Sandwich Bread turned Burger Buns

I scoured my rental copy of Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads for a recipe for burger buns. There were none to be found. I decided a decent substitute would be either the sandwich bread, shaped into rolls, or the pita bread recipe. I polled my husband and he voted sandwich bread, so off I went!


By now I am getting very familiar with this 2 day pre-dough process. The sandwich bread, in contrast to the bagel and hearth bread, has a lot more moisture to the dough (which I'm sure my stand mixer is thanking me for). But other than that, the process is pretty much the same, and goes quite easily for me. Since I can't, for the life of me, make pie dough or scones, I have to be good at something, right?


The rolls are slightly sweet (I go by weight measure and sometimes wonder if weight and measure don't really add up for the agave nectar), and soft and spongy. I'm pretty sure they took the artichoke turkey burger to the next level - we couldn't get enough!


Sandwich Bread / Burger Buns
Source: Rewritten Whole Wheat Sandwich bread from Whole Grain Breads, Peter Reinhart
Yield: 11 rolls (3 oz each)

Day 1:
Soaker:
1 3/4 cups (227 grams) whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon (4 grams) salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (198 grams) milk, buttermilk, yogurt, soy milk, or rice milk

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl for about one minute, until all of the flour is hydrated and the ingredients form a ball of dough. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave at room temp for 12 to 24 hours. (If you need more time, place in refrigerator for up to 3 days, but leave at room temp 2 hours before continuing with bread).

Biga:
1 3/4 cups (227 grams) whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) instant yeast
3/4 cup (170 grams) filtered or spring water, at room temperature (about 70 degrees F)

Mix all the biga ingredients together in a bowl to form a ball of dough. With wet hands, knead dough in the bowl for 2 minutes to be sure all ingredients are evenly distributed and the flour is fully hydrated. The dough should be tacky. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then knead again with wet hands for one minute. The dough will be smoother but still tacky. Transfer to a clean bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 3 days.

Day 2:
Remove the biga from the fridge two hours before making the dough.

Final Dough:
All of the Soaker
All of the biga
7 tablespoons (56.5 grams) whole wheat flour
5/8 teaspoon (5 grams) salt
2 1/4 teaspoons (7 grams) instant yeast
2 1/4 tablespoons (42.5 grams) honey or agave nectar (optional)
1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter, melted, or vegetable oil

1. Chop the soaker and biga into 12 smaller pieces (sprinkle flour over pieces to prevent sticking).

2. By hand: combine biga and soaker into a large bowl with all the remaining ingredients and stir vigorously with a mixing spoon or knead with wet hands for about 2 minutes, until all ingredients are evenly integrated. Dough should be soft and slightly sticky, if not, add more flour or water as needed.

By stand mixer: combine biga and soaker with all the remaining ingredients into mixer bowl and mix on low speed for one minute with paddle (preferred) or hook. Switch to hook and mix on medium-low speed for 2-3 minutes until dough becomes cohesive and assimilated into each other. Add more flour or water as needed until the dough is soft and slightly sticky.

3. Dust a work surface with flour, the roll the dough in flour to coat. Knead by hand for 3 to 4 minutes, incorporating only as much flour as needed, until the dough feels soft and tacky, but not sticky. Form the dough into a ball and let it rest on the work surface for 5 minutes while you prepare a clean, lightly oiled bowl.

4. Resume kneading for 1 minutes to strengthen the gluten and make any final water/flour adjustments. Dough should have the strength to pass the windowpane test, but still be soft, supple, and very tacky. Form dough into a ball and place in prepared bowl, rolling to coat with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for approximately 45 to 60 minutes, until it is about 1.5 times its original size.

5. Transfer to lightly floured work surface. Form into either a loaf pan or into 3 ounce rounds for burger buns. For loaf pan bread, place dough in a greased 4 by 8.5 inch bread pan. For buns, place on sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Mist the top with pan spray (optional) and cover loosely with plastic wrap or a cloth towel. Let rise at room temperature for approximately 45 minutes, until it is about 1.5 times its original size.

6. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. When the dough is ready to bake, place it in the oven and turn down the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the bread and continue baking 20 to 30 minutes more, until bread is a rich brown. or until a thermometer inserted registers at least 195 degrees F. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for at least one hour before serving.

Nutritional Information
Per serving (3 ounce buns)

Calories: 174
Total Fat: 2 g
Sat Fat: 0.8 g
Carb: 35 g
Fiber: 6 g
Sugar: 1.2 g
Protein: 6.8 g
Sodium: 344 mg
Cholesterol: 3 mg

Artichoke Stuffed Turkey Burgers

We love artichokes. We love cheese. We love turkey burgers. This dish was a natural fit for us! I made this recipe ages ago, and for reasons unclear to me now, I did not include it in my blog. We completely fell in love with this burger all over again when I made it over the weekend - it would be a shame to leave it out a second time!


I served the burgers on homemade whole wheat burger buns, and WOW. The combination was fantastic! We hadn't even finished our meal and we were fighting over who would get the leftover burger the next day.

Katie calls for 2 pounds of ground turkey, but I find I can get by just as well with one. You can skip the cheese or choose a lower fat cheese, such as feta, to make this dish clean.

Artichoke Stuffed Turkey Burgers
Slightly adapted from Good Things Catered
Serves: 4

• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 medium sweet onion, diced finely
• 1 large pinch of garlic salt
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 artichoke hearts, quartered
• 4 oz. aged fontina cheese, sliced into 4- 1 oz. squares (choose lower fat like feta, or omit to make it clean)
• 4 whole wheat burger buns
  

Directions:
-In large bowl, add ground turkey, balsamic vinegar, onion, garlic salt and pepper.
-Work lightly with hands until well blended.
-Heat grill on medium heat. In case your cheese starts to ooze out, a good preventative measure would be to line the grill with some non stick foil, poked with holes for drainage.
-Divide meat into four portions.
-Remove 2/3 of each portion and flatten into 4-5 inch patties.
-Place 1 slice of fontina and two artichoke heart quarters in middle of each patty.
-Lightly flatten remaining 1/3 of each portion into 3-4 inch patties and place on top.
-Work lightly to flatten and seal all edges of patties.
-Cook over medium to medium-low heat *without moving* burger until bottom side is browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes.
-Turn burgers over and continue to cook until bottom side is browned and the burger is cooked through but not dried out about 8-10 more minutes.
-Remove from heat, place on bun and serve immediately.

Moussaka

Wow, this was fabulous! I had a huge sack of potatoes from the sweet potato gnocchi, and this seemed like a good way to use them up. It was somewhat labor intensive and takes about 2 hours to make, but it was definitely worth it! The instructions call for two layers of potato/eggplant, but I only had enough eggplant to make one layer, and the picture in the magazine one looked like it had one. Also, I don't have a 12x9 casserole dish, so I used two smaller corningware dishes and it worked out fine. Naturally, the second slice came out perfect, while the first slice that I got out to photograph looked like crap. Oh well!


Moussaka
Source: Clean Eating Magazine, May/June 2009
Serves: 8

2 lbs white potatoes, peeled, left whole
12 oz extra lean ground beef (I used 1 pound ground turkey)
1/2 onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 cups tomato puree
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t oregano
1 bay leaf
olive oil cooking spray
1 large eggplant (about 1 1/4 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/3 inch slices.
1 cup low fat sour cream (or greek yogurt)
1/4 c evaporated skim milk
1 egg
2 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425. Fill a large pot halfway with water, cover and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Add potatoes, lower heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 to 18 minutes, until firm but not fully cooked. Strain and set potatoes aside to cool.

2. While potatoes are cooking, brown meat with onion and garlic in a 2-qt pot over medium heat, breaking up meat into little pieces for about 4-5 minutes, until vegetables are tender and meat is no longer pink. Pour in tomato puree and 1 C water. Mix in cinnamon, pepper, oregano and bay leaf. Lower heat to simmer and cook, covered, 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cover 2 cookie sheets with aluminum foil and mist with cooking spray. Lay eggplant slices on sheet and lightly mist again with cooking spray. Bake in oven about 8 minutes. While eggplant cooks, slice potatoes into 1/4-inch slices. Remove eggplant, transfer to plate, raise oven temperature to 475, re-spray foil and lay potato slices on cookie sheets. Lightly mist potatoes with cooking spray and bake in oven for 8 minutes. Remove. Lower oven temp to 350.

4. Make bechamel sauce: In a separate bowl, mix sour cream, milk and egg until blended; mixture should be thick.

5. Spray a 12x9-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Arrange 1 layer of potatoes in dish, top with layer of eggplant, then pour all of turkey mixture over top. Top again with layer of potatoes and then eggplant. Finish with bechamel. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake in oven for 45 minutes, until set and lightly brown. If not brown, raise temp to 400 and bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Number of Servings: 8

Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro

With my new found interest in clean eating, I'm discovering a plethora of new grains. First was (whole wheat) couscous, and now, quinoa! A friend has been bringing a quinoa dish to all our gatherings for quite some time now, and I finally asked her about it. Apparently quinoa needs to be washed, very well before cooking or it will give a bitter taste, so my friend highly recommended getting the prewashed variety. One quick trip to Whole Foods later, and I had myself some quinoa.


I was planning on some fish tacos, and thought this would be a good time to experiment, since quinoa itself is pretty plain and can be flavored a number of ways. Cilantro sounded like a good way to go. Then, Bon Appetit (thanks to Google) inspired the addition of black beans. Which ::sigh:: had to be replaced with red kidney beans when I realize we were out of black beans (OUT of black beans?? How does that happen?), and the white onion replaced with red (no idea what was running through my head whilst food shopping this week!). I switched out the water for some low sodium chicken stock, to add flavor. This quick side dish came out great and my husband, who has been very understanding of my culinary escapades, loved it as much as I did.

Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro
Source: Bon Appetit

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups chopped white onions (or red)
  
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper (or not)
  
• 1 cup quinoa,* rinsed, drained
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (or coriander)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed, drained (or red kidney)
  
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• Crumbled Cotija cheese or feta cheese (optional)

Preparation

Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and red pepper; sauté until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in next 4 ingredients. Add water; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until quinoa is almost tender, about 14 minutes. Add beans and 1/4 cup cilantro; cook uncovered until heated through and liquid is fully absorbed, about 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with 1/4 cup cilantro and cheese, if desired.

*A grain with a delicate flavor and a texture similar to that of couscous; available at natural foods stores.

Nutritional Information
One serving contains the following:
Analysis is based on using 1 ounce crumbled Cotija cheese per serving.
Calories (kcal) 391.35
% Calories from Fat 30.3
Fat (g) 13.16
Saturated Fat (g) 5.07
Cholesterol (mg) 25.23
Carbohydrates (g) 53.04
Dietary Fiber (g) 10.24
Total Sugars (g) 5.56
Net Carbs (g) 42.79
Protein (g) 16.20

Fish Tacos with Avocado Cream

I've had numerous attemps thus far to make tasty fish tacos. Nothing seems to come out right. The addition of avocado cream made this recipe quite appealing, so I figured I'd give fish tacos one more try before giving up.


I am so glad I did! The spice of the Emeril's seasoning was soothed by the delicious avocado cream. A definite keeper for us!

Fish Tacos with Avocado Cream
Source: SweetTea in Texas

For the tacos:

2 tilapia fillets
taco seasoning (we used Emeril's Essence)
lime
cilantro
tortillas (use whole wheat tortillas to make this meal clean!)

For the avocado creme:
1 small ripe avocado
1/4 C fat free sour cream (or greek yogurt)

In a Ziploc bag, combine the juice of 1 lime with about a Tbps of taco seasoning. Shake the bag, to mix and then add in the tilapia fillets. Marinate this for about 10 minutes (while you heat your grill).

Before your turn on your grill, place a sheet of foil on the grill grates and spray with a non stick spray. This is just an easier way to cook this fish. Turn grill heat to low & cook fish for about 10 minutes, turning once, until fish is white & flakey.

While the fish is cooking, scoop out the flesh of a small ripe avocado and combine with the sour cream. Set this aside.

Wrap tortillas in foil and place in the grill, on the top section to heat through.

To serve, spread warm tortillas with avocado creme. Top with flaked tilapia, and a sprinkling of cilantro.

My Take on Clean Eating

By now you have seen me mentioning my new favorite magazine, Clean Eating, adding a Clean Eating tag, and just randomly throwing out bits of information here and there. I figured it was time to expand on that and discuss what clean eating (CE) means to me!


Spiced Cilantro Shrimp

What is Clean Eating?
Clean eating is a basic set of principles to live by. It goes beyond just telling you which foods to eat. I have compiled an idea of what CE means to me, just by browsing the internet and reading up on it. I have yet to read The Eat Clean Diet, by Tosca Reno, but that might be a good place to start if you are interested. The basic principle involves eating a wide variety of whole, unrefined and unprocessed foods in a form that’s as close as possible to how the foods appear in nature.

What to eat(just some examples):

• Complex carbohydrates: whole wheat flour/pasta/couscous, brown rice, quinoa, oats, sweet potatoes, etc. (For a great pasta, I recommend Barilla Plus - extra protein, omega-3s and fiber in a great tasting pasta!)
• Lean protein: poultry, seafood, egg whites
• Beans: black, red kidney, garbanzo, cannelini, navy, etc
  
• Fruit
• Vegetables
• Natural sugar sources: honey, agave nectar
• Nuts
• Natural peanut butter
  
• Low fat cheese/ cottage cheese
• Low fat (Greek) yogurt

What not to eat:

• Processed foods
• White flour
• Processed sugar (white, brown, etc)
• Foods high in saturated/trans fats
• Sugary drinks (fruit juice, soda/pop, etc)
• Artificial sweeteners
  

How to eat it:

• 5 to 6 small meals a day
• Eat every 2 to 3 hours
• Combine complex carb and lean protein at every meal

What to drink:
Lots of water! I aim for 2 liters per day
Alcohol only sparingly

PLANNING AHEAD is key! It's so easy to fall off the wagon during a hectic week if you don't take the time on Sunday to get everything ready for the week ahead.


Whole Wheat Bagels

Why I'm choosing to eat clean.
For me, CE is becoming a way of life. It's a lifestyle change and not a diet, per se, though my initial motivation was weight loss. I've tried counting calories but that gets tedious and tiring. Since I do a lot of cooking and baking on my own, I have to figure all the calories and portions myself - I can't just turn the bag over and read them! I think my interest in cooking has made this an easy choice and an even easier lifestyle transition. I want to make my own bread! I already bake cupcakes and cookies, I want to make them better for me! Many aspects of our lifestyle already fit the mold: we don't eat beef or pork, so lean protein sources are already our staples; we already opt for smaller meals throughout the day rather than 3 large meals; we pack our own lunches and bring them to work; we rarely eat out at restaurants - maybe 4 or 5 times a year. I also happened to be blessed with a husband who is open to my experimenting with new ingredients. Oddly enough - even his coworkers were jealous of the quinoa dish I made!

Oatmeal Banana Pancakes

The benefits of CE.
I made my commitment to CE about 4 weeks ago, and I couldn't be happier about my decision. Of course, I am ecstatic that I have lost 10 pounds and over 3 inches off my waist - all without counting a single calorie. But to me, the greater gift is how I feel. My general disposition is happier than I've been in quite some time. My body just feels... different. It is so much more satisfying to be hungry and eat a wholesome, complex carb and protein filled snack. I feel full, satisfied and energized. It's a fabulous feeling.

This doesn't mean I've sworn off those items I'm supposed to avoid. Avoid does not mean eliminate! I am slowly learning, however, that the return on those treats may not always be worth the joy of eating them. Those amazing s'mores cupcakes I made? I definitely had a stomach ache after indulging. And that wasn't a fabulous feeling.

There are people out there who will say, hey - everything is fine in moderation, no need to go to this extreme. My commitment to eating clean is my way of moderating. I can still enjoy fancy desserts or other taboo items, but this commitment to feeling great and nourishing my body has, for the last four weeks, kept that urge to indulge in check.

Check out my Clean Eating tag for recipes that fit this lifestyle... there will be plenty more to come!

Stuffed Zucchini
A few CE resources:
The Eat Clean Diet, by Tosca Reno
Eat Clean Diet
Clean Eating Magazine
Clean Eating Answers
Clean Eating Online


Evelyn's (and mine) Favorite Pasta

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

I've only had gnocchi twice in my life... the first was in our trip to Italy this past spring, and the second was at home, with some store bought gnocchi. I wasn't sure if I was brave enough to try making it by hand. When I came across this recipe in my latest issue of Clean Eating, it sounded too easy to pass up! It definitely was not hard to make, but it was time consuming. I ended up cooking all the gnocchi and we ate this for lunch throughout the week. Perhaps we are sauce hogs, but I didn't have anything resembling 4 cups of leftover sauce. These weren't quite as good as the ones from Italy, but on my first try I didn't expect them to be! They were still delicious and I loved the twist with the sweet potato.

On a side note, this was part of a budget friendly section of the magazine, and they claim the whole dish costs $9.46, with the cost per serving being $2.37.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Source: Clean Eating Magazine, Sept/Oct 2009
Serves: 4, plus 4 cups of leftover sauce

Traditionally, gnocchi is made with regular potatoes, while bolognese sauce can include whole milk or even cream. By using sweet potatoes, lean ground turkey and skim milk, we've not only taken some of the heft out of this dish, but we've also added a but more nutritional interest.

• 1 large sweet potato
• 2 medium Russet or Idaho potatoes
• 2 cups plus 2 tbsp whole wheat flour, divided, plus additional flour for dusting on hands and cookie sheets
• olive oil cooking spray
• 1 medium yellow or white onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1 pound lean ground turkey breast
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1 28-oz can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes
• 1 6-oz can tomato paste
• 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, minced
• sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Use a fork to poke holes in all potatoes. Bake on a cookie sheet, lined with foil, for 45 minutes. Remove potatoes from oven, let cool, remove skins and slice. Add potato sliced to a food processor fitted with a standard blade and puree for 3 minutes or until smooth.

2. To make gnocchi, put potato puree in a large bowl and mix in 2 cups flour, 1/4 cup at a time, (you will get a very sticky consistency). Dust hands with a bit of flour and form puree into teaspoon-sized oval shaped balls. You will periodically need to dust your hands with more flour while making balls. Once all balls are made (you will have 90 to 100), take a fork and, pressing lightly, made indentations around the circumference of the balls, being careful not to flatten them. Dust 2 plates or a cookie sheet with flour and place gnocchi on them to air dry so they will not be quite as fragile.

3. While gnocchi are drying, fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil over medium high eat. Once dry, add gnocchi to stockpot in small batches of about 10 to 15. When they float to the surface, after about 3 minutes, remove gnocchi with a slotted spoon.

4. To make sauce, heat a medium saucepot over medium high heat. Let heat for 1 minute, then mist with cooking spray. Add onion , celery, and carrots and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add turkey and stir, breaking meat up into pieces with a spoon or spatula as it cooks, about 5 minutes.

5. Once turkey is cooked, add remaining 2 tbsp of flour. Whisk in milk and stir until thickened.

6. Pour in tomatoes, tomato paste and 1/2 cup water. Reduce heat to medium low and stir. Add Italian seasoning and basil. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and cook or another 5 minutes.

7. To serve, place 1 cup gnocchi in a bowl and top with 1 cup sauce. Garnish with additional basil, if desired.

Nutritional Information
Serving size: 1 cup gnocchi with 1 cup sauce

Calories: 430
Total fat: 2 g
Sat fat: 0 g
Carb: 79 g
Fiber: 13 g
Sugar: 10 g
Protein: 27 g
Sodium: 410 mg
Cholesterol: 30 mg

BB: White Pizza with Arugula

I love pizza and my husband loves white pizza, so I knew this would be great for us! However, I don't love arugula. In fact, I hate it. I have tried many times to like it to no avail. So we skipped the arugula and vinaigrette, and topped it with artichokes, red pepper, and kalamata olives instead! It was a beautiful weekend, and heating up the oven just seemed wrong so we cooked it on the grill.



See how everyone else liked the pizza, over at Barefoot Bloggers.

White Pizza with Arugula
Source: Ina Garten Back to Basics on page 82
Chosen by Andrea of Nummy Kitchen

For the dough:
* 1 1/4 cups warm (100 to 110) water
* 2 packages dry yeast
* 1 tablespoon honey
* Good olive oil
* 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
* Kosher salt
* 4 cloves garlic, sliced
* 5 sprigs fresh thyme
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

For the topping:
* 3 cups grated Italian fontina cheese (8 ounces)
* 1 1/2 cups grated fresh mozzarella cheese (7 ounces)
* 11 ounces creamy goat cheese, such as montrachet, crumbled

(For the vinaigrette:
* 1/2 cup good olive oil
* 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 8 ounces baby arugula
* 1 lemon, sliced)

We added roasted artichoke hearts, chopped red bell pepper, and chopped kalamata olives!

Directions

Mix the dough.

Combine the water, yeast, honey and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. When the yeast is dissolved, add 3 cups of flour, then 2 teaspoons salt, and mix on medium-low speed. While mixing, add up to 1 more cup of flour, or just enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with the flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl.

Knead by hand.

When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic.

Let it rise.

Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Make garlic oil.

Place 1/2 cup of olive oil, the garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook for 10 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't burn. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. (Be sure your oven is clean!)

Portion the dough.

Dump the dough onto a board and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Place the doughs on sheet pans lined with parchment paper and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Stretch the dough.

Press and stretch each ball into an 8-inch circle and place 2 circles on each sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (If you've chilled the dough, take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature.)

Top the dough.

Brush the pizzas with the garlic oil, and sprinkle each one liberally with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the pizzas evenly with fontina, mozzarella and goat cheese. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon more of the garlic oil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crusts are crisp and the cheeses begin to brown.

Make the vinaigrette.

Meanwhile, whisk together 1/2 cup of olive oil, the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Add the greens.

When the pizzas are done, place the arugula in a large bowl and toss with just enough lemon vinaigrette to moisten. Place a large bunch of arugula on each pizza and a slice of lemon and serve immediately.

TIP Make sure the bowl is warm before you put the water and yeast in; the water must be warm for the yeast to develop.

TIP Salt inhibits the growth of yeast; add half the flour, then the salt, and then the rest of the flour.

TIP To make sure yeast is still "alive," or active, put it in water and allow it to sit for a few minutes. If it becomes creamy or foamy, it's active.

Whole Wheat Bagels

Oh, I'm in love! This is another whole wheat bread recipe from Peter Reinhart's book, and they are absolutely fabulous. I was getting tired of english muffins with my breakfast, so I couldn't wait to try making bagels. My only complaint is that the recipe only makes 6 to 7 bagels (I got 8). Between my husband and myself, we'll polish those off before the week is out! These involve a very similar pre-dough process to the whole wheat hearth bread recipe, but I think the bagels are fantastic and worth the wait! If you want to avoid the white flour in traditional bagel recipes, definitely give these a try!

My breakfast:
1 sesame bagel+ 1 egg lightly beaten and microwaved for about 1 minute+ 1 chicken sausage patty=



Whole Wheat Bagels
Source: Rewritten from Whole Grain Breads, Peter Reinhart

Day 1: Make the soaker and biga
Soaker:
1 3/4 cups (227 grams) whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon (4 grams) salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (142 grams) water
2 tablespoons (35.5 grams) barley malt syrup, dark or light (for most authentic flavor), or honey

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl for about one minute, until all of the flour is hydrated and the ingredients form a ball of dough. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave at room temp for 12 to 24 hours. (If you need more time, place in refrigerator for up to 3 days, but leave at room temp 2 hours before continuing with bread).

Biga:
1 3/4 cups (227 grams) whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) instant yeast
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (142 grams) filtered or spring water, at room temperature (about 70 degrees F)

Mix all the biga ingredients together in a bowl to form a ball of dough. With wet hands, knead dough in the bowl for 2 minutes to be sure all ingredients are evenly distributed and the flour is fully hydrated. The dough should be tacky. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then knead again with wet hands for one minute. The dough will be smoother but still tacky. Transfer to a clean bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 3 days. Remove from the fridge two hours before making the dough.

Day 2: Make the final dough, and bake
Final Dough:
All of the Soaker
All of the biga
5/8 teaspoon (5 grams) salt
2 1/4 teaspoons (7 grams) instant yeast
2 tablespoons (28.5 grams) water, at room temperature (about 70 degrees F)
7 tablespoons (56.5 grams) whole wheat flour
bagel toppings
2 teaspoons baking soda
beaten egg white for toppings (optional)

1. Chop the soaker and biga into 12 smaller pieces (sprinkle flour over pieces to prevent sticking).

2. By hand: Dissolve yeast in water in mixing bowl, then add biga, soaker, and salt and stir vigorously with a mixing spoon or knead with wet hands for about 3-4 minutes, until all ingredients are evenly integrated. Add the flour and knead for 2 more minutes, the dough should be firm but not sticky. If not, add more flour or water as needed.

By stand mixer: Dissolve yeast in water in mixing bowl, then add biga, soaker, and salt and mix on low speed for one minute with hook. Add flour and mix on medium-low speed for 3-4 minutes until dough becomes cohesive and assimilated into each other. Add more flour or water as needed until the dough is firm and not sticky. This is a stiff dough, so turn the mixer off if necessary to avoid stressing the motor.

3. Dust a work surface with flour, the roll the dough in flour to coat. Knead by hand for 3 to 4 minutes, incorporating only as much flour as needed to form a stiff dough that is supple enough to shape. Form the dough into a ball and let it rest on the work surface for 5 minutes while you prepare a clean, lightly oiled bowl.

4. Resume kneading for 1 minutes to strengthen the gluten and make any final water/flour adjustments. Dough should have the strength to pass the windowpane test, yet feel supple and satiny. Form dough into a ball and place in prepared bowl, rolling to coat with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for approximately 45 to 60 minutes, until it is about 1.5 times its original size. Meanwhile, prepare a baking sheet with parchment or silicon mat dusted with whole wheat flour or cornmeal.

5. Transfer to lightly floured work surface and divide into 6 or 7 four ounce pieces (I managed to get 8). Roll each piece into an 8 inch rope, shape a circle around your hand. Sela tight at the point where the ends overlap by squeezing or pressing it into the counter. There should be a 2-inch diameter hole in the center. Place on prepared pan, cover loosely with a towel, leave at room temperature.

6. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment (dusted with cooking spray) or silicon mat. Bring 4 inches of water to a boil in a wide pot, add the baking soda to the boiling water. Lower the head to maintain a steady simmer.

7. The bagels should be read to boil within 20-30 minutes of shaping . Drop one in the boiling water, if it doesn't float within 30 seconds, boil it until it floats and then remove it, but wait 5 minutes before testing another. When they pass the test, boil 2-4 bagels at a time, gently turning them after 30 seconds so they boil for a total of one minute. Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to remove them from the water and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Apply toppings, using an egg wash to help them stick, if necessary.

8. Place the baking sheet in the oven and reduce to 450 degrees F. Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate sheet and bake 10 to 15 minutes more until bagels are nicely browned on top and bottom. Remove and cool on cooling rack for 20 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information:
The book claims these to be 25 calories. This has to be wrong so I will estimate the calories based on the macronutrients.
Calories: approximately 230.
Protein: 1.14 g
Carb: 53.43 g
Fiber: 8.63 g
Sugar: 0.28g
Fat: 1.33 g
Sat fat: 0.24 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 478 mg

Whole Wheat Hearth Bread

So this was my first time jumping into the bread making pool. I heard that Peter Reinhart had a book out, based solely on whole wheat breads, and immediately looked it up in my library's catalog. They had it so I picked it up that day! In my recent efforts to eat clean, I am staying away from white breads (not that I haven't anyway for last few years) and this book provides me with a plethora of homemade whole wheat bread options.

This is one serious bread making book, and these recipes are involved. I see a lot of recipes that are... dump all ingredients together, rise, shape (and perhaps rise some more), bake. This is a little different. There are pre-doughs to be made, overnight waits, regular dough to be made, rising, shaping, more rising, then baking! Definitely a very involved process, but I couldn't wait to get started!
I began with the whole wheat hearth bread because we were having sweet potato gnocchi and that seemed like the best thing to go with it. I added some agave nectar, but still think it could be more tender. There is certainly some room for improvement in my technique, but I think I'll go with the butter too, next time.



Whole Wheat Hearth Bread
Source: Rewritten from Whole Grain Breads, Peter Reinhart

Soaker:
1 3/4 cups (227 grams) whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon (4 grams) salt
3/4 cup (170 grams) water

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl for about one minute, until all of the flour is hydrated and the ingredients form a ball of dough. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave at room temp for 12 to 24 hours. (If you need more time, place in refrigerator for up to 3 days, but leave at room temp 2 hours before continuing with bread).

Biga:
1 3/4 cups (227 grams) whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) instant yeast
3/4 cup (170 grams) water

Mix all the biga ingredients together in a bowl to form a ball of dough. With wet hands, knead dough in the bowl for 2 minutes to be sure all ingredients are evenly distributed and the flour is fully hydrated. The dough should be tacky. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then knead again with wet hands for one minute. The dough will be smoother but still tacky. Transfer to a clean bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 3 days. Remove from the fridge two hours before making the dough.

Final Dough:
All of the Soaker
All of the biga
3 1/2 tablespoons (28.5 grams) whole wheat flour
5/8 teaspoon (5 grams) salt
2 1/4 teaspoons (7 grams) instant yeast
2 1/4 teaspoons (14 grams) honey or agave nectar (optional)
1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter, melted, or vegetable oil, or olive oil (optional)

1. Chop the soaker and biga into 12 smaller pieces (sprinkle flour over pieces to prevent sticking).

2. By hand: combine biga and soaker into a large bowl with all the remaining ingredients and stir vigorously with a mixing spoon or knead with wet hands for about 2 minutes, until all ingredients are evenly integrated. Dough should be soft and slightly sticky, if not, add more flour or water as needed.

By stand mixer: combine biga and soaker with all the remaining ingredients into mixer bowl and mix on low speed for one minute with paddle (preferred) or hook. Switch to hook and mix on medium-low speed for 2-3 minutes until dough becomes cohesive and assimilated into each other. Add more flour or water as needed until the dough is soft and slightly sticky.

3. Dust a work surface with flour, the roll the dough in flour to coat. Knead by hand for 3 to 4 minutes, incorporating only as much flour as needed, until the dough feels soft and tacky, but not sticky. Form the dough into a ball and let it rest on the work surface for 5 minutes while you prepare a clean, lightly oiled bowl.

4. Resume kneading for 1 minutes to strengthen the gluten and make any final water/flour adjustments. Dough should have the strength to pass the windowpane test, but still be soft, supple, and very tacky. Form dough into a ball and place in prepared bowl, rolling to coat with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for approximately 45 to 60 minutes, until it is about 1.5 times its original size.

5. Transfer to lightly floured work surface. Form the dough into a boule, 2 to 4 batards or 4 mini baguettes, being careful to degas as little as possible while shaping. Place the boule onto a parchment lined baking sheet and mist the top with pan spray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a cloth towel and let rise at room temperature for approximately 45 minutes, until it is about 1.5 times its original size.

6. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F with a baking stone inside; prepare for steam baking by placing a walled cookie sheet on the top rack and boiling some water. When the dough is ready to bake, place it in the oven and add 1 cup of hot water to the steam pan. Turn down the oven to 450 degrees F and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the bread and continue baking 15 to 30 minutes more, until bread is a rich brown on all sides, sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom, and a thermometer inserted registers at least 200 degrees F. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for at least one hour before serving.

Nutritional Information
Per serving (1.5 ounces or 42 grams)

Calories: 87
Total Fat: 1 g
Sat Fat: 0.4 g
Carb: 17.6 g
Fiber: 3 g
Sugar: 0.6 g
Protein: 3.4 g
Sodium: 172 mg
Cholesterol: 1.5 mg

Slice and enjoy!