As promised, here is our recipe for Whole Wheat English Muffins. I had to try these out for myself before I shared them so I knew exactly what you were getting yourself into if you attempt these. First off, this recipe takes a serious time commitment. Second, this recipe is painfully easy to put together. With a little bit of planning, you can have fresh, chewy English muffins for breakfast one day (if you get up really, really early) and everyone will be so impressed with your baking skills.

Here’s what you need to know- the time commitment is primarily a matter of rising time. These babies start with a poolish that ferments overnight, then allowed to come to room temp for at least 3 hours. Then the dough is mixed and needs to rise for 45 minutes. The dough is folded and rises again for 15 minutes, then shaped into muffins and left to rise for a final 15 minutes… so maybe you have these more like noon (like we did at our house) or for dinner. While they are something akin to heaven straight from the oven, these are phenomenal the next day and the day after that. We didn’t have any make it past that to attest to their quality. I think my husband ate 3 of these straight from the oven. Fresh, they don’t even need butter to be amazing (but it certainly doesn’t hurt).

I’d consider myself a novice bread baker. Sure, I’ve made basic breads and pizza dough, but I was incredibly intimidated by this recipe. My advice to you: don’t be. It was easy to follow and, even when I flubbed a step, the results were divine.

A dab of butter, a slathering of jam, a smooth layer of peanut butter, a fried egg with a bit of cheese… whatever you opt to top these with will be worth it, I promise.

[A note about equipment and measurements. If you have them, English muffin rings are handy. If you don't, a big biscuit cutter or even just a dough knife will work. The rings helped to make that perfect "English muffin" shape, but they really wouldn't make or break the recipe. We've included household measurements here as a courtesy, but, as I'm learning a baking scale is a kitchen essential for serious bakers. Not only does it improve the outcome of your recipe when you weigh your ingredients, it makes you feel like a real baker! Scales are pretty affordable. We sell a good one, but you can also find quite a selection on Amazon, as well.]

Whole Wheat English Muffins

Recipe by Sarah House

Yield twelve 3 ½ oz muffins

Poolish

• 6 ¾ oz Water (110°F)
• ¼ tsp Active Dry Yeast
• 6 ¾ oz (1 ½ cups + 3 Tbsp) Unbleached White Flour

Bread Dough

• 14 oz Warm Water (110°)
• 1 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast
• 13 ½ oz Poolish (entire recipe from above)
• 1 oz Unsalted Butter
• 15 ¼ oz (3 cups + 3 Tbsp) Unbleached White Flour
• 5 oz (1 cup) Whole Wheat Flour
• 2 tsp Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Salt
• Semolina Flour as needed

Poolish

1. In a large, non-reactive metal or glass bowl (only use plastic if it is clean and free of odors), proof yeast in water until “milky”, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the flour and stir until a smooth, elastic batter has formed.

3. Scrape down the sides and cover with plastic wrap; let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

4. (Optional) For the most sourdough-like flavor, transfer to the refrigerator and chill 8 – 24 hours. Skip step 5 if you do not refrigerate your poolish.

5. Remove poolish from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 3 – 4 hours.  It should have tripled in volume.  Use within 4 hours, before it begins to deflate.

Bread Dough

1. Sprinkle the yeast into the water and let sit until the yeast looks “milky”, about 5 minutes then add the poolish.

2. Meanwhile, combine the flours in a bowl.  Rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles sand.

3. Add the sugar, salt and flour mixture to the yeast and mix until a dough forms (about 4 minutes on low with a dough hook), scraping down the sides of the bowl often.  Continue mixing until a wet and tacky dough has formed (about 2 additional minutes at medium speed).

4. Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat all sides and cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel.  Let rise until an indentation remains when lightly pressed with a fingertip, about 45 – 60 minutes.

5. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and fold it into thirds like a letter.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until an indentation remains when lightly pressed with a fingertip, about 15 minutes.

6. Preheat the oven to 475°F (use of a baking stone is useful but not necessary).  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

7. Uncover the dough and lightly dust both sides with semolina flour.  Gently roll or pat out the dough to about ½-inch thickness (take care not to deflate the dough too much).  Using English muffin rings or a pastry/pizza wheel, punch or cut to the desired shape (about 3-inches wide).

8. Place the muffins on one prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rest for 15 minutes.

9. Heat a nonstick skillet on medium heat for 5 minutes.  Taking care not to crowd the pan, cook the muffins in batches until both sides are browned.  Place cooked muffins on clean prepared baking sheet.

10. Bake muffins until the internal temperature reads 205°F, about 6 – 8 minutes.

11. Remove from the hot baking sheet and let cool on a rack before slicing.

With all of the attention swirling around genetically modified organisms (GMOs), we’ve been getting a heap of questions about our products and GMOs. Rest assured, at Bob’s Red Mill, we are committed to providing identity preserved products exclusively.

“Identity preserved” means that the seeds that were planted to grow our crops came from a non-GMO source. We work constantly with our farmers and suppliers to ensure that the ingredients we procure are non-GMO. In fact, each of our corn, rice, soy and flax suppliers is required to sign a statement which affirms that their ingredients come from non-GMO sources.

Planting identity preserved seed is just the first step in ensuring that products are non-GMO. That is why we have recently procured state-of-the-art testing equipment that allows us to begin our own in-house testing of our products. Our goal is to implement a testing protocol that is acute and prolific.

We hope you share our enthusiasm for keeping natural foods natural. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments section.

To Your Good Health,

Lazy Saturday? Why not whip up a batch of these delicious, healthy muffins? Using a granular cereal gives these muffins a bit of bite while adding a beautiful flavor—not to mention the nutritional boost! Balancing the whole grains in the cereal by using white flour, keeps them light and delicious. Swap out the white flour for whole wheat pastry flour if you want a dense, whole grain muffin. If you don’t have our 6 Grain Cereal on hand, any whole grain granular cereal (like our Mighty Tasty or 10 Grain Hot Cereal) will do in a pinch.

Ruthie’s 6 Grain Muffins

•     1 cup Org 6 Grain Right Stuff Cereal
•     1-1/2 cups Sour Milk or Buttermilk
•     1/2 cup Sugar
•     1/3 cup Butter, soft (about 5 Tbsp)
•     1 Egg
•     1 cup Unbleached White Flour
•     1 tsp Sea Salt
•     1 tsp Baking Powder
•     1 tsp Baking Soda

Directions

Step 1

Mix cereal and milk; allow to stand for 10 minutes while preheating oven to 400°F and assembling other ingredients. Grease a 12 serving muffin pan or line pan with paper liners.

Step 2

Combine and sift dry ingredients. Cream sugar, butter and egg together. Add dry ingredients and milk with cereal to butter mixture. Stir only until mixed.

Step 3

Spoon into prepared muffin pan. Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

Here at Bob’s Red Mill, we love good bread, especially when it’s made with whole grains.  Do you know what we love even more?  Good whole grain bread that has flavor, loft, chewy crumb and hearty crust.  Sure, you can throw together some flour, water, salt and yeast and make a perfectly acceptable loaf.  But with a little bit of natural action (known as fermentation) your loaf can go from good to extraordinary!

In this series, we’ll explore the different types of starters and how to use them, incorporating whole grains, to produce the best bread you’ve ever made.  Once you go starter, you’ll never go back!

You may ask yourself: what is a starter?  Answer: magic.  Kinda.  Starters are fermented cultures much like beer, wine, yogurt, kombucha, coffee and chocolate (betcha didn’t know about those last two, huh?).  The natural yeasts and bacteria that surround us in the air and on the surface of grains are allowed to grow and multiply and create a bubbly little environment that, due to their carbon dioxide output, will give your bread strength, moisture, extended shelf life, color, chewier crumb and fabulously complex flavors.

If starters seem a bit intimidating, using a preferment will be a great big baby step into the world of natural yeast cultures.  Preferments are similar to sours and levains and provide many of the same benefits.  They also have a limited life, so there is no obligation to remember to feed them and keep them alive.  Essentially, a portion of the flour, water and yeast are mixed and allowed to ferment for up to 48 hours before tossing it in with your bread dough.

Let’s begin with two of the easiest preferments:  pâte fermentée and sponges.

Pâte Fermentée, which sounds so fancy and sophisticated, is essentially old dough.  That’s right, old dough.  And it’s so easy!  If you bake bread daily or every-other-day simply pinch off 1 – 2 oz of dough per loaf and save it in the refrigerator.  The next day, toss that same ratio of dough into the fresh batch you’re currently mixing.  You are not going to notice a huge flavor boost but the gluten strength, moisture and crumb will definitely benefit.

A sponge is another super easy and approachable preferment.  With the sponge method, a portion of the flour, water and yeast are mixed together and allowed to sit at room temperature for 30 – 60 minutes.  This mixture will begin to rise just like bread dough and you will see a marked difference in the height of the final baked bread.  To use a sponge, follow this formula:  from your bread recipe use 30% of the total flour for the sponge.  Add an equal amount (by weight) of water and all or half of the yeast.  You’ll know your sponge is ripe and ready to use when the batter is slightly bubbly.  Add this sponge with your remaining liquid ingredients and proceed with your recipe as usual.

Bob’s Red Mill Rye Bread Mix made with the standard method (L) compared to the mix made with the sponge method (R).  The sponge method has more height, an even crust and a more open crumb.

Sponge

Prepare 30 – 60 minutes before baking.

Flour                30% of the total flour from your bread recipe

Water              equal weight as 30% of total flour

Yeast               50 – 100% of total yeast

From farm fields to our facility and kitchens around the world, Bob’s Red Mill guarantees the quality and safety of our products every step of the way. This commitment really shows in our gluten free protocols, which include especially rigorous purity testing and processing products in a dedicated facility.

Quality. Integrity. Safety. Trust.

That is the Bob’s Red Mill promise.

Our commitment to quality begins at the source.

Bob accepts nothing but the highest quality ingredients and has put in place industry-leading quality assurance standards.

Each arriving shipment is thoroughly inspected, sampled and tested.

Because we’re committed to keeping Bob’s Red Mill foods natural, we built our own GMO testing lab with cutting-edge technology. Our staff scientists use state-of-the-art, German engineered equipment to test for the presence of GMOs.

We use a Farinograph to measure the performance of our flours, so we can be sure customers will have a successful baking experience.

The source of gluten free ingredients matters—that’s why we work with farmers who understand safe gluten free practices.

At our facility, we isolate our gluten free products and store them in dedicated silos.

We sample and test each gluten free shipment immediately upon arrival and continue testing throughout the entire process.

We meticulously test all products, including gluten free foods, to ensure purity.

All gluten free products must meet a standard of less than 20 parts per million of gluten.

Our quality control lab employs an R5 monoclonal antibody ELISA test to ensure maximum safety.

We regularly test samples from the packaging line to make sure customers are getting only the best gluten free products.

All gluten free goods are quarantined in a special waiting area until their safety and quality are confirmed by our quality assurance specialists.

All gluten free storage, milling, mixing and packaging is carried out in a dedicated facility used only for gluten free products.

We measure the level of enzyme activity in our finished products to make sure they will perform exactly how your customers expect them to.

Our Quality Assurance Team is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable in the industry.

Our chef tests each product to make sure it is delicious, dependable and easy to prepare.

Chef Sarah House is continually developing and refining recipes in the Bob’s Red Mill Test Kitchen.

Arancini are little fried rice balls typically stuffed with cheese and meat. This traditional Italian food is usually made with white rice, but our Label Content Manager, Michelle (who also writes the beautiful blog Je Mange la Ville) came up with this version using millet for a delectable whole grain treat. Arancini take a little time, but these are worth every minute! Delight your special someone (or someones) on Valentine’s Day by serving these with a green salad and a wholesome soup. (If millet is hard to come by, try our version using Steel Cut Oats.)

Spinach and Lemon Millet Arancini

(makes 10-12 golf ball-sized arancini)

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 small Shallot, finely diced
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• ½ cup Millet
• ¼ cup White Wine
• ¼ cup frozen Spinach
• ½ tsp Lemon Zest
• 1-3/4 cup low-sodium Vegetable Broth
• ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 Egg, separated
• 10-12 small cubes (about ¼-square inch each) fresh Mozzarella
• ¼ cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/3 cup Italian Herb Breadcrumbs

Heat olive oil in a pot and sauté shallot and garlic over medium heat, until soft and starting to color, about 5 minutes. Add the millet and toast for 2-3 minutes.

Add the wine, spinach, lemon zest and broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid is absorbed and millet is soft and a bit creamy, about 20-25 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese and add salt and pepper to taste. Let cool.

Add egg yolk to cooled millet mixture and using a small ice cream scoop, scoop some millet into your hand. Add a small cube of mozzarella to the center, rolling the millet around the cheese to form a ball. Repeat with the remaining millet.

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Have flour, bread crumbs and whisked egg white set out in bowls, with a parchment-lined, non stick spray-coated baking sheet nearby. Roll each arancini in the flour, then the egg, and then the bread crumbs. Set on the baking sheet and repeat with each arancini. Spray arancini with non-stick, olive oil spray.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes. Cool 1-2 minutes before serving.

Deep Fry Option:  Add about 3 inches of vegetable or peanut oil in a large pan with tall sides. Heat oil to 350°F. Fry arancini until golden, about 3-4 minutes. Let cool briefly (about 2 minutes) before serving.

Aebleskivers are a delightful, Danish confection that marries the texture of a pancake with the airiness of a popover. Typically aebleskivers are filled with apples or other delights, but many recipes in the United States are simply puffs of sweet dough. If you serve these with powdered sugar or drizzled with chocolate sauce for breakfast on Valentine’s Day, you are sure to surprise and delight your sweetie. Aebleskivers require a special pan which may be hard to come by locally. Amazon, Target and other online retailers sell these, though, so you can probably get one by Valentine’s Day if you desire. This recipe uses our Buttermilk Pancake Mix, but you can make these from scratch, as well. 

Bob’s Aebleskivers

•     2 large Eggs, separated
•     2 Tbsp melted Butter
•     1 cup Water
•     1-1/2 cups Buttermilk Pancake Mix
•     2-4 Tbsp Powdered Sugar (for garnish)

Directions

Step 1

In a medium bowl beat egg yolks until pale. Stir in buttermilk pancake and waffle mix, water and butter until blended.

Step 2

In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Fold into egg mixture. Generously butter each aebleskiver cup. Heat aebleskiver pan according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Step 3

Fill each cup 3/4 full with batter, cook until bubbly and set around edges, about 1-1/2 minutes. Turn 1/4 turn with a fork or wooden pick to brown other side. Continue 1/4 turns each 15 to 30 seconds until lightly browned on all sides and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Dust with powdered sugar for garnish. Serve warm.

Makes about 20 aebleskivers.

Chia seeds stand in for eggs and add a healthy boost to these decadent pancakes. I love that they sound challenging, but are actually quite simple. These would be perfect for breakfast on a lazy Sunday, but we could eat these pancakes anytime of the day! A special thanks to our Label Content Manager, Michelle (who also writes the beautiful blog Je Mange la Ville) for coming up with such a fun recipe.

Caramelized Banana & Chia Pancakes

Serves 2-4; makes 7-8 pancakes

•  1 Tbsp Chia Seeds + 3 Tbsp Water
• 3/4 cup Unbleached White Flour
• 1/4 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 cup Buttermilk or Soured Milk
• 2 Tbsp melted Butter
• 1 Banana, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 16 slices total)
• 1 tsp granulated Sugar
• Maple Syrup, for serving

Add chia seeds to water and let sit until they gel, about 15 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder and soda and salt. Add the buttermilk and melted butter to the gelled chia, and then combine that into the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined (don’t over mix).

Heat a non-stick griddle over medium heat and spray lightly with non-stick spray. Drop batter onto griddle by 1/4 cupfuls. Place two banana slices into each pancake surface and press down lightly. Sprinkle pancake surfaces with a little sugar.

Flip pancake when bubbles appear on the surface and edges start to look a little dry, about 3-4 minutes. Check side with bananas frequently to make sugar isn’t getting to dark and adjust heat as needed. Cook second side 2-3 more minutes. Keep warm in a 200° F oven if cooking pancakes in batches.

Make these vegan by substituting non-dairy buttermilk (recipe below) for the buttermilk and melted Earth Balance in place of butter.

Non Dairy Buttermilk:

Combine 1 cup of Soy/Rice/Almond milk with 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Let stand 10 minutes and use in place of buttermilk.

Teff is one of the most interesting whole grains that we offer, but it often leaves folks scratching their heads wondering how to use it. Teff is quite possibly the world’s smallest grain. It is a traditional staple of Ethiopia, where teff flour is used to make the flat bread Injera. You wouldn’t guess it, but this tiny grain packs a nutritional punch. Because of its small size, each kernel has a higher proportion of bran and germ than other grains. A single quarter-cup serving delivers a healthy dose of fiber (4 grams), protein (7 grams) and calcium (10% of your RDA).

Teff makes a wonderful breakfast porridge, but we were craving something a bit more savory. Our Label Content Manager, Michelle (who also writes the beautiful blog Je Mange la Ville) came up with this extraordinary twist on polenta. Not only is teff nutritionally far superior to corn, it has a complex flavor that is sure to delight your inner foodie. Bonus: this recipe is entirely gluten free!

Teff “Polenta” with Sautéed Chard

Serves 4-6

• 4 cups Vegetable Broth
• 1/2 tsp dried Basil
• 1/2 tsp dried Thyme
• 1/4 tsp dried Oregano
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Teff
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 tbsp unsalted Butter
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil

For Sautéed Chard:

• 1 bunch Rainbow Chard
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp Butter
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/8 tsp Pepper
• 1 medium Onion, diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced

Optional: balsamic vinegar for drizzling and shaved Parmesan cheese

For Teff Polenta:

Add broth, basil, thyme, oregano and garlic powder to a pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Whisk in Teff, reduce heat to low, cover and cook 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until broth is absorbed. Stir in butter and cheese. Teff should be soft and slightly creamy. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Spread teff out in a 8-inch (or similar) square pan coated with non-stick spray. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate at least 2 hours (and up to 24).

When ready to finish polenta: Heat a non-stick skillet with 2 tbsp olive oil, over medium heat. Slice polenta into 4 or 6 squares and sauté in the oil about 3-4 minutes per side, until slightly golden.

For Chard:

Cut stems and center ribs from chard, discarding any tough portions, then cut stems and ribs into 1-inch pieces. Cut chard leaves into 1-inch-wide strips.

Heat oil and butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat until foam subsides, then add onions and garlic, lower heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and begin to color, about 8 minutes.

Add the stems and ribs to the pot, along with salt and pepper. Cover and stir occasionally, about 10 minutes.

Add chard leaves to pot and cover. Cook 4-6 minutes until tender and wilted. With a slotted spoon, divide chard among four plates, atop a square of polenta. If using, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and a little shaved Parmesan to finish.