Whole-Grain Cereals for Heart Health

According to a recent analysis of the Physicians� Health Study, daily consumption of whole-grain breakfast cereals was associated with a lower risk of heart failure. Researchers presented findings of the study at the American Heart Association�s 47th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention held Feb. 28 to Mar. 3, 2007 in Orlando.

The analysis shows that those who ate a whole-grain breakfast cereal seven or more times per week were 28% less likely to develop heart failure over the course of the study than those who never ate these cereals. Even lower consumption rates can benefit heart health: The risk of heart failure decreased by 22% for those who ate whole-grain breakfast cereal two to six times per week and by 14% for those who included whole-grain cereal up to once per week.

The study categorized breakfast cereals with at least 25% oat or bran content as whole-grain cereals. Whole grains are rich in many vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in addition to a high fiber content. In the United States, foods that can be labeled �whole grain� contain 51% or more whole-grain ingredients by weight per reference amount customarily consumed.

�There are good and powerful arguments for eating a whole-grain cereal for breakfast,� said Luc Djouss�, M.D., M.P.H., D.Sc., lead author of the study and assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Aging at Brigham & Women�s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston. �The significant health benefits of whole-grain cereal are not just for kids, but also for adults. A whole-grain, high-fiber breakfast may lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol, and prevent heart attacks.

More information about the health benefits of whole grains can be found on Food Product Design�s free online Webinar, �The Whole Truth: Uncovering the Benefits of Whole Grains.�

Hot Cross Buns

We decided to revisit and post this recipe for the season

makes 24

1 cup milk
2 Tbsp yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
4 eggs
5 cup flour1
1/3 cup currants or raisins
1 egg white

Glaze

(you can use this one or your favorite)1 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar 1 1/2 tsp. finely chopped lemon zest 1/2 tsp. lemon extract1-2 Tbsp milk

In a small saucepan, heat milk to very warm, but not hot (110°F if using a candy thermometer). Pour warm milk in a bowl and sprinkle yeast over. Mix to dissolve and let sit for 5 minutes.

Stirring constantly, add sugar, salt, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and eggs. Gradually mix in flour, dough will be wet and sticky. Continue kneading until smooth, about 5 minutes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough "rest" for 30-45 minutes.

Knead again until smooth and elastic, for about 3 more minutes. Add currants or raisins and knead until well mixed. At this point, dough will still be fairly wet and sticky. Shape dough in a ball, place in a buttered dish, cover with plastic wrap and let rise overnight in the refrigerator. Excess moisture will be absorbed by the morning.

Let dough sit at room temperature for about a half-hour. Line a large baking pan (or pans) with parchment paper (you could also lightly grease a baking pan, but parchment works better). Divide dough into 24 equal pieces (in half, half again, etc., etc.). Shape each portion into a ball and place on baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

In the meantime, pre-heat oven to 400° F. When buns have risen, take a sharp or serrated knife and carefully slash buns with a cross. Brush them with egg white and place in oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° F, then bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack. Whisk together glaze ingredients, and spoon over buns in a cross pattern. Serve warm, if possible.

History of the Hot Cross Bun:

Hot cross buns are typically eaten on Good Friday and during Lent

Stories abound about the origins of the Hot Cross Bun. Yet, the common thread throughout is the symbolism of the "cross" of icing which adorns the bun itself.

Some say that the origin of Hot Cross Buns dates back to the 12th century, when an Angelican monk was said to have placed the sign of the cross on the buns, to honor Good Friday, a Christian holiday also known as the Day of the Cross.

Supposedly, this pastry was the only thing permitted to enter the mouths of the faithful on this holy day. Other accounts talk of an English widow, who's son went off to sea. She vowed to bake him a bun every Good Friday. When he didn't return she continued to bake a hotcross bun for him each year and hung it in the bakery window in good faith that he would some day return to her. The English people kept the tradition for her even after she passed away.

Others say that Hot Cross Buns have pagan roots as part of spring festivals and that the monks simply added the cross to convert people to Christians. Even if this is the case, I think it was rather bright of the monks to be able to so readily tie existing traditions to Christianity!

A GREAT SODA BREAD

Thought we would share this recipe for St. Patrick’s Day

"A very easy, very good tasting bread. Best if made the day before, or several hours before serving."

Original recipe yield:
1 - 9x5 inch loaf

INGREDIENTS

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/3 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda. Blend egg and buttermilk together, and add all at once to the flour mixture. Mix just until moistened. Stir in butter. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 65 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Wrap in foil for several hours, or overnight, for best flavor.

You thought $5 a cup of coffee was pricey? Welcome to the world of upscale home coffee

In an era when $5 fancy coffee drinks are the norm, a growing number of people are willing to invest $1,000 or more to make the perfect cup of coffee at home.

Seduced by the gleaming, multi-levered, counter-hogging machines that have begun crowding catalogs and showrooms, more people are willing to spend more money (sometimes significantly so) in pursuit of that perfect cup of Joe.

Consider this the centerpiece of the consumer revolution in coffee. A generation ago, a cup of coffee meant a bottomless mug at the diner, an over-boiled brew from the home percolator, or even — shudder — a spoonful of instant.

Today, it's not uncommon to find homes better equipped than their local Starbucks. And sensing a trend, the kitchen products industry has worked hard to make sure big spenders have plenty to spend it on.

For example, Cooking.com offers a combination coffee and espresso "center" with multiple heads, plumb-in filtration, a volumetric pump and integrated burr grinder. And all for a mere $3,500 or so.

Even bargain-driven retailer Target offers several $1,000-plus machines on its Web site.

And people are buying them. Sales of coffee and espresso machines costing more than $100 jumped by 42 percent during the past year, according to consumer research firm NPD Group. The year before, the growth was just 10 percent.

High-end machines are experiencing similar growth. At Internet kitchen goods retailer Cooking.com, sales of espresso machines costing $1,000 or more increased by 56 percent from 2004 to 2005, says spokesman John Gabaldon.

Experts say the trend is a confluence of several long-developing factors in the coffee industry, including the introduction of specialty coffees to the East Coast in the '70s and '80s by coffee pioneers such as George Howell.

On the West Coast, the tech-driven culture of the 1990s helped give rise to coffee bars. And across the nation, Web forums such as alt.coffee and coffeegeek.com helped create communities of aficionados.

All that buzz led to the production of bigger, better and more meticulous machines, creating the perfect partner for tech-savvy, coffee-drinking consumers.

Out of this caffeine-driven frenzy arose a passionate subgroup — espresso drinkers.

Roasting their own beans