Authors: Zoe Francois,Jeff Hertzberg MD
Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients (33 page)
Pear Tarte Tatin
Pear Tarte Tatin with Whole Wheat Brioche
This is a French tart usually made with a pastry dough, but we discovered that it is excellent made with our whole wheat brioche. It comes out like a wonderful caramelized upside-down pancake. It can be served on its own as breakfast or with ice cream for dessert. The whole spices left in the pan as it is cooking and baking impart terrific flavor and look gorgeous. Cooking the pears takes more than 5 minutes, but we promise it is worth the wait (see
photo above
).
Makes 1 tarte Tatin
Use any of these refrigerated pre-mixed doughs:
Braided Challah with Whole Wheat and Wheat Germ
,
Whole Wheat Brioche
, or
Pumpkin Pie Brioche
½ pound (orange-size portion) of any pre-mixed dough listed above
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, or zero trans fat, zero hydrogenated oil margarine
1/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
Two 1-inch round slices fresh ginger
2 whole cardamom pods (optional)
1 star anise (optional)
5 large firm pears, peeled, stemmed, cored, and quartered
1.
In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, melt the butter or margarine over medium heat, and then sprinkle the sugar, honey, and lemon juice over it. Drop the cinnamon stick, ginger, and optional cardamom pods and star anise in the middle. Arrange the pears in a circular pattern, cut side up, in the sugar.
2.
Cook slowly over low heat until the pears start to absorb the caramel and the juices are bubbling around them, about 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size, ripeness, and firmness of the pears. Spoon the sugar over the pears as they cook. Move the pears around slightly so that they are cooked evenly. If you are using a softer pear, it will go much faster.
3.
Once the pears are coloring nicely and the caramel is bubbling, turn off the stove and let them cool while you prepare the dough.
4.
P
reheat the oven to 350°F,
with a rack placed in the center of the oven. The baking stone is not essential; if you omit it, the preheat can be as short as 5 minutes.
5.
While the pears are cooling, dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a ½-pound (orange-size) piece. Dust with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
6.
With a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is a 1/8-inch-thick circle that fits the pan and extends about 1 inch beyond to make room for any shrinkage while baking. As you roll out the dough, use enough flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the work surface but not so much as to make it dry.
7.
Drape the circle of dough over the pears, and tuck the excess between the pears and the edge of the pan.
8.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the tarte to cool in the skillet for about 5 minutes. Then carefully invert it onto a serving platter that is large enough that the hot caramel juices don’t spill out. Serve warm or cool.
Honey Caramel Sticky Nut Buns
Just because we want to eat healthier doesn’t mean that we want to be austere about it. We need to indulge on occasion and here is a way to do just that without compromising our resolve to eat better. The caramel is made with honey and the dough is made from whole grains. It may not make you healthier to eat these, but it will certainly improve your mental state. Joy is an important part of our wellness and this will bring you large doses of it.
Makes 8 to 12 buns
Use any of these refrigerated pre-mixed doughs:
Braided Challah with Whole Wheat and Wheat Germ
,
Whole Wheat Brioche
,
Pumpkin Pie Brioche
, or
Master Recipe
1½ pounds (small cantaloupe-size portion) of any pre-mixed dough listed above
The Honey-Caramel Topping and Filling
½ cup honey
½ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, or zero trans fat, zero hydrogenated oil margarine, softened
½ teaspoon orange zest
¾ cup finely chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, or macadamias are wonderful)
1 cup raisins
1.
Cream together all ingredients except the nuts and raisins. Spread half the mixture evenly over the bottom of an 9-inch cake pan. Set aside. Reserve the other half of the mixture for the filling.
2.
Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1½-pound (small cantaloupe-size) piece. Dust with more flour and and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
3.
With a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is a 1/8-inch-thick rectangle. As you roll out the dough, use enough flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the work surface, but not so much as to make it dry.
4.
Spread the remaining honey-caramel filling evenly over the rolled-out dough. Sprinkle on the nuts and raisins. Roll the dough into a log, starting at the long end of the dough. Pinch the seam closed.
5.
With a very sharp knife or kitchen shears, cut into 8 to 12 equal pieces and arrange over the caramel-covered pan, with the “swirled” edge visible to you. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest for about 1 hour.
6. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350°F,
with a rack placed in the center of the oven. If you’re not using a stone in the oven, 5 minutes of preheat time is adequate.
7.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown and well set in center. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to release the buns while they’re still hot, then invert onto a serving dish immediately. If you let it set too long the buns will stick to the pan and be difficult to unmold.
8.
Serve warm.
Cinnamon Crescent Rolls
Cinnamon Crescent Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
We’ve all tasted crescent rolls made from dough that popped out of a tube. Those are modeled on the French
croissant
(which just means crescent), the flaky, buttery creation that begs to be dipped into a big bowl of café au lait. Neither the popped dough nor the French original are terribly healthy, so we’ve updated the crescent roll with doughs made from whole grains and healthy oils rather than white flour and butter (see
photo above
).
Makes 16 crescent rolls
Use any of these refrigerated pre-mixed doughs:
Braided Challah with Whole Wheat and Wheat Germ
,
Whole Wheat Brioche
,
Pumpkin Pie Brioche
,
Master Recipe
, or
Chocolate Espresso Whole Wheat Bread
1½ pounds (small cantaloupe-size portion) of any pre-mixed dough listed above
½ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon neutral-flavored oil or melted butter
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water) for brushing on the top crusts
Raw sugar for sprinkling on top