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Recipes

whole-grain baking from E1

popular blog 101 Cookbooks. Just as farmers markets have intro- duced consumers to a wider range of fresh ingredients, “whole grains kind of bring that ethos of the farmers market into the kitchen pantry,” she says. Mark Furstenberg, who former- ly owned the BreadLine in the District, agrees. Although he loves a well-made baguette, “almost all the breads I make at home these days are with whole grains,” he says. He is planning to bring that emphasis to his own new bakery and breakfast restaurant, which will offer a line of wood-fired breads made with organic whole grains. In this shift, a relatively recent crop of cookbooks has proved to be groundbreaking. Reinhart’s bread book appeared in 2007. A year earlier, Lorna Sass released “Whole Grains Every Day Every Way,” a highly informative book that explored whole grains in sal- ads and main courses as well as baked goods. That same year, King Arthur Flour delivered its “Whole Grain Baking,” a 600-page tome. Now Boyce, 35, who worked as

a pastry chef at Spago and Cam- panile in Los Angeles, has pro- duced “Good to the Grain: Baking With Whole-Grain Flours” (Stew- art, Tabori & Chang) with Amy Scattergood. The book takes waf- fles, scones, cookies and muffins in new directions, using a dozen grains including amaranth and teff. Among the friends, relatives and neighbors who scarfed up the goods I tested, not one mentioned the word “healthy.” In short, by coaxing out the flavors of whole grains in new ways, Boyce man- aged to turn the stereotype on its head.

When you think about it,

Boyce’s approach isn’t entirely new. After all, the culture of cook- ing with whole grains dates back thousands of years. Think of sta- ples such as Scandinavian rye crackers, French pain de cam- pagne loaves (white, whole-wheat and rye flours), Italian farro risot- to (emmer wheat, an ancient grain), Middle Eastern tabbouleh (bulgur wheat), Japanese soba noodles (buckwheat), Indian roti (whole wheat) and Ethiopian in- jera (teff ). In fact, grains such as barley, with its distinctive nutty note, and spelt, another ancient rela- tive of wheat that has a sweeter and milder taste, were once far more common than white flour. No wonder the famous French ba- ker Lionel Poilâne described his signature dark whole-grain sour- dough miche that he developed in the 1980s as a “retro-innovation” — that is, going forward in new ways by learning from the past. But if the past was about whole

grains, they largely became a foot- note as methods and tastes shift- ed to white flour. What makes whole grains

whole? The grain is made up of three parts: the bran, a fibrous coat that surrounds and protects the seed; the nutritionally rich germ; and the protein- and starch-filled endosperm that feeds the plant and springs from the germ. In white flour, the germ and

bran are sifted out, which means many of the grain’s natural vita- mins, antioxidants and minerals are lost. The refined flour is later enriched with a handful of nutri- ents.

But enriched flour does not equal whole grains, which have been shown to lower the risk of heart disease and reduce rates of

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Bakers are taking whole grains in new directions

Carrot Muffins

Makes 8 muffins (with large tops)

Here’s a good baking tip: Fill al-

ternate wells in a muffin pan, so each muffin has room to spread out and bake evenly. For this reci- pe, use two 12-well muffin pans or one large 24-well muffin pan

(with 1

⁄3

· 2 medium carrots, peeled and grated (1A cups)

· 1 cup regular or low-fat buttermilk · 1 large egg

STEPS

-cup wells). When greas-

ing the pans, make sure you grease outside the rim of each muffin well so the muffin top does not stick.

MAKE AHEAD: The muffins can be stored in an airtight con- tainer for up to 1 day, but they are best eaten the day they are made. Adapted from “Good to the Grain,” by Kim Boyce with Amy Scattergood (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2010).

INGREDIENTS

JAMES M. THRESHER FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

Whole-Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about twenty-four 4- or 5-inch cookies

These cookies are chewy on the inside and crisp at the edges. The whole-wheat flour gives them a nutty taste that goes well with brown sugar. The key, though, is to use high-quality chocolate that you chop your- self.

MAKE AHEAD: Best eaten the same day, the cookies last up to 3 days in a sealed container. The dough can

be refrigerated a day or two in advance, but be sure to form the balls of dough before chilling. The cookies will be thicker than those made at room temperature. Adapted from “Good to the Grain,” by Kim Boyce with Amy Scattergood (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2010).

INGREDIENTS

· 3 cups whole-wheat flour, plus more for the work surface

· 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into A-inch pieces

· 1Ateaspoons baking powder · 1 teaspoon baking soda · 1Ateaspoons kosher salt

· 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into D- and A-inch pieces

· 1 cup packed dark brown sugar · 1 cup granulated sugar · 2 large eggs · 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

STEPS

· Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat

on washingtonpost.com/food

Keeping whole grains

Samuel Fromartz offers tips on how to store

whole-grain flours.

diabetes. They have also been as- sociated with lower weight in peo- ple who eat them over a long time. Barley and oats also are distin- guished by their soluble fiber, which reduces cholesterol. Spelt is high in protein and packs four times as much fiber as whole wheat. Buckwheat has twice the B vitamins of wheat. The list of whole grain benefits is so long it could easily fill a book. Given that knowledge, the gov- ernment recommended in 2005 that Americans consume half of their grains as whole grains in at least three or four servings a day, depending on age and gender. (A serving amounts to about one slice of whole-grain bread or one cup of dry cereal.) Companies re- sponded by rolling out new whole-grain products, boosting consumption by 20 percent by 2008. But whole grains still amounted to just 11 percent of all grains consumed rather than the 50 percent recommended, ac- cording to a survey by NDP Group, a market research firm. One reason might be that whole grains throw a wrench into our acquired taste for white flour — and the recipes for cookies,

to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

· Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a mixing

bowl, adding any large bits of grain or other ingredients that remain in the sifter.

· Combine the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer or

hand-held electric mixer; beat on low speed for about 2 minutes, until just blended. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing to incorporate after each addition, then add the vanilla extract.

· Add the flour mixture and beat until barely combined. Stop to scrape

down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the chocolate, and beat on low speed just until evenly distributed.

· Lightly flour a work surface. Transfer the dough to the work

breads and cookies made with it. “If you’re just looking to substi- tute whole-wheat flour for white flour in a recipe, it’s not going to work,” Reinhart says. Whole grains absorb much more liquid than white flour does. The fibrous bran cuts through strands of gluten, making breads denser. The lack of gluten in grains such as barley and buck- wheat may enhance the lightness of quick breads, but another agent such as all-purpose flour is need- ed to add structure. And the grains can have bitter notes from tannins. Because of their oils, they can also quickly turn rancid. (See “How to store whole-grain flours” at

www.washingtonpost.com/

food.)

“A common mistake is to use whole grains for classic kinds of baking for which they’re not suit- ed,” Furstenberg says. “We need to use them in a way that enhances the food we’re making.” Boyce takes on the challenge,

saying she resolved that her whole-grain baked goods had to be on a par with what would be sold in a bakery. Though she often uses brown sugar and molasses, which pair well with the grains’ assertive flavors, she also relies on white sugar, butter, whole milk and/or cream. When a muffin bat- ter was too heavy as she experi- mented, she would add all-pur- pose flour to balance things out. She also takes chances. Al- though she toyed with adding white flour to a whole-wheat

chocolate chip cookie dough, she went with 100 percent whole- wheat flour instead. The resulting cookie doesn’t taste like a whole- wheat cookie; it tastes like a dyna- mite chocolate chip cookie with bold flavor and texture. Boyce pairs barley and coconut flour in another cookie; blends spelt flour with oat bran to create a moist, flavorful carrot muffin; and makes a poppy seed wafer with buckwheat flour. Her go-to rustic rye dough for tarts builds up flaki- ness through folding, in a tech- nique reminiscent of that for croissants. In short, she brings Poilâne’s

“retro-innovation” to whole-grain baked goods and coaxes out their inherent flavors. Although purists might bristle at her use of white flour, butter and sugar, it’s impor- tant to remember that Boyce is not aiming for low-fat and sugar- free. She is aiming for taste: a new kind of taste arising from these under-used grains. Given the dearth of chefs work- ing in whole grains, she theorizes that professional bakers and chefs are in the early stages of rediscov- ering them. “This is really a new direction

that hasn’t been fully explored,” Boyce says. “I think there are end- less possibilities.”

Samuel Fromartz, the author of “Organic Inc.,” blogs at ChewsWise.com. He’ll join today’s Free Range chat at 1 p.m.; go to

www.washingtonpost.com/liveonline.

surface and use your hands to fully incorporate any remaining flour or chocolate from the bowl.

· Scoop 3-tablespoon mounds of the dough onto each baking sheet,

spacing them 3 inches apart (about 6 mounds per sheet). Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets top to bottom and front to back. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until evenly browned. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool before serving or storing.

· Repeat to use the remaining dough.

NUTRITION | Per cookie: 240 calories, 3 g protein, 33 g carbohydrates, 12 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 240 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber, 21 g sugar

Strawberry Barley Scones

Makes 8 scones

Barley has very little gluten, which means it needs another agent — all-purpose flour, in this case — to bind it. The barley flour and bits of butter ensure the ten- derness of this crumbly scone, while the jam caramelizes at the edges. Adapted from “Good to the Grain,” by Kim Boyce with Amy Scattergood (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2010).

INGREDIENTS

For the scones

· 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into A-inch

pieces, plus more for greasing the baking sheet

· 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons barley flour, plus more for the work surface

· 1 cup all-purpose flour · Dcup packed light brown sugar · 2 teaspoons baking powder · Ateaspoon baking soda · 1Dteaspoons kosher salt · Acup regular or low-fat buttermilk · 1 large egg

For assembly

· Acup strawberry jam or marmalade

· 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

· 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

STEPS

· For the scones: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use a little butter to grease a rimmed baking sheet.

· Sift the flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a

mixing bowl, pouring into the bowl any grains that may remain in the sifter. Add the butter, then use your hands or a pastry knife to break the

butter into pieces the size of grains of rice. The quicker you work, the more solid the butter will remain, which is important.

· Whisk together the buttermilk and egg in a small bowl, then pour it into

the flour mixture and stir until barely combined.

· Liberally flour a work surface. Transfer the dough to the surface and

dust the top of it and your hands with additional flour, folding the dough a few times so it is not sticky.

· Divide the dough in half. Flour your hands and pat each piece into a disk

7 inches across and about E-inch thick. Use the pastry scraper to loosen the disks from the work surface.

· To assemble: Spread 1 disk of dough with the strawberry jam or

marmalade. Place the remaining disk on top, pressing down gently so the dough settles into the jam. Brush the top of the second disk with the melted butter, then sprinkle it with the sugar.

· Use a sharp knife to cut the double-decker disk into 8 equal

wedges. Carefully transfer them to the baking sheet, spaced a few inches apart. Bake on the middle rack for 22 to 26 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through. The scones are ready when their tops are golden brown and some of the jam or marmalade has bubbled over onto the baking sheet.

· Use a metal spatula to transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool slightly

(and to keep them from sticking to the sheet as they cool).

· Serve warm.

NUTRITION | Per scone (using low-fat buttermilk): 330 calories, 5 g protein, 47 g carbohydrates, 14 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, 60 mg cholesterol, 600 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber, 17 g sugar

Recipes tested by Samuel Fromartz; e-mail questions to food@washpost.com.

ONLINE RECIPE

• Molasses Bran Muffins

For the topping

· D cup plus 2 tablespoons spelt flour

· 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into D-inch pieces

· 2 tablespoons oat bran · 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar · 1 tablespoon granulated sugar · J tablespoon kosher salt

For the muffins

· 4 tablespoons (A stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus more for greasing the pan

· 1 cup spelt flour · E cup all-purpose flour · D cup oat bran · B cup packed dark brown sugar · D cup granulated sugar · 1 teaspoon ground allspice · 1 teaspoon kosher salt · 1 teaspoon baking powder · A teaspoon baking soda · A teaspoon ground cinnamon

· For the topping: Combine the spelt flour, oat bran, sugars and salt in a medium bowl. Add the butter, and use your fingers to work the mixture to the consistency of coarse cornmeal. The faster you work, the more solid the butter will remain.

· For the muffins: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use a little butter to

grease alternating muffin wells in a 12-muffin pan (see headnote).

· Sift together the flours, oat bran, sugars, allspice, salt, baking powder,

baking soda and cinnamon into a mixing bowl, pouring into the bowl any grain or other ingredients that remain in the sifter. Add the carrots and stir to coat.

· Whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk and egg in a separate

bowl until thoroughly combined. Use a spatula to incorporate the butter mixture into the flour mixture.

· Use a spoon or ice cream scoop to portion the batter evenly among the

8 prepared muffin wells. The batter should be slightly mounded. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the mounds of batter and press it into the batter slightly. Bake on the middle rack for 32 to 35 minutes; the muffins should smell nutty and the bottoms should be golden brown (twist one out to check).

· Place the muffin pan on top of the stove and gently twist out the

muffins, letting them cool on their sides halfway out of their individual wells; that will help keep them from becoming soggy.

· Serve warm.

NUTRITION | Per muffin (using low-fat buttermilk): 310 calories, 8 g protein, 49 g carbohydrates, 12 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 600 mg sodium, 5 g dietary fiber, 21 g sugar

WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2010

With Grilled Peaches and Strawberries

6 servings

I love warm fruit desserts, but they tend to be a little heavy. As the

NOURISH

weather gets hotter, I want lighter options. These little low-fat cakes fill the bill. The peaches are the one last-minute item; it takes only a few minutes to grill and slice them. I especially love how easily the skins slip off

after the fruit is grilled. The technique cuts the prep time for the peach- es to almost nothing. The recipe for the angel food cakes, adapted from “Joy of Cooking,”

by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker (Scribner, 1997), makes 12 small (cup)cakes. You’ll need only 6 for this dessert. The extras can be tucked into a lunch box or served as a snack. If you’d prefer to leave out the Grand Marnier, add a tablespoon of sugar instead.

MAKE AHEAD: The cupcakes can be made earlier in the day or even

a day in advance. The strawberries need to be prepared 2 to 12 hours in advance.

— Stephanie Witt Sedgwick

INGREDIENTS

For the strawberries

· 16 ounces strawberrries, washed and hulled; small strawberries cut in

half, medium strawberries quartered, large strawberries cut into eighths (about 3 cups)

· 2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier

· 2 tablespoons sugar

For the cakes

· Acup cake flour

· Ecup sugar · Dteaspoon salt · 5 to 6 large egg whites (Ecup) · 1Ateaspoons water · Juice of Dlemon (1Ateaspoons) · Ateaspoon cream of tartar · Ateaspoon vanilla extract · Jteaspoon almond extract

MICHAEL TEMCHINE FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

· 3 large ripe peaches, cut in half, pit removed

STEPS

For the peaches

· For the strawberries: Combine the fruit, liqueur and sugar in a medium bowl. Mix to coat evenly, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.

· For the cakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard muffin

pan with 12 paper liners.

· Sift together the cake flour, half of the sugar (Dcup plus 2 tablespoons)

and the salt; sift the mixture 2 more times.

· Combine the egg whites, water, lemon juice, cream of tartar and the

vanilla and almond extracts in the bowl of a stand mixer (use a balloon whisk attachment) or hand-held electric mixer. Beat on low speed for 1 minute to incorporate the ingredients, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is foamy and has increased in volume by 4 to 5 times. The foam will hold a very soft shape when the whip is lifted out of it.

· Add the remaining sugar (Dcup plus 2 tablespoons), 1 tablespoon at

a time. The foam should be a glossy white and hold a soft peak when the

Recipe finder Search more than 3,200 Post-tested recipes at www.washingtonpost.com/recipes

on washingtonpost.com

Angel Food ’Shortcakes’

whisk or beaters are lifted out. Do not overbeat.

· Transfer the beaten egg white mixture to a large mixing bowl. Sift

about one-quarter of the flour-sugar mixture over the egg whites, then use a large rubber spatula to gently fold the mixture into the egg whites. Repeat until all of the flour mixture is incorporated. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each one at least three-quarters full. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the cakes are firm to the touch and their tops are lightly browned. Let the cakes rest in the pan for 5 minutes; then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

· For the peaches: Prepare the grill for direct heat. If using a gas grill,

preheat to medium-high (450 degrees). If using a charcoal grill, light the charcoal or wood briquettes; when the briquettes are ready, distribute them evenly under the cooking area. For a medium-hot fire, you should be able to hold your hand about 6 inches above the coals for about 4 or 5 seconds. Lightly coat a grill rack with oil and place it on the grill.

· Place the peach halves on the grill, cut sides down. Cover and grill for 3

to 4 minutes, until the peaches have grill marks and are heated through.

?

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Have recipe questions?

Use a spatula and/or tongs to loosen the fruit and flip it over. Cover and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until the skin of the peaches loosens. Transfer the peaches to a clean plate; carefully remove and discard the skins.

· To assemble: Working with one cake at a time, carefully remove and

discard the paper liners and place the cakes on their sides. Use a serrated knife to cut each one into 3 equal slices (cross-section), which will be the bottom, middle and top.

· Place 1 set of bottom and middle slices on a plate. Slice one of the

peach halves into 5 or 6 slices and fan them out over the cake slices. Spoon about Acup of the strawberries over the peaches, making sure to include some of the juice. Stack the middle slice with fruit on top of the bottom slice with fruit to form a kind of shortcake. Top with the remaining (top) slice of cake. Repeat to prepare all 6 servings.

· Serve immediately.

NUTRITION | Per serving: 170 calories, 3 g protein, 36 g carbohydrates, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 75 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber, 27 g sugar

on washingtonpost.com/recipes

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