recipe

Oat Drop Biscuits

Posted on by Dan

We’ve been trying to include more oats into our daily diet. Sometimes, especially during the week, there isn’t quite enough time to have a bowl of oatmeal (don’t talk to me about that instant crap) for breakfast. So, I’ve started to do some testing in the kitchen for other suitable, but quicker delivery methods. A friend armed me with several recipes she had come across (thank you, again), including one for a drop biscuit. So, I’m starting this testing period with a modified drop biscuit.

Oat Drop Biscuit in Oven

The results were, to say the least, quite tasty. A cup of tea, a dab of jam, and we were ready to settle in for the night.

Oat Drop Biscuit and Tea

Recipe for Oatmeal Currant Drop Biscuit

Preheat oven to 475º

In separate small bowl, soak with 4 Tbsp boiling water:
2 Tbsp chopped dates
1/3 cup currants (or more, if you want)

Add to above ingredients (after soaking for a few minutes):
2/3 cup unsweetened kefir
1 cup rolled oats

Mix together and let sit while you prepare the following:

Sift together:
1 cup whole wheat flout
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon

Combine above dry ingredients with 1 stick butter (chilled and cubed) until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Add wet ingredients and gently mix until a wet sticky dough forms (don’t over mix!). Drop by tablespoon on to buttered baking sheet (I actually just grease the spot I’m dropping the biscuit) and pat/form into puck-shaped disk. Bake in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes. Makes about 12-15 biscuits.

Try to save some for breakfast the next day :).

6 Comments

Carb Loading

Posted on by Dan

In an attempt to shoo away another round of cold weather and snow, or at least the frustration that it brings (Barb, after reading your comment, I feel your pain), I fired up the oven for an afternoon of baking. And an afternoon of baking it was.

Carbloading

I’m constantly modifying my bread recipe, and I feel like I’ve found a decent base from which to explore different adaptations.

Today, I started with:

  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 2+ Tablespoons of black strap molasses
  • 2 Teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1/2 Teaspoon of ground up caraway seeds

Next, I mixed in the following ingredients with the liquid, and whisked/stirred until a consistency of yogurt:

  • 1/2 cup gluten flour
  • 1/2 cup rye flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/8 cup wheat germ

Then I added:

  • Approx. 3 cups white flour
  • 1/2 Teaspoon salt

The rest is pretty much standard bread-making instructions (knead for 10 minutes, let rise twice, proof before putting in oven that has been preheated to 400ºF, bake for 30-35 minutes or until done — I like to spray the oven with water a couple of times during the baking to give the crust a bit of a crunch).

That was the bread. As you can see, there were a few more things besides the bread. Jane Brody has a good zucchini bread recipe, and the peanut butter cookies, though not as good as Virginia’s grandmother’s recipe (are they ever?), have still been approved for household consumption.*

Carbloading

What can I say? I am a fan of wheat.

*And, as much as I’d like to dive into all this baked goodness, we’re actually going to be feeding a group of people.

2 Comments

Spring Feeding

Posted on by Dan

Sunday mornings are a favorite around here and it’s become a tradition to break our nightly fast with waffles and fruit. Winter waffles are usually accompanied by frozen fruit turned to sauce. But, as spring approaches so does the desire to have fresh fruit. It’s hard holding out for the local strawberries to be ready (or even the ones we’ve got growing in our yard), so at the coop yesterday I decided to wait no longer.

Strawberry

My waffle recipe has evolved over the years to increase its level of nutrition — more than just flour and milk. It’s a little heartier than some, but not so dense as to make you think of fiber board.

Waffle Ingredients

Whisk together:

  • 1 cup soy milk
  • 2 Tablespoons oil
  • 2 egg yolks

Add:

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 Teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 Tablespoons wheat germ (or ground flax seed)

Fold in gently:

  • 2 egg whites (that have been beaten until stiff, but not dry)

The next and last step is the easiest, but requires a cup of coffee and a place to sit down and watch the birds looking for their own version of Sunday breakfast.

Waffles

3 Comments