Whole Wheat Loaf with Poppy Seeds

I love baking bread, the way it fills up the house with its smell!  This is a whole wheat version of a poppy seed loaf, change the whole wheat to all purpose or bread flour if you prefer a white loaf.

1 cup water

1 cup milk + 2 tbsp

2 packages traditional yeast

3 1/2 tbsp butter at room temperature

5 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 egg

3 tbsp Poppy Seeds

Warm water and milk to a tepid temperature (be careful not to have it too hot or it will kill the yeast).  Sprinkle yeast on top to proof.  Leave for 10 minutes.

Put salt, butter and flour into a large bowl.  Add yeast/milk/water and knead until elastic and shiny.

Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel and leave the dough to rise in a warm spot for about 35 min or until doubled in size.

Line 2 baking sheets with a clean dish with parchment paper or butter three 9x5x3 inch loaf pans.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and divide it in half of 3 depending on how large you want your loaves.  Shape them nicely and then lightly oil or butter the tops of them.  Cover with a clean dish towel again and leave in a warm place to rise for another 20 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Whisk egg in a small bowl with 1 tbsp water.  Brush on loaves and sprinkle with poppy seeds.   Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through and nicely golden.  Leave to cool on wire racks.

Honey Mustard Chicken Wraps

Here is something the kids will actually eat that isn't french fries or chicken nuggets.

8 small whole wheat flour tortillas

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 cup milk

3 tbsp honey mustard

1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

1 tbsp butter

1 lb boneless skinless chicken cut into thin strips

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 sweet red pepper, cut into thin strips

2 cups shredded romaine or leaf lettuce

1. Preheat oven or toaster ovento 350 F.  Wrap tortillas in a large foil package and warm in oven for 5 to 10 min.
2. Meanwhile, in a measuring cup or bowl, whisk together cornstarch, milk, honey mustard, salt and pepper.  
3. In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium high heat; saute chicken and garlic just until chicken is starting to brown.  Add red pepper; saute for 2 min.  Stir milk mixture and stir into skillet.  Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 min or until thickened and chicken is no longer pink inside.
4. Spoon filling along centre of each tortilla and top with shredded lettuce.   Fold up bottom of tortilla, then fold in sides to enclose filling.

Whole Wheat Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 egg

Blueberry Maple Syrup
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp water
1 tsp cornstarch

• In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda until well mixed.
• In a smaller bowl, whisk together the yogurt, milk, vegetable oil and stir until combined (a few lumps are ok - don't over stir).
• Pour a thin film of vegetable oil into a large skillet or griddle (never mind if yours is nonstick).  Heat on a burner set to medium; its ready when a drop of water begins to sizzle in the pan.  Spoon the batter into the pan, by tablespoonfuls - depending on the size of your pan, you may be able to cook 6 to 8 little pancakes at a time or 3 medium sized ones.  Cook about 2 minutes per side, turning over once, until browned on both sides and cooked through (the batter should not be gummy in the middle).  Transfer to a heatproof plate and keep warm in a 200F oven until you've cooked all the pancakes.  

Blueberry Maple Syrup

• In a medium sized microwave safe bowl, combine the blueberries and the maple syrup.  Microwave on high power 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, stirring halfway through.
• In a small bowl stir together the water and cornstarch.  Stir into the blueberry mixture and microwave for another 30 seconds.  Remove from microwave and transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  Let cool for a few minutes before serving with pancakes.