Top o’ the mornin’ to ye!  St. Patrick’s Day is here again, one of the favorite holidays around the ol’ Flamingo Pond.  The husband is half-Irish, and back when we got married, we made a deal:  I would get all the Jewish holidays and he would get St. Patrick’s Day and Christmas.  I took this to be a pretty fair compromise, since the only holidays he wanted were the ones involving good food, good drink, and prezzies!  And we like to start the morning with a slab of old-fashioned Irish Brown Bread.  This is not the sweet bread with raisins or some such, that you might find in stores, today.  Real Soda Bread is just that – bread. Slice it up for sandwiches, chunk it up to sop up soup or gravy, toast it up & slather with good butter, a piece of cheese, maybe some jam.

We don’t dye anything green around here, no sir!  From the beginning, we’ve only made traditional Irish recipes, prepared as closely as possible to the traditional ways.

One of the really lovely things about this bread is that it’s pretty quick to make. Just mix up the dough – either by hand or mixer with a dough hook – form it up and bake.  No resting time, no rising time.  You can have this on the table, all warm, crusty, and ready to eat in about an hour!  And I’ll bet you have the ingredients ready to go, right now.  So, let’s do it:

Irish Brown Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 cups stone ground whole wheat flour
• 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 3 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 Tbs. sugar, honey, or molasses (optional)
• 2 1/2 cups soured milk *

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425° F.

In a large bowl (or your mixer bowl), combine the flours, salt, and baking soda. Mix well.  Add the sweetener (if using),  and add the milk, a little at a time, mixing well.  The dough should be firm and still just a bit sticky.

Divide the dough into two pieces, form into firm balls, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or pan liner.  Flatten each ball slightly with your hand, to about 2-3 inches thick.  Slash an X across the top of each loaf (to let the fairies out, of course!).

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the loaves sound hollow when the bottoms are rapped with your knuckle, or an instant-read thermometer inserted through the side indicates at least 192° F.

* Yes, I actually let milk go naturally sour for this. Don’t go freaking out. No, it’s not going to hurt you.  After all, that’s how basic farmers cheeses historically got their starts, and the natural acids work with the baking soda to get the dough rising.  And it’s a great way to use up milk that’s “gone off” on you.  If you don’t have any soured milk on hand, just measure out your milk and add either a teaspoon of lemon juice or a teaspoon of white vinegar, mix it well and let it sit till it reaches room temperature.

Don’t save this just for St. Patrick’s Day, either! This is a tasty, healthy bread that’s great all year long, especially if you just noticed that you’ve run out of bread for sandwiches or snacks.

More St. Patrick’s Day food ideas:

• Mashed Potato Biscuits (Irish Potato Cakes)
• Shepherd’s Pie for St. Patrick’s Day
• Chicken in (Non-Dairy) Tarragon Cream Sauce
• Colcannon (Mashed Potato with Cabbage and Leeks)

Even though it’s Yom Kippur and I’m not eating or drinking, that doesn’t mean that we don’t feed and water our pets – including our local wild yeast sourdough starter.

Last night, I fed Yeastie 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. unbleached all purpose flour and 3 Tbs. warm water. After about 2 hours, it looked like this:

Another hour after that, it hit the 20 oz. mark. I was very excited.

And here’s where we were this morning, before feeding:

I think we’re well on our way to the doubling that we’re looking for. Perhaps by tonight. So cool!

This morning’s breakfast (for Yeastie, not me) consisted of the same as last night: 6 Tbs (1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs) of flour and 3 Tbs of water.

How’s yours doing?

Today is Day 3 in my quest to create a wild yeast sourdough starter unique to my neighborhood.

Last night, at the 36 hour mark, I stirred down my starter mixture and added 3 Tbs. unbleached all purpose flour plus 2 Tbs. warm water.

This morning, now a full 48 hours into the process, it looked exactly like it did yesterday morning. So, I stirred it down again and this time, added a 1/4 cup of flour plus 2 Tbs. warm water.

I also transferred my infant starter into a 4 cup clear container (it’s actually the blender cup that came with my stick blender), and covered it with some plastic wrap, leaving a small gap in the back to allow any fermentation gases to escape.

I did this for 2 reasons: First, so that it would be more clearly visible; and second, so I could better measure the quantity of starter and any rise and fall. The latest feeding took the quantity up to just about exactly 12 ounces.

The photos below were taken about 3 hours later. As you can see, there’s not really much in the way of “rise” – at least, so far – but there’s some good, healthy bubbleage going on!

I invited my Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day (HBin5) baking group buddies to join in this little project, and I’m happy to say that several of them will. One of the group, Elwood, who lives in Kentucky, reports that he’s been baking from a local wild yeast starter for about a year, now. Here’s Elwood’s story.

Also, timing being everything – or maybe it’s just a case of “great minds think alike” (Ha!), I just discovered that Nicole of the popular blog, Pinch My Salt, has also just created a wild yeast starter, with day-by-day updates! Nicole’s journey started here a couple of weeks ago, although she used the “pineapple juice method”. Interestingly, even though she used different flour and started with juice rather than water, her daily progress seems to be tracking mine almost exactly, to this point. (Notice that I also stole Nicole’s rubber band marking idea!)

Seems like lots of us are in the mood for Sourdough!

Need to catch up? Click here to see how it all began on my Day One. Here’s Day Two.

Yesterday I began my quest to capture South Miami wild yeast in an effort to create a viable sourdough starter that is truly unique to my neighborhood. The goal: The ultimate in local and sustainable – a bread (or rolls or biscuits, etc.) that could only have been made right here, in my house, in my town. If it works and we enjoy the end product, I can theoretically keep this starter and continue to bake with it for years to come! Cool, huh?

If you’re playing along – and feel free to start anytime that’s convenient for you – or if you’ve done this before, please share your experiences or ask questions in the comments section. That’s where the conversation will take place. And if you’re blogging about your journey with us, let me know and I’ll link to your posts.

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that, after 12-24 hours, some bubbles and/or a layer of clear or brownish liquid could appear on the top of your newborn starter. I began my starter at 8:00 a.m. yesterday, left it in my laundry room (the warmest room in my house), and went to check on it and give it its 12 hour feeding at 8:00 p.m. Sure enough, there was a layer of clear liquid floating on top! I stirred the liquid back into the starter, then stirred in 2 Tbs. of unbleached all purpose flour plus 2 Tbs. of warm water, covered it (leaving a gap for any gases to escape), and left it for the night.

This morning, at the 24 hour mark, it looked like this:

A creamy layer of bubbles had appeared during the night! Below that, was an amber colored layer of liquid. This layer of brownish liquid is commonly called “hooch”. Right now, the mixture smells more acidic than yeasty, but that should change as the “good” yeasts and bacteria edge out any nasties that might have been picked up during the collection process.

Click on the photos to see the process in more detail. I sized them a little larger than usual so the details can be seen more clearly.

I stirred the mixture again and fed Yeastie his breakfast of 2 Tbs. of flour plus 2 Tbs. of warm water. I felt that the mixture was too thin, so I added another tablespoon of flour. This seemed to bring it back up to the right consistency of thick pancake batter.

I realize now that, as the starter increases in volume, it will require more food to sustain it. So, tonight I’ll give it another 3 Tbs. of flour and 2 Tbs. of water. Tomorrow, it may require a full 1/4 cup of flour (4 Tbs.), but we’ll see.

I think I’m off to a good start, though. How’s yours?

Need to catch up? Click here to see how it all began.

Come play with me.

I’ve been reading a lot about wild yeast, recently, and I’m intrigued. Okay, let me backtrack. Ever since I tasted it in its own environment, well over 20 years ago, I’ve been fascinated by San Francisco sourdough bread. Until (relatively) recently, I was under the impression that the only place you could get good sourdough bread was in San Francisco. Many years ago, I even mail-ordered SF sourdough starter, but killed it. Or something. Now, with all this “homesteading” and “urban domestication” and “local/sustainable” stuff trending (and lord knows I’m not knocking it! or mocking it, either, for that matter!), people out there are not only baking their own bread, but making their own wild yeast starters, too! And they don’t even live anywhere near San Francisco!

I admit it. I’ve been a tad uninspired in the kitchen, lately. At least when it comes to making anything other than jam. I’ve been baking lots of soft whole wheat sandwich bread for the South Miami Farmers Market – mostly as a vehicle to give out jam samples – and there are some devotees who buy the bread and rolls I make on a regular basis. And that makes me happy. It really does. So, I got to thinking. What would a South Miami wild yeast sourdough taste like? And you, out there: What would a New Hampshire wild yeast sourdough taste like? Or Miami Beach? Or Arizona? Or Virginia? Or wherever you live? Curious?

I’ve done a bunch of research and I’m pretty sure I’ve got a fair idea of how this is supposed to work. And it’s pretty easy to do. You just have to remember to feed the little brat. Much like having another pet. Except you don’t have to walk it, clean its litter box, or change the paper in it’s cage.

Wild yeast is in the air. It’s everywhere, and as many places as there are in the world, every strain is different. And with few exceptions (and no, I don’t know what they are), they should all make some pretty decent bread. All you have to do is ask them to dinner. So I’m told.

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to make my own local sourdough starter, and if it lives, I’m then going to bake with it. I’m going to post day-by-day instructions and pictures and progress (or failure) everyday over the next several weeks, and I’d like you to join me and play along. I started at 8:00 this morning. You can start now, or wait until you get home from work, or after dinner, or tomorrow morning. I’m no expert, but which of us is born one? Let’s share the learning experience!

Today is Day One

I hear that fall (or spring) is the perfect time to begin a wild yeast starter, and this is all you need to do:

Get a glass or plastic container (pictured is a 3-cup plastic food storage container) and rinse it well in hot water. We don’t want any soap residue killing off our microbial guests. In it, mix flour (I used unbleached all purpose) and warm water (I used my tap water). I used 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbs. flour to 1/2 cup warm tap water. I’m told that wild yeast loves vitamin C, so I added 1/8 tsp. of bottled lemon juice. Mix it up until the mixture is nice and smooth – you want it to be the consistency of thick pancake batter.

Now, take it outside – your yard, patio, balcony, or even the windowsill by an open window – and leave it there for about an hour (I left mine for 90 minutes, but then, I’m an overachiever). If, like me, you’re afraid something might fall into it, cover it loosely with a layer of cheesecloth, or even the container lid, partially opened.

Look! Bubbles! Did I manage to catch some yeastie beasties? Well, it’s really too early to tell.

Now, bring the container inside and cover it loosely with its lid, leaving a bit of a gap for any gases to escape, and leave it in a warm place. My laundry room is the warmest room in the house, so that’s Yeastie’s new home. (That green color is just the reflection from the tin my container is sitting on, not some ghastly malfunction.)

In a few hours (before you go to bed tonight, or when you get up in the morning), stir it up thoroughly, even if there’s nothing to see. My information says that, in 12-24 hours, you might see some bubbleage and maybe a layer of clear or brownish liquid on top. That’s perfectly normal and you should stir it all back together again before giving your starter its next feeding.

I’m going to feed my starter about every 12 hours for the first week, mixing in 2 Tbs. of flour plus 2 Tbs. of warm water, so that’s what you should plan on, too.

So, will you keep me company? Please feel free to let me know and, of course!, ask questions in the Comments. I’ll answer you there, too and if you post your progress on your own blog, I’ll link to it. C’mon! Let’s play!

This Cheesy Italian Bread is for The Secret Recipe Club, created by Amanda of Amanda’s Cookin’. This is how it works: Every month, you get to scour the blog of another member of the club (assigned to you by Amanda), and pick out and cook or bake any recipe from that person’s blog. And of course, it’s a Secret. Until the big reveal, that is.

This month, I was assigned Little House on the Prairie Living by Merissa, a modern homesteader and frugal living expert, who lives in South Dakota. Merissa is a veritable fount of information and tips on everything from couponing in South Dakota to making a cute dress out of a bedsheet and old tank top for, like, a buck-twenty-eight. And recipes? Oh, yeah, she’s got recipes.

Seeing as I’ve been baking quite a lot of bread, lately, I chose to try her Cheesy French Bread recipe. Merissa uses her bread machine on the “dough” cycle to get a start on her bread, a basic French-style sandwich bread, that she topped with cheddar and Parmesan. I don’t own a bread machine (anymore), and decided to adapt her recipe, using my mixer with the bread hook to mix and knead, and used my second oven (set to 120º F) as a proof box. I also took about a cup of finely shredded cheddar cheese and mixed it right into the dough. Here’s what I did, tracking Merissa’s recipe:

Cheesy French Bread (liberally adapted from Little House on the Prairie Living)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water (not over 120º F)
1 Tbs. yeast
1 Tbs. sugar
4 cups flour (I used half bread flour & half unbleached AP flour)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation:

You can do this completely by hand, but since my old carpal tunnel problem is attempting to rear its ugly head, I used my stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.

Put the yeast in a large bowl, add the warm water, and stir to dissolve. Add the sugar, followed by the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and the salt. Then add the cheese. If doing this by hand, knead on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes, or until the dough feels smooth and silky. If using the mixer, run it on the first speed until the bowl is completely clean, and the dough is wrapped in a ball around the dough hook, with a smooth and silky texture. Form the dough into a ball.

Lightly grease a large bowl (I used a couple of spritzes of cooking spray), roll the dough ball around in it, cover with a kitchen towel, and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled (about 30-35 minutes). In the meantime, preheat your oven to 400º F.

When the dough is fully risen (stick your finger into it – if the indentation stays, your dough is fully proofed), divide it into two balls, cover, and allow to rest for about 10 minutes. Form each ball into a long loaf shape, place it on a large cookie sheet, brush with water, and slash each one a couple of times diagonally with a razor or sharp knife.

Bake for 25 – 30 minutes. To test, tap the bottom of each loaf with your fingers. If it sounds hollow, it’s done. Alternatively, insert the probe of an instant-read thermometer. If it reads over 190º F, it’s done.

Next time, I would probably add some more cheese to this. You can never have enough cheese, right?

What? Of course it goes great with jam! ->Giggle!<-

It was really fun, searching through another blogger’s recipe posts for inspiration and a different point of view. Wanna play? Join the Secret Recipe Club here.

Now follow along and see who got who – I can’t wait to see who got me and what they chose to make from my eclectic collection. Will it be a dessert? A main course? A 30-minute family meal? Let’s find out together!

Continuing yesterday’s discussion, I said that we’re not permitted to eat any yeast-raised breads during Passover. But we all still have to go to work and the kids have to go to school, so what are we supposed to do about lunch?

I remember, as a kid, having to go to school with sandwiches made out of a couple of pieces of matzo with some of last night’s leftovers in between. You ever try to eat a slice of meatloaf sandwiched in matzo? Not a pretty picture. Not to mention, messy.

Manischewitz, the kosher foods company, used to put out a collection of Passover recipes every year. You’d get this big, fold-out flyer containing a list of recipes and suggested menus, for free with your Passover foods order from your local grocery store. My mom collected those things religiously every year. In fact, I think she still has the originals.

One year, appeared a recipe for Passover Rolls. They were made with matzo meal and eggs, and the answer to every Jewish kid’s lunchbox prayers! I still make them every year, but now that whole wheat matzo meal has become available, I use it half-and-half with regular matzo meal, trying to offset a little bit all that fat from the eggs and oil. Still, for the one week, a darned acceptable substitute for bread.

Passover Rolls (adapted from a 1960′s Manischewitz recipe)

Ingredients:

1 cup matzo meal
1 cup whole wheat matzo meal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs

Method:

Preheat oven to 375º F (190º C). Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with a silicone baking mat.

In a large mixing bowl, combine matzo meal, salt, and sugar. Mix well.

Bring water and oil to a boil. Pour the boiling water over the matzo meal mixture, and stir until blended. Beat one egg at a time into the mixture. Let stand 15 minutes.

Shape the dough into rolls with oiled hands. Arrange rolls on the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for about 50 minutes, or until golden brown and delicious.

Notes:

I’m not mentioning yield here, because you can make these into any size or shape you please, from dinner roll size to hamburger roll size. The baking time indicated is for roughly in between, but is a good guide. Adjust accordingly.

As with all breads, they’re done when they sound hollow when you tap the bottoms with your fingers.

Print this post for your Moleskine journal!

And yes, it’s Sunday. But didn’t you want to bake this today? That’s what I’ve been doing all weekend, and it’s great therapy!

Challah is a slightly sweet egg bread originally eaten by Jews at their Sabbath and Holiday dinner tables, but for many years enjoyed by everyone. Challah is undeniably the best bread you can use for french toast and bread pudding, too. This recipe is quite simply the easiest and most authentic recipe for Challah that I’ve ever baked. I can’t claim it as my own – I’ve adapted it from Secrets of a Jewish Baker by George Greenstein. MJ found the old paperback edition on the dollar rack at a used bookstore, obviously unappreciated by the previous owner. I believe it’s been reprinted and should be widely available, and if you bake bread – or want to – I highly recommend that you buy this book. And not just for the Challah.

This recipe is so good, my 89 year old, old-country mother (Lord, don’t tell her I told you how old she is – she’ll kill me! and is quite capable of it, too.) asks me to bake these for her as my gift to her for just about any gift-giving holiday (birthday, Mother’s Day, Chanukah). She even called me two weeks ago to ask me to bake them for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year). I know she’s counting on the leftovers for her freezer.

You can certainly make these into the classic braided loaves, but for Rosh Hashanah, it’s traditional for the Challah to be baked in a smooth, round turban, signifying the endless nature of God and the cycle of life. It’s also the easiest way to shape this bread, so if you have difficulty braiding, just make these simple coiled turbans. It’s just as delicious!

Challah

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
2 pkgs. active dry yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp.)
1 large whole egg, lightly beaten
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup + 1-1/2 tsp. sugar
4 to 5 cups bread flour
2 tsp. salt

flour for dusting worktop
oil or spray for greasing bowl
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp. water for egg wash
coarse cornmeal for dusting baking pan
poppy or sesame seeds for topping

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350º. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a large bowl. Add the egg, egg yolks, oil, sugar, 4 cups flour and salt. Mix well until the the dough comes away from the side of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead well, adding additional flour 1/4 cup at a time, until it is firm and smooth. This is a firm dough, so keep adding flour a little at a time while kneading, until it is smooth and elastic – about 10-15 minutes. You may need a little more than 5 cups.

Transfer the dough to a large, oiled bowl, turn so the entire surface is coated, cover, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place, until it has tripled in volume. I like my laundry room. A good test is to poke your finger into the dough. If the indentation stays, your dough is fully proofed.

Turn the dough back out onto your work surface, punch it down, and divide it in half. Cover with a towel and let rest for 15 minutes. In the meantime, prepare a large baking sheet by sprinkling it liberally with the cornmeal.

With your hands, roll each dough half into a long, fat snake, slightly larger at one end and tapering to a smaller end. With the larger end at the center, start coiling the rest of the “snake” around it. When you reach the end, tuck it underneath the coil, pressing it into the bottom of the bread.

Place each coil onto the prepared baking sheet, and brush with the egg wash. Put the baking sheet back in your warm, draft-free spot, and allow the breads to rise again, until doubled (about an hour). Brush the fully risen breads with the egg wash again, and sprinkle on the seeds, if using.

Bake for about 35 minutes. After the first 10 minutes, cover them with a “tent” of parchment paper or torn-open brown paper bag. This will prevent them from browning too quickly. Breads should be a nice dark mahogany brown, and the bottoms should be well-browned. They should sound hollow when the bottoms are thumped and there shouldn’t be any “give” when you press on the top. Remove from the pan and cool on a rack.

When thoroughly cooled, you can place the breads in a plastic freezer bag to store or freeze for future use.

*Note: I cannot tell a lie – I use my KitchenAid stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. If you do, too: after mixing the ingredients and adding sufficient flour to get the dough to form a ball around the dough hook, run the mixer at low speed, “kneading” the dough for 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it during this time, since as a firm dough, your mixer may want to take a walk.

Remember the Honey Cake recipe I posted on Monday? Well, you know I was a little concerned about letting MJ have any on the holiday. He’s doing super-well: he’s lost 55 pounds and we’re kind of slowing down the weight-loss a bit, but still limiting his sugar and carb intake. I wondered what I could do about a Honey Cake. The answer? Raw agave nectar.

Agave nectar (yes, from the cactus) is all the rage now, because it has a much lower glycemic level than sugar, while being 1-1/2 times sweeter. The raw agave nectar is much darker than the light version, and while not as thick as honey, makes a very good substitute. When you also substitute Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (or half brown sugar + half Splenda) for the straight-up brown sugar, this traditional holiday cake suddenly becomes a far healthier dessert for people with blood glucose issues, such as Type 2 Diabetes, with no loss in flavor or quality!

MJ said that he really couldn’t tell that it wasn’t “honey” cake, and absolutely loved it. I did, too! Yay!

So as your extra-special bonus, here’s the honey cake recipe again, but this time, with the appropriate substitutions. Now you’ve got something to serve friends and family with health issues, that’s really delicious, and no hint of that artificial sweetener aftertaste.

Wishing you a Healthy & Happy New Year!

Agave “Honey” Cake

Dry Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup raw agave nectar (dark)
1/2 cup Brown Sugar Blend Splenda or 1/4 cup dark brown sugar + 1/4 cup Splenda
2 large eggs
1/2 cup no-sugar-added applesauce
1/2 cup hot strong coffee

Handful of sliced almonds (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325º F.

Grease and flour a 9x5x3-inch metal loaf pan.

Sift together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat together the wet ingredients in a large bowl until blended, about 3 minutes.

Beat in the dry ingredients in 2 additions, alternating with coffee, until batter is smooth. *If you screw this up and mix the coffee in with the other wet ingredients, don’t worry about it.

Transfer batter to prepared pan. If using sliced almonds, sprinkle them on top of the batter in 2 columns, on either side of the center. Bake until cake is brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour (test with a wooden skewer).

Cool cake in pan 10 minutes. Turn out onto a rack; cool completely.

Wrap cake in plastic wrap and store at room temperature or if preparing ahead, seal in freezer storage bag and freeze.

Makes about 8 servings.

If you have any questions about either of these recipes, please leave a comment and I’ll be happy to answer them here. Or give me a Tweet. Enjoy!

First, I want to thank Lettergirl of Not Going Postal for that awesome award you see just to the right, there, in my sidebar. She wrote the sweetest post back on March 26th (my 20th wedding anniversary, coincidentally!) and I didn’t see it until over a week later… I’m such a doof! Mmmwah! You have totally become part of my life’s mosaic, as well – for your perspective, your humor, and your writing (the dogs on Twitter…. shnork!)

In that same spirit, I’m passing it on to two of my other favorite bloggers, Miz Shoes of Girlyshoes (who I don’t think “does” awards, but is getting it anyway) and Michelle of Rambling Woods (who I think has received this before from someone else, but hey, more’s better, right?). Thank you for your broad shoulders and your enterprising spirits. I never fail to learn something from both of you.

Okay. Sap’s over!

In my continuing commitment to lighten up – (Hah! couldn’t fool you, could I? Okay, in light of my new quest to make healthier food choices – there. How’s that?) – I’m working on adapting some old Passover favorites to our present circumstances (see earlier posts). This one works:

WHOLE WHEAT PASSOVER ROLLS

INGREDIENTS
. 1 cup matzo meal
. 1 cup whole wheat matzo meal **
. 1/2 teaspoon salt
. 1/2 teaspoon white sugar or Splenda for Baking (regular Splenda may also be used, but only use 1/4 teaspoon)
. 1 cup water
. 1/2 cup vegetable oil (can’t escape this one, but at least use one of the “healthier” oils, like olive, canola, or even cottonseed)
. 4 eggs or 1 cup liquid egg substitute

DIRECTIONS
. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray, or line a cookie sheet with Reynolds Release foil.
. In a large mixing bowl, combine matzo meal, salt, and sugar. Mix well.
. Bring water and oil to a boil. Pour the boiling water over the matzo meal mixture, and stir until blended. Add eggs and mix well. Let stand 15 minutes.
. Shape the dough into rolls with oiled hands. Arrange rolls on the prepared cookie sheet.
. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 45 minutes.

Makes about 13 – 14 2 ounce rolls. If you’re not counting calories or carbs, you can make them twice the size, if you prefer, but bake them about 50 minutes.

**They’re actually selling this in the stores now – at least for Passover. But if you can’t find it: To make 1 cup whole wheat matzo meal, break 4 whole wheat matzos into small pieces and run through the food processor for several minutes, until the consistency of regular matzo meal. You may have to do this in a couple of batches.

I’m still working on the Sponge Cake.

In other news, my thyroid scan turned up negative. Now the doctor wants another blood test. Yeesh. Give up already, will ya?