Showing posts with label Baking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baking. Show all posts
Usually at the weekend I like to bake us something that we can enjoy for breakfast or with a hot drink. I do bake sweet things too.
I am not sure why I always bake at the weekend. I suppose it is a habit that started when I was working full time. I did not really have much time during the week to bake us anything special. We were lucky I managed to get dinner done!
The recipe I am sharing with you today for Sugar-Free Banana Nut Muffins has been adapted from a cookbook of mine entitled Bread for Breakfast by Beth Hensperger.
It is filled with lots of baked Breakfast options, including muffins, loaves (both sweet and savoury, quick and yeasted), Scones, Biscuits, cornbreads, etc.
There are also a sections on coffee cakes and holiday bakes, pancakes and waffles, as well as butters, jams and fruit and cheese spreads.
Its not an overly large book, but it is filled with quite a few goodies. Old fashioned as well as the new. Its one of my favourite breakfast baking books.
I was intrigued by this Banana Muffin recipe because it was sugar free. These days we have all been brainwashed by popular coffee spots and warehouse stores into think that a muffin is supposed to a small cake. Similar to a cupcake but without frosting!
As a consequence, our tastebuds have come to expect that every muffin we eat should be stogged full of sugar in one form or another. Ultra sweet, containing candy like chocolate chips and the like.
Don't get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a chocolate chip muffin. I adore them myself. But a muffin should be a muffin and not a little cake. Know what I mean.
This muffin recipe boasts no sugar at all. Nada. Zip. Zero sugar. Instead it relies upon the sweetness of the fruit to bring sweet into the mix. In this case bananas.
Bananas are quite sweet fruit and the longer you allow them to ripen the sweeter they get. The best bananas for baking are ones which are heavily speckled with brown, maybe even to the point where you think they are past it.
But they are not past it. They are perfect and sweet and ready to be baked into muffins and loaves, cookies, cakes, etc.
These are lovely and moist. There is buttermilk in the batter. I love bakes with buttermilk. Buttermilk adds a special lightness and tenderness to bakes such as this.
It is an acid as well, so it helps to create a nice lift. You always need to add bicarbonate of soda to a bake using something acidic like buttermilk, yogurt, sour cream, etc.
When baking soda is combined with the lactic acids of buttermilk, the acid neutralizes the metallic taste of sodium carbonate, and the batter will bubble and expand.
This is why when you are baking something with buttermilk and soda in it you need to get your bake into the oven as quickly as possible. This is to help take advantage of that chemical reaction.
The heat of the oven will immediately increase the effects of that action giving you a nice tall and light bake. If you wait too long to put your bakes into the oven you will risk losing that effect, and in fact you will decrease the action of the buttermilk and the soda as well.
So speed is the key factor here. Make sure you have your pan greased and everything ready to go as soon as you mix the wet and dry ingredients together!
So, no sugar. These muffins have no sugar whatsoever. I didn't mind. The end result was not sweet at all actually. It was just right. Just what I would expect a true muffin to taste like.
If you want sweet, you will have to add a bit of sugar into the mix. I wouldn't think you would need a lot actually, maybe only 1 or 2 TBS of either caster sugar or soft light brown sugar.
We enjoyed them just as they were, served warm with some butter for spreading on top. Look at the texture of these beauties. I call that perfection.
The recipe only makes 9 muffins. That's another thing I liked about the recipe. Nine muffins is a perfectly reasonable amount. They also freeze really well according to the recipe. Up to three months in an airtight container.
Baking things like this at the weekend means I also get to use my roll cover. My good friend Monique sent this sweet embroidered roll cover to me last year, or possibly even the year before, for my Birthday.
Every time I use it I cannot help but think of her, and her many kindnesses to me through the years. Meeting good and kind people is one of the blessings you gain from being a member of the blogging community.
Like is attracted to like. These sweet friendships are one of the things I love most about blogging. That sense of community. Oh sure there is the odd nasty person, or troll as they are called, but the good ones far outweigh them.
There are some pecans in these muffins. Chopped pecans. I always like to toast my nuts before baking with them. It doesn't take much of an effort. It only takes a few minutes on a dry baking sheet in a hot oven.
They are done when they start to smell all nice and nutty. Do watch them however, as they can go from toasty to burnt in milliseconds. Five to eight minutes at 200*C/400*F will do the trick.
You could add chocolate chips. Just saying. I like semi-sweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips. Both are quite nice in banana muffins. You could even add some berries. Blueberries would be nice.
If you rely on the sweetness of your muffin to come from the sweetness of the banana you really don't have to feel guilty about spreading them with butter while hot, and maybe even drizzling them with a bit of honey if you can tolerate honey.
As a diabetic, honey sends my sugar levels sky-rocketing. Even just a little bit on the tip of my tongue. Its a shame really because I have always loved honey.
Anyways, if you are looking for a nice, moist and not overly sweet muffin, with plenty of toasty nut crunch, then you have come to the right place! These fit the bill on all counts!
Sugar-Free Banana Nut Muffins
Yield: Makes 9 Muffins
prep time: 10 Mincook time: 25 Mininactive time: 5 Mintotal time: 40 Min
This is an interesting muffin adapted from a cookery book by Beth Henshberger entitled Bread for Breakfast. This is a lovely moist muffin that truly is not too sweet, relying only on the sweetness of the banana. I think this is what muffins were originally intended to be. Breads and not Cake.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups (210g) plain flour
- 1/2 cup (70g)whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (60g) chopped toasted pecan nuts
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
- 2 large free range eggs
- 120ml (1/2 cup) canola oil
- 2 medium sized ripe bananas
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter a muffin tin really well, or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda and cinnamon. Stir in the salt. Stir in the toasted pecans.
- Beat the oil, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla together with a wire wisk to combine well. Stir in the mashed banana. Pour this mixture into the dry ingrdients and fold everything together with a plastic spatula just to combine.
- Immediately spoon into the prepared muffin tin, filling each hole to the rim.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. The muffins should be well risen and a toothpick inserted in the centre of one should come out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before tipping out onto a wire rack to cool.
notes:
Do not allow these to overbake. I would definitely check them at 20 minutes. If you must you can add 2 TBS of brown sugar to the wet ingredients to add a bit more sweetness. Any leftovers can be stored in an air tight container, or frozen for up to 3 months.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
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In my quest to create more small batch recipes, this week I created a small batch Gingerbread Cake, built for two with leftovers. Not enough leftovers that you have it hanging around for a week or two or three.
Just enough so that you can enjoy it once as a dessert with something lush spooned over top, and once as a teatime treat, served warm, split and buttered. I hope that I am not the only person who enjoys my gingercake buttered!
This is a lovely ginger cake, lacking none of the delicious flavours of a full sized ginger cake. It may be diminutive in size, but it is not diminutive in flavour!
It packs every bit as much of a flavour wallop as a full sized ginger cake/bread. There is plenty of warm baking spices in there and plenty of everything else we enjoy about this lush treat!
I have always been fond of gingerbread, probably since I read the story of Hansel and Gretel and the witches Gingerbread House. I don't blame those two children for being tempted, I really don't.
I find myself wondering what did the forest smell like around the witch's property? Was it the smell of the gingerbread that lured Hansel and Gretel to venture close?
I confess that a huge part of the pleasure from a ginger bread or cake comes from that fabulous smell which permeates the air of your home while it is baking.
There is something really special about the combination of warm baking spices and wood smoke. It is really quite, quite intoxicating!
It really doesn't matter if you are baking a full sized one or a small sized one, the smell is the same. Comforting. Welcoming. Home Sweet Home. Hugs and family.
When I lived in Canada and had a wood stove, I confess I used to keep a pot of water with the warm baking spices simmering on the back of the stove all day in the winter months. People always thought I was baking.
For this cake I used the warm baking spices of ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves and ground cardamom.
I was tempted to add a bit of vanilla and lemon extracts, but I didn't this time. They would be nice, however I would not add more than 1/4 teaspoon of each.
It also has a small amount of molasses, which is another ingredient which makes ginger cakes and bread so beautiful. Moist. Warm. Inviting.
You know back home in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island most people keep a pouring jug of molasses on the table at all times, and for all meals. If you grew up on the East Coast of Canada (or American for that matter) you had a jug of it in your cupboard.
People back there eat it with bread and butter. It has a long, long culinary history. This is largely due in fact to the history of Maritime trading between these Eastern provinces and states and the West Indies.
People back there eat it with bread and butter. It has a long, long culinary history. This is largely due in fact to the history of Maritime trading between these Eastern provinces and states and the West Indies.
Back in the 1870's Lorenzo Crosby started an import/export business in Yarmouth Nova Scotia. In the late 1890's he moved the business to Saint John, New Brunswick.
He transported Maritime fish and lumber to the West Indies and the ships returned loaded to the gunwales with barrels of fancy molasses.
At first it was used to make rum, but Maritime Canadians developed a taste for it and before too long it was finding its way into many culinary delights such as baked beans, brown bread, cookies, and yes, gingerbread.
.
We cannot help it. We Maritimers have molasses running through our veins. My grandmother and mother made the best molasses cookies and gingerbread you could ever want to eat.
If you want a full recipe for a great gingerbread/cake you can find it here. Grandmother's Gingerbread. It is rich and moist and incredibly tasty.
If you want a full recipe for a great gingerbread/cake you can find it here. Grandmother's Gingerbread. It is rich and moist and incredibly tasty.
Ginger bread and cakes have a wonderful infinity for the flavour of lemon. I sometimes make a lemon sauce to serve with our ginger creations. You will find a recipe for another delicious Gingerbread and a lucious Spiced Lemon Sauce here.
I do have quite a few recipes for gingerbreads and cakes on this blog actually. You can see it is a real favourite of ours. Just because we are only two that doesn't mean we can't still enjoy it.
This lemon cream goes beautifully with this cake. It is rich and lush and lemony. I could eat it with a spoon on its own.
Its also relatively simple to make as well. As simple as whipping some cream and folding in some lemon curd. Easy peasy, lemon squeasy!
If you are only two like us, or even if you are only one, I do hope that you will be tempted to bake this lovely dessert/cake/indulgence. I don't think you will regret it.
I guarantee it will be destined to become a family favourite. A smaller family favourite to be exact. Oh but we both enjoyed this today so very much. It will be baked again, and again.
Small Batch Gingerbread Cake with a Lemon Cream
Yield: Makes one 5 inch square cake
prep time: 10 Mincook time: 30 Mininactive time: 15 Mintotal time: 55 Min
This is a beautifully moist and perfectly spiced Gingerbread cake perfectly sized for two people. Its wonderful served warm, split and buttered with a nice hot cuppa, or as a dessert with a nice dollop of lemon cream on top.
Ingredients:
- 2 TBS caster (granulated) sugar
- 2 TBS butter, softened
- 1 large free range egg yolk (Freeze white for another purpose)
- 1/4 cup (88g) mild molasses
- 2/3 cup (90g) plain flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
- pinch salt
- 1/4 cup (60ml) boiling water
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 5 inch square baking dish really well and set aside.
- Sift together the flour together with all of the spices and soda. Stir in the salt.
- Cream the butter and sugar together unil smooth. Beat in the egg yolk and then the molasses. Add the flour mixture and mix well to combine. Add the boiling water, combining well and then pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until risen, golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Let cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.
- This is lovely split and buttered, or served warm with some ice cream, or whipped cream. I really like it with a lemon cream. See note.
notes:
To make a delicious lemon cream, beat 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream until soft peaks form. Fold in a heaped dessert spoon of lemon curd.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The
English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are
reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you
may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Its that time of year again. If you are a vegetable gardener you will know exactly what I mean. Its zucchini glut season! That time of year when you have zucchini, or courgettes are they are known here in the UK, coming out your ears!
That time of the year when you think if you see just one more zucchini you are going to scream, and then . . . you remember things like this delicious Pineapple Zucchini Loaf and all of a sudden everything is alright in your world again.
I think zucchini has to be one of the most prolific of garden vegetables. You think you have picked it all and then it surprises you with a gargantuan one, the size of a small dog that's been hiding underneat all of the leaf cover.
You find yourself wondering how on earth you could have missed such a thing, but there it is. Its huge and you did actually miss finding it sooner.
I'm not sure about you, but personally I like to pick my zucchini and use it when it is about the size of a large banana. Any larger than that and I find it is pretty tasteless. It does work very well however in bakes such as this delicious loaf.
I usually cut it in half, discard all of the seeds and then grate the rest. It actually freezes very well. You can pack it into zip lock freezer baggies, in 2 cup measures, ready to use all the winter through.
Zucchini makes a superior quick bread. It always comes out moist and flecked with green. This particular recipe which contains crushed pineapple is a particular favourite of mine.
Its light and takes well to the warm baking spices and toasted nuts. I have used pecans today, but walnuts also work very well. I always toast my nuts for baking. Toasting makes them taste even nuttier!
Today I used smaller zucchini, about the size of a large banana. Their cylindrical shape of this summer vegetable makes it very easy to hold and to grate.
I use the large holes on my box grater. If you use anything smaller, it will turn to mush. I also prefer the texture of hand grated over machine grated.
Zucchini has a very high water content, so take note. No liquid is needed in this recipe, other than the oil. I have not left anything out. There is no milk or yogurt or any other liquid.
Just the zucchini and the crushed pineapple. I do drain the pineapple well, but I leave the zucchini as is. There is no need to squeeze the liquid out of it. Don't you just love those bright green flecks? I do. Its almost Christmas-like!
I baked this in two metal loaf tins, one was slightly larger than the other, but both were basically 9 by 5 inches in size. You can use pyrex loaf pans if you want, but if you do, you will want to reduce the oven temperature to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.
I just use my shiny silver loaf tins. Aluminium foil ones are also nice. You know, the disposable ones? You can use them over and over a few times, simply placing them in the dishwasher on the top rack to clean, before you need to get rid of them.
Baking them in aluminium foil also makes them very handy for gifting. Our next door neighbour has been so kind to us throughout this Pandemic. Always picking us up bread and milk without us even having to ask.
She was very pleased to be gifted with one of these loaves. Zucchini Loaf is something new to the British. Its not something they ever think to do with this vegetable.
Stuffed marrow is not something I have ever taken a liking to, although I do like stuffed zucchini. I like mine stuffed with vegetables, cheese and crumbs however, not meat.
You can also freeze this easy loaf. Just make sure you wrap it up really well in some cling film. I tend to double wrap it and then wrap it again in some aluminium foil. Make sure you add a label so that you know what it is.
Yes, I am one of those people who freezes things and then can't figure out what the heck it is when I go to thaw it out. I have been surprised many times over. Now I label things. You should too. You can keep it frozen for about 3 months or a bit longer.
Pineapple and Zucchini Loaf is one of those quick breads that begs to be eaten, still warm from the oven with a hot cuppa of whatever hot drink you enjoy and spread with cold butter.
Oh it is so good with that cold butter melting down into it. Spicy, sweet, buttery and nutty. What more could a person ask for???
Pineapple & Zucchini Loaf
Yield: Makes 2 (9 X 5-inch) Loaves
prep time: 15 Mcook time: 1 hourtotal time: 1 H & 15 M
This is a superior Quick Bread. Its incredibly moist and delicious and flecked with green and bits of pineapple. Make one loaf to keep and one to give away or freeze.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups all purpose flour (420g plain)
- 1 cup toasted chopped pecans (120g)
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 large free range eggs
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil (180ml)
- 1 cup firmly packed soft light brown sugar (200g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (190g)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups grated zucchini (430g, about 2 medium courgettes)
- 1 (8 1/2 oz) can of drained crushed pineapple (240g)
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter two 9 by 5 inch loaf tins and line with paper, leaving an overhang to help easily lift it out.
- Whisk together the eggs, both sugars, oil and vanilla until thick and fuffy using an electric mixer. Fold in the grated zucchini and well drained pineapple
- Sift together the flour, soda, baking powder, cinnamon and allspice. Stir in the salt.
- Fold into the wet mixture, along with the toasted pecans, making three additions. You should have a moistened batter which is evenly combined with no patches of dry flour.
- Divide the batter equally amongst the two baking tins.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes until golden brown and the edges have started to pull away slightly from the tins. A toothpick inserted in the centre should also come out clean.
- Let rest in the pan for 5 minutes before lifting out to a wire rack to cool, right sides up. Serve in thick slices or store at room temperature, wrapped tightly for up to three days.
- This also freezes well, wrapped tightly for up to three months.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: theenglishkitchen@mail.com
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One of my great loves is cornbread or corn muffins. There is something about their rustic qualities that really speaks to my heart and gets my tastebuds tingling.
This Blueberry & Vanilla Breakfast Corn Bread is one of my favourite ways to enjoy cornbread. It has all of the elements of a regular corn bread which I enjoy, but it has been amped up to a degree that will have everyone smacking their lips in anticipation!
I have enjoyed a life long love affair with cornbread. It wasn't something I actually grew up with in my family home, but something which I got to enjoy elsewhere.
My first Mother In Law used to make a Corncake, which was a simple Cornbread. You can find the recipe for that here. Mother In Law's Corncake.
Another favourite of mine is a Custard Filled Cornbread Recipe, which you can find here. This version actually had niblets of real corn in it and a creamy centre, which is really quite appealing, especially served warm with Maple Syrup.
I use blueberries, but you can also use cranberries, or raspberries if you wish. Blackberries would also be nice. Blueberries are perfect for this time of year however. Back home they are picking wild blueberries by the bucketload.
Oh how I miss the flavour of Nova Scotia Wild Blueberries. Their flavour cannot be beaten!
I like to bake this cornbread in a ceramic or square glass baking dish. This helps to hold in the warmth while you are waiting for everyone to come downstairs to the breakfast table.
The square dish also makes it very easy to cut into squares. You can also bake it in an 8 inch round cake tin if you want to. You can then cut it into wedges, like a cake or a pie. Also very attractive.
I think it is quite beautiful cut into squares and served warm. We like it spread with softened butter and drizzled with liquid honey. Especially pure clover honey.
Oh my but what a breakfast for the Gods this is. We just cannot get enough of it. We can easily make big pigs of ourselves when we are eating this.
The butter melts down into that moist and delicious cornbread. I love the texture of cornbread. Its almost cake like with a bit of a bite from the cornmeal that is quite appealing.
Its a tiny bit crunchy, but not obnoxiously so. Its quite pleasant.
Look at that drizzle of honey, sweet and lush, mingling with the butter and melting into that beautiful cornbread.
The honey . . . sweet and lush . . . the melting butter lightly salty . . . and again, soaking into that dense yet light vanilla corn bread.
Pure Heavenly bliss.
It could be really hard to restrain yourself when faced with something like this. It could easily make a big pig of yourself.
Especially when you spy all of those beautiful sweet berries studded here and there throughout. Like tasty little jewels waiting to pop into your mouth.
When I lived in Canada, we often used to cross the border into the US. I loved grocery shopping stateside. I would always pick up Thomas's Toaster Corn Cakes.
They were so good and so convenient. Ready to pop into the toaster for a quick and easy breakfast and quite delicious!
I did make my own version in the past. You can find my recipe for Cranberry and Corn Toaster Cakes here.
They are really quite amazing if I don't say so myself. Beautifully textured and studded with tart cranberries.
This fabulous Blueberry & Vanilla Breakfast Corn Bread blows them out of the ballpark however. Seriously.
I am now tempted to try the toaster cakes, replacing the cranberries with blueberries. What do you think? Should I go for it?
I just might do that. This Blueberry and Vanilla Breakfast Corn Bread makes for a great weekend breakfast, or a brunch dish.
Actually, I think it is pretty great anytime. I hope I have inspired you to want to give it a go! You've got nothing to lose here and everything to gain (and I'm not talking about hips here, although they most certainly could be in some danger!)
Blueberry & Vanilla Breakfast Corn Bread
Yield: Makes on 8-inch square bread
prep time: 5 Mcook time: 45 Mtotal time: 50 M
Sweet and moist and stuffed with blueberries. Wonderful served warm with butter and honey.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (170g) cornmeal (coarse polenta)
- 1 cup (140g) unbleached all purpose flour (plain flour)
- 3/4 cup (95g) icing sugar, sifted
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 large free range eggs
- 1 1/4 cups (295ml) buttermilk
- 1/2 TBS vanilla paste (alternately use 1 TBS Vanilla extract)
- 6 TBS butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups (250g) blueberries
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 165*C/325*F. gas mark 3. (If using a regular pan 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.) Butter an 8-inch square pyrex baking dish and line with baking paper.
- Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, soda, and sugar in a bowl.
- Beat together the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and melted butter.
- Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Pour in the wet and mix just to combine. Fold in the berries and pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until well risen, golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to sit in the pan for 15 minutes before cutting into squared to serve.
- This is delicious served warm with softened butter and liquid honey!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The
English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are
reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you
may report it to me at: theenglishkitchen@mail.com
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