Pumpkin three ways ( part 1 )

October is already here and I have been busy baking and cooking with my favorite veg Pumpkin !!

I've got some lovely velvety soup that is protein rich, I've also got a pumpkin wholemeal bread full of goodness and I've got pumpkin granola. Yes, I am so excited about the granola, the taste is phenomenal and everyone adds a handful or two as a topping on their cereal …..  

Pumpkin and red lentil soup with zaatar croutons 

1 diced onion

1 diced carrot

2 cloves garlic

1 celery stick

400 gr pumpkin, butternut squash or any squash you can get, peeled and chopped into big chunks

2/3 cup red lentils 

6 cups of water

1 veggie stock cube 

for the zaatar croutons I used rye bread, cubed and seasoned with zaatar, splash of olive oil before oven bake for 10 min on high temp. 

In a large cooking pot splash some olive oil begore adding the veggies. Stir in the pumpkin, lentils as well as the water. 

Cook until the pumpkin is soft then add the stock cube.

Cool is down a bit before you blend it.

Add some black pepper and salt if needed.

Serve 6 or more.

Pumpkin wholemeal seeded bread

500 gr pumpkin 

100 gr pumpkin seeds

200 gr wholemeal flour

200 gr white flour

150 gr porridge oats

4 Tbsp oil

1 Tbsp ginger powder

1 Tbsp sugar

7 gr salt

7 gr active dry yeast

Cut the pumpkin into big wedges no need to peel and roast it in the oven for 40 - 60 min or until soft.

Spoon out the pumpkin flash and make a pure.

Set a side.

In a large mixing bowl place all dry ingredients ( reserve about 30 gr seeds for topping ) add 400 ml of lukewarm water . Mix it all up adding more water if needed. Knead the dough on floured surface adding the oil here and there.

Cover the dough and let it rest for 1 hour or so.

After that place the dough back on floured surface, fold it a few times and place it into a baking tin ( covered with baking paper ) of your choice, mine is 900 ml loaf tin.

Brush the dough with warm water and sprinkle the seeds.

Let it rest for 1 hour.

Bake for 50 - 55 min on 200 C .

Pumpkin granola

6 cups rolled oats

1 cup almonds

1/2 cup mixed seeds such as sunflower and pumpkin 

1 cup pumpkin pure

1/2 cup maple syrup 

2/3 cup coconut oil

2 tsp cinnamon 

1 tsp salt

In a large mixing bowl pour in the maple syrup, add the pumpkin pure and the soften coconut oil.

Stir all together and add the oats, nuts, seeds as well as the cinnamon and salt.

Mix it all making sure all the dry ingredients are covered with the pumpkin mixture.

Spread the mixture onto two baking trays and bake for 30 minutes on 180 C stir it half way through the baking.

The granola should be slightly colored and crisp.

Cool it down before you store in some glass jars.

Add some dry fruit if you like, I add some raisins !!

Delicious !! 

Cinnamon bread

This recipe was originally posted in October 2015. I won't exaggerate if I say that I bake this bread almost once a week for the past two years, we simply love it. Weekend breakfast is not completed without this bread. We love this bread sliced, toasted with butter spread. For the last few months I've been making this bread with wholemeal spelt flour or mixture of white wheat and wholemeal spelt or wheat. Adding some sultanas ( soaked in hot tea for 30 min ) will give this bread extra luxurious taste........

You can click here for the original recipe 🍞🍞

Feta & cheese multigrain muffins

These multigrain muffins are from my late childhood when my sister got interested in baking. 

The original recipe is called  "Lepcinja so spanak" which means "spinach breads".

The ingredients are very much what we would have in our kitchen / larder all the time.

Now days I live in England but I still have corn meal and feta cheese at any time :) 

Ingredients:

150g white spelt flour

150g wholemeal wheat flour

150g corn meal

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

200g feta cheese, crumbled

250 ml yogurt

mixed with 125 ml water

4 Tbsp oil

2 large eggs or 3 medium size 

2 to 3 handful fresh spinach

sesame seeds 

soft butter for greasing the muffin tin

Mix the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.

Pour in the wet ingredients followed by the cheese. 

Mix everything and fold in the spinach leafs.

Grease the muffin tin and sprinkle generously the sesame seeds.

Spoon in the mixture and bake for 25 minutes on 190 C.

I love them sliced, toasted and served with soup. 

Best eaten warm. 

Freeze any left, defrost and take them with you for a picnic ....

The soup on the photo it's been a hit this winter, it is called 

`cheesy` vegan broccoli soup, you will find the recipe here

Weekend muesli bread

Saturday baking time ....can't get better than this.... the smell of homemade bread is priceless ...

Ingredients:


1/4 tsp dry yeast 
60 ml water
80 gr flour
*******************
300 ml water
2 cups of white flour
1 cup wholemeal flour
3/4 cup muesli 
1 tsp honey
1 tsp salt


Method:

The day before you want to bake the bread make the starter: mix up the first three ingredients in a cereal bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and leave it to prove overnight in room temperature for as little as 12 hours up to 24 hours.
Don't be put down by this starter, it is easy to make, you can't go wrong and the result is incredible. 
The texture of the bread is so luxuries, you won't ever use instant yeast again.
***********************************************************************************************************************************
In a large mixing bowl, combine the water with the starter, than add the flour, muesli, honey and sat.
Knead the dough for 10 minutes or so adding more flour/water if needed.
Place the dough in a clean glass bowl that you've oiled before.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and leave it to prove for 4 hours.
**************************************************************************************************************************************
Place the dough onto a floured working top and fold the dough couple of times. You don't want the air to come out of it.
Cover the dough with flour and leave it to rest for final 30 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven on 220 C.
Place the dough on a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes.
Reduce the temperature to 180 C and bake for further 40 minutes.
Cool it down before you slice the bread.
Best serve with butter.

Sweet potato falafels in homemade pita bread

Falafels, I can never get them right ...until now .... 

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato, medium size

250 gr cooked chickpeas
2 cloves of garlic
juice of half lemon
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric 
1 Tbsp tahini
salt and pepper 
sesame seeds

First, peel the sweet potato and cut it into chunks. Steam it for 20 minutes or until very soft. 
In a food processor place half of the chick peas, sweet potato, garlic, lemon juice, oil, tahini, spices and seasoning . Pulse until smooth then add the rest of the chickpeas and pulse once more but make sure the chickpeas is semi crushed .
Place the sesame seeds into a plate.
Using your hands ( preferably wet ) form patties and roll them into the sesame seeds.
Place them on a baking tray.
Repeat until all the mixture is gone.
Bake them on 180 C for 35 - 45 minutes. 

for the Pita breads you will need:

200 gr white flour
50 gr wholemeal flour
1 tsp dry yeast
half a tsp of salt
1 - Tbsp olive oil
180 ml water

Make the dough and leave it to rest for 45 minutes.
Divide the dough into 5 - 6 balls and roll each ball flat. 
Place a cereal bowl us side down on the top of the flat dough and cut around using a knife.
I know from practice that cutting the dough in this way will help it rais better in oven.
Place the rounds onto a baking tray and bake for 7 -8 minutes on 200 C.

Both falafels and pita breads freeze well. 

Serve the falafels with some yogurt and cucumber sauce as well as any fresh veggies you have...

Protein rich loaf quick and easy version

December is one of the busiest month of the year but we love if. I personally love preparing everything homemade for the festive season and when the time is tight I always look for a quick and easy recipes but still tasty and healthy. This bread is everything what I need when I am in a hurry ! 

Ingredients:

300 gr wholemeal flour ( I used spelt )

100 gr white flour ( again I used spelt )

50 - 70 gr nuts and seeds ( I used pumpkin, sunflower, flax and sesame seeds as well as almonds) 

all toasted 

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

450 ml water

1 Tbsp rolled oats for topping 

In a large mixing bowl, place all the dry ingredients.

Add the liquid little by little until you get a soft dough. 

Spoon the mixture into a loaf tin size 22 x 10 cm, greased.

Sprinkle the oats evenly over and bake in the oven for 40 min on 190 C and 15 more minutes on 170 C. 

Once baked remove from the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Slice it and eat it on the day that it's baked. 

Freeze the sliced bread , you will thank yourself when you want a something nice and warm like toast, simply toasted straight from the freezer and enjoy it! 

Pumpkin Panettone my way

Panettone is a sweet bread originally from Italy. It is a festive bread usually consumed around Christmas.

 Panettone bread is enriched with dry fruit as well as candied , butter and some sort of alcohol liquor. The proving dough method is what gives this bread the special taste and texture. 

My panettone bread is very light in texture, it's got a lovely yellow colour, hint of rum as well as orange ...

Ingredients :

• 500 gr white bread flour
• 7 gr instant yeast
• 1 egg
• 100 gr very soft butter
• 50 gr sugar
• 200 gr pumpkin pure
• pinch of salt
• 1 -2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup of lukewarm water
• 50 - 100 gr sultanas soaked in rum for 30 min

for the spread:

• 50 gr sugar
• 50 gr soft butter
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• orange zest 

First, make the dough: place the flour into a big mixing bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and form a dough.
Knead the dough on a floured worktop for ten minutes or so and place it back into the mixing bowl.
Cover it wit tea towel and leave it to prove for 1 1/2 hour.
Roll the dough with rolling pin into a rectangle shape, spread the mixture of sugar, butter, cinnamon and orange zest and roll the dough into a roulade .
Place the roulade into a buttered ring tin and make a few cuts at the top using a sharp knife.
Leave the dough to prove one more time covered with tea towel for about 40 - 50 minutes.
Bake on 190 C for 20 minutes + 20 more minutes on 170 C .
Cool it down before you slice it.  

Homemade organic baguettes

Forget about super food, low carb diet,  buckwheat, quinoa, spelt, goji berries and what ever else is there these says. Lets go back to basics. A homemade white bread ! 

You will need:

450 gr flour*

1 tsp salt

about 300 ml water

pre-fermented starter ( 1/4 tsp dry yeast, 100ml water and 100 gr flour )

Prepare the starter a day before you want to bake the bread.

Pour the water in a small breakfast bawl, add the yeast and mix it up. Add the flour and combine everything using a spatula. 

Cover it up with plastic wrap and leave it to ferment for 24 hours.

The next day, pour about 260 ml of lukewarm water in a glass mixing bawl, add the starter and mix up to dissolve into the water. It is fine if you leave some lump in.

Add the flour little by little followed by salt and combine all using your hand , stand mixer with dough attachment or a silicone spatula. 

Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Add more flour if needed.

Place the dough into a oiled glass bawl, cover with plastic wrap and leave it for 3 - 4 hours to prove. 

After that, transfer the dough onto a floured surface and half it to get two peaces of dough.

Shape each dough into a long shapes and place them on a floured tea towel .

Cover with tea towel and let them prove again for a good two hours.

Heat the oven on 200 C 

Transfer the baguettes onto a baking flat tray, quickly dust it with some flout and make a few cuts at the top.

Bake the breads for 10 - 15 minutes, turn the oven down to 180 C and bake for further 15 minutes.

* I used organic unbleached white flout .

Thanks for reading! I would appreciate any comments or suggestions from you.

Леб со смокви и лешници / Bread with figs and hazelnuts

The bread I made this week is adapted from the basic recipe called  "no knead bread". I used to love this method of baking bread until I discovered the sour bread made with home made starter. As everything in life, I got bored so I started baking my bread with "biga" and I am still happy with it. Back to this bread - I absolutely love this taste, it's luxurious but simple at the same time, it's a real treat !!! Follow the recipe and have a look at the photos, it's easy peasy, everyone can make this bread !

Потребни состојки: 

350 гр бело брашно
100 гр интегрално
пола мала лажичка сув квасец
1 мала лажичка сол
350 мл млака вода
**********************
една рака приготвени лешници
една рака сецкани суви смокви

Ставете ги сите состојки во поголема стаклена здела и измешајте ги со дрвена или силиконска лажица.
Покријте ја зделата со најлонска фолија и оставете ја смесата да стои 12 - 16 часа на собна температура.
Во меѓувреме искшите ги лешниците и ставете ги во рерна да се печат на 160 степени околу 20 минути или додека не потемнат.
Оладете ги и грубо растресете ги за да им отпадне лушпата.
Ставете ги лешниците и смоквите во тестото и измешајте со лашица. 
Тестото истресете го на побрашнета крпа а потоа кренете го тестото подигнувајки ги краевите на крпата.
Ставете го тестото со крпа во подлабок сад ( може истиот сад ) да стои уште 1 до 2 часа.
Загрејте пекач со капак во рерна на 220 степени.
Кога пекачот е добро загреан, ставете го тестото внатре ( истресете го од крпата ) и печете со капак 20 минути на 220 а потоа намалете ја температурата на 180 и печете уште 20 минути.


Ingredients: 

350 gr white bread flour
100 gr wholemeal flour
1/2 tsp dry yeast 
1 tsp salt
350 ml water
************************
1 handful roasted hazelnuts
1 handful dry and chopped figs

In a mixing bowl place all the ingredients for the bread and mix it all up using a wooden spoon or a silicon one.
Cover the bowl with plastic foil and leave it on room temperature for 12 - 16 hours.
Crush the shells of the nuts and roast the nuts for 20 min on 160 C or until they are slightly golden in colour.
Cool the nuts down, rub them gently until the peel come off.
Now, place the nuts and the figs into the dough and mix it up with a spoon.
Prepare a tea towel: sprinkle some flour onto it and tip out the dough on it.
Take the four ends of the tea towel, lift up the dough and place it back into the previous mixing bowl.
Leave the dough to rest for 1 to 2 hours.
Place a roaster with its lid in the oven and heat the oven to 220 C.
Get the hot roaster out and tip in the dough.
Place the lid back and bake the bread for 20 min on 220 C. Turn the oven down on 180 C and bake for 20 more min. 

Ржен леб со семки / Seeded rye bread

There is nothing better then fresh baked bread specially in this weather in a company of a nice bowl of soup or stew. I bake my bread ones in a week and I have several methods of doing it. My favourite is the one with biga prepared the day before. It takes a bit longer then the classic one but the taste is priceless and the yeast contend is very little. I like the taste of rye, sometimes I use a spelt flour instead of wheat and I almost always add seeds...

Потребно е:

250 гр ржено брашно

250 гр бело брашно 

1 мало лажиче сол

50 гр семки ( тиквени, сончогледови )

1 лажиче ким

1 сув квасец 

Во поголем сад, ставете го брашното, додајте го квасецот и солта како и 300 мл млака вода.

Измешајте ја смесата со дрвена лажица, покријте со крпа и оставете ја смесата а се изедначи половина час.
Потоа истресете го тестото на работна маса и месете го 10 минути. Ставете го во чиста здела премачкана со масло, покријте со крпа и оставете го да се крева околу еден час.
Тестото се размесува, му се додаваат семките, се обликува по желба и се остава да мирува 30 минути.
Загрејте пекач за печење месо со капак ( огноотпорен стаклен, алумински или порцелански ) 
на 220 степени.
Извадете го пекачот ор рерна и ставете го обликуваното тесто внатре да се пече, посипете со ким по желба.

Покријте го со капакот и вратете го пекачот во рерна. 
Печете го лебот 20 минути на 220 степени а потоа намалете ја температурата на 180 и печете уште 30 минути.
Вака печениот леб е сигурно печен во средината, има прекрасна крцкава кора и стои тазе до 5 дена поготово ако е приготвен со бига наместо квасец.

Ingredients:

250 gr rye flour

250 gr white wheat flour or spelt flour

1 tsp salt

50 gr seeds ( sunflower, pumpkin )

1 tsp caraway seeds 

1 pack of instant yeast or biga

In a mixing bowl, put both flours, add the salt, yeast and 300 ml lukewarm water.

Mix it up with wooden spoon and leave it to rest for 30 minutes, you are letting the flour to absorb the water.

After that, place the dough onto a floured surface and knead the dough for 10 minutes. Place the dough back in a clean oiled bowl, cover with tea towel and let it rest for 1 hour.

After that, place the dough back to floured surface, knead it gently, shape it and leave it to rest for 30 minutes.

Place a roasting dish with its lid in the oven and turn the oven on 220 C 

When the oven is ready, get the roast dish out of the oven, put the dough in, sprinkle with some caraway seed, put the lid back and strait in the oven for 20 minutes.

After that, turn the oven down to 180 C and bake for further 30 minutes.

This method of baking bread gives a beautiful crust, the bread last longer and you know that the middle is definitely baked.

Леб со цимет / Cinnamon bread

And finely the recipe for the cinnamon bread, the one from my front cover!

Потребни состојки:

500 гр брашно

1 инстант квасец

1 лажица шеќер

пола лажичка сол

330 до 350 мл млака вода

**************************************

60 гр кафеав шеќер

2 лажици цимет

Направете тесто: ставете 450 гр брашно во сад за месење, додајте ги сувите состојки и водата како и преостанатото брашно по потреба.

На побрашнета површина месете го тестото околу 10 минути.

Вратете го во садот и покријте го со најлонска фолија.

Оставете го да се крева околу 50 минути до 1 час, зависно од собната температура.

Потоа размесете го тестото и развлечете го со сукалка во правоаголна форма.

Посипете со мешавина од цимет и шеќер и свиткајте го како за ролат.

Ставете го тестото во подготвен калап на леб, средна големина, и оставете го да се крева 1 час.

Со сито, побрашнете го тестото пред печење ( го заштитува лебот од предвремено горење).

Печете го лебот на 200 степени 15-20 минути, намалете ја температурата на 180 и допечете го лебот уште 20-25 минути.

Кога лебот е печен, извадете го од калап и оладете го пред сечење.

Најдобар е тостирани кришки и премачкани со путер.

Ingredients:

500 gr flour

7 gr or one pack of instant yeast

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

330 - 350 ml water

*************************

60 gr brown sugar

2 tbsp cinnamon 

Make the dough: place the flour, 450 gr only in a mixing bowl, add the rest of the ingredients adding the water and the rest of the flour slowly.

Knead the dough on the lightly floured surface for 10 minutes, place it back in the mixing bowl and cover it with cling film.

Leave it to proof  for 50 min or more, depends of the room temperature.

After that, roll the dough into a rectangle shape, sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar mixture and roll it tightly. 

Place the bread dough into a loaf tin ( medium size ) and leave it to proof for one hour.

Dust the dough with flour before baking, this will prevent burning.

Bake the bread in pre heated oven on 200 C for 15 - 20 minutes, reduce the temperature to 180 C and bake for 20 or 25 more minutes.

When the bread is ready, take it off the tin and cool it down before you cut it. 

Best served toasted with butter.