Thank you to all the contestants for participating in our first annual Bake and Take Contest!

First Place Winner of Norwex Microfiber Enviro Cloth and Window Cloth: Laura Weimer

Here is Laura's prize winning entry and recipe:

The moment I read about Bake and Take day I just knew what we would bake and who we would take it to. About a year ago a neighbor friend who is a Christian was going through some difficulties in her marriage and thinking I would be helpful gave her some unsolicited advice and ended up offending her and I thought I had ruined the friendship.

I quickly apologized but always felt like there might still be awkwardness with us. She is currently living with her 2 young children and working part-time so I know she doesn't have as much time as she would like to bake, but I also know she is very health conscience. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to minister to her and hopefully fully restore a relationship.

My three kids and I (ages 6, 4 1/2, and 3) love to make Bran Flax Muffins. My 6 year old peels and grates the carrots (using the kitchen-aid) and I peel and slice the apples and he grates them.

My 4 year old helps measure the flour, and other dry ingredients and cracks the eggs, and my 3 year old puts in a few fistfuls of raisins and lines the muffin tins with paper muffins cups. I pour the liquids, then mix all the ingredients, and then we all get spoons and spoon the batter into the muffin cups. The 6 and 4 year old get hot pads and put the pans into the oven and set the timer. It's so much fun and makes preparing them a lot less work..well, sort of.

We got a basket, lined it with tissue paper, wrapped the muffins in a plastic bag and put lots of curly ribbon all over the basket. I had a little note card with pretty flowers and a nice saying about God being all we need for life and happiness and we marched it over. She was really excited and said she and her kids loved these muffins. I had a chance to thank her for letting me back into her life and I felt like we were able to get rid of any awkwardness that might have been there. I felt really joyful afterward and thought I might even feel more thankful after the whole thing than she did! Thanks for giving me a reason to reach out again to a neighbor and restore a friendship.

Here is Laura's Bran Flax Muffins Recipe:

Mix together:

1 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 c oat bran
3/4 c flaxseed meal
1 c brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon

Stir in:

1 1/2 cups carrots, grated
2 cups apples, peeled & grated
1/2 cup raisins

Combine:

3/4 c milk
2 eggs beaten
1 tsp vanilla

then add to dry ingredients. Stir until moistened. Do not over mix. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.

Second Place Winner of 2-Norpro 8" Bread pans: Bobbi Krenka

My name is Bobbi and I read about the bake and take bread day in your newsletter. My son who is 10 came home from school and told me about the 2nd grade teacher who just had a breast removed due to breast cancer. She has 2 boys in grade school as well as a husband. We made some cookies, loaf of whole wheat bread, and made a card to let them know we were praying for her and her family. While my son was in his self defense class I was going to sneek it in their car, but it was locked. So I had to go and tell her husband that I had something for them. I gave it to him and the look on his face was very humbling for me and he told me how thankful he was. It made the cookie mess that we had left in the kitchen all worth while.
Thank you.

Whole Wheat Bread in a Zo

11/2 c water
41/4 c whole wheat flour
2 tbls dry milk
3 tbls brown sugar
2 tbls gluten
1 tsp dough enhancer
2 tbs salt
1 3/4 tsp SAF yeast

I have a ZO bread maker and I just put in on quick bread setting. it makes a good size loaf. I haven't had my breadmaker to long and have had a little trouble at first. We live at about 6500 ft and I had to do a little experimenting.

Honorable Mention (In no particular order):

#1. Heather Kleveter's Entry: I was so excited to read about your Bake and Take contest...what a great idea!! Any excuse to bless a friend or relative with gifts from the kitchen is a good excuse for me.

I had it all figured out. My sister-in-law in California just had a baby boy and so we planned a vacation to go meet our sweet new nephew and cousin. I would bake a batch of my Spelt English Muffins to take along as a gift for my sister-in-law. They were a hit at the Farmers' Market last summer, they freeze great, and as any new mom knows... it's such a blessing to have something quick and nutritious to eat when you are a sleep-deprived nursing mother!

Then we got the flu. All seven of us! It takes a l-o-n-g time for the flu to run it's course through that many people. With tears, we postponed our trip and crawled back into bed. There was NO way I would be taking baked goods anywhere, let alone cook at all! We were surviving on instant food.

After I started to get my strength back, I asked my husband what he would like me to fix. "Something healthy" was his reply (you know that craving you get when you haven't had a good home-cooked meal in awhile!). Then it occurred to me how very, very blessed I am! And what a wonderful thing a family is! Even if I didn't have the strength to get dressed and brush my hair, my family didn't mind. Even if I was coughing and sniffling, it didn't matter...so was everyone else! So I didn't have to take my baking far...just across the kitchen to the table. And all 5 of my kids and my dear husband were blessed and nourished...and so very grateful for a home cooked breakfast.

Here's what I made:

Blender Lemon-Ginger Pancakes
wheat-free, dairy-free

the night before you want to eat these...
Add to blender:

Juice and zest from 1 large lemon
plus enough water to = 2 cups of liquid

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. molasses
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. Kamut
1/2 c. millet
1/2 c. whole barley

cover and blend on high for 3 minutes.

--------------zzzzzzzz-------------------------------

In the morning, at the skillet pre-heats, add:

2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. ginger powder (good for nausea!)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
and blend for 1 minute

then add and blend briefly (or stir by hand) until mixed:
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda

Add a dab of butter to the hot skillet, pour on the batter. Flip when bubbles form and edges are dry. Add more butter between each batch. Serve with pure maple syrup...yum!

P.S. We are all recovering nicely and are soooo ready for that postponed vacation! Here's the recipe I'll be taking next weekend!

Spelt English Muffins (with fruit & nuts)

18 c. freshly ground spelt flour (spelt is fluffier than other grains so pack it a bit when measuring)
5 c. water
2/3 c. honey
1/4 c. molasses
1/2 c. olive oil
2 Tbsp. sea salt
1/3 c. whey (pour all natural plain yogurt into a sieve lined with cheese cloth or an un bleached coffee filter, place over a bowl and let sit for a few hours. Whey is the liquid in the bowl. We blend the yogurt cheese with jam, using a hand held blender...delicious as a pancake topping or alone!)
a pinch of vitamin C powder, optional

Warm water, honey, molasses and oil together on stove top. Pour this mixture into Bosch (or other bread mixer) bowl. Add salt, vit. C and mix briefly. Add flour, mixing after every 5 cups. Remove dough hook, cover and soak overnight, 7-24 hours. This allows the acidic whey to break down the phytic acid in the whole grains so all the nutrients can be properly absorbed.

After soaking, add:
2 eggs, which have been warmed in a bowl of warm water, before cracking
1/4 c. instant yeast (SAF)
plus more flour (up to 2 cups) if needed, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl

Mix slowly at first to incorporate eggs, then knead for about 6-8 minutes on high until the dough will stretch very thin and translucent when you pull up on a piece.

Let the dough rest for approximately 15 minutes.

This is the fun part where you get to pick your flavor...any chopped nut or dried fruit!
I like to add:
cranberry & almond
walnuts, pecans & golden raisins
cinnamon & raisin
Just grab a handful and knead it in!

Then roll the dough to about 3/4 " thick on a greased counter. Cut out circles using a biscuit cutter or a clean, empty tuna can.

Place on a greased cookie sheet that has been sprinkled with oat bran. Spritz top of muffins with water (or cooking spray) and sprinkle with oat bran. Cover with a towel and let rise foe 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat an electric griddle to about 240 degrees (low temp). Cook muffins for about 9 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Split with a fork These freeze great! Enjoy!

Thank you for your ministry, Marilyn!

#2 My name is Amy and I started baking bread about 3 years ago. I have struggled with the quality of the bread and have gone through many experimental fixes trying to get a texture that would hold up for sandwiches. I also taught a neighbor to bake, and she, too, would love to have a moist, soft, full loaf. Our struggle seems to be primarily that we live at 9,100 feet in elevation and would get bread that would fall, be coarse and crumbly, or be too yeasty.

So, I finally baked a great loaf and took it to her, as proof that it can be done. She was delightfully surprised, and is anxious to try my new method. (The secret is in mastering the yeast; don't kill the yeast with hot water, don't add too soon, don't let rise too much, don't knead it to death, don't work the dough too much or too rough, and, don't use a dry dough as the yeast absorbs a lot of moisture, leaving a dry loaf).

Bread with Altitude by Amy Hoppes
Makes 2 loaves

5 1/4 C. whole wheat Prairie Gold berries, milled and set aside
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Proof:
1 1/2 Tbls. Yeast Sprinkled over;
2/3 C. Warm Water with
1 1/2 Tbls. organic sugar, sprinkled over all.
Let set about 10 min. to dissolve
Meanwhile....
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Scald 2 1/2 C. Milk. Put in Kitchen-Aid mixer, and add;

Half of the flour
2 large eggs
1/2 C. organic sugar
3/4 tsp. Salt

Beat 5 min. Then add:

The proofed yeast mixture,
1/3 C. oil (canola, Olive, or comb. of 2 part butter, and 1 part coconut oil)
2 Tbls. Vital Wheat Gluten,
and most of the remaining flour.

Knead to a slightly sticky consistency.
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Put in large buttered Bowl (turn, and optional, dot and spread a bit of butter on top) Cover with damp towel and let rise in draft free location for 15 min (30 if in the mile high range).
Dump on counter - shape lightly - put back in bowl to rise a second time in draft free location for 15 min (30 if in the mile high range).
Dump out, and cut evenly for loaves or rolls etc. (two loaves, or a loaf and some cinnamon rolls, etc.) Put in buttered pans and let rise to top of pan about 10 min. and about 5 min. more while you pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bake 30 min. at 350 degrees in convection oven if available. Test with instant thermometer to read 180 degrees, remove from pans immediately, wipe pans with paper towel, and let bread cool completely (at least one hour).

I have sent each Honorable Mention Participant a Norwex Microfiber face cloth just for participating in our contest.