Buttermilk Zucchini Bread

This zucchini bread turned out to be a nice surprise.  It looked beautiful coming out of the oven, and it tastes great too.  The flavors are very subtle -- a little bit of sweet, a little bit of lemon -- but no single flavor smacks you in the face.

Buttermilk Zucchini Bread
Adapted from Miri Leigh

6 T butter, softened
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 c shredded zucchini
1/2 c buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp lemon zest

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees; lightly grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan.
2) Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
3) Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
4) Mix in zucchini, buttermilk and vanilla.
5) In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and lemon zest.
6) Add flour mixture to wet ingredients in 3 batches; mix only enough to fully incorporate.
7) Pour batter into prepared loaf pan; bake for 55 - 60 minutes.

Oatmeal Cookie Muffins

I was perusing food blogs this morning looking for dinner recipes for this week when I got distracted by this muffin recipe from How Sweet It Is.  I made muffins immediately.  They turned out great and I definitely plan to make them again.  I would have preferred chocolate chips to raisins but Jason has some strange aversion to chocolate in breakfast food.

Oatmeal Cookie Muffins

1 c oats
1 c milk, divided
1 egg
1/3 c brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c butter, room temperature
1 c whole wheat pastry flour (I substituted 1/2 c whole wheat and 1/2 c all-purpose)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 c raisins (or chocolate chips!)

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) In a small bowl, combine oats and 1/2 c milk; set aside.
3) In a large bowl, whisk together egg and brown sugar.
4) Whisk in vanilla extract and butter; small lumps may remain.
5) Mix in oat mixture, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
6) Add remaining 1/2 c milk and stir until smooth; fold in raisins.
7) Spoon batter into greased muffin tin (makes 12); bake for 15-18 minutes.

Homemade Tortillas

I never imagined that making homemade tortillas would be so easy.  We have not used store bought tortillas in months now.  The first recipe I tried produced dry pita-like tortillas, but Diana's recipe turned out to be just what I was looking for - thin, soft and flexible. 

Be careful when adding the water in this recipe.  You may not need the same amount every time -- maybe it has something to do with the weather?  I also recommend rolling out the next tortilla while the previous one is cooking.  I tried the assembly line thing where I rolled them all out and then cooked them all with disastrous results.  The heat in the kitchen made them too warm and sticky and they were very difficult to handle.

Homemade Tortillas

2 c flour (optional: sub 1/2 c of whole wheat flour)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
about 3/4 c warm water

1) Mix together all dry ingredients.
2) Add olive oil and some of the water; mix.
3) Continue adding water until the dough comes together but is still a bit sticky.
4) Knead for about 1 minute on a floured surface.
5) Divide the dough into 10 balls.
6) Roll out the first ball; try to get the dough as thin and circular as possible.
7) Cook in a hot skillet for 30-45 seconds on each side.
8) Repeat with the remaining dough balls.

Indian Naan

So good! I cut the original recipe in half, hence the wonky measurements.

Indian Naan

1 1/8 tsp yeast
1/2 c warm water
2 T sugar
1 T plus 1 1/2 tsp milk
1/2 egg, beaten
1 tsp salt
2 1/4 c flour
1 tsp garlic, minced (optional)
2 T butter, melted

1) In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast in water; let sit 10 minutes until frothy.
2) Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt and enough flour to make a soft dough; knead for 6-8 minutes on a lightly floured surface.
3) Place dough in a well-oiled bowl; cover with a damp towel; let rise 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in volume.
4) Punch down dough and knead in garlic.
5) Divide dough into 8-10 pieces and roll into balls.
6) Place dough balls on cookie sheet; cover with a damp towel and let rise for 30 minutes.
7) Heat cast iron skillet over medium heat (add a small bit of oil, if necessary).
8) Roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle, about 5 inches in diameter.
9) Place dough in skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes; brush uncooked side with butter.
10) Flip dough and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes; brush cooked side with butter. Set aside.
11) Repeat until all the dough is cooked.

Onion & Cheddar Biscuit

Another good recipe from Taste of Home magazine! I tripled this recipe for a party, and it made about 16 biscuits. Since I managed to burn the first batch of vinegar and onions, my second batch only had 1/4 c vinegar in it (although everything else was tripled). I could definitely taste the vinegar, so I'm hesitant about adding the full amount next time.

Onion & Cheddar Biscuits

1/4 cup sweet onion, finely chopped
4 T cold butter, divided
1/4 c white balsamic vinegar
1 c all-purpose flour
1 T sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 c cheddar cheese, shredded
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 c buttermilk

1) In a small skillet, saute onion in 1 T butter until tender.
2) Add vinegar; cook and stir until liquid is mostly evaporated (watch closely!). Let cool.
3) In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and seasonings.
4) Cut remaining butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
5) Add the onion mixture, cheese and green onions.
6) Stir in buttermilk, just until moistened.
7) Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead 6-8 times.
8) Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness; cut into 2 1/2 inch rounds.
9) Place 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet.
10) Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

French Bread

This is a very easy homemade bread recipe from Taste of Home magazine. It makes two huge loaves. Next time I plan to cut the recipe in half to make two smaller loaves. I didn't have any bread flour so I used all-purpose flour, and it worked out fine. I'll try bread flour next time.

French Bread

2 T active dry yeast
2 c warm water (110 - 115 degrees)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
4 1/2 to 5 c bread flour
1 tsp cornmeal

1) In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water; let stand 5 minutes.
2) Add the sugar, salt and 2 c flour; beat until smooth.
3) Stir in enough remaining flour to form soft dough.
4) Turn dough onto floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 - 8 minutes.
5) Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top.
6) Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about one hour.
7) Punch dough down and turn onto a lightly floured surface.
8) Divide dough in half; shape into 12 in long loaves.
9) Place seam-side down on a greased baking sheet.
10) Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 mins.
11) Sprinkle with cornmeal.
12) With a sharp knife, make four shallow slashes across the top of each loaf.
13) Bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 mins or until golden brown.

Banana Nut Bread

This is one of our breakfast stand-bys. We've started experimenting with the recipe to make it not quite so unhealthy :-)

Banana Nut Bread

1 c butter (slightly softened)
2 c sugar
2 c overripe bananas, mashed
4 eggs
2 c flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 c walnuts, chopped

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease two 9" x 5" bread pans.
2) Cream the butter and sugar in the mixer.
3) Add the bananas and eggs; mix until smooth.
4) In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda.
5) Add the flour to the banana mixture; mix until combined.
6) Stir in walnuts.
7) Divide batter evenly between loaf pans.
8) Bake for 60-70 minutes.
9) Wrap cooled loaves in foil to store.

Healthier Alternative: Substitute 1/2 c applesauce for 1/2 c butter; reduce sugar to 1 c; substitute 1 c whole wheat flour for 1 c all-purpose flour.

Cornbread

One year for Thanksgiving I volunteered to bring cornbread. I was determined to find a good recipe, and I made 3 or 4 different batches and they were all dry and generally not that good. I recently tried a new recipe. Almost the entire 9x13 pan of it got tossed. Then I came across this recipe. Being cautious, I only made a half batch, and I incorporated a few of the changes recommended in the review section. I think I've finally found my go-to cornbread recipe. It was delicious with some honey butter (mix together softened butter, honey and salt, all to taste).

Cornbread

2 c cornmeal
2 1/2 c milk
1 1/2 c flour
1 T baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c brown sugar (loosely scooped)
2 eggs
1/2 c olive oil

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) In a small bowl, combine cornbread and milk; let sit for 10 mins.
3) In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugars.
4) Mix in the cornmeal mixture, eggs and oil; beat on low for 5 mins.
5) Pour batter into a greased 9x13 pan.
6) Bake for 30 - 35 mins or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Buttermilk Biscuits

It works great to freeze these biscuits before baking (and before brushing with milk). Then just pop them straight from the freezer into the oven whenever you want one.

Buttermilk Biscuits

4 c all-purpose flour (if using self-rising flour, eliminate salt and 2 tsp baking powder)
1 T sugar
1 T plus 2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2/3 c butter
2 1/4 c buttermilk, divided

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; stir well.
3) Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
4) Add 2 c buttermilk and mix just until moistened.
5) Roll out dough to 1 inch thickness and cut into biscuits (I used a floured drinking glass).
6) Repeat until all dough is used.
7) Place biscuits on lightly greased baking sheet; brush tops with remaining buttermilk.
8) Bake for 18 mins or until golden.