Around the Farm

Thank you everyone for all of the lovely birthday wishes that you sent my way earlier this week :)

We still don't have a drop of snow even though it has tried the last couple of days with the constant grey and drizzle but it looks like we just might be in for a green Christmas! Not that I mind terribly as it makes winter driving much nicer but I know the children are longing for it and just itching to try out their new snow gloves that we just bought. We've got all the appropriate gear now and nowhere to wear it *grin*.

Despite the wet weather we have ventured outdoors to say hello to our baby. Well actually he's really not a baby anymore but he likes to think he is especially with all the ruckus he makes if we don't pay enough attention to him when we're nearby :)

The children collected a good pile of cedar boughs, laurel bush and this lovely cotoneaster for our mantle and it looks and smells so festive in our family room now with it above the fireplace. I've tried numerous times to get a good photo to share with you but it has been so dark and grey that my photos just look terrible so hopefully the sun shows up soon so I can get a good shot *grin*.

We ventured up the mountain behind my mom's house to the look out...

and even spotted a few mushrooms that are still thriving beneath the cedar trees.

I've had a little sack of Kamut grains in the cupboard that my mom had given to me and they have just been waiting to be used in the perfect recipe and yesterday I finally found one! Tasha at Clean Eating Mama shared the most delicious recipe for little Kamut/walnut thumbprint cookies and oh my word they are SO good *grin*. Luckily I had all of the ingredients on hand and we whipped up a double batch so we would have plenty to share on Christmas eve :)

My nutrimill made a beautiful fine flour from the Kamut and it truly is a caramel color when it comes out like she notes in her recipe and such a wonderful flavor. Now I'm going to have to see what else I can make with it! If you have a tried and true Kamut recipe or one you've been eyeing up I'd love to know about it :)

Hugs,
Rosina

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Flax Bread ~ Recipe

The cold and darker days of winter make me want to bake and cook up a storm! I love to create yummy homemade food for my family but it's also a great way to help keep the main floor of our house nice and toasty with the extra heat coming from the oven :) So when I ran across a new recipe for a pumpkin flax loaf of bread I just had to give it a try using some of the pumpkin I canned in the fall.

The recipe does take a bit of preparation as it requires a sponge but trust me it only takes a minute or two to prepare it!

In a glass bowl mix:

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour from freshly ground hard wheat berries

3/4 cup of lukewarm water

1/4 tsp yeast

Mix it all together well, cover and let sit on your counter top over night at least 12 hours. In the morning you will find that it has grown and bubbled in the bowl.

***If you are using home canned pumpkin like I am you will also want to place it in a strainer and into the fridge over a bowl so that any excess liquid can drip out of it overnight before using it in your bread in the morning :)

Now that your sponge has sat overnight and is nice and bubbly it's time to start making your bread!

You will now need:

2 1/2 - 3 cups whole wheat flour from freshly ground hard wheat berries
3/4 cup all purpose white flour (provides gluten for a good rise)
1 cup mashed pumpkin
1 tsp. yeast
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
2 Tbsp. flax seeds

Mix your pumpkin, water, ground flax, whole flax seeds and yeast into your sponge and stir until it is nice and smooth. Stir in your white flour and half of your whole wheat and again mix until smooth. Continue to add the remainder of your whole wheat flour a little at a time until you have incorporated all of it. It makes quite a sticky dough and I found that I needed to use the entire amount of flour.

A little tip for working with a dough that is a little bit on the sticky side like this one is to rub a little bit of oil onto your counter top where you will be kneading your bread and onto your hands so that you can knead it for the 8 minutes without having to add any extra flour which can make your finished bread dry.

Once you have finished kneading your dough, cover it with a cloth and allow it to rise until doubled. Roughly an hour.

Now that your dough has completed its first rise, punch it down to release the gas inside the dough and divide it into two equal pieces. Shape your dough into two nice balls and place on a baking stone or parchment covered baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover your dough again with a cloth and let them rise until doubled again.

Once your loaves have finished their final rise you can create a pretty top to your bread with flax seeds by beating an egg white until it is frothy and brushing it gently all over the top of your loaves. Your flax seeds will now stick to your dough. You can also use a sharp knife and gently slice an X onto the top of each loaf which will create a nice look as it bakes as well :)

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 30 minutes or until they sound hollow when tapped on their bottom side.

Oh my goodness is this bread delicious!!!
It is so nice and soft and if you are worried about it having a pumpkiny taste it doesn't at all. It was a huge hit with the kids so I know this is going to become a family favorite. Now I only wish that I had more of my canned pumpkin as this is really going to eat through my stash *grin*. Guess we're going to have to make sure we grow a whole bunch this year!

This recipe was adapted from this Harvest Squash Bread recipe using regular whole wheat flour and roasted acorn squash so you can definitely make this recipe even if you don't grind your own flour! Also if you don't have an acorn squash substitute in what you do have on hand. Sometimes the best breads come from those you change *grin*

Happy Baking!
Rosina

PS. Looking for more yummy recipes?? Check out this week's Hearth and Soul blog hop :)

Great Granola ~ Recipe

We love granola!
I don't think any of us can ever quite get enough of it *grin*. I'm forever making it and it is delicious served with a splash of milk, topped with a tablespoon of plain yogurt and some fruit. I found some blueberries in the freezer so that was what we used today but bananas, apples, raisins and more make great tasty toppings for your granola breakfast bowl :)

I had to replenish our supply today and I thought that you might like to have a peak at my recipe and perhaps whip up a lip smacking batch for your family :)

This is for quite a large batch but you can definitely half the recipe!
You will need:

8 cups rolled oats
4 cups barley flakes
2 cups unsweetened coconut
2 cups raw sunflower seeds
2 cups raw chopped nuts (I used almonds & pecans)
1 cup raw sesame seeds

Mix all of the above ingredients, preferably all organic, in a very large bowl.

On the stove top warm:

1/2 cup of raw honey
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of sucanat or brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Just heat the pot until the honey melts enough to easily mix all of the ingredients into a thick syrupy sauce. It doesn't have to be really hot and this is important because you will probably need to use your hands to mix everything together. I find that using a wooden spoon just doesn't cut it :)

Once you have everything mixed together spread it onto 2 or 3 cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and pop it into an oven that has been pre-heated to 300* Fahrenheit.

Pop one of the trays into the oven and cook for 1o minutes then pull it out and flip all of the granola around on the cookie sheet so that the bottom is now the top and put it back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Keep repeating this for about 30 minutes for each tray or a bit longer if needed until each batch is a nice golden brown :)

Let it cool completely before storing in a large glass jar. I love to use 1 gallon pickle jars and you can usually pick them up for free or less than a buck at any restaurant or diner as they usually buy all of their pickles, mayo & relish in them and they make awesome storage jars in the pantry for rice, noodles, granola, baking supplies or whatever you like. Plus they are a great alternative to plastic!

Have fun making a batch and get creative with the ingredients. If there is something on my list that you absolutely hate sub in something you like. I promise you won't hurt my feelings if you don't like coconut *grin*.

~ Rosina