Harvest Pumpkin Scones (King Arthur Flour Recipe)

These deep-gold scones are as tasty as they are pretty. Cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg spice the dough; diced crystallized ginger and cinnamon chips take their flavor over the top.

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups (330g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice or 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon + 1/4 teaspoon each ginger, nutmeg, and allspice
• 8 tablespoons (113g) butter, cold
• 1 cup to 2 cups (184g to 369g) minced crystallized ginger, cinnamon chips, or cinnamon sweet bits
• 2/3 cup (152g) pumpkin purée
• 2 large eggs
• coarse sparkling sugar, for topping

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices.
2. Work in the butter just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it’s OK for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated.
3. Stir in the ginger and/or chips/bits, if you’re using them.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and eggs until smooth.
5. Add the pumpkin/egg to the dry ingredients and stir until all is moistened and holds together.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment; if you don’t have parchment, just use it without greasing it. Sprinkle a bit of flour atop the parchment or pan.
7. Scrape the dough onto the parchment or pan, and divide it in half. Round each half into a 5″ circle (if you haven’t incorporated any add-ins); or a 6″ circle (if you’ve added 2 cups of fruit, nuts, etc.). The circles should be about 3/4″ thick.
8. Brush each circle with milk, and sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar or cinnamon sugar.
9. Using a knife or bench knife that you’ve run under cold water, slice each circle into 6 wedges.
10. Carefully pull the wedges away from the center to separate them just a bit; there should be about 1/2″ space between them, at their outer edges.
11. For best texture and highest rise, place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425°F.
12. Bake the scones for 22 to 25 minutes, or until they’re golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean, with no wet crumbs. If you pull one of the scones away from the others, the edges should look baked through, not wet or doughy.
13. Remove the scones from the oven, and serve warm. Wrap any leftovers airtight, and store at room temperature. Reheat very briefly in the microwave, if desired.

Hush Puppies

Hush Puppies

• 6 cups Crisco oil
• 1 1/2 cups self-rising cornmeal
• 1/2 cup self-rising flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions
Using a deep pot, preheat oil for frying to 350 degrees.

Using a mixing bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the onion. In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk and egg. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Drop the batter, 1 teaspoon at a time, into the oil. Dip the spoon in a glass of water after each hushpuppy is dropped in the oil. Fry until golden brown, turning the hushpuppies during the cooking process.

Baking for Fall

The Fundamentals of Bread Baking

There are few things more satisfying than biting into a freshly made, crispy-on-the-outside, soft-and-supple-on-the-inside slice of perfectly baked bread. 

Bread is the foundation of a meal, the center of daily life, and each loaf tells the story of the baker who shaped it.  Many home cooks find bread baking rewarding but intimidating. 

In addition to wheat, bread is often made with rye, barley, potato, oat, spelt, soy and other lesser known grains. Added seeds, nuts and fruit often include one or more of the following (partial list):

• sunflower seeds
• pumpkin seeds
• poppy seeds
• fled seeds
• walnuts
• raisins
• currants
• sesame seeds
• olives
• linseed
• hazelnuts
• almonds
• oat flakes
• whole gain groats
• whey

In Germany, at any common bakery on the street, most, if not all of the items described above would be available on any given day. No need to go to a special, overpriced “organic” or “gourmet” bakery in some high end neighborhood. Just any average bakery will do.

Oddly, these same ingredients are often touted in online health advice articles – implying that there are health benefits to adding these “special” ingredients to one’s diet, all while other countries have had them as daily menu items for centuries if not thousands of years.

You can’t go through fall without making (or receiving) pumpkin bread at least once, and my recipe won’t disappoint.

Pumpkin Walnut Bread

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 cups white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup walnuts pieces
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

• Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three loaf pans.
• Step 2 In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugars until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, walnuts, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
• Step 3 Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

AUNT ANNIE’S PRETZELS (Copy Cat)

Ingredients

• 1 ¹⁄₂ cups warm water
• 1 ¹⁄₈ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 1/2 pkg)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 ¹⁄₈ teaspoons salt
• 1 cup bread flour
• 3 cups self rising flour
• 2 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons baking soda
• to taste course salt
• 2 -4 tablespoons melted butter

Directions

• Sprinkle yeast on lukewarm water in mixing bowl; stir to dissolve.
• Add sugar, salt, and stir to dissolve; add flour and knead dough until smooth and elastic.
• Let rise at least 1/2 hour.
• While dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cups warm water and 2 Tbs.
• baking soda.
• Be certain to stir often.
• After dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into a long rope (about 1/2 inch or less thick) and shape.
• Dip pretzel into soda solution and place on greased baking sheet.
• Allow pretzel to rise again.
• Bake in a 450 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until golden.
• Brush with melted butter and enjoy!
• Toppings: After you brush with butter try sprinkling with coarse salt.
• Or for Auntie Anne’s famous cinnamon sugar, try melting a stick of butter in a shallow bowl (big enough to fit the entire pretzel) and in another bowl, make a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.
• dip the pretzel into the butter, coating both sides generously.

Naan Bread

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoon instant dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil

Garlic Butter Topping:

• 1/4 cup butter melted
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• pinch of sea salt
• Parsley for garnish

Directions

1. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, instant yeast and salt. In another medium sized bowl whisk together the warm water, yogurt, and olive oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until the dough starts to come together. Lightly flour your your hands and knead into a ball.
2. Cover the bowl with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let it double in size in a warm area. About 1 hour.
3. Lightly flour a clean surface and shape the dough into a rectangle and cut into about 8 equal parts. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness.
4. Preheat a skillet to medium high heat. You want the skillet to be very hot. Put the dough onto the hot skillet and flip after about 30 seconds after bubbles start to form and it turns brown. Flip to the other side and cook until it is golden brown and blacked about a minute more.
5. Brush with garlic butter and garnish with chopped parsley.

Outback Honey Wheat Bread (copycat)

Ingredients

2 ½ c warm water 100°-110°F

1/4 c vegetable oil

2 T molasses

1/2 c. honey

3 ½ c whole-wheat flour

2 T cocoa

2 T active dry yeast

1 tsp salt

2-3 c bread flour

Use rolled oats or corn meal for dusting loaves

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, stir together water, oil, molasses, and honey until mixed well.

Add wheat flour to water mixture.

Add cocoa, yeast, and salt, and stir until blended.

Allow mixture sit for 10 minutes.

Stir in bread flour, one cup at a time, until dough clings to hook and almost clears the sides of mixer, about 3-4 minutes.

Cover bowl with greased plastic wrap.

Allow dough to rise in the bowl until doubled, about 30-60 minutes.

Divide into 2 pieces for large loaves or 6 pieces for mini loaves.

Cover each piece with greased plastic wrap, and let dough rest for 5 minutes.

Shape pieces into loaves, and sprinkle with oats or corn meal.

Place each loaf in a greased loaf pans.

Let dough rise until doubled, about 30-60 minutes.

Toward the end of the rising time, preheat oven to 350 F.

Bake at for 30-40 minutes.

 

 

French Toast

 

French Toast

Ingredients

3 Eggs

1/2 cup Milk

2 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour

2 tablespoons Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

1/4 teaspoon Salt, to taste

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

4 – 6 slices of thick Bread (Texas Toast or other thick bread)

Butter

Powdered Sugar

More Butter

Whipped Cream

Real Maple Syrup

 

Directions

Beat the eggs until they are frothy.

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, flour, sugar, vanilla, salt and cinnamon.

Place about a tablespoon of butter on a large skillet or griddle and heat to medium high on your stovetop.

When the butter has melted (do not let it burn) start dipping your bread.

Place a slice of bread into the batter and let soak for about 30 seconds, Turn it over and do the same for the other side.

Carefully pick up the bread and let the excess batter drip off into the bowl.

Place the battered bread onto the hot skillet or griddle.

Cook toast for about 1 1/2-2 minutes or until the side is golden brown. Flip the bread and do the same for the other side.  Remove from the pan to a plate.

Dust with powdered sugar.  Serve with more butter, whipped cream and real maple syrup.

Blueberry Muffins Protein

 

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

2 eggs

1 cup heavy cream

2 level cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 scoops Isopure Protein Powder (0 carbohydrates)

1 cup blueberries

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cream together the butter and sugar.  Add eggs, cream, protein powder, flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt.  Mix well.  Stir in the blueberries.

Use a muffin tin lined with 18 cupcake papers.  Fill the cupcake papers with the batter and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

 

Nutrition Facts
Servings 18.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 89
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 6 g	9 %
Saturated Fat 3 g	16 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 40 mg	13 %
Sodium 118 mg	5 %
Potassium 84 mg	2 %
Total Carbohydrate 6 g	2 %
Dietary Fiber 0 g	2 %
Sugars 5 g
Protein 4 g	8 %
Vitamin A	7 %
Vitamin C	6 %
Calcium	6 %
Iron	1 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

Hoe Cakes (Paula Deen’s Recipe)

Paula Deen’s Hoe Cake Recipe makes the most delicious hoe cakes you will ever taste!  My husband and I first had these hoe cakes when we visited Paula Deen’s Buffet in Tunica, MS years ago.  The cooks were constantly at the grill cooking up these yummy delights to keep up with all of the guests.  They are great hot off the griddle with soft butter and a little syrup as a side with your lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup self-rising cornmeal

2 eggs

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup vegetable oil (or bacon grease)

Butter, (or oil) for frying and more for spreading

Directions

STEP 1

Mix all ingredients together (except for frying oil and butter for spreading).

STEP 2

Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Drop mixture 3 tablespoons at a time into hot skillet. Brown until crisp; turn and brown on other side. Drain on paper towels. Serve with butter, for spreading. Leftover batter will keep in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

NUTRITION (PER SERVING): 123 calories, 10g fat

 

 

Flat Belly Mini Muffins

Here’s the exact recipe created by the USDA and tested at the University of Maryland

Preheat Oven to 325 degrees F.

Ingredients

1 Cup Safflower Oil

½ Cup Packed Brown Sugar

½ Cup Sugar

½ Cup Egg Beaters or 2 Large Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 ¼ tsp Baking Soda

¼ tsp Salt

½ Cup Mini Chocolate Chips

¼ Cup chopped nuts (Almonds, Walnuts or Pecans)

 

Directions:

Lightly coat two mini muffins pans with cooking spray or use mini muffin liners.

Mix all ingredients together.  Fill each muffin cup with 1 Tbsp batter.  Bake 10-12 minutes or until baked through.

Cool.  To maximize freshness, use doubled storage bags to freeze any muffins you won’t consume within 2 days.

Defrost in wrapping at room temperature overnight.  Makes about 48 mini muffins.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 18 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 89 Calories from Fat 51

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 5.7g 9%

Saturated Fat 0.7g 4%

Cholesterol 8mg 3%

Sodium 49mg 2%

Potassium 20mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 8.7g 3%

Sugars 4.5g

Protein 1.1g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 1% • Iron 2%

Nutrition Grade D

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet