Buttermilk Biscuits

Every once in a while it's nice to ditch the whole wheat and go for some yummy white King Arthur flour. This is a great way to indulge in refined flour ;)

Buttermilk Biscuits

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cube butter

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry blender (or a food processor) cut in butter until crumbly. Mix in milk until dough is smooth. If dough is sticky, add a bit more flour, the dough should be soft and just slightly sticky. 

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and roll 1 to 1 1/2 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter, press straight down and lift straight up (don't twist) and gently transfer to baking sheet. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until brown on top. Brush with butter and serve warm.

*And yes, if you don't want to be completely naughty, you can use whole wheat flour, I recommend half whole wheat and half white flour for biscuits so they aren't too dry.

Lion House Rolls

BLT {the best sandwich on earth}

I think bacon is my favorite food. If I had to choose between dark chocolate and bacon...I think bacon would win... I like my bacon super crunchy and my favorite way to eat it is in a big fat BLT.

I don't think anyone really needs a recipe for a BLT, but some things I add to make it better than your average sandwich, is ranch dressing on one slice of bread (instead of mayo) and smashed ripe avocado on the other. Throw in some havarti cheese and swiss chard (along with tomato and bacon, of course) and you have one tasty (and healthy) sandwich.

Perfect for lunch or dinner, especially in the summertime when you need something quick and easy.

Oh- and bacon cooking- the way to get it super crunchy is to bake it in the oven at 425 degrees. Place bacon strips side by side and bake until all the fat has been cooked away and the bacon is a dark color and looking crispy (or until your smoke detector goes off), about 15-20 minutes, turning half way through (don't burn!). Then when the bacon grease cools down, pour into a jar and refrigerate for later use. Bacon grease is great for cooking eggs, potatoes, popcorn and more. Refrigerate or freeze any extra bacon.

Best Ever Bread

There is nothing better than a good slice of homemade bread. I usually don't let myself indluge in white bread very often, but oh is it heavenly! And you can get the same heavenly taste and lightness by doing part wheat flour (and then you don't have to feel as guilty ;)

King Arthur Flour truly is the master of all things bread. This is their recipe that I use as the bread of all bread recipes and if you've never made bread before or want to have an absolutely perfect loaf, follow this recipe.

Below that recipe I will give you my modified version that makes about 4 loaves (or breadsticks, rolls, pizza, etc... and doesn't use butter or milk, but tastes just as great) and is a bit healthier for your family. If I am going to make breadsticks I'll make my large version below and use the left over dough for bread for the week. My family gets this so rarely that they usually gobble through the entire batch within two days.

White Sandwich Bread- King Arthur


3 cups white flour
1/2 cup warm milk
1/2 cup warm water
2-4 teaspoons butter melted or oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Add milk, butter and salt. Add flour one cup at a time until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl (should be soft, not sticky). Knead for 10 minutes.

Cover and let rise 1 hour. Shape into loaf, cover and rise one hour or until double in size.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 35 minutes.

Makes 1 loaf.

 
Almost White Bread (pictured above)
 
1 tablespoon yeast
2 tablespoons sugar or honey (optional but helps rise quicker)
4 cups warm water
1/2 cup oil (if you're going to eat it right away, then cut back to 1/4 cup but if you want it to be soft and moist the next day too then go for more oil)
1/2 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons dough enhancer (optional but I think it makes a difference- could also use 2 eggs)
4 cups whole wheat flour
5+ cups white flour (keep adding until the dough is pulls away from the bowl)
 
Let yeast, water and sugar/honey proof until bubbly. Stir in oil and salt. Mix in whole wheat flour, dough enhancer and white flour one cup at a time until the dough starts to pull away from the side of the bowl.

Continue adding white flour one cup at a time until the dough is soft but not sticky. Knead for 10 minutes adding additional flour as needed. Cover and let rise until double, 20 to 30 minutes.
 
Form into loaves, breadsticks or rolls and let rise until double.
 
Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes.
 
*Makes about 4 loaves of bread

Heavenly Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls are a treat I only let myself indulge in once or twice a year (like at conference time). These rolls are amazing with cream cheese frosting! You will not be disappointed!

Cinnamon Roll Dough

1 tablespoon yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/3 cup powdered milk (or can use warm milk instead of water)
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 cups white flour (approximate, always pour one cup at a time- the dough should be soft but not sticky. You can make these whole wheat, but they won't be light and airy the next day- I recommend only using 1/2 wheat if you choose to)

Filling

1/2 cup melted butter
sugar (can use brown sugar for caramelized rolls)
cinnamon
raisins (optional)
pecans (optional)
*dental floss for slicing

Cream Cheese Frosting

8oz cream cheese, softened

5 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
lemon juice (I like to juice a whole lemon)
milk to thin (1 to 2 Tablespoons)

Step 1: Dissolve yeast in warm water until frothy. Stir in powdered milk, sugar, eggs and salt. Add flour one cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is soft but not sticky. Let rise 25 minutes in a warm place until double in size.

Step 2: Roll dough into large rectangle. Coat the bottom of a large 9x13 baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Using a pastry brush, generously spread butter over entire dough rectangle. Sprinkle sugar on top of butter (I used about 1/4 cup), sprinkle a generous layer of cinnamon over top. Add raisins and nuts if desired.

Step 3: Starting at the long end of the rectangle, roll dough to form a long tube. Pinch dough on end to seal so it won't come unwrapped when you slice it.

Step 4: Using a long string of dental floss, slide under the dough and slice a piece off by bringing the two pieces across one another (you could also use a sharp knife, but this works the best). Place in baking dish and brush tops with remaining butter. (This makes 12-16 rolls).

Step 5: Set pan in warm place to rise. They should look like this when they're ready:

Step 6: Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or just until golden on top. While baking prepare cream cheese icing by whipping softened cream cheese with butter and vanilla until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar until smooth. Add lemon juice to taste. Stir in milk to thin frosting. You can use more milk for thinner frosting to lightly drizzle over the rolls...OR

...if you're like me, leave it a little thicker and completely smother them with frosting! Serve warm & enjoy!

 

Avocado Bacon Ranch Sandwich on Whole Wheat Rosemary Flatbread

That's a mouthful! BYU tv finally has an app for the iphone and you can watch awesome programs like Chef Brad. If you want to learn a few things about cooking with grains check out his programs. I especially recommend the Quinoa, Barley and Wheat ones although the others are also fascinating and I am excited to try a few new things like grinding corn.

While some grains may seem intimidating- just start with something simple like quinoa and barley (I use as a substitute for white rice in any recipe and/or add it to my bread)- they are super healthy and easy to incorporate into your everyday diet. Chef Brad also has a ton of free recipes on his website here. I will be tuning out for a month or two as we get moved and resettled, so get some new recipes from Chef Brad in the meantime...

I had to try this recipe from his show- Rosemary Flatbread. It was really easy to do and tasted amazing. I don't have spelt so I just used my regular whole wheat bread dough. I sliced it in half and made favorite sandwich: Avocado Bacon Ranch & Tomato. It was so delicious with this bread. It would also make a fabulous pizza crust.

Rosemary Flatbread

1 batch whole wheat bread dough (or any rising dough)

Olive Oil

Rosemary (I used dried and it was great)
Sea Salt

Simply roll out the dough onto a round pan and let sit until risen (about 20 minutes). Poke holes in the dough with your fingers. Spread a generous amount of olive oil over dough filling the holes. Sprinkle the top with rosemary and sea salt.

Bake at 500 degrees for 7-8 minutes or until golden brown.

Avocado Bacon Ranch Sandwich

Avocado sliced or mashed

Cheese

Bacon, cooked (or bacon bits)

Tomato sliced

Ranch dressing

Sprouts, lettuce, etc...

Whole wheat bread

Spread bread with ranch dressing then a layer of avocado. Add bacon, tomato, cheese, lettuce and additional toppings. Also tastes great with toasted bread.

BEST Blueberry Muffins!

I have tried DOZENS of blueberry muffin recipes over the years hunting for the perfect muffin. Most of the ones I tried had the consistency of a  biscuit but I prefer cakelike bakery muffins.

Some passed the white flour test but failed miserably when I substituted whole wheat flour. I almost gave up on the possibility of making a delicious 100% whole wheat blueberry muffin, but I'm glad I persevered.

I am happy to say that I have FINALLY found the PERFECT Blueberry Muffin recipe!

And, Yes! It tastes just as delicious when using 100% whole wheat flour!

(top image is white flour, right is whole wheat).

So where did this elusive recipe come from? It originated from a blueberry white chip muffin recipe from http://verybestbaking.com/ but of course I had to modify it to suit my specifications... Here is the modified recipe:

BEST Blueberry Muffins!

2 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour

1/2 cup organic sugar

1/4 cup organic brown sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg
1 cup milk

Zest of one lemon (1 1/2 teaspoons)

1 1/2 to 2 cups blueberries

Walnuts, optional

Streusel Topping

1/3 cup organic brown sugar (or 1-2 tablespoons of honey)

1/3 cup oats (optional)

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line or oil muffin cups (12 to 18).

Cream sugars with butter then stir in vanilla, egg and lemon zest (do not omit zest it adds great flavor). Mix dry ingredients and stir with wet alternately with milk. (I like to add dry ingredients right on top of the wet and just mix it with a fork a little before incorporating into the wet- saves an extra bowl...)

Fold in blueberries and walnuts if desired. Spoon into muffin pans filling 3/4 full. Sprinkle with Streusel Topping. Oats are optional in the topping (pictured in the whole wheat version) and I find it easier to mix with a fork if the butter is at room temperature.

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*I highly recommend using freshly ground whole wheat flour. If you use store bought whole wheat flour you should definitely use King Arthur brand, it's the only one I've used that resembles fresh ground whole wheat.

*You can also use 1/2 cup of honey instead of both sugars. And use 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey in place of sugar for the topping. The flavor and texture isn't quite as rich, but it still works. 

Cheesy Onion Bread

I've had this bread several times at baby showers and finally had to make it myself. It so fabulous! Just when you thought bread couldn't get any better...

1 round loaf sourdough bread
1 pound monterey jack cheese (I used a combination of cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan)
1 cube butter, melted
1/2 cup finely diced green onions, including the white part

2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350. Cut the bread going both directions, but do not cut through all the way to the bottom crust. Place slices of cheese between cuts (or if your cheese is shredded, sprinkle on top and make sure some gets in all the cracks.

Melt butter and spread evenly over bread. Sprinkle onions and poppyseeds evenly over bread, getting into the cracks. Wrap the top with tin foil and bake for 15 minutes. Unwrap and bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

And in case you were wondering...if you get this craving (like I do almost every day!) and don't have any yummy crusty bread around, you can use a tortilla, dinner roll or any other bread like substance. It tastes amazing on just about anything!

Best Ever Whole Wheat Rolls!

Rolls are my favorite thing to make (and eat!) I have been making bread & rolls since I was a kid and I can pretty much guarantee you'll never find a better recipe. Below is whole wheat roll recipe.

My favorite white roll recipe is here and it is to die for. Potato flakes are optional on the white roll recipe but mandatory on the whole wheat- it really does make a difference.

Whole Wheat Rolls

4 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil (or melted butter)
2/3 cup potato water (water used to boil potatoes) *optional
2 tablespoons dough enhancer (optional but it does make them lighter)
5 1/2 to 6 cups freshly ground white whole wheat

Combine yeast, water and honey, cover until foamy. Mix potato flakes with water and stir until dissolved (it should be watery). Add olive oil (or butter), salt and one cup of flour, mix. Add flour one cup at a time until dough pulls away from sides of bowl and soft dough forms. Knead 10 minutes. Cover and let rise 1 hour until double in size. Form into balls, cover and let rise until double. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Brush with melted butter.

Banana Muffins

These are the yummiest banana muffins, they taste just like banana bread. Sometimes I make the crumb topping with oats, you can also make it without. If you want to go healthier you can add 1/2 cup oats to the batter- it makes it a tad drier so I'd recommend adding another banana if you have one, but it still tastes delicious either way.

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Crumb topping
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons oats (optional)

Mix wet ingredients, then stir in dry ingrients until well mixed. Stir in nuts. Mix crumb topping. Pour batter into greased muffin pan and top with crumb topping. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

*You can also use this for banana bread- makes a smaller loaf- just bake for 50-60 minutes.
*I'm lazy and sometimes don't make the topping, they still taste great- I just usually add a bit more brown sugar to compensate...

Kentucky Griddle Cakes

I always assumed griddle cakes were just a southern name for pancakes. Not so. They are made from cornmeal. I'm not a huge fan of cornmeal but I'm always up for trying something new. This is a fun substitute for break in lunches or for breakfast.

I like to use them for BLT's with ranch dressing instead of mayo, or as a breakfast sandwich with eggs and sausage.

1 cup cornmeal (white or yellow)
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup milk (buttermilk if you have it)

1 egg

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon honey

4-5 slices cooked, chopped bacon (or bacon bits)

Mix all dry ingredients then mix in milk, egg, oil and honey. Stir in cooked bacon. Should resemble pancake batter, but the bacon will slip to the bottom so mix well between each batch. Heat a griddle over medium heat and spread with butter or spray with oil. Pour evenly sized pancakes and cook until brown on the bottom, flip and finish cooking just like regular pancakes. Best if served warm.

*These freeze really well- freeze individually then store in freezer bags, to reheat put in toaster for a few minutes.

Grilled Pizza

Pizza Dough

4+ cups flour (all purpose or whole wheat)
2 cups warm water
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

Mix warm water and yeast until bubbly. Stir in salt and flour one cup at a time until soft dough forms (should be soft but not be sticky). Set aside and let rise until double in size. Divide dough into small balls and on a well floured/oiled surface, roll each into a small circle about the size of a plate.

Prepare your toppings and have them out by the grill ready to top. Place dough on grill over medium heat and cook just until bottom is firm and has nice grill marks- 2-3 minutes. Flip, add toppings, close lid and continue cooking until bottom is firm and cheese is melted (if cheese is still not melted move to top rack or you can broil in the oven).

I use this dough for pizza & breadsticks and if you want to add yummy flavor to your crust- just mix in 1/3 cup or so of pesto when you add the flour.

  

Favorite combinations:

Basil Pesto, Grilled Chicken, Cheese, Broccoli

Lighthouse Ranch Dressing (or other fresh ranch), Spinach, Tomatoes, Cheese, bacon bits

Whole Wheat Tortillas

We eat a lot of beans and rice around our house. It's the easiest thing in the world to cook and is my lazy day go-to food. Tortillas are really easy to make and they are so yummy.

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (fresh ground or King Arthur)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup olive oil butter, softened (just discovered butter works so much better!)

1 cup hot water

Mix flour, salt and baking powder together. Mix in oil butter and slowly add water until a soft dough forms (not sticky). Cover and let rise 10-15 minutes.

Heat a cast iron pan (or nonstick pan) over medium heat until nice and hot. While the pan is heating up, pinch off a small amount of dough (about the size of a lemon) and roll into a flat circle (a pizza roller works best for this).

Cook tortilla on preheated pan and once bubbles start to form, flip it to the other side and cook until heated through. Entire process should take a few seconds. If you cook it too long it will get crispy and won't fold well, so it's better to undercook than overcook.

If your pan isn't hot enough the first few won't turn out as well- just like crepes or pancakes you need to make sure the pan is good and hot before you start cooking, and only flip once.

Whole wheat tortillas taste just as great as white flour tortillas but are not as pliable. For softer tortillas try using half whole wheat and half white flour.

Lion House Orange Rolls

Well, I say Lion House, but of course I had to change the recipe, so if you want their original one that could feed an army go visit this website. I only needed a couple dozen for my little family so I modified the recipe. These are so soft and yummy you could eat them for dessert.

Rolls:

1 cup warm milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted or oil

1 tablespoon yeast

1/8 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

3-4 cups flour

Orange filling

1/4 cup butter, softenend

zest from 1 orange

1/8 cup sugar

Orange Icing

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice

2 teaspoons heavy cream or half & half (if you use milk just use less)

Dough: Heat milk and butter just until milk is warm (don't get it too hot or you'll kill the yeast), stir in yeast and sugar and let sit until foamy. Stir in salt and egg. Mix in flour one cup at a time until soft dough forms and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Knead for 10 minutes. Dough should be soft but not sticky. Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Orange Filling: zest one orange and mix with 1/4 cup softened butter and 1/8 cup sugar. Set aside.

Orange Icing mix powdered sugar, orange juice and milk until smooth. If you want a thicker icing or are going to frost while rolls are warm use less cream/milk for a thicker icing.

Divide dough in half and roll each into a large circle. Spread each circle with Orange Filling mixture. Using a pizza cutter, slice dough into thin triangles like you would cut a pizza. Roll each strip up starting at the wider end up to the tip and place tip side down on baking sheet. Let rise 40-60 minutes or until double in size.

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Let cool a few minutes, drizzle with Orange Icing and eat warm!

Veggie Pizza

I am pretty much a pepperoni girl. I really don't care anything else on my pizza. But...just before I had Grant, my in-laws got some papa murphy's veggie delite pizza and it was awesome! So this is my attempt to copycat.

For great info on making pizza with a stone- check out Forno Bravo, it's pretty comprehensive and their recipe is great- mine is just scaled down to make one pizza. You can use ranch dressing for the sauce, or if you prefer a more cheesy sauce, try the garlic cream cheese alfredo sauce I posted earlier (don't use store-bought alfredo sauce, it doesn't taste good for this).

Pizza Dough (makes 1 pizza)

2 1/4 teaspoon yeast

1 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

2-3 cups flour

Ranch dressing

1 clove garlic, minced

Mozzarella cheese

Spinach leaves

Tomato, chopped

Mushroom sliced
other veggies as desired

Mix water and yeast until foamy. Add all remaining ingredients until soft dough forms, rise 1 hour until double in size.  Roll into circle the size of your pan. Spread ranch with garlic on crust, top with spinach, cheese and other veggies. Bake in 500 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until crust is crisp on bottom.

Shaped Dinner Rolls

I love this dinner roll recipe, they look so pretty and are pretty simple to make. You can even make the day before and they will still be relatively soft. For tips on shaping check out this site. I was too lazy to diagram step by step- but if you know how to roll a snake out of dough and tie a knot or braid you can figure it out...

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

1 cup warm milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 teaspoon dough enhancer (optional)

3-4 cups flour

Egg glaze

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon water

1) Microwave milk and butter just until milk is warm. Mix with yeast and sugar in bowl and let sit until foamy.

2) Mix in egg, salt, and dough enhancer. Add flour gradually until dough starts to form into a ball and cleans the side of the bowl. The dough should be soft not sticky.

3) Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.

4) Shape into balls or roll into long thin "snakes" and tie in a knot or braid.

5) Let rise until double- about 30-40 minutes. I like to let them rise in the oven because it can sometimes disturb the dough when you try to remove the cover.

6) In small bowl mix egg yolk with water. Gently brush tops of rolls with mixture, careful not to make them fall. Sprinkle tops with sesame seed or poppyseeds. Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 15-18 minutes. Tops will be golden brown.

Whole Wheat Baking Powder Biscuits (aka Mile-High Biscuits)

I love biscuits. Big, flaky biscuits. This recipe can be made with white flour or whole wheat flour or half and half.


The key to huge biscuits is to roll them thick- an inch or more. Also, when you press your cutter down, don't twist it- just press straight down and pull straight up- if you twist you seal the dough together and it prevents it from rising as high.


For these pictures I used 100% whole wheat flour- which is why the color is a bit darker, but I used a heaping teaspoonful of dough enhancer so they taste just as flaky as regular biscuits. For a really light fluffy biscuit try using regular all purpose flour.

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and honey. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times. Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or juice glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until edges begin to brown.