Toss these easy homemade croutons in salads, sprinkle over soups and stews or fold into hot scrambled eggs and omelets.
This gluten-free updated version of classic cornbread has more flavor and texture than most, thanks to the cooked quinoa folded into the batter and sprinkled on top. Plus, quinoa is a healthy whole grain! Serve squares of it underneath, alongside or crumbled on top of beans, soup, chili, greens or roasted veggies.
Switching to whole grains provides more nutrients and more fiber, plus they're more filling. These things make them beneficial to overall health and weight control. It can be fun to look for products that contain the variety of whole grains now available. It can also be fun to cook with them! Here's one simple recipe for starters. Later you might find yourself experimenting with different whole-grain flours or adding nuts and seeds.
Parmesan and rosemary add a delicious flavor and aroma to this soft, chewy bread.
The process requires a standard loaf pan or the bread will not rise. The result is wonderful: you can use 100 percent whole grains, you can vary their percentages all you want (though all-rye bread doesn’t rise much at all) and you can add nongrain flours, sweeteners or dairy. If the proportions of liquid, solid and yeast stay the same, the timing and results will be consistent.
This recipe is easily doubled to make two loaves. A loaf made with only wheat berries is wonderful all by itself, though feel free to mix and match grains of all sorts for a variety of flavors - it's part of the thrill of making this bread. All grains will sprout after a couple of days. A half cup of dry seeds to the dough dials up the flavor and nutritional oomph. All of the grains and vital wheat gluten are available at health-food stores and some supermarkets. Begin this two to three days before baking.
No Kneading, but Some Fine-Tuning
"Buttermilk and vanilla make for two moist, well-flavored loaves."
Anthony de Palma of Dolce de Palma recommends finding fresh yeast at a specialty grocery or your local baker. It adds complexity to the flavor of the flatbread, he says. You can freeze the dough, in pieces, for up to 3 weeks; thaw in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for 2 hours.
A basket full of freshly baked rolls adds a welcoming touch to any holiday table. Combining the crunch of a cracker with the tender yeastiness of bread, these little numbers are especially fun.