Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

Streusel Topping

• 3 Tbsp White Sugar
• 3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1/3 C Flour
• 4 Tbsp Melted Butter

Muffins

• 2 C Fresh Blueberries 
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1 1/8 C Sugar, plus 1 Tbsp Sugar 
• 4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, Melted and Cooled
• 1 Tbsp Water Slightly 
• 2 1/2 C All Purpose Flour 
• 1/4 C Vegetable Oil
• 2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 
• 1 C Buttermilk
• 1 tsp Salt 
• 2 tsp Vanilla

Preheat Oven to 425 degrees F with rack in the middle.
First make the streusel topping. Combine Sugars and flour. Then slowly pour in the butter. You may or may not need all of it. Slowly combine with a fork until it comes together in a crumb mixture. - Set the topping aside.

Place 1 C of blueberries into a small sauce pan. Add 1 tsp of sugar and the water.
Heat over med high heat and mash with a potato masher (or a fork). Stir and cook for until mixture reduces and thickens. About 6 minutes. - Set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. - Set aside.
Whisk sugar and eggs together in mixer. Combine until thick completely mixed. Slowly mix in butter and oil until combined. Mix in buttermilk and vanilla.
Using a spatula, carefully fold egg mixture and remaining cup of blueberries into the flour mixture until the batter is just moistened.
The batter will be lumpy and there will be some flour sports in there. AND it is okay, that is how it supposed to look.

Take your muffin pan filled with paper liners and fill up each muffin cup to the top, fill it so it mounds up - like a blueberry if you will.
Grab the blueberry sauce made earlier. Dollup about a tsp in the middle of every muffin, then swirl it through.
Now, generously top each muffin with the streusel topping.

Bake Muffins at 425 degrees for 17 - 19 minutes until tops are golden brown. Cool muffins for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack nd let them cool slightly longer before serving.

Cream Cheese Banana Bread with Pecans

• 1 C Chopped Pecans 
• 1 tsp Salt
• 3/4 C Butter, Softened 
• 11/2 C Mashed Bananas
• 1 (8 oz) Package Cream Cheese, Softened 
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 C Sugar Orange Glaze (optional)-
• 2 Large Eggs More Info at End
• 3 C All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake Pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 6 to 8 minutes or until toasted and fragrant.

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add butter to mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas, pecans and vanilla. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 8 x 4 inch loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan shielding with aluminum foil during last 15 minutes to prevent browning if necessary. Cool bread in pans on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks; drizzle with glaze, if desired. Cool 30 minutes before slicing.

Orange Glaze (optional)

Stir together 1 C powdered sugar, 1 tsp orange zest and 3 Tbsp fresh orange juice for a glaze to drizzle over the Cream Cheese-Banana- Nut Bread.

Bleu Cheese Chicken Pitas

• 1 ½ cups shredded or cubed chicken (can used grilled, boiled or rotisserie chicken)
• 4 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled)
• ¼ cup bleu cheese
• ¾ cup plain yogurt
• 2 TBS mayonnaise
• ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small garlic clove
• Romaine Lettuce
• Sliced Tomatoes

Mix yogurt, mayonnaise, blue cheese, ground pepper and garlic together. Add chicken and bacon.

Put lettuce and tomatoes in pita pocket, stuff full with chicken salad.

Pita Bread

• 1  1/8 cups warm water
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 TBS oil
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 ½ tsp. sugar
• 1 ½ tsp. yeast

Mix above ingredients in a bread maker on dough setting. When finished rising, roll out into a 12 inch long tube. Cut into 6 – 8 pieces. Roll out into circles. Let finished rolled dough sit on a floured surface with a towel on top for 30 minutes, to rise.

Bake at 500. Cook 2 or 3 pitas at a time, on a cooling rack directly on the oven racks. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes, or until tops start to golden. Remove from oven, place in brown paper sack to cool, then put directly in plastic for storage.

Pretzel Bites

• 1 ½ C. Flour 
• 2/3 C. Milk 
• 2 TBSP Veg. Oil
• 2 tsp. baking powder 
• 1 tsp Sugar 
• ½ tsp. salt 
• 1 egg 

  Heat oven to 425.

Put the 1 ½ cu. Flour, milk, veg. oil, baking powder sugar & salt & mix together in a medium bowl.  Sprinkle flour on clean surface & place dough on the surface.  Divide dough into 2 parts & knead for about 10 minutes & then put med. Bowl upside down over dough & let rest for 15 minutes.

Roll out each ball of dough into a long rope & let rest.  Make an egg wash & brush over the dough, sprinkle with salt & using a pizza cutter cut up the rope into bite size pieces. 

Place on a cookie sheet & bake for 9 to 11 minutes of until bites are golden brown.  Let pretzels cool & enjoy! 

Baked Puffed Flatbread

Makes eight 6- to 7-inch breads. 

Make sure you let the pieces of dough rest after forming them into balls and again after rolling them into 4-inch circles; otherwise, they will shrink back and not hold their shape.

• 1 package dry active yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1 cup water (warm -- 110 to 115 degrees)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil , plus extra for brushing
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt , plus extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour , sieved (before measuring) to remove coarse flakes of bran
• 2 cups bread flour , plus additional as needed
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)

 1. In either the workbowl of a food processor fitted with stainless steel blade or, if working by hand, a medium mixing bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water. Add oil, sugar, and yogurt and pulse to mix, about four 1-second bursts, or, if working by hand, mix with wooden spoon until well combined. Add salt, sieved whole wheat flour, and 2 cups bread flour; process until smooth, about 15 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, or, if working by hand, mix with wooden spoon until flour is incorporated, about 3 minutes. Process dough (adding more flour as necessary until dough just pulls completely away from sides of bowl) until soft and satiny, about 30 seconds, or, if working by hand, turn dough out of mixing bowl onto very lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 12 to 15 minutes. Squeeze dough gently with full hand; if dough is sticky, sprinkle with flour and knead just to combine. Place dough in medium bowl or straight-sided plastic container, cover with plastic wrap, and place in warm, draft-free spot until dough doubles in size, 30 to 45 minutes. (At this point, dough can be punched down, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerated up to 2 days.)

2. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface and, if it is sticky, sprinkle very lightly with flour. Following illustrations 1 through 4 below, cut, shape, and roll dough. If using sesame seeds, brush tops of circles lightly with water, sprinkle each circle with 3/4 teaspoon seeds, and gently roll over with rolling pin once or twice so seeds adhere to dough.

3. About 30 minutes prior to cooking, adjust oven rack to lowest position, line rack with unglazed baking tiles, pizza stone, or preheated baking sheet and heat oven to 500 degrees. Bake dough rounds on preheated tiles or pizza stone until bread is puffed and golden brown on bottom, 5 to 6 minutes.

4. Transfer breads to wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; wrap in clean kitchen towels and serve warm or at room temperature.

Fabulous French Bread

Dissolve together:

• 2 ½ cups warm water
• 2 TBS sugar
• 2 TBS yeast

 Add:

• 2TBS oil
• 1 TBS salt
• Let salt dissolve in mixture.

 Then add: ½ of 6 cups of flour. After adding the first 3 cups, the dough should be smooth before adding any additional flour. Slowly add each additional cup making the mixture as smooth as possible. It is a stiff dough.

Let rise until doubled. Punch down.
Divide dough in half, with a rolling pin, roll into a rectangle.
From the long horizontal side, roll into a loaf, pinching the ends as you go.
Let rise about ½ hour.
Cut slits in the top, wash with an egg.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Rolls- Grandma’s best!

This is comfort food royalty

Start 5 hours before serving

• 1 small potato – cooked and mashed or use potato flakes. It needs to equal 1 cup
• 2 Tablespoons yeast dissolved in 1 cup warm water and 1 teaspoon sugar
• 4 cups evaporated milk (can use 2c evaporated milk-2c water)
• 4 tablespoons melted butter + extra to dip dough=yummy!
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 eggs
• Flour – a lot

Note: I do this in my kitchen aid with mixer and then dough hook
Boil potato, mash (or flakes). Dissolve yeast in water and sugar. Let sit 5 minutes- ish Mix together yeast mixture, warm milk, butter, sugar, salt, eggs and potato. Add just enough flour to make a soft mix (about 3 cups). Mix just until blended and let rest for 10 minutes. Add about 7 more cups of flour ( enough to make a soft dough – you can handle this dough). Turn into a large bowl sprayed with pam. Cover and let rise to double 3 times. Dip roll into melted butter and place on pan. Let rise once more in pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Makes 4 dozen + rolls.

This recipe is our Great Grandma Safrans’ (from Germany). Every important event in our lives have been accompanied by these!

Ancient Bread

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, more for dusting (I substitute ½ to 1 cup whole wheat flour)
• ¼ t. instant yeast
• 1 ¼ t. salt
• Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed

In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt.  Ad 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap.  Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.  Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball.  Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal.  Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours.  When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees.  Put a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats.  When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven.  Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is ok.  Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.  Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned.  Cool on a rack.

Grilled Garlic Herb Bread

• 1 loaf or crusty artisan bread (baguette, pugliese or ciabatta)
• 8 tablespoons butter
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• aluminum foil
Cut loaf of bread in half lengthwise and open up. In a small mixing bowl, combine butter, garlic, basil and parsley. Mix until well combined. Spread half of the mixture on each half of the bread. Place halves back together and wrap in double aluminum foil, sealing edges tightly.
Place on upper rack of grill heated to between 375-400 degrees. Allow to cook about 15 minutes. Remove from grill and unwrap

Homemade Flour Tortillas

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons lard
• 1 1/2 cups water

Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. Mix in the lard with your fingers until the flour resembles cornmeal. Add the water and mix until the dough comes together; place on a lightly floured surface and knead a few minutes until smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Use a well-floured rolling pin to roll a dough ball into a thin, round tortilla. Place into the hot skillet, and cook until bubbly and golden; flip and continue cooking until golden on the other side. Place the cooked tortilla in a tortilla warmer; continue rolling and cooking the remaining dough.

Mormon Muffins

• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 cup shortening (or butter)
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 qt. buttermilk
• 5 cups flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 cups 100% bran buds
• 2 cups bran flakes
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Add baking soda to the hot water and let cool. Whip shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs slowly. Mix well. Add the buttermilk, flour and salt. Mix well. Add the soda water very slowly. Mix in the two bran cereals into the mixture with the chopped walnuts. Spoon into greased muffin tins. Bake @350 degrees for 18 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.

Muffin mix must sit in the refrigerator over night before baking. Muffin mix will last one week, covered and refrigerated.

Makes 3 dozen muffins