Japanese Milk Bread

Ingredients:

For the starter (tangzhong)

• 45 grams bread flour
• ½ cup / 120 milliliters whole milk
• ½ cup / 120 milliliters water
  

For the dough

•  650 grams bread flour
•  120 grams sugar
•  14 grams active dry yeast
•  8 grams salt
•  2 eggs
•  1 cup / 240  milliliters warm whole milk, plus extra for brushing on the unbaked loaf
•  8 tablespoons / 120 grams unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened at room temperature, plus extra for buttering bowls and pan

Directions:

1. Make the starter: In a small heavy pot, whisk flour, milk and 1/2 cup water (120 milliliters) together until smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook, stirring often, until thickened but still pourable, about 10 minutes (it will thicken more as it cools). When it’s ready, the spoon will leave tracks on the bottom of the pot. Scrape into a measuring cup and lightly cover the surface with plastic wrap. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
   
2. Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt and mix for a few seconds, just until evenly combined.
3. Add egg, milk and starter. Turn the mixer on low speed and knead 5 minutes.
4. Add soft butter and knead another 10 to 12 minutes (it will take a few minutes for butter to be incorporated), until the dough is smooth and springy and just a bit tacky.
5. Lightly butter the inside of a bowl. Use your hands to lift dough out of mixer bowl, shape into a ball and place in prepared bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 40 to 60 minutes.
6. Punch the dough down and use your hands to scoop it out onto a surface. Using a bench scraper or a large knife, cut dough in half. Lightly form each half into a ball, cover again and let rise 15 minutes.
7. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In the meantime, generously butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
8. Form dough into loaf and place in pan, seam side down.
9. Cover and let rest 30 to 40 minutes more, until the risen dough is peeking over the edge of the pan and the dough logs are meeting in the center. Brush the tops with milk and bake on the bottom shelf of the oven until golden brown and puffed, 35 to 40 minutes.
10. Let cool in the pan 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and let cool at least 1 hour, to let the crust soften and keep the crumb lofty. (If cut too soon, the air bubbles trapped in the bread will deflate.)

Granola bars

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 cup flax seed
• Chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Mix all together 
2. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes

Blueberry muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups almond, rice or coconut milk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Directions:

1. Combine oats and milk in a large bowl. Cover and let soak in the refrigerator until much of the liquid is absorbed at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours
2. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a 12-cup nonstick muffin tin with cooking spray.
3. Stir egg, maple syrup, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder and salt into the soaked oats until well combined. Divide the mixture among the muffin cups (about 1/4 cup each). Top each with 1 tablespoon blueberries.
4. Bake the oatmeal cakes until they spring back when touched, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan for a 10 minutes. Loosen and remove with a paring knife. Serve warm.

Sourdough Starter Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 245g (1 cup) whole milk
• 61g (1/4 cup) Greek yogurt (optional)
• 250g (1 1/2 cup, stirred down) sourdough starter
• 4g (1 teaspoon) vanilla (optional)
• 180g (1 1/2 cups) soft white wheat, sifted to #60 (you will need to mill close to 300 grams to get 180g sifted)
  
• 6g (1 teaspoon) baking soda
• 4g (1 teaspoon) baking powder
• 5g (1 teaspoon) sea salt
• 50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 63g (1/4 cup or 1/2 stick) melted butter

Directions:

1. Beat eggs in a medium bowl. 
2. Add milk, yogurt (optional), sourdough starter, and optional vanilla. Stir to incorporate.
3. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add dry mix to the egg mixture, mixing well. Stir in melted butter. 
4. Wait about 30 minutes to let your sourdough starter get going just a bit.
5. Lightly grease a smokin’ hot griddle. Drop the batter onto the griddle and cook until light brown and bubbles start to appear on top, then flip to cook the other side. Refrain from flipping multiple times.
6. You might need to adjust the amount of milk depending on the stiffness of your sourdough starter and your preferred batter consistency. The above ingredients work well for my liquid starter; if you’re using a stiff starter, you might want to add around 1/2 cup more milk.

Overnight fermentation option:

Another option for these pancakes is to let the batter ferment overnight in the same way the waffles are done, above. Combine the milk, sugar, and flour with the sourdough starter the night before. In the morning add the baking soda, baking powder, melted butter, salt, and vanilla. Then separate the egg yolks from the whites, whisk the whites to stiff peaks and slightly scramble the yolks in another bowl. Fold both in just before making the pancakes.

 

Peanut Butter Protein Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth, or substitute another nut butter)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup oat flour
120 grams (6 scoops) unflavored Whey Protein Isolate (using this brand)
1 tablespoon organic cacao nibs
1 tablespoons water (or more if needed)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients
Press into a mold or a small pan
Put in freezer for 20 minutes
Remove and cut into portions

Nutrition:10 servings
Calories: 256
Carbs: 20
Fat: 13
Protein: 17
Sodium: 131
Sugar: 10

Koobideh Kabob

Ingredients:
1 lbs ground beer (85% lean)
1 lbs ground lamb
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 onion

Directions:
1. Grate, or very finely chop up the onion.
2. Add all ingredients together and mix well.
3. Wet hands with water if needed.
4. Form meat onto skewer.
5. Grill over high heat for about 4-5 minutes per side.
6. Serve with pita bread or over saffron rice. 

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• ¹⁄₂ cup butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 bananas, finely crushed (for serious and extreme moist and delicious, try 4 bananas)
• 1 ¹⁄₂ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350º
• Cream butter and sugar together
• Add the bananas and eggs and mix well
• Sift together the dry ingredients
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients 
• Grease your baking pan
• Bake for 55 minutes or 40-45 minutes if using a tea cake pan