Home Made Sour Dough English Muffins {How to make sour dough starter}

I'm pretty sure I can not get any lazier at this point. It's only a couple of weeks into summer (unofficially summer begins in March here in Phoenix IMHO) and the triple digits are making me tired and cranky. Even a trip to the store gives my such a bad headache I have to lay down for 20 minutes when I get back. Crazy. You'd think I would have gotten accustomed to the heat after living here for 30 some odd years. Nope and nope.

I did manage to make a quick batch of sour dough English muffins the other day for breakfast and decided they are my new favorite thing. The smell of sour dough baking is almost as good as that first bite into the warm bread. Almost.

Making my own English muffins has been on my bucket baking list for way too long. I've heard how easy they are to make but buying the at the store is even easier right? Right, buuuuut the taste comparison is in huge favor of the home made variety. When I came across this recipe that called for making them on the stove top in under 10 minutes instead of heating up the house by using the oven I knew it was time to get busy.

I've had a batch of sour dough starter given to me by my mom for over 10 years now. Those of you who aren't familiar with sour dough starter might be all like, "ewwwww, 10 year old dough starter?" and those of you who are familiar with it know the older the sour dough starter, the better it is. Liquid gold in fermentation form.


What is sour dough starter and how do you get your hands on some? 

I'm glad you asked. It's basically a mixture of flour and water that has been set out on the counter top for several days and ferments thanks to wild yeast which is found in the air all around you.

Sooooo, why doesn't the mixture get gross and moldy if it's left out on the counter top for a week?    

Another great question!

The starch in bread flour is something that not a lot of bacteria can easily handle, while sugar is. Yeast, on the other hand, creates special enzymes to deal with starch. The yeast and lactobacilli also destroy the culture with the alcohol and lactic acid they produce, and that keeps other bacteria out.

1.  Hundreds of years ago, before there was packaged yeast, bakers used sourdough starter to keep a supply of yeast alive and handy. They kept a pot of live culture in a flour/water medium, and "fed" it daily or weekly so that the yeast remained alive and active. Beer brewers use yeast leftover from brewing there beer. Mmmm, beer bread. 

Why does wild yeasted bread have such a complex flavor compared to bread leavened with commercial yeast? I thought you'd never ask! When flour and water are left out for several days, naturally occurring yeast in the air and the flour, usually saccharomyces exiguus and bacteria, mostly lactobacillus and acetobacillus feed off the sugars released by the enzymes in the dough. Lactobacillus and acetobacillus create the sour flavor in the form of lactic and acetic acids. Around the San Francisco Bay Area, a naturally occurring bacteria called lacobacillus san francisco is responsible for the sourdough flavor.

So if your not lucky enough to have had some sour dough starter passed down to you, you can easily make your own. It takes just 2 ingredients and a few days of patiently waiting and VOILA you have your very own sour dough starter! When ever you take out a cup or two for baking bread, pancakes or these Sour Dough English Muffins you simply add more flour and water, mix and let it sit out on the counter top for a few more days. After 3-5 days when it gets little fizzy bubbles going on you stick it in the fridge to slow down the fermentation process.

For a great, step by step guide on how to get a sour dough starter started click here.

I'll never buy store bought English muffins again! These are so easy peasy to make.
Mix up your dough in an electric mixer, roll it out, cut into circles (I used a 1 cup measuring cup), let rise for 1 hour on a cookie sheet dusted with corn meal, transfer to a skillet brushed with coconut oil and cook on each side for 5 minutes. That's it.

recipe adapted from The Woks of Life

 TIME      1 HOUR (RISING) 20 MINUTES        YIELDS     2 DOZEN MUFFINS

 4 cups flour, plus more for kneading
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup luke warm water
2/3 cup plain yogurt
* 1 cup sour dough starter
fine corn meal for dusting
coconut oil for brushing on pan

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Add water, sour dough starter and yogurt, and mix into a soft dough. Using your dough attachment, knead the dough for 10 minutes, until smooth, adding more flour 1/4 cup at a time until it is not sticky and forms a ball. Let dough rest for 5 minutes. 

On a clean surface dusted with flour, roll dough out to a thickness of about ¾ inch. Cut out circles with a 3 inch round cutter. Sprinkle a baking sheet with corn meal, and place the circles on it. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rise in a warm place for about an hour, until almost doubled in size. 

Heat a flat griddle pan until hot and brush with oil. Add the muffins and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 12 minutes, six minutes on each side, until firm and golden brown. Turn only once. Serve with butter and jam.

notes

*No packaged yeast is needed because the sour dough starter has wild yeast in it.
This can be made without sour dough starter by adding 1 more cup of water and 1/2 less cup of flour plus 1 package of quick rising yeast.

We used these the next day for breakfast sandwiches, YUM! They will be great for Eggs Benedict too.

sources

Vegan Baking

How Stuff Works

The Kitchen

Shrimp and Pesto Pizza with Sun Dried Tomatoes on No Rise Pizza Dough.

Would you believe me if I told you that this pizza was so fast and easy to make that you can do it on any day of the week? I did just to make sure it was as easy as it sounded, it is. I usually save pizza for the weekends and home made pizza for a day when I have plenty of time, patience and energy. Needless to say, we don't have home made pizza very often. That is until my sister gave me her recipe for this basic pizza dough. Now we can have fresh out of the oven pizza on any given Tuesday!

Preheat your oven to 425F.  Place a pizza stone if using, in oven and sprinkle with cornmeal. 

This dough is so easy I almost feel like I'm cheating. NO rising, No kneading and no waiting. Only a handful of ingredients and a stir of the spoon and you have home made pizza dough in under 10 minutes.

Separate the mixed dough into two equal parts {or shape into bread sticks!}. 

On a silpat or wax paper, roll into a ball and press with your hands to make a circle. Finish rolling the dough out with a rolling pin until it's about 1/4" -1/2" thick. 

Carefully, transfer dough to the hot pizza stone by flipping it over. Pushing the edges in if needed.

Cook the dough for 10-15 minutes till lightly golden brown but not done.  Poking holes in any bubbles that may form. 

Using an oven mitt, carefully pull oven rack out and spread pesto (or sauce of choice) over dough to 1/2" from the edge. Sprinkle with mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes and raw shrimp. 

Rachel's Easy Pizza Dough Recipe  (makes 2 pizzas or 1 pizza + bread sticks)

2 1/4 cup warm water
2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. sugar
4 1/2 Tbs. oil
2 tsp. dry yeast
5 2/3 cup flour

Mix salt, sugar, yeast and oil. Pour warm water over mix and stir. Add flour one cup at a time, mixing well each time, then kneed. No rising necessary. Bake 425 degrees 15-20 minutes. 

Top with sauce and toppings, bake another 5-10 minutes until cheese melts and turns golden brown and shrimp is pink.

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Pineapple Carnitas Pizza

Rosemary, Garlic and Parm Rustic Flatbread Pizza

Cheesy Pizza Bread with Caramelized Onions

Cast Iron Skillet, Sweet Chile Corn Bread { + Home Made QuickButtermilk}

Not another cornbread recipe you say. You're right. It's not. It's the best corn bread recipe ever. I'm confidant that way. Allright, it's all up for interpretation and personal preference but I for one prefer my cornbread sweet and slightly spicy and most importantly, not dry and crumbly. More of a corn 'pudding' but not exactly.

Sweet and spicy. Is there a better combo ever created? I think not. My mom's cornbread was always served with home made honey butter and was a special treat to go with our beans and greens. My corn bread can stand alone super star style and be the star to any main dish you serve.

Our favorites? Simple "Cowboy Beans, slow cooked in spices {What? I've not posted that one…. tbc} with sautéed kale drizzled in balsamic vinegar and maybe if your lucky, baked sweet potato fries.

Or, Chile con carne. Of course.

Orrrrrrrr, BBQ'd chicken and coleslaw comin' up!


Whatever you serve this with, be prepared that this sweet chile cornbread will most definitely be the star.

Make sure to enter my giveaway for a set of these cute cast iron skillets!
One square, one oval. Today's the last day!

Corn bread or cake? You decide.

TIME      30 MINUTES        SERVES     8

1 cup corn meal

1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup butter

1 teaspoon baking soda

2/3 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup creamed corn

1/4 cup frozen corn

*1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (4 ounce) can mild green chilies (optional)

Pre Heat oven to 375F

Mix dry ingredients together in medium size bowl.

In separate bowl, combine wet ingredients, stir to combine. 

Lightly grease 10" skillet {or several individual skillets) with butter.

Combine wet ingredients into dry, stirring just till combined. Pour batter into prepared skillet. 

Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes till lightly browned on top and toothpick comes out dry.

Remove from oven, place on cooling rack. Serve warm.  

notes:

If your like me, store bought buttermilk usually goes to waste after I use it for the recipe intended for.

Here's a super quick way to make your own. 

1 cup whole milk + 1 tablespoon plain vinegar  

Mix. let sit for 5-10 minutes. = home made buttermilk  

Pairs well with:

Cowboy beans and Greens. {should I post my recipe?}

Grilled/BBQ'd Chicken and Apple Slaw

Chilie of course!

Grain Free PB&J Bread

My 6 year old has 4 cavities. FOUR! If ever I felt like a failure as a mom, this is it. Epic fail. The fact that the dentist is my sisters husband may or may not have made me feel even punier. Not that I ever claimed to be World's Best Mom but I DO however like to think of myself as a fairly healthy eater and especially when it comes to feeding my kids healthy foods and snacks. I mean that's the entire premise of my blog! 

So how is it that my baby has 4 cavities? The dentist a.k.a. my brother-in-law asked me what his weakness was when it came to snacking.  "Errr, weakness?"  "Yeah, like does he love gold fish crackers and pretzels or candy?" Me, "NO! Well, I mean he does, actually have a big time sweet tooth but I SWEAR I can't even remember the last time I've bought gold fish crackers, or any crackers other that our GF quinoa and seed ones or any fruit snacks, candy or cookies or doughnuts....... (my mind is working over time trying to figure out where I went wrong).  So I say, "I mean sometimes I buy Popsicles, and there was Halloween where he gorged himself with candy  Oh!  all of those birthday parties at school with the cup cakes, that's got to be it right?  

Dentist/brother-in-law concerned for my mental health, "Ummm, no. You usually don't get cavities at this age from occasional snacking. Me, hanging my head in shame: "oh".  B-I-L, "What about your pregnancy? Was anything out of the ordinary there?"

Me:.......................... wrapping my mind around this question.

"Um. No. I mean I had to have surgery for appendicitis when I was 20 weeks along." 

"No, I mean were you sick a lot? Did you have a poor diet?"

Inner me trying to remember what the hell I ate 7 years ago while I was pregnant with my 3rd child that would have caused him to have 4 cavities at the age of 6:  "Um no. I mean maybe a little. I mean I think  I might have eaten more french fries than usual, and maybe a few second helpings of pasta..... at 2 a.m. 

And then I very jokingly and lovingly because he is family after all say "Why is it always the mothers fault?!!"  

I'm sure he knew I was joking. Kind of. Oh crap! I haven't been helping him brush his teeth in months. Should I mention that?

Nah.

Sighhh.

Which brings me to bread.

obviously.

I've played around with making gluten free bread a few times and have made a decent enough loaf or two but nothing that screams out "Mmmmm, home made bread!" Usually it's pretty dense and very dry.   

This bread was unbelievably good! It was heavier than your store bought, gluten laden variety because it is made with nut butter (ground nuts). I was however, expecting it to be much denser than it was. In fact, it was fairly light and airy and had just a mild hint of nut flavor. 

Cashews are my favorite nut after all. 

The small list of healthy ingredients, no yeast involved was a big bonus for me. Making home made bread was never so easy. You can use jarred Organic cashew butter or save some money and make your own if you have a good quality blender or food processor. See my post here on how to easily make your own nut butters.

Elana, from Elana's Pantry recommended using  Parrish Magic Line Loaf Pans
to bake gluten free breads which will help with the thin, dense bread that comes from using a regular size loaf pan. So I bought one. And it worked! Yay Elana! P.S.  she has another wonderful recipe for a grain free bread that I have tried and we all loved. It was however, slightly more involved than this recipe and I try to be as non-involved as possible these days. I blame the children. Which is only fair since somebody is going to turn around and blame me for all of their ailments and shenanigans anyway?  I kid!

Recipe from Danielle at Against All Grain

Yields 1 8.4x4.5 loaf
1 cup smooth raw cashew butter at room temperature.
4 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon local honey
2.5 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup almond milk (cow milk, coconut, hemp milk or rice milk will work as well)
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt 

Directions 

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. 

In a stand mixer using a cookie dough paddle, beat the cashew butter with the egg yolks, then add the honey, vinegar, and milk. 

Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until peaks form. Combine the dry ingredients in another small bowl. Make sure your oven is completely preheated before adding the egg whites and the dry ingredients to the cashew butter mixture. You don’t want your whites to fall, and the baking soda will activate once it hits the eggs and vinegar. 

Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and beat until combined. This will result in more of a wet batter than a dough. 

Gently fold in the beaten egg whites into the cashew butter mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, then immediately put it into the oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. 

Remove from the oven, then let cool for 15-20 minutes. Use a knife to free the sides from the loaf pan, then flip it upside down and release the loaf onto a cooling rack. 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls w Maple Icing in parchment

i've never been a big fan of cinnamon rolls...........

are you still with me? Do you still trust me? Think I'm off my rocker? 

Well, that's beside the point. What was the point? Oh yes! Cinnamon rolls. They are just so, so sweet. Too sweet in my opinion. I just feel sick after eating one, same with root beer floats I love them but just can't stomach them. poor me. These pumpkin rolls had just the right balance of sweetness to satisfy my sweet tooth with out all the gluttony and guilt. The maple syrup cream cheese frosting was really the sweet treat in these. 

Now if you add pumpkin to the mix, I'll eat anything ..... anything. Kind of like with meat, pork specifically I can't stand it but if you put it in Mexican food covered with a decent home made spicy red sauce, I'll eat a pig alright. The point is, I love pumpkin. Stay with me people.

So when I saw this recipe on My Baking Addiction adapted from King Arthur made by Good Life Eats..... well you get the point, it's been enjoyed around the block. I knew this is what I had to make for my friend Brandi who has been graciously helping me out all year by taking my son to school on my early morning work days. Thanks Brandi!

Oh! Instead of making these in a cake pan I used a muffin tin.  I cut squares of parchment paper into squares and then put the cut dough into the muffin pan. This made it easier and prettier to give as a gift I think.

Risen and ready for the oven.

pumpkin rolls in parchment

tip: pumpkin makes these rolls denser than regular cinnamon rolls so they are best right out of the oven or re-heated for a few seconds in the microwave. Also, cut the cooking time down by 5-8 minutes if you are using my muffin tin method. enjoy!

pumpkin cinnamon rolls w/ maple icing

Yield: 12 cinnamon rolls

Prep Time: 50 min + rising time

Cook Time: 30 min

Ingredients:

DOUGH:
4 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup canned (unsweetened) pumpkin puree
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup lukewarm water (105 – 110 degrees F)
1 packet active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon granulated white sugar
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra- as needed
cooking spray

FILLING:
4 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

ICING:
3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup pure grade B maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Spray a non-reactive bowl with nonstick spray. Set aside. Line a 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together first 5 ingredients of the dough (through egg) until well combined. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together warm water, yeast and 1 Tablespoon sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes until the yeast is frothy and active. If after 5 minutes yeast does not appear active, discard the mixture and start over with a newer, fresher yeast packet.

4. Place flour in a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer). Add yeast mixture and pumpkin mixture to the flour. Stir until ingredients have incorporated into a dough. If using a stand mixer, attach a dough hook and knead on medium speed for 5 minutes. If kneading by hand, turn dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes. The desired consistency of the dough should be soft and just slightly sticky. Add more flour as necessary throughout the kneading process until you achieve the proper consistency.

5. Form dough into a ball and transfer to the oiled bowl. Toss dough around in the bowl to coat all sides lightly with oil. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Place in a warm, draft-free spot. Let the dough rise until nearly doubled, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

6. Roll dough into a 16x10-inch rectangle on a large, lightly floured piece of parchment or waxed paper. While rolling out the dough, make sure it’s not sticking to the surface. Lift the dough and sprinkle flour underneath, as needed.

7. Spread a thin layer of butter over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border on all sides. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining filling ingredients. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the butter. Roll dough into a tight spiral- jelly roll style- by rolling the 16-inch long edge closest to you over the filling. Continue rolling dough into a log until the opposite edge is on the bottom. Slice dough into 12 even pieces and arrange in the prepared baking dish cut-side up. Cover the pan with oiled plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Let rolls rise for 30 minutes in a warm, draft-free area. They’ll get puffy and smash into each other as they rise. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

8. Remove towel and plastic wrap. Bake until tops and edges are golden and rolls are cooked through- 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for at least 20 minutes before icing.

9. Place a baking sheet over the dish of cinnamon rolls. Invert rolls onto the baking sheet and peel away parchment paper. Flip the rolls onto your choice of serving dish. Whisk together the icing ingredients until smooth, then spoon evenly over all of the cinnamon rolls, allowing it to dribble down the sides.

Tips:

*To create a warm, draft-free place for rising, use your oven… turn on the oven for 30 seconds, then turn it off, turn the light on, and place your bowl inside the very slightly warmed oven. It’s a great place for your dough to rise if your oven is not in use.
*Make-ahead tip: Once your cut cinnamon rolls are in the pan, you can wrap them with plastic wrap at this point and refrigerate them overnight. Take them out of the fridge and let them warm up in the morning (at room temperature) and do their rising. Then you can continue with baking.
*These are best the day they’re made, but they’re also good re-heated the following day.
*Cinnamon rolls store better when they’re kept together since the edges will dry out if separated.

Rosemary, Garlic and Parmesan Rustic Flatbread Pizzas

I don't know why I still sometimes think that making good, home made breads has to be difficult. After all, I am known for preaching about how simple it is to make home made snacks and meals so why not breads? I still find myself searching high and low on the bread aisle for healthy and affordable breads, usually to no avail. About half way down the list of ingredients I give up and say " Well, at least there's not any High Fructose Corn Syrup in here." even if I have no idea what the last 10 ingredients are. I have found 2 excellent bread recipes that I stick to when I have the courage time and patience to make bread. I don't know what my hang up is..... previous life baking disaster maybe?  Luckily, I do have my trusty  'Go To' sandwich bread recipe which is super easy is this  Honey Oat Bread  I've made this rustic  Rosemary Filone Bread  many times as the perfect accompaniment to soups or panini's and this  Cinnamon Spice Bread  is one of our all time favorites and perfect for Fall.



Make sure to check out these simple bread recipes and please keep in mind that I've been making them for so long that they were some of the very first recipes I posted here on Simply Healthy Family so the pictures leave much to be desired. I must retake some decent ones.... some day.

There. Disclaimer complete. Onto my latest 'Go To' bread find. Super simple and amazing Rosemary Flat bread. These flat breads take all of about 20 minutes total to make and are perfect as individual pizzas, to serve with a chopped salad such as my this one,  which is why I started the search for the perfect flat bread in the first place.

I am submitting this recipe to  Whole Foods Market Fairfield Cooking  for their 'Best Parmesan' recipe.

I would be ever so grateful if you would stop by and Tweet or share my recipe. The voting on the top 2 finalists starts next week. Thanks again for all of your support!

So, my search for a quick and delicious flat bread recipe that would come out slightly crispy and 'rustic' led me to this recipe on Smitten Kitchen which was originally from July 2008 Gourmet magazine, can't go wrong there. I adapted it by using less oil in the dough, more rosemary and instead of brushing them with more oil I used a roasted garlic spread then made it into a pizza by sprinkling with Parmesan and sliced veggies. That's it. Simple.


I'm thinking I will make these with roasted eggplant and feta next time. What do you think you would put on them or serve them with?



I doubled this recipe.

TIME 20 MINUTES YIELDS 4

You will need: 

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil + 1 teaspoon
3 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 400°F with a baking stone on the middle rack.
Slice the top 1/4 inch off of a head of garlic and drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil. Place on a baking stone (you will need the pre-heated stone for the pizzas). Roast the garlic for about 20 minutes, remove from heat and let cool so you can handle it. 

Meanwhile....
Stir together flour, chopped rosemary, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in center, then add water and oil and gradually stir into flour with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Knead dough gently on a work surface 4 or 5 times.
Divide dough into 3 pieces and roll out 1 piece (keep remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap) onto a lightly floured work surface into 8 inch rounds (shape can be rustic; dough should be thin). 

Using your fingers, gently pop the cloves of garlic out of the skin and put into a small food processor. Add a dash of salt and a bit more oil if needed. Pulse until smooth. Using a brush, spread garlic onto flat breads. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and top with thinly sliced tomatoes and zucchini.
Slide pizzas onto preheated baking stone and bake until pale golden and browned in spots, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer pizzas to a rack to cool.

Mix your 3 dry ingredients and chopped rosemary in a medium bowl.

Add water and oil and stir

Divide into 4 equal size pieces and flatten out with your hand then a rolling pin.

Mean while, you will want to roast your garlic. Simple cut off a bit of the top,
drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil onto exposed garlic head and put onto a baking sheet and
into a preheated oven at 400F for about 20 minutes.

Voila! Deliciously sweet roasted garlic.

Put into a small food processor {I love my new manual one from P.C.}
Drizzle about a teaspoon of olive oil and a dash of sea salt into processor and pulse till blended.
You can never, EVER have to much garlic IMHO.

Brush the tops of each flat bread with your garlic spread

Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan and keep an eye out for sneaky baby fingers!
Top with your veggies of choice and bake as directed above.

Bon Apetite!

I'm thinking I will make these with roasted eggplant and feta next time. What do you think you would put on them 

or serve them with?