heartland Renaissance

It is a cherished tradition in our family to have cinnamon rolls for breakfast Christmas morning.

Growing up, sometimes they were homemade, sometimes they were from a package, sometimes they were the whomp-em variety (you know, the kind from the can that you “whomp” on the counter?) but they were always there, first thing, and we nibbled on them as we opened Christmas gifts followed by a large, hearty breakfast later in the morning.

Over the past few years I’ve been experimenting with various recipes for making them from scratch, and this is my hands down favorite, numero uno winner. A true “feast day” recipe that we save for only special occasions. I love it because it uses all sourdough for leavening, can be placed in the pan the night before and rises overnight in the fridge so you can throw them in the oven first thing in the morning, and they are billowy, soft, and super decadent. The inclusion of a lot of butter, mashed potato (yes, mashed potato!) and a little bit of buttermilk gives these cinnamon rolls a presence and flavor that can’t be matched. . .

I have a confession to make. The primary reason for building a rye sourdough this year was purely and entirely selfish.

I wanted a sandwich.

A good one. A good pastrami sandwich with some homemade sauerkraut and spicy mustard.

My dad cures his own pastrami. Makes his own spice rub, allows it to season/dry-age for several days in the rub, then smokes it for several hours. Oh, and did I mention? I love pastrami.

I made a deal with him that if he made a new batch of his pastrami to be ready when we arrived to visit in Colorado a few weeks ago, I would bring a German rye sourdough and bake him fresh bread to go with it.

And this Polish Cottage Rye Sourdough bread didn’t disappoint . . .

It is autumn.

The season for hearty soups and roasted root vegetables. The season when I begin to experiment with new sauerkrauts with the season’s freshest new cabbages, and maybe an apple or carrot or two.

The season when I bake more. Especially breads, and especially sourdoughs . . .

And this year? I’m all about experimenting with hearty, dark ryes. And I needed a new, rye sourdough to do it . . .

We love Greek and Mediterranean food in our home. A common summertime meal? Grilled kebabs, beef, game or chicken, , seasoned with olive oil, lemon, garlic, oregano and more, served with homemade hummus (my favorite recipe is Ina’s), Tzatziki sauce (recipe coming up soon) with homemade yogurt, dill from our garden and cucumber, served along with or inside pita.

I’ve never really made pita before. Sure, I made the hummus, sliced the (truly grassfed, all natural) meat from my freezer, grew the oregano for the marinade, made the yogurt and grew the dill for the sauce, but the pita was still from the store.
It just wasn’t something I made.

Sourdough bread? Sure. Artisinal french breads? Yes. But simple pita bread? Nope. Just bought the package at the store.

But the last time I bought the multigrain variety, I was highly disappointed. It was thick, almost like a fry bread, kind of dry, and didn’t have a pocket. What’s the point of pita without a pocket? Plus it cost a pretty penny and I didn’t like half of the ingredients. I was not impressed. So I decided to try my hand at making my own.

And now, I doubt I’d ever buy it again. It was so simple, made up quickly before our meal, and was perfect. I love it. And I can’t wait for you to try it too . . .

The original recipe for this was a happy accident. . . I used one of our favorite grains, oatmeal, and formed an amazing whole wheat, sourdough sandwich bread with it. Soft and slightly sweet, it slices beautifully.