Sweet Breakfast Biscuits

Have you found yourself making your own sour dough starter during this time of shelter in place?  Don’t let that sour dough discard go to waste.  Here is a recipe from Minnesota home baker Allyson De Mars that is a great way to make use of your discard.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups Swany White all purpose flour

3 tbsp maple sugar (or granulated sugar)

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp iodized sea salt

5 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed

3/4 cup mix-ins (like dried cranberries and mini semi sweet chocolate chips or any combination of dried fruit, chocolate or nuts will work. )

1/3 cup half and half (heavy cream or whole milk work as well)

3/4 cup sourdough starter discard

Optional: coarse or turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425F and line your baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment 

In a large bowl whisk together Swany White all purpose flour, maple sugar, baking powder and salt. 

Cut the 5 tablespoons of butter into flour mixture with pastry cutter, or a forks until mixture resembles a coarse sand, some larger chunks of butter may remain. 

**You can also use a good processor for this, give it 10-15 pulses.**

Note: It’s not ideal to use your hands because it will cause the butter to soften. 

Stir in your mix-ins of choice. 

In a separate small bowl mix together sourdough starter discard and half and half. Gently fold wet mixture into dry ingredients until just combined. Dough will be sticky. 

Pour dough onto a well floured surface and with floured hands form an approximately 8 inch circle (or square), dough should be about 1 inch thick regardless of the shape you choose. 

Cut circle of dough into 8 even wedges (square should be cut into 9 smaller squares, and can even be formed into smaller rounds depending on preferred shape)

Place scones on prepared baking sheet, a bench scraper works well for this. 

Optional: brush the top of each scone with half and half ( cream or milk) and sprinkle lightly with coarse sugar. 

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Let cool on pan for 5-10 minutes. 

Yields 8-9 servings

Sea Salt Butterscotch Blondies

During this crazy time, baking is definitely on the rise.  When you go to the stores, so many of the baking aisles are nearly empty.  There are many novice bakers learning this art, then there are avid home bakers who are enjoying this time and baking many of their favorites.  What ever kind of baker you are, we are happy that people are getting into the kitchen.  Our featured home baker Allyson De Mars, really never left hers.  She has a passion for baking and you can often find her spending her weekends in the kitchen baking something delicious.  Today we are featuring her tasty Sea Salt Butterscotch Blondies. Thank you Allyson!

 

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup Swany White all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter (browned or melted)

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup butterscotch morsels divided

Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions:

Browning butter –

To brown butter slice butter into 1/2 inch pieces and place in a skillet over medium heat. (Lighter colored skillets work better so you can see the color change) Melt butter stirring occasionally. Once completely melted it will begin to foam, continue stirring occasionally and after 5-8 minutes the butter will begin to brown and you’ll notice light brown specks forming at the bottom of the pan and a slightly nutty aroma will develop. Once browned remove from heat immediately, pour into heat- proof bowl and allow it to cool for 3-5 minutes.

Once the butter (browned or melted) is slightly cooled mix in 1/2 cup butterscotch morsels. Stir until smooth.

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9 inch square pan (or line with parchment)

Whisk together Swany White all purpose flour, baking powder and salt

Add brown sugar to the melted/ browned butter mixture and whisk until completely combined. Then whisk in the two eggs and vanilla extract until well combined.

Slowly pour wet ingredients into dry and gently mix until combined then fold in remaining 1 cup of butterscotch morsels.

Note: the batter will be very thick!

Evenly spread mixture into greased or parchment lined pan. Bake for 20 minutes then sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Bake for another 12-15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out MOSTLY clean.

Remove blondies from oven and allow them to cool completely before cutting.

Yield : 12 blondies

A Lucky Cornbread

With its golden color to representing gold, in the South, eating it is thought to bring you spending money in the new year. For deeper pockets, toss in some corn kernels.

INGREDIENTS

  • Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  • 2 cups Swany White flour
  • 2 cups Swany White cornmeal
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. baking powder
  • 2½ tsp. kosher salt
  • ¾ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled

DIRECTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 400°.
  • Lightly coat a 13×9″ baking dish with nonstick spray.
  • Whisk together all dry ingredients: flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
  • In a separate bowl whisk eggs, buttermilk, and butter.
  • Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in egg mixture and mix into dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until combined.
  • Batter will be thick pour into prepared pan and smooth top.
  • Bake, rotating dish halfway through, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 20–25 minutes.
  • Let cornbread cool before serving 

**Cornbread can be baked 2 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Brownies with Holiday Flair.

When we think of holiday desserts, brownies is not what typically would come to mind. However, these Gingerbread brownies take brownies to a whole new level and they make a delicious holiday treat!

Ingredients

  1. 1 cup butter
  2. 1 1/4 cup dark chocolate
  3. 4 eggs
  4. 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  5. 3/4 cup Swany White flour
  6. 1 tbsp cinnamon
  7. 1.5 tbsp ginger
  8. 1 tsp cloves
  9. 1 tsp cardamom
  10. 1 tsp vanilla sugar
  11. 1 tsp baking soda
  12. 2 tbsp pistachio kernels
  13. 4 ounces white chocolate

Instructions

  1. Set the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Melt butter in a small pot and then add the chocolate. Allow it melt on low heat, stirring occasionally.
  3. Whisk eggs and sugar util they are white and fluffy.
  4. Mix the flour, spices, baking soda and vanilla sugar in a separate bowl. Then, sift it in to the sugar-mix alternately with the melted chocolate and butter.
  5. Blend well, use a spatula to make sure you get everything. Sometimes there’s a little unblended mix left at the bottom of the bowl.
  6. Put some baking paper into a baking pan measuring about 9×13. Add the mix. Roughly chop the pistachios and sprinkle them over the cake, before cooking it for 20 minutes.
  7. Once it’s done, let it cool in the pan. When it’s cold, melt the white chocolate in the micro or over a waterbath, and sprinkle it over the cake. It won’t set straight away, it takes longer to stiffen/dry than dark chocolate.
  8. Cut the brownies into triangles and decorate!

Quite Possibly the BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER

If you love your cookies soft and creamy, then you are going to LOVE these cookies. Whether you eat them fresh out of the oven or save them for later, these scrumptious chocolatey bites of goodness remain so soft and yummy.

INGREDIENTS

  • 8 tablespoons of salted butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar (white or raw will work)
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 cups Swany White Flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven 350 degrees.
  2. Microwave the butter long enough to just barely melt it 30-40 seconds.
  3. Using a stand mixer or electric beaters, cream the butter and sugars.
  4. Add the vanilla and the egg and beat on low speed until just incorporated – 10-15 seconds. Remember, if you beat the egg for too long, the cookies will be stiff.
  5. Next, incorporate the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until crumbles form.
  6. Use your hands to press the crumbles together into a dough. It should form one large ball.
  7. Add the chocolate chips and blend together with your hands.
  8. Roll the dough into 12 large balls (or if you want some HUGE cookies, 9 Ince does the trick) and place on a cookie sheet.
  9. Bake for 9-11 minutes until the cookies look puffy and dry and just barely golden. DO NOT OVERBAKE. This is essential for keeping the cookies soft. Even if they look like they’re not done yet, remove them from the oven. They will be very blonde.
  10. Let them cool on the pan for a good 30 minutes (If you can resist). They will collapse and turn into wonderfully dense and soft cookies.

Autumn Cookies

In Minnesota, wild rice is plentiful and it adds such an earthy and nutty flavor to so many things…even cookies.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, divided
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 ¼ cup Swany White Flour
  • 1 tsp baking Soda
  • 1 package Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate (10 ounces)
  • 1 cup wild rice (cracked, cooked)
  • 8 ounces Dried Berries (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. In a saucepan, brown one stick of butter on low heat until golden brown in color.
  3. Add the browned butter, additional stick of butter, both sugars and vanilla to stand mixer and combine.
  4. Once combined add eggs one at a time.
  5. In another bowl combine flour and baking soda.
  6. Then add the flour mixture to butter mixture mixing into a firm cookie dough.
  7. In a food processor, chop cooked wild rice until finely chopped.
  8. Then add chocolate, rice and berries to the dough mixture.
  9. Chill dough 10 minutes and then scoop into balls and bake for 14 minutes.
  10. Enjoy!

Wildly Delicious Gnocchi

What is gnocchi exactly? They are small dumplings typically made with potatoes and flour. Cooked potatoes are mashed and combined with flour to create a dough that’s then formed into small pieces for boiling. When they are cooked, they transform into light, fluffy nuggets of goodness. 

Rather than potatoes, this version uses wild rice flour. The wild rice flour has a wonderful earthy flavor that makes this gnocchi taste deliciously rich and full of flavor. Toss it in. abutter sauce or your favorite pasta sauce for a delicious plate of comfort. Pasta is the perfect rainy day comfort food and this gnocchi is no exception.

Ingredients 

  • 1/4 cup Swany White Wild Rice Flour
  • 1/4 cup Swany White flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk or water
  • 1/2 stick of butter
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Method

  1. Heat the water in a small pan with the butter and salt.
  2. When the water boils, add the mixed flours all at once, turn the heat down to low and stir rapidly for about 2 minutes, until the mixture in the pan forms a sticky dough.
  3. Mix in the grated parmesan let this cool for five about minutes.
  4. Once cooled, beat the eggs into the dough one at a time until the dough comes together, remaining sticky.
  5. Put this mixture into a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch icing tip.
  6. Boil a pot of lightly salted water, and start to gently squeeze the dough out of the pastry bag into the water.
  7. Use a scissors to cut the dough that comes out into about 1/2 inch dumplings.
  8. Cook the dumplings until they come to the top of the boiling water. Allow them to stay in the pot for two additional minutes and then remove to a cookie sheet that has some oil on it, so they don’t stick. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
  9. Once dumplings are cooled, they are ready to be served with your favorite sauce or something as simple as butter and sage. ** Gnocchi can be covered and stored in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Rye Peach Pie, You Don’t Say.

Ingredients

RYE PIE DOUGH

  • 2 cups Swany White purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup Swany White rye flour
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 teas fine sea salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter cold and cut into 1/2″ cubes
  • 3 tbsp Rye whiskey + 1 teas for egg wash
  • 3-5 tbsp ice cold water
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp sparkling sugar or turbinado sugar

RYE WHISKEY PEACH PIE FILLING

  • 6-8 medium peaches 
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup rye whiskey
  • 2 tbsp tapioca starch / tapioca flour
  • 1 teas pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp cold butter chopped into 1/8″ cubes
  • 1 teas cinnamon

Instructions

RYE PIE DOUGH

  1. Place the Swany White flour, Swany White rye flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl with high sides and mix together.
  2. Cut the cold butter into 1/4″- 1/2″ cubes. Put back in the fridge for several minutes to ensure the butter is firm.
  3. Place the flour mixture and cubed butter in a food processor and gently pulse until the flour changes from silky to crumbly; just a couple of pulses. **If you don’t have a food processor, you can easily cut in the butter by blending the flour mixture with either a pastry blender, two butter knives or even using g your fingers. Be careful that the butter does not start to melt.**
  4. While pulsing, gently pour the rye whiskey through the feed tube just until combined or If you aren’t using a food processor, use a pastry blender or fork to combine the rye whiskey into the dough. Pour into bowl and check the dough’s moisture by taking a handful, if it is dry or crumbly, slowly add the ice cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, using a pastry blender. blender or fork to combine the rye whiskey into the dough.*Be careful to add only as much water as it takes to combine the dough into a ball or disk. If you need to add more water, make sure the ingredients are still cold.
  5. Form the dough into two disks and wrap them in plastic. Chill for at least 8 hours, up to 24 hours before rolling and forming.

RYE WHISKEY PEACH PIE FILLING

  1. Halve and pit the peaches. Then slice them into 1/4″ thick slices and peaches in a large mixing bowl and toss with the rye whiskey, vanilla, sugars and cinnamon. Set aside for at least 15 minutes to allow the peaches to releases juices.
  2. In a small bowl, stir the tapioca starch together with a few tablespoons of the peach juices to form a slurry and mix the slurry with the peaches for thickening.

SHAPING THE RYE RYE PEACH PIE

  1. While the peaches are soaking, set the dough disks on the counter for a about 5 minutes before rolling.
  2. On a lightly floured surface, Roll out the first disk into a 12″ round about 1/4″ – 1/8″ thick.
  3. Transfer the dough disk into a 9″ pie dish, leaving a 2″ overhang all the way around. Make sure there are no gaps and place in the fridge while you roll out the top.
  4. Roll the second dough disk into a round shape 1/4″ – 1/8″ thick. Using a pizza cutter or small knife, cut the dough into 1″ – 1 1/2″ wide strips.
  5. Fill the bottom crust with the peach filling so that if forms a slight mound in the center and the top with the butter cubes.
  6. Arrange half of the dough strips horizontally over the filling, evenly spaced out. Use the longer strips in the center and the shorter strips towards the edge. Gently fold back every other strip just past the center and lay another long strip across the pie, perpendicular to the horizontal strips. Unfold the strips to their original position, back over the top of the perpendicular strip. Repeat this process weaving each piece to create a beautiful top.
  7. Trim away any extra long edges and tuck the edge underneath itself to form a ring around the edge of the pie dish. Flute the edges by pinching the dough between your thumb and pointer finger on one hand and your pointer finger knuckle on the other.
  8. Place pie in the freezer for at least 1 hour before baking (or while oven pre-heats at a minimum).
  9. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
  10. Whisk the egg and 1 teas of rye whiskey until blended. Gently brush the top and fluted edges of the pie with the egg wash. Sprinkle with sparkling or turbinado sugar.
  11. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350° and bake for another 30-45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Bake until the filling is bubbly and the crust turns a deep golden color, you may need to cover the edges and or/tent the pie to keep from over-browning.
  12. Allow to cool on a rack for at least 1-2 hours before slicing.
  13. Enjoy!

A Whole Grain Pancake You Will Love

You may not think to use rye in pancakes, but it gives pancakes a wonderful nutty flavor that you will love! Compliment it with any fruit compote or just good old maple syrup and you will have one delicious breakfast.

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup Swany White rye flour
  • 3/4 cup Swany White flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients: rye flour, flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.
  2. Then whisk in egg and milk until just combined.
  3. On a hot griddle, pour 1/4 cup batter and wait for bubbles to form and, flip carefully with a spatula.
  4. Let cook until just cooked through, another 1-2 minutes.
  5. Serve immediately with warm syrup.

Pasta with a Whole Grain Kick

We all know that buying pasta is convenient, but making your own pasta is super easy and nothing really compares to the taste of fresh pasta especially when it is paired with the delicious flavors of summer like fresh tomatoes and basil. And when you add rye, you not only get a healthy kick, you also get a wonderful earthy flavor.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Swany White rye flour
  • ½ cup Swany White flour
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 large organic egg (beaten)
  • ¼ cup filtered water

Directions: 

  1. To prepare the pasta, mix the flours with salt in a big bowl.
  2. Make a well in the middle, add the beaten egg and water and whisk to combine.
  3. Knead mixture for 10 minutes until you achieve an elastic dough.
  4. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes then roll the pasta dough as thin as possible with a rolling pin on a well-floured surface ( you can use a pasta machine as well).
  5. Use a sharp knife to cut fettuccine strips, dusting them with rye flour so they don’t stick.
  6. Simmer in salted water for 2 to 3 minutes.
  7. Mix in