Coffee Cake Muffins with Salted Maple Glaze

Today marks thirty years for Grant and me. Hard to believe.
The best thing about being married thirty years?
Let me think about it.
The worst thing? I think I have to say- gift ideas. For a man. For thirty years! Seriously.
Ok, now I'm ready. The best thing is still being "in love". This is a little inside joke...
Grant likes to say we are still "in love".
I correct him and say-"I think you mean - we love each other."
Whatever. Hopefully this isn't making you gag. Being a food blog and all.

I know you want to see a pic of what 30 years looks like. Do you think we are starting to look like each other? 

You know how that happens to couples who have been married a long time? 

If you block out my hair, I think we kind of look alike. hmmm. 

If I was at home, I'd make these wonderful muffins for my sweetie.
Not together on our thirty year anniversary???
Nope.  I'm on a baseball road trip.
Why?
Hello.
Because everyone wants to be in AZ in late June. Watching their kid play baseball in 108 degree heat at 2 pm. Eating at bad chain restaurants. Making sure the kid doesn't o.d. on Mountain Dew. Or get heat stroke. Or pull the fire alarm in the hotel. Grant had to head back home after four days. So here I am, texting him updates, with my free hand (the one that isn't holding up the umbrella, which is shielding me from the sun) while trying to pay attention to details like- what happened last at bat? Where was the ball hit? What inning is it? Top or bottom?  How many outs? Who is pitching?
Oh my.
I was getting another bottle of water. I have no idea.
Glad he's still in love with me.






Coffee Cake Muffins with Salted Maple Glaze

adapted from Martha
print recipe

Streusel ingredients:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1 tablespoon melted butter

Muffin ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt, room temperature

1/2 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup sugar

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze ingredients
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons maple flavoring
2 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a small mixing bowl, use a fork to mix together streusel ingredients.  Add the chopped pecans and melted butter. Mix until all ingredients are combined. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, eggs, sour cream or yogurt, applesauce and vanilla. Add sugar a little at a time until sugar is dissolved. You may use beaters or mix by hand. 

Add the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Fold the dry ingredients into the wet and stir till evenly moistened. Do not over-mix.
Scoop batter into each lined muffin tin. Fill the muffin cups evenly.
Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of streusel on the top of each muffin.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool while making glaze.
Place powdered sugar, milk, maple flavoring and melted butter into small bowl. Whisk together. Add salt and mix well. Spoon the glaze into a small plastic bag.
Work the frosting into the corner of the bag and snip off a small corner with scissors. Gently squeeze and drizzle the frosting in a zig-zag pattern across the top of the muffins.

Tips:

- I lightened up this muffin recipe by substituting yogurt and applesauce for sour cream. Also subbed in oil for 1/2 cup butter. 

-If you aren't a maple fan, you may use vanilla extract. 

-If you want to make large bakery style muffins, use 6-8 custard cups and line with cupcake liners. Fill to the top with batter, and follow remaining directions. Place the custard cups on a cookie sheet and bake. 

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Ruth's Mile High Biscuits

Make these for your DAD today.

You'll be his new favorite. 

Ruth's Mile High Biscuits

Ruth's Diner, SLC Utah

print recipe

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees

12 oz flour (about 2 1/2-2 3/4 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 oz butter, chilled and cut into small cubes

Combine all of the ingredients above till crumbly, using a pastry cutter, or two knives.

Add:
3/4 cup buttermilk, shaken
1 egg
1/4 cup water
Mix just until all of the wet and dry ingredients are combined,
Pat out onto a floured surface. Cut with a 2 inch biscuit cutter, or a glass.
Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes.


Tips:
-Don't be concerned when these aren't "mile high". They rise about as much as any other biscuit recipe I have tested, about 2 inches total. The name may have come from the altitude in Emigration Canyon, where the biscuits are served :)
-These biscuits are a perfect combo of tender, a little sweet and salty.

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Frieda's Light Wheat Bread

Last week at The Fork, we had an amazing hands-on bread making class taught by Frieda, Queen of Bread Making.   Frieda is a darling woman who really knows her stuff when it comes to bread and roll making. If you haven't already stumbled across her blog, you can find it here. Who doesn't love the smell of bread baking in the oven on a cold and snowy day, which we FINALLY had last week and most of the day today. Yes, our White Christmas, finally came, a month late.
If you have been looking for a good starter-level recipe for light wheat bread, this is perfect for you. It's fairly simple to put together (don't be intimidated by the lengthy recipe), and your family will love it. The texture is so light, it's almost like white (gasp!) bread.  Forget the fragrance candles. Nothing beats the aroma of home made bread, baking in your oven.







Light Wheat Bread
Frieda Loves Bread
print recipe

2 1/3 c. room temperature water
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. honey
3 c. whole wheat flour
1 T. salt
1 T. vital wheat gluten (purchased at health food stores)
2 T. active dry yeast
2-3 1/2 c. all purpose flour

Step by Step Instructions:
Place water, oil and honey in a 5 quart mixing bowl. Stir until dissolved.
Place 3 cups wheat flour on top. DO NOT STIR.
Sprinkle salt, gluten and yeast on top. Stir until flour is not visible. You may have a few lumps visible.
Cover and let mixture sit for 10 min. You will see bubbles begin to form in the dough at this point.

Add 2 cups all purpose (white) flour. Mix thoroughly. Add 1/2 cup all purpose flour at a time, mixing thoroughly each time. Dough should start to cling to the hook and begin to clean the sides. Between each 1/2 cup of flour added, knead for 1 minute. Stop the mixer and check the dough. Dough should start to look "smooth."
Touch the dough lightly. Dough should feel moist, not dry. If dough is sticky (leaving a lot of dough on your fingers), add 1/4 c. flour and knead for 1-2 minutes. Check the dough. Dough should cling to the dough hook and your sides should have a little bit of dough on it.
Remove dough hook, scrape down sides of bowl, oil the top and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm room for 20-30 min. Double Test: Take 2 fingers and "poke" your dough about 1/2". If the "dents" stay, it has risen double in size. If the "dents" try to rise back up, your dough needs more time.
Take dough out of the bowl and put on clean, oiled surface. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions. (2 for the larger loaves) Shape each into a round ball and cover with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rest for 5-10 minutes for easier shaping.
Grease loaf pans. Shape each portion into loaves by oiling surface (counter, etc) rolling into a 8x12 rectangle, taking the short end and rolling the dough towards you, sealing by pinching it tightly, pinching the ends of the loaf to fit the pan and putting it sealed side down in the loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap.
Let rise for 20-30 min. Dough should be about 1" above the pan.
Turn oven to 350 and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Turn out loaves immediately onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before storing in plastic bread bags.

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Honey Cornbread Muffins

I made these as part of a lunch, for some of my favorite 16-18 year old friends in November. Want to see a pic? They're so cute. Once a month we get to have lunch together either at Kathleen's, the school or my home.  I promised I would post the recipe. 

You know I'm a fan of cornbread of almost any type. These fit into the pantry ready category. Meaning you probably have all of the ingredients in your pantry to make these. Perfect with soup. 

Next post: Vegetarian Minestrone. 

Honey Cornbread Muffins
The Neely's, Food Network
print recipe

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup honey

Special equipment: paper muffin cups and a 12-cup muffin tin

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Into a large bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the whole milk, eggs, butter, and honey. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.
Place muffin paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Evenly divide the cornbread mixture into the papers. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden.

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Buttermilk Scones and Cookbook Giveaway- CLOSED

One of my long time favorite cookbooks has been the Heritage Salt Lake Jr. League Cookbook. First printed in 1975, it has become a cookbook classic. I know with the age of computers, blogs, online magazines and websites, purchasing cookbooks may seem silly to some. But there is absolutely nothing like holding a good book in your hands. Even though I have an electronic device for reading books, I still like to thumb through pages, mark them, and stack them up next to my bed. The last real book I read was The Help, almost two years ago.
I know.
Two years since I've finished a real book??  It's because I spend my time reading cookbooks :) The latest in my stack of cookbooks was Miette, "recipes from San Francisco's most charming pastry shop."  It's a beautiful book with darling scalloped page edges. The photos of the shop and the cakes are inspiring to say the least. It makes me want to hop on a plane and be in SF by lunchtime. Soon I'll make a cake and share my Miette cooking adventures!
So yes, I do love the Internet, and I have fun blog and site jumping. But nothing will ever replace my cookbooks. It's been a while since I've done a cookbook giveaway, so today, I'm having a little pre-holiday-get-inspired to cookupastorm giveaway! I thought about giving these books away to several people, but then decided- wouldn't it be so wonderful to win all four??? So fun.
One winner, four books!

Here are the books:

Miette, recipes from San Francisco's most charming pastry shop
Truly a beautiful book.

Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible 
Paula's newest cookbook.

America's Test Kitchen "Menu Cookbook" 51 Menu's for every occasion
Holiday ideas and more...

Southern Living Christmas Cookbook 2011 
Gift ideas, food, entertaining, such a fun book. 

Here's what you need to do to enter:

1. Leave a comment. Tell me your favorite cookbook of all time.
2. Two entries if you are a follower.
3. Know how I'm teaching/organizing cooking classes at South Fork Hardware's Kitchen Center? Here's our new blog, with class schedule, recipes from classes, etc. Become a follower on the South Fork's blog and get another entry.
After your initial entry, you may enter each day after, one time per day.
Winner announced in one week: Wednesday, Nov 9th.
Good Luck!


Yikes. I almost forgot the recipe!

We made these on Halloween. Our Halloween tradition has been chicken noodle soup and scones for years. These are my very favorite. They come from the old  SLC Jr. League Heritage Cookbook. The  recipe comes from Donna Lou Morgan, Food Editor of the Salt Lake Tribune for years. Her professional name was "Bonnie Lake".  How cute is that?

Bonnie Lake's Buttermilk Scones
Salt Lake Jr League Heritage Cookbook, 1975
print recipe

2 packages dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 quart buttermilk, warm
2 eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
8 cups flour, approximately

Soften yeast in warm water.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Mix warm buttermilk, eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, baking powder, salt, baking soda, 4 cups flour and dissolved yeast.  Beat until smooth.  Add remaining flour to make soft dough.  Cover. Let rise until double in bulk.  Punch down.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Just before frying, roll out on a floured surface.  Cut into  2 1/2" x 3 1/2" rectangles and fry in hot (365 degrees) fat until golden brown on one side.  Flip over.  Brown other side.  Drain on paper towel.
yield: 4 to 5 dozen scones.

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Cutler's Cinnamon Rolls

Last week at The Fork we had Curt Cutler from Cutler's Cookies teach us how to make cinnamon rolls. He and his lovely assistant Tatyana mixed, rolled, shaped and baked their way into our hearts. I think I've sampled enough cinnamon rolls in my lifetime to say this was one of the best I have ever eaten. Certainly the best to come out of a kitchen in Bountiful. Too bad they don't sell them at Cutler's Cookie shop.  Curt says they only have about a 12 hour shelf life. Twelve hours? That long? :)  If he sold these at the store, I think their name would have to be changed to Cutler's Cinnamon Rolls (and Cookies).










Cutler's Cinnamon Rolls
Cutler's Cookies
print recipe

Dough:
1/4 cup warm water
1 (.25 oz) package yeast

1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup warm milk
1 egg

1/2 (3.4 oz) package vanilla instant pudding, dry
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour

Filling:
1/4 cup softened butter
1 cup brown sugar ( or 1/2 cup brown, 1/2 cup white)
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans (this says optional, but I think it should say required)

Frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla


Proof the yeast  by placing the yeast in the warm water, set aside.
Place the melted butter, milk, and egg into bowl of mixer fitted with paddle or dough hook attachment. Mix well.  After the yeast has started to bubble, add to the milk mixture. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated. Add all of the dry ingredients, and mix until smooth and dough no longer sticks to sides of bowl. You may need to add a little more flour.
Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place for about 45 minutes to one hour.
Meanwhile, mix together butter, sugars and cinnamon for filling, set aside.
When dough is ready, roll out onto floured surface into 24x10 inch rectangle.
Spread filling ingredients on top of rolled out dough, sprinkle with nuts.
Roll up dough beginning with long side. Take care to tuck the dough tightly and evenly. Go along the dough a little at a time, tucking the dough as you roll. When finished rolling, cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Place on a greased pan, let rise until doubled, or about 45 minutes in a warm place.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until light golden color.
Let cool for about 5-10 minutes.
While rolls are cooling, Beat cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla together in a bowl.
Mix until smooth. Spread frosting onto rolls while still warm.

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Coconut Pumpkin Bread

Last Saturday it was 90 degrees. Today it SNOWED  at my house. Lightly, but it did snow. I took a drive up to Park City this morning. And it was an all-out blizzard up there. Snow in the first week of October? This calls for baking.
I've made several loaves of coconut pumpkin bread in the past week. A few for a teacher luncheon and a few for our open house at South Fork. I love it because it's a little change from the usual pumpkin bread varieties of either chocolate chips or raisins. It was a big hit at the open house. I know you're going to love it too!

**Remember to enter our KITCHENAID Stand Mixer Giveaway! Click here to enter!

Coconut Pumpkin Bread

Tessa Reinemer

print recipe

1 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil

5 eggs

2 cups pumpkin

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon soda

1 cup chopped nuts (optional) if not using nuts, add ¼ cup flour to recipe

2  -3.4 oz packages of instant coconut cream pudding  (dry)

Coconut for sprinkling on top, if desired

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and set oven racks on bottom third of oven.

Line and grease 2 loaf pans.

Beat eggs and oil together in large mixing bowl. Add pumpkin. Mix well.

Add all dry ingredients; mix until all ingredients are incorporated.

Pour ingredients into prepared loaf pans.

Sprinkle tops of leaves with coconut, press in slightly.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  

Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove to rack and let cool completely.

Tips:

-You may add 1/4 cup of coconut to batter if desired. 

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Butterscotch Sticky Buns

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,’ said Piglet, ‘what’s the first thing you say to yourself?’
‘What’s for breakfast?’ said Pooh. ‘What do you say, Piglet?’

‘I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?’ said Piglet.

 Pooh nodded thoughtfully. ‘It’s the same thing,’ he said.”
- A. A. Milne, ‘The House at Pooh Corner’

I made these a few weeks ago. I think Pooh would have approved :)

Butterscotch Sticky Buns
adapted from Food and Wine Magazine, 2011
print recipe

Dough
3/4 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter—6 tablespoons softened, 2 tablespoons melted
2 large eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup pecan halves,  (optional)

Glaze
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons cream
1 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon  vanilla
1/8 teaspoon baking powder

DIRECTIONS
In a glass measuring cup, heat the milk in the microwave until warm, 1 minute. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the warm milk and the yeast. Add the granulated sugar and the 6 tablespoons of softened butter and mix at medium speed until the butter is broken up, 1 minute. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the flour and salt and mix at low speed until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the side of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and mix the dough for 2 minutes longer. The dough should be soft, but not sticky. If needed, add up to 1/2 cup more flour. A little at a time until dough is no longer sticky.  Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325°. Spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to a 9-by-24-inch rectangle. In a small bowl, mix the light brown sugar with the cinnamon. Brush the 2 tablespoons of melted butter over the dough and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Beginning at a long edge, roll up the dough as tightly as possible and pinch the seam. Cut the log into twelve 2-inch pieces and set them in the muffin cups cut side up. Cover and let stand in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Set the muffin pan on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the buns are golden brown. Spread the pecans in a pie plate and toast for 10 minutes, until fragrant. Let cool, then coarsely chop the nuts.
In a small saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter, condensed milk, cream and corn syrup to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt, vanilla and baking powder.
Unmold the buns. Pour the glaze over the hot buns and sprinkle with the pecans if using. Let stand until the buns have soaked up some of the glaze and are cool enough to eat, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Tips:

• I had to make a few adjustments to the original recipe. This could be due to the fact I live in a very dry climate. Baked good such as rolls and breads tend to bake quicker at our (4400 ft) elevation.  I reduced the amount of flour in the original recipe(it called for mixing in 4 cups of flour).  I felt like 3 1/2 cups, then adding additional flour , a little at a time worked better than adding 4 cups all at once.
• I also decreased the baking time. The original recipe called for 25-30 minutes. We (my resident taste testers) thought the sticky buns were dry, even though they were drenched in glaze. So I reduced the cooking time in the recipe above. 

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Amy's Bread Zucchini, Carrot and Apple Muffins

Zucchini. Have you had any show up on your front porch lately?  A couple of weeks ago, I walked into my kitchen and found three zucchini on my counter. No idea how they got there. Pretty sure I didn't grow them in my batting cage... When my kids came home, I asked them about the mystery z.
Jake said Chris, my back-door neighbor handed them over the fence (thanks Chris). Probably when he was out back, hitting plums from the deck into the batting cage.

They sat on the counter for a few days, and eventually ended up in muffins. I chose this recipe because I had two ENORMOUS bags of carrots in my fridge. In a moment of stupidity, I bought this warehouse-great-deal bag of carrots.  Enough carrots to feed a small country. I think it weighs twenty pounds. I was making a carrot cake at the time and thought it was a good idea. So a month later, I still have 19 pounds of carrots in my fridge. Well, after this recipe maybe 18.  Let me know if you need any carrots.
Oh, the muffins. Wonderful. I love Amy's Bread.  If you love carrot cake, you'll love these. They are dense, not too much sugar and are made with veggie oil instead of butter. I added raisins to the batter, since I love raisins in my muffins. Great texture. A meal in a muffin.














Zucchini, Carrot and Apple Muffins
adapted slightly from Amy's Bread, NYC
print recipe

3 cups flour
1 1/8 cups sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sweetened coconut
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
4 large eggs

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 cups peeled grated carrots
2 cups zucchini, unpeeled
2 cups granny smith apples, grated
3/4 cup walnut pieces, or 3/4 cup golden raisins or both

Position rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tins.
In large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, coconut, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder, whisk together.
In another medium size bowl, whisk eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add grated carrots, zucchini and apples. Stir together, until all fruit and vegetables are mixed well.
pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients all at once. Fold until all incorporated. Fold in nuts and raisins   if using. The batter will be very thick.
Scoop the batter into greased muffin pan using a large cookie scoop. Or use a large spoon or measuring cup. Fill the muffin tins almost to the top to insure full, rounded muffin tops.
Bake at 400 for ten minutes, lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 6 minutes. Check the muffins by inserting a toothpick in center, if it comes out clean, muffin is done.
Leave the muffin in the tin for about ten minutes, then loosen edges with a butter knife and remove from pan to cool.

Tips:
-I used unpeeled, cored Macintosh apples.
-I did not add the nuts, but added golden raisins. You may add one or both, or neither, if you wish.
-The original recipe calls for 12 large muffins. I thought the muffins would be too big as a large muffin, especially since these are dense, filling muffins. I baked the muffins in regular size muffin tins. The recipe yielded about 22 regular size muffins.
-Since I did not make the muffins into 12 large muffins, I cut the baking time. The original recipe calls for 400 degrees- ten minutes, rotate the pan, lower temperature to 350, then bake for an additional 22-25 minutes. Maybe this was a misprint? That would total at least 32 minutes.  Way too long. My muffins were done baking in 16 minutes flat.
-Super moist. Great texture. These freeze well.

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Pioneer Woman Maple Glazed Cinnamon Rolls

So by now, you know who the Pioneer Woman is, right? Funny lady who likes to blog, home school her kids, take photos of food, her kids, her ranch and her man. Just got her own gig on the FN. One of my friends introduced me to her a few years ago. I've made a few of her recipes: Olive Cheesy Bread, Marlboro Man Sandwich and my favorite- her Maple Glazed Cinnamon Rolls. The maple glaze sets these rolls apart from your average cinnamon roll. That and about a pound of butter.  Try these, I know you're gonna love them.





Pioneer Woman Maple Glazed Cinnamon Rolls
adapted from Pioneer Woman 
print recipe

6-8 inch round disposable cake or pie tins

1 quart whole milk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 packages Active Dry Yeast, 0.25 ounce packets or 4 1/2 teaspoons
9 cups, separated, all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon  baking soda
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup soft, room temperature butter
1 cup sugar each: white and brown, mixed together in a bowl
4 tablespoons cinnamon

Maple Glaze:
4 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons maple flavoring
1/2 to 3/4 cups milk or half and half
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but not hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour. Meanwhile, mix the remaining 1 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl together. Set aside.

After rising for at least an hour, add the remaining flour mixture to the dough.  Stir mixture together. At this point, you may cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary*.

Prepare pans:
Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Don't skip this step. It's the other thing that sets this cinammon roll recipe apart from the rest. Lots of butter.

When ready to prepare rolls:
Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half of the dough and form a  rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, into a rectangular shape.  With a knife or spatula spread 1/2 cup soft butter over the dough. Sprinkle 1 cup of the mixed sugars over the butter followed by 2 tablespoons of cinnamon.

Starting at the long side, roll dough until all of the dough is formed into a long, tight roll, jelly-roll style. Cut with a sharp knife or use dental floss to make 1 inch thick rolls. Lay rolls into buttered pans. You should have room for about 7-8 rolls per pan.

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 30 minutes, then bake at 375 degrees until light golden brown, about 18 minutes.  Let rolls cool for about 5 minutes, then prepare frosting.

Frosting:
Mix together all ingredients and whisk until smooth. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls.

Tips:

-*Storing the dough in a large plastic sack helps contain any raising the dough will do while stored in the refrigerator for up to two days. I have used a large white plastic garbage sack (clean of course) with a little flour shaken inside before placing dough in sack. I loosely twist the sack closed, allowing room for the dough to expand.
-Make sure to buy disposable pans and give away a few pans of rolls. Otherwise, all of the rolls will end up in your kitchen. And you will have to start unbuttoning the top button on your pants WAY before Thanksgiving. 

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Skillet Biscuits

You all know how I love a good biscuit. Seriously, l could live on biscuits alone. Well, not totally alone. Butter and jam. And biscuits. Maybe in that order.
I've never owned a cast iron skillet- until now. My mom had one when I was a kid. My dad thought he was a cook. And he thought everything should be cooked in that cast iron pan. Bacon. Spam. Hash browns. Eggs. I absolutely hated my eggs cooked in the cast iron pan. Especially if the pan wasn't wiped out after the meat was cooked. I hate specks on my eggs. I like them to be clean.
White.
And yellow.
Maybe a bit of salt and pepper.
I didn't want residual specks of- whatever was left in the cast iron skillet after cooking the rest of the meal on my eggs. I know, I have issues. 


Somehow, I associated my less than perfectly (in my opinion, as a 7 year old)  cooked eggs with a cast iron pan.  Bad feelings/cast iron skillet.  I need therapy. Years later, as a grown up (that's me, now)  I have heard,  you can't be taken seriously as a cook if you don't own a cast iron pan. Pfshhhh. Whatever.
Then I saw a recipe or two showing biscuits cooked in the oven, using a cast iron skillet. And the benefits of using one. The nice all around golden color.

I loved that way the cooked biscuits looked in the pan. So cozy. I imagined their bottoms, sides and tops browning perfectly.  Next thing I know, I bought one (at my favorite, TJMaxx) $11.99 for a Lodge brand pan. Love it.
This recipe is a bit different from my tried and true buttermilk biscuit recipe. The difference- sugar.  I've tried lots of biscuit recipes. The best ones are made with shortening, in my opinion. The combo of sugar, shortening, buttermilk, along with my new cast iron pan?
Tender, flaky, slightly sweet, golden browned perfection.





Skillet Biscuits
adapted from Paula Deen
print recipe

2 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening (Butter Flavor Crisco)
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in the shortening with a fork or pastry cutter, until it looks like cornmeal. Add the milk, a little at a time, Just until all dry ingredients are incorporated.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead lightly two or three times. Roll out the dough with a floured rolling pin to about 1 inch thickness.  Cut with a two inch cutter.
Place the biscuits in a greased iron skillet. Biscuits will be touching each other  in pan.
Brush tops of biscuits with melted butter. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden browned.
After the biscuits are done cooking, remove from oven and brush with remaining butter.

Tips:
-Don't get all worked up if you can't fit the biscuits in the pan perfectly. I cut one biscuit into two and formed two little biscuits.
-Don't over handle the biscuits, this will make them tough.
-Keep the ingredients cold.
-Keep the oven HOT. This allows for a high rise on the biscuits.
-I bake these on the lower third of the oven so the tops won't over brown.
-You may use regular Crisco, I prefer Butter Flavor Crisco. I've found TARGET has the best price on the Crisco sticks. So easy to use when making biscuits or pies.

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Basic Fruit Muffins with Streusel Topping

Questions I get almost weekly from young'ins (as Jake, age 14, likes to call them)  are: "Can you give me some recipes I can make when I move out? Easy recipes for college students, missionaries or newly married peeps? Low cost, quick and easy recipes?  I'm posting a new category, starting today called
"New Beginnings"-college and mish meals, for all of the above.  Hello. Yes, there is life beyond Del Taco or your mom's kitchen.
This is a great basic muffin recipe. If you don't have blueberries, try canned. Drain the fruit well and chop it up. No fruit at all? (did you spend all of your money on ice cream?)  Leave it out. No butter for the topping? Leave the topping off, and sprinkle with a little sugar. Most of the ingredients should be in your pantry. If not, and you're a student, load up next time you are home. Your mom won't mind.
I like this recipe, because the batter doesn't require butter.
Don't tell me you don't cook. I'm not listening. lalalalalalallalalalalalala.
Still not listening.
Get busy. Start cooking. Let me know how it goes.

Basic Fruit Muffins with Streusel Topping
A Bountiful Kitchen
print recipe


1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup milk
1 cup blueberries or other fruit (blackberries, strawberries, raspberries)

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Grease muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
Combine 1 1/2 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  Pour oil, beaten egg and milk into center of dry ingredients.  Mix with large spoon or fork just until wet and dry ingredients are incorporated. Fold in fruit.  Spoon batter into muffin cups. Fill to top of cup.
Make topping- cut butter into all dry topping ingredients. Spoon topping on top of unbaked batter.
Bake for 20-25 minutes on middle rack of oven until tops are golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

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Cinnamon Swirl Bread with Sweet Cinnamon Butter

Two and a half years ago, I started blogging about my fifth child, Cooking.  I started because I was a little sad that my kids were growing up. A little sad that, although I love my boys, I was now the only girl left at home. It seemed like I was facing a never ending camping trip of sorts (non stop burping, smelly socks, flatulence (sick, I know), etc). Instead of meals where the girls loved my creations, the dinner conversations now sound like this: "Why is there fruit on my meat?!"   Or after whipping up a honey Balsamic dressing for a salad-"Where's the Ranch??"  

They don't get it. 

Corrine (my oldest daughter) took pity on me and set up  A Bountiful Kitchen.  

It has been a great little outlet for me. I love to cook. I love taking pictures of food.  I love to discuss recipes through convo and emails I get from friends near and far.  This past week, I made two new blogger friends. My new friend, Robin, who lives back East, asked me about a recipe for cinnamon bread. I've had this basic white bread recipe for about 100 years. It's one of those tried and true, old but good.  I added some cinnamon sugar and passed the recipe on to Robin.  

Yesterday, while we were experiencing our 20th day of temperatures below 20 ( or something like that)  I mixed up a batch of Cinnamon Swirl Bread.  There's nothing like the smell of bread baking in a warm home when it's cold outside. Nothing like it. 

Oh, the Sweet Cinnamon Butter. Let's just say I could have eaten it alone, as an appetizer. 

Cinnamon Swirl Bread with Sweet Cinnamon Butter
(Famous White Bread)
adapted from Salt Lake Jr. League Heritage Cookbook, 1975
print recipe

2 packages dry yeast
2 cups warm water
4 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 cups milk
5 tablespoons shortening or butter
4 teaspoons salt
8-12 cups flour, approximately*
beaten egg for top of loaves (optional)

Filling for cinnamon swirl bread and cinnamon butter:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons cinnamon

Sprinkle yeast over warm water. Add 1 tablespoon sugar. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Warm milk in small saucepan. Stir in shortening or butter, remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and salt. Cool to lukewarm.
Stir dissolved yeast into milk mixture.
Thoroughly mix in half of the flour. Add remaining flour, 1 cup at a time until dough is no longer sticky.  Knead, until smooth and satiny. Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover with small towel. Place bowl in warm spot. Let rise until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour).
Punch down and let rise again until doubled in bulk (about 30-60 minutes).
Grease three 4 1/2 by 8 1/2 inch pans generously with butter.
Divide dough into three pieces. Roll out into 3 rectangles, approximately 8x10 inches. Spread each rectangle with cinnamon sugar mixture (about 1/3 cup of sugar mixture per loaf). You should have about 1/2 cup of the sugar mixture left over to make the cinnamon butter.  Roll each piece of dough starting at short end, tucking end under when placing in pan.
Brush the loaves with a beaten egg (optional) and sprinkle with sugar.
Let rise again until doubled (or about 30-45 minutes) .
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Remove from pans immediately, and sprinkle with additional sugar.

Sweet Cinnamon Butter
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup leftover filling from cinnamon bread

Soften butter in microwave, or leave sitting out on counter while preparing dough.
Mix butter and 1/2 cup cinnamon sugar mixture together in medium size bowl. Spoon into crock and serve at room temperature with bread.

Tips:
- *I like the texture of this bread when using bread flour  instead of regular white flour. I prefer
"Gold Medal Better for Bread Flour".  Found in most grocery stores.  If using a bread flour, you will only need about 8-9 cups of flour.
-This bread is wonderful sliced thick, toasted or used for French toast the next day.
-yes, this also makes awesome cinnamon rolls.

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