fennel crackers

No waiting hours for bread to rise. No yeast. No ten minute long knead. Just a quick cracker to serve with your favorite summer foods, like baba ghanouj (vegan eggplant dip) or roasted tomato dip.

Original recipe by Meeta of The Bhukkad Bawarchi

WHAT I’LL TRY NEXT TIME:

3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c. rye flour, or other wholemeal flour
1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
1/8 t. crushed red pepper flakes
2 t. sesame seeds
1/2 t. nigella seeds
1 t. whole fennel seeds, crushed coarsely
1/2 t. black pepper
2 T. olive oil
~1/4 c. water
2 t. lime juice

Combine all the dry ingredients. Add the olive oil and lemon juice slowly. Drizzle in water slowly as you knead, adding as much water as you need, which may vary. Mix just long enough to bring the dough together, then wrap with cling film and refrigerate for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 450F. Roll out the dough a bit thinner than you think you should, and cut into strips, rounds, use cookie cutters, whatever you want. (Strips are easy and low-hassle to cut with a knife.) You can brush them with olive oil and sprinkle coarse salt on top if you’re fancy. Bake until golden brown – around 9 or 10 minutes for me, but check often after minute 7.

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WHAT I MADE:

3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c. rye flour
1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
2 t. sesame seeds
1/4 t. nigella seeds
1 t. whole fennel seeds, crushed coarsely
1/2 t. black pepper
2 T. olive oil
~1/4 c. water
2 t. lime or lemon juice

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THE ORIGINAL RECIPE, BY Meeta of The Bhukkad Bawarchi

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. red chilli powder
• 2 tsp. sesame seeds
• 3 tsp fennel (saunf) seeds, coarsely grounded
• ½ tsp. black pepper, coarsely grounded
• 2 tbsp. Olive oil
• ½ cup warm water + 2 tsp. of lemon juice
• Olive oil for brushing

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Nice simple cracker. Took less than an hour to finish baking a batch. Good with cherry tomato, thyme, and garlic confit. The spices and seeds in the crackers are infinitely adaptable. I’m sure they’d be great with dehydrated onions, poppy seeds, flaxseeds, or any of your favorites. Personally I think nigella seeds are just perfect in crackers. This may be the start of a cracker phase…

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pulp crisp: a savory okara / dòuzhā / biji pancake made with leftovers!

Making soy milk, oat milk, rice milk, nut milk, or tofu, and looking for something to do with the leftover pulp? Soy pulp, also known as okara in Japanese, biji in Korean, and dòuzhā in Chinese, can be used in almost any recipe you can think of! Hide it in a stir-fry, mush it into morning porridge, or tuck it into breads, cookies, or cakes! How you use it might depend on whether your pulp is just pure soybean, grains, nuts, or some combination. The pure pulp is fairly flavorless compared with, say, a grain-based milk made with dried fruits and nuts – which means the possibilities for cooking with it are endless!

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Yes, I got an $8 used soymilk machine about three months ago – and it’s become a part of my daily life in a way I was never expecting. Homemade nut and grain milk is sweeter and creamier than milk. I drink it every morning. Tastes nothing like the soymilk from the store! Stay tuned for a mega-post chronicling months of experiments with different combinations of grains, beans, nuts, fruits, and seeds!

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So far, this is one of my favorite “waste not” recipes using okara! Ever since I began my grain and nut milk obsession a few months ago, I have been combing the internet for ways to use the leftover soy pulp. This recipe is ridiculously easy. If you use enough soy milk or water, you’ll be really surprised by the crepe-like texture. These pancakes will keep you full way longer than a “typical” pancake due to all the protein.

My recipe is modified from The Foodie Baker's version in one huge way that really changes the texture and flavor. Curious?

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SAVORY OKARA PANCAKE modified from The Foodie Baker

50 grams fresh okara

50 grams rice flour (all-purpose flour is fine, too)

100 ml soy milk or water

2 pinches salt

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)

2 spring onion finely chopped (optional)

your favorite spices (optional – black pepper is recommended – a pinch of Chinese five-spice is great in this!)

neutral oil, to fry (like canola, vegetable, etc.)

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note: If you don’t have a scale, it’s important to note that depending on how much soy milk you squeezed out of your pulp, 50g okara might be a quarter-cup, or a half-cup. If you’re very lazy, like me, and your hands get tired after a few squeezes, use a little less okara. If yours is very fluffy, use a little more. Or – and this has been true for me so far – just eyeball it, because the amount doesn’t matter too much! 50g flour is probably about a third of a cup. 100ml is about a half-cup. You can eyeball these amounts – it really doesn’t matter that much.

Mix everything together, with whatever spoon or whisk you like, or your hands. Pour batter into preheated oiled skillet and fry like a pancake. Eat with your favorite dipping sauce. I loved a chili oil/black vinegar sauce, but anything from soy sauce to plain yogurt would be good. Or serve with eggs – soy-cured eggs would be amazing with these – or leftover veggies!

original recipe by the foodie baker and modified by friedsig

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The original recipe calls for egg, which makes more of a typical American-style pancake. I could really taste the egg in it, which would be great for someone who loves that hard cooked egg / French toast flavor! However, if you prefer a crispy dosa-style pancake like I do, you’ll much prefer the eggless version. Obviously, vegans will prefer it without egg. I love eggs, and much prefer a soft cooked egg wrapped in one of these crispy pancakes, rather than the egg overcooking inside the pancake.

Experiment with this! I bet this would be amazing with a ton of sugar and cinnamon if that’s your jam. I’m on a savory kick lately, though. I have loved these strongly seasoned with a Chinese five-spice blend, with a homemade Sri Lankan curry powder, with a basic blend of garlic powder and black pepper, and just plain with sesame oil and salt.

The edges get quite crispy and crunchy, so I have named these “pulp crisps” because my “okara” is usually some blend of peanuts, Chinese red dates, millet or oats, black soybeans, rice…. not just pure soy okara.

If you’re curious about my journey with this soymilk machine, fear not! Recipes are coming.

easy zucchini cheddar drop biscuits

Craving comfort food with a healthier twist? Cheesy, buttery carbs are my go-to comfort food, so I’m always trying to figure out how to trick myself into combining classic comfort with veggies.

There are a few tricks that really work without sacrificing flavor. You can add steamed or roasted cauliflower or parsnips into mashed potatoes! You can add broccoli to your mac and cheese – and even substitute the pasta for high protein quinoa!

But what if you’re craving dense, buttery drop biscuits? Sure, you can substitute whole wheat flour for part of the all-purpose flour. You can use a bit less butter and cheese than the recipe calls for. But if you’re like me and you want that heavy, old-school comfort food flavor, why not add zucchini? Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home.

• 3/4 cup shredded zucchini
• 1-1/4 teaspoons salt, divided 1 teaspoon or less salt (cheese is salty!)
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  (I just used sharp cheddar, as that’s what I had in the house. Any combination of cheeses would be fine.)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, patted dry (optional; not necessary; they were great without this)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil (or whatever you have. I used thyme and dill.)
• 1 cup 2% milk (mine didn’t need this much milk for the dough to come together.)

Preheat oven to 425°. Place zucchini in a colander over a plate; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and toss. Let stand 10 minutes. Rinse and drain well. Squeeze zucchini to remove excess liquid. Pat dry.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and remaining salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in zucchini, cheeses, tomatoes and basil. Add milk; stir just until moistened.

Drop by scant 1/3 cupfuls into a greased 13×9-in. baking pan. (I used a greased baking sheet.) Bake until golden brown, 22-26 minutes. Serve warm.

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Recipe by Taste of Home

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If it wasn’t for the flecks of green, you’d never guess there are veggies in here. I was worried the zucchini would cause soggy, dense, or chewy biscuits, but these still mostly maintain that classic crumbly drop biscuit consistency. Maybe just a bit wetter inside, but at least they weren’t dry! I had one hot out of the oven with some homemade hot sauce and it was just as it sounds. The cheddar crisped up on the bottom like a cheese cracker or a glamorgan “sausage”.

If you like your carbs cheesy and buttery, give this a try! A great wintertime recipe. I imagine these would be incredible dunked into a healthy vegetable soup. Like, what if you made a broccoli-cheese soup without the cheese, and added these biscuits on top? Next time I might add some jalapenos…. mmmm. Definitely a treat. Recommended.

cornflour pancakes with apple compote

Did you ever crave something you’ve never eaten before?

I couldn’t stop thinking about healthy, fluffy buckwheat pancakes with apple compote… combined with a corn griddle cake/pancake hybrid, thanks to photos of a cheesy cornbread waffle.

Here’s what I did.

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CORN FLOUR PANCAKES version one (makes three large pancakes)

1 c all-purpose flour (or gluten-free all-purpose flour blend)
1/2 c corn flour
1/2 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs
1.5 c. plain kefir, yogurt, buttermilk, or milk

recipe adapted from some buckwheat pancake recipe

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CORN FLOUR PANCAKES version two
1/2 c corn flour
1/2 c all purpose flour
1.5T. sugar
0.5 T. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 egg
1/2 c. (about a cup) plain kefir, yogurt, buttermilk, or milk
1/8 c. veg oil

recipe by cook fast eat well

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APPLE COMPOTE

Sliced a few apples, and added a few tablespoons of water, a sweetener like honey, a sprinkle of salt, and a few whole spices.

Of course, you can substitute anything sweet for the honey, like sugar, maple syrup, date syrup, sweetened molasses, or anything similar.

I chose star anise, cloves, and Chinese licorice. For the sweetener, I used a few chopsticks’ worth of ginger honey (it’s crystallized and the mouth of the jar is too narrow for a spoon!)

Heat it on medium until hot, and then simmer on low heat, stirring often if you used a lot of sweetener, or stirring occasionally if you went with a low-sugar compote.

from epicurious

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PANCAKES #1, August 2020: These corn flour pancakes are not as “corny” as I was picturing. Not sure I would have known these used masa by the flavor or appearance alone. They looked like your average, everyday pancakes. I adapted a healthy buckwheat pancake recipe, and the extra egg did make these pancakes a little more dense than fluffy. It tasted mostly of egg. I think next time I will use a recipe that’s a little more similar to cornbread, with a little oil, and less egg.

If you’re looking for a greasy cornbread, this won’t cut it for you.

If you just want a simple pancake recipe to switch up your Sunday mornings – here it is!

PANCAKES #2, September 2020: Cook Fast Eat Well made a mistake with this. The original recipe calls for a cup of cornmeal, a cup of all-purpose flour, and a cup of milk. Obviously, in retrospect, this isn’t nearly enough liquid for pancake batter. I added in more kefir slowly, and stopped when the consistency looked about right. Probably doubled the original amount. These pancakes are super fluffy. The oil really helps the consistency, and they look more delicious, too, with that amazing crispy crust around the edge. However, again, these are not heavy, greasy cornbread. If you want a breakfast pancake, this is a great choice. My kefir is extremely bitter, so if you have old, sour kefir, make sure to add something with a strong flavor, like cinnamon, or more sugar. These are definitely the better of the two pancakes.

COMPOTE: The compote, of course, was pretty good. The spices added a really interesting flavor. Definitely a recommended way to get your seasonal produce!

kefir / buttermilk biscuits

If you culture kefir, you know the struggle: mountains of extra kefir. It takes up valuable refrigerator real estate! This recipe is a great way to use that extra kefir.

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2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
9 tbsp chilled butter, divided (see notes below)
1 cup unflavored kefir (or buttermilk, or sour milk)
(optional: spices or herbs or citrus zest)

Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (note: I did not use parchment.)
Sift together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Cube the butter, mix it into the dry ingredients using the pulse mode in a food processor or slowly mix with mixer. Mix until it becomes crumbly. (note: I did this by hand.)
Mix in 1 cup cold kefir, just until the mixture is moistened. The dough shouldn’t be overly wet but, slightly sticky.
Roll or pat out on a lightly floured surface about 1 inch thick. Cut into rounds using a 2-inch cookie cutter dipped in flour. (note: I used a floured upside-down jelly jar.)
Place biscuits 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Brush the tops with melted butter. (note: I did not brush them in anything.) Bake at 450°F for 13-15 minutes until lightly golden and puffed.

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recipe from lifeway kefir and notes by friedsig

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I wrote down the recipe, and misread the recipe as “4T butter” instead of 9. (You were right, second grade teacher: my handwriting is messy.) Know what? They were still great. Maybe not as fluffy as the biscuits in the photo, but definitely still delicious. Even though I have never once in my life successfully made “perfect, fluffy biscuits” – this is probably the closest I have ever come. They were so pretty that I wanted to take a photo, but I ate them all before I had the chance. A nice small batch for two, so double or triple the recipe if making for a crowd! These are a bit sweet, so top with butter, jelly, peanut butter, nutella, or whatever you like! I may try biscuits and gravy with eggs next time; not sure if these would be too sweet for that. I’ll keep you posted!

oatmeal kefir buckwheat muffins

1 cup quick-cooking oats (or old-fashioned oats if you like a chewy muffin)
1 cup home-cultured milk kefir (or buttermilk)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. buckwheat flour or whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
spices, if you like (I added cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, etc.)

In a bowl, soak oats in buttermilk for 15 minutes if using quick cook oats. If using old fashioned oats, soak overnight. Stir in egg, sugar and oil. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt; stir into oat mixture just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 400° until muffins test done, 16-18 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

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adapted from taste of home by friedsig

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Very quick and easy recipe. Not as sweet as lemon muffins (just a half-cup of sugar instead of two cups). I liked the warming spices in this. The texture was almost a little too chewy with the old-fashioned oats soaked for only fifteen minutes, so I altered the recipe to reflect a recommendation to soak overnight. (To be fair, the original called for quick cook oats.)

I think the healthy boosts – the buckwheat flour and thicker oats – were good choices.

My other note? If you’re using sour kefir you cultured a long time ago, shaking the clumpy stuff won’t be enough. Strain or mash the clumps out, or else you will get little bitter pockets in the finished product.

Next time, I will:
– try butter instead of oil
– try straining the kefir
– try a more savory flavor profile. Googling “garlic oat muffin” provides no results. Should we make the world’s first garlic oat muffin?
– try cutting the sugar (although they do caramelize nicely where they touch the tin)

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If you’re looking for creative ways to use up your endless supply of chunky home-cultured kefir, I have a similar recipe – an Irish soda bread with oatmeal. More easy no-knead breads? Check out this sweet soda bread, or this savory rosemary and black pepper soda bread if you’re watching your sugars.

If you’re not watching your sugar consumption, home-cultured kefir is great in this super-sweet brown bread.

If you’re adventurous, you should definitely try this kefir-cultured “potato cheese”, but don’t blame me when your kitchen smells… uh…. “cheesy”.

polpette (Italian vegetarian “meat”balls)

Got a lot of stale bread? These are… food.

Zucchini 280 g
Stale bread 250 g
Eggs (about 1 medium) 50 g
Whole milk 60 g
Breadcrumbs 120 g
Basil to taste
Tomato pulp 150 g
Garlic 1 clove
Mozzarella 90 g
Extra virgin olive oil to taste
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
(edit: please add oregano or really anything)

– break up the bread and soak it in milk
– slice zucchini into “rather large slices,” heat up some oil in a pan, then fry them over medium heat for about 10 min or until cooked
– using a “robot” (I love Google translate; I am guessing you want to use a food processor) or a fork, mix zucchini with breadcrumbs, salt, bread, and pepper (and basil if using)
– add egg after blending, and blend until homogenous
– form balls of about 30-33 g in weight
– refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up so they don’t fall apart
– in a separate pan, start garlic (“or shirt if you prefer,” according to Google translate,) and add crushed tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper
– when tomato sauce tastes great, add balls and melt mozzarella over the the top. cover with lid.

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original recipe from giallo zafferano in Italian and here it is in English, run through a translator

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Okay, these are edible. If you have a bunch of stale bread, this is definitely a way to use it. It isn’t a GOOD way; it’s just a way. Being on a soft food diet, it’s nice having something shaped like a meatball, but you know what else is soft? Good vegan meatballs. I mean, vegetarian buffalo “meatballs” made with white beans are soft. Meatless wild rice and mushroom “meatballs” are soft. These are just straight-up BLAND! The texture is a bit gloopy on day one, and by day three mellow to a sort of gluey, gummy mess. So, the taste is bad. The texture? Also bad.

The only way I can recommend these is if you have a LOT of dumpstered bread to use. PLEASE add sautéed onions or garlic to flavor the polpette. Tagged “waste not,” because this might keep some bread out of the landfill. Tagged “soft food” because I ate these with a temporary crown, and it didn’t hurt. Ecstatic to use the “nope” tag for the first time in a year. This recipe could be adjusted to be more flavorful, but right now, these polpette are a solid nope.

This is solid proof that everyone creates a nightmare in the kitchen sometimes. Everyone occasionally ends up with a week’s worth of glue-balls. Jump in, try something new, and if it turns into paste, make something better next week!

new york style pizza crust

Without question my favorite pizza crust recipe of all-time.

22 1/2 ounces (about 4 1/2 cups) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
.35 ounces kosher salt (about 3 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons instant yeast
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
15 ounces lukewarm water

recipe by Kenji @ serious eats

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The recipe was written for a food processor. I’ll include my adaptations.

1. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in bowl of food processor. Pulse 3 to 4 times until incorporated. Add olive oil and water. Run food processor until mixture forms ball that rides around the bowl above the blade, about 15 seconds. Continue processing 15 seconds longer. (Or, if you’re like me and you don’t have a working food processor, just combine the ingredients with your hands in a huge bowl.)

2. Transfer dough ball to lightly floured surface and knead once or twice by hand until smooth ball is formed. It should pass the windowpane test. (If you don’t have a food processor, knead by hand until it passes the windowpane test, usually 8 to 15 minutes depending on humidity and flour used. Mine took 13 minutes.) Divide dough into three even parts and place each in a covered quart-sized deli container or in a zipper-lock freezer bag. (Each chunk fits perfectly in a big yogurt container.) Place in refrigerator and allow to rise at least one day, and up to 5.

3. At least two hours before baking, remove dough from refrigerator and shape into balls by gathering dough towards bottom and pinching shut. Flour well and place each one in a separate medium mixing bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise at warm room temperature until roughly doubled in volume.

4. 1 hour before baking, adjust oven rack with pizza stone to middle position and preheat oven to 500°F. Turn single dough ball out onto lightly flour surface. Gently press out dough into rough 8-inch circle, leaving outer 1-inch higher than the rest. Gently stretch dough by draping over knuckles into a 12 to 14-inch circle about 1/4-inch thick. Transfer to sheet pan or pizza peel/stone.

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Nothing to say about this crust except, yes, it’s perfect. I cut the salt to just one teaspoon, but otherwise followed it exactly. It definitely had a funky taste without enough salt, so maybe try 2t salt if you’re going for a lower-sodium adaptation. Otherwise, just keep it at the 3t from the original recipe.

Perfect for all your favorite pizzas.

sourdough quickbread

How do you use the extra starter from rye bread? For dessert?

Strangely, this comes from r/Sourdough, but I read the recipe on Bakers and Best.

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⅓ C butter, room temperature
½ C sugar
1 egg
1 C unfed sourdough starter
1 tsp vanilla
2 C AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a small bowl use a fork to cream together the butter and sugar. Once combined add in the egg, starter, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt.
Add the flour mixture to the starter mixture, stirring just until blended. If the batter is too thick add water 1 tsp at a time until it can be easily stirred.
Pour batter into greased loaf pan; let rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
Bake at 350F until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

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Like most quickbreads from zucchini bread to Irish soda bread, the texture is a bit crumbly and dense. It looks just like a beer bread made with a light beer (which I’d recommend). Unlike beer bread, though it has enough sugar in it that it tasted weird with artichoke hearts and poached eggs. So this is a good dessert, but not a dinner bread.

Using a non-onion sourdough might make this a really interesting sweet and sour dessert. I really would not recommend using onion caraway rye starter for this recipe. It’s not as terrible as I feared it could be – the rye actually gives a really interesting flavor to the quickbread, enough that I’d consider using a rye and apf blend for dessert again. But not ideal with raw onions.

If you like a dessert, give this a try! If you want a quickbread with a savory taste, this rosemary and brown butter soda bread has been my go-to recipe this year. If you want something a little more neutral, this Irish oatmeal soda bread recipe is a great not-quite sweet-or-savory oatmeal bread. And if you love dessert-y quickbreads, this molasses brown bread I just discovered is pretty awesome, and this sweet mini lemon bread was a huge hit with my poetry class!

bauernbrot (healthy buckwheat rye bread)

It’s…. healthy. Really interesting recipe:

bauernbrot – Austrian buckwheat and rye loaf – @ friedsig

RYE STARTER (sauerteig):

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
4 cups rye flour
3.5 c warm water
2 packages dry yeast
1 T caraway

wrap onion pieces in cheesecloth. combine other ingredients and push the onion-bag into the goo like some kind of weird onion tea.

leave overnight at room temperature, no more than 24 hours. scrape the sour off the cheesecloth. discard onions. good luck getting the onion smell out of your cheesecloth. refrigerate the rest and use for future breads. make sure to feed it like any starter, by removing some, and replacing it with flour and water.

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BAUERNBROT RECIPE:

1 cup rye sour starter (recipe above)
4 cups buckwheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 package dry yeast
1.5 c warm water
2 t salt
1 T caraway seed (or less, to taste)
1/4 molasses, dark preferred

1 T salt mixed with 1/4 c water (to brush)

in a large bowl, blend buckwheat and all-purpose flours and set aside.

in another large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1.5 c warm water and add 2 cups of the buckwheat-apf mix. beat with a wooden spoon or mixer until smooth and porridge-like.

cover bowl and let stand 1.5 hours at room temperature.

stir down dough and add starter, 2 t salt, caraway, and molasses. add remaining flour til dough pulls away from the bowl. don’t add too much flour. this bread is dense enough!

knead 8 mins.

divide into two loaves. set them on a cookie sheet. brush tops with water and let sit 40 mins.

preheat oven to 350.

brush loaves with saltwater, put in oven. brush loaves every 10 mins with saltwater.

bake about 40 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the loaves comes out clean.

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from Bernard Clayton’s New Complete Book of Breads by Bernard Clayton

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wow! what a healthy tasting bread! dense and dark! the salt crust is like a pretzel party on the outside! this is not a loaf for the faint of heart. give this a shot if you like hearty, healthy, winter-y, peasant-loaf-type breads. it reminds me a bit of those wildly dense “fitness breads” in the german and polish markets. it’s a little much for me. if you love sweet, soft white breads, you might find yourself trying to give away the second loaf. but if you love heavy, hearty breads, trying to get more whole grains into your diet, wanting to stay fuller longer (seriously! one slice and i’m full,) or looking for something really different, this is the bread for you!

best of all, buckwheat is gluten-free (although the bread calls for all-purpose flour too and therefore the bread itself contains gluten). buckwheat is high in fiber and low to medium on the glycemic index, which makes it suitable for some people who cannot eat white bread. it’s also high in magnesium, manganese, thiamin, B6, and many other vitamins and minerals.

good with a strong sandwich spread, like a creamy balsamic, with tomatoes.
good with strong cheese.
good for teatime sandwiches with butter and radish, or ham and cheese.
and strangely good for dessert with a simple homemade compound butter of sweetened sorghum molasses and a pinch of cinnamon mixed into unsalted butter.