Whole Wheat Banana - Currant Millet Muffins

Breakfast might be the most important meal of the day but to me, it's also the hardest. Lately, I've been feeling like I'm in a breakfast rut, relying too heavily on cereals and yogurt that only temporarily fill me up or on the other extreme, an egg and cheese sandwich can be too filling. Instead, I wanted to find something nutritious and portable, should a busy morning keep me from sitting down to enjoy breakfast. A muffin seemed like a natural candidate for the job, but I didn't like any of the recipes I found. Too much butter, oil or just plain old boring, nothing seemed to be what I was looking for so I took to my kitchen to create my own breakfast muffin recipe.

These muffins are whole wheat and they get their sweetness from maple syrup, mashed bananas and dried currants, rather than sugar, which is a nice change of pace. They're so easy to make, I'm already planning to make them weekly, they were exactly what I was looking for. Heartier than most muffins but still light and airy, the millet (a round seed-like grain) adds such a welcome texture to the muffin, providing a healthy, and delightful crunch with each bite. My favorite aspect of this recipe is that even though there are such strong flavors, it doesn't necessarily taste of one in particular. Instead, they all mingle together to create a harmonious balance. 

Maybe it was the creativity I got to exercise by creating my own muffin recipe, but they turned out to be the answer to my breakfast quandary and I've already got plenty of ideas for my next muffin recipe creation. Until then, give this one a shot, I think it'll be just what you need to start your day!

Whole Wheat Banana - Currant Millet Muffins

Yields 12 muffins

- 1 cup whole wheat flour

- 1/2 cup All-purpose flour

- 1/4 cup millet

- 3 tsp Baking Powder

- 1 tsp Baking Soda

- 1/2 tsp Salt

- 1/4 cup dried currants

- 2 tsp cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp ground ginger 

- 1/4 cup maple syrup

- 3 ripe bananas, mashed

- 1 egg

- 1/2 cup buttermilk

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and butter and flour muffin tins. In a medium size bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flours, millet, baking powder, baking soda, salt, currants, cinnamon and ginger. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients: banana, maple syrup, egg, buttermilk and vanilla. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry and only mix until just combined. Pour into muffin tins and bake until a toothpick entered into the center of the muffin comes out clean (about 30 minutes). Store in an airtight container. 

Pretzel Bread Panzanella Salad

Pretzel Bread is a curious thing: half roll, half pretzel. A nice toasty, pretzel-like exterior that gives way to a soft and bready center, it's my newest obsession. That may be due to the fact that my favorite snack is pretzels but regardless, it gives my sandwiches more oomph and makes them more special and admittedly, I've even snacked on them before. Needless to say, I'm happy to have this new bread option in my pantry however, I thought I could get a little more out of it and give it a different use, other than making my sandwiches more exciting.

Taking all of the flavors that just naturally compliment pretzels, mustard, cheese and herbs to start, I thought a Panzanella salad would be a great, new way to enjoy my new fave. Panzanella is Italian in origin and is traditionally comprised of stale bread, tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper, and sometimes onions and cucumbers sneak into the mix as well. Because of its heartiness, versatility and the fact that it can be thrown together in a pinch, Panzanella is something I often make. In this case, fresh baby spinach acted as the base of the salad, while little cubes of sharp cheddar cheese dotted the plate and a hearty mustard-herb vinaigrette supplied a welcoming tang at the end of each bite. The real star, of course, were the broken up bits of pretzel bread that were toasted with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. It provided a great pretzel-like crunch; more texture than regular bread but still had that pretzel like quality that I love so much.

This salad is easy to make, yet satisfying enough to be a full on meal. Of course the ingredients can be interchanged and it works with practically any vegetable or fruit that you have on hand. The pretzel bread can be a little tricky to track down, but should you come across it, don't pass up the opportunity to give it a shot. At some point over the next couple of months I'm going to be making my own pretzel bread at home and when that happens, I'll be sure to share.

Pretzel Bread Panzanella Salad
Serves 2


- 2 pretzel rolls, broken up into small bits
- 2 large handfuls of baby spinach
- Cheddar Cheese, cut into cubes
- 2 TBS whole grain mustard
- 1 tsp fresh dill, chopped
- 1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 TBS Olive Oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 TBS Sherry Vinegar
- Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375. On a baking sheet, lay out the pretzel bread into a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake until the pretzel bread crisps up and turns golden brown. Set aside to cool. In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, dill, parsley, olive oil and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide the salad into two bowls and sprinkle with cheese. Toss in the pretzel bread and drizzle with dressing. Serve immediately.

Classic Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

I always seem to have a freezer full of bananas. You see, I'm extremely high maintenance when it comes to my bananas. I like them just when perfectly ripe. Under ripe and I find them sort of chalky and slightly sour, over ripe and mushy, I'm grossed out by their bruises and want no part of it. So when they start to show some signs of aging, I pop them into the freezer to use at a later date, and most likely, to make banana bread.

Everyone should have an easy, no-fail banana bread in their recipe arsenal. You know, something that can be thrown together easily at a moment's notice and without an extra trip to the store. From time to time, I like to make banana bread, or if I can resist, I like to freeze it whole to have on hand for out of town guests, or just to pull out and have for any non-occasion day.

Banana bread is one of my favorite kinds of quick breads. It's sweet, but not too sweet and it's slightly perfumed with banana's fragrant scent. For an added texture and flavor boost, I like to add a generous handful of chocolate chips to my bread batter, just before baking. The recipe I used is one from Dorie Greenspan and the only change that I made, besides adding chocolate chips, is that I used 1/2 cup whole milk that I soured with a couple drops of lemon juice because I didn't have yogurt or sour cream on hand. Other than that, I followed this recipe and was thrilled with the results - a light bread, full of flavor and golden brown with the exterior, creating a slightly crisped crust that makes this bread something special.

Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips
Recipe by Dorie Greenspan

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 3/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
• 3 ounces chopped chocolate, optional

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then the egg, beating for about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the bananas. Finally, mix in half the dry ingredients (don't be disturbed if the batter curdles), all the sour cream and then the rest of the flour mixture. Stir in the chopped chocolate by hand. Pour the batter into a bread pan. Bake the bread for about 28 to 32 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  Transfer the bread pan to a rack, cool for 3 minutes, then gently turn the bread out of the tin. Cool to room temperature on a rack. Storing: Wrapped airtight, the bread will keep at room temperature for 2 or 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Celery Root Focaccia Bread

Celery Root Focaccia Bread

Don't expect the flavor of celery root to jump up and down, screaming its name with each bite of toasty focaccia bread. In fact, you might not even be able to identify the presence of its deep earthy taste.  Like most potato based breads, the flavor given up by the root vegetable will just be a subtle suggestion. A hint, if you will, of something slightly unique.

Using a straightforward potato focaccia bread recipe as a guideline, I subbed in a cup of my celery root and potato puree for the plain mashed potato that the recipe called for.  I also swapped all-purpose flour for Italian 00 flour (a super fine Italian-style flour), of coarse not a necessary substitution but I found that it yielded a nice tender bread. For the top, I helped accentuate the earthiness of the celery root with tendrils of rich caramelized onions, crushed rosemary, shreds of sharp provolone cheese and then finished everything off with coarse Maldon sea salt and a light shower of olive oil.

Once I laid the round of dimpled dough onto the hot pizza stone in my oven, it wasn't long before my apartment was perfumed by the aroma of fresh baking bread.  The bread itself had such a beautifully natural scent, I wished I could have bottled it up to save for later. Fresh out of the oven, the bread was crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside with slight hints of something special.  The topping was a great sweet and salty compliment to the bread.  Cut into a big square, this focaccia would make a terrific panini or r it would make a great addition to a fresh salad or a hot bowl of soup.  You could even take it one step further by cutting it into little cubes and toasting it to make flavorful breadcrumbs.  Or, if you're like me, you can just enjoy it plain and simple, fresh and hot from the oven.

Check out the recipe after the jump!

Whole Wheat English Muffin Bread

Homemade Whole Wheat English Muffin Bread

Oh my.  This is my favorite bread recipe of all time and I have never found one that even comes close to touching it.  The crust is the crispiest, heartiest crust I've ever tasted on a piece of bread and the center is so moist and tender and full of all those little nooks and crannies that make English Muffins so terrific (and of course, provide lots of delicious little places for melted butter to hide).

This bread, while embarrassingly simple to make, is so versatile.  Due to it's extra thick crust, it makes an ideal bread for dipping into hearty stews or mopping up any leftover bits of sauce on your plate.  It's also perfect in the morning, toasted up a bit with some butter melting and seeping into its center or with a smear of jam or cream cheese spread on top.

The recipe for this actually comes from a family friend and I've included it below.  Usually made with white flour, I only had white wheat flour on hand so I just used that.  While I prefer the white flour for this because it tends to make for a more traditional English muffin taste, I like the heartiness that the whole grains provide.
 

The English Muffin bread is best enjoyed within about two days after making.  After then, because there's no preservatives in it, the center can lose its fluffiness and start to develop a stale taste.  This can usually be remedied by toasting up for a bit but it's still not the same.  To play it safe, the very best way to enjoy it is straight out of the oven while it's still warm.

English Muffin Bread
Makes One Loaf

- 3 cups flour
- 1 package dry active yeast
- 1/2 TBS sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup water

Heat milk and water together until warm (not hot). Set aside.  Combine dry ingredients then add milk/water mixture and slowly combine the two with your hands or with a plastic bowl scraper.  Pour into a greased bread pan that is dusted with cornmeal, cover with plastic wrap and store in a warm, dry location until the bread doubles in size.  Once that has happened, preheat the oven to 400 and bake until the top browns (about 25 - 30 minutes)

Take 2: Eggnog French Toast and Eggnog Bread Pudding

Easy Eggnog French Toast Made with Homemade Challah Bread 

Ohmygosh. I can't believe that it has taken me so long to post these two recipes! I took a couple days break from blogging over Christmas so that I could unwind and just have some fun with my family and friends and of course, make a huge life-altering decision that has left my face sore from smiling so hard.  So now that that's out of the way I wanted to share two new recipes that I created while I was at my parents.  Both involve my newest obsession, Challah bread and eggnog, that questionable holiday beverage.  Both are also crazy easy and a great way to use up any eggnog that happens to be lying around.  I present them to you simultaneously because they are so closely related and well, I made them on the same day and that only seems fair!

The recipe is for eggnog French Toast, something that I made for my sister who, unlike me, loves eggnog.  (Click here to see my thoughts on eggnog) For this breakfast treat, the eggnog worked so well with the Challah bread, providing a spicy and rich flavor that plain milk and eggs alone just can't do.  To help brighten the flavors of the eggnog, I also added a couple generous pinches of pumpkin pie spice.  Dusted with powdered sugar and doused in sticky-sweet maple syrup, it was a mighty tasty way to start a lazy holiday day.

Eggnog Bread Pudding Made With Homemade Challah Bread

The next recipe created from the masses of Challah bread that I churned out was a simple eggnog bread pudding.  No frills, no hidden spices from far away lands, just basic honest-to-goodness cinnamon and nutmeg seeping through thick chunks of Challah bread until it had formed one mass of dense, yet still soft and fluffy bread pudding.  Served with a dollop of whipped cream or heated up and top it off with some sweet vanilla ice cream and you've got yourself a sweet little dessert...or maybe even breakfast?  No one would judge..

On an entirely different subject, I stopped by the school this morning to take a peek at my gear and to try on my cute little chef's outfit! Once everything comes in and I have it in my excited little hands, I'll be sure to share!  (I promise to not constantly talk about culinary school, but I'm just so excited that I had to share!)

Halla At My First Challah Bread!

Homemade Challah Bread

I don't know what it is that is so satisfying about taking simple products like flour, yeast, eggs, honey and salt and transforming them into a warm, soft and sweet bread.  Is it because you can't help but feeling like something magical is happening when yeast and warm water combine to create a frothy mixture?  Maybe it's because you can feel that something deliciously big is coming together and you feel important because you're responsible for making it happen.  Or perhaps it's because kneading the warm ball of elasticy dough feels so rhythmic and therapeutically refreshing?  Better yet, maybe it's the irresistible smell of the bread warming and rising as it bakes in oven that's the real source of the happiness? Whatever it is, making bread is an incredibly satisfying experience.

Today I made my first Challah bread and I can say for certain, it won't be my last.  I love Challah bread for its glowingly golden braided exterior and for its subtle hints of sweet and rich eggy flavor.  While this Challah bread is destined to be made into some French toast for tomorrow's breakfast, plans for the creation of another loaf are already in the works.  Maybe there's a little bread pudding in my future?  

While there are many recipes for Homemade Challah bread, I liked this one from http://allrecipes.com/ the best because it required little ingredients and seemed pretty straightforward.  I thought the results were terrific and I'm looking forward to making this again.  Nothing beats fresh bread out of the oven. 

Bacon Studded Beer Bread

Bacon Beer Bread

Beer and Bacon in bread form.  I just want to pause for a moment to let that soak in and let your mind run wild with ideas on what you'd do with such a bread.  I know mine did.  The inspiration for this recipe came from the cookbook Recipes Every Man Should Know.  Now I know what you're thinking, what am I doing with a book like that?  The truth is that I received an email from a publicist who asked if I wanted to review a copy.  Being rather curious what Susan Russo and Brett Cohen (the authors) think are recipes every man should know, I agreed.  This pocket-sized guide starts off with some good tips (basic cooking terms and kitchen gear) for the inexperienced (male) cook. The book definitely caters to the male population (Introduction: "So, why should men cook? Women think men who cook are sexy.) and includes a 144 pages of simple recipes ranging from breakfast to dessert.

Recipes Every Man Should Know 

My big gripe with this book was the fact that it was just so dang tiny.  The reason for that being to play off of the old fashioned "little black book" and also so that it can "fit in your back pocket".  I realize I'm not the target audience, but I like to spread out my cookbooks and mark them up with with notes as I go along, which is a little tough to do with this book due to its size.  I also question whether or not a guy would stash this in his back pocket.  I know I'd find it a bit odd if I were on a date with a guy who was making me dinner and he whipped out a copy of this from his back pocket before heading to the kitchen.  Nevertheless, it's a creative concept.

Easy Recipe for Beer Bread

I did flip through this book and got hung up on this simple beer bread recipe.  Requiring only four ingredients (all of which I just happened to have hanging around) I thought I'd give it a whirl.  Getting a little creative, I thought I'd boost the flavor a bit by swirling some bacon into the bread.  I mean really, doesn't bacon just make everything better?

Beautiful, beautiful bacon...sigh...

Overall, the bread was good.  Very flavorful and full of bacony goodness.  The only problem is that it didn't rise as much as I would have hoped, although fortunately, didn't end up being super dense, which is what usually happens when bread doesn't rise much.  Maybe it was intended to be that way?  Either way, although the recipe didn't call for it and I went against my better bread baking judgement to follow the recipe, next time I would let the bread rise a little before sticking it int the oven.  That being said, I would make this again.  I thought that the recipe was simple and there's just so much you could do with this bread! I ended up slathering one side of a piece of the beer bread with a grainy Dijon mustard and then sandwiched some shredded sharp cheddar cheese and toasted it all up.  Very satisfying for a chilly gray December day like today!

Grilled Cheese on Bacon Beer Bread

These Are Not Meatballs!

They are whole wheat rolls filled with cheese and herbs!  I got the inspiration for this creation because I happened to have some left over whole wheat pizza dough.  I didn't have enough to make more pizza but had too much to throw away (I hate throwing away food).  Of course I had some cheese on hand so I put my hands together and came up with cheese stuffed rolls.  The only problem?  That's not what they look like.  They look like meatballs.

The real trick to making these light and fluffy is the let the dough rise.  I like to put the dough in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place (windowsill, on a pre-heating oven) and it creates almost a greenhouse effect, allowing the dough to rise into a light fluffy mass.  For the cheese mixture, I just used what I had on hand; feta, shredded mozzarella and goat cheese.  You could really use any mixture of cheese, I would just stay away from the ones that can produce a lot of water (ie fresh mozzarella) because it could make your bread watery.

These would be perfect alongside a salad or even great to have with spaghetti so you have something to mop up the sauce with.  These also make a nice little snack or a lunch, especially if you happen to have some pizza/pasta sauce (for dipping) left over, this could even double as a light lunch.  And the best part?  When you make these, your apartment smells amazing because, is there anything that smells better than baking bread?  Serve them warm for the best results.  Special tip: these could be made up in advance and then frozen just before baking.  When you're ready for them, pop them into the oven and bake them up.

Cheese And Herb Stuffed Rolls 
- Leftover pizza dough (I used whole wheat)
- Cheese
- Dried herbs (I just used oregano and basil)
- Fresh ground pepper

To start, let the dough rise.  Place it in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Place in a warm place until the dough rises and just about doubles in size.  Once this happens, preheat the oven to 400.  In a small bowl, mix the cheeses with herbs and black pepper.  Take a small ball of dough and flatten it out a bit in the palm of your hand.  Stuff some cheese into the center and roll the dough around, enclosing the cheese thoroughly inside the bread and creating a ball.  Place the ball onto a non-stick cookie pan.  Repeat the process with the leftover dough.  Bake at 400 until the rolls begin to brown slightly.  When this happens, take them out of the oven and remove them from the pan (otherwise the bottoms will continue to cook).  Serve while still warm.