Colonial Brown Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2  teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Directions:

Grease and flour a 9-inch pan and set aside.

Stir together the flours, sugar, salt, and soda.  Add the buttermilk.  Stir until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.

Fold into the pan and level out the batter.

Bake for one hour.


Myrtle's Note:  I had to cut the recipe in half and made mistakes on the first three attempts at trying this recipe because baking maths are difficult for me now.  I persevered because it is a favorite of my dear friend Mary.  And I like old recipes!  I used King Arthur White Whole Wheat Bread.  The bread is close-textured, moist, and sort of a nutty sweet flavor.  I slathered it with Pulgra's European butter.  Mighty, mighty tasty!


Yield:  1 loaf

Source:  http://www.cooks.com/recipe/yr8ja9e8/colonial-brown-bread.html

Bran Cereal Muffins

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Fiber One original cereal
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 cup dark brown sugar (packed tightly)
• 1 1/4 cups King Arther® Unbleached White Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons vanilla paste
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon Redmond's Real Salt
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees


Directions:

Spray your muffin tins with Pam® Baking Spray or grease them and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl (or your stand mixer), pour boiling water over cereal, stir thoroughly until all the water is absorbed, and let stand.

Mix together the milk and lemon juice, stir thoroughly, and let stand for 10 minutes.  Alternatively, you could use two cups of buttermilk and skip the lemon juice.

While waiting, measure out the spices into a small bowl.  Mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda into a medium bowl.  Gather the brown sugar, applesauce, eggs, vanilla paste, and dried cranberries on the counter.

When the cereal has cooled and the sour milk is ready, add the sugar, eggs, applesauce, and milk and stir.  Next add the spices and vanilla paste and stir.  Then slowly add the flour mixture until all is incorporated.  Finally, add the dried cranberries and stir until they are thoroughly mixed into the batter.

Spoon into prepared muffin tins, filling to just below the top.  Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes.


Myrtle's Note:  I wanted a bran cereal muffin recipe, but had to do some tweaking when I found one that started with Fiber One cereal.  I changed the type of milk and sugar and flour, I dropped the egg substitute for real eggs, I added spices and flavoring, and I added dried cranberries.  I botched the cooking time, so the first batch and the second look different.  You can see the ones on the left have a higher muffin top, as they were cooked at the right temperature (400 degrees).  I thought that the muffins turned out fantastic ... if you like bran muffins.  By the way, it will not hurt my feelings if you swap out the dried cranberries for raisons.  I know that is more traditional.  I just prefer dried cranberries, and I am the one eating these!


Yield: 27 muffins

Adapted from:  http://www.food.com/recipe/absolutely-delicious-bran-muffins-60141?ftab=tweaks

Honey Graham Crackers

Ingredients:

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon Redmond's® Real Salt

Directions:

DAY ONE
Sift together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

In a medium bowl, thoroughly cream together the margarine, brown sugar, and honey until light in color and very fluffy. Stir in the sifted ingredients, alternating with the milk and vanilla paste.

Place the dough on plastic wrap.  Using a spatula, shape into a log, 13 inches long and 3 inches wide.  Wrap it up, using the plastic wrap to finish your shaping.  Place into the refrigerator overnight.

DAY TWO
Take the log dough out of the refrigerator and place into the freezer for a half hour to harden the dough for ease of cutting.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Divide the chilled dough into quarters.  Put one quarter on a flexible cutting mat and wrap the rest back up and place into the freezer to keep it hard.

Using a pastry cutter or butcher's knife, slice 1/8 inch pieces off the log and place onto a baking sheet.  One quarter will fill a Pampered Chef's large baking stone, approximately 16 crackers.  Using a fork or toothpick, prick holes into the slices.  For a cinnamon flavored cracker, sprinkle with a cinnamon sugar mixture before baking.

Bake for 13-16 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.


Myrtle's Note: I am so very excited to have such a great recipe for graham crackers, since my most favorite brand (Keebler Honey Grahams) is no longer available.  I made some changes to the recipe ingredients and to the instructions.  I changed from margarine to butter, from extract to paste, and from brown sugar to dark brown sugar.  I specified whole milk.  And I added salt, primarily because some reviewers complained the recipe was bland.  I am not sure if it is the change in sugar or the butter or the salt or all three, but these are most decidedly not bland.

Many, many of the reviewers talked about how sticky the dough was and how hard it was to roll out.  So, I decided, being a refrigerated dough, to skip the rolling out altogether.  The end result was an easy recipe with wonky looking crackers.  I can live with the odd shapes for the ease of baking!

I made some soft and some a bit crispy.  They are rather tasty both ways, between the nuttiness of the whole wheat flour and the sweetness of the honey.


Servings:  64 crackers

Source:  http://allrecipes.com/recipe/38500/honey-graham-crackers/

Perfect Pie Crust

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 2 tablespoons sugar 
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices 
• 1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces 
• 1/4 cup cold vodka 
• 1/4 cup cold water

Directions:

Take the butter and shortening from the refrigerator.  Cut the butter into 1/4 inch slices.  Cut the shortening into four pieces.  Place both into a bowl and pop into the freezer to chill further.

When ready, process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. 

Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). 

Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together.  Use your hands if needed to help it come together into dough.

Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days or place into the freezer for later use.

Myrtle's Note:  I have been so anxious about attempting my very first pie dough.  I had heard about America's test kitchen recipe and thought that would be a good place to start.  I did find it odd when I dumped the mixture into the bowl.  It looked just like flour. I couldn't see it coming together at all, even with the liquids.  However, it did.  Fairly quickly.  This is definitely a doable recipe for a pie crust beginner like me!

Yield:  2 crusts

Source:  http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/11/cooks-illustrated-foolproof-pie-dough-recipe.html

Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 2 bananas
• 2 eggs
• ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
• ¼ teaspoon Redmond's® Real Salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 teaspoons vanilla paste
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 cup Greek Gods® Greek yogurt
• 3 cups oats
• 1 cup whole milk

Optional toppings: dried cranberries, apples, blueberries, nuts, etc.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Directions:

In a large bowl, mash bananas. Add the eggs and mix thoroughly.  Then add then maple syrup, salt, baking powder, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and Greek yogurt and stir throughly.

Next add the oats and milk and stir until the oats are completely incorporated into the batter.  Let the batter sit for a few minutes, so the oats soak up the liquid and the consistency is like oatmeal.

Line muffin tins with muffin liners. Pour the mixture into each muffin cup until just below the top of the liner.  If using toppings, gently push them into each muffin cup.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes before eating. Once cool, you can store in an airtight container or freeze in a storage bag.

Myrtle's Note:  I think that these are more like baked oatmeal rather than muffins.  However, they are tasty!  I tried cranberries and blueberries as toppings and prefer the blueberries.  They were a nice contrast to the strong banana flavoring.  Even with a tablespoon of cinnamon, they are not very cinnamony, so I would not recommend reducing that.  My changes to the recipe were to up the vanilla and make it paste.   And I use Honey or Honey Vanilla Greek yogurt.

Yield:  18 muffins

Source:  https://www.buzzfeed.com/robertbroadfoot/these-banana-oatmeal-muffins-are-perfect-for-a-snack-on-the

Sweet Potato Roti

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mashed sweet potato
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Steam the sweet potato.  I have found that one large sweet potato generally yields a cup.  Baking will not provide enough moisture, so be sure to steam it.

Whilst the potato is still hot, peel it and mash it up until it is completely soft.

In a wide, shallow bowl, mix together the flour and salt.  Then add the mashed sweet potato whilst the potato is still hot.  Use a fork at first, or a soft spatula, to keep from burning your fingers.  Once the sweet potato is thoroughly mixed in, continue mixing with your fingers, gathering the mixture with your fingers, grouping it together, and pressing it down in the center of the bowl.  Basically, starting to knead the mixture until it forms a soft dough.  At this point, STOP KNEADING so that you do not end up with tough roti.

Put the ball of soft dough on a floured workspace and gently roll it into a log.  Cut into six pieces.  Roll each piece into a small ball, dust with flour, and put back into your bowl.

One at a time, roll out the roti, using sufficient flour to keep the dough from sticking, but only just that.  You can roll out all the roti at once or, like me, you can roll, cook, roll, cook, and repeat until you are done.

Cook on a non-stick griddle over medium heat until done.  When you first begin to see tiny bumps in the roti, flip it over.  Then, when the bumps appear again, flip it again.  You can continue flipping it from side to side as the roti puffs up from the steam cooking it from within.  Be sure to keep the cooked roti covered with a cloth until serving.


Myrtle's Note:  I LOVE this recipe!  I cannot believe 1) that you can make flatbread from sweet potato and 2) you can make flatbread from just two ingredients.  I would highly recommend watching the video, so that you can see how the dough is kneaded and cooked.  I made this with all purpose flour, white whole wheat flour, and bread flour, trying each flour variation to see what impact they had.  The white whole wheat flour did work, but the roti were not quite as soft.  They tasted rather "nutritious" to me and were not really my cup of tea, but the sweet potato flavor still came through.  The bread dough actually made them a bit more chewy, I think.  I thought it would add to the recipe, but really I prefer the all purpose flour.  What I like best about this recipe is that it is a 1:1 ratio of flour to mashed sweet potato.  So, for example, today I made the roti using just 1/3 cup:1/3 cup so that I only had two roti.  As a single person, that is all I needed.  All my other dough, flatbread included, I freeze.  However, I am not sure that this will freeze well.  And given that it takes just 10 minutes to steam a sweet potato in the microwave (I put a bowl of water in there next to the sweet potato), making the dough fresh takes just a few minutes.  As I said at the outset, I am in LOVE with this recipe.  It makes for incredibly flavorful flatbread!!  UPDATE:  I tried added salt, just to see what would happen, and I think that the flatbread was the best that I have made it thus far.  Since I was using the 1/3 cup recipe, I used just a heavy pinch of salt and mixed it into the flour.  I changed the recipe accordingly.


Yield:  Six servings

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRj0tPEjcBY

Whole Wheat Zucchini Buttermilk Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups King Arther® white whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1 medium zucchini (a heaping cup or thereabouts)

Directions:

Peel and grate zucchini and set aside.  

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugars.

In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. Pour liquid ingredients over dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Fold in the zucchini.

Heat a griddle or pan to medium heat. Spray with cooking spray, if needed. Pour about a 1/3 cup of batter onto heated skillet. Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst. Flip carefully with a spatula, and cook until browned on the underside. 

Continue making pancakes until the batter is gone. Serve pancakes with butter and maple syrup, if desired.  If freezing, wrap in plastic and then place in a freezer bag.  Will keep in the freezer for up to two months.

Myrtle's Note:  I am a very, very unskilled pancake maker, but this was a solid recipe.  I found the original recipe's instruction to use 1/2 cup of batter in making the pancakes far too big, so I switched to 1/3 cup.  The pancakes are rich and thick and a bear to flip, but well worth the mess!

Yield: 12-16 thick pancakes

Source:  http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/whole-wheat-zucchini-pancakes/

Zucchini Parmesan Loaf

Ingredients:

• 2 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup, plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup romano cheese, shredded
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 medium zucchini (close to 8 ounces), peeled and grated on a box grater

Preheat oven to 375.


Directions:

Grease and flour a loaf pan and set aside. Peel and grate the zucchini and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk oil, milk, and eggs.  In a large bowl, whisk flour, Parmesan, baking powder, salt, and pepper.  Mix in zucchini, then the egg mixture until just moistened (batter will be very thick, like biscuit dough).

Transfer batter to prepared pan and press it in gently.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes (tent with foil if loaf starts to brown too quickly).

Cool 15 minutes in pan.  Then, turn out the loaf onto a rack to cool completely.


Myrtle's Note:  I followed a reviewer's suggestion and added an extra tablespoon of milk ... though I am not sure why I did.  I also followed the suggestion to reduce the salt.  After all, the cheese is particularly salty.  Finally, I followed my usual substitution of half parmesan and have romano cheese.  The bread is incredibly moist.  No butter needed!!

Yield: 10-12 slices

Source:  http://www.marthastewart.com/326581/zucchini-parmesan-loaf

Sweet Potato Mascarpone Bourbon Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mashed sweet potato
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1/4 cup bourbon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Directions:

Grease a bundt pan and set aside.

Cook a large sweet potato, one big enough for a full cup of mashed sweet potato.  Peel, mash, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, backing soda, and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the sugars and butter until lights and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Then add the mascarpone and sweet potatoes and beat until mixed together.  Slowly add in the flour mixture until completely blended.

Fold into the bunt pan, ensuring the batter is evenly distributed.  It will be very thick.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Remove the bread from the oven and, while the bread is still hot, immediately pour 1/4 cup of bourbon (or Calvados) all over the surface of the bread and allow the bourbon to get absorbed into the bread.  Remove from the pan after about 20 minutes.

Myrtle's Note:  I had leftover mascarpone from another recipe and went looking for ways to use it.  I found several recipes that interested me before discovering this one.  To me, I am not sure why it is called a bread instead of a cake unless it is that it is not iced in the least.  I thought about trying to make a glaze for on top because I have an active sweet tooth, but decided to just follow the recipe first.  My only change was to use vanilla paste instead of extract.


Yield:  8-12 servings

Source:  http://shesimmers.com/2010/03/sweet-potato-mascarpone-bourbon-bread.html

Spicy Hummus Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup spicy hummus
• 1/3 cup milk, plus extra
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup King Arther White Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.


Directions:

Grate one cup of cheese and set aside. Spray an aluminum muffin tin with Pam baker's spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the milk, eggs, and hummus in a bowl.  Whip until all the hummus lumps are gone, so it a soupy mixture.

Mix together the flours, baking powder, chili powder, salt, and cheddar cheese. Be sure to thoroughly mix the cheese into the flour so that, when combined with the wet ingredients, the cheese will be evenly distributed amongst the muffins.

Slowly pour the dry ingredients into the wet ones.  Stir and fold until all is combined.  The mixture should look like wet, thick batter rather than thick dough.  At this point, if it is looking more like a dough than a batter, one that is slightly pourable, add more milk.  For me, it took an additional 1/8 cup of milk to transition to from dough-like to batter-like.

Pour into the prepared muffin tin and place in the oven.  The yield will be just under a dozen. The original recipe said it made 10, but I had enough for 11.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Myrtle's Note:  I found the idea of hummus muffins slightly odd and rather intriguing.  I am so very glad I tried them because they are rather fantastic.  They turn out crispy from top to bottom, but light and fluffy inside.  I used my recipe of Lemon Basil Hummus for the hummus in this recipe.  The original recipe used Sabra Extremely Spicy Hummus.  Disliking scallions, I dropped that ingredient.  I also upped the cheese, because it just didn't look substantial when I put only a half cup grated (as opposed to 4 ounces grated) into the dry ingredients.  My change certainly did not harm these at all!  Certainly they would be good with soups and stews and even a main dish of meat, but just slathered with butter was very tasty.


Yield: 10-11 muffins

Source:  http://www.macheesmo.com/spicy-hummus-muffins/

Blue Corn Flour Tortillas

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour 
• 1 1/2 cups Red Bob Mill's Blue Cornmeal, Medium Grind
• 3 teaspoons of baking powder
• 2 teaspoon of salt
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1½ cups warm milk
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

• Mill the cornmeal to create a softer meal.  I use the milling blade on a NutriBullet Pro.
• Mix together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, nutmeg, pepper, and salt.  Microwave the milk for 2 minutes and then whisk in the oil.  Dump the steaming milk and oil mixture into the flour and stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.
• Using a rubber spatula, fold over and knead the dough ball in the bowl for no more than  two minutes.  Dough should be firm and soft and still warm from the milk. Do not over knead.
• Place dough in a bowl, cover with a cloth dampened with hot water, and let rest for 20 minutes in a warm place, such as an oven that was turned on briefly.
• After the dough has rested, break off or cut sixteen sections, place on a plate or flexible rolling board (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with the cloth re-dampened with hot water10 minutes.  It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out to a proper thickness and shape.
• If making for the freezer, put each cut piece in a strip of wax paper, rolling up from one end for one complete turn, then wrapping both sides inward before rolling the rest of the way.
• If cooking immediately, after dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook or roll out each one before cooking.
• In a dry iron skillet, flat frying pan, or electric griddle, heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.  They will draw up in size in the pan.  
• Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat.
• Tortillas can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, over your gas-burner flame, or in the oven wrapped in foil.  You can store in the fridge tightly wrapped in foil or plastic for a day or so.

Myrtle's Note:  I wanted to try making a hybrid tortilla, but worried about the proportions given the difference in density between cornmeal and flour.  After reading lots of Internet advice, I decided to use the 3/4 to 1 cup ratio, but to then make up that 1/4 with flour and increased the baking powder to help compensate for the change in ingredients.  I also used a bit of spices that I found common in corn tortilla recipes.  The result was a light, fluffy tortilla, a bit denser than a flour tortilla and tasting of cornmeal.  I am very pleased with the result.  I used the blue cornmeal because it has more protein than yellow cornmeal.


Yield:  16

Source:  Myrtle, modified from Texas Flour Tortilla recipe.

Blue Cornmeal Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup Red Bob Mill's Blue Cornmeal (medium grind)
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon or more sugar (up to 1/4 cup will work for sweeter muffins)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees


Directions:

Grease muffin pan and set aside.  I very much adore, for baking, Pam's happy baking spray.

Whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and oil in a bowl or glass measuring cup. In larger bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir into dry ingredients.

Fill the muffin tins, leaving about an eight inch or so from the top.  Bake for 16-20 minutes (my oven finished them in just 16 minutes).  Remove from pan immediate.  Best served warm.


Myrtle's Note:  I made them using just 1 teaspoon of sugar, for the traditional version.  However, I plan to also make them with 1/4 cup sugar to have the sweet version.  I found them to be light and with much texture.  I was surprised at the crunchiness of the cornmeal.  I had them plain.  Some folk recommend serving them with salted butter or honey butter.  I think they would be great with chili or stew.


Yield:  18 muffins

Source:  http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/blue-cornmeal-muffins/3377a166-8c1e-4285-bb21-714d7e9148b4

Bob's Red Mill Favorite Bran Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 cups unbleached white all-purpose flour
• 2-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon Redmond's Real Salt®
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar (packed)
• 1/8 cup Molasses
• 1 tablespoons honey
• 2 small eggs or 1 large egg and 1 large yolk, lightly-beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon maple extract
• 1 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill® Wheat Bran
• 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill® Wheat Germ
• 1 cup diced apples

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.


Directions:
Either line the muffin tin or grease lightly and set aside.

Using a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and blend with a wire whisk to combine well. 

In another large bowl whisk together the butter, oil, honey, molasses, brown sugar, vanilla extract, maple extract and eggs. Mix well. Whisk in buttermilk, wheat germ, and wheat bran. Let this batter sit for 15 minutes. 

Add the apples to the wet ingredients and then add to the dry ingredients; blend until just mixed. For round top, fluffy muffins, allow to side for 15 minutes.  [This batter can be covered and refrigerated overnight, if desired.] 

Fill the tins 3/4 full and bake for about 15-16 minutes until golden brown on top.

Myrtle's Note:  For the second time, I got stuck with a recipe with a yield that was recorded wrong.  Follow the original recipe and you will have 36 muffins!  So, this is cut in half, however I kept the apple amount the same and, of course, I skipped the walnuts.  For dividing the eggs in half, as noted, I found several recommendations to either use two small eggs or to use one large egg and one large yolk.  Since I had to bake three tins the first time, I discovered that the longer the batter sat the more foamy it got.  The last set of muffins were quite high and fluffy.  So, I incorporated some wait time into the recipe.


Yield:  18 muffins

Source:  http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes/favorite-bran-muffins-with-apples-and-walnuts/

Blueberry Lime Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats 
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon lime zest
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.


Directions:

Grease a muffin pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the sour cream and oats so that the latter will soften.  Beat the eggs and set aside.  Zest a table spoon of lime and set aside.  Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and set aside.

Add the butter, oil, eggs, sugars, vanilla extract. and lime zest into the sour cream and oat mixture until thoroughly mixed.  Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredient and mix until the batter just comes together. You don’t want to over work the batter as this will affect the muffin’s rising in the oven so it’s okay if it’s lumpy. Gently stir in the blueberries (if using frozen, do not thaw them first).

Divide the batter into the muffin pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned on top and when a knife inserted into the muffin comes out clean.  Best when served warm.


Myrtle's Note:  I didn't feel like cleaning an extra pot, so I just used really softened butter.  The only changes I made to the recipe was to rework the directions a bit to remind myself how to make them next time.  They are not sweet at all, but full of oat flavor.  I think they would be great for breakfast or an afternoon snack.


Yield:  12 muffins

Source:  http://www.homesicktexan.com/2012/08/blueberry-lime-oatmeal-muffins.html

Honey Soaked Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients:

• 1 package of dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons
• 1/4 cup warm water, plus 1 tablespoons of water
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup of butter
• 3 tablespoons of honey, plus more for glazing
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup craisins
• 4 cups of flour, plus more for kneading
• 1 cup confectioner sugar
• 1/2 lemon, juice and zest
• pure vanilla extract

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees (eventually)


Directions:

Grease and flour a 13x9 pan and set aside.

Combine dry yeast, 1/4 cup warm water, and a touch of honey.  Let sit for 10 minutes.  [I add sweetener to see the yeast feed a bit and ensure its viability.  I have learned that this is not necessary, but the foam created is rather comforting for a nervous bread maker.]

Warm over low the milk, butter, salt and 2 tablespoons of honey until the butter has melted. Do not let it come to a boil!  I recommend letting the butter, salt, and honey melt first, before adding the milk.  Remove front the stove when you see steam rise from the milk.

Pour the mixture into a large bowl.  Add in the yeast water.  Then whisk cinnamon, nutmeg, and eggs into the mixture. Add 2/3 cup craisins.  Finally, add the flour, one cup at a time, stirring with a four until the previous cup disappears into the dough before adding the next one.

Knead on a lightly floured surface for five minutes until the dough is smooth and resilient.  Create a smooth surface of your finished dough ball by stretching and tucking the ends beneath the ball.  For the kneading process, add additional flour until the dough is no longer wet or too sticky to handle.  The dough will become heavier and more elastic, wanting to return to its shape as you stretch, fold over, and push down your dough ball.

Place in a greased bowl, cover with a towel dampened with hot water,  and let rise until the dough ball is doubled.  Since this is a honey sweetened bread dough, this will take approximately three hours.  Then, punch down the dough and divide into 24 balls.  Place the bun balls into the baking pan and let rise until doubled again, rewarming the towel with fresh hot water.  Allow for a minimum of an hour and a half, but the second doubling make take the same amount of time as the first.

With a sharp knife, cut crosses into each bun.  Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and brush the tops with honey.  It is helpful to warm the honey before doing so.  Return to the oven and cook 5-7 minutes more.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Whilst cooling, sift a cup of powdered sugar into a small mixing bowl.  In a prep bowl, put one teaspoon honey, one teaspoon water, and fill another teaspoon approximately 3/4 lemon juice and 1/4 pure vanilla extract.  Put in a dash more water.  Zest and then mince the lemon peel.  Add to the prep bowl.  Warm in the microwave for a few seconds to help melt the honey so that you can stir everything together.  Then, slowly whisk the mixture into the powdered sugar until you have a glaze.

Once the buns are cooled, cross the tops with a thick line of glaze.

Myrtle's Note:  Rising will take forever, but the end result is worth it.  My first batch of these was with yeast fed with a pinch of sugar.  However, I put the bit of honey because I like the idea of the dough being solely created from honey.  I also used scissors to make the cuts, but they are not nearly as pretty as those made with a knife.  Because I read that hot cross buns, a Good Friday treat, are meant to be given away.  For now, I do not have a photo since the ones I kept are the poorest looking in the batch!!

Yield:  24

Source:  http://www.homesicktexan.com/2009/04/honey-soaked-hot-cross-buns.html

Strawberry Muffins

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup of minced fresh strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Directions:

Grease a muffin tin and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Mix in egg, milk, butter, almond extract.  Hand mixing is fine.

Slice and then mince into small pieces enough strawberries to fill one cup.  Fold into the batter.  Fill the tins and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve with butter while warm.

Myrtle's Note:  I had enormous muffins, because I kept trying to get all the batter into 12 muffin tins.  And I will not admit just how much batter I ended up licking out of the bowl.  So, I would plan for more than twelve muffins.  I wish I knew how to adjust down the recipe ever so slightly.  I think it would work well to do two batches, so that you are not cooking 2 or 3 muffins by themselves.  The taste, however, was sublime!

Yield:  14 muffins

Source:  http://thesouthernladycooks.com/2014/01/25/strawberry-muffins/

Cinnamon Apple Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup apple, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 butter, melted
• 1 egg, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


Directions:

Grease or line muffin cups and set tin aside.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon in medium bowl.  Add milk, butter, and egg.  Stir until flour is moistened.  Fold in apples.

Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin pan.  Bake 23-28 minutes or until lightly brown.  Cool 5-10 minutes before removing from the pan.  If desired, brush with browned butter and sprinkle a bit of cinnamon sugar on top.


Myrtle's Note:  I added nutmeg, because it just belonged in there.  I also really like having a bit of something on top, so I browned some butter for that slightly nutty taste and then sprinkled a bit of cinnamon sugar ... because I always have an old spice jar of that mix ready and waiting my next yearning for cinnamon toast.

Yield:  12 Muffins


Source:  Land O'Lakes Baking and More (2010)

Honey Carrot Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3/4 baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 2 cups peeled shredded/minced carrots

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


Directions:

Place paper baking cups into a muffin pan or grease it and set aside.

Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl and set aside.

Combine yogurt, milk, butter, and egg in a large bowl.  Whisk together until smooth.  Then slowly stir flour mixture into the yogurt mixture.  Fold in carrots.

Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin pan cups.  Bake for 25-30, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.  Top with melted butter and sugar in the raw, if desired.


Myrtle's Note:  The original recipe calls for melted apple jelly, both in the recipe and as a topping.  However, I thought that sounded odd.  The first time, I forgot to use some sort of substitute for the inside amount (1/4 cup), so the muffins were more like a breakfast bread.  I have adjusted the recipe to use honey.  And I substituted the sour cream with Greek yogurt to continue with the breakfast bread bent.


Yield:  12 muffins

Adapted from:  Land O'Lakes Baking and More (2010)

Gyro Flatbread

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons dry active yeast
• Pinch of sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (approximately)
• 2 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Drizzle of olive oil

Directions:

In a small bowl, warm the water to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit (just above body temperature). Add the yeast to the water, add a pinch of sugar, and let sit for about 10 minutes.

Measure out 2 2/3 cup flour, salt, and olive oil.  Make a well and pour in the yeast mixture.  Stir with a fork until well mixed and the dough has come together.  Using a rubber spatula or your hand, knead the dough in the bowl until smooth.  If the dough is too tacky, use the reserve flour.

Stretch the top of the dough down to the bottom, rotating several times until there is an unbroken skin of dough on your ball.  Brush a little olive oil over the dough, cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel. Let rise for an hour or until it has doubled in size.

Turn the dough out onto a floured working surface. Cut the dough into 6 pieces. Using a rolling pin, flatten each piece into a circle about 1/4 inch thick. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky.

Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle a little olive oil into the skillet before adding the disks of dough. Cook the pita for about 30 seconds or until bubbles start to form. Flip the dough over and cook for about a minute, until lightly browned. Flip the dough back over and cook for another 30 seconds, until the pita puffs up. Remove from heat and cover with a clean dish towel. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.

Myrtle's Note:  I do not have a stand mixer, which is how the original recipe directions are written.  I was able to mix the ingredients together with a fork and then finish with some kneading.  I was absolutely stunned at how good these are and how very much like what you would get in a restaurant.

Yield:  6

Source:  http://table.io/gyros/

Irish Soda Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sifted flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup craisins
• 1 cup boiling water
• Melted butter and sugar, about 2 tablespoons of each, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Directions:

Start by placing craisins in a bowl with the boiling water (the water should cover them by 1”). Let them stand and plump with moisture while you prepare the batter.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat in the softened butter until the mixture resembles moist crumbs. Whisk egg and buttermilk in a small bowl and pour into the batter. Beat until well combined, being careful not to overmix the batter.

Drain the raisins and stir them into the batter.

Divide the dough evenly among greased muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.

While the muffins cool, brush the tops evenly with melted butter and sprinkle with additional sugar. Let the muffins cool for 10 minutes in the pan, before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Myrtle's Note:  I changed the recipe from raisins to craisins, because ... well ... who wouldn't??  The recipe said it would make 15 muffins, but I simply divided the batter into 12 muffin tin cups.  The muffins were nicely rounded and large that way.

Yield 12

Source:  http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/2011/03/16/irish-soda-muffins/