Cheddar Chive Irish Soda Bread with Sourdough Discard

1/2 cup sourdough discard 

1 1/3 cup plus 1 T buttermilk (or milk with 1 T of vinegar will work if you’re not a buttermilk person) 

1 egg 

3 1/2 cups flour 

1/8 cup sugar 

1 1/2 tsp salt 

1 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp baking soda 

1/2 cup cheddar cheese 

1 T chives 

5 T unsalted butter (easiest if you chill and just grate it over the bowl or you can cut into small pieces) 

Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In a liquid measuring cup (or small bowl) whisk together the sourdough discard, buttermilk and egg. 

Mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a bowl. Add the cheese and chives to the dry mixture. Grate the cold butter into the mixture and mix it with your hands until the butter is finely incorporated. By the end you should have small pea-sized pieces. Pour the buttermilk mixture on top of the flour mixture and stir to lightly incorporate. If the dough is a little sticky, add 1-2 tablespoons of flour. 

Turn the dough out onto the counter and knead once or twice (don’t over-knead it). Shape into a round loaf. Score a large X on the top and then bake for 45-50 minutes. After 25 minutes, if the top is browning too quickly, cover the top with a sheet of foil to prevent burning.

Quick flatbread

Ingredients

3/4 cups flour

4 T yogurt (may need to add an additional tablespoon of yogurt if it's too dry to form a dough)

1 T olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/8 tsp baking powder

Directions

Heat a griddle or large non-stick frying pan on medium-high heat and let it heat up while you make the flatbreads.

In a bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder, salt, yogurt and olive oil until it comes together and forms a dough. If it's too dry, add another tablespoon of yogurt. Cut it in half and roll out each piece on a flour-dusted surface until just under ½cm thick.

Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until golden, flipping it halfway.

Sourdough Pancakes

Ingredients

1 cup sourdough starter (room temperature)

1 T granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon warm water

Directions

In a large bowl, add sourdough starter, sugar, egg, olive oil, and salt; mix well; set aside. 

In a small bowl, dilute 1 teaspoon baking soda in 1 tablespoon of warm water; set aside until ready to bake your pancakes. Note: don't add the baking soda/water mixture to the pancake batter until right before you are ready to cook them. Once your pan or griddle is hot, you can mix it in quickly just before you cook them.

When ready to cook your sourdough pancakes, fold the baking soda/water mixture gently into the prepared pancake batter. Let the mixture bubble and foam a minute or two before using.

Heat up a lightly-greased griddle until medium/hot and pour the sourdough pancake batter onto the griddle.  For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup sourdough pancake batter onto hot griddle. 

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes

What more could you ask for in a pancake than peanut butter, banana, and chocolate chips? I'm pretty anti-banana but they are delicious in here.

Ingredients

1 very ripe banana

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg 

1 pinch salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1T peanut, almond, sunflower butter

1T olive oil (or vegetable oil or melted coconut oil, whatever you have)

1/2 cup milk (or more depending on how thin you like your pancakes)

3/4 cup flour (I like to do any combo of white/wheat/almond flour here)

3 T chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat a skillet or griddle to medium heat. Mash your banana with baking powder. Add egg, oil, salt, vanilla, almond butter, and milk and stir. Stir in flour until just combined (don't over-mix). Add chocolate chips and fold in gently. 

Scoop 1/4 cup measurements onto griddle (may need cooking spray or butter depending on what kind of pan you're using). Cook for 2-4 minutes on each side - until golden brown. Make sure the pan/griddle isn't too hot because they're pretty hearty pancakes and it takes awhile for the middle to cook through.

Dutch Baby

Ingredients

½ cup milk

2 eggs

½ cup all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

1 tablespoon butter

Toppings: fruit, powdered sugar, syrup, anything you like (it's not sweet so you can also do something savory on top)

Directions

Place a cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat to 450 (this works best for 9 inch skillet but you can make more or less for another size). Heat the milk in the microwave for 20 seconds. In a medium bowl beat the eggs, then stir in the warm milk. Slowly whisk in the flour and salt until smooth.

Carefully remove the hot skillet and add the butter to coat the bottom/inside. Add the batter to the skillet and place it back in the oven. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until browned and puffy.

Soft Dinner Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon dry active yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

Place the yeast and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl, if mixing by hand), stir to combine, and let it sit until dissolved. Place the milk, egg, oil, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add this to the yeast mixture and stir until combined. Add all the flour and stir until it forms a shaggy dough. Knead on low speed or by hand against the counter until smooth but slightly tacky (it should spring back when poked), 8 to 10 minutes. Cover the bowl and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in size (should take about 1 hour).

Divide the dough into 12 pieces. To shape into rolls, tuck the edges underneath like you're making a little pouch and then roll the dough/pouch between your palms or against the counter (if the dough is sticking, you can put some flour down on the counter) until round.

Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Arrange the rolls inside the baking dish so that they are spaced a little apart. Let the rolls rise until they look fluffy and fill the pan, 30 to 40 minutes. At the end of the rising time, heat the oven to 375°F.

Brush the rolls with butter. Melt the butter and brush it over the risen dinner rolls. This helps the tops brown and keeps the crust soft. Bake the rolls on a middle rack until golden-brown, 15 to 18 minutes. 

Creamy Broccoli Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion (roughly diced but you’ll be blending it so doesn’t really matter how you cut it)

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth (or Better than Bouillon)

1/3 cup rolled oats

1 ½ pounds broccoli (don’t be a hero – just buy some frozen broccoli and it’s already cut up for you plus so cheap)

Directions

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onion, and cook until softened (about 5 minutes). Stir in broth, 1 cup water, oats, and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer until broccoli is tender (around 10 minutes). Either blend the soup in a blender or use an immersion blender and blend it right there in the pot until it’s creamy. Add some shredded cheddar if you want more of a broccoli cheddar situation but it’s delicious on its own too even if it’s another secretly vegan soup.