No kneading necessary.

I've always wanted to try making my own bread, but have never gotten around to it simply on account of the fact that making bread involves an inordinate amount of effort.  All that kneading and waiting and kneading and waiting again.......

So you can imagine that I was quite happy when I came across a recipe for no-knead bread.  I was even happier when I realized that this particular loaf had to rise for at least 8 hours...meaning that I could put the dough together the night before and then finish in the morning for fresh baked cinnamon raisin goodness...

You will need...

-1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

-1 1/2 tsp salt

-1/2 tsp active dry yeast (not quick rising)

-1 1/4 cups cold water (using cold water ensures that the dough will rise slowly)

-2 tbsp honey

-2 tsp cinnamon

-2 tbsp brown sugar

-1/2 cup raisins

-1/2 cup chopped almonds (or whatever other nut you fancy)

Step 1: mix the dough.  Whisk together the flours, salt, yeast, cinnamon, brown sugar, raisin, and nuts.  Using a wooden spoon, mix the water and honey into the dry ingredients and stir just until the dough comes together.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a loose fitting lid and allow to rise at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours.

Because there's more water than usual the dough should come together fairly easily...

Step 2: After the dough has risen, dust more flour over the surface to prevent it from sticking to your hands as you shape the loaf.  Gently pull the dough away from the sides of the bowl and then lift it out...be careful, you want to work it as little as possible to maintain the air bubbles formed by the yeast.  Quickly stretch and tick the dough under itself, turning it as you work, to form a right ball.

The top will be smooth, the bottom will be a collection of loose ends.

Step 3: Put the shaped loaf into a greased and floured dutch oven.  Cover and allow to rest at room temperature for 45 minutes.  After it has rested, cut a small cross into the top.

Step 4: Put the dutch over in the centre of a cold (not preheated) oven and set the temperature to 425 degrees F; bake for 40 minutes.  Remove the lid and bake for 10 to 20 minutes more, until the loaf is nice and brown.  Carefully remove from the Dutch oven; allow to cool before slicing.

Best to let it cool completely...if you can resist.

I could not resist slicing it open shortly after it came out the oven...but this was my breakfast after all.  It was perfect...deeply flavoured, and pleasantly chewy (on account of all the whole wheat flour).  Delicious, and filling!

Snack healthy

I'm not going to lie: I eat six times a day.

There is, of course, a method to my madness.  Based on personal experience I can tell you that eating a little bit every couple of hours helps to keep hunger at bay, and therefore helps you to eat less over the course of any given 24 hour period.  The idea is to eat smaller meals/snacks more often.  When it comes to snacking I try to mix it up...fruit, veggies, yogurt, granola bars...and muffins.

Muffins are the best.  They're just a little bit sweet and full of fibre, and super healthy when you make them yourself.  And, most importantly from the perspective of someone who lives alone, they freeze very well.

Why would anyone want to freeze a muffin?  Well, it is a fact of baking that those things you've created lose their freshness over time.  This can be a problem when combined with the fact that muffin recipes make 12 muffins at a time...meaning that in order to eat all the muffins before they get stale I would have to eat two muffins a day for the entire week.

I love muffins, but not that much.

To prevent muffin overload, I freeze the entire batch as soon as they've cooled.  Then whenever I'm in the mood for a snack I just pop one out of the freezer, microwave for 30 seconds, and before I know it I'm eating something delicious, satisfying, and healthy.

In order to keep myself from getting bored with any one variety of muffin I have several recipes in my rotation.  Some come from cookbooks, some from my mother, and others from the internet.  But what they all have in common is a set of basic ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, eggs, and oil.  Where the recipes differ is exactly what they use to fill all of these slots...all-purpose or whole wheat flour, the addition of bran or oatmeal, white or brown sugar, oil or milk (or fruit/veggie puree).  If you keep the basics on hand, all you will need to do for any recipe is buy the little things that make the recipe unique, making your life a lot easier.

The specific muffin recipe I'm going to share with you today is the one I've made the most recently...pistachio chai.  The batter is flavored with chai tea, then topped with roasted pistachios and a sweet glaze.

Ingredients
-1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/4 tsp salt
-2 or 3 chai blend tea bags (more tea=more chai flavor)
-1 cup buttermilk
-1/4 cup melted butter
-1 1/2 tsp vanilla, divided
-1 large egg
-1/2 cup shelled roasted pistachios, chopped
-1/2 cup powdered sugar
-1 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a large bowl.  Tear open the tea bags and add the tea directly into the mixture; mix well.  Make a well in the centre.

In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients (buttermilk through egg); reserve 1/2 tsp of vanilla.  Mix well, then pour into the well in the centre of the dry ingredients.  Stir until just moist.

Divide batter evenly among greased muffin tins (recipe makes 12 muffins).  Sprinkle nuts over top, and bake for 15 minutes (until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean).

Let cool for 5 minutes in the tins, then cool completely on a rack.  To glaze, combine remaining 1/2 tsp vanilla with powdered sugar and water; drizzle over muffins.

Transfer muffins to an airtight container (or ziploc bag) and freeze immediately.  Now you have access to a quick, healthy, and delicious snack!

Keeping healthy snacks on hand means you're less likely to reach for a bag of chips or a chocolate bar!

Making it work

My holiday dinners usually end with pie, but this year I decided to mix things up a bit.

My decision was, of course, influenced by the things I had around me.  I was at my parents, and I know that they don't have all of the same things that I might keep on hand for baking, and that their small town supermarket is not as well stocked as I would like.  So I looked at what they had and came up with a plan: caramel apple upside down cake.

Seriously.  Easiest dessert ever.

You will need:
-1/2 cup butter (or margarine)
-1 cup packed brown sugar
-1 tsp ground cinnamon
-3-4 medium apples, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch wedges
-1 box of cake mix (as well as the requisite egg and oil)

First, make the caramel by melting the butter in a saucepan.  Stir in the brown sugar and heat to boiling, then add the cinnamon (I also added one cup of crushed pecans for crunch).  Pour the caramel into a greased 9x13 pan (or two 9 inch round pans).  Arrange the apple slices over the brown sugar mixture.

Then, make the cake according to the package directions.  Pour over the apples, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean (about 30 minutes in a 9x13 pan).  Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then flip onto a plate to serve.

Delicious with vanilla ice cream :)