Naturally Colored Pink Pancakes

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and since that means all sorts of pink and red tinted goodies, I have been experimenting with beet powder. We try very hard to avoid artificial colors, flavors, etc, but like most kids, my children are always drawn to colored foods! So I am trying to gain a chemical reaction based understanding of how beet powder will react when combined with other agents. Sometimes, if the acidity levels are not high enough, the color will turn brown once cooked or baked. The following pancake recipe is super healthy, packed with whole grains, and the batter turns from bright electric pink before cooked to a reddish pink when it's done. My kids loved them, and now we have a recipe to make pink heart shaped pancakes in February!

Pink Multigrain Pancakes

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup barley flour
1/2 cup oat flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1-2 tbsp sugar, optional
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp red powdered beet root
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 tbsp melted butter or oil
2 eggs

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, and beet powder.

In a measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla. Pour into the flour mixture and stir just until moistened.

Preheat a large skillet, and lightly grease it using a few drops of oil or a teaspoon of butter. Drop spoonfuls of batter onto the hot skillet and cook, over medium heat, until starting to bubble. Flip and cook for a few minutes, until evenly browned. Remove to a plate and repeat. Serve warm with maple syrup or strawberry sauce.

For heart shapes, spoon batter into a pastry bag or other squeezable bottle (clean condiment bottles are great for this, if they have a wide opening at the top). Cut the tip off the pastry bag and pipe shapes directly onto the hot griddle. To keep the batter from spilling onto the counter between batches, place it, tip down, in a drinking glass for support. The weight from the remaining batter folds the tip and keeps it from sneaking out.

Hearty Sandwich Buns

I get a lot of my recipe ideas from restaurants I visit, articles I read, or ingredients I stumble upon at cool stores or farmers' markets. A few weeks ago our family decided to Pam up and spend a day out and about. We headed toward Ashland on 66 with the full intent on stopping at Green Springs Lodge for lunch. While they have changed hands a few times in the past decade or so, with spotty sevice and food at times, I have great childhood memories dining there and wanted to see how they're doing currently. Our experience was great. I rarely order burgers out now, because of the meat quality and inevitable disappointment, but their menu sold three of us almost instantly (my daughter had a quesadilla). I had a super lean, juicy, delicious buffalo burger, and all arrived on a housemade, hearty whole grain bun. I should have split my burger with my son! Wow. I love finding "non fluff" buns when eating out, and when they're whole wheat I swoon.

Those particular buns were just a tad sweet for me, so when I made my version today I used barely any honey. Theirs had hints of seeds, making them even more filling...perfect for my ever hungry spouse. On our day out we also stopped by the Butte Creek Mill, and I bought some seven grain flour, which I thought would go perfectly with some flax, poppy, sesame, and sunflower seeds. The following recipe is my take on a healthy, deliciously satisfying sandwich bun, perfect for housing a burger, grilled chicken breast, or even saucy pulled pork (and these will hold up well without disintegrating as you eat). Enjoy!

Seven Grain Buns

2 1/2 cups seven or nine grain bread flour
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
3 tbsp softened butter
2 eggs, separated
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp active dry yeast (or instant yeast)
2 tsp honey
1 tbsp EACH: sunflower, poppy, golden flax, and sesame seeds

If using active dry yeast, mix the yeast, water, and honey together in a small measuring cup or bowl. Let stand until foamy, five minutes. If using instant yeast, you don't need to proof it...just mix it in with everything else.

Combine the flours, salt, yeast mixture, one egg, one egg yolk (reserve the white), and butter in a large bowl. Mix and knead until smooth and elastic, by hand or machine. Knead in the seeds.

Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise 1-1 1/2 hours.

Punch dough down and divide into 8 or 10 pieces, depending on how large you like your buns. Form into balls, place on a greased baking sheet about 2" apart, and press down to flatten slightly. Cover and let rise 40 min-1 hour.

Preheat the oven while the buns rise to 425.

Brush buns with egg white. Sprinkle with more seeds, if desired. Bake 15 minutes, until golden. Cool on a wire rack. These freeze very well (freeze whole, don't split buns before freezing, defrost, then split).