Wednesday, April 18, 2018

"To Train Up a Child" negative book review

Michael Pearl is the author of the parenting book, "To Train Up a Child". I have repeatedly been asked to give my thoughts on the book. Here is my review of it.




It is not possible to give a full review of this book without also doing a review of its author. There are just too many weird and creepy things about Michael Pearl to ignore the 'red flags.' Here is my video giving more insight into his personality.





Monday, April 16, 2018

Giveaway winners drawn and announced

Thank you to all who participated. Congratulations to the winners! Please leave me a comment with your address.


Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Recipe for chocolate-chip orange scones (using einkorn)


This recipe is a sweet adaptation of my biscuit recipe. It is for chocolate-chip orange scones, but you can change your mix-ins for different flavors.

Chocolate Chip Orange Scones
 


yields: 8 large scones
prep time: 10 mins
bake time: 12-15 mins

 Ingredients:

for the scones:
3 cups all-purpose einkorn flour (works with regular flour, too)
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
zest of 1 orange
1 tsp salt
4 1/2 tbsp (58 g) palm shortening, or cold butter cut into small pieces
3 tbsp (45 g) sour cream
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/8 tsp orange extract - optional
approx. 1 1/4 cup whole milk


for the glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed



Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare a large baking sheet.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, orange zest, salt, shortening/butter, and sour cream until the mixture looks crumbly. Add the chocolate chips and orange extract and stir briefly to incorporate evenly.

3. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly start pouring milk into the mixing bowl until the dough comes together and sticks to the paddle in a large clump. The dough should be damp and tacky to the touch, but not runny. Tip: Allow the dough to rest in the bowl for a minute, then check again to make sure it's not too dry. Einkorn is slow to absorb liquids and fats, and you may find that you need to add more milk to get the right consistency after the dough has had a chance to 'rest.' It is impossible to give an exact amount of milk as that will depend on several factors, such as how tightly you packed the flour, how soft your butter/shortening is, the humidity, etc.

4. Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a large surface generously covered in flour. Gently roll or pat the dough into a large circle of about 1" thickness. The top of the dough should be sprinkled with enough flour to no longer be tacky when worked with.

5. At this point, to get fluffy, moist scones, it is critical to layer the dough by 'folding and turning.' Simply fold the circle of dough in half, and pat into a circle of 1" thickness a second time. You may need to add more flour under and on top of the dough to keep it from sticking, but be careful not to add more flour than necessary or the scones will become too dry.

6. Repeat the fold and turn, then pat the dough into a circle of 1" thickness a third time. With a large knife, cut the circle into 8 equal size wedges. Place wedges on the baking sheet, being careful not to overcrowd them.

7. Bake about 12-15 mins, until the scones are just starting to turn golden. Move to a cooling rack.

8. While the scones are baking, make the glaze by stirring together the powdered sugar and orange juice concentrate. Drizzle the scones with the orange glaze. Enjoy!

Other flavor options: The possibilities are endless. Here are some suggestions:



Lemon Blueberry: Use 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries in place of the chocolate chips. Replace orange zest with lemon zest. Make glaze from powdered sugar plus lemon juice or lemon extract.



Strawberry: Use 1 cup fresh strawberries, diced, in place of the chocolate chips. Add 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract. Replace orange zest with lemon zest. No glaze necessary.


Maple Pecan: Use 1/2 cup chopped pecans in place of the chocolate chips. Omit orange zest. Add 1/2 tbsp maple or vanilla extract. Make glaze from powdered sugar and maple syrup.

 (To print this recipe, please click on the green "Print" button below. You can highlight sections of this post to delete from the page before printing. If you do not see the green "Print" button, click on the title of this blog post to bring it up in its own window.)


 Here is a video of me making these scones:





If you are new to baking with einkorn, or thinking of making the switch, I highly recommend the Jovial Foods Einkorn cookbook.

 
 available on Amazon



Monday, April 9, 2018

Ancient vs. modern wheat giveaway


Over two years ago, I switched our family away from all modern wheat, and went to using all einkorn flour instead. Even though we had been eating virtually 100% organic food for years by this point, which does not allow the use of GMO products, I did not realize that all wheat since approximately the mid-1800s had been hybridized and cross-bred in a form of crude genetic engineering that farmers have always practiced.

Grasses (grains) are unique in that both parent plants pass down a full set of chromosomes, which then add and 'stack up'. The original grains had 14 DNA strands. By combining two of these, the offspring plant now had 28 genes. When that was cross-bred with a third grain, we arrived at wheat with 42 chromosomes by the middle of the 19th century. Along with this genetic load came a plethora of genetic information, which by some is believed to be behind the wide-spread wheat and gluten intolerance we see today.


Einkorn is one of the original, 14-chromosome grains. Even though it contains a higher percentage of gluten than modern wheat does, the gluten is far less complex, and thus widely tolerated even by those who are gluten sensitive.

In our family, Isaac and Becca were struggling with seasonal asthma, and I would get it during pregnancy. I was also having skin issues from wheat such as itchy rashes on my arms and patches on my scalp. I did not have asthma at all with my most recent pregnancy, and we made it through the allergy season (Jan - March) that had in previous years always triggered severe asthma in both Isaac and Becca with close monitoring, but no incidents requiring a doctor's visit for either of them.

We still eat modern wheat when we go out to eat (like pizza), so it's not like we are 100% purist about it. At home, we use only einkorn. I bake all of our bread, and buy pasta and crackers ready from Jovial Foods. If it is not made with einkorn, I don't bring it into the house. But we are lax about it for eating out since none of us are actually acutely intolerant of modern wheat, it's just a way to preempt future gut and allergy issues.

I learned much of the information about modern wheat from a popular book called "Wheat Belly." It's a highly informative and easy read. I recommend it to anyone who is dealing with digestive issues, food allergies/intolerances, or wants to preempt these. Virtually all libraries have a copy of it, many even as an electronic or audio book. 

Wheat Belly does not promote einkorn, but rather only mentions it in passing. The book advocates for going grain free altogether, a step that I am not willing to take unless there were serious health concerns that demanded we cut out all grain. By eliminating modern wheat (which makes up the lion's share of all grain consumed by the average American), we prevent the digestive issues caused by modern wheat that would eventually force us to go grain-free.

Learning to bake with einkorn was rough. I consider myself an experienced cook/baker, but it took me a good two months before I was turning out bread that could be eaten rather than being good only for breadcrumbs. Einkorn is difficult to work with because the gluten is relatively weak - breads rise beautifully, only to collapse once the baking starts. The Jovial Foods einkorn cookbook is a true gem and sanity saver.

Recipes using no or quick leaven (like baking powder and baking soda) pretty much translate 1:1 for substituting all-purpose flour with einkorn, though ones that contain high amounts of fat (think: pie crusts, biscuits) are still tricky to work with because einkorn is slow to absorb fats. I haven't had much time to share most of my einkorn recipes on the blog, but there are some, such as a video tutorial for making einkorn sourdough, a recipe for biscuits, and a recipe for quick sandwich loaves.




And now for the giveaway: I am giving away

1. a new copy of "Wheat Belly", and

2. a new in the package bread proofing basket set that is used for the sourdough bread mentioned above.

These items will go to two separate people. To enter, simply leave a comment below. In the comment, please specify whether you would like item 1 or item 2, so I know which "hat" to throw your name into. Please do not say "both" just to get your name entered twice ;)

However, if you share this post through social media, you can leave a second comment for a second entry, and pick a different item than in your first comment. If you subscribe to my YouTube channel, you can comment for a third entry.



Entries accepted through midnight on Sunday, April 15th, 2018. Winner will be announced in a follow-up post here in the blog, so please check back.


If you are new to baking with einkorn, or thinking of making the switch, I highly recommend the Jovial Foods Einkorn cookbook.

 
 available on Amazon

Friday, April 6, 2018

Recipe for einkorn biscuits (or shortcake)


A great biscuit recipe is elusive enough, let alone one that works well with einkorn. And by great, I mean a biscuit that does not crumble to sawdust, or fails to rise to beautiful, fluffy height. 

Einkorn is a wonderful flour to work with in some aspects. It is silky smooth, has a golden hue that comes out even more with baking, and is tolerated well by many who are otherwise gluten sensitive. 

The downside is that it is tricky to work with in recipes that use yeast/sourdough, or that contain high amounts of fat. This latter includes biscuits.

If you are new to baking with einkorn, or thinking of making the switch, I highly recommend the Jovial Foods Einkorn cookbook.

 
 available on Amazon


After much trial and error, I feel I have perfected my biscuit recipe using einkorn. This recipe makes 7 large biscuits. Multiply the recipe as needed - I always triple it for our large family.


Recipe for einkorn biscuits (or shortcake)

These are much bigger than they look, about 2" tall and 4" in diameter


yields: 7 large biscuits
prep time: 10 mins
bake time: 12-15 mins

 Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose einkorn flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp (39 g) palm shortening, or cold butter cut into small pieces
2 tbsp (30 g) sour cream
1 to 2 cups whole milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare a large baking sheet or cast iron griddle.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, shortening/butter, and sour cream until the mixture looks crumbly.

3. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly start pouring milk into the mixing bowl until the dough comes together and sticks to the paddle in a large clump. The dough should be damp and tacky to the touch, but not runny. Tip: Allow the dough to rest in the bowl for a minute, then check again to make sure it's not too dry. Einkorn is slow to absorb liquids and fats, and you may find that you need to add more milk to get the right consistency after the dough has had a chance to 'rest.' It is impossible to give an exact amount of milk as that will depend on several factors, such as how tightly you packed the flour, how soft your butter/shortening is, the humidity, etc.

4. Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a large surface generously covered in flour. Gently roll or pat the dough to about 1" thickness. The top of the dough should be sprinkled with enough flour to no longer be tacky when worked with.

5. At this point, to get truly fluffy biscuits, it is critical to layer the dough by 'folding and turning.' Simply fold the dough in half like a sheet of paper, turn it 90 degrees, and roll out to 1" thickness a second time. You may need to add more flour under and on top of the dough to keep it from sticking, but be careful not to add more flour than necessary or the biscuits will become too dry.

6. Repeat the fold and turn, then roll the dough to 1" thickness a third time. Cut with a large biscuit cutter and place on prepared baking sheet, being careful not to crowd the biscuits. Re-roll scraps and cut again. Tip:Using the rim of a glass will not yield biscuits that rise well as it seals the layers of dough together, preventing them from rising.

7. Bake about 12-15 mins, until biscuits are just starting to turn golden. Move to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

For shortcakes, simply add 1/4 cup of powdered sugar to the recipe in step 2, then proceed in the same way.



(To print this recipe, please click on the green "Print" button below. You can highlight sections of this post to delete from the page before printing. If you do not see the green "Print" button, click on the title of this blog post to bring it up in its own window.)

P.S. Check back soon for a little giveaway related to bread baking and ancient grains.