Soda Bread Muffins

Happy St. Patrick's Day! To celebrate, I adapted this Irish Soda Bread recipe from the delightful bakers at King Arthur Flour. SO GOOD for breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up. I primarily adjusted the original recipe to work with gluten-free flour, incorporate my love of cinnamon, and use the abundance of sultanas in my kitchen!

I made these yesterday and there might be only three left. So I think it's fair to say these were a hit. Hope you think so too!

What you'll need (makes 18 muffins)

• 210g all purpose gluten-free flour blend
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 70g caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 225g buttermilk
• 50ml milk
• 75ml vegetable oil
• 60g sultanas
• 120g currants
• caster sugar and ground cinnamon for topping

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 180C/360F.

Combine all dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar, salt, sultanas, and currants - in a large mixing bowl.

In a smaller separate bowl lightly beat the egg, then combine with the buttermilk, milk, and vegetable oil. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and stir lightly. Really a turn or two with a mixing spoon should do it. To ensure optimum fluffiness for your baked muffins, take care to not over stir. 

Line a muffin tin with papers or lightly grease the tin - I went for papers here, clearly. Fill the paper liners at least 2/3 of the way up - these muffins do not rise too much, so I had no trouble with overflow.

Once you've filled the muffin tin, mix together about 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon, then sprinkle on top of each muffin.

Pop the filled muffin tin into the oven for 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden brown on top and/or an inserted fork comes out clean. Enjoy warm with coffee or tea! Or perhaps with a festively green juice?

The buttermilk made these surprisingly airy, and the adjusted liquid to dry ingredients ratio worked really well with the gluten-free flour blend (no crumbly mess, as is sometimes the case when you substitute gluten-free flour directly into a recipe - hurrah!).

Hope you enjoy your St. Patrick's Day! Any big celebration plans? Baking with Guinness or Bailey's maybe? I'd love to hear!

Forget-Me-Not Cookies

Inspired by what my family has always called "Forgotten Cookies" - meringue cookies left so long in the oven it's as though you've forgotten them there - I made these Valentine's Day themed "Forget-Me-Not Cookies" - get it? Oh so witty...

These delicate cookies are sure to hit your sweet tooth and they're filled with chocolate and strawberry tastiness. 

What you'll need (makes 2 dozen cookies):

• 2 egg whites
• 120g sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4g freeze dried strawberry pieces (or raspberry!)
• 75g chocolate (milk or dark to taste)

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 160C/320F.

Separate 2 eggs and put the egg whites in a large mixing bowl. Unless you have superhuman strength and whisking stamina, you'll want to use an electric handheld mixer for this next step - beating the egg whites. It took me well over 5 minutes on high to whip the egg whites up. You will want the egg whites to start to peak, but not look dry. Once you've achieved a thicker feeling consistency, gradually add in the sugar and then the vanilla. Keep whipping for a minute to thoroughly mix in the vanilla.

The meringue should look thick and glossy at this stage. Set aside for a moment while you roughly chop the chocolate. Then gently fold the chocolate and freeze-dried strawberry pieces into the meringue.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and scoop dessert spoon sized onto the parchment paper, leaving an inch between each spoonful.

Place the tray in the oven and leave at the preheated temperature for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 60C/140F for the next hour. Keep checking on the cookies though, to make sure they don't burn!

After removing the tray from the oven, let cool for a minute or so and gently remove the cookies from the parchment paper. They are very delicate, so be very gentle!

Share these super sweet Valentine's Day treats with people you like.

Happy Valentine's Day!

When Your Baking Experiment Crumbles...

Embrace it and actually make crumble from it!  I have done this with several batches of banana bread and the like in the past, but most recently I had a bit of a cinnamon roll fail. I am choosing to blame out-of-date yeast for their less than stellar texture outcome. Rather than letting the batch go to waste, I converted it to apple crumble!

What you'll need:

• One batch of banana bread, cinnamon rolls, cake, etc that didn't quite turn out as hoped
• 80-100g unsalted butter
• 4 baking apples
• 1 tbsp flour (of your choice)
• raisins or sultanas to taste
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

What to do:

First I crumbled the decidedly un-fluffy cinnamon rolls onto a cookie sheet and lightly toasted their crumbled remains in the oven.

Let the toasted pieces cool for 5-10 minutes before combining them with 80-100g unsalted butter (depending on how dry your original baking disaster was...). If the oven is not already heated to 170C/350F, then start to preheat it now. 

Next, knead the butter into the toasted crumbles until you have a firm cookie-dough-like consistency. Set aside for a moment.

For the apple filling, I followed a very similar recipe to what I did for my Almond Apple Berry Crumble. Roughly chop 3-4 cooking apples. Then mix the apple chunks and raisins (if desired) in a mixing bowl and toss lightly with 1 tablespoon of flour. If you'd like, also toss with 1 tsp ground cinnamon. I didn't do that with this batch, since I was already using the remains of cinnamon rolls!

Divide the apple filling evenly into the four ramekins, then press 1/4 of the dough mixture on top of the apple filling. The filled ramekins should look like this:

Pop into the oven for about 30 minutes, let cool for 5, and enjoy!

I Tried It: The Best Lemon Poppyseed Bread

Joanna over at A Cup of Joe was not kidding! This is some seriously good lemon poppyseed bread. I didn't even use lemon glaze, and I probably ate close to twenty percent of this cake while it was still warm. It's so light and fluffy that it made me think of this clip...

The original recipe for this delicious bread can be found at A Farmgirl's Dabbles (c/o A Cup of Joe). Below is my adapted version.

What you'll need:

• 225g flour 
• 120g caster sugar
• 160ml buttermilk
• 120ml oil
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp poppyseeds
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.5 tsp almond extract
• freshly grated zest of 3 lemons
• a squeeze of lemon juice (about a half lemon's worth)

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 350F/175C.

Zest your lemon. I agree, it is one of the more tedious aspects of lemon-related-recipe-prep. But I promise, it will be worth it.

Combine your dry ingredients - the flour, caster sugar, salt, baking powder, and poppyseeds, in a mixing bowl.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients - the buttermilk, oil, eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon zest and the juice from half a lemon. Blend with a handheld mixer, and then gradually add in the mix of dry ingredients. Blend for another minute or two, until all lumps have disappeared.

Lightly grease a bundt tin (or load tins, or muffin tins if you prefer!), pour the batter in, and bake for about 45 minutes - until an inserted fork comes out clean.  Let cool for at least 15 minuets before attempting to dislodge the cake from it's tin.

If you'd prefer this WITH the lemon glaze, check out Brenda's original recipe over on A Farmgirl's Dabbles.


(Thank you Brenda and Joanna!)

GF Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Cocoa nibs optional, but highly recommended!

Since reading about Averie Cooks over on A Cup of Joe back in May, I've been meaning to try a peanut butter cookie made with coconut oil. I have adapted the following cookie recipe from this peanut butter cookie recipe from Averie Cooks. I suspect mine are not as fluffy, due to some ingredient changes, but I wanted to try out a gluten free and lower sugar version, and I'm happy with the dome-shaped results. I hope you will be too! (Sidenote: I totally plan on baking the to-the-letter averiecooks-version soon too; I just need to hunt down some JIF!)

What you'll need:

• 125g light brown sugar
• 175g natural crunchy peanut butter (I used Meridian's no salt or sugar added variety)
• 90g coconut oil
• 140g GF self-raising flour (I used Dove's Farm)
• 75g GF oats (Alara Gluten Free Pure Oats)
• 1 egg
• 1 tbls vanilla extract
• 1.5 tsp baking soda (Dove's Farm GF)
• pinch of salt
• cocoa nibs (optional and to taste)

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350F/175C.

The coconut oil should be room temperature, and somewhere in between solid and liquid in terms of consistency. Think of yourself as the Goldilocks of coconut oil consistency.

Combine the light brown sugar, peanut butter, coconut oil, egg, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. A handheld mixer on medium for a minute or two should do the trick.

Next, combine the flour, baking soda, and pinch of salt in a separate bowl. Gradually blend this into the wet mixture. Save the oats to mix in last (unless you're going to add cocoa nibs too, in which case, the oats will be second-to-last).

Will you be adding cocoa nibs to your cookies? I had an open pouch from naturya waiting to be used again, so I did half my batch with and half without. If you do want to add cocoa nibs, toss in as many as you'd like. Aim for a similar distribution to chocolate chips in a chocolate chip cookie dough; keep in mind these will not be as sweet though! (If you prefer a sweeter cookie, add in a bit more sugar - 20g or so.) 

A tasty addition.

Roll the cookie dough into balls and place evenly on a cookie sheet. 

Bake for about 8 minutes. After removing from the oven, leave the cookies to cool for about 2 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing.

Cooling on the cookie sheet.

Which did you like better? Would you prefer these with smooth peanut butter, or did you like the crunchy peanut bits? I almost always use crunchy peanut butter when I bake!

Half of this batch of GF Peanut Butter Oatmeal cookies had Cocoa Nibs - my favorite half.

Pizza Night

I started making pizzas from scratch about two years ago, but ever since a trip to Sicily last year - during which pizza was eaten almost every day - I've been aiming for thin, Italian style crusts and more inventive toppings. All experiments really should end with a fresh pizza, don't you think?

You'll want to plan ahead just a little bit on this one, in order to give the pizza dough adequate time to rise - at least an hour.  I adapted this recipe from Jamie Oliver:

For the pizza dough, you'll need:

(Makes 3 thin 12x12in pizza crusts)

• 330g Tipo "00" pasta flour
• 7g dried yeast
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1.5 tablespoon olive oil
• 220ml warm water
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder 
• dried rosemary to taste (I like a lot of rosemary!)

What to do:

Combine the yeast, sugar, warm water, and olive oil in a smallish mixing bowl. Give this a light whisking and leave for a few minutes to give the yeast time to wake up.

In a separate, larger, mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sea salt, garlic powder, and rosemary. I like a lot of rosemary, so I generally use at least 1/2 tbsp. I find this amount pleasantly noticeable, but not overwhelming. Use more or less depending on your personal preference.

After leaving the yeast mixture for about 5 minutes (you should notice a little bit of froth), pour it into the flour mixture. Start mixing the wet and dry together with a fork, then progress to hand kneading once the consistency starts to look more dough-like. Continue until you have one big ball of pizza dough.

Leave the ball of dough in a floured bowl, cover with a cloth, and place in a warmish area - or just somewhere useful in your kitchen. It is rarely warm here, so I technically skip that recommendation most of the time, and my pizza dough still turns out well! Leave for at least an hour.

As you're waiting, you can ready your toppings.

Toppings needed for a Tribute to Taormina Pizza:

• tomato sauce (between 100-150g per pizza, usually)
• 2 vine tomatoes
• asparagus tips
• orange bell pepper
• Parma ham (or not, vegetarians!)
• grated cheese (Someone else here likes Emmental cheese, so we use that a lot - it's not normally my favorite, but it does well on this pizza. You're welcome to use whatever cheese you'd like/have on hand!)
• rocket

Tasty veggies!

What to do (part 2):

To prepare your toppings, you should chop the bell pepper and tomatoes into smallish chunks. I recommend lightly steaming the asparagus. 

After about an hour, your pizza dough will be ready. The dough should have doubled in size. 

Preheat your oven to 200C/390F.

Knead the dough a bit to knock the air out of it. Next, lightly flour a surface, and take about 1/3 of the dough ball from the bowl. This will be your pizza base. I recommend using a floured rolling pin to work out the dough. Roll out the dough until it is about 1/2cm (or 1/4in) thick. Transfer onto a lightly oiled baking sheet and pop into the oven for 2-3 minutes.

Take the dough out of the oven, and spoon the tomato sauce over it, spreading evenly. Then arrange your toppings,

Aesthetically pleasing configuration of veggie toppings.

Sprinkle cheese over the toppings,

I like cheese (maybe a little too much), but a thin layer of cheese works best with this pizza.

Then put the decorated pizza back into the oven for another 15-20 minutes. I usually keep an eye on the pizza, and remove it once the cheese is nicely melted and the ham looks just a little crisp on the edges (this may be a socially unacceptable way to eat Parma ham, but man, is it tasty!).

Back in the oven you go, pizza!

Remove from the oven, cut into slices, and sprinkle with rocket. Candles and "business juice" optional.

Pizza date time!

What is your favorite kind of pizza? Any unusual toppings or sauces? I plan to try to replicate a broccoli pesto pizza (also from the Sicily trip) soon. 

The Quest for the Perfect Brownie

In my view, the perfect brownie is chewy and moist and dense - a little fudge-like in the middle, even - with a   very thin crispy top and slightly crisp, very chewy edges. It should not be cakey. It should be chocolatey and just sweet enough. Before it's cooled completely, it should be about the right consistency to scoop out with a spoon (I mean, what? I'm totally not admitting to eating freshly baked brownies with a spoon...or maybe I am admitting, just a little), but should hold classic brownie shape once cooled.

I am on a quest for this brownie recipe. I WILL find/tweak/make this brownie recipe. Suggestions are very welcome!

And here, ladies and gentlemen, is my first (documented) attempt (adapted from this brownie recipe):

You'll need:

• 115g soft light brown sugar
• 85g greek yogurt 
• 150g self-raising flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 150g milk chocolate 
• 1 egg

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 175C/350F.

Roughly chop up the chocolate (or use chocolate chips, if you have them on hand!). Then melt the chocolate in a double-boiler, stirring constantly. Once about half of the chocolate starts to look like it's melting, remove from the heat and continue stirring. This will ensure that the chocolate doesn't burn/do that weird crumbly thing and the heat of the melted chocolate will melt the remaining, more solid pieces. 

My trusty handheld mixer, doing it's job like a (semi-)pro.

Once the chocolate is completely melted, mix in the yogurt, egg, vanilla, and soft brown sugar. Set aside for a moment and combine the remaining dry ingredients - the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually blend this into the wet mixture. I recommend using a handheld electric mixer on medium for about 2 minutes. This should result in a very light and fluffy batter.

It's so FLUFFY!

Grease a baking dish (I used unsalted butter), and pour in the brownie batter. Smooth off the top a bit with a spoon or spatula, then pop into the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the brownie appears to be close to set in the middle (doesn't wiggle a lot) and/or a fork or toothpick inserted in the center of the pan comes out sticky, but not gooey and wet.

If you're going to cut these into socially acceptable individual portions, let cool for at least 10 minutes. If you're not so concerned with social acceptability, wait about 3 minutes and grab a spoon.

Wrapped and ready to go individual brownies - yum!

Pros: 

These definitely tasted like a proper brownie. They were not cakey at all, which means that the consistency is on the right track. These brownies were fudge-like in the middle and chewy on the edges.

Cons:

Not massively aesthetically pleasing. I am blaming this on using the wrong baking dish. I would definitely suggest using a square, perhaps 9x9 baking dish. NOT a pop-out cake tin. Whoops.

These didn't quite hold the classic brownie shape once cooled; they were maybe just a little too pliable. I was possibly a little over eager to get these out of the oven and try them. Or maybe I should have used a touch less yogurt. What do you think?

Do you have a favorite brownie recipe? Or perhaps any suggestions for me? I would love to hear from you!