Back to Butter: A Traditional Foods Cookbook - Nourishing Recipes Inspired by Our Ancestors (30 page)

Sourdough Bread Pudding with Raisins

The casual, homey, and economical nature of this recipe falls perfectly in line with our historical food genes, and gives one last breath of life to stale bread. My dad loves this dish. He scoops it into a bowl and drowns it with raw milk. Highly recommended!

2 eggs

1
/
2
cup (100 g) maple sugar (
page 65
)

2 cups (470 ml) milk

1
/
4
teaspoon sea salt

1
1
/
2
teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups (100 g) 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubed day-old Rustic Sourdough Bread (
page 186
)

3
/
4
cup (110 g) raisins

YIELD: 6 SERVINGS

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Have ready an 8 x 8-inch (20 x 20 cm) glass baking dish and a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) glass baking dish (no need to grease).

In a large-size bowl, add the eggs and whisk for 30 seconds. Add the maple sugar and whisk for about 30 seconds to begin dissolving the crystals. Add the milk, sea salt, vanilla, and cinnamon and stir until the maple sugar is fully dissolved. Lastly, fold in the bread cubes and raisins with the spatula.

Pour the mixture into the ungreased 8 x 8-inch (20 x 20 cm) dish. Set that dish inside the 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) dish. Fill the 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) dish with 1 inch (2.5 cm) of hot tap water, taking care not to spill water into the bread pudding. This creates a water bath, which will prevent the custard portion of the bread pudding from burning. Place the whole contraption into the oven and bake for 1 hour. When done, the milk custard on the bottom will be congealed and tips of the bread poking through will be lightly browned.

Remove the pudding from the oven and from its water bath and allow it to cool slightly. Serve hot or cold.

Before becoming a farmer myself, I was a private chef, and I worked for a family on their farm in Santa Barbara, California. Unknowingly planting the seeds of my future, I vividly remember setting out to pick peaches to make this very cobbler. Peaches are perfection in this recipe, but my mom has also successfully used farm-fresh blackberries. We encourage experimentation!

6 tablespoons (84 g) butter

2 cups (340 g) peeled and sliced peaches

2/3 cup (105 g) honey granules (
page 64
)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon almond extract

1
1
/
4
cups (150 g) fresh-milled, sprouted whole wheat pastry flour (
page 55
)

2 teaspoons (9 g) baking powder

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

3
/
4
cup (180 ml) milk

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Place the butter in a 7 x 11-inch (17.8 x 28 cm) glass or ceramic baking dish and put the dish into the oven while it preheats, for about 10 minutes, allowing the butter to melt, but not brown.

Meanwhile, in a medium-size bowl, combine the sliced peaches, honey granules, cinnamon, and almond extract. Stir to combine and set aside.

In a second medium-size bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and sea salt. Whisk to combine.

When the butter is melted, remove the pan from the oven and set aside. The next step will cause the dough to rise quickly, so be sure to finish all of the above tasks first and work quickly.

Add the milk to the flour mixture and whisk together quickly. Scoop over the melted butter in the pan as evenly as possible. There is no need to spread the batter because it will spread as it bakes. Carefully spoon the sweetened fruit, along with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the juice in the bowl, evenly over the flour mixture.

Bake for 40 minutes, until the dough is a light golden brown. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.

YIELD: 6 SERVINGS

RECIPE NOTE

Fresh or frozen peaches both work well here. If using frozen, thaw before using. Some juice from the thawed (or fresh) peaches is necessary to begin dissolving the honey granules, but you only need about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) to get the job done, so strain (or drink) the rest before beginning. Too much juice has a tendency to cause the dough to become gooey.

This recipe uses a piping bag, which is the tool bakers use to decorate cakes. In my opinion, the easiest way to fill one is to set the bag tip-side down in a tall glass and fold the ends of the bag over the sides of the glass. Scoop the mixture into the bag, then take out and twist the bag just above the top of its contents to push the mixture down into the tip. In the heat of the summer months, you may want to stick these chips in the fridge to prevent melting. But overall, they are shelf-stable. Note that there is 6 hours of advance prep time.

1
1
/
2
cups (225 g) raw cashews

2 1/8 teaspoons (12.75 g) sea salt, divided

1
/
2
cup (120 ml) coconut milk

2 tablespoons (16 g) bovine gelatin

1
/
4
cup (80 g) raw honey

2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract

1
/
2
cup (112 g) solid coconut oil

1 cup (120 g) roasted carob powder

In a medium-size bowl, combine the cashews, 2 teaspoons (12 g) of the sea salt, and enough water to cover by 2 inches (5 cm). Set aside for 6 hours. After soaking, pour the cashews into a mesh colander and rinse and drain thoroughly.

Whisk the coconut milk and gelatin together in a small-size bowl, combining thoroughly. Set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the soaked cashews, honey, vanilla, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon sea salt. Process the mixture for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides with a spatula as necessary. Add the coconut oil and coconut milk/gelatin mixture and process for an additional 2 minutes. Add the carob powder and process for an additional 1 minute, or until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Grains of cashews will still be apparent, but they should be very small, like grains of sand. Allow the mixture to stand for 5 minutes.

Have ready 2 nonstick dehydrator sheets with racks while the mixture rests. After 5 minutes, scoop the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a number 5 tip, if you have it, or a freezer bag with a small tip cut off one corner. Pipe rows of little chocolate chips onto the sheets. This is a very tedious process. Turn on some good music and settle in!

Dehydrate chips at 135°F (57°C) for 12 hours. Cool and store in a sealed container at room temperature.

YIELD: 4 CUPS (700 G)

RECIPE NOTE

• Roasted carob powder can be found at most health food stores.

• For quality gelatin, see Resources (
page 216
) for purchasing suggestions.

Chips Off the Old Block

We’ve found that switching from chocolate chips to carob chips eliminates the highs and lows created by the caffeine in chocolate, especially for kids. Store-bought carob chips are delicious, but they contain soy. If you are soy-sensitive like me, try making our soy-free version at home. Our family stores these cookies in the freezer. It enhances their crunch and extends the life of this preservative-free treat.

1 cup (225 g) butter, softened

1 cup (160 g) honey granules (
page 64
)

1 cup (200 g) Sucanat (
page 64
)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1
1
/
2
cups (180 g) fresh-milled, sprouted whole wheat pastry flour (
page 55
)

1
1
/
2
cups (180 g) fresh-milled, sprouted whole wheat bread flour (
page 55
)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1
/
2
teaspoon sea salt

1 cup (150 g) roughly chopped crunchy walnuts or pecans (
page 49
), optional

2 cups (350 g) Soy-Free Carob Chips (
page 193
)

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, gradually cream together the butter, honey granules, and Sucanat to make a grainy paste. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well.

In a medium-size bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt. Whisk briefly to combine. Gradually add to the creamed ingredients, about 1 cup (120 g) at a time, until combined. Add the nuts and carob chips. Mix again to combine.

Using a 1
1
/
2
-inch (3.8 cm) cookie scoop or two spoons, form the dough into balls and place 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the prepared cookie sheets, 12 to a sheet. (Tip: Dipping the scoop into a cup of ice water helps facilitate the release of the dough.)

Bake one tray at time for 10 to 12 minutes each. Each cookie will spread to about 2
1
/
2
inches (6.4 cm) and be a nice deep brown once baked.

Cool on the pan for 3 to 4 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

YIELD: 3 DOZEN COOKIES