Pumpkin & Flax Seeds, Sun-dried Tomato Crackers with Roasted Beets Hummus

I have been very busy over the last few weeks, doing a lot of creative things/jobs and also watching my latest favorite cooking show - The Great British Baking Show. You probably can tell, since I bake quite a lot lately, just cannot help myself, the show is so good. I just want to bake together with the bakers and I do.

Osso Buco Lamb with Sun-dried Tomatoes

Perfect for a chilly spring night, this hearty dish is very delicious. The flavors are amazing. The lamb is fragrant with wine, rosemary, thyme and garlic, and falling-apart tender. My husband loved it and would be worthy of repeating.

Sun-dried Tomato and Pistachio Flat Bread

Flat bread is something between a crumbly cracker and a crisp biscuit. Once you have mastered the technique, experiment with ingredients to make both sweet and savory snacks. You may use sunflower seeds, walnuts, spinach or onions. This is a very earthy flat bread, healthy and nutritious.



Ingredients:

• 4-5 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup stone ground, garbanzo bean flour
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 egg and 1 egg white
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios

Note: If you are using not oil-packed tomatoes, you need to make them soft.
In the small bowl, pour the boiling water about 2 cups over the tomatoes. Let stand until the tomatoes are slightly soft, 3-5 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels and chop the tomatoes finely. If using oil-packed tomatoes then you don't need to do this.



Directions:

Preheat an oven to 350F/Coat a large, baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Into a large bowl, sift together the whole wheat flour, garbanzo bean flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and cayenne pepper. Add the egg and egg white and thyme and stir vigorously to combine. The dough will be very stiff at this point. Add the chopped pistachios and chopped tomatoes and work them into the dough.



Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it a few times. Pat and roll into 10-inch disc about 1/4 inch thick. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 pieces and place them at least i inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes. Turn over and bake until dry and lightly browned, 10 minutes longer. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Sun-dried Tomato Bread with Onions

Some yeast doughs require kneading, other do not. But apparently the ancient Egyptians believed in through kneading. According to the historian Herodotus, "Dough they knead with their feet but clay with their hands."
An unusual and delicious Sun-dried Tomato Bread with Onions is specially good served with salads, soups and stews.



Adapted from Carina Forum

Ingredients:

• 6 cup bread flour
• 3 tsp kosher salt   
• 3 tsp sugar
• 1 oz fresh yeast or 2 envelopes active dry yeast
• 1 2/3 cups mineral sparkling water at room temperature
• 2 Tbsp. tomato puree
• 3 Tbsp. oil from jar of sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp. + 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 large onion chopped

Directions:
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan, add chopped onion and cook over a low heat until softened and lightly browned.  Sift the flour into a bowl.
Dissolve the yeast in the small amount of water, add the sugar, 1 tbsp flour, stir well and leave for 10-15 min. Mix the tomato puree into the remaining water, until evenly blended, add the dissolved yeast and mix well.

By mixer: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, gradually mix the flour into the liquid ingredients, make elastic dough.  Add the salt and oil in the end. Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough on medium speed until smooth and elastic, 6 to 8 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Turn to coat with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Knock the dough back, and add the tomatoes and onion. Knead until evenly distributed through the dough.

Shape into four rounds and place on the greased baking sheet. Cover with a dish towel and leave to rise again for about 45 minutes.



Preheat the oven 460F.
Place a tray with the hot water to the bottom of the oven. Place the bread into the oven, after 5 min reduce the temperature to 350F and bake for 35-40 min or until the loaves sound hollow then you tap them underneath with your fingers.
Leave to cool on a wire rack.