Whole Wheat English Muffin Bread

1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten flour (optional: will yield a slightly softer, fluffier bread)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 (0.25oz) package (7g) or 2 1/4 teaspoons Yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup of skim milk
1/4 cup of water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Cornmeal (for sprinkling the pan)

 Lightly grease an 8½x4½-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Dust the bottom and sides with cornmeal. Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, vital wheat gluten flour (if using), brown sugar, yeast, salt, and baking soda.

In a microwave-safe bowl or large glass measuring cup, combine the milk, water, and oil. Microwave in 30 second intervals, until the liquid reaches 120-130°F. Stir the liquid together well before taking the temperature, and for best results, use a digital read thermometer.

Pour the warm liquids over the dry ingredients, then beat the mixture on high speed for one minute. The dough will be very soft, somewhat sticky, and moist. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan, then press it gently with the back of your hand to make it as even as possible.

Lightly grease a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray, then cover the pan and let rise in a warm, draft-free place, until the dough just barely rises over the top rim of the pan, about 1 hour, depending upon the temperature of your kitchen. (Alternatively, you can place the loaf in your refrigerator to rise overnight. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to baking.) Towards the end of the rise time, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400°F.

Once dough has risen, remove the plastic wrap and bake for 22 to 27 minutes, until it is golden brown and the interior temperature registers 185-190°F. Check the dough at the 15-minute mark—if it is browning too quickly, lightly tent the pan with foil, then continue baking until the bread is done. Remove the bread from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes in the baking pan. Gently turn the bread out from the pan and place it on a cooling rack. Allow bread to cool completely before slicing. 

Easy Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour spooned & leveled (250 grams)
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cubed (85 grams)
¾ cup cold buttermilk plus more for the tops of the biscuits (180 ml)

 Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt until well combined. Add the cubed cold butter and cut it into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter (you may also use a food processor for this step) until you have small pea sized pieces of butter. Pour the cold buttermilk into the mixture and gently mix until the dough starts to come together.

Scoop the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently work it together with your hands. Pat the dough into a rectangle and fold it into thirds (like a letter). Turn the dough, gather any crumbs, and flatten back into a rectangle. Repeat the folding process two more times.

Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat it down into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle (make sure to measure!). Using a floured 2.5-inch biscuit cutter, cut out the biscuits. Make sure not to twist the biscuit cutter as you're cutting, just press the cutter straight down and pull it straight back up.

Continue to gather any scrap pieces of dough, patting it back down to 1/2-inch thickness, and cutting it until you have 8 to 10 biscuits. I suggest trying to get as many as you can the first time, as you continue to work the dough the biscuits won't be quite as good.

Arrange the biscuits on the baking sheet touching each other. Brush the top of each biscuit with a little bit of buttermilk.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter, if desired. Allow to cool for a few minutes, serve, and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Apple Pear Oatmeal

1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats

1 apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 pear, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Coat inside of slow cooker with cooking spray.

Add all ingredients, stir, cover, and cook on low for 7 hours.

Sausage and Potato Breakfast Casserole

 1 pound bulk pork sausage

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cup milk

1 1-pound package frozen shredded hash brown potatoes

1 1/4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter an 8x8x2 inch glass baking dish. Cook sausage in heavy large skillet

over medium-high heat until brown, breaking into small pieces with the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Mix in flour, then milk. Cook until mixture thickens and comes to a boil, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Arrange potatoes in the prepared dish. Top with 1 cup of cheese, the sausage mixture and remaining 1/4 cup of cheese.

Bake casserole until potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes. Serves 6

Baked French Toast

1 loaf cinnamon swirl bread, cubed

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, cubed

8 eggs

2 1/2 cups milk

6 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup maple syrup

Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish and then cover the bottom of the pan with half of the bread cubes. Scatter the cream cheese cubes over the bread cubes, then top with remaining bread cubes.  In a blender, combine eggs, milk, butter, and maple syrup.  Pour over bread and cream cheese.  Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let stand about 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with warm maple syrup.

Herbed Ham and Cheese Baked Eggs

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 sweet onion, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 1/4 tsp kosher salt, divided

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (1 Tbsp.)

12 large eggs

3/4 cup sour cream

2 tsp Dijon mustard

4 oz Gouda cheese, shredded (1 cup)

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for topping

3 oz Parmesan cheese, finely shredded (about 2/3 cup), divided

8 oz deli smoked ham (8 slices), torn into pieces

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives, plus more for topping

 Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in center and upper third positions. Heat oil in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium. Add onion, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is lightly browned on edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Meanwhile, whisk eggs, sour cream, mustard, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisk in Gouda, chives, parsley, and 1/3 cup Parmesan.

Pour egg mixture over onion mixture in skillet and scatter ham over top. Cook, stirring gently and scraping along edges of skillet, until eggs are just beginning to set and form creamy curds, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup of Parmesan.

Bake on the center rack until the edges are puffed and center is almost set, about 10 minutes. Transfer skillet to upper rack and increase oven temperature to broil. Broil until lightly browned on top, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Top with chives and parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 8

  

Low Carb Blender Pancakes

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup egg whites (3 eggs)
1 teaspoon baking powder
scant 1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt

Place oats in a blender and blend into fine powder.  Turn blender off and add cottage cheese and egg whites. Add baking powder, honey, salt, and vanilla - blend well. Heat nonstick griddle pan over medium heat.  Cook until browned on all sides.  Makes 8 pancakes

Make Ahead Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Cake:

 ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup sour cream
⅓ cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Nut Crumble:

¾ cup coarsely chopped pecans
¾ cup sliced almonds
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
6 Tbsp all-purpose flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ cup (½ stick) melted butter

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp milk

In a large bowl, beat ¾ cup butter on medium speed until creamy. Gradually add granulated sugar and ½ cup brown sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups flour and the next 4 ingredients (through ¼ tsp cinnamon). In a small bowl, combine sour cream, heavy cream, and vanilla. With mixer speed on low, add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Allow each addition to fully incorporate before adding next. Scrape batter into a greased and floured 13-by-9-inch pan. Cover tightly; chill for 8–24 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Let batter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Nut Crumble:

Combine all ingredients for Nut Crumble. Sprinkle over batter. Bake 32–35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Icing:

Stir together ingredients for icing until glossy and looks like ribbons when a spoon is lifted from the bowl. Drizzle over warm cake. Serves 8–10.

 

Spinach, Bacon and Guyere Breakfast Casserle

4 center-cut bacon slices

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (about 1 medium onion)

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

6 ounces fresh spinach, chopped

6 ounces crusty whole-grain bread, cut into 1-in. cubes

3 ounces cave-aged Gruyère cheese, shredded (3/4 cup)

Cooking spray

3/4 cup 1% low-fat milk

3/4 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt

4 large eggs

2 large egg whites

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium until crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving 1 1/2 tablespoons drippings in skillet; discard any remaining drippings. Finely chop bacon; set aside.

 Add onion and garlic to drippings in skillet over medium-high heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is browned and tender, about 10 minutes. Add spinach; cook until spinach wilts, about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Toss together chopped bacon, onion mixture, bread cubes, and cheese in a large bowl. Arrange mixture evenly in an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine milk, yogurt, eggs, egg whites, mustard, pepper, and salt in a large bowl; stir with a whisk until well combined. Pour evenly over bread mixture. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.

 Preheat oven to 350°F. Uncover baking dish; let strata stand at room temperature as oven preheats. Bake strata in preheated oven until top of strata is browned and a knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let strata stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 6

 Calories 287 Fat 14g Satfat 6.1g Monofat 4.4g Polyfat 1.8g Protein 19g Carbohydrate 21g Fiber 3g Cholesterol 149mg Iron 2mg Sodium 546mg Calcium 307mg Sugars 6g Est. added sugars 1g

 

Green Chili Strata

8 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups chopped green chilis ( 3 4-ounce cans)
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt

Generously coat a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Cover the bottom of the dish with 4 tortillas.  Sprinkle tortillas with half of the green chiles, then half of the cheese.  Repeat layers once more.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs.  Add milk and salt and whisk until combined.  Pour over layered ingredients in the baking dish.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees, the strata should be slightly puffed, bubbly, and turning golden.  Let cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 8 - 10

Popovers

These are a bit lighter and still very tasty.

4 egg whites
1 cup skim milk
2 teaspoons canola or corn oil
1/2 cup all-purpose white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray 8 of the 12 muffin cups in a muffin tin with no-stick spray, set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine egg whites, milk, and oil. Add the all-purpose flour, wheat flour, and salt. Use a wire whisk and beat until smooth.

Pour batter into the prepared cups, filling each halfway. 

Bake about 40 minutes or until the tops are dry and firm. Immediately remove from pan and serve hot.  They are excellent with butter and jam.

Makes 8 popovers.

Spiced Zucchini Bread

3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped nuts
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini
1 8 ounce can crushed pineapple drained well

Combine flour, soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nuts; set aside.  Beat eggs lightly in a large mixing bowl add sugar, oil, and vanilla beat until creamy.  Stir in zucchini and pineapple.  Add dry ingredients stirring only until dry ingredients are moistened.  Spoon batter into 2 well-greased 9x5x3 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Cool ten minutes before removing from pans.  Makes 2 loaves.

Blackberry Whole Grain Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon apple-pie spice
1 cup fat-free milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups frozen blackberries, coarsely chopped
Cooking spray
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 400°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (through apple-pie spice) in a large bowl. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, butter, vanilla, and egg in a small bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring until just moist. Gently stir in blackberries.

Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each of 17 paper-lined muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 16 minutes. Sprinkle muffins evenly with granulated sugar; bake 3 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire racks.

Egg & Sausage Bake

If you are looking for something for Easter Brunch, give this a try, it is delicious.

8 slices of bread, with out crusts and cubed

1 pound pound pork sausage, cooked, crumbled & drained

1 & 1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, sauteed and drained

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

4 eggs

2 & 1/2 cups milk

1/4 teaspoon dried mustard

1 10 3/4 ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/2 a soup can of milk

Place bread cubes in the bottom of  9 x 13 inch dish.  Add sausage, mushrooms, and cheese to bread cubes.  In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, milk and dry mustard.  Pour liquid ingredients over ingredients in casserole.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  The next day, bring casserole to room temperature.  Mix mushroom soup with 1/2 can of milk.  Pour over casserole.  Cover with buttered seasoned bread crumbs.  Bake in a preheated 325 degrees for 75 minutes.

Raspberry Streusel Muffins

For Muffins
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup sugar
1 large egg
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup fresh raspberries

For Streusel Topping:
½ cup flour
½ cup oatmeal
1/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, softened

Use a pastry cutter or a fork to mix streusel topping ingredients to a crumbly consistency and set aside. Grease a muffin pan that holds twelve muffins. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, with electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until well blended.

In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In small bowl, combine milk, sour cream and vanilla. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk mixture, beating until just combined. Gently fold in raspberries.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan, filling each one about 2/3 full. Sprinkle tops of muffins generously with Streusel topping.

Bake muffins 20 – 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Cool muffins on wire rack. Makes 12 muffins

Cranberry Scones

Here is something that you can make in honor of the wedding of Kate and William.

13/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup white chocolate chips
1 egg
1/3 cup half and half

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.  Cut butter, using a pastry cutter or two knives, until mixture looks like crumbs. Stir in cranberries and white chocolate chips.  Stir in egg and half and half so that dough forms into a ball.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface.  Knead lightly ten times.  Pat into an 8-inch circle on ungreased cookie sheet.  Cut into eight wedges, but do not separate.  Sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Bake 16 - 18 minutes or until golden brown.  Carefully separate the wedges and remove from the cookie sheet to wire rack to cool.

Chive and Goat Cheese Frittata

This is a simple dish that can be served any time of day, not just breakfast

8 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 medium tomato chopped
2 tablespoon fresh chives, or 1 teaspoon dried chives
2 teaspoons butter
3 1/2 ounces of goat cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In medium bowl with wire whisk beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper until well blended.  Add tomatoes and chives.

In oven safe non stick ten inch skillet melt butter over medium heat.  Pour in egg mixture, drop tablespoons of goat cheese on top of egg mixture.  Cook for 3 - 4 minutes until egg mixture begins to set around the edges.

Place skillet in the oven; bake until frittata is set, 8 to 10 minutes.  To serve, cut into four wedges.

Makes 4 main dish servings.