Weekend Cooking: Say Hello to King Arthur

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If you paid attention to my cookbook shelves, then you saw that I own several King Arthur Flour cookbooks. I also get their Baking Sheet newsletter and buy many, many of their products.

Let me say right up front that I am just a happy customer and have no vested interested in the King Arthur Flour Company. Weekend Cooking, however, is all about foodie topics--from cozy culinary mysteries to recipes to great products--and today I'm happy to feature this fabulous employee-owned business.

I've been ordering from King Arthur for almost two decades, and I use KA flour exclusively in my kitchen. When I started to get serious about baking bread, I experimented with a number of flours and yeasts and tools, and almost every time, KA came out the winner. I do use a different bread machine from the one they sell and a different stand mixer (old-time customers will remember the "mixer wars" that KA used to print in their catalog), but I don't think you could go wrong following their advice.

I have even visited their store in Vermont. I was spending so much time shopping that Mr. BFR ended up going back to the car to take a nap while waiting for me. The staff was unbelievably friendly and helpful, and I ended up chatting away with the clerk and even struck up a conversation with a customer who was buying equipment to make her first loaf of bread. It was so much fun. One of these days, I'll have to take another detour to or from Maine to stop by the store again. Yes, a baking store is a vacation destination for me.

Nowadays, I can buy my KA flour right from the grocery store, but I still order cool gadgets and pans, grain mixes, and special ingredients from the catalog. They have the best plastic bread bags!

Here's a short video about their grain production:

Now on to the recipes! The first comes from their Baker's Companion, which is a great all-round baking book that covers breakfasts, desserts, flatbreads, crackers, cookies, quick breads, and yeast breads. There are how-to sections and information about ingredients and tools. The book also contains nutrition information, a feature I always look for. This is a solid baking book you'll turn to again and again. The second recipe comes from their latest "Baking Sheet." I tried it out last night and we both deemed it a keeper. You'll notice my great love of all things maple syrup in these recipes.

King Arthur Baking Companion at an Indie

King Arthur Baking Companion at Powell's
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Maple Cornbread

• 1 cup (4¼ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (4¾ ounces) yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (8 ounces) milk
• ¼ cup (2¾ ounces) maple syrup
• 4 tablespoons (½ stick, 2 ounces) butter, melted
• 2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly grease an 8 by 8-inch square or 9-inch round pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt until thoroughly combined. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Beth Fish's notes: I use a stone-ground cornmeal.

Banana-Maple Oat Breakfast Cookies

• 1½ cups (12½ ounces, 2-3 fruits) mashed bananas
• ¾ cup (6 ounces) plain or vanilla low-fat yogurt
• ¼ cup (1¾ ounces) sunflower or vegetable oil
• ½ cup (3¼ ounces) light brown sugar
• ½ cup (5½ ounces) maple syrup
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon maple flavor
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 cups (10½ ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1½ cups (6 ounces) KA White Whole Wheat Flour
• ¾ cup (3 ounces) chopped dried fruit
• ½ cup (2 ounces) chopped nuts
• ½ cup (2½ ounces) sunflower seeds

Mix all the ingredients in the order listed. Cover the bowl and refrigerate 1 hour to let oats and flour absorb liquid.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

Spread the batter in prepared sheets into two ½-inch thick by 2½-inch-wide by 10½-inch-long bars. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes until light golden brown at the edges. Remove from oven and let rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Cut cookies into pieces, about 3 inches long. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Beth Fish's notes: I use grade B maple syrup, which has a stronger flavor than most syrups you buy in the store, so I left out the extra maple flavoring. I used pecans for the nuts.

EDIT: I don't know why Mr. Linky is acting up with duplicate links. Just link on up and I straighten it all up on Monday.