Sunday Morning Biscuits

There's something to be said for comfort food on a chilly January morning. My mom used to make this deliciously simple baking powder biscuit recipe, often accompanying home cooked soup or spicy chili. Often I will serve these for Sunday brunch with home made jam, fruit salad and coffee. You can make countless variations of this recipe, depending on your preference, simply by adding mixed dried herbs, caraway seeds or parmesan cheese for a savory palate; blueberries or currents for the sweeter tooth.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1 cup of atta or whole wheat flour

2 tbsp of baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

5 tablespoons cold butter

3/4 cup milk

In a bowl sift together all the dry ingredients. Add embellishments such as parmesan cheese or dried herbs. Cut in cold butter with a knife and work into the dried ingredients until coarse. Do not overmix.

Add milk and stir with a fork until a ball forms. Turn the resulting dough onto a well floured surface and press flat with fingers or rolling pin. The dough should be approximately 3/4 to 1 inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter or cut to desired shape and size with a butter knife. Lay onto parchment paper and sprinkle tops with a light grating of your favourite cheese. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until risen and lightly browned. 

Serve hot with butter or jam, your favourite blend of coffee and CBC radio 2.

Nina Paley's Effing Delicious Herb Bread

Nina Paley, American cartoonist and gifted, (should I add controversial?) animator; recently posted a recipe for a @*%&ing delicious herb bread. I tried it and being that this is a G rated blog, it WAS effing delicious! With Nina's permission I am posting her recipe exactly as she did.

2.5 cups warm water
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 package dry yeast
1/4 c olive oil
2 c bread flour
2 c whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup Trader Joe's "21 Seasonings Salute" herb mix 
(I used Victorian Epicure's Sundried Tomato and Herb Dip Mix)

 
dissolve sugar in water, add yeast and oil, let sit 5-10 minutes. Mix herbs, salt, and 1-2 c flour; add to yeast water. Stir, keep adding flour until you have to knead it. Knead, knead, add more flour, etc. Let rise in oiled bowl covered w/ damp cloth for 2 hours, while you buy some amazing Assyrian art books Strand Bookstore and pick up your Brompton from Bfold. Knead again, roll into oblong, place on parchment paper on baking pan, let rise 45 minutes to an hour. Brush top with water, slash some diagonals on top, shake on more herb mix and sesame seeds. Bake 30-40 minutes in upstairs neighbor's preheated 350-degree oven, which is much better than yours because he just remodeled his kitchen, whereas your oven is decades old and burns everything, until golden/done.

Awesome bread rising....(I added 1/2 cup of flax seed to the above recipe)

Braided loaf rising by the warmth of the oven light

For more awesomeness from Nina....visit her blog at http://blog.ninapaley.com/

Also be sure to catch her animated film Sita Sings the Blues, adapted from the Ramayana

http://sitasingstheblues.com/

Thanks Nina!!

Nuttin' Honey Granola

Want to add a wholesome twist to your morning routine? How about some sweet and crunchy granola complete with all your favourite trimmings? I have never enjoyed cereal and find commercial granola to be too sweet and expensive. Plus, this recipe can be easily customized depending upon preferences and ingredients on hand.  Today I made two batches; Apple Cinnamon and Almonds, and Maple Walnut and Blueberry.
 

Basic recipe:

1/2 cup of un-homogenized, local, organic honey

1/2 cup of grapeseed or walnut oil

1 1/2 cups of whole rolled oats
1 1/2 cups of kamut flakes

3 cups of chopped, mix of raw seeds, nuts, grains and/or dried fruits

Mix dry ingredients in large bowl.  Mix oil and honey and warm slightly.  Pour over dry ingredients, mix well then bake at 250  degrees for approximately 3/4 - 1 an hour – until your ingredients are starting to look toasted.  Stir about every15 minutes. Cook for less time for chunkier granola, and longer for a drier blend. Do not overcook. Be sure to add pre-dried fruits in the last 15 minutes so it doesn't become too dried.

Store in clean glass jars and use within a month to ensure freshness.