Buttermilk Oat Bread

Who doesn't love a good loaf of bread? I confess that I am one of those people who would have a hard time with a low carb diet, as I love my sandwhich for lunch! This loaf was a way of using some buttermilk that I had bought to make Double Chocolate Banana Cake.

Sometimes it annoys me that I can only buy buttermilk in a 1 litre size, but then it does last a while and there are so many delicious uses for it. I had not yet used it to  make bread though, so this was an experiment, and I was very happy with the result.

I ground up some rolled oats, in an endeavour to use the last of the bag, and this added a lovely nutty taste to the bread. The fresh rosemary was a lovely bright background flavour. I think I might add some ground black pepper next time.

In a coffee grinder, grinder until fine:

1 cup rolled oats

Set aside.

In a small pot, heat until just warmer than body temperature:

1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 tablespoon honey

Add the warm buttermilk and honey to:


1 1/2 teaspoon yeast

Leave for a few minutes to proof.

Add:

the ground oats
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups flour




Mix on medium speed until well combined, stopping to scrape the bottom of the bowl if needed. Continue to mix, adding flour as needed until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough that forms around the dough hook.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead by hand, adding flour as needed, until it is no longer sticky, but soft, smooth and elastic.

I used between 2 1/2 and 3 cups of flour altogether.

Form into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise...

.....until doubled in size, about an hour, depending on how warm your kitchen is.

Lightly knead the dough and form into a loaf, placing it into a lightly greased loaf pan to rise.

When the dough has risen almost to the top of the pan, turn the oven on to 350F.

The dough should be starting to rise above the top of the pan when the oven is heated up.

Brush the top of the loaf with water, and bake for 45 minutes.

Remove from the pan immediately and allow to cool completely before slicing.







This loaf is soft, with a medium dense crumb, a crunchy crust and slightly sweet and nutty. The rosemary gives a nice background flavour, perfect for ham sandwhiches!

• If you have oat flour, use that instead of grinding the oats. Use between 3/4 cup and 1 cup of oat flour. 
• You can also use wholewheat flour instead of the ground oats, but I suggest using only 1/2 cup as it makes a denser, drier loaf. Use all purpose flour for the rest of the flour. Almond flour is another substitute for oat flour, and can be used as a direct substitute.
• Unlike in quick breads, where the acidity of the buttermilk reacts with baking soda to help with rising, this bread uses the yeast as the leavening agent. You can substitute milk, or water, or a combination if you have no buttermilk.
• Oats can be sprinkled over the top of the loaf before baking.
• Double the recipe and freeze one of the loaves.
• Omit the rosemary; try other herbs or spices instead. Add dried fruit or nuts if you like.

Aztec Brownie Bars

The term Aztec refers to the addition of cayenne pepper, cinnamon and espresso, as well as the chocolate! These are rich, sweet, slightly spicy with a delightfully cunchy, nutty crust. And yes, the espresso does come through nicely.

My husband asked for brownies, and I decided to turn the brownie into a bar with a pecan shortbread crust. This gave me an opportunity to use the tiny amount of pecans in the pantry. As neither of us are huge fans of the espresso I bought, some of that went into the crust as well.

I had a bar of bittersweet chocolate, and added in some chocolate chips, as it wasn't quite enough.

Heat the oven to 350F and line a 9" X 13" pan with foil. Lightly grease the foil. Set aside until needed.

To make the crust, combine the following in a food processor:

2 cups flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon finely ground espresso




Process until the nuts are finely ground.

Add:

6 ounces cold butter, cubed

Process until you have a fine crumbly mixture.

Press the crumbs onto the bottom of the prepared pan.

Bake until the crust is golden, about 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and set aside until needed.

In a heavy bottomed pan, over low heat, or in a double boiler, melt:

4 1/2 ounces dark chocolate
6 ounces butter

Whisk in:

1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

Whisk until the sugar is no longer grainy.

Whisk in, one at a time:

3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Add the dry ingredients, and whisk until just combined:

1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon cocoa
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 pinches of cayenne pepper

Pour the brownie batter onto the baked crust, spreading it evenly.

Bake until the brownie layer is puffed, starting to crack, no longer soft in the middle and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with moist crumbs attached.

This should take about 22 minutes.





Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before cutting into bars or squares. These bars are slightly spicy, very rich and hard to stop eating! Enjoy with a glass of milk, a cup of coffee, a glass of wine or serve warm with vanilla ice cream...

• The nuts in the crust can be omitted if you have none. Other nuts, such as almonds, walnuts or macadamia nuts can be used instead of pecans.
• The crust can be made ahead and pressed into the pan a day ahead; it can also be frozen. Bake when needed. Extra crust can be frozen in a tightly sealed container for use at another time.
• No espresso? Use instant coffee, or omit the coffee and add cinnamon to the crust.
• Make sure that the pot you use for melting the chocolate and butter has a heavy bottom. Keep the heat low, and stir often to avoid scorching the chocolate. A double boiler is another option.
• The brownie layer is made in one pan (or bowl) which makes clean up easy.
• To make things easy, measure all the brownie layer ingredients out ahead of time, so you just have to add and whisk when the chocolate and butter are melted.
• Omit the spices from the brownie, and add orange zest instead. Fold in dried cranberries or chocolate chips before baking.
• Be sure that the brownie is not overbaked, or it will be dry. As soon as there is no jiggle in the centre, after about 20 minutes of baking, check it with a skewer.

Peaches and Cream Cinnamon Buns

I seem to see cinnamon buns wherever I go lately, and this has made me want to make some...these were my way of using up a bit of whipping cream, 2 ripe peaches and a bit of coconut milk.

I thought that there was more than 1/4 cup of coconut milk in the fridge; the coconut flavour was a bit lost, to my disappointment, but next time I will use more.

The peaches were a nice addition, a change from the usual raisins. I added some ground ginger to the filling, as peaches and ginger go well together.

Enter the whipping cream...I used it to make the icing, which became rich as well as sweet. I am not a fan of cinnamon buns with cream cheese icing, so this was my compromise.

All in all, these were a success, judging by how quickly they were eaten! I did save a couple for our breakfast the next day though!

In s small pot, heat until the butter melts:

1/4 cup coconut milk
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla


Allow the liquid to cool to just above body temperature before proceeding.

Add the warm liquid to:

2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast

Leave until the yeast starts to bubble and rise to the top, about 5 minutes.

 Add:

2 eggs, whisked
2 cups flour

Mix with the dough hook on a medium speed, adding more flour as needed. You are looking for a slightly sticky dough, that forms into one ball.

Remove the dough from the bowl, onto a floured counter and knead until it is smooth and elastic, and no longer sticky.

Form into a ball and place into a lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.






While the dough is rising, prepare the filling...

In a small bowl, combine:

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soft butter
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Mix until well combined, and fluffy. Set aside until needed.

When the dough has doubled in size, it is time to roll it out.

Place it onto a lightly floured counter and give it a quick knead. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes, lightly covered.

Roll the dough out to a rectangle that is approximately 12" X 18".

If the dough resists, or springs back, cover it and leave it to rest for 5 minutes before continuing.

Spread the spiced butter filling over the rectangle of dough.

 Sprinkle:

2 peeled and diced peaches

Gently press the peaches into the butter.





Starting at the long end, roll the dough up, jelly roll style, until you have a log of dough. Cut the log into 12 even sized pieces.

Place the cut dough spirals into a greased 9" X 13" pan, cover lightly and leave to rise...

...until doubled in size, about an hour.

Bake at 350F until puffed and golden, about 30 - 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes.

Flip the pan over onto a cooling rack, and leave the cinnamon buns to cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, combine:

1 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon whipping cream
2 drops of vanilla

Mix until combined, adding whipping cream as needed to achieve the desired consistency.

I kept mine thicker and spreadable, but you can make it thinner and drizzle it over the buns if you wish.

Spread, or drizzle, the icing over the cooled buns.

I left some without icing for those who prefer them that way.





Now all that's left to do is dig into these soft, fruity, spicy and oh-so-delicious cinnamon buns!!! Did someone say "Coffee break?!"

• So, adding fruit to cinnamon buns does not technically make them healthier, but we can pretend it does....try plums, apricots, apples, pears, blueberries. This time of year gives us so many choices.
• These can be made with dried fruit...raisins, chopped apricots, figs, cranberries or cherries.
• Add nuts to the filling for crunch. I like to use pecans, but any nut can be used.
• Make the dough the day before and leave it to rise slowly in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature before proceeding. Another option is to roll the dough out, add the filling and roll it up. Place the cut rounds into the pan and then cover and refrigerate overnight. The buns will rise slowly in the cold and can be baked the following day. Allow them to warm up before baking, or be sure to add extra baking time.
• Spices...I used cinnamon and ginger. Other options are aniseed, nutmeg, star anise or even grated fresh ginger.

Baked Chicken with Prosciutto, Shallots and Grapes

A small piece of blue cheese, some fresh green beans, 2 shallots and some red grapes, as well as a day of cooler weather gave us this meal. The chicken was full of flavours and textures...fresh thyme and garlic on the inside; salty, crispy prosciutto on the outside; sweet, juicy grapes and tender caramelized shallots; a pan sauce that was based on red wine, along with the salt from the prosciutto and the sweet grape juice, and all the chicken juices.

Add into the equation crisp green beans  and soft, creamy polenta with sharp, tangy blue cheese melting into it. This meal was better than I hoped for, especially as it was only the second time I've roasted grapes (see the post Quinoa Salad with Roasted Grapes and Spiced Honey Roasted Almonds), which my husband thinks is weird. It's not really that different to raisins that are cooked for a while in a liquid and plump up!

Start by heating the oven to 375F and having an ovenproof dish ready.

Rub the inside of the 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs with:

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Drizzle of olive oil

Roll the chicken thighs up as tightly as you can.

Wrap each chicken thigh roll in a thin slice of prosciutto, and skewer with a toothpick. Push the toothpick right through the chicken to hold the roll together.

Set aside while you cook the shallots.

In a bit of olive oil, cook over medium high heat, until starting to caramelize:

2 large shallots, peeled and cut into small wedges
Salt and pepper

Remove to a plate.

Add the wine to the hot pan:

1/3 cup red wine

Allow it to boil, scraping any bits off the bottom of the pan. Reduce by half.

Place the caramelized shallots in the bottom of an ovenproof dish.

Pour the reduced red wine in.

Place the rolled chicken thighs on top of the wine and shallots.

Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove the dish from the oven and add:

3 handfuls of red grapes

Place the dish back into the oven and bake until the chicken is fully cooked, about 25 minutes.



The prosciutto will be crispy on the top, the grapes will be soft and some will have burst. The shallots will be very tender and all of the juices from the wine, grapes and chicken will have combined to make a delicious pan sauce. Allow the chicken to rest while you plate the polenta.

Place a portion of hot, soft polenta in the centre of each dish, and crumble blue cheese over the top.

The polenta recipe can be found in the post

Grilled Herbed Polenta. Serve it straight from the pot while it is still soft.

 

 

Add steamed green beans...

 

...and place the chicken thighs on top. Add some of the grapes and shallots, as well as sauce to the bowl.

• You can use bone in chicken thighs if you prefer, but remove the skin; it will go soggy. Chicken breast can also be used, as can pork or beef tenderloin.
• The chicken can be seasoned, rolled and wrapped up to a day ahead of cooking. Keep it well wrapped and refrigerated.
• Bacon or pancetta can be substituted for the prosciutto.
• Try other herbs such as rosemary or sage.
• The blue cheese can be put inside the chicken before it is rolled and wrapped.
• If you don't have grapes, or also think that roasting them is weird, use figs, plums, peaches or apricots. You can also omit them, but they add a lot of sweetness to the dish and sauce.
• I made the polenta using milk and olive oil, with a handful of Parmesan added in at the end. If you make extra you can use it to grill, as I did in the post Grilled Herbed Polenta.