Book Love: King Arthur Whole Grains Cookbook

Today we’re going to look at one of my favorite cookbooks.  I have many cookbook loves, but one of my all-time favorites is King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking: Delicious Recipes Using Nutritious Whole Grains.  

Before I had even heard of the book and movie Julie and Julia, I discovered this book and decided that I needed to try every recipe because they all looked so good.  It may take me 10 years, but eventually I’ll try them all.

This was one of the first cookbooks that I decided to take notes in.  I don’t always remember things well and I knew I would forget the little discoveries I’d made in each recipe as well as which optional ingredients I had or hadn’t used.

I also wanted notes in the book for whoever used it after me.  How many beloved family recipes do we have?  Wouldn’t they be all the dearer for some notes on exactly how to make each one from the person who first brought the recipe to the family?  In some ways, these notes become a love letter to my family and future family as I record our favorite recipes.  I even include things like when I tried a recipe and for what occasion.

Recently, I decided to cook through the doughnuts section of the book (Are you sensing a doughnut theme?  I’m starting to.  Should I be troubled by this?).  I had never fried anything in oil before.  My first batch wasn’t stellar, but they started to improve as I made more.  They also improved when I discovered that cast iron isn’t the best frying container.  (Thanks, Jo-Alice!)  Actually, the last time I used our cast iron skillet, I sloshed some oil over and inadvertently started little grease fires which luckily did not turn into a big grease fire (but could have with the pool of oil I didn’t realize was still under the stove burners).  Now I fry with this close at hand.

Safety first!

Anyway…….by the time I took these pictures, I was on batch number four of my doughnut experiments.  I’m totally an expert now!  (Why are you laughing?)

I tried out the recipe for Yeast-Raised Beignets.  Here’s a little look at the process:

the dough

cutting the dough

putting the beignets in the oil to fry

frying in progress

beignets cooling and ready for a glaze or a dusting of sugar

All in all, these turned out well and everyone seemed to really like them.

This book is always an education.  It has detailed information on all the different whole grains used in the various recipes.  Since I’ve begun baking from it, I’ve learned that I love spelt flour and oat flour more than whole wheat, and that whole wheat’s bitterness can be tamed with orange juice.  It has helped me make doughnuts, scones, cinnamon rolls, waffles, and even simple syrup (think coffee shop flavorings).  Today I’m trying out a blueberry pie from the book for a birthday party tonight.

If you are ready for an adventure, I’d suggest checking this book out from the library and giving it a try.  You’ll open up a whole new world of baking.

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Field Trip: Marty’s Donutland

If you’ve ever travelled to New England, you know of the ubiquity of that mecca of doughnuts and coffee:  Dunkin’ Donuts.  It’s great.  I love Dunkin’ Donuts–great coffee, doughnuts, muffins, etc. etc. etc.  Even growing up, not living in New England (for the most part), when we got doughnuts, that’s where we went.

I never really thought about OTHER doughnut places.  But somehow, at some point, I discovered Marty’s.

 

Marty’s is the opposite of flashy.  It’s got the wood panelling of a few decades ago and is populated with townies sitting on bar stools passing the time of day, drinking coffee, and eating large doughnuts.  It took a few trips, but eventually I was won over.  For less than a dollar, you can get a delicious, filling, wonderful doughnut.  You never know exactly which ones they’ll have that day, but it’s never hard to find a good one.  My current favorites are chocolate coconut and chocolate butter crunch.  I have to recommend their Boston Creams, too.  One of those doughnuts can just about get me through breakfast and lunch.

Really, though, part of the allure is that Marty’s feels like an enclave of “townieness”.  I didn’t grow up in a small town, so I find them fascinating, especially those little spots where you feel like you entered the inner-workings of the place.  Despite that, Marty’s isn’t only for townies.  It’s also got a pretty good college following due to its unusual hours.  They open at midnight when someone comes in to make the doughnuts and stay open until about noon or a little before.

Also, they have the coolest mixer I’ve ever seen.  I don’t think this picture does it justice, but maybe you can get a glimpse of it anyway.  See it over there on the right?

 

Now that I have discovered the true wonderfulness of this hidden gem, I’ve gone to Marty’s for doughnuts for Sunday morning breakfast, fuel for road trips long and short, and the “baked goods” I was supposed to bake myself, but ran out of steam for.  And actually, bringing doughnuts from Marty’s gets me at least as many compliments (but usually more) than when I bake things myself.  They’re just THAT good.  Unfortunately, there’s no cookbook to tell you how to make these doughnuts.  If you are on Boston’s North Shore, you’ll just have to come in and experience them for yourself.

Marty’s Donut Land, 8 Central Street (Rt. 1A), Ipswich, MA 01938

978-356-4580

Hours:  midnight to ??? (about noon or a little before, usually)

Sad, Sad Update:

After decades as a town institution in Ipswich, Marty’s closed last week.  One of their employees wrote to tell me the terrible news (thanks, Koda), which I had heard rumors of, but hadn’t confirmed.  What will Ipswich, Gordon College students, and other doughnut-lovers in the area do now?  We’ll have to wait and see.  Thanks for nearly 60 delicious years of doughnuts, Marty’s.  We’ll miss you.