February 22, 2021
We Share Our Recipe for Country Granary Bread!
A highlight of any Buckhorn Inn dinner is when the basket of warm bread is delivered to your table. You gently lift off the cloth napkin and inhale the warm, yeasty fragrance. You select a slice and watch as the butter melts slowly into every nook and cranny. That first bite is heaven! One of our most popular bread recipes is below. The aroma of fresh-baked bread will have your family gathering in the kitchen!
Country Granary Bread
Preheat oven to 400 F.
2 Tablespoons active dry yeast
Pinch brown sugar
1 ¼ Cups Warm water
1/3 Cup Old-fashioned rolled oats
1 Cup Cooked bulgur wheat, flax and/or
millet
2 Tablespoons Light brown sugar
1 Cup Whole wheat flour
3 1/3 Cups All-purpose or bread flour
1 ¼ Cups Warm milk
¼ Cup Vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon Salt
To cook the bulgur wheat, flax and millet, place the grains in a small bowl and pour in two cups of boiling water. Let stand for about 30 minutes. Drain.
Combine the yeast, pinch of brown sugar and warm water. Stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
In the work bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the warm milk, oil, the yeast mixture, salt, oatmeal, brown sugar, and the cooked bulgur wheat, flax and millet mixture. Add the salt and 2 cups of the white and whole wheat flour combined. Whisk hard until smooth, about 1 minute. Let stand, uncovered, 30 minutes. Add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, until a soft dough is formed that just clears the sides of the bowl.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until light-colored, smooth, and springy, about 2 minutes, adding only 1 tablespoon flour at a time as needed, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide into 2 equal portions. Cut each portion into 2 uneven pieces. Form the 2 large pieces into tight round loaves. Place on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet sprinkled with more oatmeal and cereal grains. Loaves may be formed in a conventional round fashion. If you want to make the more decorative turban shape, use your fingers to take a pinch from each of the two loaves to form an indentation.
Roll the 2 small pieces into teardrop-shaped ovals and place in the indentation on the larger rounds, centering them. Using a floured finger, poke into the middle of each loaf right through the middle to the bottom. This is important to join the two sections to form one loaf. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
Twenty minutes before baking, heat the oven to 400 F. Gently brush the tops of the loaves with the 1 tablespoon of oil. Refine the indentation through the center of each loaf. Bake in the lower half of the preheated oven until the loaves are golden brown and the bottoms sound hollow.
Yield: 2 cottage loaves
February 15, 2021
Walking and Biking in Cades Cove
Officials at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have announced that the pilot program for vehicle-free Wednesdays in Cades Cove will continue from May 5 through September 1, 2021. What a great opportunity to enjoy this beautiful area on foot or by bicycle. Please know that mobility-assisted devices will be welcome on the vehicle-free days.
Park officials say that up to 1,100 pedestrians and cyclists enjoy Cades Cove without car congestion on the vehicle-free days.
Cades Cove Is A Beautiful Area of the Park
Visitors to this area can enjoy amazing views. They can also imagine life in an earlier time as they observe historic buildings dating from the first settlers to the area. And its one of the most popular places to spot wildlife! You may see black bears, white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, and many other birds and animals.
If you are driving to Cades Cove from Buckhorn Inn, it is easy to find. From Gatlinburg you follow the Parkway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. After you pass the Sugarlands Visitor Center, turn right onto Little River Road. You will follow Little River Road about 25 miles until you arrive at the Cades Cove Loop Road.
The Loop Road is paved and one-way. It follows an old logging track. To the left of the entrance you will find an orientation shelter staffed with park rangers who will answer all your questions.
As you walk travel the Loop Road you will see the John Oliver Cabin. No pegs or nails keep this building standing–only the notched corners.
You will see the trailhead for the Cooper Road Trail. This trail is about an 11-mile round trip hike. It is considered a moderately easy hike. You also will see the trailhead for Abrams Falls trail. The waterfall is about 20 feet high and the water rushing over the rocks is an impressive sight. This trail is about five miles round trip and is a little more difficult.
The Cable Mill historic area includes a working gristmill. You also will find a barn, a smokehouse, and a blacksmith shop.
These highlights are only a small sampling of the wonders to be found on the Cades Cove Loop Road. We hope you take advantage of vehicle-free Wednesdays this season to enjoy the area in a new way. http://www.nps.gov.grsm.planyourvisit
February 12, 2021
Visit House of the Fairies in the Great Smoky Mountains
Even regular visitors don’t always know about the special spot called House of the Fairies. The House is actually the springhouse at what was once the Voorheis estate. The Voorheis estate is a 38-acre site located about a mile from Gatlinburg. Louis Voorheis bought the land in 1928. Desiring a mountain retreat, he developed the land accordingly. Mr. Voorheis wanted to offer people a place to retreat from big city life and find the peace of the Smoky Mountains. He utilized the two creeks that ran across the property for a water-powered mill. He experimented with water power and built a hydroelectric dam. Many of the flower and vegetable gardens include water features. In 1933 Mr. Voorheis deeded the property to the National Park Service, which took over full management of the property in 1952.
Much of the original estate survives today. The structures include the main house, two guest cabins, a horse barn, and an apple barn. The stone springhouse is called the House of the Fairies and is in the Twin Creeks area of the park.
How to Find House of the Fairies
To get there you should hike the Twin Creeks Trail, a moderate trail of about 4.5 miles round trip. There is a small pull off at the trailhead, but you may find it more convenient to park at the Ogle Place Parking Area and walk up the road a bit. The trail goes along the creek. You will see many buildings from the Estate, including the mill. As you walk you can imagine what it must have been like living in a log cabin.
After you pass the Resource Center, you will see a small path. Follow this path to get to the quaint Fairy House. You will see an arched wall with an open door and stairs leading to the top. You are welcome to enter the springhouse. The stone walls, covered in moss, do look like the place where a fairy or water sprite might reside! It looks like a magical building from some other time. For more information, visit http://www.thesmokies.com
If you are staying at Buckhorn Inn, don’t forget to order one of our hearty sack lunches for the hike. Who knows, you might be sharing your lunch with a fairy!
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