Sour Milk Muffins

Have soured milk? Want an easy muffin recipe for the unexpected overnight guest? Want a recipe you can add anything to or top with a crumble? Then this is for you! Even if you don't have soured milk you can either use buttermilk or add some lemon juice to regular milk.

INGREDIENTS:
2 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. soft shortening
1 egg
1 c. sour milk or buttermilk

Optional Fillers:
Blueberries
Chocolate chips

Optional Topping:
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch salt
¼ cup butter

DIRECTIONS:
1. Sift dry ingredients together into mixing bowl.
2. Add shortening, egg and sour milk or buttermilk.
3. Mix together with pastry blender or blending fork - using a "cutting in" motion at first to divide shortening into small pieces (about 8-10 strokes).
4. Then stir in circular motion with blender just until flour is moistened and ingredients blended. The batter will look lumpy.
5. Mix topping together – cut in butter.
6. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full.
7. Top with topping – kinda push into the mix to make it stay when baking.
8. Bake 20-25 minutes (8-10 minutes for mini muffins) at 400 degrees until golden brown.
9. Serve hot with butter and jam, or any desired spread.
10. Makes 12 medium-sized (24 mini) muffins.

Mom Mac's Country Crust Bread

This has to be some of the best bread ever! Very easy to make and yummy with any dinner or as sandwich.

Incredients:

2 Packages active dry yeast
2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees)

1/2 cup sugar
1 tblsp salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 1/4 cup occident flour (you can also use 6 1/2 cup regular flour)
3 1/4 cup Hi-gluten flour

Margarine or butter, softened

Directions:

1. Proof yeast in warm water and 1 tsp of the 1/2 cup sugar into a 4 cup measuring bowl. Let sit for 5 min. It should become very bubbly - then mix into a very large bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
2. In large mixing bowl stir in sugar, salt, eggs, oil, and 3 cups of flour (1 1/2 of each).
3. Beat until smooth.
4. Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.
5. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 8-10 min.
6. Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up. (At this time, dough may be refrigerated 3-4 days.)
7. Cover; let rise in warm place until double, about 1 hour.
8. Punch down dough; divide into halves.
9. Roll each half into a rectangle 18x9 inches. Roll tightly beginning at 9 inch side. Press with thumbs to seal after each turn. Pinch edge firmly to seal. Press each end with side of hand to seal, fold ends under.
10. Place loaf, seam side down, in greased 9x5x3 baking pan. Brush with oil. Let rise till double about 1 hour.
11. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake until loaves are deep golden and sound hollow when tapped, 30-35 min. Remove from pans. Brush with margarine/butter, cool on wire rack.

Brown Butter Soda Bread

In my quest for the perfect soda bread, I was anxious to try this recipe (another one from Bon Appétit via Epicurious) - especially since I happen to grow rosemary in my herb garden. Although it is a far cry from traditional soda bread in terms of flavor, the texture of both crust and inside is very similar. I followed the advice of those who reviewed the recipe and just stirred the dough instead of kneading, which kept the loaves soft. Unfortunately my oven continues to be unruly in its heat distribution (I set it for about 360 and it was running at 400 the first time I checked the bread!), so this batch got a little dried out, but these free-form loaves are definitely worth repeating, especially if I'm going to have company over and would like some bread to serve with a spread of olive oil, cheeses, and fruit.

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (can use part wheat flour as well - I used about 1 1/2 cups wheat)
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper plus additional for topping
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1 egg white, beaten to blend

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Stir butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until melted and golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir flour, oats, sugar, rosemary, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in large bowl to blend. Pour buttermilk and melted browned butter over flour mixture; stir with fork until flour mixture is moistened.

Either 1) turn dough out onto floured work surface and knead gently until dough comes together, about 7 turns, OR 2) work dough with fork until thoroughly (but not overly) mixed.

Divide in half. Shape each half into ball; flatten each into 6-inch round. Place rounds on ungreased baking sheet, spacing 5 inches apart. Brush tops with beaten egg white. Sprinkle lightly with ground black pepper. Using small sharp knife, cut 1/2-inch-deep X in top of each dough round.

Bake breads until deep golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool breads on rack at least 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Photo credit: Me (Leeann, for once :P)

Brown Soda Bread

My (Leeann’s) recent trip to Ireland coupled with cooler nights that make me want to use my oven have resulted in a quest to perfect a vital part of Irish cuisine – soda bread.

The first recipe I tried (from a ’96 issue of Bon Appétit via Epicurious.com) is a basic brown soda bread very similar to the fare served in cafes, restaurants and pubs I visited throughout my trip. Great with your favourite preserves or just toasted with butter, one of the benefits of most soda breads is that little to no rising and/or kneading is required – making preparation a breeze.

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons toasted wheat bran (I couldn’t find this so just doubled the wheat germ – turned out fine insofar as I could tell!)
3 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 cups (about) buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Combine first 8 ingredients in large bowl; mix well. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles fine meal. Stir in enough buttermilk to form soft dough. Transfer dough to prepared loaf pan. Bake until bread is dark brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Turn bread out onto rack. Turn right side up and cool on rack.

Photo credit: The talented Emily A.

Banana Bread

As you can tell - Lee and I (I being Sarah) are in the cooking/baking mood as of late. :-D

Not a unique recipe, but a great standby. I always feel so resourceful when I make banana bread since I am using something up that would otherwise have to be tossed.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped nuts, if desired

Directions

1. Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2 inches, or 1 loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches.

2. Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour into pans.

3. Bake 8-inch loaves about 1 hour, 9-inch loaf about 1 1/4 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.

NOTE: If you are at all like me you never have buttermilk on hand. No fear! Substitutes for buttermilk are as follows: mix 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar and enough milk to make 1/2 cup, or substitute 1/2 cup plain yogurt, or 1/2 cup sour cream. I used a little less then the 1/2 cup sour cream and added a little milk.