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Baking Naturally
All-Natural, Organic Baked Goods 40 Recipes To Get You Back In Your Kitchen, Baking Naturally
By Michael Kachadoorian AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2014 Michael Kachadoorian
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4969-2471-1
CHAPTER 1
Pineapple-Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
» 3 large eggs
» 2 cups pure cane sugar
» 1 ¼ cups canola oil
» 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
» 2 cups shredded carrots
» 1 cup fresh pineapple, finely chopped
» 3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
» 1 teaspoon baking soda
» 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt, fine ground
» 1 teaspoon ground Vietnamese cinnamon
» 1 cup raw walnuts, toasted and chopped
» ½ cup golden raisins
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two round 9-inch cake pans, line the bottom of each pan with a circle of unbleached parchment paper, then butter the parchment paper and flour the pans. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs and sugar. Mix well with a wire whisk until thoroughly combined. Add oil and vanilla; mix well. Add carrots and pineapple; stir in with a rubber spatula.
In a separate, medium-size bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; whisk until combined.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, mixing well with a spatula until just combined. Add walnuts and golden raisins; mix in.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30–35 minutes. Cakes are done when a wooden skewer inserted into the middle comes out with just the slightest amount of cake attached. Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in the pans for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn out cakes onto a wire rack and cool completely. Frost cooled cakes with cream cheese frosting and stack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
» 16 ounces cream cheese, rBGH-free, room temperature
» 1/8 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt, fine ground
» 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
» 4 cups confectioners sugar
» 3 tablespoons heavy cream, rBGH-free
» 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, add cream cheese, salt, and butter. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Turn mixer to low and slowly add sugar one cup at a time. When all the sugar is added, whip on medium for 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, add cream and vanilla. Turn mixer to medium and whip an additional 5 minutes. Immediately frost cakes or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before frosting the cakes.
Serves 10
Extremely Vanilla Cheesecake With Blueberry Topping
For the Crust
» 1 stick unsalted butter, very soft
» 1 cup pure cane sugar
» 2 teaspoons pure vanilla bean
crush extract
» 2 cups unbleached, all-purpose
flour
For the Topping
» ½ cup pure cane sugar
» 1 teaspoon pure cornstarch
» 1 cup fresh blueberries
» ½ cup spring water
» 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed
lemon juice
For the Filling
» 32 ounces premium-quality cream cheese
» 5 large eggs, room temperature
» 1½ cups pure cane sugar
» 2 tablespoons pure vanilla bean crush extract
» 1/8 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt, fine ground
» Zest of one small lemon
Preheat oven to 300°F. Butter the sides, not the bottom, of a 12-inch springform pan. Set aside.
To Make the Crust
Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix butter, sugar, and vanilla bean crush. Mix until fully combined, scraping down sides of bowl often. With the mixer on low, slowly add flour. The mixture will be slightly moist. Press mixture into the prepared springform pan. Do not go up the sides of the pan with the crust mixture; the crust should line the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10–15 minutes. You want to see that the crust is set, but not quite browning. Remove from oven to cool.
To Make the Topping
Mix sugar and cornstarch together. In a medium saucepan over a medium flame, add all topping ingredients, including the cornstarch-and-sugar mixture. Mix well. Let come to a boil and reduce heat so that a low simmer is maintained. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Break up the blueberries slightly with a fork. The mixture will be thick. Let cool completely. Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for several hours.
To Make the Filling
Put the cream cheese into a stand mixer with paddle attachment and beat until fluffy. Add sugar and combine. Then add eggs one at a time and mix on low until fully combined. Scrape sides of bowl often. With mixer on low, add vanilla bean crush, salt, and lemon zest. Mix well.
Set springform pan with crust onto a baking sheet and pour cream cheese mixture into prepared crust. Place in the oven on the middle rack. Fill a separate baking dish halfway with very hot tap water and place in the oven on the rack below the cheesecake. Bake for 65–70 minutes. Turn oven off and open the door a few inches. Leave cheesecake in the oven for an additional 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
Remove sides of pan and top the cake with the refrigerated blueberry topping.
Serves about 10–12
Wheat and Barley Pudding
» 1 cup whole-grain wheat
and malted barley cereal
» 12 ounces of rBGH-free whole
milk
» 1 cup golden raisins
» ½ teaspoon pure vanilla
extract
» 1/8 teaspoon allspice
» 2 eggs, beaten
» ¼ cup sugar
» ¼ teaspoon pink Himalayan
salt, fine ground
» 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
In a medium saucepan, add cereal, milk, raisins, vanilla, and allspice. Place over a medium flame and bring to a slight boil. Let boil gently for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Very slowly mix in beaten eggs, and beat constantly to avoid cooking the eggs. When fully combined, add sugar and salt. Mix well.
Place mixture back over a low flame and stir often until thickened, about 3–5 minutes. Remove from heat; add butter. Mix well.
Yields about 4–5 half-cup servings
Honey-Glazed, Old-Fashioned Blueberry Doughnuts
Glaze
» 1 cup raw honey
» 1/8 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt,
fine ground
» 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
In a medium saucepan over a medium-low flame, add all glaze ingredients and gently heat until combined. Set aside.
Doughnuts
» 2½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
» 2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
» 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt, fine ground
» 1/8 teaspoon ground Vietnamese cinnamon
» 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
» ½ cup sour cream, rBGH-free
» ½ cup half-and-half
» 2 tablespoons pure palm oil
» ¾ cups pure cane sugar
» 2 large egg yolks
» 1 gallon canola oil for frying
» ½ cup dried blueberries, chopped into small pieces if needed
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
In separate, small bowl, mix together sour cream and half-and-half until fully combined. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment or a hand mixer, add palm oil and sugar; mix on low, 1–2 minutes. Add egg yolks and mix another 2–3 minutes until thick and pale yellow.
Add the reserved dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the sour cream mixture, until combined. Add the blueberries and mix until incorporated. Dough will be soft. If too wet, add more flour, 1 teaspoon at a time, until a soft dough forms.
Transfer to a buttered bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours.
When ready to fry, add canola oil to a deep pot and heat over medium heat so it reaches a temperature of 325–335°F. Roll out cold dough to 1/3-inch thick. Use a doughnut cutter and cut out as many doughnuts as you can. Reroll the extra dough and scraps, and continue to cut out doughnuts until dough is used up.
Lower prepared doughnuts into the hot oil, putting in about 3 or 4 at a time—do not overcrowd the pot. Watch for the doughnuts to float to the top, then fry an additional 2–3 minutes. Flip to the other side and fry additional 90 seconds. Then flip back and forth as needed until they are golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack with paper bags underneath to catch the oil.
When all the doughnuts are done, reheat glaze. Dip entire doughnut into glaze or just glaze the top.
Yields about 12 doughnuts
Zucchini Bread
» 3½ cups unbleached, all-purpose
flour
» 2 teaspoons baking soda
» ½ teaspoon aluminum-free
baking powder
» 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan
salt, fine ground
» 1 teaspoon ground Vietnamese
cinnamon
» 2/3 cup unsalted butter,
softened
» 2 2/3 cup pure cane sugar
» 4 large eggs
» 2 teaspoons pure vanilla
extract
» 3 cups shredded zucchini, skin
on
» 2/3 cup spring water
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 2 loaf pans, each approximately 8 ½x4 ½x2 ½ inches.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; mix with a whisk to combine.
In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, add butter and whip for 1 minute. Add sugar and mix for 2–3 minutes until well combined. With the mixer on low, add eggs one at a time, making sure each is thoroughly combined. Then add vanilla and shredded zucchini; mix well.
With the mixer on low, add 1/3 of the dry ingredients, followed by ½ the water, followed by dry then wet, ending with dry. Stop the mixer and finish combining the ingredients with a rubber spatula until just combined. A lumpy batter is perfect.
Divide and pour batter between the two prepared loaf pans until each pan is 2/3 full. Bake for 55–65 minutes. The bread is done when a wooden skewer inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean. Remove the pans from the oven, and let the bread cool in the pans for 25 minutes. Turn the loaves out of the pans and let cool.
Yields 10–12 slices
Sour Cream Pancakes With Brown Sugar-Glazed Bananas
For the Pancakes
» 2 cups unbleached, all-purpose
flour
» ½ cup whole wheat flour
» ½ cup pure cane sugar
» ½ teaspoon pink Himalayan
salt, fine ground
» 1 tablespoon non-aluminum
baking power
» ½ stick butter cut into small
cubes, softened
» 1 cup sour cream, rBGH-free
» 1 ½ cups milk, rBGH-free
» 2 farm-fresh large eggs
» 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the Bananas
» 6 tablespoons butter
» 4 ripe but firm bananas
» 2 tablespoons spring water
» 1 cup dark brown sugar
» 1 teaspoon ground Vietnamese cinnamon
» Pinch Himalayan salt, fine ground
Peel the bananas. Cut into chunks 2 inches thick. Place the banana chunks in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Make the Pancakes
In a bowl, add flours, sugar, salt, and baking power and mix to combine. Add butter to the flour mixture, gently mix, then set aside.
In a separate, large bowl, add sour cream, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
Add dry ingredients into the large bowl containing the wet mixture. Whisk until combined but not entirely smooth. Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter is bubbly, ladle ¼ cup of batter per pancake into the pan. Make only as many pancakes in each batch as will leave you enough room to flip them. As the batter bubbles and begins to firm on the bottom, flip the pancake and cook another minute or two. As each batch is finished, place the pancakes on an ovenproof plate, and put the plate in a slightly warm oven until all are done. Repeat this process until the desired amount of pancakes is made.
Prepare the Bananas
In a skillet over medium heat, add butter. Once the butter is melted and bubbly but not burned, add the frozen bananas. Fry for 2 minutes and flip to other side for another 2 minutes or until golden brown. Add water, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Bring to a boil then turn off the heat immediately. Pour over pancakes and enjoy. Maple syrup is not needed, unless desired.
Yields 12–14 pancakes
Peanut Butter Pastry Cream Icebox Cake
One recipe Baking Naturally Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies (See page 17)
One recipe Freshly Whipped Cream (See page 55)
Pastry Cream
» 10 ounces all-natural salted
peanut butter
» 2 cups half-and-half
» 4 large egg yolks
» ½ cup pure cane sugar
» 1 tablespoon cornstarch
» 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pour the oil from the top of the peanut butter into the sink. Set peanut butter aside.
In a medium saucepan, pour in the half-and-half and heat over medium-low heat. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch together in a medium, heatproof bowl until very smooth (no lumps). Slowly add one cup of the warm half-and-half into the egg mixture while whisking. Then, pour the egg mixture into the remaining warm half-and-half and whisk over medium heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the mixture from the heat. Add vanilla and peanut butter to the hot mixture; mix until fully integrated. Cover with plastic wrap so that the wrap sits directly on top of the pastry cream. Cool to room temperature, then put in the refrigerator for several hours.
Assemble the Cake
Butter a 9—or 10-inch springform pan and line it with a length of plastic wrap long enough to eventually cover the top of the cake.
Fill the bottom of the springform pan with a layer of cookies, breaking them, as needed, to fill in all the gaps. Spread 1/4 of the pastry cream over the cookies and then top that with 1/4 of the whipped cream. Then, add a second, third, and fourth layer in the same order (cookies, pastry cream, whipped cream). You will end with the top covered in whipped cream. Fold the extra plastic wrap up and over to cover the top of the cake.
Refrigerate overnight. This is very important. To remove the cake from the pan, turn the pan upside down onto a plate, release the pan, and then lift it away from the cake. Pull away the plastic wrap; then turn the cake over onto your serving patter and remove the rest of the plastic wrap.
Serves about 8
Note: You can also purchase crisp chocolate chip cookies from a store or bakery for this recipe. Be sure they are organic, all-natural, and free from chemical additives and preservatives.
Pepper and Cheese Crackers
» 5 ounces raw sharp white cheddar
cheese, shredded
» 3 ounces raw Gruyere cheese, shredded
» 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
» 1 ½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
» 1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt, fine
ground
» 2 teaspoons fresh cracked pepper
» 2 tablespoons half-and-half
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper. Set aside.
In a food processor with a metal blade, add all ingredients except for the half-and-half. Pulse until the ingredients come together and look like course crumbs. Then, add half-and-half and pulse in the processor until dough comes together (will look like a softened pie crust dough). Turn dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, flatten and shape dough into a square, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Cover your rolling board with several sheets of plastic wrap and flour. Turn chilled dough out onto the floured, plastic-covered board. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough in a rectangle until the dough is about 1/8" thick. Cut dough into 1-inch squares or triangles. Punch a hole into each piece with the blunt end of a wooden skewer.
Transfer cut crackers to prepared baking sheets using a large spatula to make the transfer easier. You can place them close together as they will not spread out much. Reroll the scraps of dough for additional crackers.
Bake for 12–15 minutes, until edges are slightly browned. Remove from oven and let sit on the baking sheets for 10 minutes. Then, transfer the crackers to wire racks to cool completely.
Yields 72 crackers, 1-inch square
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Baking Naturally by Michael Kachadoorian. Copyright © 2014 Michael Kachadoorian. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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