Old Fashioned Buttons and Bows

 

I am sharing a recipe with you today that makes for a simple, yet delicious Breakfast Quick Bread that the whole family will enjoy!  Old Fashioned Buttons and Bows are delightful little twists and knobs that are light, flaky and flavored with nutmeg and cinnamon.

I cannot claim the inspiration for these. The original recipe used Bisquick baking mix.  This is not something which is readily available to my overseas friends. (You can get it on American product supply sites, but it is expensive.)

 

I adapted the recipe/idea to use my own homemade buttermilk biscuit dough. I may be a bit biased, but I think the ones made from homemade biscuit dough are a lot tastier.  

You will have to forgive my terrible photography today. It is raining cats and dogs and so the lighting is very poor.  We have had an incredibly rainy summer so far, but I am not complaining. We need it with all the fires, etc.

 

These little bakes are supposed to be cut out with a doughnut cutter. I don't have one of those, and so I used a sharp 3 inch round cutter for the outside and the cap off a soda bottle for the inner cuts.  

Whatever works is my motto and this worked beautifully! 

The most difficult part of these is twisting them into the figure eight shape.  Its easily done however.  All you have to do is grab opposite ends of each ring of dough and gently twist each opposite to the other. (Hope that makes sense to you!)

The baked rolls are flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg, much like a doughnut, and then once baked they are dipped in some melted butter and rolled in sugar.

The end result is a quick bread that tastes very much like your favorite sugar crusted cake doughnut!  The family will love these!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE OLD FASHIONED BUTTONS AND BOWS

Simple baking cupboard ingredients. There is nothing outrageous here.  As usual I have supplied both North American and European measurements.

• 2 cups (280g) of all purpose plain flour, sifted
• 1 TBS sugar
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (120g) of cold butter, cut into bits
• 3/4 cup (180ml) of buttermilk

To finish:

• 1/4 cup (60g) butter, melted
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

Look at that lovely twist.  I would call that perfect!  Not to brag or anything, but I was very pleased with the way these came out.

If you cannot find buttermilk, and I do know that can sometimes be difficult in some places, it is very easy to fashion your own. Simply add 1 TBS of lemon juice or white vinegar to a cup of whole milk, then set it aside to clabber for about 5 minutes.

Of course that makes a full cup of the mixture (240ml).  You will only need 3/4 cup (180ml) for this recipe. I reckon it is worth it.

I use salted butter.  I cannot afford to keep two different kinds of butter in my kitchen for baking and for every day use.  So I tend to cut back on the salt in recipes to compensate for it.

Oh how I miss Lurpak butter. It was the best.  Occasionally I can find Danish butter here of a different brand, or what they call European butter. I have not tried any of them yet to compare. One of these days I will!

 

HOW TO MAKE OLD FASHIONED BUTTONS AND BOWS

These are really quite simple.  If you know me, you know I abhor complicated!  Yes, I can be rather lazy at times.

Preheat the oven to 450*F/225*C/gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Sift the flour into a bowl. Whisk in the sugar, salt, baking powder, nutmeg andand cinnamon. Drop in the butter.

Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using two round bladed knives or a pastry blender. You want pieces no larger than the size of dry peas. Some that size and some smaller.

Stir in the buttermilk with a fork to mix to a soft dough. Tip out onto a lightly floured board. Knead gently a couple of times.

Pat out to a six by nine inch rectangle. Visually divide into threes and fold the outer thirds in over the middle third like a book.

 

Pat out again to a six by nine inch rectangle, about 1/2 inch in thickness. Cut into rounds with a sharp 2 1/2 inch round cutter, using a sharp up and down tap.

Cut 1/2 inch diameter circles from the center of each round, again using a sharp up and down tap.

To make bow shapes, hold the opposite of each ring of dough and gently twist to make a figure 8. Place the figure 8 and the center cuts several inches apart on the baking sheet.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown and well risen.

Have ready two bowls, one holding the melted butter, the other the granulated sugar. Dip the tops of each figure 8 (bow) into the melted butter and then the sugar. Repeat with the smaller circles (buttons.)

Serve warm with your favorite hot beverage.

 

These came out lovely and light and flaky.  They are not overly large either.  If you wanted to you could add a bit of cinnamon to the sugar for coating them.

I think any stale/leftover ones would make an excellent dessert crumbled into a bowl and topped with fresh berries and ice cream. 

If you are a person who enjoys quick breads for breakfast, brunch or coffee break, you might also enjoy the following delicious recipes:

CHEDDAR CORNBREAD MUFFINS - These are some of the nicest cornbread muffins. They are light and fluffy and have oodles of rich cheese flavor. They are great for breakfast with jam, but also work very well on the side of soups, stews, salads, etc.

MARITIME BISCUITS -  When I say biscuit here I am not talking about cookies. I am talking North American style biscuits which are a type of quick bread.  These tasty little breads use a mix of leavenings, both baking powder and yeast, but do not take as long to make as a conventional yeast bread. Light and fluffy they are a real favorite around here!

Old Fashioned Buttons and Bows

Yield: 12

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 30 Min

Lightly spiced twisted quick rolls, coated in sugar. Meant to be enjoyed for breakfast with a hot drink and perhaps some juice, maybe even some scrambled eggs. Delicious anytime really. Light and fluffy

Ingredients

• 2 cups (280g) of all purpose plain flour, sifted
• 1 TBS sugar
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (120g) of cold butter, cut into bits
• 3/4 cup (180ml) of buttermilk

To finish:

• 1/4 cup (60g) butter, melted
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450*F/225*C/gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Sift the flour into a bowl. Whisk in the sugar, salt, baking powder, nutmeg andand cinnamon. Drop in the butter.
3. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using two round bladed knives or a pastry blender. You want pieces no larger than the size of dry peas. Some that size and some smaller.
4. Stir in the buttermilk with a fork to mix to a soft dough. Tip out onto a lightly floured board. Knead gently a couple of times.
5. Pat out to a six by nine inch rectangle. Visually divide into threes and fold the outer thirds in over the middle third like a book.
6. Pat out again to a six by nine inch rectangle, about 1/2 inch in thickness. Cut into rounds with a sharp 2 1/2 inch round cutter, using a sharp up and down tap.
7. Cut 1/2 inch diameter circles from the center of each round, again using a sharp up and down tap.
8. To make bow shapes, hold the opposite of each ring of dough and gently twist to make a figure 8. Place the figure 8 and the center cuts several inches apart on the baking sheet.
9. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown and well risen.
10. Have ready two bowls, one holding the melted butter, the other the granulated sugar. Dip the tops of each figure 8 (bow) into the melted butter and then the sugar. Repeat with the smaller circles (buttons.)
11. Serve warm with your favorite hot beverage.

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