A Sweet Breakfast

         
          My family and I try to eat very healthy throughout the week. Part of that goal is having very little if no sweets. But, every weekend we give ourselves a little break. We by no means pork out on sweets and junk food, but I try to make a really yummy breakfast every Saturday morning that may or may not fit a healthy eating profile. My opinion is, you gotta give yourself a little somethin' somethin' every now and then or you'll never be able stick to eating healthy the rest of the time! So this morning, I found this recipe for Apple Date Bars. These actually aren't that unhealthy as they're chocked full of dried dates which are amazing for you and they have a hearty serving of apples baked into them as well. Most importantly though, they tasted AWESOME! I, of coarse, ate one straight out of the oven. The crust that forms on top is satisfyingly caramelized and crunchy, which contrasts perfectly with the moist, chewy interior. Let's just say, we enjoyed our breakfast this morning! Give them a shot.


Yield: 16 bars
270 calories per bar


Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)

• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 7 tablespoons butter, softened 
• 1 large egg 
• 2 large egg whites 
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pitted dates
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups chopped peeled Granny Smith apple (about 1 large)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped peeled Red Delicious apple (about 1 large)
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2/3 cup chopped pecans
• Cooking spray
• 
  
• Directions:
•      1. Preheat oven to 325°.
•      2. Lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. 
•      3. Combine 2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Set aside.
•      4. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at high speed for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add egg and egg whites, beating well after each addition. Stir in applesauce and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture; stir just until combined to form a stiff batter. 
•      5. Toss dates with 1 teaspoon flour. Toss apples with juice. Add dates, apples, and nuts to flour mixture, stirring just until combined. 
•      6. Pour batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Tips:

• Though the recipe calls for one Red Delicious apple, I only had a Golden Delicious on hand. It still turned out super good. I think the general idea is to incorporate a sweet apple that will contrast with the tartness of the Granny Smith apple. So, use your imagination!
• Also, when I first read this recipe, I was like, "What the heck, where am I going to find dried dates?" They're just not something I ever use. Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find them in my local grocery store right next to the raisins and other dried fruits. They are a little different than I expected, but good. They would make a very good and healthy snack on the go. 

My Love Affair with Fresh Homemade Bread

         

          In my opinion, it is absolutely impossible to bake a loaf of fresh bread and not eat a slice right out of the oven. The second the bread is cool enough to handle, I cut myself a slice. The bread is still so warm it steams when I cut into it. I top my slice with a small pat of butter and watch it seep into the bread's air pockets. I then spread on a coating of jam, contributing a perfect moist layer of fruity sweetness. To. Die. For. If you can't tell, I'm a bread snob. I was lucky enough growing up to have a mom who made fresh bread all the time. Once you get used to consistently eating homemade bread, the store-bought stuff admittedly starts to taste like cardboard. I am proud to say that I am breeding a whole new generation of bread snobs in my own home. I make all our bread from scratch. I went through a few recipes before I finally found the one that wowed me. I can thank my mother for that one. I have no clue where she found this recipe, but it seems that sometimes these elusive recipes turn out being the best. 
          So, I'm going to share with you this ah-mazing recipe for 100% Whole Wheat Bread. This recipe assumes you are using a stand mixer for kneading the dough. You can certainly knead by hand, it will just take longer. Now don't be discouraged if your bread doesn't turn out perfect the first time. It took me several tries before I had enough practice to achieve a consistently perfect loaf.  Bread making truly is an art! I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I do!


Ingredients:
5 cups hot water
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup molasses
3 tablespoons active dry yeast
2/3 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons plain salt
12-15 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup wheat gluten


Yield: 4 standard-sized loaves


Directions:
     1. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees. 
     2. In a large bowl, mix together the hot water, honey, and molasses.
     3. Add the yeast, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and allow the yeast to bubble for 5 minutes.
     4. Add the canola oil and salt to the yeast mixture. Transfer the yeast mixture to a stand mixer bowl if you are using one. 
     5. With your stand mixer on (make sure you are using a mixer that can handle this dough capacity), add 12-15 cups of whole wheat flour one cup at a time. You will know that you have added enough flour when the dough begins to stop sticking to the edges of the mixing bowl. 
     6. Knead the bread in your stand mixer with the dough hook attachment for 10 minutes.
     7. Remove the finished dough from the mixer bowl, divide it into 4 portions, and shape each portion into a loaf.
     8. Grease four standard bread loaf pans liberally with cooking spray and place a shaped loaf into each one. 
     9. Place the pans into the preheated oven. Turn the oven off. Allow the loaves to rise for 20-30 minutes, or until they have risen a couple inches above the rims of the bread pans.
     10. Without opening the oven, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Once the oven is preheated, bake the loaves for 20-25 minutes, or until the loaves are browned on top and sound hollow when tapped.
     11. Remove the loaves from the oven and turn them out onto a cooling rack to cool.

Tips:

• You can use either whole wheat flour or whole white wheat flour for this recipe. The whole wheat flour will create a coarser, denser texture. I prefer to use whole white wheat flour because I like its lighter, airier texture and flavor. Either works great though!
• To ensure your loaves are the same size, consider using a food scale to weigh the dough once you portion it into loaves.
• Do not peek on your loaves AT ALL while they are rising in the oven. It could cause them to collapse!
• As I learned the hard way, do not let your bread rise in the oven for too long. I find that when I use whole wheat flour, it takes about 30 minutes for the loaves to rise and when I use whole white wheat flour it takes only about 20 minutes. If you don't keep an eye on it though, your loaves could over-rise and that could cause your loaves to collapse during baking.