I grew up on oatmeal and mostly Quaker Oats… so naturally when I discovered the steel cut version from Ireland and certain small manufacturers in the Northwestern United States, I jumped at it! I like the steel cut version I find in some of the quasi-health food stores… in particular Frontiers Market here in San Luis obispo.
I couldn’t resist but check out Quaker Oats to see if they had a ‘steel cut’ version of their own… and right now I could only find it at Target in California so I bought 3 boxes — this is a ‘taste for me’ and they’ll ship it here. I’ll let you know what I think.
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you how this sleigh ride began. My daughter Karen wrote a nice post about ‘sexy oatmeal’…so I had to follow it up! Thanks Karen!
Laura doesn’t ask for much… but when she does, I like to make it for her. In any event, many of the recipes you find are very similar… but where they differ is significant and there is a bit of a trick to it.
Dad’s Pretzel Recipe ( a variation of our cracker bread recipe)
3 cups flour ( I prefer Bread Flour )
¼ cup special flour (whole wheat, rye or spelt)
3 tablespoons gluten
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon or package yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup ‘special’ flour (whole wheat, dark rye, or your choice)
1 egg ( white for mix, yolk to brush after boiling)
For 1 dozen
Put yeast, sugar, salt, butter, water, egg white and 1/4 cup of the special flour into a bowl and mix.
Mix in remaining flour, mix and place in greased bowl, cover and place in a warm place
Let dough rise for 1 hour
Divide into 16 pieces and form as pretzels, cover and allow to rest in a warm place for 30 minutes
Prepare the baking soda-water mixture and bring to a boil on stove. 5 tsp baking soda mixed in 4 cups water in a saucepan.
Place them into boiling water-baking soda mixture .
Preheat oven to 475 F
Let the pretzels boil for on both sides for about a minute a side
Place on greased pan and brush with egg yolk dip in coarse Salt before baking
Bake for 12-15 minutes until pretzels are colored desired is attained
CLICK on picture for basic cracker bread (Lavas) recipe
Everyone likes to make something enjoyed by those we love and ‘cracker bread’ is one of those things. However, there is always a few ‘suggestions that pop up from the peanut gallery and these have to be taken into account. Some want more of the taste of a ‘pretzel’ while others want a little more ‘flavor’.
This really isn’t hard to do. I roll a little course salt over the bread prior to baking to give it a more ‘pretzel finish’ and interchange the secondary bread to find something a bit more flavorful. I like using ‘Spelt’ for this purpose as it is similar i smoe ways to whole wheat but with a distinctive nutty taste all it’s own…. which is why smoe folks say it is making a comeback. It also mixes better with water than whole wheat and that works for me!
Here’s a brief history of ‘spelt’ that can be found on the web:
“Spelt has a complex history. It is a wheat species known from genetic evidence to have originated as a hybrid of a domesticated tetraploid wheat such as emmer wheat and the wild goat-grass Aegilops tauschii. This hybridisation must have taken place in the Near East because this is where Ae. tauschii grows, and it must have taken place prior to the appearance of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum, a hexaploid free-threshing derivative of spelt) in the archaeological record c. 8,000 years ago.
Genetic evidence shows that spelt wheat can also arise as the result of hybridisation of bread wheat and emmer wheat, although only at some date following the initial Aegilops-tetraploid wheat hybridisation. The much later appearance of spelt in Europe might thus be the result of a later, second, hybridisation between emmer and bread wheat. Recent DNA evidence supports an independent origin for European spelt through this hybridisation”
an interesting way to feed elephants at the San Diego Zoo! CLICK on the above picture to see our vacation pictures
Most of our vacations always incorporate a little ‘business’ which is the reality of modern life. We had an opportunity to meet friends, travel to the San Diego Zoo and Sea world besides the expected convention– which was also fun!
We love Greek Dolmades… Greek Grape leaves stuffed with ground lamb and pork, short grain rice and wild rice, onions, garlic, diced pimentos and seasonings ( my curry blend, french gray sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder and white pepper).
Now, we roll the grape leaves! The only thing left is to enjoy!
