To follow with the theme of "Using Whatcha Got"...the next two recipes are awesome!
Mama's with TONS of kiddo's rely on oatmeal as a staple, healthy , inexpensive way to feed A LOT of munchkins..often time I make a lil' too much ....Here is some great YUMMY options to use up that cold glupey mess that you usually try to shove down the garbage disposal! Waste not, want not!
...The bread seems alot of work...but REALLY is Fabulous and easy. The bread is just so chewy and dense. the muffins are fast and easy..I eve mixed them up in my old oatmeal pan...after it had cooled after breakfast...Great after school snack!
I have pics of both and will post soon!
Making bread with with leftover cooked grains is a great way to use them up; you can make this recipe successfully with plain leftover rice, millet, quinoa, etc.
Found this recipe
here.
Serves 2 loaves
Oatmeal Starter:
2 cups cooked oatmeal
2 cups water (or 1 cup water and 1 cup milk)
1/4 cup softened butter
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour or whole wheat flour
1.Mix oatmeal, water, milk (if using), butter, salt, and yeast in a blender and then pour into a large bowl. Add 1 cup of flour and mix well: it should resemble a thick gruel. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and leave for 12-24 hours at room temperature to ferment.
Bread:
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
approx. 6 cups all purpose unbleached flour or whole wheat flour
1.After the 12-24 hours, mix the sweetener into the starter dough. Stir in 2 cups white or wheat flour.
2.As you add the remaining 4 cups of flour (more or less), the mixture will become too difficult to stir by hand, so you can either mix it in Kitchen Aid mixer with the bread dough hook, or you can use your hands to knead in the flour in the bowl. When most of the flour has been incorporated and the dough is no longer sticky, transfer it to a floured surface.
3.Knead the bread dough for 10-15 minutes more or until dough is soft and springy. Wash and dry your mixing bowl and spread with a little butter. Place dough into the bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
4.When dough has risen sufficiently, punch it down. Remove from the mixing bowl and divide the dough into two equal portions. Knead each ball a bit more and then place your dough into two bread pans, or shape as you like (I usually make mine into round/oval shapes) and place on lightly buttered cookie sheet. If you want to make smaller loaves instead, go ahead. If you make 2 loaves, they will be pretty large, so you could make 3-4 smaller ones instead.
5.It will take about 45-60 minutes for the loaves to approximately double in size, so you should preheat the oven to 350°F. about 30 minutes into this rising.
6.Slash the top of each loaf 3-4 times with a serrated knife, and then place in the oven. Bake anywhere from 25-50 minutes, depending on the size and shape of your loaves. The bread is done when golden brown and a tap on the bottom of each loaf makes a hollow noise.
7.At this point, it's probably very hard to wait, but allow your bread to cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before slicing. If you baked your loaves in bread pans, allow them to cool in the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to the rack. If you don't wait for the bread to cool, it will have a gummy texture when you slice it, and you'll probably end up ruining the lovely appearance of your loaves, so do try to be patient!
MUFFINS!
These are so great...EASY and YUMMY! And what I LOVE is that it does not matter if you have already added raisins, brown sugar ...or anything else the first time around...just adds more flavor! I found this recipe
here.
Ingredients:
1 cup flour (I use white or wheat)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup leftover cooked oatmeal
1 cup raisins (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 28 mins
1 In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda.
2 In another bowl, mix together melted butter, eggs, oatmeal, raisins and vanilla;. (I used half raisens and half Chocolate Chips)
3 Add to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.
4 The batter will seem thick, but don't worry. Any time I've added extra liquid the muffins turned out crumbly.
5 Spoon batter into 12 greased muffin cups. 6 Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes, or until the muffin centers are slightly firm.
