Whole Grains Bread

I recently purchased Pompanoosuc Porridge Mix, a wonderful concoction of organic steel cut oats, white whole wheat bulgur, and flax seed, from King Arthur Flour. The hot cereal is delicious (and I feel so healthy eating it), but the bonus is the bread recipe on the back of the package. The cooked grains in the dough yield a tender, moist, chewy, crisp-crusted bread.

Although this bread could be titled Pompanoosuc Porridge Bread, I decided to simply call it Whole Grains Bread.





Whole Grains Bread
adapted from King Arthur Flour's Pompanoosuc Porridge Bread recipe
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1-1/4 cups lukewarm water
1 cup cooked Pompanoosuc Porridge (could substitute cooked steel cut oats or other cooked cereal)
1 cups whole wheat flour
2-1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
2-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened

Mix all ingredients until a smooth, soft dough is formed. Knead a few minutes on a lightly floured surface. Let rise in a lightly oiled bowl until doubled, approximately 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Punch down, place on a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly. Form into desired shapes (I made a small dinner loaf and a few sandwich rolls) and let rise for one hour, or until slightly less than doubled. Slash top of loaf and bake in preheated 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes for one large loaf. (I elected to raise the temperature to 400 degrees for 30 minutes for my smaller loaf and sandwich rolls). Remove and cool on wire rack.

Good-Bye to My Big Bud

My beloved brother, Dan - 1939 - 2009

POM Wonderful Yogurt Rolls

Do those rolls look just a tiny bit purple? There is a reason for that.

Recently I was offered a case of 100% pomegranate juice from Janny at POM Wonderful. Finding a case of those cute little bottles on my doorstep was a little like Christmas for me!



POM juice can stand alone as a nutritious and attractive drink, nothing added or needed, with an amazing number of health benefits.

Of all the creative uses for POM juice--savory marinades, rich glazes, refreshing drinks--my preoccupation with carbs led me to try the juice in one of my favorite roll recipes.
I adapted the recipe for Soft Yogurt Rolls from Baking Bites. My changes were to substitute 1/4 cup POM juice for part of the warm water, add an egg white instead of the oil, use 3 cups of flour, use 1/2 cup of yogurt instead of a full cup, and add about a teaspoon of minced rosemary. After baking, I lightly brushed the tops with garlic butter.


Besides the funky purple hue, the POM juice added a nice earthy element to the flavor and paired perfectly with the rosemary.

Old-Fashioned Cinnamon Rolls

All of my baking life, I have tried to emulate my Grandmother's cinnamon rolls. Even though she died when I was 9, long before I was smart enough to ask her for the recipe, the look, smell, and taste of those rolls is still a vivid memory. After many, many pans of roll attempts (and pounds of weight), I have arrived at a method that comes close to Granny's perfection. These old-fashioned cinnamon rolls are my most requested rolls, and I bake them jumbo-style for the coffeeshop on a weekly basis.

My favorite sweet roll recipe, and one I love for tenderness and texture, is one I adapted from Allrecipes. Although I have made the recipe as orange rolls many times (and highly recommend it), I substitute a brown sugar/cinnamon filling and vanilla glaze for cinnamon rolls.

Roll the dough on a floured Silpat to about a 24 inch by 18 inch, 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Spread with melted butter, and sprinkle sugar/cinnamon to within about an inch of the edge.


Carefully roll, jelly-roll style, into a tube and pinch the edge to seal.


Cut the dough into 2 inch slices, using a baker's bench knife.


Place the rolls in a 12 by 17 inch parchment-lined pan.


Let rise until light and nearly doubled in bulk.


Bake rolls at 375-400 degrees (depending on your oven) until brown, usually about 25-30 minutes. Immediately drizzle with powdered sugar glaze.