Sunday, June 7, 2015

Quick & Easy Whole Wheat Bread

This whole wheat bread goes from counter to out of the oven in just an hour and a half! It's crunchy outside, soft on the inside, and it tastes great!
It's a great recipe if you want a homemade bread, that is fast and yummy!








For 1 loaf, you will need:

2 cups (about 300 grams) of whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups (about 192 grams) of all-purpose flour
A little less than 1 1/2 cup (350 ml) of lukewarm water 
2 tablespoons of any flavorless oil
1 teaspoon of salt
1 envelope (about 11,8 grams / 0,4 oz) of dry yeast
Non-stick cooking spray or oil for the loafpan.


How to know that the water is at the right temperature to activate the yeast: Stick your pinkyfinger into the water, if the water is a little bit warmer than your finger, then the water is at the right temperature!
Also, when all the ingredients are mixed, the dough should be touchable without it sticking to your fingers. If it's sticky, add a bit more all-purpose flour.


- Pour water in a big bowl. Sprinkle over the salt and the yeast, and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, grease a loafpan of your choice, and set it aside (I used non-stick 
cooking spray).
- Pour in the oil and all of the whole wheat flour, and stir.
- Add half of the all-purpose flour, and stir it in as best as you can (at this point, it will be hard to stir around).
- Get the dough onto your counter, and knead it with the rest of the all-purpose flour, until it comes together. Form your loaf, by using the loafpan as a guide.
- Put the loaf into the loafpan, and make a few cuts sideways in the loaf with a sharp knife.
- Cover it losely with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel (as the bread rises, it will stick to your plastic wrap. You can spray your plastic wrap with non-stick cooking spray to prevent it from sticking, if you want to.)

- Let the bread rise for half an hour in a draft-free spot (a microwave or an oven turned off is a great place!).
- When there is about 10 minutes left for the bread to rise, preheat your oven to 437 degrees fahrenheit (225 degrees celcius).
- Take off the plastic wrap and kitchen towel, bake the bread in the lowest rack of the oven for 30 minutes.
- After 10 minutes of cooling in the pan, transer it onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Enjoy! 

Monday, June 1, 2015

Homemade Muesli

This granola recipe contains oats, almonds, cinnamon, oil and a no-calorie sweetener. This is a basic one, and you can add anything you want to it. Different nuts, dried fruit, coconut, you name it. It is great as a topping on yogurt for breakfast in the morning, or as a quick snack just by itself.






You will need:

2 cups (about 180 grams) of rolled oats
1/2 cup (about 85 grams) of almonds, chopped
1 teaspoon of no-calorie sweetener (optional)
1 heaping teaspoon of cinnamon (optional)
2 tablespoons of a flavorless oil




- In a large skillet over medium-low heat, add in the oil and heat it up.
- Add in everything else, and cook it for about 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly, until everything gets crispy and toasted.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-4 weeks!

Enjoy!