brown-bread-muffin bread

I was looking for just a little something to make our faux minestrone soup go down a little easier. A couple of warm, buttered slices of this bread did the trick.

In the cookbook, this is called 'hearty brown bread.'  I was thinking it would be kind of a dark-rye, healthy bread, but it isn't really. I mean, I'm sure it's not unhealthy, but it's more brown-bread-muffin-like. It's nice and moist (apologies too all that can't stand that word) and the recipe is so darn easy -- no rising even -- I'll be making it again.

But enough talk about bread.

hearty brown bread

Albertina's, a restaurant in Portland

1 loaf

3 C whole-wheat flour

1 1/4 teas baking soda

1 teas salt

2 C buttermilk

1/2 C molasses

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  Stir in wet ingredients. Pour into well-greased loaf pan. Bake until tester comes out clean, approximately 1 hour. (Mine took closer to 1 hour 20 minutes.)

banana-y muffins

Remember that slogan 'kid-tested, mother-approved'? If muffins needed slogans, that one fits these bran-banana muffins. 'Cause even though I only added about 1/3 cup of chocolate chips, you'd have thought they were covered in chocolate given the resulting smile!

[recipe here, but sub chocolate for nuts and butter for margarine]

And while we're on the subject of banana muffins, here's another recipe I've made a couple of times (but again subbing in butter for whatever oil it calls for.) It's quite nutty, for when you're feeling... well, like a nut. 

apple, raisin and oat scones

All agreed these scones are fantastic. They're not too sweet, or heavy either. 

Bonus: rustic, organic-shaped scones means you don't have to clean muffin tins 

apple, raisin and oat scones
adapted from Martha Stewart

1 2/3 C all-purpose flour (I subbed out 2/3 C for whole wheat), plus more for rolling
1 1/3 C rolled oats
1/4 C plus 2 Tbs brown sugar
3/4 teas cinnamon
1/2 teas nutmeg
2 teas baking powder
3/4 teas baking soda
1/2 teas salt
3/4 C (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 C diced apple (2 apples), cut into generous 1/4" cubes
1/2 C raisins
1 C cold buttermilk, plus more for brushing
1/2 teas pure vanilla extract
sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Whisk together flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in cold butter (I use my fingers) until a coarse meal forms. Add apples, raisins, buttermilk, and vanilla. Stir until dough just comes together.

Turn out dough onto floured surface and pat into a 6-by-8-inch rectangle. Cut into twelve squares with a floured knife and place a couple of inches apart on prepared baking sheets. At this point, you could brush the tops with buttermilk, then sprinkle with additional oats and sugar. I lazily skipped the buttermilk and oats and went straight for sugar, no harm done. Bake until golden (20-22 mins), rotating sheets halfway through baking time. Let cool on sheets for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. (I'm freezing them for later breakfasts, hoping the apples retain an appetizing consistency.)

banana oat muffins

These are tasty -- and they're healthier than your average bear's banana oat muffins.

Recipe here. Following some advice in the comments, I used unsweetened applesauce instead of the oil, upped the vanilla to 1 teaspoon, and added 3/4 teas of cinnamon. Perfect.

The few that were left after a couple of days went bad on the counter. Looking back on it, I should've put these in the fridge on account of the applesauce.

cranberry-lemon scones

All too often, cranberries get paired up with orange in baked goods. Why is that? They aren't that great together (in my humble opinion, of course) and there's a far better option: cranberries and lemon.

Need convincing? Try these cranberry-lemon scones.

bread bag

A side benefit of making my own bread every week has been that I have something yummy to offer when I want a wee gift for someone. But I definitely needed to create some better packaging than the re-used, re-washed plastic bags I have on hand. Enter: drawstring bread bags.

This polka-dot one is for a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread -- and both are for a hostess gift.

Bread: I add 1/2 cup raisins to this recipe. After the first rise, I roll it out on floured surface, sprinkle with water then with a mix of 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 cup sugar, roll it into a log, tuck the ends in to make a loaf, and then proceed as usual. Bonus: there's a nifty-looking swirl in the middle of the loaf.

Bag: If you need a refresher on making a drawstring bag, this tutorial is great. I used unbleached muslin for the lining.

a new loaf

I looove the smell of fresh bread. It has a way of transporting me to my grandma's blue kitchen. My grandma would bake about a dozen loaves at a time, and up until the last few years, when she finally started using an electric mixer, she used a huge copper-coloured bowl fitted with a hand crank for all that kneading. Anyway, the most enticing aroma would waft all over the house when the fresh-baked bread cooled on racks around her kitchen. Then we'd enjoy a fresh slice with her beef stew, or perhaps topped with a spread with spicy Finnish mustard and roast beef.

Kind of a silly thing to share. It's like saying, 'I like the smell of fresh bread 'cause it reminds me of this one time, there was fresh bread,' but there you have it. Fresh bread and my grandma are inextricably linked.

My new goal is to make two loaves a week. Granted, it'll take more time and effort than throwing some bread into my grocery cart, but I don't really care for that stuff anyway (and they have too many ingredients I can't pronounce.) If my grandma could make so many loaves virtually by hand at the age of 80, I can surely handle a couple with the help of my KitchenAid.

I've made Soulemama's W.H.O. bread, but it's a little sweet for everyday toast and sandwiches. Alicia's version cuts the sugar, but I want to do a little experimenting with heartier ingredients. Know any good recipes?

cheddar and herb biscuits

We had some killer biscuits last night. These cheesy flaky treats acted as a great distraction from an otherwise boring meal of just soup. They would also make for a yummy sandwich -- a little lettuce, tomato, and ham -- or for a fun brunch alongside eggs n' bacon.

herb and cheddar biscuits

based on recipe in Bon Appetit

makes 12 large biscuits

3 3/4 C all-purpose flour

1 1/2 Tbs baking powder

1 1/2 teas baking soda

1 1/4 teas salt

1/2 C chilled unsalted butter, plus another tablespoon or two melted for brushing

2 1/2 C (packed) coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/3 C chopped fresh parsley or chives

1 3/4 C chilled buttermilk (or regular milk with the juice of 1/2 lemon; let sit for a couple minutes to curdle)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine flour, powder, soda, and salt in large bowl. Cut in butter cubes and blend until coarse meal forms. Mix in grated cheese and fresh herbs. Gradually add buttermilk, stirring to moisten evenly (batter will be pretty sticky.)

Drop generous 1/2 cups of batter on prepared baking sheets, spacing the mounds a couple inches apart. Bake biscuits until golden and tester comes out clean, 18-20 mins. (You may need to turn/swap the two baking sheets halfway through so all the biscuits bake evenly.) Remove from oven and brush with melted butter. Let cool a 5-10 minutes before serving.

cereal box muffins

Something struck me supremely easy about the muffin recipe on the side of my bran flakes cereal (seriously, what muffin recipe is difficult?), so I gave it a try. Yum, these are tasty -- and oh so easy.

sorry for the crappy picture!

bran muffins

slightly adapted from the side of my cereal box

makes 1 dozen

1 1/2 C bran flakes cereal

1 1/4 C whole wheat flour

1 Tbs baking powder

1/2 C dried cranberries

1/2 C golden raisins

1/4 C butter, room temperature

scant 1/2 C granulated sugar

1 egg

1 C milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12-cup muffin tin and set aside.

In large bowl, stir together cereal, flour, baking powder and dried fruit. In another bowl, beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Then beat in egg, then milk. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Divide evenly into tin and bake for 20 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.

pumpkin bread

I've got Christmas on the brain. But before I get so far into thinking about upcoming holiday goodies that it hardly feels like the season for pumpkin, may I recommend a moist pumpkin bread?

Sorry, I'm not sure where this recipe came from -- copied from somewhere on a scrap of paper.

pumpkin bread

1 loaf

2 C all-purpose flour

2 teas baking powder

1/2 teas baking soda

1/2 teas salt

1 C packed brown sugar

1 teas cinnamon

1/2 teas ground nutmeg

1/2 teas ground cloves

2 large eggs

1/2 C butter, melted

1/3 C pure maple syrup

1 C canned unsweetened pumpkin (or pureed, fresh steamed pumpkin)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x5x3" loaf pan and set aside.

Mix flour, powder, soda, salt, sugar, and spices in large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, butter, syrup and pumpkin. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and fold together. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Carefully turn out onto wire rack and let cool a bit before serving. Serve warm or room temperature.

drunk crisp

Happy May Day!

Pretty soon it won't be crisp season any more -- my summertime desserts are more along the lines of simple fresh fruit. And in the meantime, well, what is a springtime dessert? It doesn't feel quite right to make a baked apple anything when the weather is teasing us every few hours... cupcakes maybe?

But while we're still bundling up at night and waiting for fresh berries, I'll share this recipe for apple, prune and brandy crisp.

drunk apple and prune crisp
serves 4 (originally from Gourmet magazine)

1/2 C brandy
1 C pitted prunes, halved
2/3 C flour
1/2 C packed light brown sugar
6 Tbs cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/4 teas salt
1/8 teas cinnamon
2/3 C old-fashioned oats
6 McIntosh apples (or a mixture of sweet and sour apples)
vanilla ice cream, of course

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring brandy to a boil in a small saucepan and remove from heat. Stir in cut prunes and let stand while making topping.

Mix flour, 6 Tbs brown sugar, butter, salt, and cinnamon together until mixture resembles coarse meal. (Food processor works great so you don't melt the butter with your fingers.) Add oats and stir to just combine.

Peel, quarter, and core apples and cut into 1/2" wedges. Transfer apples to a 1 1/2-quart shallow baking dish and toss with prune mixture and remaining 2 Tbs brown sugar.

Sprinkle topping evenly over filling and bake in middle of oven until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbling (about 30 mins.)

I tend to like my crisp cold, the next morning, but enjoying it warm with vanilla ice cream is a close second.

crispy crackers

Remember these? I've made them before. And keep getting requests to make them again...

milk n' cookies

Three cheers for ginger cookies!

I usually halve this recipe 'cause it makes a ton, but I was sleeping on the job tonight and ended up making a whole batch. 4 1/2 cups flour and 1 1/2 cups butter (!!) later, I have a lot of yummy ginger cookie dough in the freezer.

sticky buns

Hi. Has it been long enough since Christmas breads and buns for this? Are you really serious about your New Year's resolutions or can I tempt you with something sticky sweet and carb-laden?


I know I've mentioned these before, but they really do deserve their own post. Pecan sticky buns (or in this case, walnut sticky buns) are one of my favs. Thanks, Martha Stewart.

You have to plan ahead a bit, as the dough needs to sit overnight and they need to be shaped and rise again in the morning, but I'm telling you they are worth the wait. And since they're best eaten fresh, I'd wait for a time when there aren't just two of you sitting around the fire... although we've done that too.

I rely on my Kitchenaid mixer to do all the work with this recipe. Since I've never tried kneading it all by hand, I'll just give the mixer instructions...

pecan sticky buns
makes 12

1 1/4-oz package active dry yeast
1/2 C plus 1 Tb warm milk (not hot!)
3 C all-purpose flour
1/6 cup granulated sugar
1 teas salt
2 eggs
1/2 pound (2 sticks/1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut in pieces, plus more for buttering tins
1 1/2 C pecan halves
1 C light corn syrup (or just get the squeezable bottle and don't bother measuring)
about 2/3 C packed brown sugar
a little more than 1/4 C sour cream
about 1/2 Tbs ground cinnamon -- several shakes of the cinnamon shaker

The night before...

Line a glass baking pan (13x9) with parchment paper and set aside. In a small bowl, combine yeast and milk. Let stand until the yeast is creamy (10 mins.)

In the bowl of your magic mixer (fitted with the dough hook) combine flour, granulated sugar and salt. Add yeast mixture and eggs. Mix on low until completely combined.

Raise speed to high and add butter, several pieces at a time. When all the butter has been added, continue mixing until the dough is smooth and shiny. This takes a long time, like 8 to 10 minutes to fast mixing. (Now you see why I entrust this job to a machine.) Transfer the dough to the lined baking pan and spread it out. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill overnight.

The next morning...

Take dough out of the fridge and let stand at room temperature until slightly softened (15 mins.)

Meanwhile, generously butter a standard muffin tin. Chop most of the pecans, and with about 1/2 cup of the pecan halves, split them lengthwise. Keep the two types separate. In the muffin tin, pour a bit of corn syrup in each cup. With my corn syrup in a squeeze bottle (how industrial does that sound, eh?!) I just add enough to cover the bottom, maybe a 1/8-1/4 inch deep. Add about a teaspoon of brown sugar to each and divide the halved pecans among the cups. Set aside.

Roll out dough lengthwise, 1/4 inch thick, and into a rectangle (about 12 x 15 inches.) Spread sour cream over the surface, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle cinnamon and 1/3 C brown sugar over the sour cream. Cover the mix with chopped pecans. Roll the dough lengthwise.

Using a sharp knife, slice the roll into 12 slices and place in the muffin tins. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover muffin tin with parchment paper and let rise in a warm place for another 30 minutes. I put mine on the preheating oven.

Transfer sticky buns to the oven. I recommend placing a cookie sheet on the rack below to catch any drips. Rotate the pan to get even baking. Bake until buns are dark golden brown, about 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and immediately turn buns out onto a sheet of parchment paper. Replace any pecan halves that fell off the buns, and let cool a bit before eating. Wow. Yum.

lemon poppyseed shortbreads

These crumbly morsels are a martha original. They are so stinkin' cute that I think I may have to make them for every holiday...

This recipe was handy because the shortbread dough can be frozen easily, although it doesn't 'thaw' like other cookie doughs though because of the... ahem... high butter content. It's a bit more work to roll into balls straight from the fridge, but totally doable.

makes 3 dozen cookies (I halved this recipe for about 16 cookies, which was perfect amid holiday baking overload)

shortbread:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
2 cups flour
3/4 teas salt
1/2 cup granulated (*or confectioners' sugar)

*I used granulated sugar, but apparently confectioners' sugar gives the cookies a finer texture

lemon poppyseed frosting:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 teas poppy seeds

Sift together flour and salt in small bowl. In large bowl, cream butter until fluffy, 3-5 mins. Add sugar and contine to beat until very light and fluffy. Add flour mixture and beat on low until flour is just incorporated (dough sticks together.)

Roll dough into 1-inch balls and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Bake on cookie sheet until firm and barely starting to colour around the base of the cookie, 20-25 mins. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, make frosting by whisking together the sugar, cream and lemon juice until smooth. Stir in poppy seeds.

When cookies are totally cool, dip top half of shortbread balls into frosting and let set on parchment. Store in an airtight container.

braided bread

I am of the opinion that cardamon makes most any baked good better, so I was happy to finally give Angry Chicken's Christmas Braid a try. This sweet cardamon bread is a familiar taste in my family -- and commonly known among us as 'Finnish coffee bread' or pulla.

Whatever you call it, you still get to braid your food!

I love mine warm, with a small spread of butter and a cup of tea.

'jammer' cornmeal muffins

In the Pacific Northwest, there's the great Grand Central Bakery, which serves, among other things, the jammer.

Ode to the jammer! It's a big ol' biscuit with a pile of jam in the center for dipping.

In the spirit of the jammer, I wanted to try Barefoot Contessa's raspberry corn muffins (from her first cookbook). They may not be so good for an on-the-go snack -- the jam on the top kind of limits this muffin's "willingness to travel" -- but they're great lazy brunch food.


'jammer' cornmeal muffins
makes 12 large muffins (I made 12 regular-sized muffins and used the remaining dough in mini muffin tins -- the minis are in my freezer, un-jammed, waiting for a rainy day)

3 C flour
1 C sugar
1 C cornmeal
2 Tbs baking powder
1 1/2 teas salt
1 1/2 C milk
1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 extra-large eggs
3/4 C yummy jam (I used blackberry)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners (for my mini muffin tins, I just greased well).

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients (except the jam!) Pour the wet stuff into the dry stuff and stir until just blended. Spoon into prepared muffin tins, filling all the way to the top. Bake until the tops are crisp and the toothpick tester comes out clean (about 30 mins.) Cool slightly before removing from the pan.

After the muffins cool, spoon the jam into a pastry bag, fitted with a large round tip. Push the tip of the bag into the muffin and squeeze some jam into the middle of the muffin. Repeat!

easy as... chocolate cake

Moist chocolate cake. Is there anything better? And one made entirely in one pot? A keeper, for sure.

I loved the Sex and the City episode when Miranda scarfs chocolate cake and thinks she should be checked into the Betty Crocker Clinic...




one-pot chocolate cake
makes 8x8 cake (or you can double it for a double-decker cake)

2 Tbs butter
2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, broken into pieces
1 C milk, divided
1 C sugar
1/2 Tbs vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1 C flour
1/8 teas salt
1 tsp baking soda

In a medium sauce-pan over low heat, melt butter and chocolate, stirring continuously. Once melted, add 1/2 C of milk. Stir over low heat until it thickens a bit. Take off burner, then add sugar, vanilla, and egg yolk. Stir well. Then add flour, salt, and baking soda. When mixed, add remaining 1/2 C milk. Bake at 350 degrees, until a toothpick, inserted into the center of the cake, comes out clean (about 25-35 mins.) Let cool completely before icing with frosting.

And speaking of frosting...

chocolate frosting
makes 1.5 C frosting

2 Tbs butter
2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, broken into pieces
2 C powdered sugar
1/3 C milk
2/3 teas vanilla extract
a pinch of salt

In small saucepan, over low heat, melt butter and chocolate together. Once mixture is melted and smooth, pour into large bowl and add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt. Beat with an electric mixer until well blended. Refrigerate 10 minutes or so, until the frosting is of spreading consistency. If you need to keep it in the fridge for several hours, be sure to allow time to bring the frosting to room temp before trying to frost your cake. I used a little hot water bath to bring mine back to being spreadable.

leek and roasted bell pepper quiche

Mmm, quiche. Sometimes I just crave your flaky crust (thanks, Tenderflake) and eggy goodness.

This is kind of a wing-it recipe that used the buttermilk I had on hand, fulfilled my urge to roast a pepper, and put to good use the egg insides from my egg votives.

Usually when I make a quiche, I just mix everything together and pour it into the crust. This time, I tried layering the ingredients like Elise does, like so...

First layer: grated gruyere cheese. Second layer: sauteed leeks.

Third layer: julienned roasted bell pepper. Fourth layer: egg mixture.

leek and roasted bell pepper quiche
serves 4

olive oil
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, thoroughly cleaned and sliced
1 bell pepper (I used yellow, but red would be pretty)
couple dashes of salt
couple turns of freshly ground black pepper
4 eggs
3/4 C buttermilk (or you could use half-n-half)
1 generous cup of grated gruyere cheese
pinch of ground nutmeg (about 1/8 teas)
1 frozen pie-crust in its tin

Preheat oven to 375. Usually, these frozen pie crust directions have you thaw it a bit for 10-15 mins before filling, so I take mine out of the freezer about now.

In large saute pan, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Add leeks, some salt, and some pepper, and saute until soft (10 mins.) Meanwhile, roast the bell pepper, remove skin, and julienne.

In medium-sized bowl, beat together eggs, buttermilk, nutmeg, and a small handful of cheese.

On an foil-lined baking sheet, set the slightly-thawed pie crust. Layer the rest of the cheese, the leeks, then the roasted pepper into the crust. Pour egg mixture over top (it'll be really full.) Bake until set and golden, and until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean (about 40 mins). Remove from oven and let sit 5-10 minutes before slicing.

apple pancake

If you're anything like me, you get into a nice little food rut every once in a while. Not a boring food rut, but a comforting food rut --like breakfast for dinner on Fridays, or soup for lunch on Sundays.

But have you been needing a little variation on the comforting, but the have-made-enough-times-to-be-deep-in-the-rut pannukakku? Yeah, me too.

I'm not sure which country gets to claim this baked wonder -- Finland, Germany, Sweden, Holland? We'll just call it apple pancake.



apple pancake
serves 4

3 eggs
3/4 C milk
3/4 C flour
1 teas vanilla
1/4 teas salt
1 apple (or pear would be good too), thinly sliced
2 Tbs sugar
3/4 teas cinnamon
2 Tbs unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a 12-in oven-proof skillet into the oven to warm it. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, extract, and salt until smooth. In a separate bowl, toss the fruit with the sugar and cinnamon.

Remove the preheated skillet from the oven and add thebutter, swirling until it's melted. Arrange sliced apples (or pears) in a single layer and pour batter over top. Bake until puffed, golden, and cooked (25 mins.) And it does rise somethin' delicious. Serve with maple syrup.