Almost up and running again...

The Sassy Apron has a new kitchen, and I am so excited to get started making and baking again. It's amazing how many boxes it takes to pack up all those tools and appliances... and how long it takes to unpack it all again! I'm hoping to post again by June. Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, everyone!

The Issue of Food Additives

One of the reasons that I started to bake all of my own bread at home was the fact that I was bothered by what I was reading on the bags' labels. I'm sure each of you have read a label at some point while shopping and thought... "what IS this stuff and why can't I even pronounce it?" Ever since my bread making venture first started, I've become more curious about reading all labels while shopping. I also started to do a little research on what the FDA has allowed manufacturers to do (and to add) to our food. Here is an article by Sustainable Table that I'm sure will surprise some of you!

The Issues: Additives

Americans spend about ninety percent of their food budget on processed foods, which, unlike whole foods, have been treated in some way after being harvested or butchered.¹Almost all of these processed foods contain additives, substances intended to change the food in some way before it is sold to consumers. Additives include flavorings that change a food's taste, preservatives that extend its shelf life, colorings that change the way it looks, and dietary additives, such as vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and other supplements. Packaging is considered an indirect food additive and, in fact, many kinds of packaging actually add substances to the food they enclose.

By eating fresh, unprocessed foods grown by local farmers, you avoid preservatives and additives because these foods are not transported thousands of miles. Photo by Jason Houston.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently has approved more than 3,000 food additives for use in the United States.² However, while approved for human consumption, food additives may still threaten our health. This is one of many reasons why it is better to purchase whole foods, or those that have been minimally processed and treated.

Regulation and Categories of Food Additives
The FDA regulates all food additives, breaking them into three categories. "Indirect Food Additives" include packaging materials such as paper, plastic, cardboard and glue that come into contact with food.³ "Direct Food Additives" include preservatives, nutritional supplements, flavors and texturizers that are added to food. "Color Additives" are used to alter color.

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CousCous and Vegetable Stir Fry

This is an easy and healthy meal that takes less then 30 minutes to prep and prepare. It came into being one summer when my garden was overflowing with wonderful vegetables and we needed a quick dinner option. And nothing cooks more quickly than couscous! It recently made another blogger's "Top 25 in under 20 minutes" meal list. This is a versatile dish and can easily be tweaked to fit your taste preferences!

Ingredients:

• 1 box of any Couscous (Optional - preparing the couscous with chicken or vegetable stock to add flavor)
• 3 cups of cut up vegetables – whatever you have laying around that you need to use up. I like to use onions, green and yellow zucchini/squash, and red peppers – great color, but great flavor too!
• 3/4 cup frozen, shelled edamame
• 1/4 cup Pine Nuts, toasted
• olive oil
• 3-4 TBSP grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Lightly toast Pine Nuts in toaster oven or in a dry skillet

Slice up your vegetables and set aside. Prepare Couscous by bringing water to a boil WITH your frozen edamame in the pot. Add CousCous (And flavor packet if there is one. If not, add 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp garlic powder if you have some) and stir. Pull off the heat and allow it to sit covered for the instructed amount of time.

Pre-heat a large skillet with about a TBSP of olive oil. Add your sliced vegetables, cover, and turn heat to low for about 3 minutes. This allows your vegetable to steam lightly. Uncover and finish stir-frying the vegetables on medium heat. Uncover and stir your Couscous and place into a large serving bowl (Optional: an extra drizzle of olive oil helps the couscous from sticking together in big clumps). Top with your stir-fried veggies, toasted pine nuts, and grated parmesan cheese.

**This is also a wonderful dish served cold, as a picnic dish or a side salad to a main dish. It can be made “vegan” by leaving out the parmesan cheese. You could also substitute the Couscous with wonderful, healthy Quinoa, or even a wheat pasta if you don’t keep Couscous in the pantry!

Thin Crust Whole-Wheat Pizza

Who doesn't love pizza? This is such a great recipe and is really easy to make. You'll be able to make and bake two pizzas in about an hour - or chill the second half of the dough and have pizza again later in the week!

You have choices with your ingredients here... if you want organic, use organic! If you want Pizza Margherita, use fresh mozzarella sliced thin with fresh basil. Meat lover? Go on ahead! This also makes a great dough for calzones, though you may need to add some minutes to your baking time.

Thin Crust Whole-Wheat Pizza

Ingredients (dough):

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 1/4 tsp yeast
• 2 TBSP Olive oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp honey or raw sugar
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 cups bread flour
• Some corn meal for the bottom of the pizza (optional, but authentic!)

Ingredients (pizza toppings):

• Olive oil
• Sauce, about 1/4 cup - use can use tomato, or if your are making a white pizza, use dollops of ricotta and minced garlic. I like using organic strained tomato sauce that comes in a jar. It allows me to add my own spices to the crust prior to putting the sauce on.
• Cheese - about 1 1/2 cups, shredded. Or sliced, if you are having pizza margherita.
• Any other toppings you like on your pizza!

Materials:

• Stand Mixer w/ dough hook
• Parchment paper
• Rolling pin
• Pizza Stone. You can also used unglazed terra cotta tiles to cover the baking rack and give you a larger baking surface. OR in a pinch, use a large flat cookie sheet.

Directions:

• Place pizza stone on a low or middle rack of your oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Let the oven preheat for at least 45 minutes prior to putting your pizza in the oven. This allows the stone to get nice and hot - which will give you a crisper crust to hold all those lovely toppings.
• Place all above ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer. With dough hook attachment, mix on low until dough comes together. Then switch to "2" and mix for another 8-10 minutes. This allows the gluten to build up in the pizza dough. Don't worry if the dough "hugs" the hook the entire time - it is still getting a work out!
• When finished mixing, coat the dough lightly in olive oil and allow it to rest in the bowl (covered) for 10-30 minutes. I've used the dough after resting only 10 minutes, and it still works really well!
• Cut the dough in half. If you won't be making both pizzas immediately, then refrigerate the second piece in a sealed container or plastic bag.
• Lightly flour a clean surface. Press the dough into a large flat circle with your hands. Let rest for 5 minutes while you get all of your toppings and spices out.
• Take a large square of parchment paper and sprinkle with corn meal. Place your dough on the paper and begin to roll - working from the middle of the dough, outwards, and turning the paper/dough while you work. If it sticks at all, lightly flour your rolling pin as you work. I like to leave the dough slightly thicker at the edges so that the crust puffs up nicely. (If you want a thicker, dough-ier crust, then simply stretch the dough with your hands, let it rest, and stretch/press some more. The pie won't be as big, but it will be that much more filling per slice!)
• Use a little olive oil to brush over the crust - especially coating the outside edge.
• Add spices to your crust if desired. I like to use dried basil and oregano, and sometimes some garlic salt.
• Add sauce to the crust and spread around with the back of a spoon. Don't use too much, or the crust may not crisp up as much as you desire it to. About 1/4 cup should be plenty.
• Sprinkle on toppings and cheese.
• Slide the parchment and pizza onto a pizza peal or the back of a cookie sheet to help transfer to the oven. (YES - bake the pizza right on the parchment paper - it won't burn if you are baking for this short amount of time, and it makes the dough easier to transfer in and out of the oven.)
• Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool for 3-4 minutes before slicing!

On the move...

The Sassy Apron is moving! No worries... the blog address won't change a bit, but my family and I are in the process of moving from one house to another. So my apologies... my intention was to post at least once a day, which I'm finding it is very difficult to do when your life is being packed up into boxes all around you! But one thing is for sure... we are still baking bread, still cooking healthy food - even though we may be dining on paper plates! We hope to be up and running in a new kitchen after Memorial Day weekend. So please - keep checking in on me. I do hope to still get a few posts up before the move takes place. Thanks for your patience!

Another reason to feel Sassy about that apron!

Aprons: Go ahead and tie one on

The garment no longer symbolizes women's relegation to the kitchen but their delight in being there.

May 06, 2010|By Rene Lynch, Los Angeles Times

• 
  Kirk McKoy, Los Angeles Times

Is there another kitchen object that carries as much baggage as the apron?

A whisk and a wooden spoon are, after all, tools to get the job done. But an apron?

For years, aprons were commonplace and worn with pride. But somewhere along the line the apron became shorthand imagery for all that was holding women back, an emblem of humble domesticity and repression. When an apron was required for practical reasons, it certainly wasn't flaunted. (If your mom was like mine, she'd yank that apron off before answering the front door.) And still today, when a man is too close to his mother, we say he's tied to her apron strings.

But a growing community of self-proclaimed apronistasis seizing the apron back from such dusty, anachronistic thinking. No longer a symbol of kitchen drudgery, the apron has returned with a vengeance, ushered by a renewed appreciation of all things domestic.

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Easy Kettle Corn

OK - so this is not the greatest photo. But let me assure you that what is in this blue bowl is something you will crave after tasting it. I LOVE kettle corn. And this is a really nice (and healthier) option than the carnival crafted stuff. Not to mention, you will avoid all the chemicals associated with the microwave variety.

Kettle Corn

It is easy to double this recipe!

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP Coconut Oil
• 1/4 Cup popcorn
• 1 TBSP sugar (I like the brown "raw" sugar)
• salt

Directions:

Over medium heat, in a pot with a well-fitting lid, heat the coconut oil until melted. Add three kernels of popcorn. Once they pop, add the rest of the popcorn and the TBSP of sugar. Cover immediately and continuously shake (over the heat) as the rest of the popcorn pops. Transfer popcorn to a large bowl, add salt, and stir to mix before the popcorn cools (and sticks together). It's that easy!

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

My family and I have been frequenting our indoor farmer's market on the weekends. It has such a wonderful selection of locally grown/made items, including; (often organic) vegetables, leafy greens, meats, cheeses, eggs, and sometimes even ice-cream! We've been lucky to find a local source for free-range, grass-fed, antibiotic-free hen-laid eggs. You open the cartons to find eggs in such a beautiful and varying array of colors and sizes! I often buy two dozen at a time just to keep up with all the home baking and cooking we've been doing. If I get to the end of a week and have a lot of eggs left over, I'll sometimes make a quiche. It makes the perfect quick-fix for a dinner or lunch, and you can basically put anything you like (or have leftover) into the quiche!

This is a doctored version of a recipe found on the Food Network channel.

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

adapted from Paula Deen

8 servings

Ingredients:

• 5 large eggs, beaten
• 1 1/4 cups of Half and Half
• 1/4 tsp salt, dash of pepper
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 2 Cups chopped fresh baby spinach, packed
• 1 pound turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled/chopped
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I like to use a mix of swiss and cheddar)
• 1 (9 inch) pie crust, fitted to a 9-inch pie plate (*read more on this at the bottom of recipe)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cook bacon and let cool. Then crumble or chop into small pieces.

Spray your pie plate with cooking spray, then fit pie crust into your pie plate.

Combine the eggs, Half and Half, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a big bowl - wisk well.

Layer the bacon, then spinach, then cheese inside the pie crust. Pour egg mixture over the top. Bake for 35-45 minutes (mine took 40) until top is starting to just brown. The center of your quiche may still wobble a bit, but it should set up as it sits to cool slightly.

*I'm still learning to read labels. I still had pre-made pie crusts in the fridge from another quiche I made a week ago. I finally picked up the box and read the ingredient list. Ugh... I am glad I did. You can now add "pie crusts" to my list of things I won't buy in the store any more. Unless I can find them without "Partially Hydrogenated Lard"?! *gag* It also had food coloring in it - why?? And then a few other things I couldn't decipher or pronounce. Pie crusts are not that hard to make... especially if you have a nice large food processor. It's amazing what people are willing to sacrifice in the name of convenience and time saving. Or maybe they just haven't taken the time to read the labels... like me? It only took me... until now! (*Me... banging my head on the wall*) Lesson learned.

Fresh Pasta with Butternut Squash

Happy Mother's Day to all of you! If you live on the East Coast like me, you spent the day braving chilly temperatures and unusually gusty winds. After over-enjoying an incredible gourmet Mother's Day brunch buffet, sleeping it all off with an hour long nap, I woke up craving some chilly weather comfort food. I didn't want anything too heavy, so I turned to this old favorite... Butternut squash that is braised with butter and broth and lightly sweetened with sugar. The flavor of the sage and nutmeg are perfect compliments to this dish.

Fresh Pasta with Butternut Squash

and Brown Butter Sage Sauce

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma

• 8 TBSP of Butter
• 2 lbs of Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1" square (or buy prepackaged fresh cut squash)
• 2 TBSP of Sugar
• 1/2 cup of Chicken Broth (or vegetable broth to keep this a vegetarian dish)
• 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 medium Onion, diced
• 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1 TBSP minced fresh sage (or 1/2 TBSP dried)
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 TBSP minced fresh parsley (1 TBSP dried)
• 1, 12 oz package of fresh pasta sheets, cut into 1" ribbons (I used "lasagna sheets")
• fresh parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Begin a pot of salted water to boil for the pasta while you make the sauce.

In a heavy bottomed pot or wide skillet, melt 3 TBSP of butter. Add squash in a single layer; cook, without stirring, about 6 minutes. Stir squash, cook 4 minutes more. Add sugar, broth, salt and pepper. Cover and cook 2-3 minutes. Uncover; cook, stirring occasionally 2-3 minutes more. Transfer to a bowl.

In the same pot/skillet, over medium-high heat, melt 5 TBSP of butter. Cook onions, nutmeg, and sage for 1-2 minutes. Take off the heat, add lemon juice and parsley. And return squash to pot. Cover and keep warm.

Cook pasta ribbons for 5 minutes, or to package instructions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Add pasta and reserved water to the squash; toss to combine. Transfer pasta to plates, top with fresh grated parmesan and sprinkle with pine nuts.

*If you can't find fresh pasta sheets, try fresh cheese raviolis. **This is also wonderful with grilled chicken apple sausage, sliced and mixed in with the pasta!

My Favorite Guacamole

I know what you're going to say... I totally missed the boat on posting this for Cinco de Mayo. But here is my theory... EVERY day is a great day for guacamole. Thanks to the fact that our grocery stores pretty much carry avocados year round, you can make this yummy and nutritious treat any time the craving hits! The trick is keeping Avocados on hand in order to allow them to properly ripen. Avocados are best when the flesh yields a little if you squeeze them. If you buy them when they are hard, let them sit on a warm windowsill for a day or two, then stick them in the fridge until you are ready to use them.

After you taste this version, you'll never want to buy the pre-packaged guacamole again!

Ingredients:

• Avocados
• Tomatoes
• Lime
• Cumin
• Salt

Directions (so simple!):

Take two avocados, cut them in half, and remove the seed. Score the fruit in both directions, making little cubes of avocado, while still in the skin. Scoop the fruit out with a spoon and into a bowl. Discard any really dark areas. Add one tomato, diced. 1/2 tsp of Salt. 3/4 tsp of Cumin. Juice 1/2 lime and pour over top. Take a fork and mash and stir the ingredients until well-mixed, but still lumpy.

Serve with (my favorite) Garden of Eatin' Multi Grain organic Tortilla Chips.

Kid tested, Sous-Chef approved!

Best if accompanied by ...

Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas

For those of you not familiar with this wonderful rice and pasta alternative, Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wa) is a grain-like plant grown for it's edible seeds. Quinoa originated in South America where it had been an important part of the Inca diet 6,000 years ago. It is prized for it's high-protein content, which makes it a great staple for the vegetarian diet. It is also gluten-free, for those dealing with wheat sensitivities. So many reasons to love this stuff! It also has a wonderful nutty flavor and can be mixed with so many different things... it can serve as a side dish, main dish, or even as a breakfast cereal mixed with honey, almonds, and milk! Yum!

Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas, Cherries, and Goat Cheese

Adapted from Debbie Koenig/The San Francisco Cronicle

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Cups Quinoa, rinsed (or buy a 12 oz box of pre-rinsed)
• 1 Can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 Cup dried Cherries
• 1 red bell pepper, diced small
• ------dressing-------------
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 2 TBSP red wine vinegar
• 1 TBSP honey
• 1 tsp mustard
• 2 tsp salt
• pepper to taste
• ---top just before serving----
• 4 oz of goat cheese, crumbled (you could use feta, if preferred)

Directions:

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, add quinoa, and turn down to a simmer (covered) for 10 minutes. Drain over a fine mesh sieve and spread over a large baking sheet to cool and dry. If you don't have a mesh strainer, you can line a regular strainer with paper towels as a substitute.

Combine Quinoa in a large bowl with chickpeas, cherries, and peppers. Mix your dressing and pour over quinoa. You can serve this immediately or chill in a covered container until needed. Don't add your cheese until right before serving.

Shortbread with Strawberries

I stumbled upon this dessert by accident, and I am so very glad that I did. I was looking for a good shortcake recipe to have with some strawberries - a perfect dessert to greet these early summer temperatures we've been having! But instead, I stumbled upon recipes for shortbread. I Decided to give it a go. If it didn't work, I figured I would crumble it up and serve it over the strawberries and whipped cream as a "topping". No need... I'll be making this again and serving it with even a fancy family dinner. Yeah, it's that good.

You might be more familiar with shortbread in the cookie form. Shortbread is basically three things... Flour, Sugar, and Butter. But this recipe is pressed into an elegant tart pan and lathered with honey towards the end of baking. The added flourish of salt to compliment the sweet had me Oooing and Ahhhing upon the first bite. This has got to be the easiest dessert I have ever made, and oh-my-goodness, is it fabulous!

HONEY SHORTBREAD

Fine Cooking 2008

Nonstick cooking spray

7-1/2 oz. (1-2/3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

6 oz. (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 Tbs. honey

1 tsp. kosher salt

Tip: For the best results, measure your flour by weight instead of volume. (1 cup of all-purpose flour equals 4-1/2 oz.) If you don’t have a scale, be sure to use the proper technique when filling your measuring cups.

Spray a 9-1/2-inch tart pan with removable bottom with cooking spray.

In a food processor, briefly pulse the flour and sugar. Add the butter and pulse until incorporated and the mixture is sandy and uniform. Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan with your fingers. There will be some loose crumbs around the edges, but most of the dough should be solid and compact. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Using the tines of a fork, dock the dough evenly all over. Bake the shortbread until golden in the center, 40 to 45 minutes.

Heat the honey in the microwave until warm and liquid but not boiling, about 10 seconds. Pour the honey over the shortbread and spread with a pastry brush over the entire surface. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the honey. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 3 minutes more.

Transfer the pan to a rack and let the shortbread cool slightly, about 15 minutes. While still warm, remove the tart pan ring and cut the shortbread into 12 wedges with a sharp knife. Cool completely before serving or storing. The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.

Serve with fresh whipped cream and strawberries.

Coconut Oil... "Sticks and Stones"

"Unhealthy!" "Hydrogenated!" "You're a bad, bad, naughty fat... shame on you!"

It's funny... since sharing my bread recipe, I've had three people question or comment to me on the health pros and cons of Coconut Oil. I had the same ponderings awhile ago, but after purchasing a baked good that was made with it (and liking it) I did some research on the stuff. Turns out, it got a pretty bad rap in the 60's when concern rose over hydrogenated fats. What you want to find is a brand of oil that is NOT hydrogenated, but pure virgin coconut oil. Instead of quoting the page word for word, I will suggest you read this link posted by Nutiva. I've had no problems finding coconut oil at my local grocer, though I find that I actually have choices between brands when I hit the health food/organic market!

And ironically, the hexane solvents mentioned in the link also made the news recently in conjunction with tofu and soy "veggie burgers". Hexane is used to separate the fat from the soy to make things, well... lower in fat - per consumer request, of course. Google it... it's nasty stuff.

Consider giving Coconut Oil a try if you haven't already. It is a little more money than other cooking oils, but if you consider the health benefits it's a win win. Plus the taste is just wonderful. Not overly coconut-y, if you are concerned. You can bake with it, fry with it, and ohhhhh my favorite... make POPCORN with it!!!

**As a side note, I'm not receiving any money from Nutiva by posting about their products. :) It just happens to be a brand that I trust and enjoy!

Simple (really!) Sandwich Bread

I always knew that when I finally got around to blogging that my first post would be about bread. Bread is my favorite comfort food. There is nothing better than fresh warm bread with butter and honey - I could eat it for dessert! And no lie, when it bakes it makes your entire house smell heavenly. Recently, I've become intent on making all of our own bread at home... Sandwich bread, artisanal loaves, tortilla wraps, and rolls. It started with the realization that I couldn't walk down the grocery bread aisle and find any products without High Fructose Corn Syrup, and loaded with other "shelf life" preservatives. Next time you are in the same aisle, I dare you to try! There is the possibility that you will find some without the HFCS in some organic aisles, but have you TRIED that bread? It is rarely soft and is often dry and tasteless.

I challenge you to try this recipe. It is really quite simple and it can be tweaked to your liking. No bread machine needed, just a mixer and a loaf pan. By using the mixer, you can avoid having to spend a lot of time kneading the dough. After trying this five months ago, we haven't bought bread in the grocery store since!

Before you read these instructions, realize that your time in the kitchen with this recipe is actually very little... it's the rising time that seems to turn people off of bread making, for some reason. Try starting a batch right after breakfast and watch how little time it actually takes. You'll have fresh sandwich bread before lunch!

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup warm water, plus 1 TBSP (plus 2 more TBSP if you choose to try all whole wheat)
• 3 TBSP Honey
• 2 tsp yeast
• 1/4 Cup (solid) Coconut Oil
• 1 Cup Unbleached Whole Wheat flour
• 2 Cup Unbleached All-Purpose or Bread flour
• 1 tsp salt (plus 1/2 tsp if making all whole wheat)

Directions:

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the warm water, honey, and yeast. Gently stir with a wisk to help break up the yeast. No need to set a time for proofing if you are using the right yeast (see note below). Add your Coconut Oil - I use a dry measuring cup for this since it is a solid oil. Measure and add flours and salt (Don't add the salt until after the flour is measured and added. Salt can kill the yeast before it's had it's moment to "come alive" with the warm water and honey.)
   
2. Place under your stand mixer with the bread hook attachment. Mix on low speed ("stir") until all materials are well combined, about 3 or 4 minutes. Even if your dough starts to "crawl" up the hook , allow it to mix for the whole time so that the gluten can begin to build up.
3. Turn off the mixer, release the dough from the hook, and allow dough to rise for one hour in the mixing bowl - covered with plastic wrap, and set someplace free of cold drafts.
4. After the first hour has passed (or until your dough has doubled in size): Preheat oven to 375. Spray your loaf pan with cooking spray. Uncover your bread dough - it should be about twice the size as what you started with. At this point, simply give the bread a really brief knead... no more than 15 seconds. Try not to add extra flour if possible, but work on a wooden cutting board to avoid the dough from sticking. Or honestly, use a "gluten cloak" by gently stretching the dough from the top of the ball to the bottom on all sides a few times, turning the ball a quarter turn as you go - it will do the job just as well! Place the dough into your loaf pan and allow it to rise another 30 minutes, covered with plastic wrap.
5. At the end of the last 30 minute rise, remove the plastic wrap and place in the center of your oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. I find that exactly 30 minutes works for me with my oven, my ratio of wheat/white flour, and with baking only one loaf at a time. You may need to play with the time a bit for your own oven to figure out what works right for you! The bread should have a nice golden color to it, and feel "sturdy" on the top - Not crispy, but not so soft that you leave an indentation when you touch it either. Allow the bread to rest in the pan for 15 minutes before running a knife around the sides and turning it out to cool on a rack. Allow bread to cool for another 20-30 minutes before slicing. Allowing it to rest that long will improve the overall texture of the bread!

** A note about ingredients...

Yeast: I use instant dry yeast. You can either buy this in glass jars in the cold section of your market (mine keeps it nears the eggs/pop-and-bake cookies), or it can be purchased in vacuum sealed packages from big box stores. This is a really economical way to buy yeast if you're doing a lot of baking. Simply keep it in an airtight container in the freezer and use when needed. Stay away from the single use packets of yeast that you can buy in the baking aisle. It never seems to give bread the same rise as the choices I've already mentioned. "Rapid Rise" yeast works as well.

I've worked really hard to start cooking and baking with healthier alternatives for my family. When ever possible I try to choose ingredients that are are as minimally refined as possible. I will write the recipe exactly how we've adapted it for our family, but do know...

• If you can't find coconut oil, you can use vegetable oil.
• You can also use sugar instead of honey (but honey works really well and is not highly refined like sugar is!).
• And although we choose to use King Arthur brand unbleached flours, that the recipe will work with regular all-purpose flour.

Even if you choose to use bleached white flour, white sugar, and vegetable oil, you are still making a choice to exclude HFCS and preservatives from your bread. You have to start somewhere!

And yes, if you HAVE a bread machine, this recipe will work with it just fine.