How to Make Buttermilk Bread

This Buttermilk Bread recipe comes straight out of my FAVORITE BOOK, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  For my friends who own the book, go read page 207 and have fun making the next two recipes, Judy's Board of Director's Cinnamon-Raisin Bread on page 209 and my own, Pigs In An Artisan Blanket.

If you don't own a copy of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, then I highly recommend you it.  Pick up a copy for yourself from this Amazon link:  Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë Francóis.  A small portion of the book sale goes to support SimpleDailyRecipes.com.  Now, let's get back to the bread.

Buttermilk Bread makes a very nice sandwich bread for starters.  It has a soft crust and crumb with great flavor.  It's the buttermilk that makes it so tender.

This recipe makes three 1 1/2 pound loaves.  It can be doubled or halved.

• 2 cups lukewarm water
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• butter or neutral-tasting oil for greasing the loaf pan

1. Mixing and storing the dough: Mix the yeast, salt, and sugar with water and buttermilk in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2. Mix in the flour without kneading, using a strong handled spoon, a 14-cup capacity food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with dough hook).  If you're not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour..
3. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top); approximately 2 hours.
4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is MUCH easier to handle when cold.  Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 7 days.
5. On baking day, lightly grease a 9 x 4 x 3-inch nonstick loaf pan. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1 1/2 pound (canteloupe-size) piece.  Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.  Elongate the ball into an oval.
6. Drop the loaf into the prepared pan.  You want to fill the pan slightly more than half-full.
7. Allow the dough to rest for 1 hour and 40 minutes.  Flour the top of the loaf and slash, using the tip of a serrated bread knife.  Brush the top with melted butter.
8. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
9. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
10. Remove from the pan.  Allow to cool completely before slicing or it will be nearly impossible to achieve reasonable sandwich slices.

You should know.  I don't make & bake bread dough all in the same day.  That's too much work.  I usually figure out when we need the bread then make up the dough one or two days before that time.  Once the dough makes that initial rise, I throw it in the frig until I'm ready.  Sometimes, I don't wait for the rise.  If I know that I'll be 2 or more days out from baking, then I'll mix the dough and immediately refrigerate it.  It will still rise in the frig, just at a slower rate.

Soft Cinnamon-Raisin Bread

We've been devouring this soft and sweet Cinnamon-Raisin bread every morning for breakfast.  I've even eaten it as an afternoon snack.  I just can't get enough.  (Now I have Depeche Mode in my head.) Anyhoo.

When you go to make a batch of Buttermilk Bread dough, you use it to make this loaf.  I used a mix of jumbo golden raisins and dried cranberries for my fruity swirl.  They just happen to my favorite.  The original recipe just calls for raisins. So you put in what you like.

HERE'S ALL YOU NEED

• 1 1/2 pounds (cantaloupe-size portion) Buttermilk Bread dough
• butter or neutral-tasting oil for greasing the pan
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup raisins
• Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water)

Lightly grease a 9 x 4 x 3-inch nonstick loaf pan.  Set aside.  Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1 1/2 pound (cantaloupe-size) piece.  Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.

With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to an 8 x 16-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick, dusting the board and rolling pin with flour as needed.  You may need to use a metal dough scraper to loosen rolled dough from the board as you are working with it.

Use a pastry brush to cover the surface of the dough lightly with egg wash.  Mix together the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the dough.  Evenly distribute the raisins.  It helps to gently press the raisins into the dough before rolling into loaf shape.

Starting from the short side, roll it up jelly-roll style.  Pinch the edges and ends together, tucking the ends under.

Place the loaf seam side down in the prepared pan. Allow to rest 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Heat the oven to 375ºF. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove from pan and allow to cool before slicing.

COOK'S NOTES

It's no biggy to bake off a loaf after dinner is out of the way.  I store the baked bread in a recycled plastic container or storage bag to keep the crust soft.  The next morning there's a waiting line at the toaster.

The original recipe comes from one the most used cookbooks in my kitchen, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  Pick up a copy for yourself from this Amazon link:  Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë Francóis.  A small portion of the book sale goes to support SimpleDailyRecipes.com.

Moist Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

These Garlic Cheddar Biscuits are everything you expect them to be.  Thick in size, light in texture, crispy shiny tops, crunchy browned bottoms, moist and soft in the center, and full of fragrant garlic and salty cheddar cheese in every bite.  That's what I'm talkin'bout! Biscuits that make you want another and another and another...

I decided on a traditional spaghetti with meat sauce dinner last night and wanted a garlic bread to go with the meal.  I didn't have any artisan dough in the frig.  The only other quick bread I could think to make was biscuits.  I knew dinner would only take as long as the pasta needed to cook, 7 minutes.  The meat sauce had been made ahead and just needed to be reheated.  So, I patty caked as fast I could, rolled'em up, cut'em up, put'em in the pan, popped'em in the oven and set the time for 12 minutes.  Went to cooking the pasta and reheating the sauce and dinner was ready when the oven buzzer went off.  VOILÁ!

HERE'S HOW TO MAKE MOIST GARLIC CHEDDAR BISCUITS
Makes 7 thick biscuits.

• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt

• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

• 3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, or 7 ounces buttermilk, plus extra to brush on top of biscuits

HEAT OVEN TO 450ºF.

Using an electric mixer, blend the butter pieces and all the dry ingredients for 1- to 1 1/2- minutes on low speed.  Stir in the cheddar cheese, until well distributed.  Pour in the buttermilk and mix until the dough comes together to form a ball and all flour is absorbed.

Transfer dough ball to lightly flour work surface.  Sprinkle dough ball with enough flour to keep your hands from sticking to it.  Knead 5 times to smooth the dough into a ball.  Flatten ball out evenly with your hand or a rolling pin until it is 9-inches in diameter.  Use a 2-inch biscuit cutter to divide dough.  You will need to lightly knead scrap dough and reshape to make remaining biscuits.  Transfer into an 8- or 10-inch baking dish or pan.

Generously brush the top of the biscuits with buttermilk.  The buttermilk makes the tops shiny and crispy.

BAKE 12 to 14 minutes.

Cinnamon Apple Muffins

This Cinnamon Apple Muffin recipe is super easy to pull together.  It doesn't take long to bake them up.  They taste SO GOOD with juice, hot tea and coffee; not too sweet but just right. Full of soft, sweet apple bits and the cinnamon just makes them hard to stop eating.  Top half the batch with a little brown sugar and oats and they're a fun snack to kill off the late afternoon munchies.  Treat yourself to a batch.  Bake a batch for your workmates.  They will love you for it!

HERE'S ALL YOU NEED

• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 medium apple, cored, peeled, small dice

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Optional topping:

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon oats

HEAT OVEN 400ºF.  Grease bottoms of 12 medium muffin cups or line with paper baking cups.

In a small bowl, beat milk, oil and egg. Stir in diced apple. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  Make a well and pour in wet ingredients.  Stir slowly just until flour is moistened--batter will be lumpy. Do not over stir.

Use a 2-inch scooper to divide batter evenly into muffin cups.  Should fill cups 2/3 full.  Sprinkle with brown sugar-oat topping if you want.

BAKE 18 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.  Immediately remove from pan.
Makes 1 dozen muffins.

Healthy Breads in Five Minutes a Day Video

For your viewing pleasure, here's Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg demonstrating how incredibly simple it is prepare artisan bread in your kitchen. You've already read me going on and on about their first book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. Very, very soon, I'll have their NEW BOOK, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. And I'm looking forward to exploring new flavors with you.

Pick up your copy & help support Simple Daily Recipes by purchasing through this Amazon link:
Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients

Thank you!

- Jill
SimpleDailyRecipes.com

Soft White Sandwich Bread Baked From Home

Soft, creamy to the crumb white sandwich bread baked from home.  It doesn't get any better than this!  From one of my favorite cookbooks, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, the original recipe is found on page 76 entitled 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread.  However, the day I made this loaf, I only had all-purpose flour on hand.  I didn't let that stop me from making a batch of dough.  My kids really chowed down on it.  This bread made perfect sandwich bread; it was easy to slice. And we lurved eating it as breakfast toast with home canned red plum jam.  I didn't make the plum jam, my neighbor did.

For your own wonderful copy of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois, just click on the book title and you'll be directed to Amazon.  I get about a dollar for every book I sell, and every dollar counts these days. Right?

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets)
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey (I love RoundRock Honey)
• 5 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil, plus more for greasing the pan
• 6 2/3 cups all purpose flour or whole wheat flour

1. Mixing and storing the dough: Mix the yeast, salt, honey, and oil with the milk and water in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using a strong handled spoon.
3. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top); approximately 2 to 3 hours.
4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is MUCH easier to handle when cold.  Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 5 days.
5. On baking day, lightly grease a 9x4x3-inch nonstick loaf pan.  Using wet hands, scoop out a
   1 1/2 pound (cantaloupe-size) handful of dough.  This dough is pretty sticky and often it's easiest to handle it with wet hands.  Keeping your hands wet, quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the vall a quarter-turn as you go.
6. Drop the loaf into the prepared pan.  You want to fill the pan slightly more than half-full.
7. Allow the dough to rest for 1 hour and 40 minutes.  Flour the top of the loaf and slash, using the tip of a serrated bread knife.
8. Preheat the oven to 350ºF, with an empty broiler tray on any other shelf that won't interfere with the rising bread.
9. Place the loaf on a rack near the center of the oven.  Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray and quickly close the oven door.  Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until deeply browned and firm.
10. Allow to cool completely before slicing in order to cut reasonable sandwich slices.

Soft White Bread Made At Home

The original recipe is Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread Inspired by Chris Kimball from the book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  At the time of mixing the dough, I didn't have whole wheat flour and took a chance on using all All-Purpose Flour in the recipe.  It worked out beautifully.  The family fell in love, the kids wanted to eat peanut butter sandwiches all day long, and I fell addicted to having creamy toast for breakfast.

I'll admit that we're accustomed to Mrs. Baird's pillow soft and sweet bread.  I knew that if I wanted my family to turn to the fresh side, I would have to sweeten the transition. This recipe helped me do that.

HERE'S WHAT IT TAKES

• 3 cups lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (or 2 packets)
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Mix the yeast, salt, honey, and butter with the lukewarm water in a 5-quart bowl, or lidded (not airtight) food container.

Mix in the flour without kneading, using a spoon.  Mix until there's no pockets of flour present.  Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses; approximately 2 hours.

The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it's easier to handle when cold.  Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 5 days.

On baking day, lightly grease a 9 x 4 x 3-inch nonstick loaf pan with butter.  Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1 1/2 pound (cantaloupe-size) piece.  Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.  Form an elongated oval and place it into the prepared pan.  Allow to rest for 1 hour and 40 minutes or just 4o minutes if you're using fresh, unrefrigerated dough.

Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 400ºF, with an empty broiler tray on any other shelf that won't interfere with the rising bread.

Place the loaf on a rack near the center of the oven.  Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray and quickly close the oven door.  Bake for about 50 minutes, or until deeply browned and firm.

Allow to cool before slicing or eating.

_____________________________________________________

This recipe makes WONDERFUL baguettes for snacking, too. After shaping the dough into a oval-shaped loaf.  Allow to rest and rise on a cornmeal covered pizza peel for 20 minutes BEFORE heating up the oven and pizza stone.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes for baguettes.

Baking has never been easier since I started using the book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.  Click on the book title and get your copy today.  This cookbook is LOADED with awesome recipes such as Onion Rye, Deli Style Rye, Spinach Feta Bread, Fresh and Fruity Oatmeal Bread, Bran-Enriched White Bread, and my personal favorite Sticky Caramel  Rolls. 
My mouth waters just thinking about them.

Creamy Biscuits

FINALLY! I found a recipe that produces my kind of biscuit, i.e. thick, creamy, moist, can be stuffed with eggs & bacon or left floating on a plate of down home white sauce.  I baked up Kelly's Perfect Buttermilk Biscuit recipe over at Sass & Veracity, except I didn't have buttermilk on hand, so I used sour cream.  These biscuits came out beautifully and my folks were scrambling for seconds.  Thank you Kelly!

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 stick COLD butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 3/4 cup sour cream or buttermilk

Heat oven to 450ºF.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Add cold butter cubes, and using your fingers tips, pinch and rub the butter through the flour until the mixture looks like small crumbs.  This doesn't take long and using the blender makes for more dishes to wash.

Add the sour cream and stir lightly with a fork just until a soft dough forms.  Knead it in the bowl with your hands about 15 times.  Do NOT overwork the dough.

Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it's about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.  You can do this with a rolling pin if you prefer, but the dough is easily managed with your hands.  Choose a biscuit cutter (or a glass, jar, or can) that is 2-3 inches in diameter and cut as many biscuits as you can from the dough.  Repeat the process with scraps until all dough is used.

For biscuits with soft sides, place them into a ungreased 8-inch or 9-inch cake pan.  The cozier the fit the better. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until medium golden brown.

Now For the Down home White Sauce (Gravy!)

• 2 tablespoons bacon drippings
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour

• 3/4 to 1 cup warm milk
• salt & pepper to taste

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, warm bacon drippings then whisk in flour until smooth.  Cook flour for up to 2 minutes, whisking constantly.

Slowly whisk in warm milk, constantly whisking to eliminate lumps.  Use up to 3/4 cup milk.  Allow sauce to come to a simmer, season with salt and pepper to salt, whisking to prevent burning.  Lower heat if necessary.  If sauce is too thick, add more milk 2 tablespoons at a time until you have the consistency as you like it.  The sauce with thicken as it cools.

If you make the sauce ahead or need to keep it warm, pour it into a warm bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow the plastic wrap to touch the top of the gravy, pushing out all the air from the bowl.  This will prevent a skin from forming on the top.  Use the microwave to reheat on medium power for 30 seconds up to one minute.

The bacon shown in the picture above was made on another day.  Follow my Oven Fried Bacon recipe to have bacon on hand, ready to eat anytime you want it.

Bran Enriched White Bread Made At Home

I never thought I would see the day when I would become a devout bread maker.  It's always been too scientific for me, too labor intensive for the amount of time I have on hand, too many times that all my hard work resulted in a dense block of undesirable bread only fit for the birds.

Well NOT ANYMORE Brothers & Sisters, NOT ANYMORE!!!

My dear friend Judy@NoFearEntertaining turned me on to a bread book that has changed my attitude and opened up a new world for me.  Thanks to Judy, Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois, I am now a home-school Mom who bakes her own bread.  Now, if I only had a denim dress and a couple of goats to milk...

The name of this life changing book? Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.

Anyhoo. Following this book to make bread does take steps, but nothing like the traditional method of making it.  I got the hang of it after the first batch.  I'm into my fifth batch now and I've already developed a routine that doesn't take anymore time out of my day.  I kid you not.  I'm so serious and excited with my results that I'm searching to get a second refrigerator to have in the garage just to store a variety of bread doughs.

Let me make this clear so no one feels like this is too good to be true.  It takes five minutes to mix the ingredients together.  It takes one minute to shape the dough.  However, it takes time in between to make it all happen.  The great part is that the time happens in the frig & on the counter top.  There's no kneading or waiting for the bread to rise for hours on end.

I've learned not to expect the bread for that day, but for a couple a days from now.  That part takes patience that is well rewarded in the end.

HERE'S A DELICIOUS EXAMPLE from the bread book

Bran Enriched White Bread
Makes four 1-pound loaves.  The recipe is easily doubled or halved.

• 3 cups lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (or 2 packets)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
• 3/4 cup wheat bran
• 5 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• cornmeal for coating surface

1. Mixing and storing the dough: Mix the yeast and salt with the water in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup capacity food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy duty stand mixer (with dough hook).  If you're not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.
3. Allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold.  Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 14 days.
5. On baking day, dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on a ll four side, rotating the ball in a quarter-turn as you go.  Then form a oval-shaped loaf. Allow to rest and rise on a cornmeal-covered pizza peel for 40 minutes.
6. Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450ºF, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack.  Place an empty broiler tray on any other shelf that won't interfere with the rising bread.
7. Sprinkle the loaf liberally with flour and slash parallel cuts across the loaf, using a serrated bread knife.  Leave the flour in place for baking; tap some of it off before eating.
8. Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door.  Bake for about 30minutes, until deeply browned and firm.  Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking time.
9. Allow to cool before slicing or eating.

Now for my notes:

I use a large popcorn bowl with a foil lid to store my dough in the frig.

Before I got serious with this bread making routine, I used a cookie sheet without sides as my pizza peel.  I had to use a pastry knife to ensure that the bread loaves slid off onto the hot baking stone properly.  That took pratice but it worked out fine.  A few days ago, I bought an inexpensive pizza peel ($9.99) from the Kitchen Collection store.   I can't tell you how sweet it was to flick those loaves off into the hot oven.  So sweet indeed.

When it's time to make a fresh batch of dough, I don't wash the dough bowl.  I will keep it covered so the bits of fermented dough do not dry out while I'm mixing.  The book ensures me that keeping the dough bits aids in the flavors of the next batch.

The last batch of dough I made, I forgot to let it sit out at room temperature to rise and fall.  I immediately stuck it in the frig.  I wasn't planning to make bread for 3 more days.  When I did go to bake, the bread turned out as beautiful as the other batches.  Shoo!

Finally, I love peppery breads and we are enjoying this recipe with 1/2 tablespoon of pepper mixed in.  I didn't have wheat bran available, so I substituted it with instant oat bran hot cereal.  The bread just ROCKS!!!

READ FROM OTHERS

Judy at No Fear Entertaining

Peter at Kalofagas.ca

Zoe Francois at ZoeBakes.com - My Bucket Collection

Bran-Craisin Muffins

As far as bran loaded muffins go, these are pretty good, especially the next day. Like a Fruity Banana Bread, the muffins become softer, more moist, the longer they sit out on the counter in a storage container.

I'm trying to mix up my breakfast regimen and try new-old classics.  I've never eaten Malt O'Meal or hot cereal products other than oatmeal.  From my local grocer, I picked up a box of oat bran hot cereal and a dollar box of grits.  Until last week, I had never eaten grits. Side note and next post, I lurv grits!  I can't believe I've been living without them all this time.  Okay, back to these here muffins.

Another product I picked up for the first time was fig flavored yogurt; I found it at the foodie mart.  I did not enjoy eat it by itself, but I immediately imagined it going into a dense breakfast bread in place of buttermilk or sour cream.  So I went to searching for muffin recipes and found just want I needed.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 1/2 cups oat bran cereal
• 1/2 cup craisins
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup pecan pieces
• 3/4 cup boiling water

• 1 egg from a happy chicken
• 1 cup fig yogurt or plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup oil

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Heat oven to 400ºF. Grease the bottom of a 12 cup muffin pan.

In a large bowl, mix the oat bran, craisins, pecans and boiling water.  Allow to sit a couple of minutes.

Meanwhile, beat together the egg, yogurt and oil.

In a separate bowl, stir together the remaining dry ingredients.

First, add the egg mixture to the moistened bran mix and stir well.  Second, add the dry ingredients and fold into the wet ingredients.  Do not overstir; allow the flour to become moist as you fold the ingredients together.

Use a 2 inch scooper to fill 12 muffin cups, divide batter evenly among the cups.  BAKE about 20 minutes, until golden brown.  IMMEDIATELY remove from pan, allow to cool on wire rack.

I love eating my work

Fruity Banana Bread

This is as close to Fruit Cake as I want to get! Fruity Banana Bread is a healthier version of the traditional Moist Banana Bread I normally bake.  Only this is loaded with plumped craisins, golden raisins, and big pecan pieces.  So moist, so GOOD!

HERE'S ALL YOU NEED

• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)
• 1/3 cup water

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries rehydrated
• 1/2 cup golden raisins, rehydrated
• 1 cup old fashion oats, with a coarse flour consistency
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup pecan pieces

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2 eggs

Heat oven to 325ºF degrees. Grease loaf pan with shortening, then dust with flour.

Rehydrate cranberries and raisins  together in hot water for up to 5 minutes, then DRAIN off water.  Use a one cup food processor to quickly cut oats down to a fine coarse consistency, run the processor for up to a good minute.

In a small bowl, use your potato masher to mash bananas and water together until semi-smooth, no big chunks.

Combine oat flour, flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl.  VERY IMPORTANT STEP HERE: Toss in the cranberries, raisins and pecans and get them well coated.

In an electric mixer bowl, blend sugar and butter on medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs until blended.  Reduce speed to STIR, then add mashed bananas.  Turn mixer speed to STIR and add in dry ingredients  just until moistened.

Pour bread batter into pan. Bake 50 minutes, until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Loosen sides of loaf from pan, invert pan onto a cake plate and allow to cool completely before slicing.  If you can truly resist it, wait to eat it for the NEXT DAY.  The second and third day, possibly the fourth if there's any leftover, are the BEST DAYS to eat this bread.

If you want to take a few more steps to the healthy side, here's what I suggest.

• Cut the sugar back to 1/4 cup, and add an extra ripe banana to keep the sweetness the same.
• Substitute the butter for margarine, then omit the salt.
• Substitute the 2 whole eggs with 1/2 cup healthy egg substitute or 4 egg whites.

Now GO, BAKE!
then come back & tell me how it turned out for you.

Simple and Sweet Beer Bread

Sweet Beer Bread is AWESOME!!! It's SUPER EASY to make & bake and takes very little time to get it on the table.  This a dense bread that is wonderful with brothy soups or toasted with jam on top... *remembering that wonderful breakfast.*

Oh and if you have two loaf pans, go ahead and double this recipe.  This bread won't last more than two days.  It's very hard not to slice off a piece every time you walk past it, VERY HARD.  On the other hand, if you have a small family, then consider sharing the loaf with a neighbor.  Fresh baked bread is a wonderful gift to receive no matter what time of year.

HERE'S HOW SIMPLE IT IS

• 3 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
• 12 ounces beer

• 1/4 cup melted butter or margarine

Heat the oven to 350ºF. Coat non-stick loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients.  Pour in the beer and stir until the dry ingredients are moistened. The dough will be sticky.  Press the dough into the loaf pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Pour melted butter over the top of the loaf, then bake for another 10 minutes.  Allow to cool 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate.

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