Wednesday, March 10, 2010

HBin5 Catch-up Post

I joined a group called Healthy Bread in Five based on the book:  We are working our way through the book, but I haven't done very well so far.  I've missed several of the recipes.  I am going to try to get caught up on some of them here.


These are the red beet buns from the book.  I have never even touched a beet before so I was a little hesitant but excited about baking the this bread for the HBin5 challenge. They are the most beautiful vegetable when you cut them up. The vibrant red juice goes everywhere and stains everything in its path, but it's okay because it is so pretty! I didn't really care for the smell, though. They kind of smell like dirt. I was just hoping the whole time that they wouldn't actually taste like dirt.




Instead of grating the beets (laziness) I chopped them some and threw them into the food processor to chop. I wish I would have left them in there a little longer and made more of a puree, because there ended up being some larger chunks throughout the dough.



The dough turned this gorgeous purple color after resting in the refrigerator for 48 hours.

I took the rolls I made to work for "Red Food Day" in honor of Valentine's Day.  I didn't tell anyone what they were and just put them in a bowl with a stick of butter set in front of it.  There were only a couple left by the end of the day (out of about 18). 



I thought they were pretty good.  I don't know that I will ever make them again, but I may attempt to cook beets in a different way. 


Southwestern Focaccia with Chicken, Feta and Onions



One of the challenges for March is the Southwestern Focaccia with Roasted Corn and Goat Cheese.  I had to change this a lot so my family would eat it.  I traded feta for goat cheese because I knew my child would not go near goat cheese.  I also didn't use the corn- didn't sound good to me.  So in other words, I made this recipe my own.  I used the Whole Wheat Bread with Olive Oil recipe from the book and made it into a free form pizza crust.



It turned out really good, but it was very spicy.  I shouldn't have put the entire 1-1/2 tsp of ground ancho chile powder in the sauce.  It was way too spicy for us (we're kind of wimpy when it comes to heat). 

The last post I will make for now is the loaf of Whole Wheat Bread with Olive Oil I made.  I am still getting used to the homemade whole wheat bread taste.  I wish it tasted a little more like some of the store bought bread I buy sometimes.  I just haven't found the recipe that I absolutely love.  BUT I will keep trying.  One loaf at a time.


18 comments:

  1. I think your beet buns are the prettiest I've seen.. so plump and delicious looking. I'm guessing everybody loved them. Congrats for being brave enough to tackle an unknown veggie. Hope you'll try them again, they really are good- one of my favorites. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your Red Beet Buns are gorgeous! I like the chunks for beet which add so much color and texture!

    I'm with you on the hot, spicy foods but always adjust spicy seasonings down a notch or 2!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like the chunks of beets, and your pictures are terrific.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Everything looks fabulous. I'm not a beet eater, but I could go for that focaccia bread right now!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh my goodness your breads look wonderful!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am impressed by your attempts and the results! I would be so curious to taste beets in bread! (I love them in salads)

    ReplyDelete
  7. love the beet buns and your doing great i don't make everyone so no worries Rebecca

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love the chunky beets. So pretty. I really liked this bun with a sandwich. All of your breads look so pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I loved the beet buns, everything about them. I hadn't thought to used chunks, but it looks beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I loved the color of the beet dough, but it seemed to turn my family off. And your pizza turned out looking really yummy. If you can't get caught up, just jump right in with the current recipe--less hassle that way!
    ~Jenny~

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great job on your buns and focaccia. I think the soft whole wheat sandwich bread is the closest to the store.

    ReplyDelete
  12. These look great! And if you're looking for a recipe from the book that tastes like the bread you buy at the supermarket, I'd recommend trying the Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread recipe. Tastes just like the expensive stuff at the grocery store and has a lovely soft texture that's great for take-to-work sandwiches. My husband even liked it.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Your beet buns are beautiful! And you're right, they do smell like dirt! My favorite recipe for beets is really messy, but quick if you have a food processor. From gourmet, grate some beets, saute in butter and add a couple tb of lime juice. It's really tasty! And then there are a ton of beet/goat cheese/craisin-blueberry/almond salads. We were getting a ton of beets in the csa box. :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thank you so much for all the nice comments! I like these recipes because they get me out of my box and make me try new ingredients that I would never think to use.

    Joy...thank you for the idea for the beets cooked in olive oil. I will definitely have to try that.

    Daphne

    ReplyDelete
  15. All of these breads look quite delicious! I kind of like the little red dots in your beet buns. Polka dot bread anyone?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Your beet buns looked great, beautiful color. The foccaccia looked mouth watering and I thought your loaf looked very nice.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I think your red beet buns look great! They did smell a little like dirt, but I didn't think they tasted that way. Your focaccia looks delicious! Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  18. You did a great job! I agree with you in so many ways....yes, beats smell (and to me taste) like dirt. Whole wheat is not my favorite flavor (which may be a good thing so I don't pig out on every loaf I make). I bought white whole wheat, which helped and now i'm decreasing the whole wheat amount by half and replacing it with the ap flour...which is helping a lot!

    ReplyDelete