Tutorial: How to make an einkorn sourdough starter

 It's really easy to make your own sourdough starter. This is the method I use for making a starter using einkorn. 

Christmas Card Exchange

If you send our family a card, we will send one back in return, along with a CD of Christmas music from our church. 

Please mail your card to:

Faithful Word Baptist Church 

c/o The Anderson Family 

2741 W Southern Ave, Suite 14 

Tempe, AZ 85282 

We can't wait to get your card!

Einkorn Made Easy Course Introduction

I am thrilled to announce the launch of the beta version of my Einkorn Made Easy video course. 

I hope to release one new video each week, for a total of 10 videos. 

Buy the first video here. 

Even after the videos can no longer be purchased individually, you will still have access to them if you purchase them now. Those who buy all 10 individual videos will also get a coupon for free access to the final course. 

Please provide feedback on how to improve the beta version, to make the final course the best possible. Once all individual videos have been re-edited and finalized, they will be packaged in one complete course, and priced higher. This beta version allows you to get the videos individually, at a significant discount. 

How to Master Baking With Einkorn - Are You Interested?

I am considering doing a video tutorial series on the advantages of using einkorn, how to use it, and step-by-step recipes. Before I make such a course, I would like to gauge how much interest there is in such a course.

Are you interested? What's your biggest Einkorn Challenge? Link to sign up for more info if interested in this einkorn baking course: http://eepurl.com/g40a5L

Recipe for German Lemonade Cake

This cake has been a family favorite for at least four generations. It was the traditional birthday cake we had growing up, and it is what I make for my own kids now.

When I say 'Lemonade Cake' it really should more accurately be called 'Orangeade Cake,' but that just doesn't have the same nice ring to it. 

You see, in German, 'Limonade' means any type of soda. Most sodas are made from fruit juice plus carbonated water, and orange juice is the most common choice among those. The closest thing I can compare it to is Pellegrino orange or blood orange soda. In fact, both are great choices for this cake. 

Then there is the chocolate frosting. There is no way to accurately describe this frosting without doing it injustice. It is, at its core, the most delectable frosting in the universe. Period. The magic in transforming its simple ingredients into perfection is to follow the directions exactly, or it will not whip up smooth and creamy but clumpy and flat. Easy directions, but they must be followed to a T. 

Also, to warn American sensibilities, the frosting contains an egg. A raw egg. You may think it is only by the grace of God and many miracles that after hundreds of instances of my grandma, her six kids and all their descendants, and now myself and my family eating this cake we have not ever fallen ill or died from eating it, but it's true. I lived to tell about it! Raw eggs are not inherently dangerous! Chickens that live in squalid unnatural conditions might fall sick with E. coli, which could end up on the outside of the egg, which could end up in your frosting and go downhill from there, but rather than rejecting the raw egg, just buy from a reputable source of pasture-fed chickens. Or choose a pasteurized egg (only in America, lol!). Or take your life into your own hands and use a regular ol' cheap egg. The chances of getting sick from it are near zero because all eggs in stores are washed, washed, and washed again. You could even give it one more rinse yourself before using it. 

Who knew a recipe could get this political just in the intro??!? Without further ado, here is the recipe:

German Lemonade Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup sunflower oil or melted butter

3 eggs

2 1/4 cups flour

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp baking powder

3/4 cup (blood) orange soda or orange juice mixed 50:50 with carbonated water

For the frosting: 

2 sticks + 2 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

Directions

For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10x13 baking dish.

2. Mix together eggs and sugar. While the mixer is running, add the oil/melted butter and vanilla. Turn the mixer off, dump the flour and baking powder into the bowl, and slowly start mixing again while pouring the soda into the cake batter. Turn mixer off as soon as the batter is well combined. 

3. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until the edges are turning golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

4. Completely cool cake in the pan before frosting.

For the frosting: 

1. Melt the butter completely and pour into a small bowl. Allow to cool down to room temperature or a little warmer. This is critical! The recipe will not work with just softened butter - the butter has to be melted and warm, but not hot (that would make the egg curdle).

2. Add powdered sugar and cocoa to the bowl, and beat with electric egg beaters or an immersion (stick) blender until well combined. 

3. Add eggs to frosting and continue to beat. You will see the frosting become smooth and creamy immediately. 

To finish:

1. Frost the cooled cake while the frosting is still soft. 

2. Add colored sprinkles (we love these).

3. Enjoy! The cake tastes best at room temperature. If you have to store it for an extended period of time, do so tightly covered in the fridge, but allow the cake to come to room temperature again before serving.

More cake decorating

I went to the third of my four cake decorating classes today. This is just the most basic, level I class offered by Wilton. Going to the class definitely teaches a lot more skills than just trying to work through the book on my own, plus it is so much fun! Our instructor is a really funny Mexican lady, who teaches the class bilingually, in English and Spanish, so I am improving my Spanish, too. :)

Next class, we are decorating a character cake.

I love how she taught us how to make the colored ribbons.

Of course, cake is never going to be a health food. I do make my own buttercream frosting, and only use the natural, plant-based food colors, but oh, there is so much sugar still! The kids were scandalized that I scraped the frosting off the decorated cupcakes from the last class before letting them eat them. 

I am going to take a break until next year before taking the level II class, because I have been baking so many more treats than usual while doing these classes. Combining that with the holidays just seems like total overkill. 

But yes, it's super fun! I highly recommend it! 

Recipe for granola bars

Our family likes granola bars, particularly Chococonut and Peanut Choco. Since we go through one box just for everyone to get one bar, but most of us usually want a second one, I have been looking for a good recipe to make my own.

Recipe for Cookie Pizza

Just in time for your holiday get-togethers this weekend (or maybe a bit late...), here is one of our family's very favorite summertime desserts ~ Cookie Pizza.

• Start by setting a block or tub of cream cheese out on the counter to allow it to soften while you prepare the "crusts".

• Next, whip up a batch of basic sugar cookie dough:

Ingredients:

2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

2 3/4 cups flour (use all-purpose, or whole wheat pastry flour)

1. Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add vanilla and egg, continue to beat until creamy.

2. Add dry ingredients and mix to combine. Dough should stick together nicely without being too stick or crumbly.

• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; sprinkle with flour.

• Shape half of the dough into a ball, set it on the baking sheet, sprinkle with more flour, and roll into a circle. The dough should be about 1/8 inch thick. If the dough sticks to the rolling pin, sprinkle with more flour.

• Bake at 325 degrees for 8-12 minutes, until the edges of the cookie are barely starting to turn golden. Slide the cookie off the baking sheet onto the counter or a chopping board and allow to cool. Repeat with the second half of the cookie dough.

• While the cookie pizzas are cooling, prepare the frosting:

Ingredients

8 ounce block or tub of cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup powdered sugar

about 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract

1-2 Tbsp of milk, just enough to make frosting easily spreadable

Beat all ingredients in a mixing bowl on high speed until smooth and creamy.

• Spread half of frosting onto each of the two cooled cookie pizzas.

• Top each pizza with an assortment of fresh fruit. Our favorites are strawberries, blueberries, bananas, kiwi, and grapes - but any fruit will taste fantastic on it! Finish each pizza off with a sprinkling of shredded coconut flakes. 

Prepare to be asked to make this again and again. There is something absolutely addictive about the combination of sugar cookies, cream cheese frosting, and fresh fruit.

If you try this recipe, please leave a comment below with your feedback and any tips you may like to share. 

Enjoy! :)

Recipe for Linzer cookies

These are some of our family's favorite cookies. The recipe I use is from a German cooking magazine, and gives metric amounts for the ingredients. Today, I finally converted it to the American measurements, which is why some of them are goofy amounts.

My apologies for using a stock photo - I was afraid if I stepped away from the counter to grab my camera, the kids would have gobbled up all the cookies in an instant :)

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 egg

¾ cup + 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 stick + 6 Tbsp. softened butter

strawberry of raspberry jelly

powdered sugar for dusting

1. In a large bowl, mix together flour, egg, powdered sugar, vanilla, and butter until a soft dough forms. It should not be crumbly and dry, or too sticky.

2. Roll dough to 1/16 inch thickness on a floured board. Use just enough flour to prevent sticking.

3. Cut out circles with a round cookie cutter. In half of the circles, cut out a small hole in the middle.

4. Place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 9-12 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on sheet for a minute before moving them to a cooling rack.

5. Spread jelly on whole circles. Dust circles with small holes with powdered sugar, and place on jelly-covered circles. Assemble all cookies like this. Enjoy!

Recipe for Sunflower Seed & Honey Wheat Bread

I know I have shared several bread recipes here recently, but this particular one is our family's current favorite. It was featured in the Taste of Home magazine a couple of issues back, and I have baked about 40 loaves of it since then.

Ingredients

• 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast (that's 4 1/2 teaspoons)
  
• 3-1/4 cups warm water (110° to 115°)
• 1/4 cup bread flour (I use vital wheat gluten instead)
  
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 6-1/2 to 7-1/2 cups whole wheat flour - you can substitute with part white flour if that's what you prefer
  
• 1/2 cup sunflower kernels
• butter for brushing
  

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine water, oil, honey, salt, and yeast. Add the bread flour and whole wheat flour. Knead until smooth. Add sunflower kernels, and continue kneading for about 5 more minutes. If you have a stand mixer (like KitchenAid), use the kneading hook and speed 2.

• Place mixing bowl in a warm, draft-flee place. Cover and let dough rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

• Punch dough down; divide into three portions. Shape into loaves; place in three greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans.
  
  
• Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

• Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately brush tops of loaves with a stick of butter. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

I like to slice all three loaves as soon as they have cooled down. We usually eat one loaf right then, with butter and honey or fresh, raw cheese on top. The other loaves get bagged and frozen.

I have been very good about sticking to my plan of not purchasing any commercial bread products, including organic and all-natural varieties. In the last 6 months or so, I could count on one had the times that we ate store-bought bread, although I have to admit that I did buy English muffins, bagels, and such a few times more often.

My next goal is to modify the recipe to make 5 loaves, which is how many pans my oven will hold at one time. Then if I made two back-to-back batches (as I now do with this recipe), I would be able to make 10 loaves in one day with not much more time or effort than it takes to make just one batch of three. Ten loaves is about how much our family goes through in one week, accounting for the fact that I like to give away a loaf of bread here and there to friends at church.

Please let me know how you like the recipe if you give it a try.

Kitchen Tip

Do you make your own pie crusts, biscuits, and anything else that requires you to "cut" butter into your flour/salt/baking powder mixture?

I used to have a nifty little tool that supposedly helped cut the butter into the dry ingredients, but it never worked well for me. Nor did using two criss-crossing knives. I got to where I would cut the cold butter into very small cubes, and I would then use my hands to rub the butter into the flour. This is messy and time-consuming, and the butter gets too soft, which makes the dough not bake up as fluffy.

I learned a new trick this week. It may be old hat to you, but somebody else might like it as much as I did. Simply grate the cold butter into your dry ingredients with a cheese grater. It's that simple. Makes your baked goods turn out perfectly fluffy.

My favorite biscuit recipe:

2 cups flour - I use 100% whole wheat pastry flour, and they don't come out dry at all
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
yogurt, buttermilk, cream, or milk

Mix together dry ingredients. Grate butter into mixture, and stir with wooden spoon until evenly distributed. Add enough yogurt (or other liquid) to make a smooth dough, and knead by hand about 15 times. Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness, cut out biscuits, and bake at 425 degrees for about 8-10 minutes. Enjoy!

Another bread recipe

Recently, I blogged about the recipe I use to bake all of our breads. It was taken from the book "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day", and it's true, it takes me no more time than that. Every couple of days, I make a batch of dough, bake 2 loaves of bread from it, slice both when they are done baking and cooling, and then stick one in the freezer and leave one out to eat.

However, this dough is not suitable for crusty breads like French bread, or for pizza crust. The authors of the above book came out with a new book recently, called "Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day". In this book, they give a great recipe for dough that works wonderfully for breads that need more crunch. It is not 100% whole grain, so if your family doesn't like whole wheat they may still like this one.

INGREDIENT	VOLUME (U.S.)	WEIGHT (U.S.)	WEIGHT (METRIC)
whole wheat flour	5 ½ cups	1 pound, 9 ounces	720 grams
all-purpose flour, unbleached	2 cups	10 ounces	270 grams
granulated yeast	1 ½ tablespoons (2 packets)	0.55 ounces	15 grams
salt	1 tablespoon	0.55 ounces	15 grams
vital wheat gluten	¼ cup	1 3/8 ounces	35 grams
lukewarm water	4 cups	2 pounds	900 grams

I included the weights because rather than measuring my ingredients, I weight them with my digital kitchen scale, which is much faster and more accurate. I simply put the mixer bowl on the scale, pour in each ingredient, and then hit "zero" before adding the next.

Add all ingredients in a large bowl, and stir with a wooden spoon until all ingredients are combined. If using a Kitchenaid, mix with paddle (not dough hook) for about 1 minute. No need to proof the yeast, knead the dough, etc. The dough will be wetter than bread dough typically is, which will allow it to rise even without being kneaded.

Allow dough to rest for 1-2 hours, until doubled in bulk. At this point, you can either refrigerate your dough in a covered container for later use (for up to 2 weeks), or use it immediately. The dough is easier to work with if it has been refrigerated first.

To use, wet your hands, and tear off as much dough as you will need. This batch makes enough for about 3 baguettes/pizza crusts/small freeform loaves. Sprinkle dough liberally with flour, and shape into whatever you are making. Allow to rise until doubled, and then bake.

I let our bread rise on a pizza peel that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. When it is done rising, I slide it onto a pizza stone that has been sitting in the oven at 425 degrees, and bake until the top looks golden brown. Adding a glass bowl with water to a lower rack in the oven makes it come out even crunchier.

freeform loaf
tastes great dipped in olive oil as a side dish to pasta, or sliced with ham and cheese on top

For pizza, I roll the pizza crust out on the pizza peel that has been sprinkled with cornmeal, prick it all over with a fork, and then slide it onto the stone immediately without letting it rise. I bake it at the highest temperature on my oven for about 5 minutes, then take the crust out with the peel, add the toppings, and slide it back onto the hot stone in the oven until the toppings are done. The crust comes out fantastic!

chicken pesto pizza

Please let me know how you like the recipe if you try it.

5-Minute Recipe for 100% Whole Wheat Bread

Makes 2-3 loaves. Recipe can easily be doubled or halved.

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (1 1/2 packets)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
5 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil, plus more for greasing the pan
6 2/3 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly milled hard white wheat)

Mix together the water, milk, salt, honey and oil. I use boiling water and milk from the fridge, which together with the oil and honey make just the right temperature for the yeast when all is mixed.

Add yeast and stir (don't worry too much about it all dissolving).

Add flour and mix in without kneading using a big spoon, food processor, or KitchenAid with dough hook (speed 2). You may need a little more flour - the dough should basically somewhat hold its shape and pull away from the bowl, but still be very moist and not dry at all. The secret to this dough is that it is very wet, which is why it will rise without kneading and also keep well in the fridge.

Cover (not airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough doubles.

The dough can be used immediately, but it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container. Dough can be stored in the fridge for up to five days. I keep mine in a 1 gallon plastic pitcher with lid (vented).

When you are ready to bake, wet your hands and tear off a piece of dough about the size of a cantaloupe. Quickly shape and place in greased bread pan. Cover and allow to rise until about doubled.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place an oven-proof bowl with cold water on a rack in the oven below the rack that the bread pan will be on. Bake bread for about 50 minutes.

When bread is done, rub top immediately with a stick of butter, which will make the top very soft and easier to slice. Take out of pan and cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.

Alternatively, the equivalent of one loaf also makes about a dozen rolls, which I make by simply placing balls of dough in a greased muffin tin. You can do this the night before and let them rise in the fridge overnight, setting them out in the morning for only 15 minutes or so for the dough to warm up a little before baking. I bake them at 350 degrees for about 20 or 25 minutes - just going by the color of the rolls and not really timing them. Again, I rub a stick of butter on the top of them as soon as they come out of the oven and then put them on a cooling rack. This recipe also makes fantastic hot dog and hamburger buns.


The dough is suited for any sweet baked good that uses yeast dough, such as cinnamon rolls, although if you have it on hand you may want to replace the hard wheat with soft wheat (pastry flour). Do not use the pastry flour for making bread, though.

This recipe is NOT conducive to making pizza crust and french bread, because it contains milk and bakes up too soft.

I got this recipe from "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day". Most of the recipes in the book use white flour, BUT they just released their new book TODAY: "Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day". I ordered a copy on Amazon and will let you all know how I like it - supposedly, it has many recipes that use 100% whole grains.

I calculated that using all organic ingredients, raw honey, and raw milk this recipe comes out to less than $1 per loaf, with very little time or effort expended. Right now I am experimenting with using other grains, and adding sprouted wheat berries.

If you find yourself baking all or most of your family's bread (as I have done consistently since discovering this recipe), you may want to invest in an electric slicer. I found several on craigslist for $10-$30. You will be able to use the slicer for cutting meats and cheeses as well, which can help save money by buying in bulk.
Please leave me a comment if you try this recipe and let me know how you like it.

Great recipe

A reader of my blog sent me the following recipe for a German Plum Cake. Having grown up in Germany, I have tried many different versions of plum cake, and I honestly have to say this is the best I have ever had. Although I have not tried it with any other fruit yet, I have been told this recipe works equally well with apples or cherries. It really is worth a try! Here is a picture of my cake fresh out of the oven:

PFLAUMEN KUCHEN

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Italian prune plums*

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

Cream sugar and butter until smooth and creamy; add egg and vanilla, beating until creamy. Add flour and milk alternately until well blended. Spread batter in a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Cut plums in quarters, removing pits. Lay fruit in rows, skin side down on batter. Make rows crowded with fruit.

Streusel

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
3 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon**

Mix all ingredients together, and crumble through fingers. Sprinkle evenly over batter and fruit.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

*The only store in my area that carried this kind of plums was Whole Foods. The conventionally grown kind were on sale for only $.99/lb. These plums are only in season for a couple of weeks each year, so if you want to try this cake you would need to make it right around now. Here is a picture of Italian prune plums to give you an idea of what to look for:


**My plums were pretty tart, so I omitted the cinnamon from the streusels and instead sprinkled the plums generously with cinnamon-sugar before crumbling the streusel topping on top of them.

The cake tastes great by itself, but you can also add some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and sprinkle with more cinnamon-sugar.

All-natural baking

This is an adjunct to yesterday's post on all-natural cake decorating. Of course, you have to have something to decorate, which is what this post is about.

Sure, you could just use ready cake mix and frosting out of a tub. But I would not recommend any of the main stream brands such as Betty Crocker or similar ones. They have a long list of unhealthy ingredients and don't even taste good at all. In 8 years of marriage, I have never bought ready cake mix or frosting, and don't intend to ever do so.

The best and cheapest option is to make your own cake and frosting from scratch, which doesn't take that much more time. With four young children and highly pregnant, I still manage to bake something from scratch almost every single day (cakes, pies, cookies, pizza, bread, etc.). Skip that TV show you just HAVE to watch and use that time to make a healthy dessert for your family instead.

Alternatively, you can also find ready mixes for cakes and frosting at the health food store. My favorites are the ones made by Dr Oetger, but these are quite more expensive than making your own.

Here are some additional ideas to increase the nutritional value of your favorite recipes:

- You can substitute the flour in just about any recipe with whole wheat pastry flour without anyone noticing.

- You can use canola oil instead of butter in most cake recipes without having to make changes such as adding more flour or less liquid. Your cake will be a lot moister, too, which makes it even less obvious that you used whole wheat pastry flour. Oil is also cheaper than butter.

- Use butter instead of shortening in all your pie crusts. Shortening should not be an item stocked in your kitchen if you are health-conscious.

- Never use margarine for anything. Even the ones labeled as healthy are not.

- You can substitute up to half of the butter/oil called for in a recipe with all-natural apple sauce or mashed banana to cut down on the fat calories. The texture will be more gummy and chewy, though.

- You can reduce the sugar in most recipes by 1/3 to 1/2 without much noticeable difference.

- Never use sugar substitutes, including Splenda, none of which are safe or healthy.

- You can substitute honey for sugar in many recipes. Because honey has twice the sweetening power of sugar, you will only need to use about half as much (or one fourth as much if you were planning on cutting the sugar content in half anyway). This works especially well in cookies, which will stay very moist and chewy.

- Do not use non-stick baking pans or the new silicone dishes, all of which break down their unhealthy coating into your food. Instead, buy glass or ceramic bakeware, or the old-fashioned metal pans without non-stick coating. Another option is cast iron.

- Instead of using parchment paper (which is lined with unhealthy chemicals to make it non-stick), spray your baking pans with oil or rub them with butter.

There is a place for sweet treats even for the health conscious if you adopt a few of these minor changes, and make more changes over time.