Oat Bread

 

I like a hearty bread in the mornings. None of the light, fluffy, butter rich stuff for me! I have called this "Oat Bread" but perhaps a better name would be "Cereal Bread" since it has wheat, corn and oats in it. The bread is dense, but not hard or tough. For a less dense loaf, use 1/2 cup cornmeal and 1/2 cup of Buckwheat flour. I toast the buckwheat flour until it smells aromatic. This gives the loaf a nutty flavor. It is fairly moist and soft. Great with any topping you like. Preparation time is long, but the bread can be sliced and frozen. 

2 cups bread flour

1 cup cornmeal (fine ground, pre-cooked like that used for making Arepas)

1 cup oats

1/3 cup maple syrup

¼ cup applesauce

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup milk

¾ teaspoon salt (if no salt restriction)

¾ cup lukewarm water

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

½ teaspoon cloves

2 teaspoons yeast

1.   Gently heat the milk, maple syrup and butter until the butter melts. Set aside to cool. Add the applesauce to the cooled mixture.

2.   Mix the flour, cornmeal, (salt, if using), oats and spices in a mixer bowl.

3.   Proof the yeast in the lukewarm water until foamy

4.   Using a stand mixer with a dough hook, combine all ingredients to make a rough dough. Let rest for 5 minutes

5.   Resume kneading for 6 minutes. Don’t add more flour as the cornmeal and oats will absorb any excess liquid if the doughy looks and feels sticky.

6.   Place in an oiled bowl and allow to rise for an hour

7.   Place the dough on a flat surface and fold over to form a log shaped roll, about 9” long. Use a rolling pin and also pinch to close any open seams, so that the dough seals well without leaving any seams. Place in a lightly greased 9”x5” loaf pan

8.   Let the dough rise for another 1.5 -2 hours until it is above the level of the pan

9.   Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. The internal temperature of the bread should be 190 degrees F, and it should hollow when you tap it. Slice when cool.

 

Apple Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake

 

This coffee/snack cake is moist, delicious and flavorful. It does require a fair amount pf preparation, and creates a lot of washing up of utensils after, but the payoff is big! It won't last long if you have friends over for coffee! It does have a long list of ingredients, but to create flavor, that is what is needed! 

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon allspice

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoons Arrowroot flour

¼ cup oat bran

¼ cup finely ground cornmeal (The type used to make Arepas or Polenta)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt (if no salt restriction)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

¼ cup applesauce

2 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup milk

¼ cup sour cream

Juice and zest from 1 lemon

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 med apple, cored, peeled and finely chopped 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of 8" x 8" baking dish with parchment paper, grease and flour sides.
2. In small bowl, combine the brown sugar, allspice, nutmeg, chopped apples, lemon zest and juice, and cinnamon. Set aside. 
3. In large bowl, combine the flours, salt, cornmeal, oat bran, baking soda, and baking powder with a whisk. 
4. In large bowl, whisk together the sugar, maple syrup, oil, applesauce, eggs, milk, sour cream and vanilla extract. 
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and mix gently until just combined. Do not over mix! 
6. Spread 1/2 the batter into the prepared pan, Top with half the spiced apple brown sugar mixture. Press down slightly.  Spread remaining batter over the apples and then top with remaining apples and brown sugar/cinnamon. With a knife, swirl the batter to swirl the apples and cinnamon into the cake. 
7. Bake in oven for 50-55 minutes, or until tester inserted into center comes out clean.  

Apple Spice Snack Cake

 

When I was starting to develop this recipe, I thought about my childhood growing up on a tropical island. We did not have American type apples but anything we cooked had a variety of spices in it to wake up every taste bud. I decided to try and incorporate all that in this snack cake, and the result is really delicious. The cake is relatively low in fat, sugar and sodium, but not short on taste. It's got a lot of ingredients, is a bit time consuming to make, but doesn't disappoint. The spices used can be altered to suit individual tastes, but I'd suggest keeping the cinnamon and allspice and altering the others. Coriander and Cardamom could be used in place of the nutmeg and cloves.

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup sour cream

2 eggs

¼ cup applesauce, unsweetened

2 teaspoons vanilla

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

½ tablespoon Tamarind Concentrate (I use Ashoka brand)

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup oat bran

¼ cup arrowroot flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger root

¼ teaspoon cloves

2 apples, peeled, cored and finely diced

1.     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour the sides of a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan. Line the bottom with a square of parchment paper

2.     Peel, core and finely dice the apples. Mix with the lemon juice and zest, ginger, and vinegar.

3.     Mix the flours, oat bran, arrowroot flour, baking powder, baking soda,cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves into a medium bowl.

4.     In a large mixer bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, tamarind paste, brown sugar, eggs, maple syrup, vegetable oil, applesauce, and vanilla, on medium speed for 3 minutes or until pale in color.

5.     Mix in the diced apple mixture

6.     Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture in 3 batches, mix with a wooden spoon until just combined.  Spread into the prepared pan and level the top.

7.      Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool, cut into squares.I got 14 squares.