Accidental Baking

I baked a lot of bread yesterday.  It was fun, and it smelled great.

But I lacked the foresight I needed to complete my fourth loaf of bread.  That is, I forgot I had given the extra pans I had on hand back to my mother.  Tsk Tsk.

Panic ensued when I punched down the big doughy balloons only to realize there was no where for the final loaf to take shape and bake. 

So, I made accidentally on purpose cinnamon rolls!  TADA!

I had one for breakfast today, the equivalent of two slices of toast.  What a great way to wake up.  Coffee in hand, healthy and delcious cinnamon roll in the other...I'll take that any day. 

I used my usual soaking method with this recipe - basically a way of releasing the nutrition locked up in the whole wheat and making it taste that much better.  While I'm not offering bread and rolls here at Bake Lore anymore, I still enjoy making them for my family.  Perhaps one day when I can get the profit margin a bit healthier, I might consider returnign it t the menue. 

Until then, I will just suggest that you do some research into Sue Gregg's cooking methods.  I use her bread recipe and it's the best I've ever tasted, bar none. 

Why yes!  That is another new cake pedestal.  How kind of you to notice;).

And yes, they are square...because I used my super awesome Fat Daddio square cupcake pan.  For some reason, I love square baked goods.

Do you have a tried and true cinnamon roll recipe in your house?  What do you do to make it healthier for your family?

Buns of Bread

I love a good cake.   But, let's face it, it's not exactly an "every day food" as some nutritionalists so annoyingly point out. 

Cake is mostly empty calories (unless you're going for my extremely awesome whole grain coffee cake!).  In order to splurge on celebratory sweets, we sadly must attend to the real food of life, and eat well MOST of the time.

One of my passions is nourishing food.  Shocked are you?  Why would one so in love with sugar be so keen on keeping it out of the every day diet? 

Lots of reasons...maybe an entire blog's worth of reasons...but today, I'm just here to fill you in on a secret I'd like to let out of the bag:  I make an AWESOME loaf of bread.  (It ain't braggin' if you can do it, right???)

Soaked Whole Wheat Bread

My whole wheat bread goes through a two-step process, similar to what Sue Gregg teaches, a lady whom I love and admire.  Whole grains, soaked overnight to make the goodness in the grain accessible to our bodies and easier to digest, plus the good old fashioned triple rise...and you get some great results!

Just like the cakes, you can buy bread from me.  And pizza crusts, pancakes, morning cookies...and now...hamburger buns. 


Soaked Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

These turned out so soft and melt-in-your-mouth yummy.  One loaf of bread = 7 hamburger buns, according to my recipe...Oh, these are definitely on the price list now.  Definitely!!

The big idea is to have a bakery with a dual focus - Cake Lore, your go-to designer cake maker...and Bake Lore, the only place you buy bread and buns that you don't make yourself:).  We'll see how that pans out. 

Right now, there's a slice of bread with my name on it...mmmmmmmmmm.

Nourishing Cake - Say WHAT?!

I realize it's hardly been the focus of this blog to share the nutritional content of my baking.  I will be honest, most of my creations are made of the best and most processed ingredients modern America has to offer.  And I don't think there's anything especially bad about indulging in such treats every once and a while - especially on one's wedding day.

But I've turned over a new leaf with my personal, for-the-fam baking, and I've discovered many, many new ways to turn what would normally be a nutritional wash into something I can feel good about feeding to my toddler.

Here's a coffee cake I made yesterday.  It's from the Sue Gregg Introduction to Whole Foods Cooking - and sorry, but I can't share the recipe.  You'll have to go check her out for yourself!  (And DO check her out.  She'll blow your processed-food mind, man!)

Spelt berry coffee cake with walnut oat topping
My belly has never spelt so good!  Aha...sorry.

It's made with whole spelt berries - that's right, not flour, just the actual GRAIN - in a blender.  I kid you not, you fill up your blender with spelt berries and buttermilk, whip it to death and let it sit, on the counter overnight.  Then in the A.M., you just add the leavening and eggs and presto, cook-o, you got yourself a yummy, nourishing breakfast/snack/dessert for the whole fam damily.

Spelt Berries...from The Dutch Pantry in Odon, IN

Seriously, I can honestly tell my two year old he can have cake for lunch and feel good about it.  It's made with honey, real grains and let me tell you...it's awesome.  Couple that with a smoothie from frozen fruit and plain yogurt...and the kid gets "cake and ice cream" while I can feel good about what he's eating (and that he is, in fact eating SOMETHING!).

Mmmmmmmmmmmm

Someday, I will figure out a way to get this kind of quality food to the masses!