Tag Archives: baking

Harvest Bread

In a small town along the Maine coast, there is a cafe that serves pastries, great breakfast sandwiches, coffee and other beverages. They are known for their “cronuts” – a combination croissant and donut. But the best item in their bakery case is the Harvest Bread.

The ingredients are posted on a note in front of the thick, moist slices (probably to make sure you don’t have any allergies before you order), but the recipe is never shared. It took multiple trials to create a recipe that comes close to what they offer. The weather in Maine will start to chill in a month or so. You should be stacking firewood now, stocking up on good books to read, bird seed for your little feathered friends, dusting off the chess set and setting the snow shovel by the back door. Don’t forget to get the ingredients for Italian Wedding Soup or a hearty Lobster Chowder – and of course for the Harvest Bread. You won’t be disappointed. Enjoy!

EINKORN HARVEST BREAD

INGREDIENTS
1 ¾ cups Jovial Foods Einkorn flour (plus 2 tablespoons for tossing the fruit)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 eggs
½ cup mashed banana
½ cup applesauce
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
¾ cup virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
The Fruit and Nut Mix:
½ cup chopped walnuts
1,2 cup chopped pecans
½ cup chopped pistachios
½ cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1/2 cup dried apricots, diced


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 8.5 in x 4.5 in loaf pan and line it with parchment
paper, leaving an overhang on the sides.
Combine the fruit and nuts in a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of Einkorn flour and set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set
aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, bananas, applesauce, dark brown sugar, melted coconut
oil and vanilla until well blended.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Gently fold with a spatula until the flour tracks
disappear. Do not overmix. Fold in floured fruit and nut mixture until evenly distributed. Again,
do not overmix.
Using a spatula, transfer the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 30
minutes.

Crucial step: At the 30 minute-mark, loosely tent a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the
pan to prevent the crust from getting too dark while the dense center finishes baking. Bake an
additional 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the loaf
cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then lift it out using the parchment handles. Let it cool
completely on a wire rack before slicing to allow the fruit-heavy crumb to set.



Asparagus. Red Bell Pepper and Mushroom Quiche

 



Ingredients:

Piecrust

1 ½ c. all purpose flour

½ c. shortening

7 Tablespoons ice water

Filling

4 eggs

1 c. heavy cream

4 c. grated cheese (Mexican blend)

2 c. diced vegetables (mushrooms, red bell peppers, and asparagus)

Paprika or cayenne

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Piecrust

Grease a 10-inch pie plate with shortening.  Measure flour and shortening in a bowl and
use a pastry blender or two knives to cut the shortening into the flour until
it is all the size of little peas. Sprinkle the flour mixture with the ice
water and stir with a fork until it clings together and begins to form a ball of dough.  Dust the countertop with a little flour to keep the dough from sticking.

Remove dough from fowl and knead it just a little to make
the dough smooth.  Roll it out on the countertop until it is a circle about 2 inches larger that the pie plate.  Dust with flour and flip the dough over as needed to keep it from sticking to countertop. Fold the dough in half and then in half again to make a wedge and transfer it to the pie plate. Unfold the
dough and fit it evenly into the pie plate. Trim and tuck under the edges all
the way around and then flute the edges with your fingers. (Use the thumb &
forefinger of one hand and the index finger of the other hand to pinch it into
a ruffle)

 

Filling

Place eggs and cream into a bowl and beat with mixer or
whisk until fluffy.  Combine cheese with egg mixture and stir until well-blended. 
Set aside while you saute the vegetables.  It is very important to use just a little
butter to saute the vegetables.  If you use too much butter or if you use olive oil, it may make the filling too soupy and prevent it from firming up in the oven. Transfer the cooked vegetables/meat
to the egg mixture and blend.  Pour filling into the prepared crust and sprinkle with paprika or cayenne.  Place in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until center is firm when you jiggle it and the top is golden brown. A knife inserted in the center can also determine if it is solid inside.