Sweet Puptato Bones - Sweet Potato Dog Treats

Hunter, my 60 lb Standard Poodle, has to put up with a lot of delicious smells coming from the kitchen that he never gets to sample.  Usually, he just lays by the back door and watches me cook and, subsequently, eat whatever it is that I am throwing together.  Occasionally, he will regale me with his interpretation of Hamlet's "To be, or not to be" soliloquy (he's quite well read) while he's lounging by the door, but for the most part, he watches in silence.

There is one thing, though, that will bring on a litany of grunts, growls, barks and various other vocalizations that I didn't even know were possible by a canine.  Sweet Potatoes.  Anytime I am slicing, dicing, mincing, steaming, baking, boiling, mashing, or roasting them, Hunter goes absolutely berserk.  So, in answer to his apparent love affair with this tasty tuber, I have decided to load up some Gluten-Free dog treats with fresh Sweet Potato.  And use the tiny little dog bone cutter that I found at Kitchen Kaboodle on NW 23rd and Flanders, in Portland.

After all, who could possibly resist this sweet puppy face?

 I know I can't...  :)

 Sweet PupTato Bones

350g (3 cups) (12.3 oz) Oat Flour
215g (1 1/2 cups) (7.6 oz) Brown Rice Flour
3 TB Golden Flax Meal or 3 TB Almond Meal
1 tsp Salt
1 large Egg
118ml (1/2 cup) Olive Oil
236ml (1 cup) Whole Milk
72g (2.5 oz) finely grated Sweet Potato (about 1/2 of a medium sized one)  OR substitute finely shredded Carrot

I need to go on record as stating that I originally measured the ingredients by standard volume, then weighed these amounts to come up with the gram and ounce.  Upon triple checking on the King Aurthur site and Aqua Calc, I figured I had done something wrong.  My weights were significantly heavier than theirs. So I did it again.... And again.... And AGAIN.   I kept coming up with the same weights, give or take a couple of grams.  I was extremely frustrated, to say the least.

I do not know how the conversion amounts are figured on those sites for non-traditional flours. I spoon the flour into the cup and level it off with a knife, and this is what I come up with.  Maybe they are sifting (several times) first, before measuring which, to me, is something you only do with cake.  I'm just sayin'.  Because of this, I have written the recipe in grams, which is technically the most accurate.  

Combine Oat Flour, Brown Rice Flour, Flax Meal (or Almond Meal) and Salt in a bowl, whisking well.

Add the Egg, Olive Oil, and Milk to the bowl.

Grate the Sweet Potato (or Carrot) with a zester (the finer the better).

Throw in the grated sweet potato.

Stir until a soft dough forms.

Let sit for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 225F degrees.
Divide the dough in 1/2.

Roll 1 piece out to 3/8 inch thick between 2 sheets of plastic wrap.

Cut small shapes with a well floured (rice flour) cutter. (the dough will still stick a little bit)

Place each bone on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Gather scraps together, re-roll and cut until you have filled at least 2 baking sheet. (they bake for a LONG time, so your gonna wanna bake as many as possible at one time)

Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 90 minutes, turning and rotating the pans every 30 minutes to ensure they bake/dry out evenly.

Cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes.

Store in an airtight container.

Mangia!!  (Yes, they are safe for human consumption)
~~

Them Bones, Them Bones, Them Rye Bones - Cheddar Rye Bones

I have been on, what seemed to be, a futile search since the 17th of January.  For this is when a bouncing bundle of puppy fur joined my immediate family and I started baking puppy treats.  Thus began afore mentioned search for a dog bone cookie cutter.  After all, it stands to rights that at some point in the course of canine baking one is going to want to make actual dog bones.  Am I right?

The point is, that my quest has been rewarded, not only with 1 dog bone cutter, but with 3 different sizes  (Small, Medium and Large) because they came as a set.  Which is great, because puppy is still growing at an alarming rate and will be in need of large bones by the end of the year. As an added bonus for my boundless patience and fortitude, they are copper as well.  Woo Hoo!

So here is a great dog bone recipe.  I realize that Rye flour is not a gluten free food, but it's measly 2% Gluten (as opposed to AP Flour which is around 10%) is overshadowed by the fact that it is blessed with a high soluble fiber content and a significant amount of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids (Hey, they are just as good for Fido as they are for you)

Cheddar Rye Bones

4 oz Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 Large Egg
1 1/2 cup Dark Rye Flour, plus more for rolling
1/2 cup Oat Flour
2 TB - 1/4 cup Water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine shredded Cheddar Cheese, Olive oil and Egg.

Beat on high speed until the mixture emulsifies. (about 5 minutes)

Add the Rye and Oat Flours.

Work the mixture until you have a sort of pea sized crumbs, just like making party dough.

Add 2 TB of water and work the dough with your hands until it comes together.

If the dough is too soft, add more water, 1 tsp at a time, until it forms a ball.

Turn out onto a Rye flour dusted surface.

Roll the dough to a 1/4 inch thickness and cut out your chosen shape.

Move the biscuits to a parchment lined baking sheet (Don't worry about crowding the pan, they will not spread of rise.)

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Move to a wire rack as quickly as possible and allow to cool.

Mangia!!
~~
I realize that not everyone is interested in baking canine treats.  So in the interest of promoting healthy diets for canine chums, may I offer a suggestion?  Check out my friends' Ian and Jordan over at Retrieve Dog Bakery?  Rest assured, their mission statement says it all.... "If you wouldn’t eat it, why should your dog?"

Dog Catcher in the Rye - PB Puppy Biscuits

I was torn about what to blog about this evening....  It's been one of those days.  Saturday and nothing pressing to do. So I spent most of the day in the kitchen making Streusel Scones, Cream of Bell Pepper Soup and Peanut Butter, Oatmeal & Rye Biscuits for Puppy.  Sounds like an odd dinner, No? LMAO

So after several coin tosses and a round of eeny meeny miney moe...  The Peanut Butter Biscuits won.

Dogs do not "taste" the same way we do.  In fact, they have 1/6th the amount of taste buds that humans have; about 1,700 as opposed to 9,000 in humans.  A dogs sense of smell, however, kind of makes up for the lack of taste buds.  Since, you cannot "smell" salt, nor can one "smell" sugar...  They are completely unnecessary ingredients when it comes to dog treats.  Since both of these can be detrimental to the health of your canine pal, it's best just to leave them out.

The key to a good dog treat is smell.  The more "aromatic" your dog treat, the more they will enjoy it.  Peanut Butter or Hazelnut Butter are excellent additions to these canine crunchables.  Does your dog not care for peanut butter?  That's OK, you can substitute 4 ounces of shredded Cheddar for the Peanut Butter and make Cheese Biscuits.  Neat-o Frito, huh?

Why am I so stuck on uncommon flours for my dog treats.  They tend to be whole grain flours instead of refined as wheat so often is, and they are either gluten-free or only contain minuscule amounts.  Gluten intolerance in dogs seems to be on the rise.  Otto, my previous companion, had gluten issues (it caused hot spots) so I am not taking any chances.

PB PBs 

(Peanut Butter Puppy Biscuits)

260 g (2 cups) Barley Flour
60 g (1/2 cup) Oat Flour
60 g (1/2 cup) Dark Rye Flour
235 ml (1 cup) Peanut Butter
1 Large Egg
60 ml (1/4 cup) Olive Oil
118 ml (1/2 cup) Water

Whisk the all three flours together in a large bowl.

Make a well in the center and add the remaining ingredients.

Mix with a spatula, or your hands until you have a somewhat cohesive, if mottled, dough.

Move dough to the counter and knead until smooth, if a little crumbly.

Wrap in plastic and allow to rest while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Roll on a rye floured surface to 1/2 inch thickness.

Cut out biscuits (I made 1 pan of small 1/2 inch biscuits and 1 pan of larger 1 3/4  inch biscuits)

Place biscuits on parchment lined baking sheets. (you can place them very close, they do not spread)

Bake small biscuits for about 20 minutes and large biscuits for 35 minutes.

Cool on racks and let your puppy enjoy after a long afternoon of chasing your niece around the yard.

Good Dog!!
~~

Easy as 1-2-3 - Traditional Scottish Shortbread

I have already established the fact that I am a DaSwiGerm, or Danish, Swiss, & German; AKA "Euro-Mutt", several posts back, but when it comes to Holiday baking, my traditions have branch out a little. I am bringing this up now, because over the next month I'm going to be tackling a hodge podge of traditional as well as non-traditional holiday baking projects. Things such as Gingerbread men, Gingerbread Houses, Pfeffernussen, Spekulatius, Buche de Noel, Truffles, Springerle, Linzer Augen, Gelatin Fudge, Haselnuss Divinity and Turkish delights. All of this culminating in Aebleskivers on Christmas morning.

One of these projects that is not necessarily a "family tradition", though it has become a personal one, is Shortbread. I LOVE shortbread... all kinds of shortbread... From my mom's Lemon Surprise Shortbread to Coconut Shortbread, Hazelnut Shortbread, Green Tea Shortbread and Orange/Vanilla bean shortbread. Did I mention I love shortbread?

But even though my family roots began far from the highlands, my all time favorite is traditional Scottish shortbread. Now when I say this, I really mean traditional... Slightly sandy and crisp, lightly sweet, deliciously buttery with a touch of saltiness. Totally awesome!!!

I have 1 wooden mold (a thistle of course, complete with sun rays) that I use to make large 6 inch cookies. I think this is the size that is broken over the bride's head when she is taken over the threshold of her home for the first time, but I am not sure about that. It makes it a little difficult to eat, but someday I will invest in a "petticoat tail" mold, but not right now. (The petticoat tails are cut into wedges). I sometimes just make small rounds and dock or prick a sunburst in them to celebrate Yule and the return of the sunlight.

Now lets talk ingredients cause the recipe is so simple it will blow your mind.

I make my Scottish shortbread with European butter. When I make flavored shortbread, I use American butter, but for me, the Scottish shortbread is uber-special so I make the investment (although Kerrygold brand is Irish, I am sure there is a joke in there somewhere, but it eludes me).

There is NO vegetable shortening in shortbread - Never, Ever. Even though they share a common root word, all this means is that the fat inhibits the formation of gluten (which is a stretchy long protein) and "shortens" the dough. Butter, which is an animal derived shortening, does this just as well, especially European butter which is about 85% fat, as opposed to American butter which is only 80%.

Originally, Shortbread was made with Oat flour instead of Wheat. I use unbleached AP flour anyway, becuase for all the weird grains I have in my freezer, oat flour is not one of them. I have noticed a lot of recipes out there claim that rice flour is used for "traditional" recipes... This makes no sense to me, since shortbread was made with what was available in the kitchens at the time. I doubt very much that any Scottish woman had rice flour just lying around in the 1400's when most of the time they didn't even have wheat flour.

There are several advantages to using Oat flour, I suppose. Not only does it lower serum cholesterol, which kind of counteracts the effects of the Butter you are about to eat, but it is also lower in gluten. All butter contains at least a little water, even the European butter has water in it. Water forms gluten, so if you are using a flour that is low in gluten, then you will have a finer texture to your shortbread. As a bonus, oat flour also contains antioxidants that help your baked goods remain fresher for longer periods of time. Which makes a whole lotta sense if you are making Butter rich dough before the age of refrigeration. With all this, is it no wonder that the Scots used Oat flour for their delicious shortbread? I am sticking with AP flour though. ;)

Eggs - There are NO eggs in shortbread, well, at least not in Scottish Shortbread. There is also no flavoring, at all... No Vanilla... Butter is the flavoring of Scottish Shortbread, which is why the quality of the European butter you use is SO important. :) So please find a Butter that you like the flavor of. If you want a flavored shortbread, do what I do, use American butter, cause the European butter is way too expensive to cover up with extracts and such.

OK, now the recipe.....

Scottish Shortbread

1-2-3

There ya go, that is all there is to it.... Hmmm, I guess I should flesh this out a little bit.

OK....

1 part Granulated Sugar
2 parts Unsalted European Butter
3 parts Unbleached AP Flour.

TA DA!

OK, enough of the teasing.... But this is by weight, not volume...

4 oz Granulated Sugar
8 oz Unsalted European Butter
12 oz Unbleached AP Flour
1/2 tsp of Kosher Salt,  (though Celtic Grey Salt or Fleur de Sel are better)

The ingredient list is THAT simple, and infinitely scale-able. Such as 6 oz sugar, 12 oz butter, 18 oz AP flour & 3/4 tsp Salt...... 10 oz sugar, 20 oz butter, 30 oz AP flour & 1 1/4 tsp Salt... and so on and so forth. (Please note that 1/4 tsp Salt is necessary per 4 oz of Butter)

The fun part is the assembly. So here we go.

Whisk Flour, Sugar and Salt together in a medium bowl.

Add sliced COLD butter and begin rubbing it into the flour mixture (just like making Pate Brisee)

Bring the dough together slowly,

but try not to melt the butter with the heat of your hands (you can use a pastry cutter as well)

Sprinkle a wooden mold with either Corn Starch or AP Flour.

Press the dough into the mold.

Sort of "smear" any excess towards the outside of the mold and remove.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400F (205C) degrees.
Tap the mold onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

(This takes a little finesse, A LOT of tapping and occasionally some beating)

Bake for 5 minutes at 400F (205C) degrees, then reduce the heat to 325F (162C) and bake an additional 10-15 minutes; checking every 5-10 minutes - do not let the edges brown too much. (which I did on the first one--- Oops! But that's OK, I get to eat that one right away) You want the shortbread to be "just" set in the middle, remember, this is real butter and it will burn very easily. Besides, there is a little bit of carry-over when they are removed from the oven.

In the mean time, redust the mold and fill with more dough, it can be chilling while the first one is cooking... Yes, it takes awhile this way, but they are so awesome look at, that it's almost a shame to eat them.

Then again, It IS Shortbread... (Besides, I had that one that was over done, so I ate it)


Mangia!!
~~