Sourdough Waffles

These were very good.  Just remember to start the night before.  No buttermilk?  Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice to a 2-cup measuring cup, then add milk (regular or non-dairy) to measure two cups.  Let sit for about 5 minutes, stir, then proceed.

Overnight sponge

2 C (240g) All-Purpose Flour

1 C (227g) sourdough starter, unfed/discard

2 T (28g) granulated sugar

        2 t vanilla

2 C (454g) buttermilk

Batter

all of the overnight sponge

2 large eggs

1/4 C (50g) veg. oil or 4 T (57g) butter, melted

3/4 t salt

1 t baking soda

To make the overnight sponge: Stir down your refrigerated starter, and remove 1 cup (227g).

In a large bowl, stir together the 1 cup (227g) unfed starter, flour, sugar, vanilla, and buttermilk.  Cover and let rest at cool room temperature (about 65°F to 70°F) for about 12 hours, or overnight.

To make the batter: In a small bowl or mixing cup, beat together the eggs, and oil or butter. Add to the overnight sponge, stirring just to combine.

Add the salt and baking soda, stirring to combine. The batter will expand and may bubble a bit.

Pour the batter onto your preheated, greased waffle iron, and bake according to the manufacturer's instructions. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Serve waffles immediately, with your favorite toppings; or hold in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Storage instructions: Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for a day or two; freeze for longer storage.

KAB Sourdough Waffles

Sunny Lemon Muffins

 These are like eating lemon meringue pie in muffin form.  

2 lemons (1 Tbsp grated rind, 3 Tbsp juice)

1 C flour ½ C butter

1 tsp baking powder ½ C sugar

¼ tsp salt 2 eggs, separated

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.  

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add egg yolks, one at a time, and beat after each addition.

Add flour mixture alternately with lemon juice.  Do NOT over mix.  Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry.  Fold with grated rind into batter.

Fill greased muffin tins ¾ full.  Combine 2 Tbsp sugar and ¼ tsp cinnamon and sprinkle over muffins.

Bake at 375∞ for 25 minutes or until lightly golden in color.  Serve hot.           

Makes about 10

Jenn’s Potato Casserole

Jenn described this delicious recipe.  It just sounded so good!  I’ve changed it from a rich dinner side dish to a breakfast casserole with the addition of the sausage and chiles.

4-6 C shredded cooked potatoes (or use Simply Potatoes in refrig. section or make your own)*

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1-2 C sour cream

2 C shredded cheddar cheese

1 4 oz can chopped chiles-optional

1 package cooked sausage-optional (That Jimmy Dean stuff!) or diced ham

 **2 C crushed corn flakes mixed with 1/4 C melted butter

         Mix altogether, except corn flakes and melted butter.  Put into a greased 9 x 13” baking dish.  Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.  **Add topping and bake 10-15 more minutes.

*Of course it can be made with boiled shredded potatoes.  Cook until very soft and it becomes a very creamy dish.  It can be served as a side dish for an elegant dinner-- without the sausage and chiles.

Fukunaga French Toast

Many of the recipes that have become favorites come from Sunset.  This one is from their Breakfast and Brunch Cookbook. It’s a splurge of calories, but once in awhile, go for it!  Serve with sausage and syrup.

1 loaf sourdough bread, sliced 1” thick

½ C flour                                  6 eggs

2 Tbsp sugar                            1 ½ C milk

½ tsp cinnamon                         salad oil for cooking

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

            Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl or 9 x 13” pan.  In another bowl, beat eggs and mix in milk.  Whisk into dry ingredients.  Add bread slices and soak until completely saturated.

            In a wide frying pan over medium low heat, add about ¼ inch of oil. When oil is hot, add a few slices at a time.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until browned and slightly puffy; turn and brown other side. Drain on paper towels; keep warm.  Repeat until all slices have been cooked.  

Strawberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

       Unlike most scones, these are tender and moist.  The fresh strawberries make these a special breakfast treat.  To enjoy these year round, or when I have extra strawberries (or other berries)  I cut them up into a 1/4" dice and freeze them in 1 cup portions.  Take out of the freezer so they thaw just enough to break them apart before adding to the dough.

       This is a combination of two recipes; the ingredients are mostly from King Arthur's Flour, and the directions are mostly from America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book (pp. 34-5), with adjustments of my own.  Flour is best measured on a scale.  A loosely packed cup can weigh less than 4 ounces, but a heavily packed cup could equal 5 ounces.

1 cup strawberries, cut into 1/4" pieces, place on a plate and freeze.

2 cups all-purpose flour (240 g)                             

¼ cup granulated sugar                               

2 teaspoons baking powder                         

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel 

½ cup cold butter, (freeze, then grate most of it into flour)

¾ cup buttermilk 

1 large egg

Glaze: 

6 tablespoons powdered sugar

4 teaspoons lemon juice

1.    Preheat oven to 400°.  Place a piece of parchment on a baking sheet.  Place berries on a plate then place in the freezer while you prepare rest of the dough.

2.   Before your hands are covered with dough, get a plate and sprinkle with flour.  (You will need this in step 7.)

3.   In a bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest to blend. Add frozen butter, (grate until you barely have enough to hold) and toss with fingers until thoroughly coated.

4.    In a small bowl, whisk buttermilk and egg to blend. Add to flour mixture just until combined; do not overmix.

5.   Turn dough onto a floured surface and, with well-floured hands, knead gently 6-8 times until it just holds together.  Add a little more flour as needed to prevent sticking.

6.   Roll dough out into a 12” square.  Fold 1/3 toward center, then fold other end over to form a long rectangle.  Now fold 1/3 toward center with each side until you have a 4” square.

7.   Place on a floured plate and put into freezer for 5 minutes.  Do not overchill or let freeze.

8.   Remove from freezer and put onto lightly-floured board.  Roll into a 12” square again.  Spread berries evenly onto the square, leaving about 1” space at the end closest to you.  (If berries are not very sweet, sprinkle with sugar.)

9.   Roll into a tight log, sealing the ends, and place with the seam side on the bottom.  Press into a 12x4” or 15x3” rectangle.  Using a sharp, floured knife, cut into 4 or 5 rectangles.  Cut each of the rectangles on the diagonal into 2 triangles.

10. Place on baking sheet. 

11. Bake scones until tops are lightly browned, 18 to 25 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let cool about 10 minutes on baking sheet.

12.Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle glaze over warm scones. Serve scones warm or let cool completely.

Yield:  Makes 8-10 scones  

* blueberries  or raspberries, [break apart raspberries after freezing]

*No berries?  Use frozen or ½ cup dried cranberries and ½ cup chopped nuts instead.

To make up to 24 hours ahead, stop at step 7.  Instead of placing in freezer, cover and place in refrigerator until ready to continue, then proceed to step 8.  If you continue, the frozen berries will bleed out.   It is better to add just before baking.)

To make up to one month ahead, complete through step 9, then freeze on a tray. Transfer to a freezer bag.  Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes. 

Berry Dutch Babies

I first found A Feast for the Eyes when I was looking for other uses for the olallieberries I had just picked in Watsonville, probably about 15 pounds worth.  Some was made into jam, but the rest was frozen to be used throughout the year.  Debby, who lives somewhere in this area, has her own bushes, so she has some great recipes for them.  This is one of them.  A great breakfast treat!

• 2 C olallieberries (substitute berries of your choice) 
• sugar to sweeten berries, as needed
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• ½ cup milk (I used soymilk)
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoons butter
• Lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450F and place rack in center of oven.

For the berries: Taste the berries for tartness. Add sugar, to taste, until the level of sweetness that you desire is achieved.  Allow the berries to sweeten while preparing the batter.

In a blender, process together eggs, milk, flour and vanilla until smooth.  Or use a bowl and whisk.

Melt butter in a 10-inch cast iron or other ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Spread the berries, in the pan, and allow to cook for 1 minute or two, and remove from heat.

Evenly pour the batter over the berries, and bake for 15 minutes or until mixture puffs up and turns golden brown around edges.

Remove from oven and cut into wedges. Sprinkle with lemon juice or serve with maple syrup.

Read more: http://foodiewife-kitchen.blogspot.com/2013/06/olallieberry-dutch-baby.html#ixzz304BTpYkF Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

Awesome Cinnamon Toast

Cinnamon toast on sourdough

Updated: September 9, 2013
This is another recipe from Debby at A Feast for the Eyes.  This one is a feast for the mouth! Who knew cinnamon toast could taste this good!

Make it on good sourdough, if you can get some, as pictured.

My husband does not usually make much of a comment about what I cook.  He had already had breakfast when I made this cinnamon toast, but he had a slice that was sitting on the stove.  He came in and told me it was good!  That's how good it is!  Give it a try.

Mix up the dry ingredients the night before.  Leave the butter out and mix it into the dry ingredients in the morning.  The soft mixture makes it very easy to spread.

½ cup sugar 

1½ teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)

1 stick butter, softened (leave out overnight )

8 slices bread or more (really good on sourdough, sliced about 3/4 inch thick)

Mix together the dry ingredients.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Add the softened butter, then spread on the bread rather thickly, all the way to the very edge.  Place on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes, then put under broiler for about 2 minutes until bubbly.  Watch carefully so it doesn't burn.

Put any leftover butter in a jar and keep in the fridge until you want some again.  If you think about it, take it out so it can soften.

original cinnamon toast link

Special Day Waffles

These can be "special day" waffles or you can make them to be "everyday" by varying the amount of a few ingredients.  I like this recipe because you don't need to whip the egg whites, as most waffle recipes call for. * Use the greater amount for Special Day, and the lesser amount for everyday.  Or something in between.  This is another recipe that I've been making for over 40 years.

2 C sifted flour                              2 C buttermilk or sour milk (see note below)
1 Tbsp baking powder                   *2-4 eggs
1 tsp baking soda                          *1/2-1 C melted butter, or salad oil     
1 tsp salt 

Start heating waffle iron as directed.  Melt butter and set aside to cool slightly, if using.

Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl.  Combine buttermilk and eggs in another bowl, then add to the flour.  Beat with a mixer on medium to high until smooth; stir in butter or oil.

When waffle iron is ready to use, pour batter into center of lower half until it spreads about 1" from edges.  Bring cover down gently.  Cook as directed. 

Makes about 10 6" round waffles.

 Note: To make sour milk, add 2 Tbsp vinegar to measuring cup.  Add milk and stir.  Let sit a few minutes before using.

Recipe from : Good Housekeeping Cookbook, 1963

Candied Bacon

I really enjoy bacon, although now, I shouldn't eat so much.  Talk about tasty bacon!  Try this the next time you want to wow some guests. 

This was done in a frying pan, but for a crowd, it is easier to do in the oven.

* In the oven:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line a half-sheet pan with heavy duty foil to facilitate easier clean up of the pan.  Then put a cooling rack on the foil.  Lay out the bacon strips on the rack.  They can be next to each other, but should not overlap.  Then sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of brown sugar on each slice--or enough to cover most of the slice.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, then remove from the oven.

Turn each slice over and sprinkle with more brown sugar.  At this point, you can turn your oven down to 350, if desired.  Bake until done.  Watch carefully as it can burn easily with all that sugar.  If not done in another 5-10 minutes, you may want to turn again, but you don't need to add more sugar.

On the stove:  Lay bacon in cold NON-STICK pan.  Sprinkle with some brown sugar.  Cook until it starts to brown.  Turn over and sprinkle on more brown sugar.  Drain oil as it accumulates.  Turn as needed.  Cook until done to the crispness you desire.  (Do not try to drain on paper towel, as it will stick to the paper.)

* From  A Feast for the Eyes  The main recipe is about Olallieberry pancakes, but the recipe for candied bacon is here as well.  Thanks, Debbie!

Mom's Granola

The original recipe for this came from Tom's Mom.  Keep what you like; take out what you don't.  Increase the amount of one thing, but decrease something else to keep the proportions about the same.

3 C oatmeal                      300 g                   

½ C sliced almonds          50 g
1 C chopped nuts               75 g

½ C coconut                         50 g              

¼ C sesame seeds*                             

1/4 C wheat germ*            30 g   + 10 g ground flax

  
2 tsp cinnamon

½  tsp nutmeg             

Liquids 

1/3 C oil      
2 Tbsp grated orange/lemon rind ++

¼-½ C honey/maple syrup #  (depends on how sweet you want it)    

½ Tbsp molasses   

1 tsp vanilla extract   

½ tsp almond extract (optional)
       

To add after baking:  
1-2 C dried fruit such as cranberries, chopped dried pears, etc.

* Can be toasted at 350 for about 10 minutes. Stir so it won’t burn.  (Don’t brown too much because it will roast more as it bakes.)  Then turn oven down to 300 degrees.

++ Really adds a nice touch of brightening up the flavor
#  Can use any sweetener as part of this amount.

Combine dry ingredients.  Mix liquids and heat in microwave for 20-30 seconds if necessary.  Add to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Line 1 large (13x17)  or two (9x13) pans with foil and spray with oil.  Spread out in pan(s).  Bake for 30-40- minutes, stirring several times.  It will continue to brown slightly after removal from oven.

Cool and mix in dried fruit, if desired.  Makes about 6-7 cups.

Keeps several months in a tightly closed container or keep in freezer.