Coconut Lime Millet Breakfast Pudding (Pressure Cooker 101)

Isn't 

Millet Divinity?

 It's Monday. Oh how we love Monday. It's like a blessed reminder that we have another week to live. It's a glorious new start. It's...gosh...another week of meals. Now, imagine me whirling around on the hills of Austria like Julie Andrews singing , "The MEALS are Alive! with the sound of Music!"Fa la la la !! " Doesn't that make you feel better (or slightly nauseated) ? Monday's also the day I try to share some great way to use food storage and expand just a little on the whole grain, if I haven't done that every other day of the week. Dear land. I think this breakfast will totally count as that. It's a gluten free, dairy free, cream-a-licious pudding that isn't too sweet. I'm a push over for lime and coconut anyway. Millet is a natural couple for it I might add. I also cook it in a pressure cooker, so it's fast!  I'm doing a little tutorial pressure cooker usage too, so if you're a little new to the pressure cooker, join the fun. It's a handy dandy tool to have in your kitchen.

 This is Chef Tess everyone. I have to share some fun that I've had with this  Presto Electric Pressure Cooker .  It's such a handy tool! Did I say that already?!  I love that it doesn't take stove space. I've used it often so I thought I'd show how to cook the millet pudding in a pressure cooker using this model. If you have another brand, you'll have to use your pressure cooker's instructions, but they are all pretty similar.

Chef Tess Creamy Coconut Lime Millet Breakfast Pudding

2/3 cup millet,

 13.5 oz can coconut milk, 

1 cup water, 

zest of one lime,

 pinch of salt

1/2 tsp Wise Woman of The East Spice Blend, 

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup toasted coconut (optional)

 Place pressure cooker on a dry, level heat resistant surface in center of counter top. As s general rule, prepare ingredients according to the directions in the pressure cooking recipe you have selected. If larger quantity is desired, you may increase the ingredients by half. Be sure not to overfill the pressure cooker.  It's also very important to look through the vent pipe in the lid of the pressure cooker to be sure it is clear of any blockage. You don't want to find that out later when the heat is on.

 This little doo-hik-ee is called a "pressure regulator".  It goes on the top of the vent in the lid.

 Like this.

 On the handle and lid there are arrows that need to line up. Hold the body handle with your left hand and the cover handle with your right hand and twist using a slight downward pressure to get the lid to seal on. Wait. First put the pudding stuff in there.

 2/3 cup millet

 1 can coconut milk and 1 cup of water.

 pinch of salt

 add the  1/2 tsp Wise Woman of The East Spice Blend 
 and the 1/2 tsp vanilla

 Now align the arrows by placing one hand on the cover near the helper hand and applying a slight downward pressure. The pressure cooker is completely closed when the cover handle is directly above the body handle.

 This model shows it is locked.

 You will notice a little rubber knob on the top of the pressure cooker. It is an air vent.

 Turn up the heat to 400 degrees or high.

 The air vent will pop up and then...

The pressure regulator begins a rocking motion. Cooking time starts at this point. 12 minutes for this pudding. Allow the pressure regulator to rock vigorously for 1-2 minutes and then slowly turn the heat control down, stopping just at the point where the pilot light goes out. As cooking proceeds, the heat control will cycle on and off to maintain the proper cooking pressure. The pilot light will go on and off and pressure regulator will rock occasionally indicating that the pressure is being maintained. Note: If the pressure regulator does not rock every 2-3 minutes, it is likely that the heat control has been set too low. Turn the heat control up slightly until the the pilot light comes on.  

 To prevent excessive liquid loss, do not allow pressure regulator to rock vigorously for more than 3-4 minutes. If the regulator is allowed to continuously rock, excess steam will escape. This will cause too much liquid to escape and food to scorch.  Do not leave pressure cooker unattended.   After 12 minutes, turn off heat.

 Wait for pressure cooker to decompress naturally. This may take about 10 minutes.

 Remove pressure regulator only after air vent cover has returned to the flush position.

 The pudding is creamy and ready to be sweetened...

I use three droppers full of stevia.  Preparing Wisely carries this in the store but not online yet. It's by far my favorite brand of stevia since it doesn't have an a funny aftertaste like some of them do.  

 

Or you can use 1/3 cup or so of 

Xagave Raw Organic Agave Nectar  

I like my coconut crispy. It's a nice crunch on top of the creamy pudding.  So I stir in the lime zest and sprinkle the coconut over the pudding.

 We serve it up warm.

There you go! Happy Moday!!

Cottage Dill Millet Sourdough Bread (100% whole grain and sugar free)

 Cottage Cheese Dill rolls are and will forever be my first love when it comes to dinner rolls and what brought me to my obsessive compulsive need to have herb bread in my life...and to the love and dear friendship of Tara  ...my Evil Twin. I have many things to say about her. All good. Good friends, like good herbs and spices are worth keeping in your life. 


 We keep herbs in our food storage. It's how we roll. Why? Well it changes a normal bland loaf of bread into something savory and full of depth and flavor. Just like a good friend changes your life into something more meaningful. A good friend gives you more character.


 So does a good grain.

 Have you ever cooked millet? Met him?  Well, don't feel oddly if you have not ever met my friend Millet. He's a cutie, but he's not very well known in America if you're not a bird lover. It's sad really. Such a lovely grain should get more attention...affection...praise...perhaps a wall sconce in it's honor? Is that too Martha Stewart? How do you make a millet wall sconce anyway? What the carp is a wall sconce?!

 I digress. In my garden I have a freak-fest of this crazy dill. Who likes dill? I mean that much anyway?! There's only so many pickles even I can make. In all honesty, the bush of dill is now taller than me. Literally over my head. It's actually getting to be kind of epic. I might start filming a whole Star Trek episode in it's honor...because every time my son sees it he says, "By captain Kirk's Nipple's! It's incredible!"  You all needed to know that.

 Yes...that is my neighbor's roof...and my dill.

 The last time I went to be on  Valley Dish I was so desperate  eager to share the love that I took  some to the studio.

Decidedly it was time to start drying some of the epic mount of dill weed...and start baking. Plus...really I just love dill in bread. I love how it makes the loaf taste. I love how it couples with tuna and cheeses of all kinds. I love it as toast. I'm in love with this bread. Gosh it's a good thing I'm married.

 So, here we go.

Cottage Dill Millet Sourdough Bread 

with Onion and Garlic

1/4 tsp yeast (optional)

1/2 cup cold water 

1/2 cup Chef Tess Sourdough Starter

1 1/3cups whole wheat Prairie Gold bread flour

2/3 cup Hulled Millet  

1/2 tsp  Real Sea Salt  

I Combine all ingredients in a 3.5 Gallon Threaded Bucket with Lid . I use a bucket because I can easily use it anywhere...even camping! So I can make bread in my buckets and then bake it in my Global Sun Oven . As for this dough, cover and leave in a cool room until you are ready to bake the bread, 12-18 hours. If you will be leaving it for more than 18 hours, it may be stored in the fridge part of the time, or stir after 8 hours. This will keep the yeast happy, moving it to greener pastures and evaporate any alcohol produced by the fermentation process that would otherwise hurt the yeast's ability to raise the bread.

After 12-18 hours it will be really puffy and smell like a good yeasty bread dough. Remember to keep it rather cool during this overnight period.

Get out your liquid measuring cup...the one that is clear with writing on the side. You will also need a measuring spoon. The ones made with writing on them for baking, not just the flowers or whatever on your silver spoons...

To your bucket or bowl add 1 cup Luke warm water, 1 cup Homemade cottage cheese or store purchased cottage cheese 2 T honey and 2 tsp yeast (optional). Note: if you omit the yeast, it will take the dough about 12 hours to raise.

 Wash your hands. Now don't be scared. You will have to touch the dough. Actually you will have to really get in there and mix it up with your fingers. Break it down.

This may be my favorite part.

Woosh it around (very technical term I know) until it is smooth and batter-like. Yea. Batter-like is a word.

Now get out your whole wheat bread flour I use Prairie Gold wheat from Wheat Montana. It is by far my favorite bread wheat and flour. I don't even work for them. I grind my own (Flour making day...flour power.), but you can buy it. As long as it is fresh.Here's a peek into my flour bin. We're gettin' a little low...

Don't mock me, but I am going to show how to measure flour. Someone asked me and I don't want to assume too much of anyone reading my blog. If you are seeing this for the first time, I'm glad to help. The rest of you can just sit tight and humor me. I love everyone wherever they are in the learning process here. So here's how it's done:
Lightly scoop up the flour...don't bang it or try to pack it in there.

Get a butter knife.

Set it up on it's spine so the blade is pointed up:

Hold it flush to the top of the measuring cup and push off the extra flour so it is flat:

Like this. See?

Add 4 cups whole wheat bread flour and 1/4 cup oil (preferably expelled pressed or extra virgin) and 2 tsp salt, 1/4 cup dry minced onion, 2 T minced dill, 1T minced tarragon, 1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper

 1 1/2 tsp fresh pressed garlic, about 1 large clove

 The dough should take only 10 minutes of efficient kneading to attain supple perfection--600 strokes by hand. Form into a ball. This makes a balloon like structure that helps hold in the fermenting gasses and helps the texture of the bread. Place in bowl smooth side up.

(From here on I'm using a few older pictures...)

Then I lightly spray the top of the dough with water. This helps it to stay moist, which ensures no lumps of crusty dough in my bread, just a nice even dough.

Keep that spray bottle around too. I use it a few times during bread making.

Get it pretty wet. Look how shiny. Oooo. I'm easily entertained.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow to raise at room temperature (75-80 degrees) about 1 and 1/2 hours. Sometimes it takes 2 hours if the room is cold. It helps to measure the temperature of the dough if you want to be sure. This can be done with a meat thermometer. This one was right at 85 degrees internal temperature so it took almost exactly 1 and a half hours. If it is cooler it will take longer.


It has raised about 2 inches from the top of the bowl. See the tiny belly button dot where I poked it with a meat thermometer?

When you just can't resist it anymore, go ahead and giggle and poke it with your finger.

If you don't have to use much effort, it gets those creases right around your finger, and it leaves a hole when you remove your finger, then it is ready to punch in the head.

So, punch it down already. Expel as much air as possible. This moves the yeast to greener pastures, releases trapped alcohol, and evens out the dough temperature. It's not just for the fun of punching something (though it is elating to punch something sometimes).

Reform into a ball and place back into the bowl. Spray with water again and cover with plastic. Allow to raise again. This time it should take about 1 hours. Less if your house is warm.


I had to show how the gluten strands are showing here. It's really something wild to see...

Like an alien in my kitchen...that we eat. Toasted. Mmm. Alien...

Okay, so cover the ET blob with plastic. In the meantime, lightly oil 2 standard size loaf pans. I also lightly coat them with a little cornmeal. I use 8inch by 4 inch almost without exception. This size makes great shaped loaves (see:Sandwich Loaf Molding and baking for more details on this phenomenon).

Once the dough has risen to within 2 inches of the top of the bowl again, or passes the finger poke test (yea, I know, not again a technical term). The actual technical term is the "ripe test". Just poke it. It works...

Take the dough out of the bowl and place on a clean counter top that has been lightly misted with WATER.

Why did this picture just make me giggle with joy? I'm either really nuts or really love bread. Not sure which... Please look at this and find joy...

Mmm. Dough. Okay. Now get giddy crazy and divide the dough in half. It should look like this if you get on your knees and peek up over the edge of your countertop...

Now go here: Sandwhich Loaf Molding and baking . It will lead you in all things right and good with makig this bread into a sandwich loaf. Go ahead now. Don't be scared. I will still hold your hand and walk with you.

The killer delight is the millet nibbles. They just make me giddy. Oh millet. I love theeeeeeee.

Look at all that crusty delightfulness. Don't you just want to make some right now?!

There you go.