Mar
Poppy Seed Everything Rolls
Last week I experienced a sort of bread mania. It all started with our trip to Trader Joe’s and a loaf of their incredible Multi-Grain Seed Bread. I buy this bread every time I go to Trader Joe’s- which unfortunately is not very often because the closest one to where I live is 150 miles away! Come on Trader Joe’s, get with it. Us country folks like good food too. I’m not saying that we don’t have some wonderful local bakeries around here, because we do. Lots of them in fact, but none that make this particular bread. Loaded with poppy seeds and topped with a mixture of various seeds like sunflower and flax, this bread is flavorful, crunchy and very addictive. We consumed the entire loaf in oh, about 2 days and even then I couldn’t stop thinking about the poppy seed laced dough with the crispy topping (maybe it’s good we don’t have a TJs close by). Then a thought popped in my head…I’ll make my own. But I will make it whole wheat instead of multi-grain, and I will form the dough into rolls, and I will tie the rolls into a knot shape, and I will sprinkle them with a crunchy super flavorful everything bagel topping, and I will eat them all!. Yes, this is really how my mind works. I progressed from whole wheat to knot shapes to a salty garlic tinged topping all in one delicious burst of inspiration. 
The result? A hearty, chewy roll flecked with tiny poppy seeds and topped with a satisfying crunchy and super flavorful mix of garlic, onion, salt and more seeds. Not a replica of the coveted Trader Joe’s bread, but a pretty satisfying stand in. Now if I could just figure out how to make a version of their Veggie and Flax Seed Tortilla Chips…
Poppy Seed Everything Rolls
adapted from King Arthur Flour
Makes 24 rolls
1 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk (any kind)
2 tablespoons yeast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup poppy seeds
2 cups unbleached white flour
3 cups white whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Everything Topping
3 teaspoons poppy seeds
3 teaspoons sesame seeds
3 teaspoons dried garlic (minced or chopped)
3 teaspoons dried onion (minced or chopped)
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1. In a large bowl, or a bowl fitted to a stand mixer, combine the warm water, milk, and yeast. Whisk well and add the brown sugar and 1 cup of white flour. Mix the flour and sugar into the yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes.
2. In a small bowl combine the salt and poppy seeds with the second cup of white flour. Add to the yeast mixture and mix with a wooden spoon or with the stand mixer on medium-low. Add 3 cups of white whole wheat flour 1 cup at a time until a dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
3. On a well floured surface knead the dough until smooth. Place in a lightly oiled bowl covered with a dish towel or plastic in a warm spot for 1 1/2-2 hours, or until doubled in size.
4. When the dough is done rising punch it down in the middle and cut in half. Place one half back in the bowl and re-cover. Divide the other half of the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll the pieces into a ball and cover with a towel. Working one at a time, roll the balls into snakes about 5 inches long. Tie each snake into a knot a place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.
5. Remove the other half of the dough from the bowl- you may need to punch it down again. Divide it into 12 pieces and using the same procedure as before form them into knots. Cover the knots and let rise in warm spot for about 30 minutes. They will be swollen and not quite doubled in size.
6. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Mix together the topping in a small bowl. In another small bowl melt the unsalted butter. Brush the knots generously with the melted butter and sprinkle with the everything topping. Transfer the rolls to a baking sheet lined with a clean piece of parchment. Bake for 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway if they are on different levels in the oven. The tops will be golden brown and the seasoning will be lightly toasted.
Feb
Carrot Muffins with Meyer Lemon Glaze
Sometimes I’m late to the party. No, not fashionably late. You know, the kind of late where you show up two hours after the party begins just so you can make a grand entrance. That’s not me. First off I’m not at all fashionable, and second I find the idea of making a grand entrance kind of terrifying. I’m also not the party started 30 minutes ago and I’m still in the shower kind of late. In fact, I’m a bit of stickler for timeliness and become riddled with anxiety anytime I’m running behind. I’m still late for the party though. I’m late for the party because I just discovered my love for kale this winter. Because I waited so long to make a recipe using blood oranges that now they’re out of season, and because this week I used Meyer lemons for the first time EVER. Yup that’s right, the party I’m late for is the food trend party and I’m pretty sure the party van just left without me. 
I’ve been seeing these sunny yellow lemons all over the Internet for the past month. Meyer lemon cake, Meyer lemon donuts, Meyer lemon ice cream, Meyer lemon martinis…I could go on and on. I began to wonder what was so special about these smooth skinned, egg yolk colored lemons. According to a fascinating story on NPR. Meyer lemons have a sweeter, less acidic flavor then regular lemons (which makes them perfect for desserts but not so perfect for when you want acidity like in sauces and soups). They also are known for their soft, thin skin and high volume of juice. The season for Meyer lemons begins in November and extends into March. Since their thin skin makes them difficult to ship they can be hard to find if you live far from areas where they are grown. Here in northern New England we’re about as far away from a citrus growing climate as you can get. Luckily though, my local grocery store pretty much rocks when it comes to stocking hard to find items and earlier this week I spotted these beauties in the citrus section. It was sign for sure. I was like my personal invitation to attend the exclusive food trend party. This time I would not be late.
The only thing left to decide- what to make for this fabulous party. I wanted something that would compliment the sweetness of the lemon without over whelming it. I also wanted something healthy that I wouldn’t feel bad about eating after the pig out I had on Valentine’s Day treats. So I chose…carrots. I warned you I wasn’t very fashionable. While everyone else is making the equivalent of an evening gown with their Meyer Lemons I went with my old reliable overalls. But they’re soo comfy. Seriously though- carrot muffins made with wheat germ and brown rice syrup may not sound very sexy, but when you bite down into that moist muffin studded with bits of carrots and dripping with sweet lemon syrup you will thank me for choosing comfort over style. 
I incorporated Meyer lemon in this muffin two ways. First I added some of the fragrant zest to the muffin batter.
Second, I made a simple glaze to drizzle over the top of the muffins. It includes just two ingredients- lemon juice and honey.
This is a fairly thin glaze that you pour over the still warm muffins. The glaze soaks down into the muffin and gives it an extra kick of lemony sweetness. 
Looks like I made it to the party just in time. 
Carrot Muffins with Meyer Lemon Glaze
Makes 12 muffins
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup white flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
1/2 cup virgin coconut oil, melted *
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk (regular, skim, soy, rice)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of 1 Meyer lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
2 cups carrots, grated (from ~4 carrots)
Juice of 1 Meyer lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoon honey
* I did not find that the coconut oil gave these muffins a coconut flavor, but if you have a strong aversion to coconut and don’t wish to risk it you may want to substitute canola oil
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper or foil liners.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients- whole wheat flour through cinnamon. In a medium bowl mix together the eggs, brown sugar and brown rice syrup. Add the melted coconut oil, vanilla and lemon zest and mix until well combined. Slowly add the milk and mix until just incorporated. Fold in the grated carrots.
3. Divide the batter among the muffin tins and bake for 25 to 28 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted comes out clean.
4. Make the glaze: Combine the lemon juice and honey in a small bowl and stir to combine.
5. Drizzle the glaze over the still warm muffins. This glaze is very thin and will run down the sides of the muffin. Slowly pour just a scant teaspoon of the glaze over each muffin and it will soak into the top.
Dec
Cranberry-Pear Mini Loaves
This bread is amazing. In fact, this bread is so amazing that I guarantee two things will happen when you make it. First, you will consume an entire loaf… by yourself. Second, you will need to make another batch because you just consumed an entire loaf. My advice to you- make two batches from the start. Or better yet, make one batch of mini loaves to give away and one large loaf to devour nibble on yourself. Go ahead, it’s the holidays, you deserve it. 
All joking aside, eating a whole loaf of this bread really isn’t the end of the world. Why? Because it’s actually pretty healthy. The recipe is based on Cranberry-Nut Mini Loaves with Flax from Liv Life (remember the ones I dropped on the floor). It includes healthy ingredients such as ground flax seed and whole wheat flour. It also has a minimal amount of oil and very little sugar. While the original recipe was pretty tasty I’ve been inspired lately by recipes that combine cranberries and pears. When I saw a recipe for Pear Cranberry Walnut Bread from Tracy at Shutterbean I just knew I had to make something like it. In the end I made a sort of hybrid version of the two recipes, and if I do say so myself- it was delicious!
Cranberries and pears hanging out together
The cranberries get chopped
The pears get grated- messy, messy
Combine the dry ingredients. Fresh Nutmeg rules!
Wet ingredients in another bowl. Don’t forget the pear.
Wet and dry ingredients combine
Fold in the cranberries
Into the mini loaf pans and pop in the oven
Good enough to eat!
Cranberry-Pear Mini Loaves
Inspired by Liv Life and Shutterbean
Makes: 3 mini loaves (3×6-inch pans with a 2 cup capacity)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 pears, grated
1 1/2 cups cranberries, chopped
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat 3 mini loaf pans with cooking spray.
2. In a food processor, pulse the cranberries a few times until they are roughly chopped. Set aside. Grate the pears using the fine side of the grater. This is a messy process, so it’s probably best to do it over a bowl. Set this aside as well.
3. In a large bowl whisk together the flours, ground flax, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
4. In a small bowl combine the egg, brown sugar, canola oil, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix in the grated pear.
5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Stir well to combine. Fold in the chopped cranberries.
6. Divide evenly among the loaf pans and bake for 35 minutes, or until a wooden tester comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack at least 15 minutes before slicing.
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