HEARTY APPLE LOAF

There are days I feel like cooking, and there are days that it sounds like the last thing I’d like to do. Hugh does an excellent job of romancing you into the Sprouted Kitchen, but believe me, toast and hummus work fine for me some nights. For this experiment, I strapped on an apron to remind myself that I mean business. I doubled this recipe, trusting it would work out. I like to have a tasty option waiting for me for breakfast and I also wanted to take action on my long time intention to send a loaf to a new friend. If you make this, I suggest you do the same. I have never met a person who does not like surprise mail, and I guarantee there is someone in your life who could use a surprise.

The lovely thing about this hearty loaf, is that you could use apples, pears, stone fruit or berries and make it yours. Throw in whatever you’re in the mood for. If it is a day you need to toss in the rest of the bag of chocolate chips you have into the batter, I encourage that. It tastes more like a bread than a cake due to the whole grains and modest amount of sweetener.

HEARTY APPLE LOAF // Makes one loaf

2019 Recipe update: Phew, I’ve gotten better at writing recipes and cleaned this up. The photos show that I soaked the apples, but I don’t believe that to be a necessary step any longer. The directions reflect that change, despite the photos. If you need it to be gluten free, replace the pastry flour with a 1:1 GF All-Purpose like Bobs Red Mill or Cup for Cup.

2 eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup butter, just melted

1 tbsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup almond meal

½ cup cooked oatmeal

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tbsp. fresh grated ginger

1/2 tsp. sea salt

2/3 cup muscovado (or light brown) sugar (plus 2 tbsp for the top)

2 cups cored and chopped apples, small pieces

Oven at 375’

Butter the loaf pan or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.

Whisk the eggs, buttermilk, butter, vanilla and buttermilk together.

Add the dry ingredients together, including the cinnamon, ginger and salt and mix to combine. Gently mix in the buttermilk mixture til incorporated.

Fold in the apples, do not over mix.

Fill the loaf pan and sprinkle remaining 2 tbsp. of the muscavado. Bake on the middle rack for 45 minutes until golden on top and springy to the touch. Test for doneness with a toothpick, as the type of pan and oven vary. Remove and cool.

Serve toasted with a dollop of yogurt.

BIG SUR BAKERY HIDE BREAD

There are premature wrinkles around my knees. My mom always thought the tan kids were cuter than the pale ones, so sunscreen went to the extent of a quick swipe of Bullfrog across the lips and nose. People would throw stones at her with the research they have now. My sister and I were adorably bronzed through our childhood, at the cost of the aging knee caps I have now.

I studied my face in the mirror the other day, not out of vanity, but out of amazement that it has changed. This face has taken me through falling in love, loss of family, disappointment, living abroad, challenging jobs, late nights with girlfriends over bottles of wine, moving… you have a list of your own I’m sure. Somewhere in all of that, I’ve grown up. By no means do I feel I’ve suffered hardship, but lessons have been learned that changed me.

There is more life to look forward to, and for that I am grateful. Ambitions float around my head, unorganized, and mixed with the fear of failing. My face will continue to evolve; there will be more love and more loss. The wrinkles on my knees will get deeper; a reminder to me of long Sundays at the beach with my family, tuna sandwiches and boogie boards. I appreciate the momentum that life has, that things change beneath your feet and you don’t always realize it until the ground has since shifted.

So, in honor of wrinkles, we made bread. A hearty compact-english-muffin-type bread, full of texture. It takes time and some unique components, but completely worth it. Just like life.

BIG SUR BAKERY HIDE BREAD // Makes 16 //

The recipe is straight from the Big Sur Bakery Cookbook (of which I won from Dana! The astriks indicate what I used of the options).

5 Cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour

½ Cup Flax Seeds

½ Cup Sesame Seeds (I used toasted seeds)

2 Cups Oat Bran

¼ Cup Sunflower Seeds

½ Cup Millet*, Quinoa, Poppy seeds or Amaranth (or any combination)

1 tsp. Kosher Salt

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1/3 Cup Beer

2 ½ Cups Buttermilk*, Milk or Half and Half

Oven to 375, Middle Oven Rack

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.

2. Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the beer and buttermilk (or alternative). Use a wooden spoon or your hand to mix the wet batter. Sprinkle some flour on top, and put it on a floured work surface. Gently roll is out to form a loose log, about 2-3 inches in diameter.

3. Cut the log into 1 ½ inch slices and give them a little pat into a patty form. Don't make them too small, they get dry. Lay on the baking sheet. Bake on the middle rack for 40 minutes until golden. Remove and cool.

4. For serving, slice open and toast. They have a raw bread flavor inside (like a bagel or English muffin) so toasting is crucial. Goes excellent with a schmear of Butter/Jam/ Soft Cheese!

GREEK YOGURT ICE CREAM

The season does not matter, it is ALWAYS an appropriate time for ice cream. I know there are a few wackies out there who are ‘not dessert people’, but ice cream… greek yogurt… cookie chunks and cinnamon? Come on. I will MAKE you a dessert person.

The original thought was to do a light, refreshing frozen yogurt. But somehow, seeing as it was Hugh’s birthday and all, we ended up with rich, creamy goodness with big chunks of fresh cookie strewn throughout. It seemed the best option, since I normally get scolded for digging out the cookies from our store bought cookies n’ cream. This was my turn to give back after all the caverns I’ve carved through many ice cream cartons past.

GREEK YOGURT ICE CREAM WITH GOODIES // Makes a rough half gallon // Ice cream maker necessary, organic dairy products preferable

2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream

2 Cups Whole Milk

2 Cups Greek Yogurt

6 Extra Large Organic Egg Yolks

1 ½ Cups Granulated Sugar, Divided

1 Tbsp. Ground Cinnamon

2 Cups Fresh Chocolate Chip Cookies, Roughly Chopped*

Pinch of Salt

*Make your own chocolate chip cookies if you have time to spare. If you use store bought, Immaculate Baking Co. makes a natural product , as does Pillsbury with their new ‘Simply’ branding.

1. In a heavy saucepan, bring the cream, milk and one cup of sugar to a simmer. Stir to dissolve the sugar and scald the cream. Turn off the heat and let it sit a moment. Stirring to cool off.

2. In a large heat proof bowl, whisk the egg yolk with remaining half cup sugar. Add a half cup of the warm cream mix to the egg yolks and whisk to bring the temperature up as to not scramble the eggs. Add remaining cream mix to the yolks and incorporate.

3. Pour the mix back into the saucepan, and simmer on medium low and whisk periodically. The mixture should thicken enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. About 10 minutes. Turn off heat.

4. In a larger bowl, make an ice water bath. Put the saucepan in the ice bath to cool to room temperature. Stir every once in awhile. This will take about ten minutes.

5. Add the cinnamon and greek yogurt and whisk well to combine. Put in the fridge to cool for a half hour.

6. While this is cooling, bake your cookies. Bake them a good two minutes less than normal so you get a very soft, delicate, almost raw cookie.

7. Pour the cold cream mixture in the ice cream maker, and turn it on. All makers are different, it will probably take about a half hour for it to firm up. Add in the cookies when it is the consistency of soft serve. Transfer to a container and freeze for a few hours to harden, or overnight. Stays fresh about 4 days.