Oatmeal Bread

Recipe adapted from Farmgirl

4½ cups very hot water (can also use milk)
2½ cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 Tablespoon (3/8 oz/11 g) instant yeast (slightly more if using active dry yeast)
6 to 7 cups bread flour (6 cups = 1 lb, 15 oz/871 g)
1 Tablespoon salt

Combine oats, oat bran, brown sugar, and butter in a very large bowl. Add hot water and stir until combined. Let sit until about 80°F, about 30 minutes.

Combine yeast with 2 cups of flour and salt and stir into oat mixture. Continue stirring in flour one cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Transfer dough to a well-floured surface and knead for about 8 minutes. Cover dough with the bowl and let rest for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle flour in the dough bowl, place the dough in it, liberally dust it with flour, and cover it with a damp towel. Ferment (first rise): Approximately 1½ hours if dough is at an optimal 70 to 75°F. When the dough is ready, you should be able to push your finger deep into it and leave an indentation that does not spring back.

Divide and shape into three loaves. Remember to be gentle with the dough. Your goal is to form an even loaf with a taut skin, while leaving some larger air holes inside. Place logs seam side down in greased loaf pans. Brush tops of loaves with water and sprinkle with oats, if desired.

Proof (second rise): Approximately 1 hour if dough is 70 to 75°F. The loaves are ready for baking when you make a slight indentation with your finger in the dough and it does not spring back. Note: this dough will not rise a whole lot while baking, so you want your loaves to be nearly finished size before you put them in the oven.

Bake at 375° for 35 minutes or until golden brown and bottoms sound hollow if tapped. Remove from pans and let cool on a wire rack. Try to wait at least 40 minutes before cutting into a loaf. Store at room temperature or freeze.

Rosemary Apple Turnovers with Honey

Recipe from Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan

1 recipe single pie crust, chilled or 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1 large apple, about 8-10 ounces, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
pinch salt
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375° F.

In a bowl, combine the apple, honey, vanilla, rosemary, nutmeg, flour, and salt. Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie crust out to a 17- x 9-inch rectangle. (If using puff pastry, unfold the sheet.) Trim to a 16- x 8-inch rectangle. Cut the sheet into eight 4- x 4-inch pieces.

Place a generous spoonful of the apple mixture in the center of each square, leaving at least 3/4-inches around all sides. Using a finger or a pastry brush, gently apply a coat of the beaten egg to the exposed border of the pastry.

Fold each piece to form a triangle. Seal the edges with the tines of a fork, or pinch with two fingers. Brush the tops of the turnovers with more of the egg wash. Slice a few small slits in the top of the turnovers to allow steam to escape.

Place the turnovers on a lined baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Recipe from Weelicious

2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Butter, chilled and cubed
1 Cup Sweet Potatoes, cooked & mashed
1/3 Cup Milk
2 Tbsp Honey
Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Place the first 4 ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse till it resembles coarse meal. Add sweet potatoes, milk and honey and pulse till dough comes together.

Place dough onto parchment paper and knead 5 times together and shape into a flat disk. Place another parchment paper on top and roll out 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick and cut into biscuits.

Place biscuits on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool and serve.

Buttermilk Scones

Recipe from Tartine

Yield: 1 dozen

1 ripe peach, pitted and cut into 1/4" dice
4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, very cold
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
melted butter and crystal sugar, for topping

Preheat the oven to 400F and butter a baking sheet.

Put the peaches in the freezer briefly so that they are easier to mix with the dough.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and baking soda into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and salt and stir to mix with a wooden spoon. Cut the butter into 1/2" cubes and scatter over the dry ingredients. Cut together, either with a pastry blender, 2 table knives, or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, but don't overmix. You want to end up with a coarse mixture with pea-sized lumps of butter visible.

Add the buttermilk all at once along with the lemon zest and mix gently with the wooden spoon. Continue to mix just until you have a dough that holds together. You still want to see some of the butter pieces at this point, which will add to the flakiness of the scones once they are baked.

Dust your work surface with flour, and turn the dough out onto it. Using your hands, pat the dough into a rectangle about 18" long, 5" wide, and 1 1/2" thick. Brush the top with the melted butter and then sprinkle with the sugar. using a chef's knife, cut the dough into 12 triangles and transfer to the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the scones until the tops are lightly browned, 25 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.