Brown Butter Soda Bread

Every Saint Patrick's Day, my family has to have Irish Soda Bread. It's tradition, and you can't mess with tradition. I typically bake a large batch in the morning for breakfast, where my family and I eat the bread hot from the oven with salted butter....Mmmm....it's truly to-die-for.  And then that night, we dip the bread in our corned beef and cabbage or stew or whatever Irish dinner we're having. Then, we have the leftovers for breakfast the following morning reheated with butter -- that is...if it makes it that long.

And I am pleased to announce that this is officially my favorite soda bread recipe. Why? Because of the browned butter. 

If you've never browned butter in a recipe before, here is your chance (and if you seriously haven't tried my Brown Butter Cookies, you really haven't lived yet). By browning the butter, you end up with a toasty, rich aroma that tastes so flavorful and savory. The rich flavor compliments the rosemary perfectly, and the whole wheat flour gives the bread an amazing texture. By brushing the top of the bread with olive oil before baking, you end up with wonderfully crisp edges, while the interior stays soft and fluffy.  You also get a delicious burst of sea salt and black pepper with every bite.

This is definitely going to be a staple in my house every Saint Patrick's Day!

*adapted from Epicurious

Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary (or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper plus additional for topping
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
• Olive oil, for brushing
• Sea salt

Instructions:

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. 

2. Stir butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until melted and golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Stir flour, oats, sugar, rosemary, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in large bowl to blend. Pour buttermilk and melted browned butter over flour mixture; stir with fork until flour mixture is moistened.

4. Turn dough out onto floured work surface. Knead gently until dough comes together, about 7 turns (the goal is to work it as little as possible -- for a fluffy texture. If you work it too much it will become dense). Divide in half. Shape each half into ball; flatten each into 6-inch round. Place rounds on ungreased baking sheet, spacing 5 inches apart. Brush tops with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with ground black pepper and sea salt. Using small sharp knife, cut 1/2-inch-deep X in top of each dough round.

5. Bake breads until deep golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Cool breads on rack at least 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Toasted Coconut Banana Bread

I've been trying to find the perfect, classic banana bread recipe, and I have not had any luck with that yet, however....during my search, I found this delicious alternative.  Coconut and banana are just so amazing together, am I right?  The combo reminds me of summer: drinking pina-coladas....just so refreshing!  This bread is also not too sweet, and has just the right amount of banana flavor.  In this recipe, your classic banana bread jumps up to a whole new level. Finely shredded coconut adds a sweet crunch to this moist, flavorful treat.  I recommend it plain, but I highly recommend it with these loaded up variations: served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream/whipped cream and/or chocolate chips, with coffee for breakfast, chilled in the refrigerator, or toasted with cream cheese frosting and/or nutella and/or peanut butter.

Yield: 1 loaf (about 10-12 servings)

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 beaten eggs, at room temperature
1 cup mashed, very ripe bananas (2 large or 3 medium bananas)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
1 3/4 cups flaked coconut, toasted

Instructions:

Grease a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan; set aside. In a large mixing bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center. In a medium mixing bowl combine beaten eggs, mashed bananas, oil, milk, and vanilla; mix well. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir just till combined. (The batter should be lumpy.) Fold in toasted coconut.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool in pan on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.  Serve warm, at room temperature, and/or chilled.

Chocolate Chip-Apple-Cinnamon Bread

I wanna start off by saying that I am SO SORRY I haven't posted in so long!  My school started at the end of August and I've been super busy with my crazy schedule.  Buttt.... this recipe is totally worth the wait.  I made this a few weeks ago and I fell in love with the flavors of cinnamon, apples, and chocolate.  I know they sound kind of weird together, but I promise the flavor is really delicious.  I love the nutty flavor as well.  It's such a wonderful bread/cake to make in the fall, and goes great with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream when hot from the oven.  It also tastes divine the next day with a cup of coffee.  What I loved the most about this bread is that it has so many different flavors, textures, and ways to eat it!  My entire family gobbled it up within a day, and I will definitely make it again.  The next time I make it, I will experiment with walnuts, white chocolate chips, and maybe vanilla chips and/or cinnamon chips.  I also may try swirling the topping into the batter, or maybe even swirling in some - - - - wait for it...........Nutella! Yumm!

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons white sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup finely chopped nuts (I used almonds, but walnuts would be my first choice)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons buttermilk

1.5 cups chopped apples

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup chocolate chips (i used semi-sweet, but dark or white would be great too)

Directions:

1.  To make the topping, in a small bowl mix the sugar, cinnamon and finely chopped nuts. Set aside. 2. In a medium bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside. 3. In a separate large bowl cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk. Stir in apples, nuts, and  chocolate chips. Pour into a greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Sprinkle with topping. 4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F (175 degree C) oven for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

25 Minute Cinnamon Rolls

"Time saver. Interesting. Delicious. Amazing in its simplicity. Ingenious."

I don't know if you've ever tried making home made cinnamon rolls, but anyone who has would know that they are SO time consuming.  With making the dough, adding yeast, kneading the dough, and letting it rise...who has the time???  Well, now you can make home made cinnamon rolls in minutes.  I was super skeptical of this recipe when I saw it, but it looked so yummy that I just had to try it.  I used whole wheat bread, since it was all I had, and they still turned out phenomenal.  I can't even imagine how yummy white bread or cinnamon bread or cinnamon raisin bread would taste.  They truly taste like a home made cinnamon roll...so buttery and cinnamon-sugary. My parents and I gobbled so many of them down, especially since they are pretty small.  And with home made cream cheese icing...oh my word.  They were heavenly.  They reheat well the next day, too.

Yield: 12 small rolls

Ingredients:
12 slices of fresh bread
melted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon powder

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 190C (375F).
2. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
3. Cut the crusts off each slice of bread. Using a rolling pin, roll each slice as thinly as you can. 4. Spread both sides of the piece of bread with melted butter. Coat one side of the buttered bread with the cinnamon sugar, ensuring that it is generously covered. Roll as desired (be as creative as you like) and fit the cinnamon roll into a greased mini muffin tray. 
5. Repeat with the remaining slices. Bake for 15-20 or until golden brown. Cool in tray a few minutes before removing. Serve warm, as is, or with frosting and/or crushed nuts. 

***adapted from Lickthatspoon

Irish Soda Bread

Yield: 1 small loaf


Irish soda bread hasn't always been a favorite food of mine.   It would always be at an Irish pub restaurant down the street from our house, but I always thought it was too dry, crumbled apart easily, and flavorless.  So...because I'm Irish...and because my parents love Irish soda bread...and because I wanted to learn to like the type of bread...I decided to try making it myself.  I found a basic recipe off Allrecipes.com, and I altered it based on the reviews, and I ended up baking a wonderful loaf of bread!  It's much, much, much better than the soda bread from the Irish pub I had.  This loaf is moist, soft, doesn't crumble apart, and has just the right amount of flavor.  Because of the light flavor, it pairs well with any meal.  It has a hearty texture and is absolutely amazing when eaten hot out of the oven with softened, salted butter.  My favorite way to eat it was toasted with salted butter, cinnamon and brown sugar for breakfast.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Cornmeal, for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a cup or small bowl, stir together the milk and vinegar. Let stand 10 minutes, or until curdled.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flours, sugar, rosemary, oregano, salt and baking soda. Stir in the curdled milk mixture just until smooth.
3. Pour into a greased loaf pan and sprinkle with desired amount of cornmeal.
4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the crust feels firm to the touch. Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. 

Peanut Butter Waffle Toast

Betty Crocker's picture...








And mine...

, 

....yummmmmm.....

Betty Crocker is an absolute genius.  This recipe literally transforms a normal piece of bread into a waffle.  Just pour some peanut butter pancake batter over the bread, stick it in your waffle iron, and wah-la!  Waffle toast!  I did not grease my Belgian waffle maker because this makes the waffle extra crisp on the outside, and my waffle turned out big, crispy, and peanut buttery!  So delicious!  The inside is a little more dense than your average waffle because it's a piece of bread, but it's still very yummy.  I actually used an open hot dog bun as opposed to whole wheat bread, because those were my only two options and I love hot dog buns...but I'm gonna try the whole wheat bread next time I make it.  I topped mine with maple syrup, some maple butter, whipped cream, chocolate chips, and banana slices.  I guess you could say I like toppings(:  This recipe left my brain screaming with ideas about transforming more things into waffles...banana bread with this batter or chocolate/chocolate chip pancake batter, chocolate cake slices with this batter, and any other cake with any type of pancake batter around it, strawberry or blueberry bread with strawberry or blueberry pancake batter around it, or a cookie with pancake batter around it....I could go on all day!




You can find this magical recipe here.

Cinnamon Sugar Crusted PB&J

 

Oh my goodnessssss... peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are love.  And while I've had many toasted before, never have I thought of giving it a cinnamon-sugar, crispy coating...until a few weeks ago.  I got the idea when I saw somebody at Bruegger's order a cinnamon sugar bagel with peanut butter and jelly, and I thought that was pure genius. This was super easy and made the classic sandwich even more amazing.   I would definitely advize you toWhen you bite into this heavenly delight, your taste buds experience a warm, rich, and gooey peanut butter and jelly mixture, but also a crispy, cinnamon sugar sweetness...causing the sandwich to be completely irresistible.  It was so good, I barely even savored the moment because I ate it so darn fast!  I would highly advise you to have a cold cup of milk handy...you'll definitely want to refresh your sticky mouth(: The picture above is the side without the cinnamon sugar, because the cinnamon sugar side didn't look too appetizing since it turned almost black...even though it wasn't burned...it was just toasted.  I promise you that it tastes way better than it looks! (But the side in the picture looks pretty, right?) The next time I make this, I'm going to try [different variations]...like peanut butter and banana, peanut butter and apple, almond butter, flutternutter...you can really take any type of nut butter sandwich and transform it into a super awesome sandwich with a cinnamon sugar crust! Yum!


Yield: 1 sandwich

Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon butter, softened (preferably salted, but unsalted is fine too)
2 slices sandwich bread
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon jelly




Instructions:

Mix together the sugars and cinnamon, set aside.

Spread each slice of bread with butter, on one side. (Each slice should have about 1/2 teaspoon)

Spread peanut butter on one slice of bread (side without the butter). Spread fruit spread over peanut butter. Place the bread with the peanut butter and fruit spread on it, butter side down in the skillet.

Top with remaining slice of bread, leaving the butter side out. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the bread.

Cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and cook the other side until golden. If some cinnamon sugar mixture falls off, spoon it back onto the top of the sandwich.  Remove from pan, slice if desired and enjoy.

Baked Toffee Apple French Toast

The flavors of this dish were so unique!  Who knew that apples, cream cheese, vanilla, chocolate, and toffee would all taste so delicious together??  I found this recipe at Betterrecipes.com, but I modified it a little to make it better (candy bar used, type of milk, type of apples, and bread cube size).  I was really skeptical before making it because there were no reviews and I had no idea if I was going to like apples and cream cheese and chocolate mixed together, but I definitely did!  The flavors blend perfectly together, and there's just the right amount of each ingredient.  The richness of the cream cheese and vanilla, combined with the slight tartness of the apples, with a slight burst of chocolate toffee was so amazing...and smells heavenly while baking.  The inside is super moist and comforting, and the very top is wonderfully crunchy.  The only change I may make next time I make it is to add a cinnamon brown sugar topping because some of the bread cubes sticking up at the top would have been really tasty with a sweet, crunchy, topping.  But it totally isn't necessary.  I would also love to try this with white chocolate chips instead of the heath bar..or just adding white chocolate chips to the heath bar.  I highly recommend serving this warm with whipped cream, and it's also very tasty chilled after sitting in the refrigerator.


Ingredients:

8 cups	Cubed or torn French Bread, about 1" cubes
2	Medium apples, peeled and chopped
1 pkg	(8 Ounces) Cream Cheese, softened
¾ cup	Packed Brown Sugar
¼ cup	White Sugar
1¾ cups	Whole Milk
2 tsp	Vanilla Extract, divided
½ cup	English Toffee Bits (such as Heath Bar)
5	Eggs

DIRECTIONS:

Place half of the bread cubes in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish; top with apples. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugars, 1/4 cup milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth; stir in toffee bits. Spread over apples. Top with remaining bread cubes.

In another bowl, beat the eggs and remaining milk and vanilla until blended; pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350F for 35-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Philly Cheese Steaks

Jersey Mikes's Philly Cheese Steak:

And mine:

so tender...so juicy...so cheesy...

Have you ever had Jersey Mikes's legendary Philly Cheese Steak??  If you haven't, then you have no idea what you're missing.  That sandwich (ordered with just steak and cheese, and some mayo if you like mayo...I don't like it with the added peppers and mushrooms) is definitely one my top 3 best sandwiches I've ever had (I can't decide if it's first, 2nd, or 3rd compared to my triple decker flutternutter found here and my classic flutternutter found here).  I received an email from America's Test Kitchen with some recipes, and this Philly Cheese Steak recipe was one of them.  I'd been wanting to make this amazing sandwich ever since my first bite into Jersey Mikes's four years ago.  Of course, there was no doubt in my mind that the America's Test Kitchen one wouldn't be incredible, since they test it so many times.  And I was right....this recipe is the bomb.  It tastes so much like the philly cheese steak at Jersey Mikes!  They only difference is the meat.  The Jersey Mikes meat is a little more tender, probably because it's marinated much longer.  This recipe has thicker cuts of meat, but it's super juicy and every bite is filled with the cheesy goodness from the white american cheese - my favorite cheese of all time.  A Philly Cheese Steak has to have white american cheese for it to be good...trust me.  I also wrapped up a left over sandwich and stuck it in the fridge to have for lunch cold the next day, and it was sooo tasty.  I know...a philly cheese steak cold???  Yeah.  It's just that good.

SERVES 4

If skirt steak is unavailable, substitute sirloin steak tips (also called flap meat). Top these sandwiches with chopped pickled hot peppers, sautéed onions or bell peppers, sweet relish, or hot sauce.

INGREDIENTS

• 2pounds skirt steak , trimmed and sliced with grain into 3-inch-wide strips
• 4(8-inch) Italian sub rolls , split lengthwise
• 2tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2teaspoon salt
• 1/8teaspoon pepper
• 1/4cup grated parmesan cheese
• 8slices white American cheese (8 ounces)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Place steak pieces on large plate or baking sheet and freeze until very firm, about 1 hour.
2. 2. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread split rolls on baking sheet and toast until lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes.
3. 3. Using sharp knife, shave steak pieces as thinly as possible against grain. Mound meat on cutting board and chop coarsely with knife 10 to 20 times.
4. 4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until smoking. Add half of meat in even layer and cook without stirring until well browned on 1 side, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir and continue to cook until meat is no longer pink, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer meat to colander set in large bowl. Wipe out skillet with paper towel. Repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and sliced meat.
5. 5. Return now-empty skillet to medium heat. Drain excess moisture from meat. Return meat to skillet (discard any liquid in bowl) and add salt and pepper. Heat, stirring constantly, until meat is warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, sprinkle with Parmesan, and shingle slices of American cheese over meat. Allow cheeses to melt, about 2 minutes. Using heatproof spatula or wooden spoon, fold melted cheese into meat thoroughly. Divide mixture evenly among toasted rolls. Serve immediately.

Lemon Blueberry Cake Loaf

   

Ohmygoodness this is my new favorite bread...cake...loaf...whatever you wanna call it!  It's just my favorite thing ever.  It tastes like a mix between a coffee cake and a pound cake.  I absolutely LOVED it with coffee for breakfast! It's even better than Starbucks's iced, lemon pound cake! And that's one of my favorite things at Starbucks. The lemon and blueberry flavors in this loaf compliment each other so well, making the it a perfect spring dish.  It's so incredibly moist, and tastes amazingly fresh even up to the third day (it barely lasted that long in my house, though).  Don't use any more blueberries than the recipe states because it's the perfect amount as is.  Try this warm from the oven with whipped cream, and also when it's cooled. For some very strange reason, I thought it tasted best the third day, when I had wrapped a slice in a plastic bag.  Wrapping it made it even more incredibly moist and the texture was just phenomenal.  If I made it again, I would still have a slice warm with whipped cream because I loved that, but I would wrap the rest of the loaf when it's slightly warm and let it sit, wrapped overnight.  This would assure a melt-in-your-mouth, soft, moist, perfect texture and perfect, rich taste.  


Yield: 1 loaf (about 12 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
•  
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup powdered

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat together butter, 1 cup sugar, juice and eggs. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; stir into egg mixture alternately with milk. Fold in lemon zest and blueberries. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Combine lemon juice and 1/4 cup powdered sugar in a small bowl, and pour over warm loaf.   Cool bread in pan for at least 10 minutes before serving.  If you choose to have some when room temperature the next day, then when the loaf is just slightly warm, cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and let sit overnight.

The Best French Toast In the Entire Universe

 

Oh yeah.  I'm not kidding in the slightest...this is the BEST french toast recipe ever.  I first had it a few year's ago at my friend Lisa's house; her mom made it for us for breakfast.  I loved it so much...I had at least thirds.  I kept telling her how incredible it was, and she made it every time me and Lisa had a sleepover.  It cuts like butter, and the inside is perfectly eggy and soak up the egg/milk mixture sooo well.  The addition of orange zest gives it a wonderful, fresh taste that makes it so much better than any other french toast recipe.  And the honey makes it perfectly sweet and...ohmygoodness everything about this recipe is just SO perfect.  It's just as phenomenal every time I eat it.  It's one of those recipes where once you have it, you have to have it every couple weeks or so or you'll go insane because you love it so much. She gave me the recipe and I can honestly say I've only made it once, but I used a different bread, so it didn't turn out as good as she makes it. You have to use a good Challah bread, or it won't taste like the absolute best french toast in the entire universe.  But I promise you that if you follow this recipe exactly, it will be the best.  After you try this recipe, you will never eat another french toast recipe EVER again.  Whenever me or a friend or family member makes or orders french toast, it seriously tastes almost gross, because all you can think about is how much better this recipe is.  I recommend serving it will pure maple syrup, a little bit of powdered sugar, and fresh strawberries. Please try this recipe...it will not disappoint.  You can find this recipe here.

Guinness® Bread

    

 

In honors of Saint Patrick's Day last weekend, I wanted to make some beer recipes. I don't know why, but I absolutely love the flavor of alcohol in foods.  Like chocolate bourbon balls?  Oh my gosh...those are my favorite.  And for those of you that don't know...alcohol burns off when you cook it, just giving the food an incredible flavor. But I came across this recipe from allrecipes.com, and it looked super easy, so I decided to make it for breakfast on Saint Patty's Day.  I was extremely impressed.  This bread is so perfect...not to mention healthy!  It's made with whole wheat flour and rolled oats, and is very low fat.   It reminds me of the brown bread you get at the Cheesecake Factory, only this has a slightly different flavor from the beer and it's way more moist and a lot better!  And that's saying so much because I absolutely adore that brown bread at the Cheesecake Factory.  This is amazing served warm with >butter<.  I had it for breakfast with butter, honey, and a sprinkle of cinnamon...sooo good.  However, it would be perfect any time of the day, like as a side for lunch, dinner, soups, etc.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup regular rolled oats, plus additional
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle Guinness® beer

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan.
2. Mix together the oats, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In a separate large bowl, stir together the butter, vanilla, buttermilk, and Guinness® beer. Pour the flour mixture into the beer mixture, and gently stir until well blended. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan, and sprinkle with additional oats if desired.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C), and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Turn the oven off, open the door, and allow to cool for 30 minutes in the oven before turning out onto a wire rack.