Breads

Lilac Blossom Scones

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups flour, all-purpose
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • One teaspoon salt
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
  • 1 cup buttermilk, shaken well
  • One teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup toasted, chopped almonds
  • 1 cup lilac flowers

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk the ingredients together. Cut the chilled butter into small cubes and toss into the dry mixture. Using your fingers and hands, work the butter into the flour mixture, until pea-sized lumps of butter are present.

Add the buttermilk, vanilla extract, almonds, and lilac blossoms. Fold together in the bowl. I kneaded the dough by hand, making sure to not over-work.

Gather and roll the dough into a ball. Lightly flour the ball of dough and flatten it out, by hand, into a 1/2 inch thick disk. Cut the dough into triangles and place onto a greased baking sheet.

Lightly dust with raw sugar. I greased my sheet with butter. Bake 12 to 16 minutes, until desired level of toastiness.

Found at: Holly and Flora

Lovage Seed Brandy Bread

  • 1 pkg dry yeast
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/1/4 cups warm (not hot) water
  • 2 teasp salt
  • 2 1/2 cups wheat flour
  • 2 1/2 cups white flour
  • 1 tablespoon brandy
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 onion peeled and grated
  • 1 tablespoon lovage seeds

Mix the yeast, sugar, and warm water together. Set aside in a warm spot until the mixture grows frothy. Sift together the flours and salt in a separate bowl. Add the oil, yeast mixture, onion, and brandy, kneading to make a soft dough.

Turn the dough onto a floured board and gently knead for 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and leave to rise for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.

Punch down dough, turn onto the floured surface, and knead for five minutes. Form dough into a loaf shape and place in a well-greased 9 by 5 by 2 1/2 inch loaf pan, turning once to coat all sides.

Sprinkle with lovage seeds and let rise for 15 minutes while you preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Bake approximately 30 to 40 minutes or until done.

About Lovage:

Lovage is an ancient healing herb, mostly used for its diuretic properties in cases of water retention and urinary difficulties, and also for pain and swelling (inflammation) of the lower urinary tract, for preventing of kidney stones, and to increase the flow of urine during urinary tract infections.

The seeds, leaves and leaf stems have a strong, earthy, celery flavor that enriches soups and stews and is particularly useful in vegetarian dishes, with rice, vegetable stuffings and nut roasts. More info on this herb can be found at the Encyclopedia of Herbology.

Savory Lovage Biscuits

The perfect nibble to accompany a sundowner on a warm terrace (though the chances of either warm terrace or downing sun seem slim at the moment). The original recipe is in Ottolenghi’s The Cookbook and features more cheese and some poppy seeds, but I’ve buggered about with it as is my way, and I must say it turns out not half bad:

  • 210g plain flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3 tbsp finely chopped lovage
  • pinch of salt
  • 165g un-salted butter, at room temperature
  • 150g freshly grated parmesan

Beat the butter and cheese together well. Add all the other ingredients and mix until you have a soft dough.

Divide the dough in half and mold each half into a long block (you’re going to slice the biscuits off the block like a loaf of bread so make it as big or small as you like your biscuits). Wrap in cling film and chill for an hour.

When ready, pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees. Remove the dough from the fridge and slice into biscuits. Anything over 5mm thick is fine, anything thinner will snap. Place them on a silicone sheet a little way apart (they grow) and cook for 12-15 minutes.

Cool and serve with G&T on any terrace you can find. Makes about 40.

About Lovage:

Lovage is an ancient healing herb, mostly used for its diuretic properties in cases of water retention and urinary difficulties, and also for pain and swelling (inflammation) of the lower urinary tract, for preventing of kidney stones, and to increase the flow of urine during urinary tract infections.

The seeds, leaves and leaf stems have a strong, earthy, celery flavor that enriches soups and stews and is particularly useful in vegetarian dishes, with rice, vegetable stuffings and nut roasts. More info on this herb can be found at the Encyclopedia of Herbology.

Recipe: Gluts and Gluttony

Alexanders Seed Bread


A simple, lightly spiced bread which is perfect with savory accompaniments.

  • 1 heaped tbsp Alexanders seeds
  • 500 g white or wholemeal flour (or half and half)
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 1 tsp quick yeast
  • 1 tsp sugar or honey
  • 400 ml warm water
  • 15 ml olive oil (optional)

Roughly grind or chop (you want some texture, not a powder) the Alexanders seeds in a seed grinder or pestle and mortar. You may find them easier to grind if you dry roast them first (140°C for 10-20 minutes), making sure they don’t burn.

Mix the flour, ground seeds and salt in a large bowl. Dissolve the yeast and honey in the warm water and stir into the mix. Combine well and knead the dough for 10 minutes, or until it starts to bounce back. Cover and leave in a warm place until it doubles in size.

When well risen, oil a bread tin, punch the dough a couple of times then place in the oiled tin, cover and allow to rise to double the size again. Heat the oven to 200°C and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until hollow-sounding when tapped.

Remove from the oven and leave to sit for 10 minutes before attempting to take the loaf out of the tin. Allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing.

About Alexanders:

Alexanders is native to the Mediterranean but is able to thrive farther north. It was a highly popular herb during the time of Alexander the Great. The Romans called it the ‘pot herb of Alexandria.’

Alexanders was a traditional plant for cleansing the blood and a digestive herb for strengthening the stomach. Seafarers used it to treat scurvy and herbalists used it to relieve stomach and urinary problems. An in depth look at Alexanders can be found in the Encyclopedia of Herbology.

Recipe: Rachel Lambert

Oatmeal Pine Muffins

  • 1 1/3 cups flour of your choice
  • 1 cup quick cooking rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 3 tbsp (heaping) pine powder
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tbsp melted butter

Instructions

If you are unfamiliar with pine powder, it’s very simple to make, here’s a link: Pine Powder.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin tins. Combine the first 6 ingredients. Add egg, butter and milk then stir until the flour is moistened. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 20 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

Found at: Edible Wild Food

Bacon Brown Sugar Buckwheat Pancakes


Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all purpose-flour
  • 1 ½ cups buckwheat flour
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 strips bacon
  • 1/3 cup bacon grease
  • 2 cups buttermilk

Cook and dice bacon strips and set aside. In a large bowl, mix both flours, sugar, salt, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, vanilla extract, bacon grease, and buttermilk in a whisking fashion. Add bacon and buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients. Warm greased skillet over medium-high heat. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter in, cooking each side for about 4 minutes or until the pancakes are browned. Serve with maple syrup.

From: Jen Reviews

Buckwheat Crepes


Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of raw buckwheat groats
  • About 4 cups of water
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar

Combine groats with 2 cups of water and soak them overnight. Be sure to drain them at least twice throughout this process. Drain one more final time and then blend groats with brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, honey, remaining water, and egg until smooth. Pour about ½ cup of batter into a lightly greased skillet over medium heat, evenly covering its surface. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side until firm in the center. Serve by adding honey, syrup, chocolate syrup, confectioner’s sugar, or anything else you may prefer on top!

From: Jen Reviews

A Crumpet Recipe

What is a crumpet? This traditional British teatime treat is midway between English muffin and pancake. Like an English muffin, it’s full of holes, perfect for collecting rivulets of melted butter. But it’s also moister and thinner – more like a small pancake.

These are best enjoyed toasted, and spread with butter, jam, and/or clotted cream. Since their holes reach to the outside crust, there’s no need to split them before toasting.

You can make crumpets without English muffin rings (or cleaned tuna cans), but they’ll be perfectly round and ever so much nicer looking if you use rings. Here’s a recipe from King Arthur Flour.

A Great Crumpet Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
  • 1 cup lukewarm milk
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 3 1/2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Instructions:

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, and beat vigorously for 2 minutes. A stand or hand mixer, set on high speed, work well here.

Cover the bowl, and let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour. It will expand and become bubbly. Towards the end of the rest, preheat a griddle to medium-low, about 325°F. If you don’t have an electric griddle, preheat a frying pan; it shouldn’t be as hot as the temperature you use to cook pancakes.

Lightly grease the griddle or frying pan, and place well-greased 3 3/4″ English muffin rings in the pan, as many as will fit. (If you don’t have English muffin rings, use well-cleaned tuna cans, from which you’ve removed the top and bottom.) Pour sticky batter by the scant 1/4-cupful into each ring; a muffin scoop works well here.

After about 4 minutes, use a pair of tongs to slip the rings off. Cook the crumpets for a total of about 10 minutes on the first side, until their tops are riddled with small bubbles/holes. They should be starting to look a bit dry around the edges. Their bottoms will be a mottled, light-golden brown.

Note: They probably won’t be as full of holes as store-bought crumpets; that’s OK.

Turn the crumpets over, and cook for an additional 5 minutes, to finish cooking the insides and to brown the tops gently. This isn’t traditional; “real” crumpets are white on top, but the crumpet police won’t chastise you for adding a little color to the tops.

Remove the crumpets from the pan, and repeat with the remaining batter, until all the crumpets are cooked. Serve warm. Or cool completely, wrap in plastic, and store at room temperature. To enjoy, warm in the toaster. Serve with butter, or butter and jam.

Borrowed from: The Prosperity Project

Savory Fenugreek and Coriander Pancakes

Thin, soft Indian flat breads with a savory fenugreek and coriander flavor. These pancakes feature fresh fenugreek leaves — also known as “methi” — an annual herb that I was lucky enough to get my hands on. It is commonly used in Indian cooking and that includes the seed and ground powder from the seed. Slightly sweet, with a hint of bitterness, it is well worth using the fresh herb, but if you can’t find it — and this is sometimes a challenge — substitute about 3/4 cup dried fenugreek instead.

Most Asian and Indian grocers carry the dried leaves, seeds and powder, and often the fresh leaves. These grocers will also carry chickpea flour and chapati (or “atta”) flour, but for 1/2 cup of chapati flour you may substitute 1/3 cup sifted whole wheat flour and combine with enough pastry flour to make 1/2 cup.

Masala paste:

  • 4 to 6 green chilies (or fewer if preferred), seeded and chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1-inch fresh ginger, finely sliced
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Pancake batter:

  • 1 cup brown rice flour
  • 1/2 cup chapati (atta) flour*
  • 1/3 cup chickpea (besan) flour
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon asafetida
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
  • 2 teaspoons coconut sugar or brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup whole fat yogurt
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water, or as needed
  • 1 2/3 cup fresh fenugreek leaves (methi), roughly chopped*
  • 3 tablespoons ghee or sesame oil for frying, or as needed

Instructions:

*Substitutions: Substitute 1/2 cup chapati flour with 2 parts sifted whole wheat flour and 1 part pastry flour. Substitute fresh fenugreek leaves with 3/4 cup dried fenugreek leaves.

For the paste, combine the chilies, garlic, ginger, salt and 1 teaspoon of water in a small blender to blend into a paste. Alternately, use a mortar and pestle.

Whisk together the flours, cumin seeds, ground coriander, turmeric, paprika, asafetida, salt and sugar in a large bowl until well combined. Stir in the yogurt, 1 cup of the water to start with, and the fenugreek leaves. Stir well to combine, adding more water until the batter is pourable but fairly thick.

Line a plate with a large piece of foil.

Heat a few teaspoons of ghee or oil in a large heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat. When hot, ladle about 1/2 cup of the batter into the hot pan and spread out in a circular fashion with the back of the ladle into a thin 7- or 8-inch round. Cover and let cook for a minute. With a spatula, gently flip the pancake and cook for another few minutes, until the bread is golden brown. Transfer the pancake to the plate, fold the foil over to cover, and repeat the process until all of the pancakes are cooked.

Enjoy warm or reheat them in a 175° oven. They are best when served the same day that they are made.

Makes about 10 pancakes

Recipe by Lisa Turner

Calendula Biscuits

calendula biscuits

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoons salt
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 2 tablespoons calendula petals, finely chopped
  • ¾ cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 450 F. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. Cut in butter and Calendula petals with a pastry knife until the mixture is mealy in texture. Quickly stir in the milk. Turn out onto a floured board. Shape and kneed (as little as possible) into an oblong shape about 1-½ Inches thick.

Place on a heavy cookie sheet (or use one cookie sheet atop another). With a sharp knife, cut dough into 2-inch squares. Dot each biscuit with butter. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Serves 6 to 8.

From: Grandmas Wisdom

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"Diet has the distinction of being the only major determinant of health that is completely under your control. You have the final say over what does and what does not go into your mouth and stomach. You cannot always control the other determinants of health, such as the quality of the air you breathe, the noise you are subjected to, or the emotional climate of your suroundings, but you can control what you eat. It is a shame to squander such a good opportunity to influence your health." ~Andrew Weil, MD
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