Category Archives: Baking

Norwegian Health Bread

This amazing bread was originally invented by a Norwegian Pastor named Marksett, and is nothing short of a miracle. Jam packed with nutrients and no flour, no yeast and no leavening whatsoever. Pure natural ingredients for a real bread.
Oats, seeds, olive oil, salt and water, that’s it. The Chia seeds and Psyllium act as binding agents.
A nutrition BOM, so to speak. Full of fibre and healthy fats. I eat two slices a day and I can assure you, it’s plenty and very delicious. Toasted it’s pure heaven.
The beauty of this loaf is that it has to be made with lots of love, almost like therapy. You need to mix the ingredients and leave it overnight in the fridge so that all the seeds and fibre can do their “thing” and expand. Bake the next day. A slow bread if you will, worth every bit of effort.

Freezes well too!

Prep time: 15 minutes
Waiting time: overnight
Cooking time : 70 minutes
Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups rolled oats (if making gluten-free, make sure to get certified gluten-free oats)
• ½ cup Pumpkin seeds
• ½ cup Sunflower seeds
• ½ cup flax seeds whole
• 3 tbsp. flax seeds cracked or roughly ground
• 2 tbsp. Chia seeds
• 2 tbsp. Psyllium seed husks
• 2 tbsp. sesame seeds
• 1 tsp fine grain sea salt
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 3/4 – 2 cups water

Directions:

1. In a bowl combine all the dry ingredients, stirring well. Whisk oil and water together in a measuring jug. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix very well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick , first add the 1 ¾ water and then the remaining ¼ up if necessary. See how it goes. It will however become a big ball. See picture.
2. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge overnight.
3. The next morning, remove the bowl from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for about an hour before baking.
4. Grease a loaf tin, ( 8”/ 20 cm.)
5. Do not preheat oven.
6. Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake at 350° F / 175° C for 70-75 minutes.
7. If the loaf gets to dark, make a tent cover of aluminum foil and cover loosely. Test with a wooden skewer to see if the bread is done. The wooden skewer may be moist but not sticky.
8. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. It should also have shrunk away from the edges of the tin. Let cool about twenty minutes and remove from tin. Then cool completely before slicing.
9. Store bread in a tightly sealed container for up to four days, or freeze.

Enjoy!

Myra Xo

Black Pepper Honey Brioche Hamburger Buns

1 Reply

I have a problem with store bought hamburger buns, the ones you buy in a plastic bag, the ones that fall apart by the first bite, the ones that have an insipid dull factory flavor of nothing that completely leaves you hanging and doesn’t really do your scrumptious burger justice.
You know the kind right?
A good burger, is crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside with a good amount of flavor, you need a bun that can keep up, a bun that can endure the whole burger eating experience until the very last bite. You’re with me, I know it.

Well I’ve got you covered. Give these a try for your next cook-out and your store-bought-bun-days are over… forever….THE END

Prep time : 15 minutes plus rising 2 hrs.
Cooking time : 15 minutes
Makes: 8 large buns

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 C. warm water
• 1/4 C. warm milk, soy or regular. (I use Soy)
• 2 ½ tsp. instant yeast
• 3 tbsp. honey
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 3 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
• 4 ½ C. Spelt flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. Black cracked pepper * SEE NOTE
• 1 egg beaten for glaze
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1 or 2 tbsp. sesame seeds for sprinkling on top
* NOTE : Two ways for cracking the pepper, either set your pepper mill to the course setting or crack whole pepper corns in a pestle and mortar.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix the first 4 ingredients in a bowl and let the yeast proof for 5 minutes until frothy.
Beat the eggs and the butter together,
In the bowl of a food processor set with the hook attachment, add the flour, salt and cracked pepper and give it a stir, slowly add the eggs and butter mixture and continue with the yeast/milk mixture.
Set the processor on low and knead for 10 minutes.
Turn out the dough on a floured surface, and give it a few turns and shape into a ball.
Put into a bowl sprayed with oil and cover with oil sprayed cling film. Let rise in a warm place for 2 hours. Until double in size.
Take the dough out of the bowl and put it back on your work surface sprinkled with a little flour. Knead a few times and shape into 8 buns. Put them on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Brush the buns with the beaten egg and honey mix and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cover the buns with cling film that has been sprayed with oil. Let rise for another 30 min.
Preheat the oven to 400 °F.
Bake the buns for 14 -15 minutes, turning them once half way. Let cool on a rack.
If using for burgers, split them in half and toast slightly on the bbq for a few minutes.
Leftover buns freeze well.

Enjoy!
Myra XO

Brown Butter Vanilla Donuts with Chocolate Frosting

6 Replies

Just three weeks ‘till Fall and I couldn’t be more excited about it. I can Finally turn on the oven without feeling like a basket case because yes, I did bake during Summer and people did call me crazy. But in their defense it was 36° C / 97° F at one point so who can blame them?
Either way I’m glad the heat wave(s) are over , I love Fall and rain and long hikes in the forest with that wonderful musky smell.
Then coming home to hot coffee and something freshly baked, like Donuts.
These Donuts. They only take 10 minutes to bake!
Brown butter Vanilla Donuts with Dark Chocolate frosting. Oh my….and since they’re baked it’s OK to eat two.
And the even greater part is that they’re low fat. Wait no, the greatest part is actually that you can’t tell they’re low fat. Awesome right?
Yes, you can definitely eat two , you totally deserve it!

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 20 mins

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup + 1 tbsp. white Spelt flour nr. 1050
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 large egg room temperature
• 2 ½ tbsp. butter
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup caster sugar
• 100 gr. / 4 oz. chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp. coconut oil or butter
• 1 tbsp. honey

Instructions:

1. Pre heat oven to 180 C / 350 F
2. Lightly butter your Donut pan.
3. Whisk together in a large bowl, the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
4. In another bowl or large jug, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, sugar and vanilla extract.
5. Meanwhile heat the butter in a small dish in the microwave at 30 second intervals until brown and fragrant. It takes about 4, 30 second sessions but may depend on the power of your microwave.
6. Alternatively heat in a small sauce pan until light brown and fragrant without it getting burnt.
7. Let cool a little bit before adding to the egg and buttermilk mixture.
8. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
9. Fill a donut pan with the mixture, about ¾ full in each cavity.
10. Place on a rack in the middle of the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
11. Remove from oven, insert a wooden skewer to test if the donuts are cooked through, the skewer should come out dry.
12. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing the Donuts from the pan. Let the Donuts cool completely before frosting.
13. To make the chocolate frosting, melt the chocolate, coconut oil or butter and honey in the microwave at 30 second intervals until fully melted, stir to combine.
14. Place chocolate in a shallow dish or bowl large enough to dip in the donuts.
15. Dip each Donut in the melted chocolate and decorate with sprinkles or chocolate shavings.
Enjoy!
Myra XO

The Best Healthy Coffee Walnut Brownies

7 Replies

Prep Time : 5 mins
Cook Time : 25 mins
Total Time : 30 mins

Servings: 16

Ingredients:

• 250 gr. Black Beans, drained
• 1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
• 2 tsp. Instant Coffee granules
• 2 L. Eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 C. Cocoa
• 1/2 C. Gluten free Flour or All purpose
• 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1/4 C. unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/4 C. Canola or neutral oil
• 1 1/2 tsp. Liquid Stevia Extract
• 2 tbsp. Maple Syrup
• 1/3 C. Chocolate Chips, plus extra for sprinkling on top
• 1/3 C. Walnuts, roughly chopped, plus extra for sprinkling on top

Instructions:

Pre heat oven to 180 C / 350 F.
Line a square 20 cm / 8 ” baking tin with parchment paper.
In a food processor add all the ingredients except the chocolate chips and walnuts.
Blend for a few minutes until completely smooth.
Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts and pour into the prepared baking tin.
Sprinkle with more chocolate chips and some extra walnuts.
Place on a rack in the middle of the oven and bake for about 22 to 25 minutes.
You can insert a wooden skewer to test if they are done, it should come out dry.
Remove from oven and let cool for at least 20 minutes in the tin.
Remove from the tin and let cool completely on a rack before cutting, the colder the better you can cut them.
Will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days

Enjoy!

Myra XO