Wednesday, August 19, 2009

catch-up baking post

I've been doing some baking around here but am tardy in posting these. This is the 100% whole wheat bread from Artisan Breads in 5 Minutes a Day. I love the book, as you know. This is the first time I've tried the 100% whole wheat. I think it is really good, but it's kind of a hard sell to my family. 100% whole wheat is just not the same as a crusty white loaf fresh from the oven, no matter how fresh and homemade it is. Nonetheless, ever since reading Michael Pollen's book I've been aware of how chemically and "fake" our everyday store-bought sandwich bread is. How awesome would it be to make all our bread from scratch? This is a firm bread. I know Faith for one has voiced an opinion of not wanting this in her high school lunch for her daily pb&j. Hmm. Maybe I will try the half whole wheat version? Force the issue? Drop the whole thing? Still contemplating. This bread is so easy to do using this "5 minutes a day" method that I don't think it's unrealistic to think of making this for a daily sandwich bread. Please comment if you have any experience switching your family over from store-bought loaves to healthy homemade.
Another view of the wheat bread with our homemade plum jam. This is the first year we've made the plum jam-- last year we had no plums at all. It's great and I love the color.
Moving on, here is zucchini bread in which I subbed all whole wheat flour for the white flour and succanat for the sugar. It was delicious and I'm embarrassed to say that the boys and I ate nearly the whole loaf on the first day--it's that good. I'm a little confused about whether the succanat is a healthier form of the sugar. In Waldorf Kindergarten Snack book the author says it is and that it's the same as Rapadura (which I can't find anywhere). On the other hand, Nourishing Traditions promotes using Rapadura but not succanat. I think both are evaporated cane juice, right?
Banana bread from The Blue Heron Ranch cookbook. This one is all whole wheat and only sweetened with honey and bananas. Exactly what I am looking for in a quick bread right now--healthy and just minimally sweet. This is good toasted with a little butter.
Zucchini Chocolate Chip cookies from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Delish!! Especially on the first night. It had been a year since I made these and I'd forgotten how good they are. This time I used maple syrup instead of honey. There is something heartwarming about seeing the little ones eating cookies with green vegetable specks in them.

20 comments:

Jessica said...

Everything looks so tasty. Artisan Bread is on my Christmas list this year. I'm looking forward to trying out a bunch of recipes in it. Until then I have a bunch of bananas ready for bread!

Inoureyes said...

I will put that book son my list to buy. I have a reaction to while bread, especially store bought. My eyes go puffy and i get rather dopey. Its great for a laugh but i either buy or mostly make whole wheat bread. I remember my kids complaining constantly a few years back. I just stuck with it. Now there isn't a peep from them. The biscuits look interesting. I may have to try these. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

i aspire to make our own bread... but only whole grain. is that book worth it if im only interested in the one recipe? (5 min a day sounnds ideal...) LOVE all the pics... looks delish!

Mary Beth said...

Anonymous--yes, I think it is still worth it because there are several whole grain variations and they teach you a whole technique that is unique. Check it out from the library first, though, to see if you like it.
MB

Zonnah said...

Have have not made the bread but here is someone who has http://healthbeginswithmom.blogspot.com/2009/04/you-can-make-bread-in-5-minutes-too.html .

by little hands said...

This is my new favorite book! It sounded crazy at first but I really do bake a fresh loaf every day with no effort and it happens to be the best bread I have ever been able to bake!!!

Karen W said...

Have you tried King Arthur's White Whole Wheat flour with your 100% whole wheat recipes? They have Organic White Whole Wheat flour too, and it is such a great, nutty flavor and is fantastic in ALL of our recipes. I use it in all of our baking: pancakes, cookies, breads, etc, etc.

We have tried to switch to all homemade bread here and occasionally I fall back on store bought (Arnold's double protein bread is goooooddd....) but I'll be watching to see how your journey goes!
Love from Maine...

Maria said...

Hi. Yes, rapadura is evaporated cane juice. Here in Spain it's sold as "panela" too: http://www.enbuenasmanos.com/articulos/muestra.asp?art=1094 (in spanish). I think in Canary Island rapadura is a dessert: http://es.petitchef.com/recetas/rapaduras-de-la-palma-fid-143197 (sorry, in spanish too).
The succanat is crushed cane. Good too, but maybe rapadura is healthier.

(PS: i like your blog a lot, great ideas, great photos).

1kiss.

Beth said...

I too love the Artisan bread book and I too have tried the 100% whole wheat bread recipe. I loved it and my kids ate it but if I have a store bought loaf sitting next to this loaf my family will 9/10 times reach for the store bought loaf. Very discouraging. I'm tempted to stop buying store loaves to see how they manage. Of course the white loaves of bread are always a hit. I love making bread.

Jenna said...

I bake all our own bread (I work from home so it's easy to be around for the minimal but constant "work"). I found a wonderful summer squash yeast bread receipe that we enjoyed for toast. Usually, I bake Challah/egg bread for us for sandwiches. It's fast become a family favorite. I just kept at the home baking and so the kids never had a choice. There was some resistance at school ("why aren't my sandwiches square" or worse "why aren't my pb&J round?" but then again we've had the same trouble with the kids bringing cut up sweet bell pepper (my kids' go to veggie)...the other school kids thought it was wierd.
You're already doing far and away more than most for your sweet children...I don't you need to worry much. Let them see you feed yourself right and they will (eventually) do the same.

Volunteer abroad India said...

Yummy! I am so drooling just by looking at the picture. Thank you for sharing!

Our Green Nest said...

Looks delicious! We only do 100% whole wheat but that's what we're used to and like...oh and we like sucanat personally.

Anonymous said...

I made a vow at the beginning of the year to only make and not buy bread. We did pretty good for a couple of months but slowly started buying bread again. I still make bread just not daily. Neither of my two girls or husband wanted to eat the 100% whole wheat for sandwiches. I make the 1/2 wheat recipe (from the same book) frequently and feel its better than all white right? I have been using agave in place of sugar in almost everything lately and love it. Your breads look yummy, i need to make zucchini bread, its coming out my ears :)

Hannah said...

Wow - everything you baked looks delicious!
I hated brown bread as a child and my Mum would make sandwiches with one slice of each to get me to eat it! I love it now though, and my son eats it too. I can see that it doesn't have quite the same appeal as white bread but it can help to make crunchy toppings using things like oats and seeds - that seems to make it more appealing for us. I play around with different quantities and feel better if I'm using unbleached flour on the occasions that I do use white.
I've got a little lazy with my bread making while the weather has been warm but you've tempted me to get baking now - thanks!

Denise C. said...

Hi Mary Beth,

As always, I love you blog! Your food photos make me drool! :)

I was wondering if you could post how you made your plum jam? I am intrigued and would like to try making homemade jam!

Also, the book Artisan Bread In 5 Minutes...is now happily sitting in my Amazon wish list! :)

taisa said...

The oat bread is lighter in colour, have you tried that one out? I have been wanting to try white whole wheat (it comes from a lighter coloured wheat grain, but with the same nutritional components,) but haven't yet.

Sam said...

We are 5 minute a day bread addicts here at our home. We all found the 100% whole wheat too dense. I found replacing a cup or two with the unbleached white flour makes a BIG difference. I give the book to everyone for gifts now, it is sooo good.

Mary Beth said...

Thank you so much to everyone who responded! I love hearing about your own experiences with switching to homemade bread.

Denise C.--we are fairly new at jam making (this is only the second year) and so far we have only made the recipes that come in the pectin inserts (for plum, peach, or nectarine). I actually love the simplicity of that but do want to branch out eventually and even research using alternate sweetners like honey or maple syrup.

Mary Beth

Songbird Mama said...

i just found your blog and can already tell I like you....I also love making bread!

Mama Steen said...

Sucanat is better for you then sugar, because it has the enzymes and such that your body needs to digest it. Where as, sugar is stripped of all of that. And, it's better for you then turbinado sugar. I know that much. And, my bag says it's evaporated cane juice.