Sourdough Waffles or Pancakes

Sourdough Waffles or Pancakes

Makes 1 dozen 8” waffles or 2 dozen 4” pancakes

The night before:

1 cup sourdough starter, directly from the fridge, stirred but unfed

2 cups Unbleached Flour (I use bread flour as that is what we keep around

2 tablespoons sugar (or sugar substitute, honey, etc)

2 cups non-dairy milk substitute with 2T vinegar or lemon juice (or buttermilk for dairy)

Mix all of this in a glass or non-metallic bowl and let stand overnight

Before you put your starter back in the fridge, remember to feed it the total amount of what you just removed – for this recipe that would be ½ cup water and ½ cup flour

In the morning:

In a big bowl add:
All of the overnight sponge

2 large eggs (checked and beaten lightly with a fork)

1/4 cup vegetable oil (or melted butter for dairy waffles or pancakes)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda
Fruit like blueberries, chopped strawberries, bananas, chopped peaches, etc (optional)

Heat your waffle iron or pancake griddle to medium high.
Stir above ingredients together.  Do not over mix the batter.  The batter will begin to foam or bubble.  This is because the acid in the starter sponge from the night before will react with the baking soda (a base).
GENTLY fold in the optional fruit.

When you can put a few droplets of water on either cooking surface and the water skittles about, you know the temperature is correct.  Follow manufacturer’s instructions if you are making waffles (the light turns on if they are done, am I correct?)

If you are making PANCAKES, pour some batter into a cup with a spout (we make parve pancakes)  I use a 2 cup glass Pyrex measuring cup.  This helps so the batter goes on the pan and not on the stove.

If you are making PANCAKES, watch the tops.  You will see the batter on the top begin to lose it’s wet shine and when bubbles begin forming and rising and breaking on the top, it is time to turn
them over.  Use a spatula and flip them one at a time.  I make 4” pancakes as they are easier to flip.

Cook on the other side until the bottoms are done.

Serve with copious amounts of fruit syrup, maple syrup or honey.

Enjoy!   

K (P) or dairy if you use dairy milk and butter

This recipe can be halved if you don't need as much for your family.  Also, cooled waffles or pancakes can be individually wrapped, frozen and then popped in the toaster for a quick meal.

Vegetable Tian - delicious way to use summer squash

My little granddaughter loves making the pattern of green, yellow, white and red and reciting the colours in Yiddish.


Vegetable Tian (thinly sliced veggies topped with cheese and then roasted)

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium potato
1 medium tomato
1 tsp. dried thyme
Treif salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded Italian cheese

Directions:
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 180 (400 degrees f) Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté both in a skillet with olive oil until softened (about five minutes).

STEP 2: While the onion and garlic are sautéing, thinly slice the rest of the vegetables.

STEP 3: Spray the inside of an 8x8 square or round baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread the softened onion and garlic in the bottom of the dish. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the baking dish vertically, in an alternating pattern. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and thyme.

STEP 4: Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with cheese and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown

K (D)

Soft French-Style Bread - Especially for Dana Marie

                            This recipe makes ONE loaf.  Double for the two loaves pictured above.

This is an easy and delicious recipe.  Shape it free-form on a baking sheet.


Ingredients:

1 cup warm water (no more than 110°F)
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 package yeast (or 2-1/3 teaspoon if you buy in bulk)

2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon oil

3 cups flour - bread flour or winter wheat is best as it is softer and makes nicer bread

Oil for greasing the baking sheet
1 Tablespoon polenta, coarse cornmeal or grits for the baking sheet
1 egg, beaten for the top of the loaf

Method:

Pour warm water into medium sized bowl.  Add sugar and stir together.  Sprinkle yeast on top and let stand 5 minutes.

Once yeast is dissolved add salt, oil and one cup of the flour.  Mix well with a spoon.  Add another cup of flour and continue mixing.

Put one cup of flour on the counter or a board and scrape the contents of the bowl directly onto it. 
Begin kneading the dough, adding bits of flour if you find that it is too sticky.  After about 5-7 minutes you should feel the dough begin to change and it will become smooth. 

Do not add too much flour - this is a fairly soft dough but not sticky. 





Oil a medium-sized bowl and place the dough inside.  Cover lightly with a tea-towel or cling wrap.
Let rise in a warm room for abut an hour to an hour and a half.  The dough should be about double in size.

To prepare baking pan:

I prefer to use baking paper as it helps to eliminate a lot of the clean up.  If you have baking paper, cut a piece to fit a cookie sheet.  Oil it lightly and then sprinkle with Polenta, coarse cornmeal or grits.  This gives the bottom crust a nice crunch.

Remove dough from bowl and on a very lightly-floured counter knead the dough until it is back to the size it was before the first rise.  Begin shaping a long roll - it should be 8-10" long.  Place the roll on the prepared baking sheet and allow to rise in a warm room for 45 minutes. 

Pre-heat the oven to 375°F - Place rack in the centre of the oven

Beat one egg in a bowl and then gently brush the entire unbaked loaf with the egg.  Use a pastry brush or even your hands.

Cut slices about 1/4" deep, diagonally in raised loaf. (See photo of finished loaves above)

Place baking sheet in oven on the middle rack and bake for about 25 minutes.  To check to see if your bread is baked, open the oven and tap the top of the loaf.  If it sounds a bit hollow then it is done.  The colour should also be brown and shiny.

Cool on rack for a minimum of 10 minutes.

K (P)

Falafel with Tzatziki Sauce

This past Shabbat we had falafel with Tzatziki sauce.  They were delicious when warm and also excellent the next day when cold.  You can use dried chick peas - rinse well, soak and cook overnight in crockpot or in a pot on the stove until tender.  I most often used canned garbanzo beans for ours.

*This can be served for pesach (Passover) if you eat Kitniyot. Use potato starch to bind together instead of flour.  During Pesach, use lettuce leaves instead of bread.  It is really delicious.  Many Vietnamese foods are wrapped in lettuce leaves when eaten and the fresh crunch is very nice.

    Ingredients For Falafel:  

    2 (15 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained

    1 onion, chopped

    1/2 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped

    1/2 cup fresh coriander/cilantro, roughly chopped

    2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced/pressed

    1 Tbsp ground cumin

    1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

    1 teaspoon salt

    1 dash pepper

    1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

    Juice of one lemon

    3/4 cup wheat flour or fine matzah meal.  Potato starch or chickpea flour can also be substituted.

    2 eggs

    Oil for frying

Do you have a food processor?  Oh, you lucky people!  If so, now is the time to use it.  If you do not own one, don't worry.  People have been making falafel for centuries by mashing and chopping.  If you will be making without a food processor, warm the drained garbanzo beans and they will mash easier. 

Method:

Drain the garbanzo beans and put into your food processor.  Then add the remaining ingredients (Except for the eggs and the oil) and process until fairly smooth.  Taste and adjust seasoning BEFORE you add the egg.

Once the falafel dough tastes right, add the beaten eggs and process again.
It should be about the consistency of play-doh or peanut butter cookie dough.  If too dry, add more lemon juice or a bit of water. 

Use a 1/8 cup measuring cup or a 2 Tbsp scoop to make individual balls of falafel mix.  Press them slightly between your hands
so they are more flat than round - they will fit into the bread easier.

Place on lined baking tray and refrigerate until ready to cook.

                                          

Heat 1/2 inch vegetable oil in fry pan until hot - 350ºF/175ºC if you have a thermometer

Carefully add falafel balls to hot oil and fry until the bottom side is brown.  Using a thin spatula, fork or chopsticks, flip the falafel balls over to fry the other side until brown.  Remove from oil when cooked and place on absorbent paper to drain.

Continue frying until all are cooked.

We like to eat our falafel with flat bread, avocado, cucumber, tomato, sliced red onion and lemon slices.
Homemade tzatziki sauce is very easy to make. If you will be having the dairy sauce with these, crumbled feta is also excellent with falafel. 

If you do not want dairy, serve with lots of lemon slices. 

K (D) with tzatziki sauce or (P) with lemon slices 
*Kosher for Pesach (Passover) with adjustments at top of recipe

Tzatziki Sauce

Home made Tzatziki is quick and easy to make.  Some add mint and some add dill.  Either is good.  It is excellent with falafel and also makes a nice dip.

    For Sauce:
  
    16 oz plain yoghurt (non-fat may be used) We find Greek-Style is best as it is thicker

    1 cucumbers - peeled and finely chopped

    1 teaspoon dried dill weed or 1 tablespoon fresh, finely chopped (or mint, if that is your choice)
   
    Juice of one lemon

    1-2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

    salt and pepper to taste

    Method:

    Mix all ingredients together.  Taste and adjust seasoning. 
    Let stand, covered, in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Kosher for Pesach (Passover)

K (D)

Homemade Egg Noodles - Easy and Delicious

If you have a pasta machine you know how delicious fresh, homemade egg noodles taste.  If you do not have a pasta machine you can still easily make homemade noodles.

I use a food processor to mix the dough but you can also make it by hand and simply knead it a bit on the counter or a floured board. 

An important tip is to make sure you give the dough time to rest.  This relaxation time helps the dough to roll out easier and seems to make a nicer pasta.

The ingredients are simple and you can dry them for a few minutes, an hour or dry them over a broom stick and cook them at a later time.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups flour - I use winter wheat as it is softer - This can be found as 'Bread Flour' in supermarkets
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
A tiny bit of water, if necessary

Additional flour for kneading and rolling out

Method:

If you use a food processor to mix the dough, just dump everything in and turn it on.  Process until the dough forms a ball that sticks together.  If necessary, add a few drops of water until this happens.

If you are using a bowl, mix the flour and salt together and make a well in the middle.  Crack and check the eggs and put them in the well.  Stir with a spoon until well blended.  At this point, if the dough is too dry, add droplets of water until it begins to form a ball and cleans the side of the bowl.  Turn out onto a lightly floured board or the counter and knead until the dough is soft but not too sticky.

Wrap the dough and chill it for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to the desired thickness (anywhere from 1/4 inch to paper thin). Be sure to rotate or otherwise move the dough between each pass of the rolling pin to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface. Sprinkle everything with flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking.

Cut the dough with a sharp knife or even a pizza cutter.  They can be as wide or narrow as you like.  Allow them to dry until you are ready to cook them.  I have used baking racks but mostly I hang them over a dowel or broomstick.  Most like to cut their noodles perfectly but as you can see by the photo at the top, my little granddaughter prefers her free form method.

Boil the noodles in salted water or broth until tender to the bite - the timing will depend on how thick the noodles have been rolled - usually between 10-15 minutes.  Enjoy!

Parker House Rolls - Rich and Delicious

Have you ever wanted to make homemade dinner rolls but felt they were too much work?  Do you crave that rich roll flavour but purchase them at a bakery because you want them to come out looking perfect?

Now you can make delicious Parker House Rolls - so easy even a 4-year old can shape them!

My granddaughter shaping rolls. 
She is making half a batch and using an 8x8" pan

Rich Roll Dough

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups warm milk (or milk substitute)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (or sugar substitute made for baking)
2-3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (or one package)

1/2 cup butter (or margarine)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

13x9x2" pan, lined with baking paper

Rolls in 13x9x2" pan, ready to bake

Baked Parker House Rolls

Method:

Warm milk (to about 110°F/43°C
Pour into large bowl.
Add sugar and stir
Sprinkle yeast over milk mixture and let set until it becomes a bit frothy

Melt butter or margarine and pour into milk mixture.  Check egg and add to milk mixture.  Mix until combined.   Add about 2 cups of the flour and the salt and beat with a spoon or use a mixer (this helps to develop the gluten and makes a nice, soft dough) 
Put two cups of the flour on the counter or a board and make a well in the centre. Pour the mixture from the bowl on top. Knead for about five minutes, adding up to half a cup of flour so the dough is soft, smooth but not sticky.

Turn dough into an oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in bulk - about an hour if your house is warm.

Melt the 1/2 cup of butter in a bowl.  Line your baking pan. Set on the counter where you will be working.

Using a rolling pin (or a wine bottle :) ) roll out the dough until 1/8" thick.  Using a round cutter or a glass, cut circles from the dough and set to the side.  Roll extra dough out again and repeat until all dough has been cut into circles. 

Dip each circle of dough into the butter and then fold in half.  Place in pan, folded side down.  Repeat with each dough circle, arranging them as in the photo at the very top.  Once they rise, the rolls will fill out the pan and be stuck together to form little loaf-like rolls.

Allow to rise, covered, on counter until doubled in bulk.  Pre-heat oven to 350°F/175°C. When oven is hot, bake the rolls for 15-25 minutes or until tops are golden brown and rolls are puffy.

Place on a rack to cool for 5 minutes then turn out from the pan onto a serving platter or rack. 

Enjoy!

K (D) or (P) if margarine and milk substitute are used