Multigrain Bread

I love bread. There's not too many smells better than yeast and flour baking together in a hot oven. The smell permeates the entire house causing your mouth to water in anticipation of that warm bread slathered in a delicious salted butter. I do believe that this combination is truly a bite of heaven.

This recipe came about because of a girls visit to the beach with my mama and my daughter this summer. We found this little bakery, and with noses and mouths covered we ventured inside to see what they made. One of their specialties was homemade bread with no preservatives, and my mom decided to try a piece of their multigrain bread. 

As we were walking back to the car, my mom said, "You could totally make a multigrain bread like that." Well, yeah, I guess I could. I've been experimenting with bread making during the pandemic, and I've gotten much better at it. And since my mama asked me to, well... 

I did some research, and ended up coming up with my own recipe. I did goof on the photo and forgot to add the sugar and olive oil to the ingredients, so don't forget those. But you know what? It's pretty tasty. It's got a great texture, and overall it's pretty darn healthy as bread goes. If you want  to make it "whole wheat" you just need 51 percent whole wheat flour, so increase whole wheat flour to 2 cups and reduce the bread flour by 1 cup. 

You're going to want to give this recipe a try. You're family won't be disappointed. I promise!

 2 1/2 to 3 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup multigrain hot cereal (I use a 10-grain version)
2 cups boiling water
2 1/4 tsp active yeast

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp barley malt

2 tsps salt

1 tsp pepitas or sunflower seeds

1 tsp triticale or oats

1/2 tsp flax seed

1/2 tsp poppy seeds

1/2 tsp oat bran

1/2 tsp sesame seeds

1/2 tsp everything bagel seasoning

Put the 1/2 cup of multigrain cereal in your stand mixer and add 2 cups of boiling water. Stir until combined. Allow to rest 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally

until the mixture cools to 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add poppy seeds, flax seed, sesame seed and oat bran to a small bowl; combine well. Put pepitas and triticale in another small bowl. I don't put these together because I've found that they don't blend well; they separate.

Add 2 1/4 tsp active yeast and 1 Tbsp sugar; stir. Allow to rest and bloom for about 10 minutes. The top should be foamy, and you should be able to smell the yeast.

Add 1 Tbsp olive oil (use a good one with flavor to add depth to your bread), 2 tsps salt, 1 cup whole wheat flour, and 2 1/2 cups bread flour. Begin mixing and kneading the dough with a dough hook; knead for 8 minutes. Add flour about a tablespoon at a time until the dough doesn't stick to the bowl anymore. Proceed cautiously, and try not to add too much flour.

Place dough in a well-oiled bowl - I use a spray bottle of olive oil; it gives me good coverage without wasting too much. Cover with a clean tea towel, and allow to rise for 90 minutes.

Punch down dough and knead on a clean cutting board a few times. Decide what shape you're making your bread. I've made this batch as six small sandwich-shaped loaves, two round loaves, and one round loaf or one long oblong loaf. Any version is fine. Gently shape the loaf, pinching  together on the bottom. Ensure it is smooth. I did mine in two loaves - sprinkle about a quarter of the seeds on the the board and roll the bottom of the shaped loaf in the seeds to press them into it. Place the loaf on a silicone baking mat on a cookie tray. 

Cover with a clean tea towel and let rise for 30 minutes. I lightly spritz mine with a little water so they don't dry out. Turn the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Put a small pan of water in the oven and let it heat up.

Put another quarter of the seeds on top and gently press them info the dough. Sprinkle a little flake salt on top, about 1/8 tsp or so. Do the remaining loaves. Slice the tops of the loaves and then spritz with water. Put the bread in the oven and spray several more times. Close the door quickly and bake bread for 25-30 minutes until the bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when you tap it. My oven is crazy and cooks unevenly, so about 10-12 minutes in when I turn the pan, I cover the loaves with aluminum foil.

Let cool, and enjoy this delicious bread with some tasty salted butter!

Oatmeal Cake

What is oatmeal cake, you ask? One of the best desserts you will every try. It is moist and tender with this amazing flavor. I don't know who originally created the cake. My recipe came to me via my mother who got it from my paternal grandmother. The recipe is handwritten out in the old style of recipes. I love it. I don't have too many recipes from my grandmother. As a matter of fact, I think this is the only one. I also have two or three quilts that she made, but that's a different topic. Back to the cake...

This cake really is delicious. There's a little butter and oatmeal, and the usual cast of cake characters. But instead of icing, this cake is topped with butter, sugar, condensed milk, vanilla, pecans and coconut. You will love this cake; I promise. Check it out!

1 cup oats 
1 1/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup self rising flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease and flour or spray with baking spray a 9x13x2 baking pan. Boil water; in a large bowl combine oats and water. Add to this 1/2 cup (1 stick) of margarine cut into small pieces. Stir and let rest for 20 minutes.

Add sugar and brown sugar, and stir until combined.

Add eggs, one at a time, and combine after each addition.

In a small bowl combine flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Sift dry ingredients into wet, and stir until combined.

Pour into pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While cake is baking, gather ingredients for the icing and begin making it. I think the topping is one of the best parts of this cake, so I make  1 1/2 servings of it.

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup pecans
1 cup angel coconut

To begin with, I really love this topping. I think it's much better using one and a half or twice the original recipe. That being said, whichever amount you decide to make, in a large enough pot to accommodate the ingredients, combine the margarine, sugar and condensed milk. Bring to a slow boil and allow to thicken.

Once mixture has thickened, remove from heat and vanilla, pecans and coconut. Pour over cake while the cake is still warm.

Broil the cake in the oven until the topping is lightly toasted and golden brown. Watch it carefully; it can go from not toasted to very toasted very quickly... ask me how I know this. lol

Allow the cake to cool, cut yourself a slice, and enjoy!!!

Cinnamon Chip Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

The past 18 months or so I have been trying out dozens of new recipes. Some of them have been huge hits that I've remade several times, and some of them have been one time only. Through all of that, I've been learning. My Triple Chocolate Cranberry Cookies are a recipe that I adjusted some, and I was thrilled with the results. Jump forward  a few months. I had a bag of cinnamon chips in by pantry that I really didn't know what I was going to do with. So last weekend, I decided to create my own cookie. I used the knowledge I've gained from all of the different recipes I've been trying, and, if I do say so myself, these are amazing! I took these in for Monday treat, and the response was even better than I hoped. I received lots of requests for seconds, and several people told me they were phenomenal. Frankly, I couldn't be more proud of my first attempt at my very own recipe. Give these a shot; I don't think you will be disappointed!

1 cup butter (softened to room temperature)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 tsps baking soda
2 tsps cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups oats
12 ounces cinnamon chips
1 cup raisins

In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cornstarch, salt and cinnamon; set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth.

Add eggs and vanilla, and mix until blended.

Add dry ingredients, and mix until all flour is combined. Add oats and mix well.

Add cinnamon chips and raisins, and stir until combined and distributed throughout the dough.

Drop by rounded teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for 7-10 minutes, or until cookies begin to brown around the edges. They will continue to cook and set as they cool.

Allow the cookies to rest on the tray for 3-4 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

What a mouthful! And ohhhhh what a delicious mouthful! The chocolate and peanut butter blended together is so yummy! I was trying to find an oats and either chocolate or butterscotch chips recipe, and stumbled on this one on Pinterest: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Oatmeal Bars. These were quite easy to make and full of flavor.

1 cup butter/margarine

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 cups flour

2 cups oats

1 tsp baking soda

8 ozs semisweet or unsweetened choc. (squares or chips - I used 12 ozs of chips)

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

In large bowl, combine and mix flour, oats and baking soda. In another large bowl, cream softened butter and brown sugar. 

Add flour mixture and combine well.

Measure three cups of oat mixture and press into greased 13X9 pan.

Melt chocolate carefully in microwave. Heat for 30-40 seconds, stir, then heat in 10 second increments until smooth. Add peanut butter and stir until mixed. Layer chocolate onto pressed layer. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture over top. Here is where I diverged... I used chips rather than squares, and rather than waste 4 oz, I sprinkled the remaining chips on the top layer. Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 22-25 minutes.