Cascadian Farm Organic Goodness

I have a system of grocery shopping where I've figured out the products and brands I trust, and which stores to shop at in order to purchase them. So when I walk into my store of choice, go to the aisle to purchase the extra-soft, pliable pitas for gyros and hummus-dipping and find them sold out, well, a mini-crisis occurs in my head.

After a few weeks of hunting around in different stores, I was still pita-less and my need to whip together a bowl of hummus was steadily increasing. The desire to make my own pitas, born out of my love for hummus and gyros, was realized on the back steps of my house.

The problem I found in making my own pitas was that I wanted the bendable kind like you wrap your falafel or your gyros in, as opposed to the bubble-pocket pitas that you cut in half and fill. Most recipes lean towards the latter. Still, I persevered and my persistence paid off in soft, warm pita rounds that were perfect for dipping in hummus or filling with grilled vegetables and tzatziki sauce.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

1½ cups warm water, 110 degrees

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

1½ cups whole-wheat flour

1-3 tablespoons olive oil

Pour warm water in a large bowl. Sprinkle with yeast and sugar and allow to stand until frothy, about 5 minutes. Stir in salt. Mix flours together. Add flour to the yeast mixture, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. When all the flour is added, turn the mixture out onto an oiled surface. Knead the dough for 5 minutes until smooth. Place in a bowl and cover. Let it rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size. 

When the dough has doubled, preheat the oven to 350º F. Punch down the dough and knead lightly to form a ball. Split into 6-8 equal pieces and roll into balls. Roll each ball of dough into a ¼"-thick circle. Place dough on baking sheets covered in parchment or silicone baking mats and poke lightly with a fork.

Bake at 350º F on the lowest rack in the oven for 4-5 minutes. Flip and bake an additional 4-5 minutes.  Remove from the oven. Allow to cool completely and store until ready to use. Just before serving, lightly oil both sides of each pita round and heat on a grill, flat griddle, or in a frying pan over medium heat for 30-60 seconds per side, just until warm and easily pliable. Serve warm.

Makes 6-8 pita rounds.

Photo by Shaina Olmanson

In September I took on the task of making my own sourdough starter, and ever since I've been obsessed with the act of making bread. Something about the process has been rather meditative. Plus, there's something about the smell and taste of fresh baked bread that just doesn't compare to store-bought. Here are a few things to know as you get started:

• Be sure to use your eyes. If it has been the allotted rising time, but the dough hasn't risen, let it sit longer.
• Invest in a kitchen scale. Flours change in moisture levels as they sit on shelves, which can mess with their cup measurement. A scale will provide more accurate measurements.
• Practice makes perfect. Starters die, dough doesn't always rise, the crust is too hard or not crusty enough. Don't let mishaps get you down. Bread baking is an art, and with time you'll get better at the crafting of it.

Pain au Levain adapted from Makanai

¾ cup (210 g) sourdough starter (80% hydration)

1 ¾ cups (420 ml) water

3 1/3 cups (500 g) whole wheat bread/pastry flour

1 ¼ cups (130 g) rye flour

2 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt

Mix together the sourdough starter, water and flours in a glass mixing bowl. Let it stand covered at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes. Using a stand mixer or by hand, add salt and mix until dough starts to become smooth and uniform in texture. Fold the dough four times and let rest. Repeat this folding and resting every 15 minutes for one hour.

Place the dough in a bread bowl or mixing bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise one hour in a warm place. Push the dough down in the center, remove dough and fold four sides into the center. Turn the dough over so the seams are on the bottom. Form into one or two loaves, either oval or round. You could also divide dough between bread pans, if desired, filling 2/3 full. Place on dough baking sheet or on paddle. Cover with a towel and let them rise for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until dough is doubled.

Preheat the oven to 435º F. Slash the dough lengthwise just off center and dust with a bit of flour. Place dough in oven on baking stone with a pie plate filled with ¾ cup of water just beneath it. Closing immediately. Bake for 45 minutes. Dough should be 200º F when finished cooking. Allow to cool before eating.

Makes 2 loaves.

Photo by Shaina Olmanson

This past weekend I was on a mission. Inspired by an amazing stack of Vanilla Blueberry Almond Pancakes (at my favorite breakfast spot, the Coffee Cup) I was determined to bake a loaf of bread that combined those delicious flavors. And since I love baking Banana Bread, because it’s so quick and easy, I wanted to come up with a bread recipe for the summer time – using blueberries. This bread makes a perfect breakfast or snack with your afternoon tea. Add a glaze, it’s a tasty dessert. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did – I baked 3 loaves!

1 cup organic blueberries, washed and dried

1/4 cup sliced almonds (plus a few more to sprinkle on top)

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour (plus ¼ cup to coat berries & nuts)

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla

Pre-heat the oven to 325°. Grease a 8.5” x 4.5” loaf pan.

Toss the berries and almonds with 1/4 cup of flour to keep them from sinking in the batter.

In a large bowl, combine 1 ½ cups of flour, oats, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the liquids to the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Fold in the almonds and blueberries.

Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and bake for 55 - 65 minutes, rotating the pan partway through. Allow bread to cool completely before slicing.

Photos by Kari Burks

It's February, and if you're anything like me, now is the time when you start wishing for the thaw.  The snow has come, I had fun, and now, well, now I'm ready to plant my garden.  This time of year definitely has me digging deep into my freezer to pull out the frozen products from last year's gardening efforts.  I use my pesto stash much more freely, and a few days ago, I pulled out a few containers of shredded zucchini that I had parboiled and just slightly and frozen.

While I had been overwhelmed by the amount of zucchini my single plant seemed to produce last year, seeing those white and green shreds packed deep in my freezer were a welcome contrast to my overcast, gray winter days.  If you don't have your own, don't worry.  Just buy a bag of frozen pieces and send them through the food processor.

I had planned on making zucchini bread loaves when I originally took my zucchini out of the freezer to thaw, but my mind was changed indefinitely when I visited Deb's blog and saw these.  I instantly started dreaming of a creamy orange-kissed center inside my favorite quick bread mix.  It didn't disappoint.