Blueberry Muffins

Our Hero loves blueberry muffins. Actually, he loves anything blueberry. This being said, as blueberries appeared in earnest at the grocery store this Saturday, I couldn't resist buying him some of his favorite fruit.

In the same way that Our Hero loves blueberries, I love making muffins. They are so simple and last for days and can even be frozen and defrosted for a delicious weekday breakfast. There must be a million ways to make blueberry muffins. I've tried lots of ways (adapted from low-fat cookbooks to those of fancy celebrity chefs), and this particular recipe is my new favorite. I have very particular considerations about the kinds of muffins I favor:

1. 100% whole wheat without being heavy
2. Not overly sweet
3. Not packed with fat
4. Not soggy
5. Not rubbery

These muffins, adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything do the trick, perfectly. These muffins have a biscuit-like texture, with only the slightest hint of sweetness. The lemon zest gives them a subtle fragrance. Very important in the success of this recipe is the use of white whole-wheat flour. Traditional whole-wheat flour will be too heavy. Next time, I may replace the milk with buttermilk, for kicks.

100% Whole-Wheat Blueberry Muffins
3 T. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
2 cups white whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 t. fresh lemon zest
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries (frozen will work too)

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Mix together dry ingredients and lemon zest. In another small bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. Make a well in the dry and add the wet. Stir until just combined. The batter should be thick but still wet. Add a little more milk if it seems too dry. Stir in blueberries, and divide among muffin cups. Serve warm with butter and/or raw unfiltered honey.

Quick Bread

Just before we moved, on a trip to a discount-book warehouse, I picked this up for a mere $6! Though I find Bittman's Wednesday features often less interesting than many of the others, I do find his recipes simple (duh), well-balanced, and perfect for the home cook. (As I blog this, the perfume of Bittman's pissaladiere - authenticity violated with goat cheese - fills my nostrils and, happily, my house.)

The book is fun to read and really does have a ton of uncomplicated and tempting recipes, many with great potential for improvisation.

In my humble opinion, nothing smells like home more than baking bread. I capitalized on both my new cookbook and our newly-unpacked kitchen to whip up some tasty bread and fill the house with homemade bread's warm scent. (So many nice smells today!)

This bread is aromatic, not very sweet, and perfect for breakfast spread with jam, yogurt cheese, or peanut butter.

Quick Whole Wheat and Molasses Bread
From How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
Butter or oil to grease the pan
1 2/3 cups buttermilk or plain yogurt
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1/2 cup molasses

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease your loaf pan. Mix together the dry ingredients. Separately, mix together the wet ingredients. Pour wet into dry, and mix only until just combined. Spoon/pour into the loaf pan and bake until firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about one hour. Cool on a rack 15 minutes before removing from the pan.

Sneak Peek

Here's the finished "Mexican Chocolate" cake . . . recipe found on epicurious.

Didn't rise as much as I would have liked (maybe add more baking soda next time?), and it sunk a bit in the middle. Looking like a brownie-texture. Hopefully, the cinnamon (I doubled the amount), the cayenne (I added a healthy pinch), and the cinnamon-sugar topping (rather than a super-sweet glaze) will make it fun and adult-ish. We'll see . . .

The fiesta's chef is making chicken molé this evening, a "sampling" of salsas, and our host is preparing a bevvy of margaritas! Aiyaiyai!

The Ubiquitous No-Knead Bread Post

Okay, everyone has tried this recipe, everyone loves it. Count me in! The illustration is my 2nd attempt at the lovely golden loaf. Both attempts were delicious and entirely whole-wheat. Thanks to MC for bringing this to my attention!

You can find the recipe anywhere online (all food blogs seemed to have re-posted it), but it is basically 3 cups flour, 1/4 t. yeast, 1 1/4 t. salt, and 1 5/8 cups water. Because I was going for a 100% whole-what loaf, I messed around with these numbers a bit, and on my second attempt added a new ingredient. My first loaf I made with (believe it or not) whole-wheat pastry flour, because I had it around the house. Turned out nicely, not as much lift as I would have liked, but tasty all the same, with lovely desirable air-pockets. Second loaf I used King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour, and added 1 1/2 t. vital wheat gluten per cup of flour. I also doubled the yeast, as whole wheat flour is a bit heavier than AP. Because Our Hero and I are crazy cheap, we keep our home at a chilly 60 degrees. To help with the rise (which the recipe recommends 12-18 hours at 70 degrees), I kept the dough in the bathroom (thanks to a recommendation from BA) with the door closed. This kept it slightly warmer than 60 degrees, when Our Hero remembered to keep the door closed (ahem). Even with these less-than-scientific conditions, it worked out great. I let it rise for 20-24 hours instead, which is actually more convenient, if you think about it.

The recipe states to bake in a 6-8 quart covered dish. Mine worked fine in a 5-quart cast-iron dutch oven. Even if you're not a bread baker, this is too easy not to try! BA has recommended tossing herbs into the dough, which sounds delicious. Because I've been having mine toasted as breakfast bread (with PB), I've thus far omitted the savory herbs. I plan to make another loaf soon, so I'll keep you all posted!

The best part about homemade whole-wheat bread for breakfast? No high fructose corn syrup, which is in so many whole-wheat products, including my beloved Thomas' 100% Whole-Wheat English Muffins. Sniffle.

I'm back! Hope you're still around!

I think it probably goes without saying that things have been busy. Never fear! I haven't stopped cooking! I had a huge backlog of posts, the recipes kept piling up and it soon got overwhelming. Instead of playing catch-up, a clean start.

This weekend, I tinkered a bit with Everyday Food's "Whole-Wheat Raisin Biscotti." I made two batches, changing the recipe a bit to suit my desires, and have changed the instructions a bit to make them more user-friendly.

This was my first crack at biscotti, and once I knew what to expect it turned out very simple. This recipe is for dear MF, with love and kisses.

Whole-Wheat Walnut-Raisin Biscotti

Vegetable oil, for baking sheet

1 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour (King Arthur is great)

1/3 cup sugar

1 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1/2 cup walnut halves

1/4 cup golden raisins

2 large eggs

1 t. vanilla extract

1 T. applesauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a baking sheet with vegetable oil. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in walnuts and raisins. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla, and applesauce. Add wet to dry ingredients, mix just until all is moistened. Dough will be crumbly and will not hold together.

Put a large piece of plastic wrap on the kitchen counter. Empty dough onto plastic wrap. Pulling sides of plastic wrap around the dough, and pressing with your hands, shape dough into a loaf about 1 inch thick, 2 1/2 inches wide, and about 7 inches long. Put on the baking sheet. Bake until risen and firm, 20-30 minutes. Cool completely on sheet (30-40 minutes). Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Put the loaf on a cutting board. Cut diagonally into 1/2-inch slices. Place slices in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake, turning once, until dried and slightly golden, 25-30 minutes. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to one month.

a spot of tea

even though these scones did not turn out entirely as expected (they did not rise very much), i still found myself looking forward to a nibble or two. perhaps i didn't handle them quickly enough (being low-fat, they must be touched as little as possible to retain their light texture), maybe the whole-wheat flour was a bit too bulky to be light and fluffy, or maybe i was expecting the steroidal hulks of scones i see at coffee shops and such. these are tender little biscuits; not too sweet. and as reputed, they are perfect with tea.

Simple Scones
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 T. grated citrus zest (i used oranges, anything would be delightful)
2 T. butter, kept cold until use
1 T. vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a baking sheet. Combine sugar, flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. Stir in the zest. Cut the butter into tiny pieces and add it to the flour. Blend it with your fingertips until it forms tiny balls in the flour.

Stir in the oil and buttermilk until a sticky dough forms. Put the dough on a floured surface. Quickly knead into a ball. Flatten into a 1/2 inch-thick rectangle. Cut into 12 pieces, place on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Cool on a rack.

a big bite of fall

aaaand continuing with our theme, a delightful, very moist quickbread with great fall flavors . . .

Cranberry-Pumpkin Bread with Flaxseed
From the New American Plate Cookbook

Canola oil or spray for pan
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup apple juice (i used cider)
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a loaf pan with canola oil or spray and set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, flaxseed, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Whisk in the pumpkin, oil, applesauce, juice, and spices. Stir in the cranberries. Add the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Do not overmix. Pour batter into the pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool pan on a wire rack 10 minutes, then remove bread from pan and continue cooling on rack.

new favorite muffins

i don't like my muffins, breads, or desserts too sweet. in fact, as i become more confident in this whole baking process, i'll probably start cutting sugar in the recipes i've already posted here. i made these muffins last weekend, and i must say they are my favorites of the "quick bread-muffin fall", as they are not too sweet and stuffed with goodies. with just about the same number of calories as a granola bar, they make a great morning snack.

oh, and i invested in some paper liners for my muffin tins. they really cutdown on the headache of getting all the little guys out unscathed.

Banana-Orange Bran Muffins with Pecans
From the New American Plate Cookbook

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium)
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 large egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups bran flake cereal
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/8 t. salt
1/2 cup diced dried cherries or dried apricots (you could really use anything you like here)
1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the bananas, o.j. concentrate, egg, and canola oil. Stir in the bran flakes, and let stand for about 15 minutes to soften the cereal. Meanwhile, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the cereal mixture and stir until just combined. Gently fold in the dried fruit and nuts. Divide batter among cups.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove muffins from pan and continue to cool on the rack.

irish brown bread

my mother's irish soda bread is legendary. not wanting to compete with her, i went a different route this weekend. i adapted a recipe from A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider (thanks, ODP!) to be 100% whole grain, and even added some flax meal for omega-3s. you could easily use oat bran or wheat germ in place of the flax meal.

the bread was flavorful, tender, and delicious - a bit crumbly, but perfect for breakfast with a bit of blackberry jam. next time i would make the slashes on the tops of the loaves much deeper for more even rising.

Irish Brown Bread
(from A New Way to Cook)
About 2 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour, if you must)
1/3 cup rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
1/3 cup flax meal (or oat bran, or wheat germ)
2 t. dark brown sugar
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
3 T. unsalted butter, melted
about 1/2 t. canola oil to grease baking sheet

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, stir together 2 1/4 cups of the whole wheat flour, the pastry flour, rolled oats, flax meal, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and paking soda. With a fork, stir in 1 1/2 cups of the buttermilk and the melted butter. Add more buttermilk, little by little, just until a soft but not too wet dough forms. Knead the dough in the bowl until smooth, about 2 minutes. If the dough is too wet, knead in up to 4 t. more whole wheat flour, 1 t. at a time.

Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball and place 4 inches apart on an oiled baking sheet. Flatten slightly. Using a sharp knive, make 2 crisscrossing slashes on top of each loaf.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Place on a rack to cool.

granola morning

didn't feel like i had the time for muffins this morning (and as i am leaving town for work on monday i won't be around to eat them), so i whipped up some maple-pecan granola, courtesy of Cooking Light.

Maple-Pecan Granola
2 cups oats (i used scottish because they are what i like for breakfast)
1/2 cup pecan pieces
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 T. canola oil
1/8 t. salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine all ingredients on a large jellyroll pan lined in foil. Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely. Makes 4 cups, serving size 1/4 cup. Keeps for a week. For those of you freaked out by granola, this has 129 calories per serving and 5.2 grams of fat. Not too shabby for a bit of crunch over yogurt. I will probably stir in some craisins and chopped dried apricots.

flaxseed-raisin muffins

adapted from The New American Plate.

every fall, i am torn. i painfully say goodbye to playing outside, to enjoying outdoor weather--but i can again turn on my oven, cook slow stews, and otherwise heat up the kitchen in ways that would be intolerable during summer in our steamy upper flat.

last weekend i decided that this fall would be the fall of quickbreads and muffins--treats i enjoy but seldom make, due to the science-y preconceptions i have about baking. don't get me wrong, i've baked my own bread, pizza crusts, cakes, but i always prefer the freedom of cooking that allows for impulsive additions and substitutions. in any event, these are healthy and delicious, though i might cut back on the sugar next time.

Flaxseed-Raisin Muffins
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup ground flaxseed/flaxseed meal
2/3 cup sugar
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. salt
2 large eggs
2 T. canola oil
1/2 cup no sugar added applesauce
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup golden raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or spray a 12-cup muffin tin. In a large bowl, blend flours, flaxseed, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, applesauce, buttermilk, and raisins. Add wet to dry ingredients, mix until just combined. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.Bake 25-35 minutes, or until cooked through. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove muffins to rack to cool completely.

would be incredible with spicy autumnal butters--apple, pear, or pumpkin.