Sourdough Currant Rye Bread

This sourdough bread doesn't require much additional work, but it is a three-day process. Trust me, the time delay in bread only enhances the flavor.

Rye Sourdough Starter
1/2 cup sourdough starter
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 cup rye flour
1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl. Cover tightly, and let stand 24 are room temperature.

Sourdough Currant Rye Bread
2 tsp. yeast
2/3 cup water
1 1/3 cups rye sourdough starter
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups dark rye flour
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups currants

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

Add salt, rye 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 currants. 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. Shape dough into a round loaf, and place in a greased pie plate. Cover, and let rise until doubled, about 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Slash loaf with a sharp knife.  Bake 45 minutes, until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Old-Fashioned Rye Bread

This recipe uses less yeast than a traditional bread but requires an extra 12 to 24 hours of patience. You don't have to do anything special during those 12 to 24 hours, just be patient. If you can handle that, then you can handle this rye bread.

Old-Fashioned Rye Bread
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup stone-ground rye flour
3/4 tsp. yeast
3/4 cup water, between 105ºF and 115ºF

Make sponge by combining the above ingredients together in a warm non-reactive bowl. Cover, and let stand 12 to 24 hours until the sponge is bubbly and has a sweet and lightly sour aroma.

1/2 cup water, between 105ºF and 115ºF
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup stone-ground rye flour
2 tsp. salt

To finish the dough, stir the sponge, and the remaining ingredients listed above. Knead the dough until smooth and springy. Cover, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch down the dough, and shape into two round loaves. Cover, and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Slash the loaves with a sharp knife, and brush with water. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until the loaves are golden brown and crusty. Remove from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack.

Whole Wheat Sourdough Raisin Bread

This bread is slightly sour, studded with sweet raisins. It makes excellent toast.

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.

Whole Wheat Sourdough Raisin 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
2/3 cup raisins

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. Knead in the 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 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.

Finnish Sour Rye Bread

I've already cracked through the misconception that sourdough bread takes too long because of the starter. That said, I find myself home nearly every day since my son was born. That means I'm making much progress on my sourdough breads.

This rye bread has a nice texture, slightly sour flavor and just a bit of crunchy crust. In other words: delicious.

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.

Finnish Sour Rye Bread
2 tsp. yeast
2/3 cup water
1 1/3 cups sourdough starter
2 tsp. salt
3 cups dark rye flour
2 Tbsp. gluten
1 cup 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, rye 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. For a more intense sourdough flavor, place the dough in a plastic bag, and refrigerate overnight.

Allow dough to return to room temperature. Turn dough onto lightly greased or floured surface, and punch dough down. Shape dough into a round loaf about 12 inches in diameter. With floured fingers, make a hole in the center of the loaf, then stretch and pull that hole to about 3 inches in diameter. Place on prepared baking sheet. Cover, and let rise until doubled, about 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Pierce the loaf with a fork. (See photo above.) Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Pumpkin Butter

Warning: This isn't the jarred jammy spread. This is good old-fashioned dairy butter mixed with pumpkin and seasonings to create a new holiday topping for toasts and sweet breads. I found the recipe in a Food Network magazine and thought it was the perfect way to use up the last bit of pumpkin in the fridge.

Pumpkin Butter
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 stick butter, softened
1/4 tsp. orange zest
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Mash all ingredients together. Spread on parchment paper, and shape into a roll. Refrigerate until serving. May be frozen for later use.

The Triple Pumpkin Threat

It just so happened that I found instructions for how to carve a cupcake pumpkin online the day that we carved our pumpkins. So, naturally, I carved a cupcake pumpkin. I was quite proud of my pumpkin and deemed it my coolest jack-o-lantern ever when I posted it on Facebook. The picture prompted the comment "pumpkin flavored with pumpkin frosting sprinkled with pumpkin seeds!"

And that was my inspiration for these cupcakes. I used both frosting and cupcake recipes found on my favorite blog Cupcake Project. I decided to match Maple and Rum Pumpkin Cupcakes with Pumpkin Cheesecake Frosting and sprinkled the cupcakes with roasted pumpkin seeds immediately prior to serving. As weird as the pumpkin seed sprinkles sound, there's something oddly satisfying about the salty crunch they add. 

Maple and Rum Pumpkin Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup dark rum
1/4 cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Whisk together dry ingredients. In separate bowl, beat the sugar, pumpkin and eggs together until smooth. Mix in the oil, rum and syrup until smooth. Slowly add the flour mixture, and mix until fully incorporated. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Makes 12-14 cupcakes.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Mix in the pumpkin puree. Slowly mix in powdered sugar. Note: The frosting will likely not be stiff enough to pipe. Any leftover frosting would be a delicious "dip" for crunchy gingersnap cookies (if you feel guilty just eating frosting by the spoonful).

BBQ Turkey Smokey Joes

This slow cooker recipe requires minimal effort, which is the point of slow cooker recipes. The cayenne adds a bit more heat than I personally prefer, but I have one of the wimpiest tongues I know. My husband probably wouldn't even notice the cayenne.

BBQ Turkey Smokey Joes
3 lbs. ground turkey
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
16 oz. tomato sauce
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. liquid smoke
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Brown turkey, and drain grease. Place turkey in slow cooker with remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours. Serve the meat mixture on buns. Makes at least 10 servings.

Stuffing

This is a tried and true recipe from my husband's family. It's a staple at their Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings. I made it for my family's Thanksgiving one year, and now I'm suckered into it every year. Even though this is the third year I'm making it, I always have to ask my mother-in-law for the recipe. So, I'm posting it here in hopes that I can find it next year.

Stuffing
1 cup celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. ground beef or pork
14 oz. bag seasoned croutons
2 cans cream of chicken soup
3/4 stick of butter
2 cups milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sage
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Brown celery, onion and meat together. Drain excess fat. Combine with remaining ingredients. Bake in a 13 x 9 pan for one hour.