It was fun to take another kind of test today
A bread taste test! The husband did an experiment with different percentages of whole wheat and white flour in 5 mini loaves of bread. (It’s his last big day as a baker before the big job on Monday, but I’m sure he’ll do his share of baking on the weekends 😉 )
We both agreed that the ends of the spectrum were a bit too something. But the 50% and 75% were both great. He preferred the 50%; I preferred the 75%, which had a wheaty taste but the fluff of white bread. And honestly, my least favorite was the 100% white – it tasted “processed” even though it was made from scratch fresh out of the oven! I guess it’s that refined flour peeking through.
Note how the get darker from L to R as the wheat % increases:
What else to serve with bread other than soup!!??
I whipped up a quick soup using the stick blender method combined with a Pacific Soup and veggies on hand.
First I chopped and microwaved a 12 oz sweet potato. Then I sauteed a chopped green pepper and some frozen okra (which is perfect for thickening soups with its viscous gel consistency) in the bottom of a pot. I added the potato and soup box along with some cinnamon and chili powder. I let it simmer for about 5 minutes and then used our stick blender to puree it. I cannot express enough how stick blenders turns soups from a watery bowl of vegetables to a thick, pureed bowl of flavor. You MUST invest in one!!! SO much more convenient than a blender.
All together –
This lunch was right at 500 kcal with 12 grams of fiber and 13 grams protein.
Mail Order
The husband snuck behind my back and bought a bunch of bulk spices for very cheap at Atlantic Spice Company. They just arrived today! Now we have plenty of:
- Caraway seeds
- Black peppercorns
- White peppercorns
- Red pepper flakes
- Whole flax
- Sesame seeds
- Cayenne pepper
- Pumpkin seeds
I’m off to do school work, answer> questions, then figure out something to eat for dinner!
Almost time to start the weekend!!!!!!!!!!
Susan says
Kath, quick question. For obvious reasons, I am going to post it down here. But the kashi go lean says its 1.9 ounces and 1 cup, which is a little less than 54 grams. Another granola that I was looking at says its serving size is 1/2 cup and 51 grams. I don’t get it? 3 grams definitely doesn’t change the size by a 1/2 cup. Thanks!
sexywife17 says
I was just wondering if you two had ever tried using gluten flour in any of your bread recipes? My favorite recipe for bread has all whole wheat flour except for around 1/4 -1/2 cup of gluten flour. Since the gluten in the flour is what makes the bread chewy and soft this really helps out A LOT! I also add sprouted whole grains to it as well for more fiber, protein and chewiness. You should try it out.
oh, one more bread tip: kneading A LOT helps wheat bread to get a better texture. Especially with the wheat gluten flour added.
hk says
Woah!! What a fantastic looking lunch spread! Looks delish :)happy weekend, sooo jealous of all of your lovely spices, too!
Katie says
Those spices look great! I’ll have to check out the site! My dad and I actually grind our own rice, oat, and barley flour to use in baking. You might want to try experimenting with those. So great!
Kiala says
Oh jeebus. I love ordering things in the mail. Especially spices.
Also, I use my stick blender all the time. I totally agree with you. And they’re not very expensive, either.
Betsy says
all that bread looks fantastic! and what a fun little experiment! I agree with not liking 100% white. They have so little taste! Even as a kid, my mom always had to buy wheat sandwich bread cause I was the only one who hated the white stuff. The only white I like now is a really fresh french baguette. in paris. sooo good.
Dorothy says
Atlantic Spice Company, where have you been all my life?
I’ve tried so hard to find a place that I can find cheap herbs & spices, & usually end up buying things (like Cardamom pods) in a pinch at ridiculous prices (like $15 for a tiny spice jar).
Thanks so much for sharing the great find, I’ve already bookmarked the site!
Tina says
Those loaves of bread are so cute!
VeggieGirl says
wow, now THAT’S my kind of test – how fun to try so many types of bread-loaves! yum!
oh my goodness look at all those spices!! great picks!!
hooray for the weekend!! it’s almost here!! :0D
the husband says
I’ve never used high gluten flour, though somebody gave me a package of vital wheat gluten which would be a good addition to whole grain flours.
I would kinda feel like I’m cheating, though. Something about bread baking makes me want to stick with the purest methods possible and if it’s not producing the results you want, you’re making the wrong bread. I’ll give it a try at some point though.
BP says
Kath,
This is a very basic cooking question- but I am new to the world of sweet potatoes! When you microwave a sweet potato, how long do you nuke it? Do you peel it first? Can you eat it just like that (as opposed to putting in a soup or other dish)? My husband and I recently discovered how yummy and healthy sweet potatoes are, but the only method I have used for cooking them is roasting and that takes time that we don’t always have.
Thanks for being such a positive influence on my eating habits!
Romina says
Those are so cute! I love how they get darker. They must be delicious.
Hurrah for spices. They’re something that I feel I constantly need to replenish.
pinklilly says
BP:
Welcome to the world of sweet potatoes! I’ve become obsessed with them! My boyfriend and I cook two at a time in the microwave. We heat them for about 6-7 minutes and they always turn out just perfect!
Question for everyone:
I’m making fish tacos tonight, does anyone have a suggestion for a side? Ideally, I’d like something low in calories and carbs.
Thanks!
NCCarter says
BP – I’d probably just do a good salad with the fish tacos. There’s a restaurant here that has great fish tacos, and they always serve it with really good mixed baby greens and a good vinegarette. You could add some veggies to the salad to give it more nutrients.
Steph says
I remember someone saying that they were shocked to find out how many calories were in apples once they started weighing them.
I don’t have a scale, but that got me curious- for those of you (including Kath) who weigh their apples, on AVERAGE how many calories are in them? I usually say 100, but if it’s 150 this could really be making an impact in my calorie counts.
Thanks!
Natalie says
Steph, the medium sizes are usually large and the large are usually medium sized. If that makes any sense. So a medium apple is usually about (180 grams and 110 calories, whereas a large could be 150+ kcal.
Natalie says
Woops, and the large are usually extra large- according to how people describe apple sizes on average.
sarah says
oooh-those little breads are toooooo cute =) how big are they?
kay says
Your soup looks so good!! I wish I could try all the bread too 🙂
What foods of combo of foods do you find most filling?
Ginny says
I completely understand and admire the husband’s scientific approach to baking! i must say that he lives up to his license plate identity! (and i mean that in the best way possible). 😉
I hope you have a wonderful weekend, Kath!! I REALLY felt like skipping the gym today but thought of you and sucked it up! SO worth it, of course. 🙂
Thanks for all your hard work. I know people tell you this a million times a day, but we can’t say it enough!
the husband says
nerd power
nicole says
i dont think ive commented here before, but i just want to express my appreciation for the bread post, matt! i’m graduating college in may with a degree in neuroscience & biochem (talk about nerd power—i wrote my essay for med school about how much i love math…ok. great.), so your entire narrative was SO interesting to me. i’m a baker myself (for obvious reasons) so i love that you really appreciate what’s going on—nice job, and congrats on the job!
Betsy says
husband/matt
i just read your post on the bread experiment. LOVE IT!!! the super-scientificness of it is just fantastic. we are all nerds. i was such one in high school and college. for one class in college, i spent the entire semester counting salamanders in our arbortum. it was awesome.
the husband says
Isn’t it strange that people who have scientific tendencies discover baking later in their lives? My uncle (aforementioned bagelman) was an engineer before he totally dropped his career to open the bagel shop.
Kath says
Susan,
The answer to your question is AIR. The Kashi has a lot more air making it more voluminous but the same weight. The granola is denser so it takes up less space but is the same weight. That’s volume eating for you – and exactly why I don’t care for granola cereals – you just don’t get many bites!
BP,
I always eat the skin of sweet potatoes – it’s where a lot of the nutrients are! For our soup at lunch we chopped it into small cubes to decrease the cooking time, but you can also microwave it whole. I think they recommend poking some holes in it with a fork to allow steam to escape. Here’s a good informational page with lots of cooking methods and microwave times near the bottom:
http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/vegetables/sweetpotato.html
Steph,
I agree with Natalie that if the apple looks medium, it’s a large and is probably around 100 kcal and if it looks large it’s probably closer to 150. I’m not sure what size your fist is, but that’s about a 6-7 oz apple, which is roughly 100 kcal. I’ve found that the only apples that will be less than 75 or so at around 4-5 oz are the tiny ones that come in bags of 10-15.
Sarah,
Each end piece was about 1/2 an ounce, so it was about 2.5 oz of bread.
Kay,
Combos of fiber, vegetables and whole grains are key for me to feel full. And things that are literally “heavy” like yogurt and fruit. An 8 oz cup of plain yogurt is a lot more filling than 5 cups of air-filled popcorn. Protein helps me with satiety, but I don’t feel full when I eat it. I like to base my meals on grains, fruits and veggies and complement with protein and fat.
Ginny,
Thanks for your nice comments!!
Kath