Blueberry Monkey Bread

One year for Christmas my husband bought me a monkey bread bowl. I had no idea what monkey bread was, but I soon learned: It is similar to cinnamon rolls in flavor and texture, but instead of rolling up the dough into a cylinder and cutting it, you dip small balls of dough in butter and then roll each one in cinnamon sugar and pile them up in a monkey bread bowl (or bundt cake pan.) I adapted this bread in two ways here: I made a smaller batch (it's just my husband and I, so an entire bundt pan full of bread is delicious, but a little excessive), and I added blueberries because the ones I found at the market were so delicious I couldn't resist!

Blueberry Monkey Bread
by Jennifer 

Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, The Best Monkey Bread

6 Tablespoons melted butter, divided
2/3 cup milk, warmed to 110°F
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon rapid rise yeast
1 2/3 cups Bob's Red Mill Organic Unbleached White Flour

1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup light brown sugar, divided
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Mix together 1 Tablespoon melted butter, milk, sugar and yeast in a small bowl. Let sit for five minutes. In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine flour and salt. With mixer running on low, slowly add milk and yeast mixture. After dough comes together, increase speed to medium for about 6-7 minutes, until dough pulls away from the sides but not the bottom of the bowl. Scrape dough onto a floured board and knead by hand for a couple of minutes. Form into a ball and place in a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and put in a warm place to rise for one hour. (We have a microwave over our stove. I find that if I put the bowl of dough in the microwave and turn on the light over the stove, the microwave gets to the perfect temperature for letting dough rise and keeps it out of drafts.)

Place 1 Tablespoon melted butter in bottom of a 2 1/2 quart round CorningWare bowl (you could also use an 8-inch cake pan if you have one with 2-inch high sides). Stir two Tablespoons of brown sugar into butter, and sprinkle blueberries over butter/sugar mixture. Sprinkle berries with lemon juice.

Turn dough onto an unfloured counter or board and divide into one-inch balls (you should have about 16, and can make them smaller if you'd like.) Dip each ball of dough in remaining melted butter, then roll in remaining brown sugar. Place dough balls evenly over berry mixture. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise another hour.

While dough is rising, heat oven to 350°F. After dough balls have risen, place bowl or pan into oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Let rest 5 minutes, then carefully invert onto a cooling rack with a jelly roll pan underneath (if your berries are juicy, you may have a good amount of blueberry juice that will drip off - just collect it in the pan and pour back on top before serving!). Enjoy!

Bob’s Red Mill Pretzel Hamburger Buns

I'm a burger lover from way back. By far, my favorite bun is a pretzel bun but, of the few places that serve them, only a very select few make great ones. One day I decided to make my own and it's a winner!

Bob’s Red Mill Pretzel Hamburger Buns

by Willie

2 teaspoons salt

3 teaspoons yeast

3 Tablespoons light brown sugar

½ cup warm water

¼ cup melted butter

4 cups Bob’s Red Mill Organic Unbleached White Flour

2 Tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten

2 cups water

3 teaspoons baking soda

2 quarts water

1 egg white

Salt or salt flakes for topping

Put salt, yeast and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Add warm water and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir.

Add butter, flour, gluten and enough water to make a smooth dough. Knead by hand or in a stand mixer until dough forms a smooth ball.

Let dough rise for 1 hour in a covered, slightly oiled bowl in a warm place.

Punch down dough and roll out to about a ½-inch thick and cut into 3-inch circles.

Boil water and baking soda. Place 4 of the buns into the boiling water and boil for 1 minute on each side. Drain buns on a rack.

Cut 3 deep slices into the top of the buns and use the egg white for a wash. Sprinkle lightly with salt or salt flakes and bake at 350°F until pretzel brown. Let cool completely. Slice and serve with a burger.

A Trip to Guatemala

It's been a while since we've had a guest blogger! Well, here ya go! Sharyl, one of our amazing cooks, had the opportunity to go on a missions trip to Guatemala earlier this year! How cool is that?! Read and enjoy as she shares her experience! ~ Susan

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At the end of June, I had a wonderful opportunity to go on my third mission trip. I have been twice, to the Dominican Republic, but this would be our first mission trip to Guatemala. I went with a Christian-based sports mission organization my boss started in 2009, Athletic International Missions. My sister and brother-in-law went with me. This was their first mission trip and they were somewhat apprehensive, but they needn't have been. They both took to the kids from the get go and since my brother-in-law is bilingual, he was invaluable. The rest of us got by on our limited Spanish and hand signals!

There were 31 of us, all from the Houston area, Tennessee and Virginia. After a direct flight from Houston to Guatemala City, we met up with the rest of our group. We loaded two vans with people and the sports equipment that we had brought with us and headed to our destination. After a somewhat hairy ride of partially collapsed roads and pounding rain, we arrived at our destination in the rain forest mountains of Purulha, Guatemala. The style of driving in Guatemala is wild. They take unbelievable chances in passing, but our driver, as well as our contact pastor in Purulha, took no chances and delivered us to our hotel, safe and sound.

We stayed at Posada Montaña del Quetzal, which was the only hotel in the area that could accommodate our large group. The rooms were very basic - no TV, phone, radio or clock. What was really amusing was that the walls were so thin, you could actually carry on a conversation with your neighbor. My neighbors were my sister and brother-in-law and we did just that!

We got up bright and early Wednesday, excited to meet the kids in the sports camp, who were anxiously awaiting our arrival. We had equipment and volunteers for soccer, volleyball and basketball, which are the big Guatemalan sports. If you know me, you know that I am not very sporty, but you don't have to be! There is a place for everyone to help. There were seven of us who worked with the kids in the Vacation Bible School. That was fun and games - songs, games, coloring and more. The first day, we had about 90 kids and they were a little shy. By the second day, they were hugging us and giving us these little butterfly kisses on the cheek. So sweet! Before leaving each day, we served them lunch of hot dogs with cabbage, mustard, mayo and ketchup on a bolillo, a variation of the baguette. They love their dogs this way. Us Americans? Not so much!

Meals at our hotel were always served buffet-style. A few

A Guatemalan breakfast

things that stood out were that the tables had salt and cayenne pepper only. No black pepper, salsa or jalapenos, which we missed. I have them on my packing list for the trip next year. Breakfast was usually scrambled eggs, but we had sausage once, pancakes once, hash browns twice and corn tortillas at every meal. Lunch was chicken in some kind of sauce, spaghetti or meatloaf with mixed Guatemalan vegetables and soup. Dinner was very similar to lunch. Plantains were served at most meals, as were black beans. Plantains are similar to bananas, but they differ in that they must be cooked before eaten. One would not peel and eat like a banana.

From our hotel restaurant, we could see the hummingbird feeder outside. These hummingbirds were huge. Nothing at all like we see in Texas. I suppose because they stay in Guatemala year-round, they don't expend energy migrating. It was fun to watch these giant hummingbirds. They were so big, we could actually see them.

We went out two nights for dinner. One night we went to Montebello. I had the pollo asado, roasted chicken which 

Tamales

came with rice, salad and soup. To drink, I had the limonada con soda, lime juice with sparkling water or soda. I had several of those on our trip...they were crisp and refreshing and I was so glad to see ice in my glass! We were never served ice at our hotel. A couple of the locals had a soup that came with tamales and I tried one. They were different from what I

am used to because they weren't filled with anything.

Saturday was our last day of camp with the kids. They had gotten to know us and we had gotten to know them. We had over 200 kids and 30 Moms our last day there, which was a little overwhelming, but so worth it. There are always a few kids that really tug at your heart and this trip was no different. There were two little girls that I always looked for and they usually found me first.

On Sunday, we split our group between two churches. My brother-in-law is an Episcopalian priest, so he was asked to give the sermon at the church for our VBS group. It was in a combination of English and Spanish, with someone translating as needed. Before and after church, we handed out suckers and hard candies to the kids. That was a hit for sure!

After lunch at our hotel, we packed up and boarded the bus to our two-night stay in the Portola Antigua Hotel. This was the day and a half of relaxation at the end of our trip before we flew home.

For the most part, our meals at the Antigua hotel were also buffet-style, but there were lots of entree items to choose from, as well as dessert, fruit and bread bars. My sister and brother-in-law ordered this wonderful concoction, Tangerine and Mango Parfait. It looked wonderful and tasted the same.

We walked the cobblestone roads to the street market. The

Colorful street market

variety of textiles, jewelry, clothing and Mayan crafts (they are known for their jade, which comes in colors other than green - who knew?) was overwhelming, but fun. We all did our part to support the market!

I told my sister that if we hadn't had this mini respite in Antigua before flying home, a few of us might not have made it. I was being facetious. We were exhausted, but it was a good tired. A few key words define this trip for me - joyful, exhausted and pensive.

My sister was keeping our family in the loop about our experiences. It seems her phone knew where she was. One email she typed “take care” and just after she hit send, she saw that auto correct changed it to “tamale care.” Makes sense to me! Hasta la vista.

Whole Wheat Cheese Straws

Laminate dough...when I mentioned it to my husband, he gave me the funniest look. To him, laminating something means something completely different...he couldn't understand what I was talking about! In baking terms, laminating is basically layering butter with the dough, which creates flaky pockets and puffs when the butter melts during the baking process. It is the science behind puff pastry and the science behind cheese straws. It's a process much harder than I anticipated when using whole wheat flour. I discovered early on that I would need more liquid than the recipe called for...the whole wheat flour sucked up the initial 1/4 of milk so quickly it felt like I hadn't even put it in there, so I added more. The whole wheat flour added a nice nutty flavor to the cheese straws. I'll definitely keep practicing my lamination skills!

Whole Wheat Cheese Straws
by Mary
Adapted from New York Times Cheese Wafers or Straws

2 cups Bob's Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound cold unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut in 1/4-inch pieces
4 ounces coarsely grated cheddar cheese - you could use any flavorful hard cheese
1/2 cup cold milk
1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
Flaky salt, for sprinkling 

Mix flour and salt in bowl, using your fingers, mix half the butter into the flour until it becomes like crumbly sand. Add the rest of the butter chunks and cheese and stir with a fork. Mix in milk and form dough into a ball with floured hands. Pat dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. 

Dust dough with flour and roll into a long rectangle, about 8 x 14 inches and about 1/2-inch thick. Fold dough into thirds, like folding a letter, one side over the middle, then the next. Dust again with flour and roll out to make same size rectangle, then fold it again. Dust and repeat again. Wrap well in plastic film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 day in advance. 

Heat oven to 400°F. Cut dough in half. Refrigerate half the dough and roll the other piece out to a thickness of about 1/8-inch. Cut dough into strips approximately 1/2-inch wide and 5 inches long. Twist 2 or 3 times and press ends down. 

 
Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush lightly with egg wash. Sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, until well browned and crisp. Let cool before serving. Repeat with remaining dough.

Mushroom Tart

I've made this tart crust with 100% unbleached flour, and half-and-half unbleached and whole wheat. It works both ways! It's good to have a reliable tart crust; this one is perfect for all sorts of savory tarts.

Mushroom Tart
by Maurita 
Adapted from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook 

Crust:
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour:
Either all Bob's Red Mill Organic Unbleached White Flour, or 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Flour and 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Bob's Red Mill Organic Unbleached White Flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large egg

For the filling:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt, divided
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup freshly grated aged Gouda or Gruyere cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Make the crust: Put the flour, cornmeal and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Add in the butter and pulse until the butter is in tiny bits. Add the egg and process until the dough starts to clump together (it will look like wet sand.) Dump the dough onto a floured surface and use your hands to bring it together. Roll out the dough to a 12-inch circle (rolling out the dough between two pieces of waxed paper made this very easy.)

Transfer the dough to a 9-inch tart pan and press the dough against the bottom and sides. Remove the excess dough from the top. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and put in the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly butter one side of a 12-inch square of aluminum foil. Press the foil firmly against the bottom and sides of the crust (butter side down.) Bake for 10 minutes (no pie weights needed.) Carefully remove the foil and then bake for another 5 to 8 minutes, until lightly golden brown around the edges. Set aside on a wire rack until the filling is ready. Reduce the oven temperature to 350˚F.

Make the filling: Set a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and butter. When the butter is melted, add the shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 2 to 3 minutes, until soft. Add in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Increase the heat to medium high and add in the mushrooms (if the mushrooms won’t all fit in your skillet, add as many as you can and as they cook down you’ll be able to add more to the pan.) Cook for about 9 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender and the liquid has evaporated. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper (to taste.) Transfer to a plate to cool.

Put the mascarpone in a medium bowl. Slowly pour in the milk, and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the eggs. Add in the grated cheeses and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add in the cooled mushrooms and mix to combine.

Carefully pour the mixture into the par-baked tart shell. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until slightly puffed and lightly golden brown on the top (if you insert the tip of a small knife into the center, it should not release any wet custard.) Let the tart cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from the pan to serve. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Chili Con Queso Enchiladas with Brown Chili Gravy

I am not a big baker, so I knew the Bob's Red Mill Flour Challenge was going to be difficult. There are some great experienced bakers in 37 Cooks and when the challenge was announced, they quickly started volunteering to make breads, cakes, muffins and cookies. What unique thing could I do to showcase the flour? What was my strength? Booom, it came to me! How about roux which incorporates flour and is the base for many gravies and sauces. I have been making roux for gumbo since I was a young bride, having married into a family of Cajuns. My recipe will use both a white roux and brown roux. The white roux will be the base for a delicious, unique Chili con Queso and the brown roux will be the base for a Tex-Mex original, Brown Chili Gravy.

My inspiration for the filling of my enchiladas comes from Felix's Mexican Food Restaurant. Felix's was a Houston institution and one that my family had gone to for over 60 years. They have been closed for over five years, but I still miss their wonderful Mexican food. Felix's Chili con Queso had flour in it and was very thick. While I'm not making their exact recipe, it definitely is my inspiration. 

I wish there was a recipe out there for Felix's Brown Chili Gravy, I have not been able to find one. However, Rob Walsh, who has researched and studied the roots of Tex-Mex cuisine, has included a recipe that is very close in his books, The Tex-Mex Cookbook and Texas Eats. 

This recipe was created for the Bob's Red Mill Flour Challenge. I had never used chili con queso for an enchilada filling. You are going to have to read all the way down through the ingredients and directions to learn if it was a winner or loser.

Chili Con Queso Enchiladas with Brown Chili Gravy

by Linda

Chili Con Queso (inspired by Felix's Mexican Restaurant in Houston, Texas):

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

1/2 purple onion, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

1 Cubanelle sweet pepper, seeded and chopped

1 medium tomato, skin removed and chopped

2 Tablespoons Bob's Red Mill Organic Unbleached White Flour

1 to 2 cups of milk

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 cube Dorot Garlic

Salt and pepper to your taste

2 cups grated white and yellow American cheese, 1 cup each, mixed (buy from the deli section and grate yourself, no packaged)

1) Using a non-stick pan, heat 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil on medium heat.

2) Add onions, jalapeno and peppers. Saute 3-4 minutes until tender.

3) Add tomato and saute another minute.

4) Place sauteed vegetables on plate, set aside.

5) Heat 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil in the same pan.

6) Reduce heat to low and stir in flour, combining into a paste, do not let it brown (white roux.)

7) Slowly add milk. I used about 1 1/2 cups for a nice, creamy consistency.

8) Add sauteed vegetables,cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper. Combine well.

9) Add the cheese, stirring until it's melted and incorporated with the other ingredients.

10) Remove from heat.

Brown Chili Gravy

Adapted from Texas Eats, Original Chili Gravy Page 112:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 cube Dorot Garlic

2 Tablespoons The Spice House Chili Con Carne Seasoning

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1. Using a non-stick pan, heat vegetable oil.

2. Adjust flame to medium and add flour.

3. Stir, stir, stir until you get a nice paste, that is dark brown (brown roux.)

4. Reduce heat and add pepper, salt, garlic, chili con carne seasoning and oregano.

5. Slowly stir in about 1 1/2 cups of broth.

6. Simmer on low for 15 minutes. Add additional broth to get desired consistency. You don't want it thick, but you don't want it too thin.

7. Taste and adjust seasoning.

To make the enchiladas:

1 recipe for Brown Chili Gravy

1 recipe for Chili Con Queso

6 corn tortillas

1 cup of grated white and yellow American cheese, 1/2 cup of each, mixed

1 bunch of green onions, cleaned and chopped for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Spread 1/2 cup of the chili gravy into the bottom of a 1 3/4 quart buttered casserole dish.

3. Fill corn tortilla with 2-3 heaping Tablespoons of chili con queso.

4. Roll the tortilla and place seam side down into casserole dish.

5. Repeat until all tortillas are in your casserole dish. 6 fit perfectly in my dish.

6. Pour remaining chili gravy over the top, cover completely.

7. Sprinkle cheese over the top.

8. Bake 20 minutes, or until bubbling and cheese is melted.

9. Garnish with green onions.

10. Serve piping hot.

Tips: If your corn tortillas start to break when you go to roll them, dip them in warm chicken broth to soften. Some people use oil or sauce to dip them in. I prefer the broth, when necessary.

So now the answer to the big question. Was the Chili Con Queso Enchiladas with Brown Chili Gravy successful? Yes, it was and I learned some different things using the two different types of flour. I know making a dark roux is difficult because you risk burning as you try to get that perfect dark, rich color. Obtaining that color is very easy when using the wheat flour. It became a nice medium brown color within the first minutes of mixing it with the oil. Within 3-4 minutes, I had the nice dark brown. The time was much shorter than white flour and my pan didn't get smoking hot in an attempt to get it dark brown, like it will with white flour. Thus, you have a less chance of burning. The flavor was a little different, but worked well with all the spices I added.

If I made enchiladas again, I would use the Brown Chili Gravy. I would probably fill my tortillas with spicy ground beef because that is my husband's favorite. I would definitely make the Chili con Queso again and serve it as a dip with tortilla chips. It was spicy, thick and good! I just don't think I would use the queso for a filling again. However, if you prefer a really cheesy enchilada, this recipe is for you.

Both the organic wheat flour and organic white flour worked fantastic for making roux. Thanks to Bob's Red Mill, I've been exposed to organic flours and to wheat flour, something I never had used before. They are not just for baking, but great for sauces and roux. I hope you will try both.