Spelt Biscuits with Sage, Orange Zest, and Black Pepper

By Michelle Abendschan, on November 18th, 2013%

I have a new favorite baking product – and it is Spelt Flour. I’m not quite sure what it is about it, but everything I’ve baked with it just has a velvety, rich, full flavor that I am in love with. When using, I’ll typically replace one half of the white flour in a recipe with the spelt flour. I have been experimenting with it for awhile now in pie/tart crusts, scones, cookies and now…biscuits!

For this recipe, instead of using half spelt flour and half regular flour, I used light spelt flour mixed with just a little unbleached, white flour. Light spelt flour has most of the bran and germ removed, so the end result won’t be as heavy as using regular spelt flour. I wanted these biscuits to be on the fluffier side, so I decided to go this route.

The result was a flakey, flavorful biscuit! It may seem like there’s a lot going on here (there is — sage, orange zest, black pepper) but it works.

Make a batch now to freeze for Thanksgiving or just use them for weekday breakfasts with orange marmalade or . . . → Read More: Spelt Biscuits with Sage, Orange Zest, and Black Pepper

FFwD: Compote de Pommes Two Ways and Apple Compote Buckwheat Muffins with Hazelnuts, Raisins, and Molasses

By Michelle Abendschan, on November 8th, 2013%

This week’s French Fridays with Dorie is Apple Compote Two Ways or as the French would say half of it, Compote de Pommes Two Ways. I made mine the second way — basically I kept cooking it until it was super think. Then added some butter. I was expecting something like dark apple butter, but it was really just more like thick applesauce. And unfortunately, I’m not a huge fan of applesauce. So, I decided to use it to make muffins, which is something I typically do when I have applesauce around.

Notes: I did make a half recipe, so I used three apples. Empire apples to be specific. And, also because I knocked this one and next week’s Chestnut and Pear Soup out at the same time, I had a little extra rosemary and put a small sprig in with the apples for the initial cooking time. The half recipe gave me a bit more than a half cup of apple compote.

Here’s a link to everyone’s apple compote posts and my photos (and the muffin recipe) below.

FFwD: Socca from Vieux Nice (with Red Onion & Cherries)

By Michelle Abendschan, on June 27th, 2013%

This week’s French Fridays with Dorie was Socca, which, believe it or not, I’ve made before. And because of that, I already had some Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo Fava Flour. I know the Dorie recipe calls for Garbanzo Flour only, but since I had the mix I decided to go ahead and use it. It worked just fine.

I liked this socca version better than my previous attempt as it turned out much thinner and crispier. I made a half recipe and used two small pans. Also, because I need to clean the oven, I only baked the socca at 475 degrees F (instead of 500).

Instead of leaving my Socca plain, I decided to add some chopped red onions to the top while cooking, and then added some halved cherries while it was under the broiler. I finished with a small sprinkle of Parmesan Cheese. These made a great snack for two before we headed out to see Much Ado About Nothing.

Okay, my photos are below and here’s a link to everyone’s French Fridays posts.

FFwD: Socca from <span style= . . . → Read More: FFwD: Socca from Vieux Nice (with Red Onion & Cherries)

Raspberry Olive Oil Spelt Scones

By Michelle Abendschan, on May 6th, 2013%

These are oddly delicious little scones that are great as a quick breakfast or afternoon snack. Odd mainly because the dough is very wet and sticky so that you can’t really pat it down and either cut the scones into wedges or circles like normal. You sort of have to scoop the dough out like cookies. I’ve also really been digging the spelt flour lately. These are just the first in a long line of biscuits and breads I’ve been experimenting with lately. Hopefully more on that soon.

The original recipe for these scones used agave nectar, but I prefer using honey or maple syrup. Both substitutions seem to work very well. I’ve also successfully made these scones with different berries — blackberries and blueberries.

Raspberry Spelt Scones

Raspberry Olive Oil Spelt Scones
Adapted from a recipe in Food & Wine magazine
2 cups spelt flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup honey (or maple syrup or agave nectar)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup hot water
1 cup fresh . . . → Read More: Raspberry Olive Oil Spelt Scones

Lemon Poppy Seed Oat Scones

By Michelle Abendschan, on April 23rd, 2012%

This was a true experiment as I tried a couple of different things that I had no idea if they would work out at all. Thing number one: I used a 1/3 cup of oat flour (to 2/3 cup AP flour). Thing number two: I subbed half the butter with olive oil. Did this make a healthier Lemon Poppy Seed Scone? Yes I think so. And were they still very good? Yes! They were actually pretty delicious! I think I’m going to make these again very soon.

If you don’t want to try my substitutions, use 1 cup AP flour and 4 tbsp butter. I will not judge…

Lemon Poppy Seed Oat Scones
Adapted from Country Living Magazine. Makes 4 large scones or 6 medium scones.
2/3 cup AP Flour
1/3 cup Oat Flour
1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1 large lemon, zested
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 Tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp Olive Oil
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice, for glaze
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, poppy seeds, . . . → Read More: Lemon Poppy Seed Oat Scones