How to Make a Sourdough Starter from Scratch (with gluten free option)

Learn how to make your own bubbly, active sourdough starter from scratch, the easy way! With just a little time and two ingredients, you’ll be able to make the tastiest bread you’ve ever tasted!

Welcome to my obsession!

My most favorite thing in the kitchen.

Yes.

The king of traditional foods:

sourdough starter.

I’ve wanted to share about sourdough for so long, but have only mentioned it here.

I’ve wanted to share recipes for sourdough cinnamon rolls, challah, crusty no-knead bread, soft sandwich bread, raisin bread, and more.

But I realized that we should learn how to make the starter first. Because without the sourdough starter, it wouldn’t be sourdough!

What is sourdough?

Before yeast was sold in little packages, sourdough starter was the only way people had to leaven their breads.

They handcrafted and maintained a beneficial colony of yeast and bacteria by setting out a mixture of flour and water.

After a while, it would become a slurry of bubbly goodness that raised their bread!

I’ve been making homemade sourdough bread for about 6 years now.

How to make a sourdough starter?

Simple.

If you don’t already own a starter and you want to make one, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to make.

I see a lot of people making this more complicated than it needs to be.

This is how I learned to do it and it works for me.

Ingredients:

• Flour (whether that be all-purpose, whole wheat, einkorn, rye, or spelt. For a gluten-free starter, use buckwheat, teff, millet, rice, or sorghum.  )
• Filtered water (bottled spring water works)

Directions:

1. In a glass or pottery bowl (I use a quart mason jar), combine1 and 1/2 cups of flour and 1 and 1/4 cups of water. Stir to combine. Dont worry about any lumps as those will disappear during the fermentation process. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clean tea towl and let it stand at room temperature for 3 days.
2. After 3 days, the mixture should have risen and fallen and will be bubbly and slightly sour smelling.

It will take a while before your sourdough starter is matured.

Try these delicious sourdough English muffins to get you started on sourdough!

How to Make a Sourdough Starter from Scratch (gluten free option)

• Time: 10 mins
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

INGREDIENTS:

• Flour (whether that be all-purpose, whole wheat, einkorn, rye, or spelt. For a gluten-free starter, use buckwheat, teff, millet, rice, or sorghum.)
• Filtered water (bottled spring water works)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a glass or pottery bowl (I use a quart mason jar), combine1 and1/2 cups of flour and 1 and 1/4 cups of water. Stir to combine. Dont worry about any lumps as those will disappear during the fermentation process. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clean tea towl and let it stand at room temperature for 3 days.
2. After 3 days, the mixture should have risen and fallen and will be bubbly and slightly sour smelling.

How to Make Italian Sausage from Scratch

Learn how to make the best homemade Italian sausage from scratch! With zero fillers and zero additives, this easy recipe will become a staple in your kitchen.

Im sure, by now, that you’ve noticed that I will make literally everything from scratch.

My bread is from scratch. My cheese crackers are from scratch. Even my ketchup is from scratch!

I guess I just got tired of not knowing what was in my food and why it was in there.

Like, seriously.

What in the world is high fructose corn syrup doing in my Italian sausage?! No thank you.

Enough is enough.

We’re making it for ourselves with whole, natural, healthy foods, and without all the excess sugar.

Thankyouverymuch.

Whether you need it for pizza, spaghetti, or lasagna, this recipe is has got you covered.

What’s in Italian Sausage:

• Ground meat: This can be ground beef, chicken, pork, venison, turkey, or whatever ground meat you have.
• 1 egg: An egg really helps to bind everything together.
• Herbs and spices: Italian seasoning, parsley, fennel seeds, paprika, black pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic, and onion powder are what make this recipe so flavorful.
• Salt

How to Make Sweet Italian Sausage?

Simple. Just add 2-4 tablespoons of maple syrup, honey, or organic cane sugar in with the rest of the ingredients.

Homemade Italian Sausage

• Time: 10 mins
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pounds ground meat*
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes*
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 2-4 tablespoons maple syrup* (if you want a sweet Italian sausage)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the ground meat in a bowl and add all remaining ingredients. Use your hands or a stand mixer paddle attachment to thoroughly combine the ingredients.
2. Cook in a skillet on medium high until it’s no longer pink.

NOTES:

1. Ground beef, chicken, pork, venison, or turkey would all be wonderful. I typically use a mixture of ground beef and turkey.
2. Omit the red pepper flakes if you want a mild italian sausage.
3. If looking to make sweet Italian sausage, you could use maple syrup, honey, or organic cane sugar.

Homemade Fermented Ketchup

With summer right around the corner, you are going to love this homemade fermented ketchup recipe. Your backyard barbecue will never be the same again!

I have a confession to make: I have not eaten store bought ketchup in 3 years.

Yep!

3 whole years!

In a quest to cut out unnecessary sugars, I let my beloved squeezy bottle of ketchup go.

I could’ve cried tears to be honest.

What was going to adorn my french fries? Where would my chicken tenders go for that bright nostalgic flavor?

But then I found out about fermented ketchup.

And I could have cried tears of joy.

Just kidding (not really).

But this stuff is seriously good!

This homemade fermented ketchup is:

• Easy
• Healthy
• Probiotic rich
• Not filled with high fructose corn syrup
• Made with real foods
• Delicious

I think that the best part, for me, is that it actually tastes like the ketchup you buy from the store.

You see, the problem with a lot of healthy versions of food is that they taste healthy.

I don’t know about you, but I want my healthy ketchup to not taste healthy.

Here’s what you’ll need to make the king of condiments.

Ingredients for homemade fermented ketchup:

• Tomato paste: While a lot of recipes on the internet for homemade ketchup use fresh tomatoes, I opted for canned tomato paste for ease and flavor.
• Water: Water thins out the tomato paste and makes it more like the ketchup from the store.
• Brown sugar: You need at least some sweetener in this recipe or else it will taste healthy. Use maple syrup or even molasses instead if you’d like.
• Starter liquid: This is what ferments the ketchup. You can use whey from unsweetened yogurt or brine from a previous lacto-ferment.
• Worcestershire sauce: Worcestershire sauce gives this recipe an umami flavor. Don’t skip this ingredient!
• Salt+cinnamon+cloves: Salt, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves are what give ketchup its signature taste.
• Bay leaves: Optional, but definitely worth it. You’ll only need 1 for this recipe.
• Apple cider vinegar: ACV brightens up the ketchup, giving it that acidic ketchup taste.

Want more healthy versions of store bought condiments? Try my homemade ranch dressing next!

Why fermented ketchup?

When you ferment foods, like this ketchup, you add gut healthy probiotics to them. The beneficial bacteria also helps this ketchup to last longer in storage. Which is a win win for people who dont have time to make this every week!

How long does fermented ketchup last?

This particular recipe lasts about 3-6 months for me, stored in the fridge. I’ve not tried freezing it before, so I can’t give an answer on that.

Homemade Fermented Ketchup

• Time: 10 mins
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 6oz cans organic tomato paste
• 5 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar*
• 3 tablespoons starter liquid*
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 large bay leaf (optional)
• 4 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, combine tomato paste, water, brown sugar, starter liquid, worcestershire sauce, sea salt, cinnamon, cloves, and bay leaf.
2. Transfer mixture to a quart mason jar, being careful to keep the sides of the mason jar clean. (A wide mouth funnel works well here).
3. Pour apple cider vinegar on top of the surface of ketchup.
4. Cover tightly with a lid and let ketchup sit at room temperature, away from light, for two to three days.
5. After the two to three days of fermentation, stir surface vinegar into ketchup and enjoy!
6. Remove bay leaf and move to refrigerator for storage.
7. Special Tools (affiliate links): Mason jars, Wide mouth funnel

NOTES:

1. Brown sugar can easily be replaced with maple syrup or molasses.
2. Starter liquid could be anything such as whey or brine from sauerkraut or another vegetable ferment.

Homemade Granola

Add this sweet, crunchy homemade granola to your weekly meal prep. Made with maple, vanilla, almonds, coconut, and dried fruit. This easy recipe will become your new favorite snack!

Today’s granola recipe is one of my favorites. Its satisfying and delicious, and super easy to whip up. Its made from whole food ingredients and perfect for munching on throughout the week.

This recipe is also very adaptable. Feel free to swap out any of the seeds, nuts, or dried fruit for whatever you have on hand.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Reasons Why This Granola Is The Best:

• It’s wholesome and hearty
• It’s sweet and salty
• It’s simple to prepare
• It’s delicious any time of the day
• It’s very adaptable

Here’s what you need to get started!

Ingredients For The Best Homemade Granola:

• Oats: Old-fashioned rolled oats are your best bet for today’s granola recipe. Quick and instant oats don’t cluster up and stick to each other like old-fashioned oats do.
• Dried Coconut: Dried coconut adds texture and flavor. You can use shredded or flakes, whichever is easiest for you. Just make sure they’re unsweetened!
• Almonds: Almonds give us crunch and flavor. I’ve used whole, chopped, and even sliced almonds in this recipe before. You can swap these out for any other nut if you’d prefer.
• Pumpkin Seeds: Even more texture and flavor! Sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, or even quinoa work well too, so feel free to swap out for what you have.
• Raisins: For sweet flavor, I love to use raisins. If you’re not a fan you could use dried cranberries, dried cherries, or dried chopped apples.
• Cinnamon: I love ground cinnamon in granola. Cinnamon and oats are always a win for me!
• Salt: A good pinch of sea salt adds flavor.
• Maple Syrup: You’re going to use pure maple syrup to sweeten this granola. You can easily use honey in place of the maple syrup if you’d like.
• Coconut Oil: Melted coconut oil helps bind everything together.
• Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract adds flavor.

Craving more oats and raisins? Try my chewy oatmeal raisin cookies!

Tips For Homemade Granola:

• Use equal parts oil and sweetener: Trust me on this. I’ve tried a lot of granola recipes and the texture will never come out perfectly unless you use equal parts oil and sweetener.
• Toss well: Make sure that the dry ingredients are coated evenly in your coconut oil/maple syrup mixture.
• Bake it low and slow: You don’t want to burn all of that yummy goodness. Bake at 275° F for about 40 minutes stirring every 10 minutes.
• Cool completely before storing: The granola will get crunchier as it cools down. Don’t store it until it cools completely or else it won’t stay crispy and crunchy.

Homemade Granola

• Servings: 10-12
• Time: 1 hour, 30 mins
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut*
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds*
• 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds*
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup*
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup raisins

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 275°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
2. Toss the oats, shredded coconut, almonds, and pumpkin seeds together in a large bowl. 
3. In a pot warm up your maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and salt. Once it’s all melted, pour over your dry ingredients.
4. Toss your ingredients together until everything is well coated.
5. Spread onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown.
6. Allow granola to cool completely – the air will help the granola obtain a crunchy texture. Once its cooled, toss in your raisins.
7. Store in airtight mason jars for up to 2 weeks.

NOTES:

1. Whether you use shredded or flaked coconut is up to you. Just make sure they’re unsweetened.
2. You can use whole, chopped, or sliced almonds. Whichever is easiest for you.
3. Use whatever nuts you’d prefer instead of almonds if you’d like.
4. Swap out pumpkin seeds for sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, or even quinoa if you’d like.
5. Honey can be used in place of maple syrup.

Homemade Sandwich Bread

Learn how to make simple white sandwich bread with just a few basic ingredients. This bread is super soft in the center with a slightly chewy crust. From sandwiches to french toast, you are going to love this easy loaf!

If you’ve ever had homemade bread before then you understand that there is nothing else like it. Especially when its fresh from the oven!

Nope. Store bought sandwich bread has got nothing on it’s from scratch counterpart. Its soft and buttery, it rises tall, and it’s easy to slice. Its honestly the best sandwich bread recipe i’ve ever tasted. So let’s dive into what makes this bread the best.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

This Sandwich Bread Is:

• Easy to make
• Super soft with slightly chewy edges
• Sturdy enough to make sandwiches with
• Easy to slice
• Made with simple ingredients
• Easy to freeze

Looking for something a little heartier? Try my whole wheat oatmeal bread!

For this recipe we’ll be using the “sponge method”. I’ve talked about it before and how it has the advantage of lightening up heavier doughs. I learned about it from a couple of vintage cookbooks I own and I’ve always had the best success using it.

This sponge technique seems to be a lost art these days. I’m trying to keep this practice alive by teaching you all how to do it.

How to Make a Sponge:

Easy.

After you’ve proofed your yeast in water you’ll add only some of your flour. It will look like this:

After about 30 minutes it will look frothy and spongy. This is when you add the rest of your ingredients.

Ingredients for Homemade Sandwich Bread

• Water
• Honey
• Active Dry Yeast
• Salt
• Butter
• Flour

That’s 6 basic ingredients that I’m sure you’ve already have in your kitchen. Now if you’d like this bread to be even softer, I’d suggest you use bread flour instead of all purpose. It works either way, but slightly better with bread flour.

You can bake this into two 9×5 loaf pans, but I like to make this into one large Pullman style loaf pan because it looks more like the loaves from the grocery store.

My Favorite way to eat this bread is toasted with homemade apple butter or spread with peanut butter and cinnamon.

Homemade Sandwich Bread

• Time: 3 hours and 45 mins
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE SPONGE:

• 2 cups warm water
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 2 cups all purpose flour or bread flour

FOR THE DOUGH:

• 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3-4 cups all purpose flour or bread flour

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whisk the warm water, honey (or sugar), and yeast together in a large bowl and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
2. Whisk in 2 cups of the flour and let “sponge” for 30 minutes.
3. Add in the melted butter, salt, and remaining flour, one cup at a time until dough comes together.
4. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic. About 8-10 minutes.
5. Lightly grease bowl with oil. Place the dough back into the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1-2 hours or until double in size.
6. Grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans or 1 of these.
7. When the dough is doubled, punch down to release the air. Lightly flour a work surface. Cut dough in half and roll each half out into a large rectangle, about 8×15 inches. Roll up into a log and pinch seam closed. Repeat with the other half. Place loaves in prepared pans.
8. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise until it’s about 1 inch above the top of the pan. About 1 hour.
9. When your loaves are almost risen preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
10. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until tops of loaves are golden brown.
11. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Store bread covered at room temperature for up to 5 days. Freeze any leftovers for up to 6 weeks.

NOTES:

1. Yeast: You can substitute instant yeast with no other changes to the recipe. The rise times may be a little shorter. 
2. Flour: I would recommend bread flour for a chewier crust and overall softer bread. But you can use all purpose instead if it’s more convenient for you.
3. Baking pans:If baking in a Pullman style pan, make sure it’s at least 16×4 inches. I love this one.

Soft Pretzel Rolls

These easy soft pretzel rolls are perfect for pairing with soup or as buns for a sandwich. Bring them to a potluck or picnic and everyone will love you!

I find myself frequently going back to this recipe. Its quicker than most yeast bread recipes and satisfies like no other. They’re so soft, chewy, and buttery. And if I have unexpected company coming over, I can make these in a pinch. They’re just all around the most perfect dinner roll.

They’re also surprisingly easy to make. So let’s dive right in!

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

How to Make Soft Pretzel Rolls

1. Make the dough. It will be sort of stiff, but that’s okay. We want a firmer dough for these pretzel rolls.
2. Let it rise for about an hour. Or until doubled in size.
3. Punch down the risen dough. This removes the excess air bubbles.
4. Divide and shape. This is a fairly large recipe. I usually get 20-22 rolls out of this recipe, but it really just depends on how big or small you want your rolls to be.
5. Poach the rolls in a baking soda bath. This is what separates this recipe from just plain dinner rolls. Without this step they just wouldn’t be pretzel rolls!
6. Place your rolls in prepared baking pan. I like to use two 9×13 glass baking dishes.
7. Score the tops, brush with butter, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
8. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Or until golden brown.

That’s not so hard, now is it?

I promise that if your a novice bread baker you can make this recipe!

The hardest part of this recipe is the baking soda bath, but if you’ve boiled pasta before then you can definitely do this. Poaching your dough balls in a baking soda bath is what gives these that chewy texture and signature pretzel flavor. You don’t want to skip this step!

Hopefully, by now, you should have the confidence to get in the kitchen and make these for yourself!☺

Soft Pretzel Rolls

• Time: 2 hours
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE ROLLS

• 2 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons melted butter (plus more for later.)
• 1 large egg
• 6-7 cups all purpose flour
• flaky sea salt for sprinkling

FOR BAKING SODA BATH

• 1/4 cup baking soda
• Water

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whisk warm water, brown sugar, and yeast together. Allow to sit for 1 minute. Add in salt, melted butter, egg, and all purpose flour, 1 cup at a time, until you have a firm dough.
2. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for 3 minutes and shape into a ball.Place in a large greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and allow to rise in a warm environment for 1 hour or until nearly doubled in size. 
3. Once risen, punch dough down to release any air bubbles. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and, with a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into 20- 22 sections.Shape into balls.
4. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats OR grease 2 glass 9×13 baking dishes (I use the 9×13 baking dishes.) Set aside.
5. Bring baking soda and about 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Drop 6 pretzel rolls into the boiling water for 20-30 seconds.
6. Using a slotted spoon, lift the pretzel rolls out of the water and allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place pretzel rolls onto prepared baking sheet or close together in the baking pan. Using a sharp knife, score a couple slits into the top of each.
7. Brush the tops with more melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
8. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a deep golden brown on all sides.
9. Remove from the oven and serve warm. Pretzel rolls may be stored in an airtight container or zipped top bag for up to 3 days.

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Learn how to make the softest and chewiest Oatmeal Raisin Cookies from scratch! If you think that you hate raisins, this recipe will change your mind. You and your family are going to love this easy recipe!

I feel like oatmeal raisin cookies always get a bad rep. I mean, sure, chocolate chip cookies are seriously delicious. And peanut butter chocolate chip reigns supreme. BUT OATMEAL RAISIN HAS ITS PLACE TOO! You just have to know how to make them correctly.

For instance: do NOT, under any circumstance, make them crunchy. Like, please. Just don’t. Oatmeal raisin cookies are supposed to be chewy. They’re are supposed to be thick and slightly soft in the center.

If all you’ve ever had were crunchy oatmeal raisin cookies, I don’t blame you for hating them.

But we’re not having any of that today!

I’m talking about thick, chewy, soft, cinnamon spiced goodness. I’m talking about accidentally eating 6 cookies without realizing it because they’re so good type of cookie. Mega plump raisins and buttery flavor. Slightly crispy edges and loaded with oats.

Sounds good, doesn’t it?

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Ingredients in Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1. Butter + Refined Coconut Oil: For the chewiest cookies on earth you are going to use melted fats, as opposed to softened. If you don’t have refined coconut oil you could use vegetable shortening instead.
2. Brown Sugar + White Sugar: The white sugar provides the sweetness and structure while the brown sugar provides the flavor and moistness to the cookies.
3. Ground Cinnamon: I’ve found that the flavor of ground cinnamon “blooms” and is most noticeable when added into to the melted fats instead of the dry ingredients.
4. 1 Egg + 1 Egg Yolk: Eggs bind everything together and the extra yolk ensures even more chewiness.
5. Vanilla Extract and Salt: Both add flavor and balance out the sweetness.
6. All purpose Flour: All purpose flour gives the cookies structure.
7. Baking Soda: Baking soda make the cookies rise.
8. Old Fashioned Rolled Oats: For the thickest, chewiest, and BEST oatmeal cookies, use Old Fashioned Rolled Oats. Not quick oats. And definitely not instant oats.
9. Raisins: You can plump up the raisins by soaking them in warm water, but not necessary for an awesome cookie.

Chopped toasted walnuts make these even better! Optional, but definitely worth it.

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

• Time: 45-60 mins
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1/2 cup refined coconut oil, melted and cooled
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt (I like to use fine sea salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup raisins or chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375° degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, melted coconut oil, brown sugar, white granulated sugar, and ground cinnamon together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the egg, then the egg yolk. Finally, whisk in the vanilla extract.
3. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine.
4. Fold in the oats and raisins (or chocolate chips) and walnuts (if using).
5. Roll balls of dough (about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie) and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned on the sides.
6. Remove from the oven and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

Soft, tender, and flaky buttermilk biscuits are what a southerner’s dreams are made of. These homemade buttermilk biscuits come together with 8 simple ingredients and are ready in about 30 minutes.

Let’s talk about biscuits. Soft, tender, and ultra buttery biscuits. Golden brown with hundreds of flaky layers type of biscuits. The type of biscuits that you slather homemade apple butter on. Oh yeah.

If the only biscuits you’ve ever had were frozen biscuits from the grocery store, then you’re in for a treat. I mean, look at them! They will steal the show at any gathering.

What are biscuits?

In the US, biscuits are a light and flaky type of quick bread. Similar to a dinner roll, sort of, but BETTER. I’d definitely choose a biscuit over a dinner roll any day.

Since it’s a quick bread, you’ll be using baking powder and baking soda as the rising agent in this recipe instead of yeast.

Ingredients for buttermilk biscuits

You only need 8 ingredients for the best biscuits ever:

1. All purpose flour
2. Cold butter
3. Cold refined coconut oil (or shortening )
4. Salt
5. Baking powder
6. Baking soda
7. Cold buttermilk
8. Honey

Simple, huh? Just make sure your fats and buttermilk are icey cold. That ensures a flaky biscuit.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Tips for the best flaky biscuits.

1. Cold Ingredients: If you have the time, stick your bowl of flour and your fats in the freezer for 10 minutes before making the biscuits. When the cold butter and coconut oil melt while the biscuits bake, they create teeny air pockets from the steam. Thus, flakier biscuits.
2. Fold Your Dough: Instead of kneading your dough, like you would with yeast bread, try folding it for ultra flaky layers.
3. Don’t Twist Your Biscuit Cutter: When you go to cut out your biscuits, PLEASE do not twist your cutter. Press the cutter straight down into the dough and then pull straight back up. If you twist it you’ll seal off the edges and the biscuits won’t rise very tall.
4. Bake in Cast Iron Skillet: Although you could bake these on any type of baking sheet, I like to use a 12- inch cast iron skillet. When you use a cast iron skillet the biscuits rise up tall because they’re pressed up against each other.

Serve biscuits with homemade apple butter or as a side dish with soup!

Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

• Time: 20-30 mins
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt (I like fine sea salt )
• 1/4 cup cold butter
• 1/4 cup cold refined coconut oil
• 1 cup cold buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons honey

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Make the biscuits: Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl or in a large food processor. Whisk or pulse until combined. Add the cold butter and coconut oil and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or by pulsing several times in the processor. Cut/pulse until coarse crumbs form.
3. Pour 1 cup buttermilk and drizzle honey on top. Fold everything together with a large spoon or rubber spatula until it begins to come together. Do not overwork the dough. The dough will be crumbly with some wet spots.
4. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 3/4 inch thickness and fold in thirds. Turn the dough horizontally and flatten back to 3/4 inch thickness with the rolling pin and repeat the folding into thirds 2 more times.
5. Cut into 2.75 or 3-inch circles with a biscuit cutter. Re-roll scraps until all the dough is used. You should have about 10-12 biscuits. Arrange in a 12-inch cast iron skillet or close together on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Make sure the biscuits are touching.
6. Bake for 12-15minutes or until tops are golden brown.
7. Remove from the oven, brush warm tops with melted butter, and enjoy warm.
8. Cover leftovers tightly and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
9. Special Tools (affiliate links): Pastry Cutter, Biscuit Cutter, 12 inch Cast Iron Skillet, Bench Scraper

NOTES:

1. You could use shortening, lard, or even tallow in place of the coconut oil if you’d like.

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Add this tangy and probiotic rich Homemade Ranch dressing to all your favorite foods. Drizzle this over fresh spring mix to make your ordinary salad burst with flavor or use as a dipping sauce for your hot wings. Its easier than you’d think and tastes better than anything you could ever get from a grocery store.

Hey. I wanted to say sorry if I’ve been scaring you with all the butter, sugar, and just all of the CARBS. You know, I think that if what you are eating is real food and from scratch then it will always be the healthier option. But if it all still scares you, let me ease your mind. Let’s talk about salad… Well, salad dressing actually. Because this stuff good!

I like it on my salads, as a dip for carrot sticks and celery, or just on ANYTHING. This is also an easy and delicious way to add probiotics into your diet and cut out unnecessary sugars. So basically, in every way, this is better than store bought.

Sure, you could easily pick up a bottle of your favorite ranch dressing from the grocery store. But you can just as easily make it yourself! And without all that high fructose corn syrup and whatever else they put in there. With ten simple ingredients you are going to put all store bought salad dressings to shame.

Ranch Dressing Ingredients

• Cultured Buttermilk: This is where most of the probiotics come from in this recipe. Make sure you use “cultured” buttermilk, sometimes called “Bulgarian style” buttermilk. It should list “live active cultures” on the ingredient list. Buttermilk is part of the base in this recipe and adds a little tang.

• Mayonnaise: Do not substitute anything else for the mayo! We need it for its creaminess and flavor.

• Apple Cider Vinegar: A nutritional powerhouse and important part to this dressing. This is what gives this dressing that ‘salad dressing’ taste. If you use raw acv then you add even more probiotics to this.

• Garlic and Onion Powder: I opted for dried garlic and onion powder because fresh would just be too overpowering.
• Parsley, Dill, and Celery Seed: this is where most of the flavor and color come from.
• Salt and Pepper: The classic duo that always causes all other flavors to pop. I like to use a fine sea salt.

Now, to make this salad dressing is easy as pie. You put all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk it up. And that’s it… See, I told you this was easy! Now store it in a mason jar in your fridge for up to two weeks.

Homemade Ranch Dressing

• Servings: 8
• Time: 10 mins
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup cultured buttermilk
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (I use raw)
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried dill weed
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 pinch of celery seed
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium sized bowl whisk all the ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. Keeps for about 2 weeks.

Old Fashioned Apple Butter

Whether you slather it on a biscuit or a piece of toast, this thick and creamy, cinnamon spiced old fashioned apple butter is the ultimate breakfast spread.

Believe it or not guys, The Cracker Barrel isn’t the only place in the world that has apple butter. Crazy, right? No, people have been making it themselves for years. And if you have a slow cooker or an instant pot in your kitchen, you can make it too. Like, right now!!

I mean, I know that spring time is right around the corner, but I feel like I never even got to really enjoy autumn. If you live in the south, then you know what I’m talking about. It feels like autumn was only two weeks long, and then we got a second summer (iykyk). Then we had two weeks of a bitter cold winter and now we are going back into spring (which will only last a week)!!!

*sigh*

anywaaaay, this apple butter comforts me with autumn like vibes while Mississippi makes up its mind on which season we’re in. This recipe is also a good way to use up that bag of apples you bought.

This apple butter has a really dark, rich, old fashioned taste that comes from cooking it overnight. You can NOT get this kind of flavor from 2 hours of cooking. You need at least 8 hours for a good apple butter.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Apple Butter Ingredients:

• APPLES: You can use tart apples, like Granny Smith, or sweeter type apples, like Honey Crisp. It doesn’t really matter. But you will need 4-5 pounds.
• SUGAR: You are going to use both white and brown sugar for maximum flavor.
• LIQUID: Water, apple juice, or apple cider all work well. You just need a little liquid to keep your apples from burning on the bottom of your pot.
• SPICES: Use cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves for that signature apple butter taste.
• VANILLA & SALT: Don’t skip these! Both the vanilla and salt help to round out the flavors and balance out the sweetness.

This recipe makes about 3-4 pints of apple butter. I usually double the recipe and water bath can it all to make it last longer. If you dont want to water bath can it or you just dont know how to, no worries. This recipe will keep in the fridge for about a month without canning it. You can give some away to a friend if it’s still to much use.

Old Fashioned Apple Butter

• Time: 8-12 hours
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

INGREDIENTS:

• 4-5 pounds of apples
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water, apple juice, or apple cider
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Core and chop apples into 1 inch chunks (it really doesn’t have to be exact).
2. Place the apples in a slow cooker (or instant pot). In a medium bowl, combine sugars, liquid of choice, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, vanilla and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples and mix well.
3. Cook in slow cooker (or instant pot)on low for about 8-10 hours or overnight, stirring whenever you think about it, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown (obviously, if your doing this overnight, you don’t have to get up from your sleep to stir. It should be fine as long as it’s on low.)
4. After its cooked use an immersion blender to puree the apple butter until smooth.
5. Spoon the mixture into clean glass jars, cover and refrigerate for up to two to four weeks or freeze.
6. Serve on biscuits, toast, breads, muffins,or just eat it with a spoon.😊

NOTES:

• Whenever I choose not to water bath can this recipe I find it will last for about a month in the fridge without a problem. Give it a sniff if you’re unsure whether it’s still good or not.
• Look up how to water bath can apple butter on the internet if you’re interested in longer storage.