Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Banana Bread Pancakes

Bananas get overripe in our house easily this time of year.  One solution that works well is freezing them for future batches of banana bread or pancakes.  

I had four brown bananas on the counter this evening that became breakfast for dinner.  The boys were thrilled!  I made a double batch of Banana Bread Pancakes to freeze for weekday breakfasts or lunches.  (Freeze in single layers separated by wax paper.  Store pancakes in a zip top bag.)  As a finger food treat, my boys enjoy dipping pancake strips in syrup for something different. 

Banana Bread Pancakes
Adapted from 100 Days of Real Food
  • 2 cups of whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil (or butter)
  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed
  • Pure maple syrup for drizzling
  1. In a large bowl combine, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Wisk together.
  2. Add honey, eggs, milk, vanilla and coconut oil (or butter).  Wisk to combine.
  3. Add mashed bananas and stir briefly.
  4. Heat a griddle or saute pan over medium high heat (350 degrees for a griddle).  Butter the pan or griddle and pour the pancake batter in to your desired size. 
  5. Give the pancakes a few minutes to set before flipping.  Allow them another few minutes to cook on the second side before removing from the pan.
  6. Serve with nuts, fruit, and syrup or any combination of the three.
I have heard breaking up a bunch of bananas keeps them from ripening as quickly.  The mental picture of my husband's face as he sees bananas sprinkling our kitchen surfaces has kept me from trying that one.  If any of you have feedback in the area let me know! 

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Poached Eggs and a BLT Never Tasted So Good

Insipired by the sucessful whole wheat sandwich bread recipe here are a couple of classics:
BLT on homemade whole wheat, with local bacon,
 tomatoes, and lettuce.
 
Poached eggs on toast with orange and red
 tomatoes and avocado.
(Adding a splash of vinegar or lemon juice to
the poaching water keeps the white together.)

Tip for slicing cherry tomatoes or grapes: put them between
 two lids.  Place your hand flat on top of the upper lid. 
Slice between the lids with a serrated knife.
 (I'm a lefty so the picture looks strange!) 

Voila!  Halved tomatoes in no time.

Bread that Smells Like Bread!

I should know better than to look at ingredients on grocery store foods by now.  It's depressing!  Bread (including grocery store bakery bread) is no exception. 

Great Harvest Baking Company features several delicious whole grain options that are 5 ingredients or less.  At around $8/ loaf it's a bit pricey but  I knew I was on the right track when I unwrapped the first loaf.  Wyatt came over and said, "Mama, that bread smells like bread!" and walked away munching on a slice.

This week's challenge - find a whole grain sandwich bread recipe that is easy to throw together without a bread machine.  I want our bread to smell like bread!  I found a knock off recipe of the Great Harvest loaf.  Here is my version which makes a great PB&J, BLT and even poached eggs on toast:

Honey Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
  • 2 cups of warm water (about 105-110 degrees)
  • 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup ground flax seed
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  1. Pour the water into the bowl of a stand mixer.  Sprinkle the yeast over the top and add the honey.  Allow it to sit for 10 minutes until it's frothy.
  2. Add the ground flax, oats and 1 and 1/2 cups of flour.  With the paddle attachment, mix until combined. 
  3. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough barely pulls away from the side of the bowl.  The dough will be sticky.
  4. Switch the mixer attachment from the paddle to the dough hook and knead on low for 4 minutes.  (You can also knead by hand for 10 minutes if you don't have a paddle attachment.) 
  5. Remove the dough hook and cover the bowl with a towel. 
  6. Allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size.  This takes approximately an hour and a half depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
  7. Dust your hands with flour and punch down the dough.  Shape it into a loaf and place it in a buttered loaf pan. 
  8. Cover again with a towel and allow to rise until again doubled in size (about an hour). 
  9. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees towards the end of the second rise.  Bake the loaf for 30 minutes.  Cool completely and store in a zip top bag.