Baking with Whole Wheat

We had a guest over this past week who, with a mouthful of a date-sweetened, whole wheat blueberry muffin, turned to me in fascination and asked, "You actually made this? It tastes too good to be whole wheat, too good to be good for you."

This is not the first time I've heard such comments at my table as guests savor the delicious dishes and treats that I place before them-colorful, easy-to-make dishes that are packed with nutrients, and treats that are filled with fiber, minerals, and vitamins.

Here are some delicious and nutritious baked good ideas:

Heavenly Holy Whole-Wheat Challah

3 1/2 cups of warm water
2-3 T of derma brown sugar or honey
2 T of dry yeast
1 T of salt
1 egg
1/4 cup of canola oil
1+ kg of whole-wheat flour (you can replace some of the whole-wheat with rye or spelt)
 

Combine first three ingredients, let yeast dissolve and bubble.
Add salt, egg, oil, and half of the flour. Stir and let sit about 1/2 hour.
Add the rest of the flour until a nice, elastic dough forms.
Oil bowl and let the dough rise, covered with a towel until doubled in size (depending on climate 1-2 hours).
Braid, shape, decorate if desired with sesame seeds and put into oven at 350 for about 35 minutes, until you can hear a hollow sound when the bread is tapped on the bottom.

Options:
I always put in about a 1/4 cup of wheat germ to all my baked goods to give extra fiber and vitamins. You can also add sautéed onions and garlic, or tomatoes, garlic, and rosemary, or sliced olives for a delicious addition right and kneed it into the dough before baking.

Sourdough Challah/Bread

Step One: The sponge.
Dissolve 1T dry yeast and 1tsp brown derma sugar in 3 cups of warm water. Add 3 cups of whole wheat flour. Cover with cheese cloth and keep at warm temperature for 3 days. This is your sponge. Put it into a glass jar and you can keep it in your frigerator. Every time you want to use it, let it sit out to bring it back to room temperature.

Step Two: The starter.
Take a cup of your sponge and add 2 1/4 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 cup of water. Cover and let sit for a day or night.

Step Three: The dough.
Take out a cup of starter and put it back with the sponge (to replenish your sponge), add all ingredients as you would for the challah or any other bread, except for yeast. Add a heaping tablespoon of baking soda. Kneed, rise until double in bulk (or you can make it Thursday night and leave it all night covered with a towel and bake Friday morning), and bake until hollow sounding.

Chewy Carrot Cookies

1 cup of whole-wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped roasted walnuts
1/3 cup raisins
3 shredded carrots
1/2 cup of "silan" (pure date-honey), or apple juice concentrate or maple syrup
1/3+ cup canola oil
 

Mix all the ingredients together and spoon drop the batter onto oiled cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for about 12 minutes.

Poppy Seed Cookies

1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1 1/4 cups of whole wheat flour
1/4 cup poppy seeds
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup of "silan" (pure date-honey), or apple juice concentrate, or maple syrup
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp rice vinegar
 

Blend the oats in a blender or food processor; add the rest of the ingredients. Refrigerate and spoon drop the dough onto greased cookie sheets, press each cookie down. Bake at 375 for about 12 min.

Blueberry Cake or Muffins

2 cups of whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup of canola oil
3/4 cup of "silan" (pure date-honey), or apple juice concentrate, or rice syrup
1 egg
1 cup of blueberries
 

Add flour through cinnamon and stir. Add the rest of the ingredients and pour into greased loaf pan or cupcake pan. Bake at 350 for 30-40 min for cake, 20+ minutes for muffins.