A Comforting Crisp

These cool fall days call for delicious comfort food to keep us feeling warm and cozy.  With the incredible apple harvest, this easy apple crisp will definitely do the trick.  It is easy to make and even makes a great after school snack.  We love it best served warm, and with a little bit of vanilla ice cream.

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 of your favorite apples, peeled and chopped or sliced
  • 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
  • 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup Swany White Oatmeal
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, diced into small cubes
  • pinch of kosher salt

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
  2. Butter an 8×8 baking dish, and set aside.
  3. In a mixing bowl, combine chopped apples, granulated sugar, 3/4 tsp of the cinnamon and lemon juice and place in the prepared baking dish.
  4. In another mixing bowl create topping by combining brown sugar, oats, flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, salt, and diced cold butter .  Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the  mixture, using a slight downward twisting motion, until mixture resembled pea-sized crumbs.
  5. Spread topping over apples in baking dish, and gently pat to even it out.
  6. Bake 40-50 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.
  7. Enjoy warm with a scoop of ice cream for a delicious treat!

Autumn Apple Cake

It is definitely apple season and many of us have so many that we don’t know what to do with them.  If you have apples left over after making juice and applesauce, try this delicious apple cake!  We love it fresh out of the oven.

 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups Swany White flour
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped apples
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon butter

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 325.
  2. Mix the brown sugar, oil, egg, buttermilk, baking soda, vanilla, flour and apples to create a batter.
  3. Pour batter into a 9×13 greased pan.
  4. Then combine last sugar, cinnamon and butter to create a topping and sprinkle it evenly over the batter.
  5. Bake for 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

Rainy Day Comfort Food

Rainy fall days call for tasty warm comfort foods like a good harvest soup.  Nothing goes better with soup then fresh baked bread for dipping.  These easy to make wild rice biscuits are perfect for dipping, or just slathering with butter and eating plain.

 

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups Swany White Wild Rice Flour
  • 2 tbsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup shortening
  • 1 1/2 cups milk

 

Directions:

  1. Sift dry ingredients together.
  2. Cut shortening in with dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse meal.
  3. Add milk and combine to a soft dough.
  4. Turn lightly onto a floured board and knead slightly.
  5. Roll dough out to 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick
  6. Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes whole, or use a biscuit cutter (or glass) to cut into circles.

Autumn Morning Muffins

On these crisp autumn days, there is something about fresh baked tasty treats tat is so comforting.  These wild rice muffins make an awesome breakfast or snack.  With their nutty texture, they are definitely a fall comfort food!

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 1 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 1/4 buttermilk
  • 4 cups Swany White Wild Rice Flour
  • 5 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup cooked wild rice
  • 1/4 blueberries, cranberries, raisins or nuts (optional)

Directions:

  1. In a mixing bowl combine butter, sugar, and eggs until creamy.
  2. Add buttermilk and water; mix well.
  3. Mix in flour, soda, and salt.
  4. Add rice and other add-ins.  If batter is too thick, add more buttermilk.
  5. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full.
  6. Bake at 400 degrees for 21 minutes.

**For better muffins set overnight.**

 

An Autumn Treat


Autumn brings cooler temperatures and a whole lot of delicious comfort food, like this delicious wild rice cake.  It is easy to make and it is sure to make your tastebuds happy!

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick of butter
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 cups of Swany White Wild Rice Flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pure vanilla
  • 1 cup cooked wild rice (optional)
  • nuts or raisins (optional)

Directions:

  • Cream the butter, eggs, sugars, and buttermilk.
  • Add dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
  • Add wild rice and mix.
  • Pour into greased 9×13 or bundt pan.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes.
  • Cool and drizzle with a powdered sugar icing

 

This Bread is “Wild”

Autumn is right around the corner, and that means soup season.  There is nothing that tastes better than fresh bread with a nice warm bowl of soup.  This wild rice bread is a great accompaniment to any of your fall soups!

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of milk
  • 2 cups of water
  • 3 packages of dry yeast or 1 large cake
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 4 tsp. salt
  • 4 tsp. melted lard
  • 10 cups of Swany White Wild Rice Flour

 

Directions:

  1.  Scald milk and add water.
  2. Dissolve yeast in the warm liquid.
  3. Add honey, salt, and melted lard.
  4. Place in bowl large enough to mix the dough, and add flour 2 1/2 cups at a time, kneading until smooth and elastic. (Adding additional flour if needed.)
  5. Place in a large, warm and slightly oiled bowl and let rise un til double.
  6. Punch down and allow to rise a second time.
  7. Split and place in greased bread pans and let rise once again until doubled in size.
  8. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees, then reduce to 350 degrees and bake for 25-30 minutes

A Minnesota Twist on Pancakes…

September is here, fall is in the air, and in Minnesota, it is time for all of our favorite comfort foods.  This twist on traditional pancakes is perfect on cool autumn mornings…

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/4 cups buttermilk (the older the better)
  • 2 cups Swany White Wild Rice Flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda (rounded if buttermilk is old)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 5/8 cup (10 tablespoons) vegetable oil or melted butter

Directions:

Beat the eggs, sugar, and oil (or butter) together.  Then add flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and buttermilk; blend well.

Cook on an uncreased griddle , turning each pancake when bubbles form and cooking the second side for an additional minute.

For added texture and flavor, you can add cooked wild rice as desired.

Just in Time for Apple Season

September is just a round the corner and that means…Apples.  This recipe is a perfect way to make something delicious from your apple harvest.  Galettes are great desserts that are easy to make, and because of their rustic nature they are much less intimidating than a pie that requires a latticed or crimped edge.  This recipe incorporates rye which gives it a wonderful nutty flavor that goes great with a savory or sweet filling.

INGREDIENTS

Pastry

  • 1 ½ cups Swany White all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup Swany White rye flour
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
  • 1 egg yolk
  • ¼ teaspoon cider vinegar
  • 5 tablespoons water
  • ice cubes

Filling

  • 4 apples
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a large bowl, combine the flours and salt and gradually cut in the butter with a pastry cutter until the dough is crumbly, with some small bits of butter chunks remaining.  This can also be done using a stand mixture with a paddle attachment.
  2. In a small bowl, mix several ice cubes and some water.
  3. In a third bowl, add the egg yolk, cider vinegar, and 5 tablespoons of the ice water, and whisk to combine.
  4. Slowly add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and mix by hand until dough forms.  If using a stand mixer, turn it on low and slowly pour the liquid mixture until the dough forms.
  5. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead several times with your hands until the dough is smooth.
  6. Divide the dough into two equal portions, form them into small disks, and wrap them in plastic wrap.
  7. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  8. If only using one dough, the other can be frozen in plastic wrap for later use.
  9. While dough is resting, peel, halve and core the apples and slice them crosswise 1/4 inch thick. Set aside the larger center slices and coarsely chop the end slices and any broken ones; about half of the slices should be chopped.
  10. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.
  11. Preheat the oven to 400°.
  12. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to a 12-by-14-inch rectangle and transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet.
  13. Spread the chopped apples over the pastry to within 1 inch of the edge and drizzle the honey over the chopped apples.
  14. Decoratively arrange the apple slices on top in slightly overlapping rows.
  15. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the apples and dot with the pieces of butter.
  16. Fold the pastry edge up and over the apples to create a 1-inch border.
  17. Bake the galette for about 1 hour, until the pastry is nicely browned and crisp and all of the apples are tender.  Then transfer the pan to a rack and let the galette cool.
  18. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Banana Muffins With a Twist

These banana muffins get an earthy twist by adding rye.  They are a great addition to your whole grain breakfast repertoire.  Easy to make and delicious too!

 

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups ripe mashed banana
  • 3/4 cup granulated cane sugar
  • 3/4 cup canola oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3/4 cup Swany White rye flour
  • 1 1/4 cups Swany White all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1.) Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare a muffin pan by greasing or using liners.

2.) In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the banana, sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Mix together until fully combined and set aside.

3.) Next, in a separate bowl, sift the flours, baking soda, and salt together.  Then add to the wet ingredients.

4.) Mix until dry ingredients are fully incorporated into the banana mixture.  Be careful to not over mix.

5.) Pour batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan and bake for 15-18 minutes.  Muffins should be slightly browned and a toothpick will come out clean.

6.) Let cool on a wire rack ad then ENJOY!

Who knew Rye and Chocolate could taste so good?

When we think of rye, we usually think of the earthy goodness of a yummy loaf of bread.  However, rye’s complex flavor profile does not only make bread delicious,  it can be used to transform your cookies, pastries, and yes, even brownies.   This rich and fragrant grain has a sweet, tangy flavor that pairs extremely well chocolate.  Bread can be quite intimidating for some, so perhaps your introduction to baking with rye flour should be these delicious Rye Chocolate Brownies!

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for the pan
10 1/2 ounces dark chocolate (at least 60-70% cocoa), broken into pieces
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups Swany White rye flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup unrefined sugar, like coconut sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
4 medium eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts ore pecans, optional
1 1/4 teaspoons flaky salt for sprinkling on top

INSTRUCTIONS

1.) Preheat the oven to 355 F.

2.) Prepare and 9×13-inch baking pan with butter and line with parchment paper.

3.) Using a double boiler or a  heat safe bowl, melt the butter and the chocolate together over a pan of water that’s been brought to a boil and then removed  from heat. Keep stirring occasionally as it melts, and let rest.

4.) In a separate bowl, mix cocoa, rye flour, baking powder and kosher salt.

5.) In another bowl, or the  bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the sugars, eggs and vanilla until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.

6.) Once you have achieved the proper texture of the sugar and egg mixture, slowly add the melted chooolate.

7.) Immediately after mixing in chocolate, add the dry ingredients, mixing  just enough to combine.

8.) If you are adding nuts, fold them in now.

9.) Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon or so of big, flaky salt.

10.) Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the brownies are set but with a slight wobble and sprinkle with remaining bit of flaky salt.

11.) Let brownies cool completely in the pan before cutting and serving.