Baking Whole Grains | With the Help of WonderMill Grain Mills

Whole Wheat Boston Cream Cupcakes

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Donna Miller

Seriously? Is that possible? Yes indeed! A whole wheat cake mix is easy and tasty so why not enjoy both your cake and be able to eat it too!

Since the other day was National Boston Cream Pie day (which is not really a pie by our normal thoughts of pie with crust, etc. but is in fact is a cake) I decided we ‘needed’ to do something in honor of this National Food Holiday. I’m a total sucker for Boston Cream Anything so this was a great excuse to get in the kitchen and play with my food and make up these tasty Whole Wheat Boston Cream Cupcakes!

EnJOY…

Whole Wheat Boston Cream Cupcakes

Approximately One Dozen Cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:

2 1/2 Cups Freshly Milled Soft White Wheat (sifted)
1 Cup Organic Evaporated Cane Crystals (Natural Unbleached Sugar)
3 teaspoons Aluminum Free Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon of Sea Salt
1 teaspoon of Organic Vanilla Extract
¼ Cup Coconut Oil or other light oil in Liquid State
3 Eggs
1 1/2+ Cups Lowfat Milk (nut milks work too)

Cupcake Instructions:

Into a large bowl. sift the freshly milled four to remove some of the husk and bran and aerate the flour for a light fluffy (whole wheat) cake – no that is not an oxymoron.

Now combine all other dry ingredients into the sifted flour and mix gently with a wire whisk to evenly disperse the salt, baking powder and sugar through out the flour. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl combine all wet ingredients oil, vanilla, eggs and 1 1/2 cups milk and blend with a fork or whisk until combined well and eggs are fully beaten. Save a little milk aside to add into mix if it seems too thick…that is why the + sign in the above ingredients list. Fresh milled flour is more susceptible to atmospheric moisture so you may need to tweak the liquid.

Make a well in the dry mixture and add all of the liquid at once. With a whisk or electric beaters mix on low for 1 minute until smooth.

Pour by 1/4-1/3 Cup amounts into muffin tins prepared with cupcake wrappers.

Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

Once baked remove to wire rack to cool completely and await this luscious filling…

Filling/Pudding Ingredients:

2 Large Egg Yolks
1 1/2 Cups Milk (whole works best but 2% and nut milk work too)
1/3 Cup Eva ported Cane Crystals (Sugar or Succanant)
2 Tablespoon Rice flour (ground fine in your Wondermill)
1/8 teaspoon Sea Salt
2 teaspoons of Vanilla Extract

Filling/Pudding Instructions:

In a bowl, beat egg yolks together with a whisk, add milk and continue betting until well combined. Set aside.

In a medium sauce pan, combine sugar, rice flour and sea salt and mix slightly to combine.

Gradually stir egg yolk/milk mixture into the saucepan with dry ingredients until all combined. Move to stove top.

Place on a burner set to medium or medium-low and cook stirring continually (dairy burns easily – keep it moving – keep it low – take it slow). Cook until mixture begins to thicken and comes to a low boil. Cook (still stirring) at the boil for 1 minutes. Remove from heat…

Once removed from burner – add vanilla and stir to mix throughout.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours until cold.

Easy Chocolate Frosting Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
1/2 Cup unsweetened Cocoa
1/2 stick butter, softened
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate Frosting Instructions:

Whisk together powdered sugar and cocoa in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl combine 1/2 cup of sugar/cocoa mixture with butter and 1 tablespoon cream. Beat with electric mixer or by hand until smooth. Add another 1/2 cup of sugar/cocoa and another 1/2 tablespoon of cream, beating well. Continue until all ingredients are combined and frosting is fluffy. Lastly beat in vanilla.

Refrigerated only if there are left overs after icing the cupcakes as this will become hard to spread once cold.

Assembly Instructions:

Fill a strong plastic baggie or cake frosting bag with filling/pudding mixture. Use the frosting tip with the largest hole on the end of the bag.

Take a cupcake in one hand, hold bag of filling in the other. Insert the frosting tip deep into the center of the cupcake. While applying slight pressure to the bag turn the cupcake in a circular motion. As filling starts to peak out of the top (continue slight pressure) and slowly remove to fill.

Repeat with each cupcake.

Frost after filling.

Eat and enjoy the fact that you can create a Whole Wheat Boston Cream Cupcake with wholesome and REAL ingredients that you want and none of the artificial dyes, flavors or preservatives you don’t!

Best Blessings!

Donna Miller

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Posted in Recipes | Tagged boston cream pie, cake, chocolate, cupcake, dessert, frosting, pudding, recipe, whole wheat, wondermill | Leave a comment

Whole Wheat Maple Oat Scones

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Feathers in Our Nest

+14

There’s just nothing like a warm scone on a cool morning! These scones are very satisfying, thanks to the whole grains, and the have a slightly sweet taste. They also can be dairy-free.

These are easy to make for a delicious breakfast or snack!

Whole Grain Maple Oat Scones
adapted from here

1 3/4 – 2 cups whole wheat flour, plus additional flour for dusting
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1 heaping Tbsp. baking powder
6 Tbsp. coconut oil (solid), or cold butter
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup milk, or almond milk if you’re dairy-free
sugar for sprinkling on top (optional)

Grind wheat in the WonderMill.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Combine flour (1 3/4 cup), oats, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder in a mixing bowl.

Add coconut oil (or butter), cutting in with a pastry cutter or knife/fork until mixture resembles small peas (see below).

Pour in maple syrup and milk and stir just until combined. Add up to 1/4 cup flour if needed to form dough into a ball.

Turn dough onto floured surface and quickly shape into a circle (1 inch high) without overworking the dough. Use a sharp knife to cut it into 8 wedges.

Carefully transfer the dough wedges to your prepared baking sheet using a floured spatula. Leave a little space between each scone on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with a little sugar if desired.

Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool slightly then move to a cooling rack.

Serve warm with butter!

*Freezing instructions: Flash freeze unbaked scones on a baking sheet, then wrap them individually. To bake, unwrap and place on a baking sheet (still frozen), then bake a few minutes longer than normal.

Enjoy!

Posted in Recipes | Tagged breads, breakfast, breakfasts, maple, oat, oats, snacks, wheat, whole grains, whole wheat | 1 Comment

Chicken Pot Pie with Whole Wheat Herb Crust

Posted on October 25, 2013 by Donna Miller

+15

Yes, this is another one of my recipes that are notorious for using up left overs….ssshh… don’t tell anyone! Actually my family is fully aware of this and it’s recipes such as this one that have helped us stretch our food budget through the years.

I almost didn’t want to share this because to me it seemed so fast and easy I barely feel like it’s a recipe at all. I also include so many ‘variables’ that the die-hard recipe follower may become frustrated because it’s like coloring outside the lines.

Yet here it is. Options and all. Fast and easy as it may be. But you don’t have to sacrifice healthier options just because it’s fast and easy. Hope you will enjoy doing what I do to get the most out of leftovers and play with your food!

EnJOY…

For Filling…..

2 Cups of chopped or deboned cooked chicken (option – 2 cans of canned chicken, drained)
1 large bag of frozen mixed vegetables such as peas, carrots, corn, cauliflower, diced potatoes, broccoli, etc. (options – 2 cans of mixed vegetables, drained or misc. leftover mixed veggies)
2 cans of favorite cream of ? soup such as celery or mushroom or one of each – (option – home-made cream of soup mix combined with enough water to make condensed consistency or 1 1/2 C left over mashed potatoes)
1/2 – 1 Cup Skim or Lowfat Milk
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp dried onion flakes or 1 TBS sauteed onions

For Whole Wheat Herbed Crust…..

2 Cups of freshly milled Soft White Wheat
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp of oregano or herbs of your choice
1/3 C Parmesan Cheese or grated sharp Cheddar.
1 TBS Organic Evaporated Cane Crystals or sugar or sucanant
1 Cup Milk (potentially a dash or two more per instructions)
1/4 C Olive Oil

Instructions…..

Spray or grease a 13 x 9 Pyrex baking pan.
Combine all filling ingredients in the pan and stir to combine.
Cover with glass lid or tin foil and place in an oven that has been preheated to 400 degrees.
Cook covered for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile combine all dry goods from the list of crust ingredients in a large bowl and mix with a whisk or fork. Leave a well in the middle of the dry goods.

Combine all wet ingredients from the crust ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Now wait until almost time to pull out the Pyrex pan from the oven.

Check the oven’s contents…and after filling is bubbly turn to the crust topping … Mix the combined wet ingredients into the well of the dry ingredients and mix until most (not all) lumps disappear. It should be the consistency of a very thick pancake batter. If it’s too thick to pour over the filling – add a dash of milk at a time until it is pour-able.

Now pull the bubbly filling out of the oven to a heat protected surface. With a spatula pour crust ingredients over the entire dish. There will be gaps, so don’t worry – just try to disperse evenly.

Return to oven and bake until golden brown (approximately 15 minutes).

Remove to heat protected surface and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Pot pie is well known for retaining heat better than the tiles on the space shuttle – so don’t rush this – your patience will be rewarded. (:

Posted in Recipes | Tagged chicken, easy, fast, left over, main dish, make-over, pie, pot, reipe | Leave a comment

Pumpkin Buttermilk Biscuits {Whole Wheat}

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Feathers in Our Nest

+22

According to my husband (a self-avowed pumpkin-hater), these biscuits were better than he expected! So from a pumpkin fanatic (me), a pumpkin-hater (him), and two kids, we recommend these biscuits for a wholesome addition to a fall meal!

You could probably use mashed sweet potato in place of the pumpkin, if you prefer, but I haven’t tried it that way. I put pumpkin in just about everything this time of year!

Pumpkin Buttermilk Biscuits
adapted from here

2 cups whole wheat flour, freshly ground
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. Real Salt
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
5 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup buttermilk (I use milk soured with lemon juice or vinegar)
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 Tbsp. honey
additional flour as needed

Grind wheat in the WonderMill.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and prepare baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silpat mat.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until the pieces are pea-sized. Chill 10 minutes.

In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, pumpkin, and honey until blended. Add liquids to dry ingredients, stirring just until combined.

Turn dough onto a well-floured surface and sprinkle with additional flour. Knead 4 times, then roll out dough into a rectangle. Sprinkle with flour, then fold up thirds. Re-roll dough, adding additional flour to keep it from sticking.

Cut dough into biscuits using a glass or a biscuit cutter. Place dough rounds on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden. Serve warm with butter, honey, or pumpkin butter!

Enjoy!

Posted in Recipes | Tagged biscuit, biscuits, bread, pumpkin, whole grain, whole wheat | Leave a comment

Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Donuts

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Authentic Simplicity

+18

Autumn isn’t autumn until you enjoy a pumpkin baked good. That’s just a fact of life. And thankfully, you can enjoy a delicious pumpkin treat without sacrificing deliciousness OR nutritiousness. (Is that a word? It is now!)

There are all sorts of pumpkin-based recipes available these days: try Pumpkin Blondies (a favorite of mine!) or Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes (really mini muffins), or take a walk on the wild side with Pumpkin Not Chocolate (a unique but creamy and satisfying hot beverage).

Or, of course, you could try these pumpkin donuts! They will certainly fit the bill: a delicious treat that’s pretty healthy. At any rate, it’s way healthier than the pumpkin donuts you’ll find at your local donut shop. Guaranteed!

What I love most about this recipe is that it very closely resembles the super-quick biscuit donut recipe you’ve probably seen before (you know, the one where you take a can of biscuits, pop it open and fry ’em up?), but it’s made with all natural ingredients that you have right in your own kitchen. It’s essentially a type of biscuit dough turned into a donut by frying it and dusting it with powdered sugar. Easy and quick!

Um, and yeah. Delicious.

For this particular recipe, I used a blend of different grains ground in my grain mill: oats, millet, and wheat. I didn’t measure exactly, but the blend was about 50% wheat, 25% oat, and 25% millet. I would imagine you could use 100% wheat with excellent results, but anything else might require some alterations. Also, I should note that I ground the wheat on the pastry setting.

Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Donuts

multi-grain pumpkin donuts

Author: Anne Simpson

Serves: 18

Ingredients

1¾ cup flour blend (50% wheat, 25% each millet and oat) OR white whole wheat ground on pastry setting
2 t. baking powder
1 t. pumpkin pie spice
½ t. salt
½ cup pumpkin puree
½ cup milk (any kind)
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup unrefined sugar or coconut sugar
coconut oil or palm shortening for frying
powdered sugar, optional

Instructions

Sift together the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
Stir pumpkin puree, milk, maple syrup, and sugar together in a separate bowl.
Combine dry and wet ingredients, adding extra flour a tablespoon at a time until you have a dough that is firm but soft.
Chill the dough for about 10-15 minutes.
Dust the countertop with flour and place the dough on it. Knead it gently and then roll it out until it is ¼" thick. Cut out with a donut cutter; place each donut on a floured cookie sheet until you are ready to fry. Let the donuts stand for about 5 minutes.
Use a pot that's large enough to hold enough oil or shortening to cover the donuts while leaving 3" to the top of the pan. Heat the oil to 370F and be sure to maintain that temperature while frying.*
Place the donuts into the oil, frying only a few at a time. When the first side is brown, flip them over to brown the second side. Drain and cool on paper towels.
Roll in powdered sugar, if desired.
*I don't actually have the right kind of thermometer for this task, so I just watched the donuts carefully. If they brown rapidly before cooking all the way through, the oil is too hot. If they absorb oil before cooking, the oil is too cool. I think I kept my dial around 6 or 7 to maintain the right temperature.

Posted in Recipes | Tagged donuts, pumpkin | 1 Comment

Whole Wheat Chocolate Cinnamon Yeast Bread

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Vickilynn Haycraft

+53

This bread recipe was born out of a desire to mix the rich, warm flavors of chocolate and cinnamon with the smooth flavors of 100% whole wheat and honey years bread. I first developed this combination using my Whole Wheat and Honey Challah with great success, but I also wanted to have a version without eggs. The result hit it big with our taste-testers.

Dairy-free and using only raw honey as the sweetener, this bread is a healthier alternative, but provides the chocolate and bread satisfaction we crave.

This recipe is my large batch, for my batch baking and freezing, but if it is too big for you, cut the recipe ingredients by half. I use an Ankarsrum Original Mixer to mix and knead the dough, but it can be done by hand as well.

Mill hard white wheat berries into flour using the WonderMill grain mill. Set flour aside.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Cinnamon Yeast Bread
(Yield 5 loaves, each approximately 1 1/2 pounds)

Ingredients:
5 cups of warm water, 110-120 degrees
1 tablespoon organic apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons instant yeast
5 cups hard white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, or oil of choice
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup vital gluten
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, dark
2 tablespoons organic cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon salt
Additional hard white wheat flour
Egg wash: 2 large eggs beaten with 2 tablespoons of water

In mixing bowl or mixer bowl, place the warm water, apple cider vinegar, 5 cups of flour and yeast. Mix until everything is dissolved. Cover and let sit at room temperature until bubbly (about 30-45 minutes).

Stir down the yeast mixture and add in oil, honey, gluten flour and salt and mix well. Start adding in additional flour in 1 cup increments until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and pulls together. Knead by mixer for 5-7 minutes, or 10 minutes by hand until the dough is no longer sticky, but smooth and supple.

Cover the bowl and let dough rise until doubled, about 30 – 60 minutes. With oiled hands, remove bread dough from bowl and place onto a lightly oiled surface. Knead the dough for about 30 seconds to remove air bubbles and separate the dough into 5 equal portions (they should each weigh about 1 1/2 pounds). Cover the portions not being used so they don’t dry out. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll each portion into a loaf shape and place each loaf into a greased* (see my Healthy Hack) loaf pan, cover the loaves and let them rise about 45 minutes or until risen and domed. Brush tops with egg wash which is 2 whole eggs beaten with 2 tablespoons of water.

Place loaves into preheated oven. Bake until done, about 30-35 minutes. Remove the loaves from the pans and place them on a cooling rack. Cover the warm loaves with clean kitchen towels so they soften as they cool.

These are delicious as is, or toasted with real sweet butter and a cuppa steaming tea, or spread with your favorite homemade jam or cream cheese. Your organic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches will never be the same once you try them on your homemade Whole Wheat Chocolate Cinnamon Yeast Bread, try it today!

Enjoy!

Posted in Recipes | Tagged chocolate cinnamon yeast bread, Real Food Living, Vickilynn Haycraft, whole grain baking | 1 Comment

Whole Wheat Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Donna Miller

+13

There’s nothing like REAL food…that’s REAL good…and REALLY good for you!

Carrots are veggies – check!
Pineapple is a fruit – check!

I’d say this is a case of having your (whole wheat carrot) cake and eating it too!

This recipe came about when I realized we had an over-abundance of carrot pulp after we had begun juicing our carrots for juice. Not being one to throw away anything that would be potentially edible, I froze the carrot pulp. And boy, now I’m glad I did!

First – mill 2 Cups of Soft White Wheat in your Wondermill or Wondermill Jr. Deluxe…..

Now assemble the ingredients so that you know you have a is a full cast of characters before you start the party… nothing worse than getting half way there to find out you’re missing a key player or two….like I forgot to place buttermilk and baking soda in the ingredients picture. They were a little late to the party.

Ingredients:

2 cups freshly milled soft white wheat flour
1 TBS ground golden flax seed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Cup Organic Sugar
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 Cup finely chopped carrot or carrot pulp from juicing carrots
1/2 Cup can crushed pineapple (drained of juice – juice set aside)
1 Cup pineapple juice (yes, you just drained this)
1/2 Cup Fat Free buttermilk
1 tsp Vanilla
1/4Cup Egg whites (or one egg)
1/4 Cup melted Coconut Oil

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

Mix all your dry ingredients (not carrot or pineapple they are moist) in a large bowl and combine with a whisk or a fork.

Mix all your wet ingredients (again not carrot or pineapple – they are moist) and mix until well combined.

Then stir the carrot pulp into the wet ingredients. After that toss the crushed pineapple in to coat by the dry ingredients.

Then combine the wet (with carrot) into the dry (with pineapple) and mix until no dusty specs are left.

Pour into a greased 9 x 13 sheet cake pan. Bake in 375 oven for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.

Let cool completely in the pan.

Frosting Ingredients:

2 (8oz blocks) Low-fat Cream Cheese – softened
1/2 C Honey or Agave Nector or Powdered Sugar
1/4 C Milk, Almond Milk or cream

Combine and whip with an electric mixer. Spread on top of sheet cake once it has completely cooled. Slice and serve!

Posted in Recipes | Tagged cake, carrot, easy, frosting, grain, pineapple, recipe, wheat, whole, wondermill | 1 Comment

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Feathers in Our Nest

+12

Fall means pumpkin everything! If you’re in the mood for something lightly sweet with the delicious flavor of pumpkin, then these muffins, served fresh and warm from the oven, are just what you’re looking for! You can feel good about the fact that they are made with 100% whole wheat flour.

These muffins are kid-approved too, and are very quick & easy to make!

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour, freshly ground
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2/3 cup sucanat or brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar (or evaporated cane juice)
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs

Grind wheat in the WonderMill.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tin with 12 paper liners.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. In another bowl, combine brown sugar, white sugar, oil, buttermilk, pumpkin puree, and eggs. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

Distribute batter into muffin cups evenly. Bake for 15 minutes, or until tops crack and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool for 5 minutes, then remove muffins from pan to cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Posted in Recipes | Tagged bread, muffins, pumpkin, recipe, whole grain, whole wheat | Leave a comment

Yeasted Whole Wheat Flatbread

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Vickilynn Haycraft

+16

Flatbreads can be made with yeast, sourdough, baking powder or soda, or be unleavened. Using yeast creates more depth of flavor and a more puffy, thick flatbread, different than a tortilla. These lovely, soft, delicious flatbreads can be used instead of pita bread for falafel sandwiches, as hamburger buns, as pizza crusts, for sandwiches or just toasted spread with butter.

This recipe is my large batch, for my batch baking and freezing but if it is too big for you, cut the recipe ingredients by half. I use an Ankarsrum Original Mixer to mix and knead the dough, but it can be done by hand as well.

Mill hard white whole wheat berries into flour using the WonderMill.

Ingredients:
5 cups of warm water, 110-120 degrees
1 tablespoon organic apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons yeast
5 cups hard white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, or oil of choice
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup vital gluten
1 teaspoon salt
Additional hard white wheat flour

Stir down the yeast mixture and add in oil, honey, gluten flour and salt and mix well. Start adding in additional flour in 1 cup increments until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and pulls together. It should be slighty sticky, moreso than bread dough.

Knead by mixer for 5-7 minutes, or 10 minutes by hand. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 – 60 minutes. With oiled hands, remove bread dough from bowl onto a lightly oiled surface. Knead the dough for about 30 seconds to remove air bubbles and separate the dough into 4 ounce portions (you should get 27-28 portions).

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Cover the dough portions you are not working with and roll each dough portion out to about 8 inches round. Place each rolled flatbread onto parchment covered baking sheets.

Bake 5-6 minutes or until bubbled and lightly browned. No need to flip the flatbreads if your oven bakes both sides. Remove the baked flatbreads to clean towel and wrap them in it to steam and soften the crusts. Replace with the rest of the flatbreads adding them to the towel in a stack. Let the breads cool completely in the towel for a soft, pliable flatbread.

Flatbread Falafel Sandwich

Enjoy!

Posted in Recipes | Tagged falafel, flatbread, Real Food Living, Vickilynn Haycraft, whole grain baking, whole wheat flatbreads | 1 Comment

Spinach & Mozzarella Pinwheels

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Feathers in Our Nest

+15

At our house, we love homemade pizza! I probably make it at least twice a month, if not more often than that! Sometimes, though, I like to change it up a bit. These Spinach and Mozzarella Pinwheels use the same ingredients as homemade pizza, but are served up in a fun, new way! My kids love them (I think there’s something about “dipping” that’s super-fun), and it’s an easy way to get your spinach in your diet.

These would be a fun appetizer as well when served at a party before an Italian dinner. The filling options are truly endless… just use what you have on hand to customize these to your family’s likes!

Spinach and Mozzarella Pinwheels

2 cups whole wheat flour, freshly ground
2 1/2 tsp. yeast (or one packet)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup warm water
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup baby spinach, stems removed
1 Tbsp. olive oil
marinara sauce (I used homemade)
salt & freshly ground black pepper

pictured: ingredients for dough

Grind wheat in the WonderMill. Prepare dough (first 7 ingredients) according to these directions.

When dough has risen (again, refer to these step-by-step directions), knead for 2-3 minutes and roll out onto a well-floured surface into a 12-inch circle, 1/4 inch thick.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.

Over dough, sprinkle 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese. Add spinach, and top with remaining 1 cup of cheese.

Roll dough into a log (like you would if you were making cinnamon rolls) and tuck in the ends. Using your hands, coat the whole roll with olive oil, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

Place the roll (seam side down) on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until top is golden brown.