Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Finally!  A whole what pizza dough that is light, easy, fluffy and delicious.  This will be my go-to when I have enough time to let it rise...I found this on tablespoon.com but it was posted by Stephanie over at www.girlversusdough.com (her instructions are much, much more clear than mine).

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp sugar

Combine yeast, water and 1 tsp sugar and let sit for a few minutes while you put 2 cups flour, salt and remaining sugar in your mixer.  Then add the yeast mixture and olive oil.  Let your mixer knead your dough (about 5 minutes) as you add a little flour at a time until the dough looks like it should (like your bread dough).  Let it rise for about an hour (or however much time you have). Roll out your dough and put it in/on your pan.  I have used it on my stone baking sheet but it was delicious in my cast iron frying pans. For your stones, if you can't preheat them (I can't) just throw your dough and toppings on and bake at 450 for about 15-20 minutes.  For your cast iron frying pan, stick your dough and toppings in, then warm on the stove top for about 8 minutes and then throw in the oven until it looks done.

Cornbread Topping for Crockpot Meals

1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
3 T sugar (opt.)
2 t baking powder
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup cheese
1/4 cup oil

Mix together and put on top of chili (or whatever). It will be done well within an hour on high. This amount works best in my large crockpot - half it when using a smaller one.

Whole Wheat Egg Noodles

These are great for chicken noodle soup...add chicken, the water you cooked it in, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. I haven't tried these in anything else.

Mix 2 cups flour and 2 t salt. Add one egg and three egg yolks. Mix until crumbly. Add enough water to get a good consistency before rolling out and cutting. Boil fresh or dry for later.

Pear Bread

Adapted from "Buster Bucks" at http://busterbucks.hubpages.com/hub/Worlds-Best-Pear-Bread

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup applesauce (or pear sauce = mash up pear in its own juice)
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1/2 t ginger
1.5 t salt
1.5 cups peeled chopped pears

Mix wet ingredients. Mix dry ingredients. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Add pears and mix. (Add nuts if you want.) Bake in two greased loaf pans at 325 for about an hour (check after 45 minutes), or until a toothpick comes out clean. You can sprinkle the tops of the loaves with sugar before baking, which will make a delicious crust. Let cool for ten minutes, then remove from pans.

Next time I make this I will try to decrease the sugar. As it is tastes like delicious dessert bread, but I would like to make it into a more healthy snack.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread and Muffins

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground flour from hard white wheat)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup mashed over-ripe bananas (about 2-3 bananas)
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup melted butter
2 eggs

Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mash bananas, or puree them in a blender. Mix mashed bananas, honey, melted butter and eggs into flour mixture.

For Bread: Spread batter into a well buttered bread pan. Bake in a 350° oven for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

For Muffins: Spoon batter into 12 buttered or paper lined muffin tins. Bake in a 400° oven for 20 minutes.

For Mini-Muffins bake them in a 400 oven for about 12 minutes.

Banana Crumb Muffins

Adapted from stephaniecooks.blogspot.com

Ingredients:
For the muffins:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bananas, mashed
4 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted

For the crumb topping:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1.5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tsp butter

Mix flour, soda, powder and salt. Beat bananas, applesauce, sugar, egg and butter. Mix wet into dry until moistened. Fill 12 muffin cups. Make topping by mixing dry ingredients and cutting in butter. Sprinkle over muffins and bake at 375 for 18 to 20 minutes.

Granola Bars

Adapted from StephanieCooks.blogspot.com
Makes 8" x 8" pan

1 2/3 cup quick rolled oats
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar (I keep decreasing this amount - next time I will skip it completely.)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 to 3 cups dried fruit and/or nuts
1/3 cup peanut (or other nut) butter
6 Tbl butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup honey, cane syrup or corn syrup
2 Tbl light corn syrup
1 Tbl water

Heat oven to 350. Grease 8" x 8" pan. Melt butter over low heat. Add peanut butter into butter and stir until smooth. In another bowl mix together oats, sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, fruit and nuts. Whisk into the butter/peanut butter vanilla, water and liquid sweeteners. Mix all ingredients together and press into pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until it looks browned around the edges. The bars will set once completely cool. After completely cool, cut bars out of pan.

Fruit/Nut suggestions: peanuts, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, coconut, raisins, cranberries, apricots, chocolate chips.

Note: I have read that the corn syrup cannot be substituted with honey because its properties are what holds the bars together. I don't know personally but I wouldn't try to skip it unless you want to experiment.