From the Kitchen: Multigrain Corn Muffins

I am probably in the minority in that I'm not a huge fan of the standard cornbread mixes...I find them way too sweet!  I prefer my cornbread to be more savory than sweet, so this recipe that my mom makes is perfect!  The ingredients include oats, but they somehow disappear when these bake - there are no visible oats in the finished product!  These go great with soup or chili!

Multigrain Corn Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins
Cook time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
3 tablespoons wheat germ
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, vegetable oil, and egg.  Add the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened (the batter may be lumpy).  

Spoon into the muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean.  Serve warm, with butter!

From the Kitchen: Quick Amish Friendship Bread

Growing up, there was a family that lived on our block that always brought over loaves of Amish friendship bread.  It didn't last long in our house!  They made it the legit way too, using the "starter", which I don't fully understand but I think it's similar to making sourdough bread.  

I don't have the patience for that, so I was excited to try out a cheater recipe that doesn't involve use of the starter!  Even better, this can be made with ingredients most people always keep on hand, which means you can whip up some delicious quick bread whenever you want!  I love how the top gets a crunchy cinnamon-sugar topping!  This bread is great for breakfast or just for a snack!

Quick Amish Friendship Bread

Adapted from The Semisweet Sisters
Yield: 1 large loaf, or 3 mini loaves

Ingredients:

Bread:
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice (or 1 cup buttermilk if you happen to have that on hand...but who does?)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

Cinnamon/sugar swirl and topping:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Grease 1 - 9"x5" loaf pan or 3 - 5.75"x3" mini loaf pans.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and egg until light and fluffy.  Add the milk, flour, and baking soda, and mix until combined.  

In a separate bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon for the swirl/topping.

Pour half of the batter into the greased loaf pan(s) and use a rubber spatula to smooth the top (the batter will be thick).   Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the batter.  Top with the remaining half of the bread batter.  

Use a butter knife to swirl the batter around in the pan to swirl the middle cinnamon-sugar layer.  Smooth the top of the batter with a rubber spatula, and top with the remaining cinnamon sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes (mini loaf pans) or 50-60 minutes (9"x5" loaf pan), or until a toothpick comes out clean.

From the Kitchen: Honey Beer Bread

I can't think of anything I love more than warm, homemade bread.  I don't like beer, but a good beer bread is hard to beat!  It's thick, chewy, buttery, and just ever-so-slightly sweet.  I made this beer bread recently to go with soup and it was so, so good.

Honey Beer Bread

Adapted from Tasty Kitchen
Cook Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking power
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey
1 12-ounce bottle beer (I used Shiner Light Blonde)
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Use cooking spray to grease a 9"x5"x3" loaf pan.  

Measure the dry ingredients and mix together in a medium bowl.  Add the honey and beer, and stir into the dry ingredients using a wooden spoon until just combined (do not overmix).  

Pour 1/2 of the melted butter into the bottom of the loaf pan.  Spoon the bread dough into the pan, smoothing the top with the wooden spoon, and top with the remaining melted butter.  Bake for 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Serve warm with butter.  Enjoy!

From the Kitchen: Perfect Popovers

There's nothing like a good popover, whether for brunch with fruit compound butter or as a side to a great dinner - browned and crispy on the outside, moist and eggy on the inside - perfection.  After years of making faux popovers using a regular muffin tin, I recently bought a popover pan - hey, what else was I supposed to do to get to the $35 minimum for Amazon free shipping?  (I bought this one, and the nonstick coating is great.)  The difference in the popovers was AMAZING - totally worth it!  

I halved this recipe (my husband and I do not need 8 popovers sitting around the house - they'll get eaten!), and it made 4 impressively large popovers in a normal-sized popover pan.  I had a little bit of a challenge halving the 1/6 teaspoon baking soda (how the heck do you measure 1/12 teaspoon?!) but I just used a 1/4 teaspoon and eyeballed it 1/3 full.  It seemed to work fine :

Perfect Popovers

Adapted from Making Lemonade

Yield: 8 popovers

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

4 eggs, room temperature*

2 cups milk, room temperature*

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/6 teaspoon baking soda**

*Ideally, let your eggs and milk come to room temperature before preparing.  If you forget (like I always do) or are short on time, just warm the milk in the microwave for about a minute (not too hot or it will cook the eggs).

**I'm not sure how you're supposed to accurately measure 1/6 teaspoon.  However, it's so little that I think you can just eyeball it - use a 1/3 teaspoon and shoot for half full.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  If necessary, move the rack in your oven to allow enough room above the popover pan - keep in mind that they will rise up to 4-5 inches above the pan, and you don't want them hitting the top of the oven.  Spray a popover pan with cooking spray.

Whisk the eggs in a medium mixing bowl.  Add the milk and whisk until well blended.  Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until nearly smooth.

Fill popover pan cups 3/4 full with batter.  (You can also use a muffin tin - it will make more, but smaller, popovers).  Bake for 14 minutes.  Without opening the oven (you don't want the heat and steam to escape!) reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the outside is crispy and brown.  

Remove from oven and immediately pierce the bottom of each popover with a knife to allow the steam to escape (this helps them stay crispy).  Serve immediately with butter, jelly, and/or whipped cream (depending on what meal you're serving them with!)

From the Kitchen: Spiced Pumpkin Bread

It's fall, which means it's now socially acceptable to make pumpkin recipes!  I love everything pumpkin, and pumpkin bread is no exception!  It's perfect with coffee for breakfast and will remind you of fall, even if it's still 100 degrees outside!  With cloves, nutmeg, and a sweet, caramelized crunchy topping, this pumpkin bread screams fall!  I love to make in mini loaf pans so I can share with neighbors and friends.

On a side note, it is difficult to take appetizing pictures of this bread because it is so dark - similar to the color of gingerbread.  However, don't let my poor photography turn you off!  It's delicious, I promise!

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup canned 100% pumpkin
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.  Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and oil until well blended.  Add the eggs and continue mixing until the batter is light and fluffy.  Add the pumpkin, mix on low speed until blended, and then add the dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Pour into a greased pan - either a 1 8x5-inch loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans (I use this Wilton pan).

To make the topping, use a pastry cutter (I use this one) to combine the butter, flour, and brown sugar until the butter is pea-sized.  Spread the topping over the batter in the pan(s).  Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before removing from the pan and cooling on a wire rack.