Buttermilk Scones

Pictured with Deluxe Homestyle Chili. This isn't the most flattering picture-- it was taken with my phone. But these scones are delicious as you could want them to be! 

Buttermilk Scones

printable version

1 qt. hot buttermilk (4 cups)
2 TBS cooking oil
2 TBS instant yeast
4 TBS honey (or 1/2 cup sugar)
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 cups bread flour
* * *
4 additional cups bread flour

Mix everything together very well; add last 4 cups of flour, mix till dough pulls away from the sides of mixing bowl (not too dry). Let rise until double.
Heat oil in electric skillet or fyer to 375-400. (Or heat in frying pan and use dough test when ready).
Roll dough out on a lightly oiled countertop to about 1/4" thick. Cut into slices with dough/pizza cutter (plastic recommended to avoid scratching counter). Rolling dough on oil instead of flour keeps the frying oil from getting messy).
The dough can rise a little after it's rolled and cut, but it doesn't have to (doesn't matter)!
If it's too thick, stretch it out before slipping it into the oil or the inside won't cook fast enough.
Fry about a minute or so till golden, flipping to fry both sides.
Set on paper towels when done.

I have made these with regular flour by accident, and they turned out just fine. If you don't have buttermilk, you can substitute it for sour milk (or make your milk sour by adding lemon juice or vinegar, approximately 2 tsp per cup I think? It's not something that has to be exact).

Breadsticks

These are so easy, and they work perfectly as a side for pizza, pasta, chicken, soup, etc.! Anything you'd use breadsticks with! They are delicious. I have no picture...we got to them before the camera did.


Breadsticks
printable version

Stir together and let sit for 10 minutes:
2 cups lukewarm water
3 TBS sugar
1 TBS yeast

Add and beat until smooth and glossy:
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 TBS oil

Knead in 2 1/2 cups flour. Let rise till double, approximately 30 minutes.
Roll into greased 11x15 pan (cookie sheet).

Brush on topping:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup mayo
2 TBS parmesan cheese
dash of salt or onion/garlic salt (really, any seasoning you prefer!)

Let rise until double. Cut with pizza cutter.
Bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes.

Cornbread

I have always loved cornbread. That's all.

HAH! It would be all, but I have to say--because I'm quite proud actually--that now Michael loves cornbread, too. He raved over it the last time I baked it. :) Aw, it made my little chef heart blossom with pleasure.

Cornbread

printable version

1 cup flour

3/4 cup cornmeal

2 to 3 TBS sugar (I had used 3 the night Michael was so enamored with it--it just makes it a tad sweeter)

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 TBS butter

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

1/4 cup cooking oil or melted butter (I generally use oil)

Preheat oven to 400*. In a medium bowl stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Add the 1 TBS butter to a 9x1 1/2-inch round baking pan (all my life my mom used a 9x13 casserole dish for cornbread; it's handy for feeding a crowd, but I like the cakelike result of using a round pan). Place in oven about 3 minutes or until butter melts. Remove pan from oven; swirl butter in pan to coat bottom and sides of pan.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine eggs, milk and oil. Add mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Pour batter into hot pan.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean (that same night that Michael fell in love with this cornbread, I actually baked it 20-25 minutes till it was golden and crusty on the edges). Cut into wedges and serve warm.

We love buttering ours and drizzling honey over it. Mmmmm.

Variation:

Corn Muffins - Prepare as above, except omit the TBS butter. Spoon batter into 12 greased 2 1/2-inch muffin cups, filling cups two-thirds full. Bake in a 400* oven about 15 minutes or until light brown (and pass toothpick test).

10 Grain Muffins

This is maybe really silly of me to post this recipe...because it comes on the package of 10 Grain cereal.

But I have to! What if you get a generic brand of 10 grain? Or what if...I don't know, what if you've never heard of it before?

Because basically, these were so very satisfying and tasty and perfect that I just have to share!

These muffins are almost the consistency of cornbread, and they're also packed with a really intensely nutritious flavor! Really, with these, nutrition DOES have a flavor. ("Yum, I'm getting healthy!")

10 Grain Muffins

printable version

1 large egg

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter

1 cup white flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup 10 Grain Cereal

1 1/4 cup sour milk -or- buttermilk (I used sour*)

Mix 10 Grain Cereal and milk; allow to stand for 10 minutes while preheating oven (400) and assembling other ingredients. Cream sugar, butter and egg together.

Add dry ingredients and milk mixture. Stir only until mixed.

Spoon into greased muffin pan.

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

*TIP: if you don't have any sour milk, pour about 1 TBS lemon juice into your empty measuring cup and then fill with milk. Let it sit a couple minutes, stirring gently if necessary.

Milk is actually still okay to drink a week after the date on the jug, it just can't be sold that late. And this may be myth, but I think milks with more fat content go sour a little faster than skim milk.

PS: this is something my mom has always done: when the muffins come out of the oven, I use a knife (or tongs or whatever, who really cares) and turn the muffins sideways. This helps them cool a little faster and keeps them from over-baking in their still-hot pan. That's why the muffins are sideways in the picture. :)

French Toast

This is a dreamy breakfast for me...one of my favorites.

(Michael has never cared for French Toast, and I'm not going to say this recipe converted him, but he didn't mind it quite so much when I left out the spices for his slices--we figured out that's the main part that bothers him).

I, on the other hand, practically drool over French Toast.

French Toast

printable version

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 TBS sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)

about 4 slices of bread --try this with my french bread recipe, it's heavenly!

butter

In a shallow mixing bowl (I know this is very dorky and ghetto, but I use a bread pan because it is the perfect shape for my french bread slices), beat together eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and if desired, cinnamon and nutmeg. Dip bread into egg mixture, letting it soak about 10 seconds on each side (this is important!). If using regular white bread, a little dip for each side will suffice.

In a skillet or on a griddle melt about 1 TBS butter over medium heat. Add bread slices and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Serve warm with syrup or powdered sugar...or fruit...or jam...etc. :)

I keep a little whisk handy to remix everything between bread dippings because the ingredients tend to part a little bit.

This made something like 6 to 8 slices for us. The recipe is easily doubled.

Easy French Bread

This is from Michael's Aunt Lisa, and I've made it at least three times already. The title is honest! It really is easy! And delicious. Mmmm, my favorite french bread ever (and I've tried the genuine stuff, too).

Easy French Bread

printable version

2 1/2 cups warm water

2 TBS yeast

Put yeast in warm water in a LARGE bowl and let proof for about 5-10 minutes (it will probably only take 10 minutes if the yeast came straight from the freezer). The original recipe requests that you avoid stirring the yeast...but I can't resist! I always end up stirring it at the end of the ten minutes.

2 TBS sugar

1 TBS salt

2 TBS oil

6 cups flour

Add the sugar, salt and oil to the yeast water and mix. Add the flour cup by cup, mixing thoroughly. After 10 minutes, punch down the dough. Punch it down every ten minutes for an hour.

I like to make tally marks on a paper nearby and keep a kitchen timer handy. I don't have a kitchenaid or really anything comparable, so I do this perhaps a bit primitively... all I really need after mixing in the flour is a spatula, which I use both to scrape the sides of the bowl and punch down the dough throughout the hour.

Around the 4th or 5th punching, preheat the oven for 400* and grease a cookie sheet. I like using a stick of butter to grease it.

When the hour is up, spread just a little bit of oil on the countertop.

TIP: The reason I use oil instead of more flour is it keep the bread from becoming too dry. I also prefer its efficiency for keeping my hands from getting sticky.

Split the dough in two and shape into loaves.

NOTE: this recipe doesn't require any kneading. The punching took care of that. The punching also makes this a really dense bread, so it's very moist (dense is good).

Place on cookie sheet and brush with either milk or melted butter (I prefer butter). Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Slit tops.

TIP: Because of the oil and the stretchiness of this bread, slitting the tops is hard even with a very sharp knife. I use my kitchen scissors-- hold them vertical. It's very fast and works so much better.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Also makes amazing french toast for breakfast the next morning, delicious garlic bread as a side for spaghetti, and even pretty decent grilled cheese sandwiches.

For cheat garlic bread, butter slices and sprinkle with Garlic Salt. If the bread isn't fresh from the oven, place the prepared slices on a cookie sheet in an oven either set on Broil or about 350* for only a minute or two. Sometimes I even leave the oven door open so I can better monitor the bread--it doesn't take long to toast it!

*when doing sticky/messy recipes, I tie my wedding ring to my apron strings. I've even written notes on those recipes to remind myself to do this--and especially to put it back on once I'm finished!*

This dough doesn't have to rise the full hour to be successful.

Banana Bread

This is funny... I've always hated banana bread. I never realized it was just because we always had it with a streusel-nut topping! Well, that and the fact that it was usually cold (and kind of hard) whenever someone brought it to us. And it was always brought--I don't remember my mom ever making banana bread.

And then Michael told me it's his favorite thing ever.

So, purely out of love, I made him banana bread. I just considered it a good way to use all the bananas we hadn't eaten in time (new cooks: brown bananas are okay. Freeze as is or peel and puree before freezing). And I'd let him eat the whole loaf, because I knew I would think it was disgusting. I made who-knows-how-many loaves for him before finally one day, pregnant and hungrily inhaling the sultry scent of warm and fresh bread, I took a bite.

WOW! Converted.

Banana Bread

printable version (includes streusel-nut topping)

Prep: 25 minutes

Bake: 55 minutes (depending)

Oven: 350*F

Makes: 1 loaf (16 slices)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

2 eggs, beaten

1.5 cups mashed ripe banana (5 medium)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup cooking oil -OR- melted butter -OR- margarine

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional--Michael's allergic, so no thanks)

1 recipe Streusel Nut Topping (optional)

1. Preheat oven. Grease bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of one 9x5x3-inch or two 7.5x3.5x2-inch loaf pans; set aside. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl combine eggs, banana, sugar and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in walnuts, I guess...hahahhah! If you use them. Spoon batter into prepared pan(s). If desired, and only if, sprinkle Streusel Nut Topping over batter in pan(s).

3. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes for 9x5x3-inch pan or 40 to 45 minutes for 7.5x3.5x2-inch pans or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

I love to cover the pans loosely with foil the last 15 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning--I really recommend it.

Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on rack. Wrap; store overnight before slicing.

HAH! Unless you're like us! We LOVE warm banana bread, so there's no waiting here. Once it's out of the pan, it's as good as gone. Try it with a light layer of butter, too...ohhh it will melt you!

Streusel-Nut Topping (optional)

In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup packed brown sugar and 3 TBS all-purpose flour. Using a pastry blender, cut in 2 TBS butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/3 cup chopped walnuts.

We leave out the walnuts (Michael's allergic to them, and I don't care for the crunch on my heavenly bread).