Fruit & Nut Sourdough #BreadBakers

If you ask me, one of the absolute best parts of the winter holiday season is the smell of all the baking taking place. At home, the weekends (my only free time) are packed with the aromas of ginger, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg, accented with sugar, butter, yeast, toasted nuts and chocolate. At work, my Home Ec classes are going to be churning out batches of my mom's delicious shortbread to take home, sure to be perfuming the school with the undeniably rich smell of baking butter.

While cookies and cakes are delicious, and perfectly at home (not to mention expected) during the holidays, my favourite treats are still the holiday breads. There's nothing quite like that aroma of the caramelizing crust, or a perfectly proofed dough just waiting to be punched down and shaped. In fact, I wait for (and demand) the opportunity to knock back, knead and braid our traditional Challah every year, and if I wake up early enough (read: 6AM on the 22nd of December, usually one of the first days of the holiday break!) I'm lucky enough to roll and decorate our Filled Holiday Brioche too.

While those two loaves must wait until Christmas to meet their (bread)maker, we still need a more or less "daily" bread - and why not start ramping up for holiday flavours than by mixing a few of them into a hearty, wheaten loaf? Not only did I get the nuts, raisins and oranges to sing with this cracked-wheat crusted loaf, but I kneaded in some of my favourite Winter fruit - Asian pear - as well. To keep things from getting too sweet, I decided to boost the yeasty flavour with my sourdough starter. The acidity from the starter also worked with the potato flakes to keep the crumb tender and moist - key for any whole grain bread. My final trick was actually a happy accident: having no "regular" milk in the house, I tossed in some leftover soymilk. What I got was a bread that simply soared to life, proofing beautifully both rises, all while managing to avoid giving the bread any sort of "off" or "beany" taste. Although I prefer cashew milk for drinking, soy will definitely be on my shelf for bread baking days!

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month's theme is Sweetened Holiday Yeast Breads, hosted by Stacy of Food Lust People Love.

Check out the other breads below:

• American-Style Panettone from Passion Kneaded
• Beehive Bread from Sara's Tasty Buds
• Candied Fruit Sweet Rolls from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Chestnut Roll Wreath from Food Above Gold
• Chocolate Cherry Brioche Buns from Baking Sense
• Chocolate Swirl Babka from Cook's Hideout
• Cranberry Sweet Rolls from Food Lust People Love
• Estonian Kringle from I Camp in my Kitchen
• Finnish Nissua Bread from Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Fruit & Nut Sourdough from What Smells So Good?
• Ginger Orange Stollen from SpiceRoots
• Holiday Wreath with Sweet Nut Filling from Hostess At Heart
• Kugelhopf from Ambrosia
• Marzipan Stollen from Palatable Pastime
• St. Lucia Buns from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Stollen Bread from Sneha's Recipe
• Sweet Milk Dinner Rolls from A Day in the Life on the Farm/

Rodent Seed Crunchies

While I am well known as a "cat mom" amongst my students, few people realize that, for at least a portion of the year, our home is also the nesting place for around 10 of my sister's pet rats. Most people (even the Grade 4-5 boys I teach) go all squeamish and squeal when I mention the little boys and girls that roost in our front rec room, but the truth is they are quite adorable. For one thing, they all have their own personalities and quirks - you can always tell who will be the mischief-maker on cage cleaning day. They are also incredibly intelligent animals, knowing their names and forming intricate family networks in their shared accommodations. A few of them have even befriended my cat, who (not unlike Finding Nemo's Dory) thinks she can "speak rodent" and chirps incessantly back and forth with them.

Stig!

Now, our family has always had a tradition of including a "pet stocking" by the fireplace for Santa to fill - one big ol' sock to house the treats and toys for all the current dogs / cats / fish / rodents living under our roof. Nowadays, the three kitties are the most noticeable non-human creatures here, and their gifts are easy to pick out - if it bounces, rolls, jingles or can be batted down the hallway at Mach 10, you're golden. The ratsies, or The Girls and Top Gear Boys (Jeremy, Richard, Stig and Diesel), are usually thrilled with the occasional box or paper towel roll, but when it comes to treats finding good quality, affordable ones can be a little trickier. The diet of a rat differs from rabbits, hamsters, and guinea pigs, and some foods are completely toxic (example: oranges are deadly to the male rats, but not the females). Thankfully my sister is almost 100% certified as a Vet Tech and knows her ratology inside-out, so she could guide me on how to make the gang their own crunchy biscuits this holiday.

Diesel

"Rum"drop Loaf Cake

Ever wound up with random candy that you neither remember buying nor particularly like? When I was cleaning out my baker's pantry (stuffed to the gills as always), I came across a sizeable bag of gumdrops that must have been a gift from a year or so ago. I generally detest gummy candy (sour keys are an exception) so I have no idea why I kept them around... needless to say, I had a choice to make: bake them up or toss them out.

I'm guessing you can figure out the option I went for.

I kept the candy (or at least enough for these cakes) because while I don't like the stick-in-your-molars texture and cloying fake-fruit flavours, some of the people I make gift baskets for at the holidays do - especially in fruitcake. The minor issue of the drops being rather old and dried out was solved with an extended bath in rum along with raisins and dried cranberries. Like most fruit mixes for holiday cakes, the longer the mixture soaks, the better - a good thing, since I had it in the fridge during the week while I was at work! By the time bake day arrived, everything was plump, sweet and boozy, ready to fold into the buttery, coconut-scented batter and keep things moist and decadent for weeks. I froze the loaves so they'll be ready when gifting season arrives, and I would suggest rather thin slices so as to avoid lodging a chunk of fruity candy in your molars!

Microwave Chickpea Brittle

Most people who know me cannot believe I manage to either bake or make candy. As logical and literal-minded as I am about most things, the kitchen is my playground - never mind that "baking is a science" claptrap. Give me a basic recipe, and my mind will start running wild with variations - mostly those designed to cater to various allergies and preferences in my social circles - and thanks to enough experience in the kitchen I can generally (though not always) reckon something will turn out.

Sometimes, though, I come to a conclusion that I believe is completely new and groundbreaking, only to figure out someone beat me to the punch. That was the case here. I had been toying with using roasted chickpeas or soybeans in place of nuts in a candy for a few months, and my mom had mentioned a craving for the British sponge toffee she had eaten on vacation. While I love making candy for holiday gifts, sponge toffee and brittles with baking soda have never entered my sphere of experience. I started Googling toffee recipes and found some peanut brittles that looked similar, which reminded me of the roasted beans. Just as I was patting myself on the back for "creating" a new recipe, I came across this one from Abby that promised to be much, much easier and quicker. I was nervous, since the microwave eliminates the ability to use a candy thermometer, but the original's recipe timing was spot-on, resulting in a candy that was light, bubbly and crunchy, melting on the tongue around just-salty-enough chickpeas. It makes a great snack on its own or crumbled onto ice cream or yogurt, and it's 100% school safe too! 

The best part though is how fast it is to make. In fact, it's probably dangerously quick - no need to slowly heat up sugar and babysit it at all - and so easy that you (or your supervised children) can whip up a batch after school and have it ready for dessert. As long as you're armed with a SilPat and a big ol' bowl, candy is yours!

Shared with Gluten Free Fridays

Chocolate, Caramel and Cranberry Biscotti #SundaySupper

I love making biscotti for the holidays. Not only are the recipes infinitely variable, but the cookies last ages - perfect for advance baking and last-minute entertaining! While they're not (nor will they ever be) as awesome as my mom's shortbreads, they have become one of my signature gift basket additions along with a variety of Toast Toppers and a candy or two. While most traditional recipes for the crunchy cookie sticks are built on a base of eggs, I've made my way away from using them since I never buy them (I don't eat eggs). This leaves me lots of room for playing with various egg replacers, from a starch based Homemade Egg Replacer to ground flax and chia seeds, custard powder, chickpea flour, psyllium fibre and even aquafaba.

This time around, the biscotti (which I adapted from Cookie Madness) are packed with the rich flavours of butterscotch schnapps, kinako, almonds, dark chocolate chips, cranberries and caramel bits. While eggless, the recipe isn't vegan, but it is a delectably crunchy dunker that cries out for a strong cup of coffee!

This week's #SundaySupper is focused on food gifts. I love watching the looks on people's faces when they receive a box of goodies from me - especially since they're customized for their likes / restrictions, etc. I've always believed that including at least one homemade gift makes a package more meaningful than just a shrink-wrapped item from the store, and it doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. For me, boxes of treats are what I do - it's who I am, and I've yet to hear from a recipient that a jar of jam or a square of fudge wound up in the trash!


Baked Goods

• Chocolate, Caramel and Cranberry Biscotti by What Smells So Good?
• Cinnamon and Spice Granola by Simple and Savory
• Coconut Macaroon Tarts by Asian In America
• Cranberry Coffee Cake by Food Done Light
• Mini Pumpkin Breads by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Snowman Poop by Palatable Pastime

 

Candy

• A Trio of Brittle by The Freshman Cook
• Grandma’s Peanut Butter Balls by Cricket’s Confections
• Homemade Peanut Brittle by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Homemade Twix Bars by Pies and Plots
• Peanut Butter Fudge by Family Around The Table
• Superfoods Fruit & Nut Bites by My Life Cookbook
• Toffee Candied Peanuts by New South Charm
• Turron de Jijona (Spanish Soft Nougat) by Caroline’s Cooking

 

Chocolate

• Espresso Fudge by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Peppermint Bark Candy by Life Tastes Good
• Peppermint Bark Popcorn by A Mind “Full” Mom
• Red Wine Hot Fudge Sauce by The Crumby Cupcake

 

Jams, Syrups, Drinks

• Blood and Sand Jam by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Creamy Lemoncello by Monica’s Table
• Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix by My Imperfect Kitchen
• Warm Gingerbread Syrup by Food Lust People Love

 

Mixes and Spices

• Cherry Almond Scone Mix by Baking Sense
• Cranberry Almond Quick Bread Mix by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Lavender-infused Sugar and Lazy Shortbread by Sunday Supper Movement

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.