cup fiber cereal (the kind with NO SUGAR)
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup water
1 cup ice cubes

Combine all ingredients and blend together to desired shake consistency. Yes, I use my trusty $20 Oster blender and it works just dandy. A Blendtec, Vitamix, Magic Bullet, Ninja or any other fancy blender would work, too {wink}.

Approx. 185 calories, 3 grams of fat, 24 grams of protein, and a lot o' fiber (8.8 grams). 
Good for you, I tell ya.

Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix

I cannot tell a lie. This is not my original recipe (original found here), but I'm tired of going to Pinterest, scrolling through my saved recipes to find this one, then following the link for the dressing. So I'm posting it, giving full credit to it's originator.

I love this mix. It's easy to make with ingredients on hand, and stores well. I use it in place of any recipe calling for Ranch dressing mix. I think it's far more flavorful than the old stand-bys (which will remain nameless), and a lot less expensive!

 Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix

2 Tbs. black pepper
2 Tbs. dry minced garlic (I use garlic powder or granulated garlic)
2 Tbs. dry minced onion
2 Tbs. garlic salt
2 Tbs. onion salt (I use onion powder - you may need to adjust salt to taste)
6 Tbs. dried parsley flakes

Mix ingredients together in a pint (or even half-pint) mason jar or ziplock baggie. Makes enough for up to 12 batches of dressing.

Ranch Dressing

1 to 2 Tbs. dry Ranch Dressing Mix
1 cup mayonnaise (regular, not light - definitely NO Miracle Whip)
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
3/4 cup buttermilk

Whisk together and serve with salad of your choice. This keeps for a couple weeks in the refrigerator. If you need less dressing and don't like to store it (I need less these days with only one baby bear left at home), cut the recipe in half.

Note: you can use all buttermilk instead of adding the sour cream, but the dressing will be runnier.

My Favorite Caesar Dressing + Crouton Bonus

I've been making my own salad dressing for a while now. Occasionally I will buy a bottle or two - for ease - but I usually end up throwing them out long after their expiration date. It's just as easy, and so much yummier, to whip up a little batch of dressing each time you make a salad.

This salad, in particular, is super simple, fast, and requires few ingredients. Perfect.

Even though I'm usually not great at photo-documenting my recipes, for whatever reason (back in Dec. 2014) I took a lot o' pics of this one. Probably because I really, really like this dressing.


Quick and Easy Caesar Dressing

 1/4 cup mayo

 Juice of 1 lemon

 (Always a good idea to strain those pesky seeds out)

 1 garlic clove

Peeled, crushed, and chopped fine (or you can put in through a garlic press. I went about 2 years without one, so had to crush and chop. Good news: I now have a garlic press once again).

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese.  (Yes, Kraft Parmesan. I've used freshly grated also, but if you're looking for easy, Kraft comes in supa handy AND still tastes delish.)

Mix it all together and add some freshly ground black pepper. I like quite a bit, but you can adjust to your personal preference.

Note: If you are a stickler for a more authentic Caesar, you can add 2 anchovy fillets, roughly chopped, or a squeeze of anchovy paste.

Chop up your romaine,

then add the dressing to the lettuce and toss.

You can add more black pepper, if desired.

For whatever reason, while I was carefully documenting this recipe, I neglected to snap a pic of the finished salad with croutons tossed in. You can visualize it, right?...


Consolidated recipe:
Quick and Easy Caesar Dressing

1/4 cup mayonnaise
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, finely chopped (or pressed)
2 anchovy fillets, roughly chopped (optional - and use the blender method of mixing)

Whisk ingredients together and pour over salad. For a smooth dressing, mix ingredients in a blender.



I love homemade croutons, too. If you're looking for supa {crazy} easy, just use the kind you get at Costco. Homemade, however, are way more amazing, easy to customize, and really simple.


Homemade Croutons

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut into cubes: French bread, French baguette, Italian bread, Sourdough bread, or plain ol' white bread (day-old preferred, but not necessary).

Drizzle with olive oil (or canola oil... or melted butter...), and toss.

Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper, toss again.

Other customizable additions: red pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese, dried herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary), garlic powder.

Spread cubes evenly on a sheet pan and bake for about 15 minutes. Toss once or twice during baking.

These croutons are good enough to snack on, and perfect for a Caesar salad.

Mixed Berry Muffins {YUM}

I made a batch of these today. They are some of my favorite muffins. Sometimes I try to make them "healthier" by adding a little whole wheat flour, or reducing the oil and sugar, but today I just made the regular ol' recipe. I figure they aren't too bad anyway, with all those berries - and the fiber from those berries - right? Most times (okay, every time) I use frozen berries - if I'm spending my moo-lah on fresh berries, I usually don't bake them! This particular mix is blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries.

Tina's Favorite Mixed Berry Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use canola or light olive oil)
2 large eggs
1-1/3 cup fresh (or frozen) berries, such as blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, huckleberries, or sliced strawberries - or a combination

Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. I use dark pans, so I bake at 375.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt to combine. In another med. bowl whisk the milk, oil and eggs. Pour into dry mixture and stir with a spoon just until blended. Fold in berries. Spoon equal amounts of the batter into paper-lined muffin cups, filling them about 3/4 full (this batch size usually makes about 15 muffins unless I overfill a bit, then it makes 12).

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. (Because I use frozen berries, I bake closer to the 20 minute time-frame). Cool in pan for 5 minutes (or not - because I use paper liners, I usually take them out right away). Remove from pan and serve warm, or cool on a wire rack.

Side note: These are my very favorite paper liners. Absolutely all-time favorite. I get them at Target, and stock up frequently because I'm afraid they'll suddenly stop carrying them. Get some.

Brown Sugar Caramel Sauce

We really don't eat that much ice cream around here, although it used to be quite a different story when everyone was home. And during my pregnancy years. When I was pregnant with #3, I ate a quarter gallon of ice cream almost every day during that summer.

When we DO eat ice cream, I like to embellish it a bit. And caramel is my #1 ice cream topping of choice (Leatherby's Grandma Grace's Creamery Sundae with caramel sauce frequents my dreams). This recipe comes pretty darn close to Leatherbys', and is super simple to make. Can't beat that with a stick.

Brown Sugar Caramel Sauce
(for ice cream, waffles, pancakes, or anything else that calls for caramel deliciousness)
Original recipe found here.

1/2 cup butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup (packed) brown sugar
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 - 4 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)

In a small saucepan melt butter with salt. Add the brown sugar, then whisk until combined and thickened (about 2 minutes over medium heat). Whisk in whipping cream until thoroughly blended (another 2 minutes over medium heat). Mix in vanilla, if using. Note: this sauce will thicken as it cools.

Easy. Peasy. And oh-so-good.

Peanut Butter Sauce {for Ice Cream}

I'm trying to catch up on putting some of my favorite recipes here, not only to share with... whoever (friends and family mostly), but for my own benefit of easy accessibility. I used to want to make a family recipe cookbook... now it just seems simpler and more logical to post the recipes here.

My Online Family Cookbook.

A while back I hunted down a recipe for Peanut Butter Sauce {for ice cream}. I used to live near Leatherby's, a family creamery that had the most delicious ice cream creations, one of which was Traci's Peanut Butter Cup. Hot fudge and peanut butter sauce over vanilla ice cream. YUM. I had a hankering to recreate it.

So I found this recipe, modified it slightly, and have enjoyed making it ever since. If you are a peanut butter lover, this is truly AWESOME SAUCE. (I'm so, so glad there are currently no peanut allergies in my immediate family!)

Peanut Butter Sauce for Ice Cream
(might be good for waffles and pancakes, too!)

1 cup heavy cream (you can use half and half)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup (like Karo)
4 Tbs. butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter

Combine all ingredients except peanut butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add peanut butter. Stir well. Can serve warm or room temp over ice cream.

Note: The original recipe calls to cool the cooked mixture completely before adding the peanut butter, making the sauce have a grainy texture the author wanted to recreate. I've tried both ways, and like the smoother texture (and less wait time) of adding the peanut butter to the warm mixture. Either way, it's YUM!