A classic treat, an easy bake. Among the most rewarding of anyone's cooking experiences, oatmeal-raisin cookies are today all too often ignored. This recipe emphasizes substitutions and tasty work-arounds with delightful end results.
Yield: About 10, two-ounce cookies
Time to make: 30 minutes active, 25 - 35 minutes oven dwell.
Tools needed: 2 medium bowls. Hand mixer, or a sturdy spoon. Wire whisk. Cookie sheet or sheet pan. Bakers parchment. Measuring cups and spoons or kitchen scale.
This delicious cake shows the merits of tasting raw flour. The slightly nutty flavor of raw oats points to an almond flavored frosting, which is offset nicely by tart apricot purée. The airy crumb of this classic sponge cake provides a surprisingly rich flavor.
Note: Ingredients may be doubled for a 9 inch diameter cake.
Yield: one, 6-inch circular cake, eight servings.
Time to make: 45 minutes active. 25 minutes oven dwell.
The 9 Grains strategy pairs the unique flavor of oats with tart, sugar-sprinkled and coconut-flavored blueberries to make an exceptional tart. Use end-of-the-season market berries, or South American imports. Both will shine on this light, puff-pastry crust.
Yield: Twelve, mini-cupcake-size one-bite pies, or five, 4-inch tarts.
Time to make: 30 minutes active, overnight dough refrigeration, 25 minutes oven dwell.
Tasty yet light, this whole-grain pan bread stars in both a plain version and a cinnamon-raisin adaptation. Built on a base of millet sourdough leaven, then tweaked with steps that improve dough strength and correct for millet's occasional bitterness, this could easily become your standard family bread, particularly since you can switch from one version to the next.
Yield: One 1 pound 10 ounce loaf bread
A perfect way to enjoy fresh summer fruit, these biscuits are made with complementary fats to be lusciously tender and packed with flavor. Macerated strawberries blend perfectly; raspberries, blueberries, and Boysenberries are great choices as well. And don't forget stone fruits! As a bonus these biscuits come together in a flash, requiring minimum technique.
Yield: About a dozen, 1 1/2 ounce (45 gram) biscuits
Time to make: 15 minutes active, 22 minutes oven dwell
This take on the Lenten classic adapts a King Arthur Flour recipe, changing it to gluten-free with flavors unlocked by a sourdough starter. Although the recipe calls for millet sourdough starter, you could also use brown rice or quinoa. The flavors will be slightly different but still very good.
Yield: a dozen 1 1/2 ounce buns.
Time to make: 45 minutes mixing and prep; 3 1/2 hours proof; 20 minutes oven dwell
For any pie to be successful, the first prerequisite is an excellent crust. To me, this means two things: buttery-rich and flaky. This method provides both .
Regardless of flour blend or filling, the innovative pie dough technique described below will produce a puffy, delectable crust. Smearing the fat (ALWAYS butter!) into dry dough, then gently spritzing water onto the dough/butter mixture, are the essential steps. Keeping track of water use with a kitchen scale guarantees precision and repeatability.
A mild, grain-flavored, moist-crumb sourdough, this bread features a "custardy" crumb - in the parlance of artisan bakers - and a crisp, chewy crust. It's leavened by a millet starter and is pale, slightly honeyed, and loves additions, such as the golden raisins you see in the photos.
Yield: One, 20-ounce round boule.
