Maple Oatmeal Bread

This is one of the recipes that I sought to make because of available ingredients. My in-laws just made another batch of maple syrup for this year (they do around March) and gave us some. I still had some from last year's, so I thought I'd look for a recipe to use up the opened jar sitting int he fridge. I found one at KAF, but I modified the recipe. Reading their blog about this recipe, I learned that they originally made use of 1/2 cup maple syrup. and while they made use of water, maple syrup and maple flavoring to brush the top to save on the expensive ingredient, I did not have to do that.

I had about 1/2 cup from a pint jar of maple syrup, and after pouring that off into a measuring cup, I had maple sugar sediment at the bottom, which I crushed with fork. This was what I used to brush the top of the loaf prior to baking. The blog author was right, the maple flavor was like creeping on you slowly...and toasting it (I do for 5 minutes) brings out the full flavor. Perfect for breakfast with my coffee, even plain or with jam.

And since I was using my bread machine, I changes the flours to bread flour and traditional whole wheat, both KAF brands, and the yeast to BM yeast. Of course, once these ingredients are changed, the method changes as well.

Ingredients:
* 3/4 cup warm water (80-100 deg F)
* 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
* 1/2 cup real maple syrup
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 3/4 cup King Arthur 100% Traditional Whole Wheat Flour
* 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
* 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast


Instructions:

Combine all wet ingredients and warm up to 80 to 100 deg F. Place in BM pan. (Don't forget the paddle!)

Combine all dry ingredients and place on top of dry. Start the dough cycle. Run a timer for 30 minutes (this will be the total time of kneading by the machine before it rests to rise for one hour), after which, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and flatten with your floured palm to a disk. Generously grease your loaf pan.

Roll the dough to a log and place seam side down in an 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 loaf pan (if you use a bigger one, your loaf will not have an overhang and will seem to small for the pan). Cover with cling wrap smeared with shortening on the side that will eventually touch the dough so that dough will not stick when you remove the plastic later. Let rise for 1-1/2 to 2 hours in a warm, draft-free, moist place or until the dough has doubled in size and has about 1 inch overhang.

Heat the oven to 350 deg F. Place rack at the middle.

Remove plastic and brush the top with maple sugar-syrup all over. (I placed the loaf pan on another shallow pan to catch syrup drippings.). Bake for 35-40 minutes or until it sounds hollow when top is tapped with finger.

Let cool down for about 5 minutes before turning onto a cooling wire rack. KAF advises to let it cool fully before slicing. I don't. I think the reason they advise that is that it is easy to compress and deform the loaf with the pressure of slicer. I have, in the past, even as a child, learned to angle the loaf in such a way that my slicer hits the bottom corner first. When done this way, versus hitting the loaf from the top or flat sides, the bread maintains its shape, especially if you are not hastening the slicing.

Now this is very artisanal, all-natural, and heart-healthy. I loved the flavor and my kids did as well. Too bad, I did not expect it to take a long time to rise to a level I wanted it to, so that we ate supper first before I baked this, so hubby did not have a taste of it as soon as it was baked (he prefers his breads and rolls eaten at meal times). When freshhly baked, it had a wonderful crunchy crust with that maple sugar on top. This top would not be there after placing in ziploc bag, even upon reheating in a toaster. However, like I said above, toasting it brings out the maple flavor of the bread itself.

This would be a wonderful holiday bread to share with relatives.

Strawberry Jam

I am at work right now...I needed something to keep me awake...coffee...still sleepy.

Blogging...sure way to keep my mind going...so here I am.

I was reviewing my old posts from my old kusina that I transferred here. Most of the posts then had recipes on geocities webpage that I tied up with my blog posts because photoblogging then was not yet "in" at the time. I (painstakingly) made separate webpages to show step-by-step photos of things I was doing then. I was quite surprised to find out I did make one for homemade strawberry jam, but which was not tied to a blog post. So I am making one for that now. Though strawberry season is quite far away...

I make strawberry jams whenever my MIL tells me she has had enough for her own use. My kids would pick them, we would eat some, and the rest I would make into strawberry jams. Strawberry jams and raspberry jams are our favorites. Very good on rolls, Club crackers, over cheesecake, etc. I have brought several jars of these for munchin during work, and my British and American co-workers loved my homemade jams. "Cannot compare with them commercial ones!"

Ingredients:

5 1/2 cups mashed strawberries
1 box pectin (Her preference is Sure-Jell)
7 cups sugar
8 jars for canning

Instructions:

Boil water for sterilizing jars then let simmer until ready for sterilizing jars. Wash jars and screw bands in hot, soapy water; rinse with warm water.

Prepare strawberries by removing the stems and mashing thoroughly with fork. (I think you can also use chopper batch by batch.) Put in a big saucepan and heat to boil, constantly stirring while gradually adding the pectin until fully dissolved and bring to full rolling boil (A boil that does not stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.Add 1/2 tsp butter or margarine to reduce foaming, if desired.

Stir in sugar quickly. Return to full rolling boil and boil EXACTLY 1 MINUTE, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

Pour quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads.

Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands TIGHTLY.Turn upside-down right away, then turn upright again after 5 minutes (This process is to ensure that minimal (unsterile) air is trapped, and that the hot jam will sterilize that space by inversion. Setting it upright after 5 minutes will ensure proper setting where the jam does not stick to the lid.)

Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. You may store unopened jams in cool, dry dark place up to 1 year. Refrigerate opened jams up to 3 weeks.

You may use strawberry jams on rolls/bread, Ritz crackers or saltine crackers.

Note: Upon setting, if you are using a larger jar, you may notice separation of layers. Above is the jam with all the bits of strawberries, and below a clear layer, which is the jelly.

Also, after the strawberry season comes the raspberry. When picking, the stems easily detach from the ripe fruits. Wash the raspberries just before the procedure, then proceed as with the strawberry jam procedure.

Tips:

Freshly picked strawberries should be washed ONLY when you are ready to consume/use it, otherwise it will spoil easily.

Pick only red and plump strawberries. When picked too soon, it won't have a sweet taste.

When in full rolling boil, you may lessen the foaming by adding 1/2 tsp butter.

Follow closely the timing of pouring boiling water into the jars and of removing the water and of closing the jars with the lids. Also minimize the air incorporated in the jar. Leaving a small space for air will result in popping in of the lid when the jam cools down, a sign of successful technique to ensure sterile procedures.

Additional info on jams and jellies available at www.surejell.com .

Maple Syrup Making

Have you tasted real maple syrup??? We love them, but oddly, my stepdaughter prefers the fake syrup.

My in-laws usually tap maple trees around the month of February to start collecting the clear sap into buckets that will later on be boiled to reduce into what we commonly know as maple syrup.


Any Filipino exposed to the Western influence knows about pancakes and waffles eaten with syrup (usually karo, made with high-fructose corn), but usually do not have a clue that there is such a thing as real maple syrup, and that this is derived from trees! (One of my friends sent me a message telling me that after he saw a webpage I made during the pre-blogger times.)

See more of how maple syrup is prepared on the slideshow below.

A good resource in making your own is found here.

Honey

Last year, my SIL gave me honey in it's most raw form...still in honeycomb (see the hexagonal pattern made by these greatest natural architects called bees). She and her husband have just started having it for home-based business. I am lucky to have some form of benefit from it.

Every summer now I look at my garden full of flowers in bloom, surrounded by bees and butterflies and hummingbirds...I eagerly anticipate the honey that I know would follow.

This year, SIL gave me two pints of honey ready to be consumed.

Ah, the goodness of all-natural honey...