Ratio Rally Tea Breads

I do believe this is my first post of the year. I have written parts of posts, but due to illnesses, surgery and family emergencies I never quite got back to them. My four jobs haven't helped much either. That said, when the idea of tea breads was floated to the Ratio Rally I jumped on it. The Monkey and I are huge lovers of other quick breads, and this seemed the best way to get my feet wet again in the blogging sense.

Quick breads are used for breakfast or for late afternoon tea time or anytime. I have been known to serve them at lunch with a side for fresh fruit and yogurt. The ratio makes it a fairly simple item to put together. The ratio for quick breads is 2 flour: 2 liquid: 1 egg: 1 fat. With that in mind, let's visit the other blogger's take on tea breads.

Heather: Discovering the Extraordinary -- "Figgy" Tea Bread

Adina: Gluten Free Travellette -- Rhubarb Tea Bread

Morri: Meals with Morri -- Oatmeal Raisin Tea Bread

Brooke: B & the boy! -- Scottish Tea Bread

 

Scottish Tea Bread

8 ounces Scottish breakfast tea

4 ounces canola oil

2 large eggs

4 ounces oatmeal cookies, crushed

3 ounces sorghum

1 ounce potato starch

4 ounces dry oatmeal

4 ounces raw sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

Boil water for making the tea. Add to one tea bag in your glass measuring cup. Steep for 30 minutes, and remove bag. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients thoroughly. Add all wet ingredients, and stir until just combined. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60-75 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Makes one large and one small loaf.

Ratio Rally: Bread

It is time again for the Gluten Free Ratio Rally hosted by Karen of Cooking Gluten Free. This month was bread, my arch-nemesis. Those of you who have been around awhile will recall that I had horrible results when we first went gluten free trying to make bread and/or find a store bought that the Monkey would eat. When we finally found a frozen bread he would eat, I stopped trying to make a sandwich bread, and concentrated my efforts on less frustrating endeavors.

In walks this months challenge with a big grin on its face. I was so not taking that, and dove right in after contemplating what I was going to do. It was obvious after I remembered the big, ol' bag of buckwheat flour I had bought for another project. Everything seemed to be going well until I went to cut into it. My ratio was pretty near the 5:1 (flour:liquid) that is recommended. It came out a bit dry and a little crumbly. Stood up okay to the sandwich test. I think it needs a bit more liquid even though it looked alright. Sadly, the Monkey thought it tasted yucky. Brat! I think I will be trying a potato bread variation next.

200 grams oat flour

200 grams buckwheat flour

80 grams tapioca starch

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/4 Cup honey or agave

1 egg

1 Cup vanilla non-dairy milk

1 1/2 teaspoon yeast

This is what it looked like before raising.

After raising

Out of the oven

End result: It looked good, tasted good, and made a good sandwich. It just isn't quite right so you aren't getting a "real" recipe. Sorry!

Ratio Rally Bagels

This post nearly didn't happen, and I am not sure that it really is happening. My idea was a long time in coming, and motivation was waylaid by the allergy monster. Incidentally, the allergy monster did a number on my workouts as well. It's been a rough month.

So why did it almost not happen? Ummm, the first batch came out like hockey pucks. Seriously. The batter was gorgeous, and tasted good. Then we got to the rising (not really), shaping (ha!), boiling (they were boiled), and then baking. It just wasn't pretty. Given the way the second batch has turned out my money is on the yeast being out of date. Even though I kept it in the fridge I just think it wasn't meant to be. So new yeast yields a new result. Crossing my fingers. Did you cross yours?

....and they aren't what I wanted. Sigh. Now I think I don't have enough flour. The idea behind these came from my sister who remembers having peanut butter bagels when we were younger. I did a little searching, and found this recipe at Have Cake, Will Travel that I based mine off of. I played with the ratio, and think I came close to the 1.9 flour:1 liquid. However, I can't honestly say what's a liquid or a flour or a bagel at this point. For a more coherent explanation of this month's rally, you should check out our host Morri at Meals with Morri where the complete list of yummy, gluten free bagels is ready for you to enjoy.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Bagels

150 grams oat flour
100 grams brown rice flour
50 grams arrowroot starch
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 Cup water (heated to 100 degrees F)
1 package active dry yeast
2 Tablespoons agave nectar
4 ounces peanut butter (or whatever you can use)
2-4 heaping Tablespoons jam (in this case Blueberry Butter made by Hundred Acre Farm)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a large cookie sheet and set aside. In large mixing bowl, combine flours and salt. Set aside. (I like that phrase!) In a 2 cup glass measuring cup, warm your water. I microwaved for about 2 minutes, and then had to let it cool back down to 100-ish degrees.  Pour in agave and yeast. Stir to combine, and....set aside to do its frothy thing. Add peanut butter to flour, and mix well. Once the yeast mixture is ready pour into mixer, and beat well.

The next instructions were for kneading, and maybe I should have done it. I prefer to let the mixer do it for me. Either way the dough should be worked in some way for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl coated with oil/spray that will allow the dough to double in size. Cover with plastic wrap, and set your timer for about an hour. Go do the dishes or exercise while waiting. Punch down the dough, divide into 4 pieces, and shape into balls. Let rest for about 10 minutes. While you are waiting this time you will want to bring your sauce pot of water to a boil. Divide the dough again and roll into balls that are fairly smooth in texture. Flatten and then make a hole in the middle. These babies should rest again. It is really tiring being a bagel.

Put each bagel in gently for 30 seconds before turning for another 30 seconds. Remove from boiling water to the prepared pan with a slotted spoon. When all have been boiled, place the baking sheet(s) in the oven for 30 minute or until golden brown and they sound hollow on the bottom when tapped.

Maybe they need to rise a second time?

Spicy Pumpkin Pasta

So I didn't quite make it into October with the last of the challenge ingredients. Nor did we do November. However, that is all changing now.The last of the ingredients for the October challenge were very challenging. What does one do with oatmeal, jalapeno, and curry powder? You make pasta of course!

So maybe there is no of course about it, but it is what I came up with. I have to say that noses were wrinkled at me, but in the end this was fabulous. Really found myself wishing that there was more.

Spicy Pumpkin Pasta with Parmesan Butter Sauce

100 grams oat flour

40 grams potato starch

60 grams brown rice flour

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1 jalapeno, seeded & diced

4 ounces of pumpkin puree

2 eggs

Note: I grind my own oat flour using old-fashioned rolled oats (use gluten free if you need to) and my cheap-o mini food processor.

First, steam the jalapeno until it is very tender. I did this in a small bowl with a bit of water in the microwave. Let cool while mixing the flours, starch and curry powder in a medium bowl. Set aside. Make your pumpkin/jalapeno puree in the food processor. Blend well. Add eggs one at a time to the puree, and then stir into the flour mixture until combined. Place dough on a piece of parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray. Wrap and place in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. When ready, divide dough in half and roll out between two pieces of parchment paper coated with a bit of flour (your choice). Cut into fairly wide strips. Cook in a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes. Drain and serve with sauce. Makes 2 servings.

Parmesan Butter Sauce

4 Tablespoons butter

1/2 Cup grated Parmesan

splash of non-dairy milk

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add Parmesan while continuously stirring. Add a tablespoon or two of milk to bring to a creamy finish. Pour over one serving of pasta.

Spiced Oatmeal Pancakes

Have I mentioned the Monkey's obsession with oatmeal? Seriously, he could eat it three times a day if I let him. Just the other day, he told me he needed to start eating hot cereal now that it is getting to be winter. So he opted for cream of rice. I just had to shake my head since he ate oatmeal, a hot cereal last time I checked, all summer long. Such a silly boy.

Anyway, this recipe came from his love of oatmeal and my desire to have a great recipe using oat flour. The catch for me appears to be making my own flour from rolled oats in my little food processor. Maybe not as finely ground as the stuff from the store, but it works for me. I have made these a few times now, and they just keep getting better. Serve them with homemade strawberry-rhubarb jam, marionberry syrup or just plain ol' maple syrup. It's all good!

Spiced Oatmeal Pancakes

100 grams oat flour

60 grams brown rice flour

40 grams arrowroot starch

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 Tablespoons coconut palm sugar

1/4 teaspoon all spice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 eggs

1 Cup non-dairy milk

Measure and whisk together all the dry ingredients in a medium size bowl. Use a glass measuring cup for the non-dairy milk. Add eggs to milk, and mix to combine. Add to flour mixture and stir until combined. Warm your pan/skillet/griddle. We use a pan with oil to coat the bottom. Pour by 1/8 cup portions into pan turning when the tops start to bubble. Serve warm. Makes about 12 smallish pancakes.

Caramel Apple Donuts

I have been thinking of these donuts for awhile, but putting them off due to, ummm, laziness. I will admit that May got pretty busy, and I found that I could hardly keep up with the day to day let alone the extras. Sometimes baking is an extra chore. I don't want it to be, and so I take brief breaks. This last one was a bit longer than I like, but I broke out the pan and a new recipe for National Donut Day this past Friday. I will say that the Monkey preferred them without the cinnamon sugar, but I like them with. You will have to decide for yourself.

Caramel Apple Donuts

100 grams oat flour
80 grams sorghum flour
60 grams tapioca starch
6 ounces applesauce (unsweetened preferred)
2 ounces caramel apples
2 eggs
2 ounces coconut oil, softened
1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice
10 drops vanilla stevia

Caramel apples:
1/2 large apple, peeled, cored, chopped
1/4 Cup turbinado sugar
1 Tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium/large mixing bowl, whisk together flours and starch. Set aside. Next cook up your apple so it has time to cool. In a frying pan over medium heat, melt the sugar. You should stir it frequently, and have the diced apple and butter at hand to add once the sugar has melted so you don't burn it. Once the sugar is melted add the butter and apples. Cook for about a minute to soften the apples making sure that your doesn't burn. Pour it off into a glass measuring cup to ensure the correct amount. Let it cool while you whisk together the egg and coconut oil in a small bowl. Add the egg mixture to the flour and stir until combined. Add applesauce to your measuring cup to equal 8 ounces. Add to large bowl and mix well.

Spray your donut pan with cooking spray and fill to the top with batter using a small cookie scoop. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Glaze and Topping:

1/2 Cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons almond milk
cinnamon sugar

Combine powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl. Mix until the sugar is completely dissolved. Drizzle over tops of donuts place on a cooling rack over wax paper. Let set for a minute or two, and then dip tops in small bowl of cinnamon sugar.

Note: I try to keep cinnamon sugar on hand, and I like mine very cinnamony. :) Just mix about a 1/4 Cup sugar with 2 Tablespoons cinnamon. Just keep a small amount in the bowl, and reserve the rest in a small re-seal-able container.

Oatmeal Pancakes

In the last month, we have discovered that the monkey is possibly ADHD and gifted. The latter I suspected, and the former I am not able to fully trust yet. Two days after that diagnosis, we received the news that he has significant allergies to corn, wheat, soy and milk. This has resulted in a lot of research, a couple of shopping trips and trying to find recipes that can be modified to suit our needs. We tried the first tonight. I am posting a link to the original recipe on allrecipes.com, and then the full one with my modifications.

Oatmeal Pancakes II (Original)

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 1/2 cup oat flour (am thinking that a nut flour would be better)
  
• 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup vanilla coconut milk (again thinking that vanilla oat or almond milk would be tasty)
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons olive/safflower/peanut oil
• 1 egg

Directions

1. Place oats in a food processor, and puree until a coarse flour like consistency is achieved; about 2 minutes. In a medium bowl mix together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, milk, vanilla, oil and egg until mostly smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Note: My very picky six year old nephew loved these just as much as the oat loving monkey! :)