Breakfast

Strawberry Bread

So many strawberries!  I used up the rest of them in this strawberry bread.  I liked this bread.  I made 4 mini loaves with this recipe and baked them for a little less time.  The tops of the loaves got nice and crunchy.  The bread is wonderfully moist.  The strawberry pieces are not too sweet and perfectly tart.

berrybread

I usually grease and flour my bread pans, but I tried something different with this bread.  I greased and floured 2 of the pans and greased and sugared the other two.

pans

(more…)

My Favorite Banana Bread: Part 1

 I have a few favorite banana bread recipes, and they are all very different.

banana2

 This one has a few frills – coconut and toatsed pecans.  This recipe is the medium frills recipe.  One of the others has zero frills, and the third favorite is chock full of goodies.  You have to prepare yourself for that one.

The redeeming thing about banana bread is the banana.  Bananas are very good for you, so feel free to indulge in this bread without guilt.  Check it…

This recipe is from Magnolia Bakery in NYC.  I think I have recommended the cookbook before, so really, go buy it already!

Banana Bread with Coconut and Pecans

banana1

3 cups flour 
1½ teaspoon baking soda 
¾ teaspoon cinnamon 
¾ teaspoon salt 
¾ cup canola oil 
1½ cups sugar 
3 eggs, at room temperature, well beaten 
1½ teaspoon vanilla 
1½ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4)
¾ sour cream (or low fat)
1½ cups chopped toasted pecans 
¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350°. 

Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan or 2 loaf pans. 

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. 

Beat oil and sugar on medium speed until well-mixed. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat well. 

Add the bananas and sour cream, and mix well. 

Add the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. 

Stir in pecans and coconut. 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s). 

Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the bread comes out with moist crumbs attached. 

NOTE: If using loaf pans, bake for 45-55 minutes. 

Let cool for at least one hour before serving.

Best toasted with a spread of butter.  Enjoy!

Banana Nut Crumb Muffins

Sometimes cereal for breakfast gets old…in my opinion anyway.  My husband eats cereal every morning without fail and without complaints of boredom.  However, when bananas gets all black and mushy, the only option you have is to bake with them.  I have a tried and true recipe for banana bread with pecans and coconut that is incredible, but it doesn’t bake very well as muffins for some reason.  I found this recipe on allrecipes and just changed it by adding half a cup of chopped pecans.  The recipe yeilds a perfect dozen muffins.  My house smelled so wonderful yesterday even after they were packed away.  These muffins are easy and pretty good.  I recommend halving them, spreading some butter on each half and toasting them in the toaster oven or regular oven.  I love the crisp edges you get by warming them this way.  The cinnamon crumb topping is a nice addition to these muffins.  Enjoy!

muffinsPhoto and Recipe courtesy of Allrecpies.com

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour  

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

3 bananas, mashed

3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten  

1/3 cup butter, melted

½ cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1-2 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.

In a large bowl, mix together 1 ½ cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Stir in pecans.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Bacon and Cheddar Scones

scone1Ben’s parents came to visit us in Amarillo last weekend.  I wanted to make something for breakfast Saturday morning, but not something sweet like muffins, but not a casserole either.  The solution?  A savory scone.

This recipe is from Rebecca Rather’s Pastry Queen cookbook.  I have tried a lot of recipes from this cookbook with great success, so I trust it.  

I made the scones the night before and reheated them in a 300° oven for about 15 minutes.  They can be served with butter, but are wonderful on their own.  One change I would make in the future is to use just a little less pepper.  Ben said he liked the pepper flavor, so it was probably just me.  Also, I used regular bacon.  The original recipe calls for apple smoked bacon, which I will try next time.

Bacon and Cheddar Scones

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
  • 4 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped into 1 inch pieces
  • 3/4 to 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 400°.  Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl on low speed.  With mixer running, gradually add cubes of butter until the mixture is crumbly and studded with flour – butter bits about the size of small peas.  Add grated cheese and mix just until blended.  scone4(This can also be done by hand: In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper.  Gradually cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles small peas.  Stir in cheese.)

Add green onions, bacon and 3/4 cup of the buttermilk to flour and cheese mixture.  

scone5

Mix by hand just until all ingredients are incorporated.  If dough is too dry to hold together, use remaining buttermilk, adding 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough is pliable and can be formed into a ball.  Stir as lightly and as little as possible to ensure a lighter-textured scone.  Remove dough from bowl and place it on a lightly floured flat surface.  Pat dough into a ball.  Using a well-floured rolling pin, flatten dough into a circle about 8 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick.  Cut dough into 8 to 10 equal wedges, depending on size scone you prefer.

Whisk egg and water in a small mixing bowl to combine.  Brush each wedge with egg wash.  scone3Place scones on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and no longer sticky in the middle.  Serve warm.

scone2

Cinnamon Roll Recipe

I would have posted this earlier, but we just got a new puppy and she’s making things a little interesting at our house!  Here she is…

ginger2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ginger1

Yes, she is a cutie!  She is a handful, but also very fun.

 

 

 

 

 

Kanelbullar (Cinnamon Rolls)

Ingredients

Rolls

  • 150 grams butter
  • 2 1/8 cups milk
  • 50 grams fresh yeast OR 25 grams dried yeast
  • 120 grams caster (superfine) sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp crushed cardamom seeds (3/4 tsp ground cardamom)
  • 630 grams flour plus 30 grams to roll out the dough

Filling

  • 150 grams butter, softened
  • 430 grams caster sugar
  • 75 grams ground cinnamon

Glaze

Preheat the over to 425°F.  Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the milk and warm to 99° F.  Put the yeast in a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer).  Add the warm milk mixture to the yeast and whisk lightly.  Add the sugar, salt and cardamom.  Mix in the flour a little at a time.  Knead the dough until it is smooth and detaches from the side of the bowl, 10 – 12 minutes.  Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

NOTE: I mixed the dough in a stand mixer and used a dough hook.  Let the dough hook knead the dough for about 8 minutes.

For the filling: beat the butter, sugar and cinnamon until smooth.

Empty the dough onto a baking board sprinkled with the reserved flour.  Divide the dough in half.  Roll out each into a large rectangle.  The two rectangles should be the same size and shape.  Spread filling onto one rectangle.  Gently lay the other rectangle over the filling and press lightly so the filling adheres to the top layer of dough.  Cut the dough into strips using a pizza roller.

Small rolls: cut strips about 1/2 inch wide, twist and knot, then place in a paper cupcake liner.  Place the liners on a cookie sheet.

Large rolls: cut wider strips, twist and knot, then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment. 

Cover rolls with a towel and let rest for 20 minutes.

Glaze the buns with egg wash and sprinkle with pearl sugar (if you have it).

Bake for 10-15 minutes depending on the size of your buns.  Let them cool on a wire rack…Enjoy!

These can be reheated, but are best when eaten fresh and warm.