Monkey Bread

It has been a long time since I posted anything! I am realizing now what a blessing it was that I compiled all my favorite recipes onto this blog. I don't have as much time as I use to to try new recipes. It is a handy tool to have your favorites tried and tested!

For this recipe use your favorite white bread recipe. Pull the dough into 1-2 inch round balls and dip them in the sauce. I like to use this sauce also as a sweet butter for bread!



Caramel butter

On the stove heat and stir constantly until simmering:

1 cube butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 can sweet and condensed milk
1 tsp cinnamon

Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes

Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

This recipe came from my friend MariLee. I thought it was a little funny there was no egg. It may be easier to work with if an egg was added. But, they are yummy!

Sift:

2 cups flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 T sugar

Cut in:

5 T butter, cold, cut in chunks

Make a well in the center and pour in :

1 c heavy cream

Fold everything together. Do not overwork the dough.

Fold in carefully:

1 c blueberries (fresh or frozen. I would actually use less than a cup)

Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 x 3 x 1, 1/4. Cut rectangle in 1/2 then cut the pieces in 1/2 again, giving you 4 (3 inch) squares. Cut the squares in 1/2 on a diagonal to give you the triangle shape.  Place scones on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with heavy cream.

Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Let cool

Glaze

Mix and microwave for 30 seconds:

1/4- 1/2 c lemon juice (3-4 lemons)
2 cups powdered sugar

Add:

1 lemon zest
1 T butter

Drizzle over scones

Zucchini Cake

When Kevin and I were in Logan our neighbor across the street became my best friend. LuElla gave me this great recipe. I added the Chia seeds and Wheat Germ. You don't have to have those. Chia seeds are really good for you. They are packed with Omega-3 oils and anti-oxidants!

Mix:

2 C zucchini, grated
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil

add:

2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

add and mix well:

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Pour the batter into greased 9x13 pan. Then mix and sprinkle the topping.

For the topping mix:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup nuts (I used almonds)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 tsp chia seads
1 tsp Wheat Germ

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Cream:


1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
zest of 1 lemon (I used 3 drops essential oil)

Add:


1 egg
1 tsp almond extract

In a separate bowl, mix:


2 cup flour (I used 1, 1/2 flour and 1/2 c wheat)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Add the flour to the butter mixture alternately with :

1/2 cup buttermilk

Fold into mixture:


2 cups blueberries mixed with 1/8 cup flour
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Top with:

 1/2 T sugar

place in greased 9 inch baking dish. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes

Lemon Pull-Apart Monkey Bread

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After making pull-apart bread, I don't think I have a need for cinnamon rolls. Each bit of pull-apart bread is like eating the middle of a cinnamon roll. And everyone knows that the middle of the cinnamon roll is the best part! I'm sure you could use orange zest and juice if you wanted to do orange pull-apart bread.

 In stainless steel bowl or in your mixer mix:

2 cups white flour
1 T yeast

In a glass pyrex or liquid measure cup dump in this order and then microwave for about a minute. You want the butter to be almost melted, but not scorching hot:


1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt

Now add this to the flour and mix until incorporated. Now add and mix until incorporated:


2 eggs

Now add and mix for 2 minutes:


2 cups white flour

Allow the dough to rise for an hour. Then form little balls and place in a greased 9x13 pan.

Sprinkle over dough 1/2 of this mixture:

zest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup sugar

Let the dough rise until doubled in size. Then sprinkle the other half of lemon sugar.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Glaze:

1/2 c powdered sugar

1 T lemon juice

Orange Rolls

I have been craving orange rolls for a long time and finally tried them out. I've made orange rolls in the past and they have turned out very dry. These turned out very moist! I used an orange butter on the top, but next time I'm going to try an orange glaze - Just orange juice and powdered sugar! I think I would like the glaze better than the butter. It would be just a bit more sweet.

I used the recipe from my German pastry.

In stainless steel bowl or in your mixer mix:

2 cups white flour
1 T yeast

In a glass pyrex or liquid measure cup dump in this order and then microwave for about a minute. You want the butter to be almost melted, but not scorching hot:


1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt

Now add this to the flour and mix until incorporated. Now add and mix until incorporated:


2 eggs

Now add and mix for 2 minutes:


2 cups white flour

Allow the dough to rise for an hour. Punch down. Let rise 10 more minutes. Then roll out in a rectange about 1/8 inch thick. Butter and zest an orange over top.

Now roll up the length wise and cut out your "cinnamon rolls." Place in a 13x9 greased baking dish. Allow to rise about an hour.

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes. When the rolls come out of the oven drizzle butter on top.

For the orange butter I mixed:


3 T butter
1 cup powdered sugar
3 T fresh orange juice
zest of 1 orange

 

Enjoy!!

Banana Bread and Muffins

This banana bread is a staple at our house. I also like to freeze it! The muffins can be put in a gallon size ziploc to freeze as well! I like the bread best on the second day, after it has been in the plastic bag for several hours. The top gets a chewey carmel texture. Yum!

This recipe can be doubled and even trippled.

In a large mixing bowl smash:

3 bananas

Add and mix:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 T oil

1/3 cup milk

1 egg

Now add and mix well:

2, 1/2 cup flour (I use 1/2 cup wheat and 2 cups white)

3, 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Now you can add 1 cup chocolate chips.

At this point you can make 2 loaves of bread or 2 batches of muffins. Use muffin sleeves for fast clean up.

For bread - grease bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the pans. Bake for 55 minutes at 350. Let sit and cool for 15 minutes, then remove from pan.

For muffins bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

German Almond Pastry

This is a wonderful treat to make for friends and family. I made this on Christmas Eve and enjoyed it Christmas morning. You can get away with making it the night before, but for some reason this tends to go stale quickly. This is a sweet pastry and is super moist the first 2 days. I like warming my portion of pastry in the microwave before enjoying with a glass of milk. I have also learned from mistake to check your almonds first. They can go rancid. When you add heat to rancid almonds they are really really awful!

In stainless steel bowl or in your mixer mix:

2 cups white flour
1 T yeast

In a glass pyrex or liquid measure cup dump in this order and then microwave for about a minute. You want the butter to be almost melted, but not scorching hot:

1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt

Now add this to the flour and mix until incorporated. Now add and mix until incorporated:

2 eggs

Now add and mix for 2 minutes:

2 cups white flour

Allow the dough to rise for an hour. Punch down. Let rise 10 more minutes.

On a floured counter top roll the dough out into a rectangle measuring about 15 inches by 10 inches. Then spread the filling on.



For the filling dump in a food processor blend:

1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 T butter, room temp
1/3 cup sugar

Now roll up the rectangle into one long 15 inch log.


Turn the log into a circle wreath. Pinch closed.


Using kitchen scissors (or your children's school scissors hehe) make incisions around the outside of the wreath. The cuts should be about 2 inches apart and go through half of the wreath. Don't cut all the way through.
Let the cut wreath rise for an hour. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. When it comes out drizzle with icing and sliced or ground up almonds.

Icing:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 T milk

Multi-Grain Pumpkin Muffins and Bread

This recipe makes 2 loaves and 6 muffins. Or just mix it up the way you would like.

Mix the following:

2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup milk (1 cup water, 3 T pwdr milk)
4 eggs
2/3 cup shortening
2 cups brown sugar

Add and mix the following:
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup wheat
1 cup white flour
2 T baking powder (oops. I just realized I forgot to add this. This explains the flat muffins)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger

Add and mix:
2 cups white flour (making 4 cups flour in the entire recipe)

Add:

1, 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Grease bottom only of 2 bread tins. Bake at 350 for 55 minutes. Muffins bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Let bread cool for 20 minutes and then remove from tins.

Cornbread

Here is a cornbread you can feel good about eating the second day! The secret is creaming the butter and sugar. Most cornbread recipes call for oil.

Cream for 2 minutes:

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar

add the following:

2 eggs
1, 1/2 cup milk

add the following and mix quickly:

1, 1/2 cup white flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes in greased 9x9

Zucchini Bread

Mix in a large bowl:

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2 heaping cups zucchini shredded
1TBLvanilla

Now add to the mix and whisk quickly:

3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 T cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp

Now add:

1 cup chocolate chips

grease bottom only of 2 bread tins. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes. Cool in tins for 10 minutes. Remove bread.

Chocolate Banana Bread

Why have banana bread when you can have chocolate banana bread! This recipe came from here.

Beat:

2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2/3 cup oil

Add and mix:

2, 1/2 cup bananas (6 bananas)
2 tsp vanilla

Add and mix:

3 cups flour
1 cup baking cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Add and mix:

2 cups chocolate chips

Spray bottom only of 3 tins. Bake at 350 for 60-70 minutes. Cool in tins for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool on a towel or cookie rack.