Dill Pickles

Pickles are among the easiest things to can, as long as you can stomach the smell of the brine. Here's the recipe I use for our garden-fresh cucumbers and dill. Although pickles should sit several weeks for best flavor, I have had co-workers inadvertently open a jar the weekend after they were canned. The verdict was they were good, but I think it's best to demonstrate a bit of patience.

Dill Pickles
8 lbs. cucumbers, cut into pickle-size pieces
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup canning salt
1 quart vinegar
1 quart water
3 Tbsp. pickling spices
Dill (enough to use 1 head per jar)

Wash cucumbers, and drain. Combine sugar, salt, vinegar and water in a large saucepot. Tie spices in a spicebag (otherwise known as a coffee filter and twistie tie in my kitchen). Simmer spices 15 minutes in vinegar mixture.

Meanwhile pack cucumbers into hot jars with one head of dill in each jar, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Ladle hot brine into jars, removing any air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process pints and quarts 15 minutes in hot water bath.

Basil-Garlic Tomato Sauce

My synopsis of this project is as follows: this better be the best tasting tomato sauce I've eaten. Otherwise, it's simply not worth the effort.

It's not that canning tomato sauce is difficult, but it is a time-consuming task that requires far more tomatoes than you would imagine for the end result of sauce. However, I am still excited to try this sauce as it contains tomatoes and basil all grown in our garden.

Basil-Garlic Tomato Sauce
20 lbs. tomatoes
1 cup onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced
Bottled lemon juice

Wash tomatoes, and drain. Remove core, and cut into quarters. Set aside.

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add tomatoes, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Process mixture through a food mill to remove seeds and skins. Combine tomato puree with basil. Cook over medium-high heat until sauce is reduced by one half, stirring to prevent sticking.

Add 1 Tbsp. lemon juice to each pint jar. Ladle in hot sauce, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps, and process in hot water bath 35 minutes.

Honey-Spiced Nectarines

This is an adaptation of Honey-Spiced Peaches, but my taste for nectarines overpowers the appeal of peaches. I saw this recipe and was immediately enticed. I cannot wait to crack open one of these jars and devour the deliciousness.

Honey-Spiced Nectarines
8 lbs. nectarines
1 cup sugar
4 cups water
2 cups honey
3 sticks cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. whole allspice
3/4 tsp. whole cloves

Wash nectarines, and drain them. Cut into quarters, and remove pits. Treat nectarines to prevent browning. Pack nectarines tightly into pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.

Combine sugar, water and honey over medium heat. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Cook nectarines, one layer at a time, three minutes or until heated. Pack hot nectarines into jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.

Fill jars with syrup, making sure to remove any air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps, and process pints 25 minutes in hot water bath.

Nectarines in Jars

Nectarines are gloriously in season and are reasonably priced at 88 cents/pound. That inspired me to purchase them now, so my husband doesn't get mocked for trying to find nectarines out of season for his pregnant wife. (Granted, I don't have plans to be pregnant again this winter, but that's only a minor flaw in my logic.)

So, I canned 3 quarts of nectarines in a light syrup. My measurements are more of guesstimates, which is how I tend to handle proportions of items stuffed into jars and hot liquid for canning. I just cross my fingers that I have enough hot liquid to fill all my jars.

Nectarines in Jars
2 to 2 1/2 nectarines per quart
Sugar
Water

Wash nectarines, and drain them. Cut into quarters, and remove pits. Treat nectarines to prevent browning. Pack nectarines tightly into jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.

Make a light syrup by combining 1 part sugar to 5 parts water. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Fill jars with syrup, making sure to remove any air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps, and process quarts 20 minutes or pints 25 minutes in hot water bath.

Note: I added a cinnamon stick, some cloves and allspice to one jar to liven up the flavors.

Nesting Cookies

Although this is technically a sugar cookie, I prefer to call them nesting cookies. What else would someone who is due within the week call the 120 cookies she bakes ... all while realizing how much she hates making sugar cookies?!?! The cookies are delicious (of course, they're the famous recipe from my hubby's grandma), and the decorations turned out as cute as I had hoped.

Nesting Cookies
4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup sour milk
1 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Add butter, and mix in to form a pre-dough. Add the other ingredients, first dissolving the baking soda in the milk. Roll thin using no more flour than needed (which is an awful lot of flour and equal portions of muttering under your breath as your dough sticks to your counter). Cut with cookie cutter. Bake on silipat or parchment paper for 8 minutes or until golden.

Cool cookies completely on parchment paper or wire racks. Once cool, frost in desired manner. My preferred method of frosting is now the chocolates used for making candies. I prefer not only the flavor over icing, but they are quite easy to manipulate.

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Frosting

I managed to leave work early enough Friday to get cupcakes made and frosted by the time our friends arrived at 6 p.m. (even with the need to run to the store for cocoa and brown sugar ... it's a good thing I still had my shoes on from work, though, otherwise I think I would have forgotten to put on shoes for the store since I was in a bit of a hurry). 

I made one of my standby chocolate cupcake recipes and frosted them with a recipe I found at Cupcake Project for Peanut Butter Cookie Dough frosting. The frosting is made from edible cookie dough, edible meaning no raw eggs, so you can eat the entire 2 cups at once without worrying about dying from salmonella. 

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Frosting

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

pinch of salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla exract

 

Mix everything in a mixing bowl, and pipe onto your favorite cupcakes. 

Apricot & Nectarine Tart

The farmer's market had fresh apricots from Door County, which seemed like the perfect thing to buy with my final dollars. (I always shop the farmer's market with small bills and stop buying only when I run out of money or arm space. Since I had my wonderful husband accompany me, the money ran out first!) I've also been buying nectarines because they're fantastically priced right now and my unborn, hungry child still loves them.

I decided to combine the two into a tart for brunch. My tart pastry was a bit hodgepodge as I didn't have any shortening in the house, but it still turned out well. It was a delicious addition to brunch with a good friend.

Golden Oat Saffron Bread

Saffron is not an ingredient normally found in my kitchen (perhaps the price tag is the reason for that). However, I picked up saffron this summer with the intention of making this Golden Oat Saffron Bread. I was a bit distraught I didn't have oat flour in my arsenal, until I realized I just needed to grind my oats into a powder.


The bread is delicious warm, perfect for a Sunday brunch. The saffron contributes a unique flavor, along with a pretty yellow tinge.

Golden Oat Saffron Bread
2 eggs plus scalded milk equal to 1 1/3 cups
2 tsp. dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. pulverized saffron
1 cup oat flour
1/2 cup butter
3 cups bread flour

Cool the milk until warm, between 105ºF and 115ºF. Pour into warmed mixing bowl with eggs and yeast. Let stand 5 minutes. Add sugar, saffron oat flour, butter and half the bread flour. Mix well, cover and let stand 15 minutes.

Add remaining bread flour. Knead until a dough forms that is smooth and springy but soft to the touch. Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Turn dough onto lightly greased surface, and punch dough down. Divide dough into three equal pieces, and shape each into skinny log. Braid together the three strands of dough. Place braided bread on prepared baking sheet. Cover, and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Glaze with an egg and milk mixture, and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake 15 to 25 minutes, until golden and a wooden skewer comes out clean.Serve warm.

The Very Best French Bread Made at Home

I didn't name this bread, so please don't think I'm that egotistical. I'm also slightly skeptical since I've made some pretty dang tasty French bread already. My husband will be the true taste tester of the bread's name when he is permitted to pull the loaves from the freezer for sampling. (I've been baking so much that I can only leave one loaf out at a time for eating.)

The Very Best French Bread Made at Home
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups bread flour
3/4 tsp. dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water, 105ºF and 115ºF

Combine sponge ingredients listed above together. Cover, and let stand 12 to 24 hours until sponge is bubbly and has a sweet and lightly sour aroma. Stir the sponge down. Then proceed with remaining ingredients:

1/2 cup water
1 cup wheat berries
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Heat the water until warm, between 105ºF and 115ºF. Pour into warmed mixing bowl, and sponge and remaining ingredients. Knead until a dough forms that is smooth and springy but soft to the touch. Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Turn dough onto lightly greased or floured surface, and punch dough down. Divide dough into two pieces, and shape each into a round loaf. Place on prepared baking sheet. Cover, and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Using a sharp knife, slash the top of each loaf. Brush the loaves with water. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until golden.Cool on a wire rack.

Light Wheat Berry Bread

As far as I can ascertain, the "Light" in the title refers to the color of the bread, although there is no fat added to this bread. The bread has a light color and texture, and I'm sure the wheat berries contribute to the texture.

Light Wheat Berry Bread
1 1/2 cups bread flour
3/4 tsp. dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water, 105ºF and 115ºF

Combine sponge ingredients listed above together. Cover, and let stand 12 to 24 hours until sponge is bubbly and has a sweet and lightly sour aroma. Stir the sponge down. Then proceed with remaining ingredients:

1/2 cup water
1 cup wheat berries
2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Heat the water until warm, between 105ºF and 115ºF. Pour into warmed mixing bowl, and sponge and remaining ingredients. Knead until a dough forms that is smooth and springy but soft to the touch. Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Turn dough onto lightly greased or floured surface, and punch dough down. Divide dough into two pieces, and shape each into a round loaf. Place on prepared baking sheet. Cover, and let rise until doubled, about  45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Using a sharp knife, slash the top of each loaf. Spritz the top of each loaf with water prior to placing in the oven. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until golden.Cool on a wire rack.

Almond Raisin Monkey Bread

One of the highlights of our productive weekend at home was this amazing Almond Raisin Monkey Bread. I'm sure this is supposed to make way more than eight servings, but it was that delicious!

 Almond Raisin Monkey Bread
2 tsp. yeast
2 large eggs plus undiluted evaporated milk to equal 1 1/3 cups
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup sugar
8 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup slivered or chopped almonds
4 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
4 Tbsp. melted butter

Heat the evaporated milk until warm, between 105ºF and 115ºF. Pour into warmed mixing bowl with eggs, and add yeast. Let stand 5 minutes.

Add salt, sugar, butter, wheat flour and half the bread flour. Beat well. Cover, and let stand 15 minutes.

Add remaining bread flour. Knead the dough until soft and springy but soft to the touch. Knead in raisins and almonds. Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Turn dough onto lightly greased or floured surface, and punch dough down. Divide dough into 32 pieces. Combine remaining sugar with cinnamon. Dip each piece of dough in melted butter, and roll in sugar mixture. Place dough pieces into greased 10-inch fluted tube pan. Cover, and let rise until doubled, about 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until golden and a wooden skewer comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, and then invert onto a serving plate. Devour!

Whole Wheat Berry Bread

This was one of five batches of bread I created this past weekend since my husband complained our freezer was empty of bread. My loaves fell a bit flat, and again I'll attribute that to my starter swap mishap. (See my post on Oatmeal Sourdough Bread.) Still, the bread has good flavor, and I think it will be delicious for grilled sandwiches.

Whole Wheat Berry Bread
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp. dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water, 105ºF and 115ºF


Combine sponge ingredients listed above together. Cover, and let stand 12 to 24 hours until sponge is bubbly and has a sweet and lightly sour aroma. Stir the sponge down. Then proceed with remaining ingredients:

1/2 cup water
1 cup wheat berries
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Heat the water until warm, between 105ºF and 115ºF. Pour into warmed mixing bowl, and sponge and remaining ingredients. Knead until a dough forms that is smooth and springy but soft to the touch. Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Turn dough onto lightly greased or floured surface, and punch dough down. Divide dough into two pieces, and shape each into a round loaf. Place on prepared baking sheet. Cover, and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Using a sharp knife, slash the top of each loaf. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until golden.Cool on a wire rack.

Wheat Sourdough French Bread

The trick to engaging my husband in bread-making adventures is to promise the reward of French bread. Although this isn't the crustiest, chewiest bread I've made, it still had enough promise in its name that my husband willingly traveled up and down the basement stairs to help me gather supplies. (It was worth it!)

Sourdough Starter
1 cup warm water, between 105ºF and 115ºF
1 cup flour
1/8 tsp. active dry yeast

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl. Cover tightly, and let stand 24 to 36 hours, until the starter is bubbly and has a sweet-sour aroma. Cover and refrigerate for storage or use immediately. Replenish after each use with a mixture of half water and half flour. Let stand at room temperature 1 to 2 hours, until bubbly. Cover tightly and refrigerate.

Wheat Sourdough French Bread
2 tsp. yeast
2/3 cup water
1 1/3 cups sourdough starter
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups wheat flour
2 1/2 cups bread flour

Heat the water until warm, between 105ºF and 115ºF. Pour into warmed mixing bowl, and add yeast and room temperature sourdough starter. Let stand 5 minutes.

Add salt, wheat flour and half the bread flour. Beat well. Cover, and let stand 15 minutes.

Add remaining bread flour. Knead the dough until soft and springy but soft to the touch. Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Turn dough onto lightly greased or floured surface, and punch dough down. Divide dough into two pieces, and shape each into a round loaf. Place on prepared baking sheet. Cover, and let rise until doubled, about 60 to 90 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Using a sharp knife, slash the top of each loaf. (One of my loaves collapsed when I slashed it, so I left the other untouched.) Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until golden.Cool on a wire rack.

Oatmeal Sourdough Bread

The idea of sourdough bread is appealing, but I had the misconception that it would take too long to make the starter. The starter for this bread (and the next post) only required 24 hours to create, which is perfectly doable in a weekend. My loaves turned out dense, and I'm going to attribute that to accidentally using a portion of the wrong starter. Lesson learned: sourdough and whole wheat starters are extremely difficult to accurately scoop out of a recipe when you use the wrong one. 

Sourdough Starter
1 cup warm water, between 105ºF and 115ºF
1 cup flour
1/8 tsp. active dry yeast

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl. Cover tightly, and let stand 24 to 36 hours, until the starter is bubbly and has a sweet-sour aroma. Cover and refrigerate for storage or use immediately. Replenish after each use with a mixture of half water and half flour. Let stand at room temperature 1 to 2 hours, until bubbly. Cover tightly and refrigerate.

 Oatmeal Sourdough Bread
2 tsp. yeast
2/3 cup water
1 1/3 cups sourdough starter
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups oats
2 1/2 cups bread flour

Heat the water until warm, between 105ºF and 115ºF. Pour into warmed mixing bowl, and add yeast and room temperature sourdough starter. Let stand 5 minutes.

Add salt, oats and half the bread flour. Beat well. Cover, and let stand 15 minutes.

Add remaining bread flour. Knead the dough until soft and springy but soft to the touch. Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Turn dough onto lightly greased or floured surface, and punch dough down. Divide dough into two pieces, and shape each into a round loaf. Place on prepared baking sheet. Cover, and let rise until doubled, about 60 to 90 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Using a sharp knife, slash the top of each loaf. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until golden.Cool on a wire rack.

Wheat Berry & Raisin Bread

At first I was perplexed by wheat berries, until I realized they were actually whole wheat kernels. Unfortunately, I had already purchased a bag of wheat berries when I had this epiphany, so my stash of wheat to grind remained untouched for this bread. (Technically, I did grind it for the flour in the recipe.)

Wheat Berry & Raisin Bread
2 tsp. yeast
1 1/3 cups water
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. canola oil
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. molasses
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups bread flour
1 cup cooked wheat berries, well drained
1 cup raisins

Heat the water until warm, between 105ºF and 115ºF. Pour into warmed mixing bowl, and add yeast, salt, oil, honey and molasses. Let stand 5 minutes.

Add wheat flour and half the bread flour. Beat well. Cover, and let stand 15 minutes.

Add remaining bread flour. Knead the dough until soft and springy but soft to the touch. Knead in wheat berries and raisins. Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Turn dough onto lightly greased or floured surface, and punch dough down. Divide dough into two pieces, and shape each into a round loaf. Place on prepared baking sheet. Cover, and let rise until doubled, about 45  minutes.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Bake 25 to 35 minutes, until golden.Cool on a wire rack.

Note: To cook wheat berries, combine 1 cup grain and 3 cups water in medium saucepan. Cover, and bring to a boil. Simmer approximately 45 minutes until tender. Drain well. Store remaining grain in the refrigerator.