11 Grain Peanut Butter Blackberry Rolls with Vanilla Honey Glaze

"Be the conquering hero!" I tell myself this every day and when it comes to my kids lunch boxes, I want to make it fun. I want to be "that mom" who does crazy cool lunch box ideas that dazzle second graders. I'm not that mom but if you are...then you know who you are. The ones who look at pinterest for hours and lose sleep thinking of new lunch ideas. I love you. Just so you know.  Don't get me wrong. I do have my moments. In fact, I secretly love it when my boys come home and say, "My friend wants you to make his lunches. His are boring. " Sadly, I have to admit, that I'm not even close to being "that mom" yet. I do pack pretty healthy meals with some fun ideas most of the time. Sometimes, it's just veggie corn dogs and some homemade healthy cookie. Apple. I'm boring myself just typing it. {Blah, blah, blah...} Come on lady! Get to the point.

I asked myself, "Why not be the mom who sent a sweet roll for lunch?!" I mean, it's almost as good as dad giving them chocolate cake for breakfast. Right? Please say I'm right. Okay, it's hard to top cake for breakfast as being excited about a lunch. I promise these are better though. They're made with 11 grain dough, natural peanut butter and freeze dried blackberries. They're drizzled with a vanilla honey when they are still warm and that stuff just melts right into the dough so the buns stay soft and moist. Now that I think about it...It does make me a conquering hero. Please don't think I'm that chick who rocks the lunch boxes and gives the kids sandwiches cut out with cookie cutters to look like sea horses to go with goldfish crackers.  I'm the mom who thinks ahead enough every couple of weeks to make freezer Grab-n-Go Lunchbox Ideas. My kids for now, think it's cool. They may not feel that way as teenagers. Lunch box with napkin note that says, "Mom loves you! Xoxo! (smiley face)".

 So. Lunch box hero, let's get down to business. 

 You will need a half batch of the  11 Grain Molasses Bread dough. When it's ready to be formed into a loaf, simply roll it out on a lightly floured counter top that's been dusted with flour. 
It should be 24 inches by 18 inches. I generally roll the roll the short way so I can make about 24 1 inch slices in the the finished roll. You can do a dozen instead and make them big-honkin' wedges if you want. For kids, this size is just perfect. 
Spread dough with a very thin layer of natural peanut butter. I just want a hint of flavor, not an oozing mess of melting peanut butter. Too much, and it will be funky. I used about 1/2 cup for the whole deal. So...plan accordingly.

I sprinkle the peanut butter with 1/2 cup crystal xylitol (you can use sugar I just wanted it lower sugar today) and then I crumbled 1/2 cup Freeze Dried Blackberries over the peanut butter. You can use blackberry jam but I liked how these baked and added a really pronounced blackberry flavor to the rolls. 

Roll into a large log thing. You know what I mean when I say that right?

Cut into 24 wedges of happiness with a sharp knife and place on 2 parchment lined baking sheets. Lightly spray with oil and cover to raise 1 1/2 hour.

Bake 350 degrees 25-30 minutes until  cooked through. 

To make vanilla honey glaze, combine 1/2 cup honey with  and 1 tsp vanilla. Stir until well combined. When rolls are still warm, spread the glaze using a pastry brush. 

Put each roll in a sandwich bag and place the bags in a gallon size freezer bag. This gives you 24 little self contained peanut butter lunch-rolls from the conquering hero! Waawhhoo. Wow. I just said Waawhhoo. That's pretty cool to feel that way about making lunch! 

There you go. Make some amazing rolls of love for the family...or for yourself. 

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

11 grain Mixed Berry Jalapeno Cheese-Popper Pinwheels

 This is really crazy, but I have to share these...in spirit. I'm not sharing in real life. They are mine.  These are the most ridiculously divine sweet-savory pinwheels I've ever decided to set forth in foodie form. There. There's the word. I'm sure in the future there will be amazing things...but today, this one is the one that makes my sweet little chef heart go pitter-de-patter. Yeah. Chef hearts have a little "de" in the middle of the pitter-patter. It's like our personal pause for effect. 

To make these whole grain love bombs, you'll need 1/2 batch of the 11 Grain Molasses Bread. When the dough has raised and is ready to form into loaves, lightly flour a counter-top and roll dough out to 1/2 inch thickness in a rectangle. Usually I go for about 24 inches by 18 inches. 

You will need:
1 cup naturally sweetened mixed berry jam. ( I use homemade freezer jam)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 cup cheddar or mozzarella cheese
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and chopped fine. 

Spread the jam over the rectangle, leaving a 1 inch margin around the outside of the dough. 

 Spread with cheese. 

 Roll up the dough tightly and pinch the seam. Turn seam side down and cut with a sharp knife into 24 slices.

 Place slices onto a parchment lined baking sheet, 1-2 inches apart.

Allow to raise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly sprinkle with a little sea salt before baking. That's the magic step. Lightly salted.  Bake 25-30 minutes. While still warm you may spread with a thin layer of butter or garlic infused olive oil to add some extra sheen. That of course is totally optional but I'm telling you in the name of all that's right...you can't go wrong with a kiss of garlic olive oil. 

Boom-chicka-waaaa-waaaa! Check them out! Imagine me snapping my fingers and moving my head back and forth in a very sassy manner right now. 

There you go. Make some rockin' Berry-jalepeno-popper pinwheels. See how cool you sound just saying that recipe name 10 times fast. 

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

11 grain Orange Hazelnut Rolls with Tangerine Honey Glaze

It's time to get serious. I'm not really ready to give up good food to eat healthy. Who ever said that healthy food needed to taste like a tree  branch wrapped in sap? I'm not sure, but these rolls are not evil-bad...they are evil-good. Low fat, 11 whole grain goodness, toasted hazelnuts and the sweet luscious hint of orange infused olive oil nestled between the soft bread. No refined sugar. Bring it.

My son asked me, "Are these healthy?" I'm personally of the opinion that if I just sneak nutritious food into my kids, it gives them a false sense of what good food actually is. Suddenly they're in college and eating a bunch of crazy stuff...like a cinnamon rolls or brownies not baked by me. No comment on college brownies. I know what they put in those bad-boys.  How will they choose? Here's the deal-i-o. I want them to know they are eating right. I want them to know what a good food choice is. They won't always have a mom who is also a professional chef to cook for them. How does a parent empower a child to eat right if the kid doesn't have a clear idea of what eating right is?! For the same reason I teach them not to lie, I should teach them not to deep fry. Right? Have I been perfect at this? No. I'm a little bit husky myself. However, if I can unlearn bad habits, so can my kids. They have an advantage...mom is a chef.  You have an advantage reading my blog. I'm full disclosure girl. I share it with you. This is a big deal to me. I want to be part of a meaningful change in our nation's food habits. It's time to get back to how my grandma ate. Am I right? No comments on the jello salad. None.

 I took half of the dough from the 11 Grain Molasses Bread recipe and rolled it out into a 24 inch by 18 inch rectangle on a lightly floured counter top. It was gorgeous with all the beautiful grain!

 Drizzle the dough with 1/4 cup Crushed Mandarin Orange Certified Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This gives a remarkable depth to the orange flavor when you use infused oil. I'm a huge fan. 

 Zest of one orange. You can use a microplane zester. I usually do, but today I was really wanting the beautiful zest in elegant little strips. If you prefer smaller zest...use the micro zester. 

 Combine the zest with 1/2 cup natural sweetener. I use Xylitol or another sweetener called granular erythritol for sugar free natural options. 

Sprinkle the orange mixture over the honey and olive oil spread. Top with one cup chopped toasted Hazelnuts. Mmmm. Hazelnuts. 

 Roll tightly and pinch together at the seams. Cut into 24 little circular swirls of happiness.  Do you see the grain? Oh.My.Stars!

 I place the rolls on a parchment lined baking sheet and allow to raise 1 1/2 hours (or until doubled in size). Arizona is usually warm enough that I don't have to wait the full hour and a half. January is the only exception. I had to wait. If you put the rolls overlapping in cake pan or round casserole they grow together. Unlike putting kids together in the same room. That's just messy...and they fight over who gets to wear the red sweater and who has to pick up the papers off the floor...and who...Dang it. I slipped into total freakish mom right there. Sorry.

Bake them in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. When they are warm, do something evil.  Drizzle with any flavored honey of your choice. I'm always partial to maple hazelnut honey or tangerine. 

There you go. One awesome and amazing new breakfast and snack to add to your healthy lifestyle. You know I love you right? Of course. Share the love! Now you make some! Xoxo!

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

11 grain Molasses Sandwich Bread

This post has been a long time coming. For those who don't know, I joined a fitness challenge last month. Smack-in-the-crack-dab-middle of the month of December. Yikes. Who does that? Well...I did. I've had a great time getting rid of some of my pet habits and eating more whole grain. If that's at all possible for me to eat more whole grain...but indeed I've cut out all white flour. That's been crazy cool. I haven't missed it. A while ago I introduced you to my 9 grain ciabatta. That glorious-love-fest of a bread is made with whole cracked pieces of grain. I'm freakishly in love with the blending of flavors in the   Nine Grain Cracked Cereal Mix that hard red wheat, soft white wheat, barley, rye, oats, corn, millet, buckwheat and flax seeds...

I

Well. My friends at Honeyville Farms asked me to try a new flour they came out with that essentially is made from the 9 grain cereal mix. I got free whole grain flour and got to play. Um...would I ever turn that down?!.  In the process of using the flour I got to come up with some recipes they will be using in  their stores and company cookbook. Flattery. Big time! Plus, who offers a whole grain chef the chance to play with flour without said chef just about popping?! I had a smile on my face for a week. {As if that is new.} When the package arrived, I'm not going to lie,  I was swirling with ideas. I was also a little nervous. What if I didn't like the flour at all? I have to be impartial even when faced with a gig.  Well, that was not the case. I fell in love.

  Baking thoughts started  dancing and swirling in my head of what I would do with this beautiful flour. The flavor was perfect and I was very happy with the  cakes, cookies and crackers that were  now suddenly more whole grain and fabulous!  Is that possible?! What I loved most was the unassuming flavor. It wasn't overly "wheaty"...and it was nutty enough to add a good depth and dimension. It's about the same protein content as a cake flour...just a little stronger. It's actually perfect for most of my baking needs. However the protein did need a little boost for bread.  I decided to add the powerful punch of another grain to my bread as well. Teff. 

Teff is a nutritional wonder-seed  from Ethiopia...

Whole Teff close up shot. If it looks small, it's because it is small. 150 seeds of Teff will be about the size of ONE grain of wheat! This writing is small. I guess that's fitting for Teff comments I have huh?

Next I decided to add the protein boost of some Kamut (R) flour. Kamut (R) is basically the  Semolina of ancient Egypt...and as such, has a really high protein content. It makes amazing bread on it's own (and pasta). 

 I'm in heaven. This is my recipe for the 11 grain sandwich bread. Actually it's one I developed for myself and haven't even shared yet! How fun is that?! That being said,

there's nothing like a soft and smooth slice of slightly nutty whole grain bread nestling tangy cheese, sweet garden tomatoes and crispy lettuce to make you want to have whole grain every single day! Well, here's a loaf that makes a perfect addition to your lunch, brunch or dinner. The flavor of the grain is lightly sweetened by the kiss of molasses  and will make this a favorite loaf to have often.

Chef Tess 11 Grain Molasses Sandwich Bread

yield 4 loaves

6 cups Honeyville 9 grain flour  (Plus 1 cup extra for kneading if you need more flour)

6 Cups Honeyville Kamut (R)  flour

1/2 cup Whole Teff seed 

2 tsp salt

1/4 cup  Honeyville vital wheat gluten powder

2 tsp active dry yeast 

5 1/2  cups water, cool 100 degrees or less 

1 cup Xylitol natural sweetener or 1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup molasses 

Directions:

•  Combine the yeast, water, molasses,  and xylitol (our brown sugar if you use it)  in a large 2 gallon bowl or bucket. Set aside and let the yeast activate.
•  In a separate bowl, combine flours, Teff, salt,  and vital wheat gluten.  

•  Add the flour mixture to the water mixture and stir until well combined. Allow to rest 10 minutes to absorb moisture. This step will help your bread to be moist and tender.Dough will be slightly sticky but begin to knead after the ten minute rest for 5 minutes by mixer (medium speed) or 600 turns by hand until dough is soft and supple. 

• Roll into a ball and place in an un-oiled bowl or covered bucket until doubled in size (about 2 hours in a room around 77 degrees). 

• Punch down the dough and remove from the bowl. Divide into two pieces on a counter top lightly misted with water or a very very fine dusting of flour. Do not add much flour to the work surface and do not oil the work surface. I generally will mist the surface lightly with water and it keeps from sticking. 

•  Form each piece of dough into a loaf by patting out into a rectangle 8 inches by 18 inches. Fold the rectangle in thirds, like a travel brochure, leaving the 8 inch width. Roll the dough into a loaf and pinch the ends and seams well. (For more on my loaf molding technique and a picture tutorial go here. 

•  Place seam side down into an 8 inch by 4 inch greased loaf pan. Repeat and form your remaining loaves.

•  Place loves in a draft free area covered loosely with a piece of plastic or a large plastic tub. Allow to raise 1 hour or more, until doubled in size.

•  Pre-heat oven to 425 degree. Place loaves in HOT oven and close. Bake 15 minutes at this high temperature. Open oven. Lower temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking 20-25 minutes until done (internal temperature of 170 degrees or more). Remove from pans and allow to cool before slicing. Store in a tightly sealed bag to retain moisture.

There you go! Happy New Year!

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess