Favorite Blueberry Muffins

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My favorite blueberry muffin recipe, right here! It is my go to, super easy recipe.

I love these because they only dirty one bowl and one measuring cup. In fact, even though I primarily use a scale for baking, this is one recipe I always use a measuring cup for some of the liquids because it’s so simple, and takes into consideration that eggs can vary in size while keeping liquids consistent. If you’re wondering what I mean, you’re just going to have to read the recipe below. :)

Read: Why You Should Use a Baking Scale

These muffins are also very versatile for making different kinds of muffins, chocolate chip, raspberry, almond poppyseed, and on and on. I really only use different muffin base recipes when they have elements that change the composition, like banana, pumpkin, peanut butter, etc.

My kids are little and muffins make for great snacks, breakfasts, lunches, or whenever! This recipe is also easy and quick enough for when they want to help, which tends to slow the process wayyyy down. Ah, I love my eager little helpers.

Use up some sourdough discard

These muffins are also fabulous for using up some sourdough discard. In fact, with my sourdough habit and my children’s love for muffins, I’ve probably been making this recipe 1-2 times per week recently! A blueberry muffin for you, and a lemon poppyseed muffin for you!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe inspired by Inspired Taste

Favorite Blueberry Muffins

Makes about 12 muffins

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups / 240g all-purpose or pastry flour

  • 1/2 cup / 100g sugar

  • 1 Tbsp baking powder

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 1/2 cup / 113g oil

  • 1 egg

  • 2 tsp / 10g vanilla extract

  • about 1/2 cup / 119g milk

  • generous 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

  • up to 1/2 cup / about 100g sourdough discard, optional

Directions:

Oven 400°F / 205°C. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or line with muffin liners.

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

  2. In an at least 2 cup measuring cup, add oil, egg, and vanilla. Add milk until mixture reaches the 1 1/4 cups measure line, this should be around 1/2 cup of milk.

  3. Add milk mixture to dry ingredients along with sourdough discard if using, stirring until just combined. Gently fold in blueberries.

  4. Fill muffin cups almost all the way full. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until tops are springy, no longer wet looking, and/or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Jenny’s notes:

  • If using frozen fruit, add to batter frozen, don’t thaw first. Muffins made with frozen fruit may need a couple minutes more in the oven than muffins made with fresh fruit.

  • If weighing ingredients or you don’t have a measuring cup handy, you can add the wet ingredients to another bowl instead, just add 1/2 cup / 119g milk.

  • Muffins make a great vessel for sourdough discard! I like using about 1/2 cup for a recipe this size, it’s a decent chunk out of my ever-growing discard jar, without the sourdough flavor being too strong. I’ve added 1 cup before, but at that point the sourdough flavor starts becoming more pronounced and you may start getting more than a dozen muffins.

  • Buttermilk can be substituted for the milk. Batter will be slightly thicker.

  • To jazz up the muffins, you can sprinkle the tops with coarse or granulated sugar before baking, if desired.

Favorite Blueberry Muffins
Yield 12
Author
Prep time
15 Min
Cook time
20 Min
Total time
35 Min

Favorite Blueberry Muffins

My favorite easy blueberry muffin recipe: Soft, tender muffins with pops of blueberry.
Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Oven 400°F / 205°C. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or line with muffin liners.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  3. In an at least 2 cup measuring cup, add oil, egg, and vanilla. Add milk until mixture reaches the 1 1/4 cups measure line, this should be around 1/2 cup of milk.
  4. Add milk mixture to dry ingredients along with sourdough discard if using, stirring until just combined. Gently fold in blueberries.
  5. Fill muffin cups almost all the way full. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until tops are springy, no longer wet looking, and/or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Notes

  • If using frozen fruit, add to batter frozen, don’t thaw first. Muffins made with frozen fruit may need a couple minutes more in the oven than muffins made with fresh fruit.
  • If weighing ingredients or you don’t have a measuring cup handy, you can add the wet ingredients to another bowl instead, just add 1/2 cup / 119g milk.
  • Muffins make a great vessel for sourdough discard! I like using about 1/2 cup for a recipe this size, it’s a decent chunk out of my ever-growing discard jar, without the sourdough flavor being too strong. I’ve added 1 cup before, but at that point the sourdough flavor starts becoming more pronounced and you may start getting more than a dozen muffins.
  • Buttermilk can be substituted for the milk. Batter will be slightly thicker.
  • To jazz up the muffins, you can sprinkle the tops with coarse or granulated  sugar before baking, if desired.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

224.88

Fat

10.62 g

Sat. Fat

1.09 g

Carbs

26.35 g

Fiber

2.6 g

Net carbs

23.74 g

Sugar

1.9 g

Protein

4.34 g

Sodium

251.77 mg

Cholesterol

14.86 mg

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on 1 muffin, including sourdough discard.

sourdough discard recipe, best ever blueberry muffins, favorite muffin base recipe
breakfast, dessert, bread
American
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Morris House Rolls (Parker House Rolls)

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Soft and fluffy, these rolls have become a staple for holiday dinners and everyday dinners. There are hardly ever any leftovers, no matter how many batches we make! It’s hard to resist delicious, buttery, homemade bread.

Originally called Parker House Rolls, we’ve since changed the name of these to Morris House Rolls since, well, we make them so pretty and slightly changed the method of Parker House Rolls. Their origin has something to do with some rolls made at a hotel, where any angry baker threw some unfinished rolls into the oven. Apparently these were the rather delicious result that stuck and became famous. The method nowadays involves rolls that are dipped in butter and folded in half before they’re baked. This all seems rather fussy and messy, so we’ve adapted these into a more classic dinner roll shape. Just as delicious without all the fuss.

These are wonderful as is, or sliced and used for sliders or other small sandwiches. These freeze beautifully, so you can always pull some out for an impromptu dinner side!

Sourdough Discard Friendly

This is a great recipe to use up some sourdough discard. Add up to 100g of discard and a bit more flour as needed.

Why Heat the Milk First?

Heating milk, often known as “scalding”, is a technique often found in older recipes. It involves heating the milk to at least 181°F / 83°C. It has a few different purposes, depending on what you’re making.

  • Kill Bacteria: Before milk was widely pasteurized, scalding milk helped to kill bacteria.

  • Enhance Flavor: Milk takes on flavors really well when heated, so scalding works well with recipes that use vanilla, spices, herbs, etc., such as ice creams and custards.

  • Help Bread Rise: Milk contains whey protein, which can weaken gluten. If gluten isn’t strong, bread won’t rise properly. Scalding milk deactivates the whey protein, for an optimal rise.

The final reason is the reason why milk is scalded in this recipe.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from Food Network

Morris House Rolls

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups / 356g milk

  • 1/2 cup / 113g butter, plus more for brushing

  • 1/2 cup / 100g sugar

  • 2 1/4 tsp / 7g instant yeast

  • 1/2 cup / 119g warm water

  • 3 eggs

  • 1 1/2 tsp salt

  • 6 cups / 720g all-purpose flour

Directions:

Oven 350°F / 177°C. 1 baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat.

  1. In a small pan, bring milk to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in butter and sugar until melted. Allow to cool.

  2. In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine yeast, water, eggs, salt, half of the flour, and cooled milk mixture until smooth. Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft, smooth dough forms. Knead for a few minutes with the dough hook.

  3. Transfer dough to floured surface and knead about 5 more minutes by hand.

  4. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, flip once to coat in oil, cover, and let rest for about 1 hour at room temperature, or until doubled in size.

  5. Punch dough down and divide dough into about 30 pieces. This will work out to be about 55g per piece if you have a scale to weigh them. Roll each piece into a tight ball and place on prepared baking sheet.

  6. Cover and let rest at room temperature for about 30-45 minutes, or until dough balls are puffed and almost doubled in size.

  7. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter, if desired.

Jenny’s Notes:

  • If using instant dry yeast, you will want to active it before adding it in with the other dough ingredients. Add active dry yeast and the warm water to a small bowl and let sit for 5-10 minutes or until bubbly and active, before proceeding by adding them in with the rest of the dough ingredients.

  • This is a great recipe to use up some sourdough discard. Add up to 100g of discard and a bit more flour as needed.

  • These are so good, we don’t usually brush them with the extra butter!

Morris (Parker) House Rolls
Yield 30 rolls
Author
Prep time
45 Min
Cook time
20 Min
Inactive time
1 H & 45 M
Total time
2 H & 50 M

Morris (Parker) House Rolls

Parker House Rolls, renamed Morris House Rolls, are fluffy, buttery dinner rolls that never fail to disappear.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Oven 350°F / 177°C. 1 baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat.
  2. In a small pan, bring milk to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in butter and sugar until melted. Allow to cool.
  3. In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine yeast, water, eggs, salt, half of the flour, and cooled milk mixture until smooth. Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft, smooth dough forms. Knead for a few minutes with the dough hook.
  4. Transfer dough to floured surface and knead about 5 more minutes by hand.
  5. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, flip once to coat in oil, cover, and let rest for about 1 hour at room temperature, or until doubled in size.
  6. Punch dough down and divide dough into about 30 pieces. This will work out to be about 55g per piece if you have a scale to weigh them. Roll each piece into a tight ball and place on prepared baking sheet.
  7. Cover and let rest at room temperature for about 30-45 minutes, or until dough balls are puffed and almost doubled in size.
  8. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter, if desired.

Notes

  • If using instant dry yeast, you will want to active it before adding it in with the other dough ingredients. Add active dry yeast and the warm water to a small bowl and let sit for 5-10 minutes or until bubbly and active, before proceeding by adding them in with the rest of the dough ingredients.
  • This is a great recipe to use up some sourdough discard. Add up to 100g of discard and a bit more flour as needed.
  • These are so good, we don’t usually brush them with the extra butter!


Nutrition Facts

Calories

145.59

Fat

4.14 g

Sat. Fat

2.35 g

Carbs

21.88 g

Fiber

0.76 g

Net carbs

21.12 g

Sugar

4.01 g

Protein

3.68 g

Sodium

152.34 mg

Cholesterol

25.96 mg

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on 1 roll.

dinner roll, parker house rolls
bread, side
American
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Jenny's Favorite Cinnamon Rolls

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Last updated: June 4, 2024

With all the cinnamon roll recipes out there, how do you pick which one to make? Which one do you adopt as your cinnamon roll recipe?

I’ve made my fair share of cinnamon roll recipes, and I’ve yet to meet a bad one. Some are better than others, but I’ve been waiting to meet the recipe that stood out from the rest.

Lightning struck when I tried this recipe from King Arthur, “Perfectly Pillowy Cinnamon Rolls”. I had met the one! As the title suggests, these rolls are pillowy, luxurious, and everything you could want from a cinnamon roll.

What makes a good cinnamon roll recipe?

The thing that really makes one cinnamon roll stand out from another is the actual dough.

Filling and frosting are easily adjusted, so once you find a cinnamon roll with a soft, fluffy, and luscious dough, you can always adjust filling and frosting according to your taste.

What makes this recipe so special?

Speaking of customizing, how about for those who do and do not want frosting? And those who can’t wait to dig in. :)

  1. This cinnamon roll dough is just the best. Why? It utilizes the tangzhong technique (see below). This creates softer, pillowy bread that stays fresher for longer!

  2. This recipe also allows you to customize your icing: do your prefer plain icing or cream cheese icing? This recipe gives an easy access to either one. Plus, if you use buttermilk in the frosting, it’s the touch that sweet icing has been missing.

  3. You can customize the richness of these rolls!

    For richer rolls:

    • Add extra cinnamon to the filling

    • Drizzle each roll with 1 tsp of milk or heavy cream before baking for extra gooey rolls

    • Cover rolls with tinfoil for the first half of baking (baking time may need to be adjusted)

    • brush the rolls with melted butter when they come out of the oven, before icing

What is Tangzhong?

This recipe utilizes tangzhong in the dough, an Asian bread method that involves cooking some of the milk and flour to create a thick paste before adding it in with the rest of the ingredients. In essence, it creates a softer bread that retains its moisture for longer. Cinnamon rolls are usually best consumed the same day they are baked, but when you use this simple tangzhong method, they are still pretty darn soft and luscious even a day or two later! If you’re interested in learning more of the science-y stuff behind how and why tangzhong works, King Arthur themselves wrote this handy article on it.

While you might be thinking that cinnamon rolls are already a multi-step process and don’t need another one, may I say, what’s one more? Tangzhong DOES create an extra step, but it’s very simple. It involves 2 ingredients and takes less than 5 minutes for cinnamon rolls that stay fresh for hours, even days longer than standard cinnamon rolls. I think it’s totally worth it!

I heart King Arthur, now you heart King Arthur, we all heart King Arthur!

I originally kept this recipe largely the same with just a few minor tweaks to King Arthur’s recipe, but I’ve continued to make adjustments to streamline the recipe. Beyond that, there are a few customizable elements depending on just how rich and luscious you like your cinnamon rolls. Some of these are things I gathered from cinnamon roll recipes I’ve made in the past; others are little tricks I’ve seen bakeries use. Put them all together to make your ultimate cinnamon roll.

Create New Flavors

Lime Rolls: Trying to take photos on my laundry rack outside…our apartment in Incisa Valdarno had very poor lighting for any kind of photography.

This recipe is also a wonderful base to change up the flavors, you don’t always have to stick with cinnamon rolls. I’ve used this recipe to make Lime Rolls (think lime dough with a sweet lime filling and zingy lime icing), and they were WONDERFUL. I’ve also made Lemon Rolls, and am thinking about making Orange Rolls next time. Yum!

Enough about the tangzhong and how wonderful this recipe is and how many different things you can do with it, I like the recipe to speak for itself. :)

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from King Arthur

Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 12 large cinnamon rolls

Ingredients

For the Tangzhong:

  • 3/4 cup / 170g milk

  • 5 Tbsp / 40g bread flour

For the Dough:

  • 1 cup / 237g milk

  • 3 3/4 cup / 450g bread flour

  • 1 1/2 tsp / 9g salt

  • 3 Tbsp / 37g sugar

  • 1 Tbsp / 9g instant yeast

  • 6 Tbsp / 85g softened butter

  • 1/2 cup / about 100g sourdough discard, optional

For the Filling:

  • 2 Tbsp / 28g softened butter

  • 3/4 cup / 150g brown sugar

  • 4 1/2 tsp / 12g cinnamon

For the Icing:

  • 2 1/4 cup / 280g powdered sugar

  • 4 oz / 113g cream cheese, softened, optional

  • 2 Tbsp / 28g butter, melted

  • 1 tsp / 5g vanilla extract

  • 2-3 Tbsp milk, heavy cream, or buttermilk

Directions

Oven 375°F / 190°C 9x13inch / 23x33cm rectangle baking dish, lightly greased, OR jelly roll pan or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat

Make the Tangzhong:

  1. In a small pan, whisk flour and milk together until no lumps remain. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until thickened into a paste-like texture. This could take just a couple minutes or more, depending on your burner.

  2. Set aside for a moment to cool.

Make the Dough:

  1. Add all dough ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer or other large bowl. Add in the warm (but not too hot) tangzhong. If using sourdough discard, you may find you need a small additional amount of flour to make the dough not overly sticky.

  2. Knead with the dough attachment in the stand mixer for about 10 minutes or longer by hand, until dough is elastic and passes the window pane test.

  3. Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm place for 1 - 1.5 hours, or until roughly doubled in size.

Make the Filling:

  1. When the dough has risen, punch down and dump out onto a floured surface. Roll the dough into a roughly 10x12in / 25x30cm rectangle, about 0.5in / 1.25cm thick. Do your best to roll or pat into a rectangle and not an oval.

  2. Evenly spread butter over dough, leaving about 0.5in / 1.25cm uncovered along the edge of one of the long sides. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over butter. Press gently into dough. Carefully roll the dough up, starting with the opposite long side. Use the uncovered edge to help seal the roll; you can gently roll it back and forth with the seam down to help seal it.

  3. Using a sharp serrated knife or dental floss, cut the roll into 12 pieces. Place each piece in prepared baking dish, or free standing on a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan, spaced evenly apart.

  4. Lightly cover the rolls and let rise in a warm place until risen and puffy, about 30-60 minutes. Partway through this time, preheat your oven to 375°/190°C.

  5. Bake rolls for about 14-18 minutes or until internal temperature of an outer roll reads 185°F / 85°C.

  6. Allow rolls to cool for at least 10 minutes before icing.

Make the Icing:

  1. In a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, mix all icing ingredients together except milk until smooth. Add milk, 1 Tbsp at a time, until desired icing consistency is reached.

  2. Spread icing evenly over rolls.

Jenny’s Notes

  1. When making bread, you are often instructed to add warm (about 110°F / 43°C) liquids to your dough. This helps to activate the yeast and thus rise your dough. If you add cold liquids your yeast may remain dormant and not do much. In this recipe, the milk doesn’t have to be warm, you can add it cold since it will offset the heat from the tangzhong that was cooked. Don’t add the tangzhong straight from the hot stove into the bowl with your yeast and other ingredients, as the heat could kill the yeast, but the time it takes to assemble the other dough ingredients in the bowl should be sufficient time for the tangzhong to cool down. Then the cold milk helps, too.

  2. The best way to ensure properly cooked cinnamon rolls (or anything!) is by taking an internal temperature. One of top used kitchen tools is my Thermapen, and I highly recommend one to you. You can find similar on Amazon.

  3. My favorite icing for cinnamon rolls is cream cheese. Either way you go, I highly recommend using buttermilk in the icing rather than milk. The tang offsets the very sweet icing really, really well.

  4. The window pane test, which is my go-to for kneaded doughs, is essentially taking a small chunk of dough and stretching it into an even little square, then stretching the dough until it is very thin. If the dough begins to break, not enough gluten has developed and needs to be kneaded more. A dough that has been sufficiently kneaded will stretch very thin, thin enough you could almost see through it, and, if held up to a window, can see light through it, hence the name of this technique.

  5. To facilitate cutting the rolls evenly, I like to use a knife or the floss to make marks in the dough before actually cutting. I start by making a mark in the middle, then another mark in the middle of each half, then marking each quarter into 3. If you want to be really precise, use a measuring tape in front of your roll. :)

  6. If you saw dental floss as a choice for cutting the roll and think that’s crazy, trust! It gives you a clean cut and is satisfying to use. Slide the floss under the roll where you want to cut, then pull the ends of the floss up and around the roll, pulling in opposite directions to slice the roll.

  7. If you don’t have dental floss or a sharp enough knife to cut the rolls without squishing them, you can put the rolls in the freezer for about 30 minutes until the dough is firmed up. This makes the cutting process neater and easier if you don’t have ideal tools at hand. You will then have to give a little more time in the rising process since the dough is cold.

  8. Inevitably your cut rolls with will vary slightly in size, the ones from the middle being more generous than the ones from the end. To ensure the most even baking, place the larger rolls on the outside or corners of your pan, the smaller ones toward the center.

  9. If making free standing cinnamon rolls, you’ll want to tuck the ends of the rolls underneath themselves, so you don’t have tails when they rise and are baked.

  10. I had never made free standing cinnamon rolls or any kind of roll like this until I found this recipe. It gives a little more freedom in what you can use in the baking process and I love that. You will have more perfectly shaped rolls, but baking together in a rectangle dish is easier if you want to freeze or transport the rolls.

  11. How to tell if your dough is risen enough, but not over risen? When gently pressed with a finger, the dough should slowly spring back. If it springs back immediately, it hasn’t risen enough. If it doesn’t spring back at all, it could be over-risen.

  12. These rolls freeze well! You have two options:

    1. Freeze once rolls are sliced and in their rectangle pan. Cover tightly and freeze. When ready to use, allow to come to room temperature and rise until puffy, continuing from step 5 in the “Make the Filling” section.

    2. Freeze once rolls are baked and cooled. Frosting is best done once rolls have come to room temperature (or even been warmed in the oven for a bit)

Jenny's Favorite Cinnamon Rolls
Yield 12
Author
Prep time
50 Min
Cook time
18 Min
Inactive time
2 H & 30 M
Total time
3 H & 38 M

Jenny's Favorite Cinnamon Rolls

Classic cinnamon rolls are taken to the next level with the use of the tangzhong technique. This creates extra fluffy, pillowy soft rolls that stay softer for longer. With a traditional cinnamon filling and customizable frosting, these too can become your favorite cinnamon rolls!

Ingredients

For the Tangzhong:
For the Dough:
For the Filling:
For the Icing:

Instructions

Make the Tangzhong:
  1. In a small pan, whisk flour and milk together until no lumps remain. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until thickened into a paste-like texture. This could take just a couple minutes or more, depending on your burner.
  2. Set aside for a moment to cool.
Make the Dough:
  1. Add all dough ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer or other large bowl. Add in the warm (but not too hot) tangzhong.
  2. Knead with the dough attachment in the stand mixer for about 10 minutes or longer by hand, until dough is elastic and passes the window pane test.
  3. Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm place for 1 - 1.5 hours, or until roughly doubled in size.
Make the Filling:
  1. Oven 375°F / 190°C 9x13inch / 23x33cm rectangle baking dish, lightly greased, OR jelly roll pan or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat
  2. Combine all filling ingredients together in a small bowl, until a wet sand texture is achieved.
  3. When the dough has risen, punch down and dump out onto a floured surface. Roll the dough into a roughly 10x12in / 25x30cm rectangle, about 0.5in / 1.25cm thick. Do your best to roll or pat into a rectangle and not an oval.
  4. Evenly sprinkle filling over dough, leaving about 0.5in / 1.25cm uncovered along the edge of one of the long sides. Carefully roll the dough up, starting with the opposite long side. Use the uncovered edge to help seal the roll; you can gently roll it back and forth with the seam down to help seal it.
  5. Using a sharp serrated knife or dental floss, cut the roll into 12 pieces. Place each piece in the prepared pan, or free standing on a cookie sheet, spaced evenly apart.
  6. Lightly cover the rolls and let rise in a warm place until risen and puffy, about 30-60 minutes. Partway through this time you’ll want to preheat your oven to 375°/190°C.
  7. Bake rolls for about 14-18 minutes or until internal temperature of an outer roll reads 190°F / 88°C.
  8. Allow rolls to cool for about 10 minutes before icing.
Make the Icing:
  1. In a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, mix all icing ingredients together except milk until smooth. Add milk, 1 Tbsp at a time, until desired icing consistency is reached.
  2. Spread icing evenly over rolls.

Notes

  1. When making bread, you are often instructed to add warm (about 110°F / 43°C) liquids to your dough. This helps to activate the yeast and thus rise your dough. If you add cold liquids your yeast may remain dormant and not do much. In this recipe, you may notice the milk doesn’t have to be warm. In fact, you can add it cold since it will offset the heat from the tangzhong that was cooked. I wouldn’t add the tangzhong straight from the hot stove into the bowl with your yeast and other ingredients, as the heat could kill the yeast, but the time it takes to assemble the other dough ingredients in the bowl should be sufficient time for the tangzhong to cool down. Then the cold milk helps, too.
  2. The best way to ensure properly cooked cinnamon rolls (or anything!) is by taking an internal temperature. One of top used kitchen tools is my Thermapen, and I highly recommend one to you. You can find similar on Amazon.
  3. My favorite icing for cinnamon rolls is cream cheese, however this makes them that much richer and heavier, so I tend to go back and forth between making the icing with and without the cream cheese. Either way you go, I highly recommend using buttermilk in the icing rather than milk. The tang offsets the very sweet icing really, really well.
  4. The window pane test, which is my go-to for kneaded doughs, is essentially taking a small chunk of dough and stretching it into an even little square, then stretching the dough until it is very thin. If the dough begins to break, not enough gluten has developed and needs to be kneaded more. A dough that has been sufficiently kneaded will stretch very thin, thin enough you could almost see through it, and, if held up to a window, can see light through it, hence the name of this technique.
  5. To facilitate cutting the rolls evenly, I like to use a knife or the floss to make marks in the dough before actually cutting. I start by making a mark in the middle, then another mark in the middle of each half, then marking each quarter into 3. If you want to be really precise, use a measuring tape in front of your roll. :)
  6. If you saw dental floss as a choice for cutting the roll and think that’s crazy, trust! It actually gives you the cleanest cut and is satisfying to use. Slide the floss under the roll where you want to cut, then pull the ends of the floss up and around the roll, pulling in opposite directions to slice the roll.
  7. If you don’t have dental floss or a sharp enough knife to cut the rolls without squishing them, you can put the rolls in to the freezer for about 30 minutes until the dough is firmed up. This makes the cutting process neater and easier if you don’t have ideal tools at hand. You will then have to give a little more time in the rising process since the dough is cold.
  8. If you want extra gooey, rich cinnamon rolls:
  • Before baking, pour about 1 tsp of heavy cream over each roll.
  • After baking, brush rolls with 2 Tbsp of melted butter immediately after they come out of the oven. Then continue with cooling and icing.
  1. Inevitably your cut rolls with will vary slightly in size, the ones from the middle being more generous than the ones from the end. To ensure the most even baking, place the larger rolls on the outside or corners of your pan, the smaller ones toward the center.
  2. If making free standing cinnamon rolls, you’ll want to tuck the ends of the rolls underneath themselves, so you don’t have tails when they rise and are baked.
  3. I had never made free standing cinnamon rolls or any kind of roll like this until I found this recipe. It gives a little more freedom in what you can use in the baking process and I love that. You will have more perfectly shaped rolls, but baking together in a rectangle dish is easier if you want to freeze or transport the rolls.
  4. How to tell if your dough is risen enough, but not over risen? When gently pressed with a finger, the dough should slowly spring back. If it springs back immediately, it hasn’t risen enough. If it doesn’t spring back at all, it could be over-risen.
  5. These rolls freeze well! You have two options:
  6. Freeze once rolls are sliced and in their rectangle pan. Cover tightly and freeze. When ready to use, allow to come to room temperature and rise until puffy, continuing from step 5 in the “Make the Filling” section.
  7. Freeze once rolls are baked and cooled. Frosting is best done once rolls have come to room temperature (or even been warmed in the oven for a bit)


Nutrition Facts

Calories

459.97

Fat

15.91 g

Sat. Fat

9.5 g

Carbs

71.85 g

Fiber

1.8 g

Net carbs

70.06 g

Sugar

37.68 g

Protein

7.43 g

Sodium

416.6 mg

Cholesterol

42.79 mg

Nutritional information is approximate, based on 1 cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting.

best ever cinnamon rolls, king arthur, cream cheese frosting, sourdough discard recipe
breakfast, bread
American
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Flax Bread

/

Updated May 27, 2024

This easy, no-knead flax bread is a unicorn of a recipe. It’s friendly to so many different special diets, including gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, paleo, candida, and keto, and yet somehow is not only edible, but quite tasty.

I came across this recipe because I was determined to find a palatable bread for my husband who was eating a very restricted diet for a few months. The bread couldn’t contain gluten, yeast, sugar of any kind, or dairy. It’s already challenging to make a good gluten-free bread. But a bread without yeast? That’s tricky. Then throw in the dairy and sugar part and whew. Slim pickings. I tried a few recipes that I immediately discarded, but in the end I found this flax bread winner which contains none of the above.

Keep in mind with the above restrictions, you’re not going to get a bread that’s crusty and artisanal and really anything like what you might imagine when you think of typical bread. But when your diet is restricted, and you come across a recipe like this, it’s absolutely heavenly.

The original recipe was called Focaccia Flax Bread but I couldn’t quite bring myself to call it focaccia, since it’s so far from the real thing. It’s low, so similar in height to focaccia, but it’s also not really a flat bread. Maybe we can just call it a low bread?? Needless to say, I went with simple “flax bread”.

It also happens to be fabulously easy, which is a bonus. In less than 30 minutes you can have this bread hot out of the oven!

The flour in this bread is flax meal, although you can mix it up and use other GF flours, as well; the leavening is baking powder (use baking powder without cornstarch to be paleo-friendly), the fat is coconut oil or really any non-dairy fat you choose. There’s also optional xylitol as a sweetener, which before this recipe I had never used. Sometimes I add it, sometimes I don’t, but I’ve found I rather enjoy using xylitol. It wasn’t as expensive as I had anticipated, it looks very similar to granulated sugar, it doesn’t have a weird taste to it like some sugar substitutes can, and it doesn’t feel as evil as say, aspartame.

If you’re a normal carb-ivore, I won’t try and sell this bread to you as “OMG you’ll never eat real bread again!” because that’s just silly. If you can eat real bread, eat real bread! I’m a normal carb-ivore and I find this bread tasty, but it certainly won’t replace my love of baguettes. But if you’re not able to eat normal bread, whether for a short time or indefinitely, I really hope this recipe brings some tastiness into your life!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from whole new mom

Flax Bread

Serves 8

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup / 180g flax meal

  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

  • 1 tsp - 1 Tbsp / 5-15g xylitol, optional

  • 2 eggs

  • 1/2 cup / 119g water

  • 1/3 cup / 74g coconut oil, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C. Grease an 8x8in / 20x20cm square pan or 8in / 20cm round cake pan.

  1. In a medium bowl, combine flax meal, baking powder, and xylitol, if using.

  2. In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add eggs to dry mixture along with water and coconut oil; mix until well combined.

  3. Let sit for a few minutes to thicken up slightly, then pour and spread into prepared pan.

  4. Bake for about 20 minutes or until turning golden-brown and bread is springy to the touch.

Jenny’s Notes:

  • To make this bread paleo, use baking powder that doesn’t include cornstarch in it.

  • You can make your own flax meal by grinding flax seeds in a food processor or coffee/spice grinder. Quick and easy! I do this every time.

  • Other GF flours can be substituted for part of the flaxmeal. I like to substitute about 25% (so 1/4 cup in this recipe) of the flax meal for buckwheat flour.

  • Really any fat can be used instead of coconut oil, choose your preference!

Flax Bread
Yield 8
Author
Prep time
7 Min
Cook time
20 Min
Inactive time
3 Min
Total time
30 Min

Flax Bread

A versatile flatbread made with ground flax seeds that suits a variety of special dietary needs, including gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, yeast-free, keto, paleo, and candida diet friendly.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C. Grease an 8x8in / 20x20cm square pan or 8in / 20cm round cake pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine flax meal, baking powder, and xylitol, if using.
  3. In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add eggs to dry mixture along with water and coconut oil; mix until well combined.
  4. Let sit for a few minutes to thicken up slightly, then pour and spread into prepared pan.
  5. Bake for about 20 minutes or until turning golden-brown and bread is springy to the touch.

Notes

  • To make this bread paleo, use baking powder that doesn’t include cornstarch in it.
  • You can make your own flax meal by grinding flax seeds in a food processor or coffee/spice grinder. Quick and easy! I do this every time.
  • Other GF flours can be substituted for part of the flaxmeal. I like to substitute about 25% (so 1/4 cup in this recipe) of the flax meal for buckwheat flour.
  • Really any fat can be used instead of coconut oil, choose your preference!

Nutrition Facts

Calories

228.14

Fat

19.84 g

Sat. Fat

8.84 g

Carbs

8.54 g

Fiber

6.16 g

Net carbs

2.38 g

Sugar

0.40 g

Protein

5.69 g

Sodium

116.69 mg

Cholesterol

46.50 mg

Nutritional info is approximate. Based on 1 serving if recipe is made with 1 Tbsp of xylitol.

gluten free, dairy free, flaxmeal bread, candida diet friendly, sugar free, yeast free, flatbread, flaxbread focaccia, paleo, keto
bread, special diets
American
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Whole Wheat Garlic Knots

/

Last Updated September 7, 2024

IMG_3863.jpeg

These whole wheat garlic knots are like your favorite garlic knots, but slightly healthified by adding whole wheat flour. You’re welcome.

I once spent two summers in NYC when I was a teenager, training with the American Ballet Theatre. My mom and I had great fun roaming around the streets of New York, trying NY bagels and pizza and walking miles for the free Lindt samples at the Lindt store. #dessert. We quickly discovered that NY pizza lives up to its name, and also that it is not the only star. You must get the garlic knots. And the best ones are at Ray’s Pizza, on 11th street. Buddy the Elf knows it. Except I may have read they closed. I’m really torn up about that. Such good memories, and guys, Buddy the Elf talks about it. How could they close?? How could they do that to me? I haven’t been able to support their business since 2008 but….such good memories. And if I had gone back to NYC since I would’ve eaten so many garlic knots! Alas. The world keeps turning, and there is this homemade recipe which is pretty durn good.

These knots are as good as any, and while the whole wheat flour might not be a part of the classic, I think it adds a wonderful nutty depth to the knots, as whole wheat flour does so well.

Want to lessen the garlic breath? Try Roasted Garlic Knots!

If there was a fault with garlic knots, it would be, well, the garlic. It’s what makes them. It’s also what makes them so dangerous. Fresh garlic, and so much. So good. So….smelly for the next 24 hours. But I discovered a trick to make these rolls a little less lethal. Normally you would bake the rolls, then slather them in the garlic butter. Instead, you can slather them with the garlic butter before baking, so they become roasted garlic knots. Also delicious, and may save your social interactions the next day. Somewhat.

The amount of garlic butter you use is also customizable. Really good, garlicky knots like you get in restaurants would probably be doused in a similar amount of garlic butter as the recipe below calls for, but if you want to lighten the load, you absolutely can. I often halve the garlic topping to keep it a bit lighter. Or, because of masks, social distancing, and generally staying home, you could also up the garlic…

Use up sourdough discard

If you are an avid sourdough baker, or at least, sourdough feeder, this recipe makes an excellent vessel for using up sourdough discard. Simply add discard to other ingredients before kneading (think 50-100g of starter) and continue as normal. Depending on how much starter you use, you will probably need to add a bit extra flour to the dough to ensure it’s not overly sticky.

So, an ode to Ray’s Pizza on 11th, that may no longer be in existence. May it Ray in Pizza. I mean, rest in peace.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from Joy the Baker

Whole Wheat Garlic Knots

Makes 10 knots

IMG_3856.jpeg

Ingredients:

For the knots

  • 2 1/4 tsp / 7g active dry yeast

  • 2 tsp / 10g sugar

  • 1 cup / 237g warm water (about 100°F / 38°C)

  • 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups / 150-180g bread or all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup / 130g whole wheat flour

  • 2 Tbsp / 28g oil

  • 1 tsp / 5g salt

For the Garlic Butter Mixture

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/4 cup / 56g melted butter, olive oil, or a mixture of both

  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, optional

  • 1 /2 tsp salt

Directions:

Make the Knots

Oven preheated to 400°F / 205°C. Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.

  1. In a small bowl, combine yeast, sugar, and warm water; swirl to dissolve yeast and sugar. Let sit until frothy, about 5-10 minutes.

  2. In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix 1 1/4 cups bread flour, whole wheat flour, oil, salt, and yeast mixture until combined. Dough should be pliable, not too stiff but also not sticky. Add remaining 1/4 cup bread flour if necessary.

  3. Knead dough with bread hook for about 7 minutes or by hand for 10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.

  4. Grease a large bowl (can be the same bowl) and place dough in the bowl, flipping once to coat in oil. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

  5. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into a square, roughly 10x10in / 25x25cm. Slice into ten 1in / 2.5cm strips.

  6. Take each strip and tie loosely in a knot; tuck the ends under. Place evenly spaced on baking sheet(s) and loosely cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

  7. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden.

Make the Garlic Butter Mixture

  1. Mix together all ingredients for garlic butter mixture.

  2. As soon as rolls are done baking, either toss in garlic butter or brush over the rolls with a pastry brush.

    Best if served warm.

Jenny’s Notes:

  • For Roasted Garlic Knots, brush rolls with garlic butter mixture before baking instead of after. Helps a bit with the garlic breath!

  • For a lighter, less garlicky roll, cut the garlic butter mixture in half. For extra garlicky rolls, use up to 6 garlic cloves!

  • The dough can be made a day ahead. Make and knead dough according to directions, and after placing dough in oiled bowl, place covered in fridge and allow to rise overnight. Bring dough to room temperature (or at least close) before rolling out.

  • You can use sourdough discard in this recipe. Add in with the flour and continue as in recipe, a bit more flour may be necessary to ensure your dough isn’t too sticky.

  • The above recipe can also be used as pizza dough. Likewise, you can also use your favorite pizza dough recipe (my mom used to buy pre-made pizza dough from Sam’s club to make easy breads and pizzas) and simply follow the recipe above for shaping and making the garlic butter.

Whole Wheat Garlic Knots
Yield 10
Author
Prep time
35 Min
Cook time
18 Min
Inactive time
1 H & 30 M
Total time
2 H & 23 M

Whole Wheat Garlic Knots

Buttery, garlicky knots like the best pizzerias, made at home with whole wheat flour.
Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

For the Knots
For the Garlic Butter Mixture

Instructions

Make the Knots
  1. Oven preheated to 400°F / 205°C. Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.
  2. In a small bowl, combine yeast, sugar, and warm water; swirl to dissolve yeast and sugar. Let sit until frothy, about 5-10 minutes.
  3. In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix 1 1/4 cups bread flour, whole wheat flour, oil, salt, and yeast mixture until combined. Dough should be pliable, not too stiff but also not sticky. Add remaining 1/4 cup bread flour if necessary.
  4. Knead dough with bread hook for about 7 minutes or by hand for 10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
  5. Grease a large bowl (can be the same bowl) and place dough in the bowl, flipping once to coat in oil. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
  6. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into a square, roughly 10x10in / 25x25cm. Slice into ten 1in / 2.5cm strips.
  7. Take each strip and tie loosely in a knot; tuck the ends under. Place evenly spaced on baking sheet(s) and loosely cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
  8. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden.
Make the Garlic Butter Mixture
  1. Mix together all ingredients for garlic butter mixture.
  2. As soon as rolls are done baking, either toss in garlic butter or brush over the rolls with a pastry brush.
  3. Best if served warm.

Notes

  • For Roasted Garlic Knots, brush rolls with garlic butter mixture before baking instead of after. Helps a bit with the garlic breath!
  • For a lighter, less garlicky roll, cut the garlic butter mixture in half. For extra garlicky rolls, use up to 6 garlic cloves!
  • The dough can be made a day ahead. Make and knead dough according to directions, and after placing dough in oiled bowl, place covered in fridge and allow to rise overnight. Bring dough to room temperature (or at least close) before rolling out.
  • You can use sourdough discard in this recipe. Add in with the flour and continue as in recipe, a bit more flour may be necessary to ensure your dough isn’t too sticky.
  • The above recipe can also be used as pizza dough. Likewise, you can also use your favorite pizza dough recipe (my mom used to buy pre-made pizza dough from Sam’s club to make easy breads and pizzas) and simply follow the recipe above for shaping and making the garlic butter.


Nutrition Facts

Calories

185.79

Fat

7.93 g

Sat. Fat

3.14 g

Carbs

20.38 g

Fiber

2.13 g

Net carbs

22.21 g

Sugar

1.10 g

Protein

4.01 g

Cholesterol

12.04 mg

Sodium

232.51 mg

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on 1 knot.

Ray's Pizza Garlic Knots, Garlic Knots, Garlic Butter, Garlic Rolls
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Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

/

Last Updated August 30, 2024

IMG_3532.jpg

It’s zucchini season!

Don’t ask me why, but I am always surprised when summer rolls around and so do all the mountains of ripe zucchini…I associate zucchini with fall and winter dishes. Why? No idea. Especially when I look back over my childhood, and my mom almost always had zucchini growing in her garden (they would get huge and there would be so many, who wants zucchini???) Ah, the things we take for granted! Summer dinners would often see zucchini battered in flour and fried up over the griddle.

Now that I live in Italy, I always see the zucchini blossoms battered and fried. It’s a favorite appetizer in restaurants come summer. In fact, more often than not zucchini are sold with the blossoms still attached. Or you can buy just the blossoms. I rarely batter and fry things at home and haven’t bothered to discover other ways of using them, so I have to be careful because the blossoms go moldy much quicker than the zucchini itself! The zucchini are also quite small and light in color, at least compared to the monster dark green baseball bats that used to grow in my mom’s garden.

With the abundance of zucchini around, or any produce, I tend to start looking for new ways to cook them or improving current recipes. While I love zucchini in a stir-fry, with pasta, in risotto, pan-fried like my mama’s, etc., I wanted something different. Zucchini bread came to mind. But not just classic zucchini bread. I wanted chocolate zucchini bread. Double chocolate zucchini bread.

Thus this recipe was born, and if you’re at the point where you’re getting sick of all the zucchini, this is the recipe for you. You won’t even know there is zucchini in it. It’s chocolatey, fudgy, not overly sweet, and just exactly what I was wanting.

Aside from having vegetables in it, it doesn’t have much oil, using half yogurt or applesauce instead, keeping the calories and fat content down. If you’re concerned about cholesterol, you can also use egg whites instead of the whole egg! See notes below recipe for more ideas to customize this bread to your tastes and needs.

Use up sourdough discard

Another great thing about this recipe? You can use up some sourdough discard that may be lurking in your fridge. No need to feed it or for it to be active at all, just make sure it hasn’t gone bad! Sometimes my discard sits up to 2-3 weeks in my fridge before I get to it. The longer it sits the more sour it will taste/smell, but even using a 3 week old discard I couldn’t have told you there was any in this zucchini bread! It can help bulk up recipes like this and add a little fermented nutrition!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from my mama’s classic zucchini bread

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Makes 1 loaf

IMG_3541.jpg

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup / 100g sugar

  • 1/4 cup / 56g oil

  • 1/4 cup / 60g plain yogurt or applesauce

  • 1 egg or 2 egg whites

  • 1 tsp / 5g vanilla extract

  • about 1/2 cup / 100g sourdough discard, optional

  • 1 1/2 cups / 250g grated zucchini (about 2 medium)

  • 1 cup / 120g all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 cup / 50g cocoa powder

  • 1 tsp baking soda

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 1/4 tsp baking powder

  • 1 cup / 170g chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C. Grease 1 9x5inch / 23x13cm bread pan or line with parchment paper.

  1. In a large bowl, beat together sugar, oil, yogurt, egg, vanilla, and sourdough discard, if using. Stir in zucchini.

  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.

  3. Fold dry ingredients and chocolate chips into wet ingredients until just combined. Reserve a handful of chocolate chips for sprinkling on top, if you wish.

  4. Pour into prepared bread pan, sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips, and bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. A few moist crumbs clinging to the toothpick is a good sign the bread is done but still moist! Allow to bread to cool before removing from pan and serving.

Jenny’s Notes:

  • If you desire a sweeter bread, you can up the sugar to 1 cup / 200g.

  • I know not everyone has plain yogurt on hand, so if you have French Vanilla or another flavor you wouldn’t mind mixing with chocolate, use that! Flavored yogurt has added sugar, so if that is important to you to keep the sugar down, simply reduce the sugar from 1/2 cup / 100g to a scant 1/2 cup / 80-90g.

  • Zucchini quantity can be played with! My mom’s original recipe calls for 1 cup, but here I’ve increased it to 1 1/2 cups. If you can’t detect the veggies, why not add more so you get maximum nutrition? On that note, measuring grated, sliced, or cubed veggies by weight is always a bit tricky. From my research, the average medium zucchini weighs about 5oz or 140g, so if you’re buying zucchini specifically for this recipe, you’ll probably want to get 2, making a bit more than 1 1/2 cups, but that’s ok! I would use it all. Or just get one zucchini that’s a bit bigger. However you please, as I said it’s flexible! And I just way over-analyzed that for you. You’re welcome.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Yield 1 loaf
Author
Prep time
20 Min
Cook time
45 Min
Total time
1 H & 5 M

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Fudgy, chocolatey zucchini bread loaded with chocolate chips. A sneaky way to get in more vegetables and you can even use up some sourdough discard with this recipe!
Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C. Grease 1 9x5inch / 23x13cm bread pan or line with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together sugar, oil, yogurt, egg, vanilla, and sourdough discard, if using. Stir in zucchini.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.
  4. Fold dry ingredients and chocolate chips into wet ingredients until just combined. Reserve a handful of chocolate chips for sprinkling on top, if you wish.
  5. Pour into prepared bread pan, sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips, and bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. A few moist crumbs clinging to the toothpick is a good sign the bread is done but still moist! Allow to bread to cool before removing from pan and serving.

Notes

If you desire a sweeter bread, you can up the sugar to 1 cup / 200g.I know not everyone has plain yogurt on hand, so if you have French Vanilla or another flavor you wouldn’t mind mixing with chocolate, use that! Flavored yogurt has added sugar, so if that is important to you to keep the sugar down, simply reduce the sugar from 1/2 cup / 100g to a scant 1/2 cup / 80-90g. Zucchini quantity can be played with! My mom’s original recipe calls for 1 cup, but here I’ve increased it to 1 1/2 cups. If you can’t detect the veggies, why not add more so you get maximum nutrition? On that note, measuring grated, sliced, or cubed veggies by weight is always a bit tricky. From my research, the average medium zucchini weighs about 5oz or 140g, so if you’re buying zucchini specifically for this recipe, you’ll probably want to get 2, making a bit more than 1 1/2 cups, but that’s ok! I would use it all. Or just get one zucchini that’s a bit bigger. However you please, as I said it’s flexible! And I just way over-analyzed that for you. You’re welcome.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

277.93

Fat

13.31 g

Sat. Fat

4.04 g

Carbs

38.03 g

Fiber

2.86 g

Net carbs

35.17 g

Sugar

22.45 g

Protein

4.65 g

Sodium

291.43 mg

Cholesterol

21.07 mg

Nutritional information is approximate; based on roughly 9 slices from 1 loaf. Does not include using sourdough discard.

zucchini bread, quick bread, sourdough discard, low fat recipe, double chocolate zucchini bread
bread, dessert
American
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A zucchini lurking in the background, for proof there truly is zucchini in this bread

A zucchini lurking in the background, for proof there truly is zucchini in this bread

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Overnight Bagels

/

Last Updated August 18, 2024

IMG_2103.jpg

Bagels. Who doesn’t love them? Especially toasted with cream cheese or butter melting on top. Everyone has their favorite bagel, where to get them and how to eat them, whether that’s the chewy and dense boiled variety or the slightly lighter and more modern steamed versions, plain or everything, toasted with cream cheese, eaten plain, or eaten as a sandwich.

One of my favorite bagel memories is from New York City where I spent two summers training with the American Ballet Theatre when I was a teenager. On the weekends my mom and I would go on adventures exploring the city, usually walking an average of 15 miles a day and thus needing sustenance. I remember particularly well one morning passing a bagel shop and a few minutes later exiting with a freshly toasted bagel smothered in cream cheese and wrapped in tinfoil. So simple, so inexpensive, and I still think of that bagel as one of the best I’ve ever had. So I guess you could say I’m a NYC bagel girl, but to be fair, I don’t think I’ve had any (at least not-from-a-hotel-breakfast-bar bagels) in any of the major cities famed for bagels, such as Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, or Los Angeles. And I’ve been to all those cities! Too bad I didn’t know they had amazing bagels or I would’ve done a trial and comparison. Ah well, just have to go back I guess!

I am blogging this bagel recipe which involves an overnight ferment and boiling, because I think IT’S SO YUMMY. I’m not going to tout this recipe as the bagel recipe to end all bagel recipes, because frankly, I’m not into that kind of marketing and I believe there are other valid methods and types of bagel recipes out there. This recipe comes from Peter Reinhart’s book The Breadmaker’s Apprentice, and as he says, this is a bagel for the ages. And he knows what he’s talking about, so you should try this recipe. You can buy the cookbook by clinking on the link to the right!

Don’t let the overnight ferment or multi-step process scare you, it’s really quite fun and not nearly as tricky as I had always imagined making bagels to be. You will need to clear some space in your fridge and in your schedule, but if I can do it in my tiny Italian kitchen with my tiny toaster-sized oven, so can you, wherever you are baking! I recommend reading the recipe through once or twice before making a game plan. (As you should with every recipe!)

What follows is a slightly modified version of Peter Reinhart’s recipe. The ingredients are basically identical but the instructions I have rewritten in my own words and in places slightly changed or modified to accommodate tips and tricks that worked really well for me and might work for you, too!

parmesan, sesame, and everything bagels

parmesan, sesame, and everything bagels

Side note if you need bagels TODAY: While this recipe is called “Overnight Bagels”, it can also be made without the overnight ferment. I do recommend the overnight ferment for flavor and just because it’s nice to split up the multiple steps of bagel making, however…we might not always have the patience to wait that long for fresh, hot, chewy bagels…this has definitely happened to me during this 2020 quarantine. I wanted bagels today! Not tomorrow! And I hadn’t planned ahead.
So, instead of an overnight ferment, once the bagels are shaped, let them rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until noticeably swelled. Keep any eye on them as you don’t want them to overaise. This can cause them to deflate when they are boiled. Proceed with recipe as normal.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Overnight Bagels

Makes 12 big or 24 small bagels

Ingredients:

For the Sponge

  • 1 tsp / 3g instant yeast

  • 4 cups / 510g bread flour

  • 2 1/2 cups / 567g water

For the Dough

  • 1/2 tsp / 1.5g instant yeast

  • 3 3/4 cups / 482g bread flour

  • 2 3/4 tsp / 20g salt

  • 2 tsp / 9.5g malt powder OR flavoring of choice: 1 Tbsp / 14g dark or light malt syrup, honey, or dark or light brown sugar

For Boiling the Bagels

  • 1 Tbsp / 14g baking soda, optional, or malt syrup or honey

  • a large pot of water, the wider the pot the better

  • cornmeal or semolina, for dusting

Toppings, any or all of the following

  • sesame seeds

  • poppy seeds

  • salt flakes

  • rehydrated minced garlic

  • rehydrated minced onion

  • parmesan cheese

Directions:

DAY 1

Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and grease well.

Make the Sponge

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl, stir yeast into flour. Add water and stir just until a sticky dough has formed, similar to pancake batter.

  2. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until very bubbly and active. It should be about twice the size and collapse when bowl is tapped on countertop.

Make the Dough

  1. Once sponge is ready, add next measurement of yeast and mix on low speed with dough hook or by hand with a spoon. Next, add 3 cups / 383g of the next measurement of flour, salt, and malt powder / flavoring of choice. Stir on low speed for about 3 minutes, or with a spoon until a mostly homogeneous ball is formed. Slowly add remaining 3/4 cup / 99g flour to stiffen dough a bit.

    Knead dough on medium-low speed for about 6 minutes or turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for about 10 minutes. Dough should be smooth and firm yet pliable, not sticky, with all flour worked in. If it seems too dry or there is excess flour throughout, add a few drops of water until desired consistency is reached. Likewise if it’s too sticky, add in a bit of flour until correct stiffness is reached. At this point the dough should pass the windowpane test. (Stretch a small piece of dough between your thumbs and forefingers; if enough gluten has developed through kneading the dough should stretch thin where you can see light coming through. If it breaks before you can stretch it thin, knead another few minutes and try again.)

Weigh and Shape Dough

IMG_2100.jpg

  1. Weigh dough and divide weight by the number of bagels you wish to make: If making mini bagels, divide weight by 24; if making regular bagels, divide weight by 12. This will give the goal weight for each dough ball you are about to make. For example, the weight of my dough the last time I made these was 1,566g. 1,566g divided by 12 for regular bagels = about 130g each. Or, 1,566g divided by 24 for mini bagels = about 65g each.

  2. Once you have a goal weight for the dough balls, divide dough in half, then keep dividing the halves and quarters until you have 12 or 24 dough chunks. Weigh each chunk and add or subtract a bit of dough until they are all within about 5g of the goal weight. Roll each dough chunk under your palm with a cupped hand in a circular motion, guiding with outer edge of your palm, until you have a nice ball. It works best to roll them on a surface with little to no flour. This way the dough sticks slightly to the surface as you move in a circular motion and pulls and creates surface tension.

  3. Place dough balls on a lightly floured surface and cover with a damp towel. Allow to rest for approximately 20 minutes.

  4. Shape each dough ball into bagel form by poking your thumb through the center of the ball and rotating your thumb around the inside of the hole or lassoing it a few times around your thumb, until the hole is about 2 1/2 in / 6 cm for regular bagels or 1 1/2 in / 4 cm for mini. Aim to stretch the bagel as evenly as possible, avoiding a thick and thin side so you won’t end up with lopsided bagels. Alternately, you can roll the doll ball into an 8 in / 20 cm long rope, wrap it around your knuckles with the seam on the under side, then rock the seam on the counter until sealed.

  5. Place shaped bagels onto greased baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Mist with spray oil or rub on oil, then slip each sheet into a clean, food-grade plastic bag or cover with plastic wrap.

  6. Place bagels in fridge to rise overnight. They are best if used the next day, but can be kept up to three days in the fridge.

DAY 2

Boil the Bagels

  1. Test to see if bagels are ready to be boiled by removing one carefully from fridge and placing in a bowl of cool or tepid water. If bagel floats within 10 seconds, it’s ready. Immediately return bagel to covered baking sheet in fridge while you ready the water.

  2. If bagel does not float within 10 seconds, either return it to the fridge and repeat float test every couple hours until bagels are ready, or remove both sheets of bagels from fridge and let raise at room temperature, repeating float test every 10 to 20 minutes until a bagel passes. Return them to the fridge once they are ready so they don’t over-rise. The stiffness of the dough, your house temperature, and your fridge temperature will all impact when the bagels are ready to be boiled.

  3. If your bagels have over-risen (you can tell if they collapse when you gently handle them or if they overly deflate when boiled) or they have stuck to the pan, transfer them as carefully as you can to another better-oiled parchment lined baking sheet. Let rise at room temperature for another 15-20 minutes or until they pass float test again. Return them to the fridge once they are ready.

  4. When bagels are just about ready, place the large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil, then add baking soda, if using. Have a skimmer or slotted spoon ready nearby. Preheat oven to 500°F / 260°C and place two racks in the middle of the oven.

  5. Remove one sheet of bagels from fridge and gently slide 3-4 into boiling water, or however many can fit comfortably side to side. Boil for 30 seconds to 1 minute on one side, then flip each bagel and boil for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Bagels boiled for 1 minute on each side will be chewier than those boiled for only 30 seconds on each side.

  6. While bagels are boiling, sprinkle the same parchment lined baking sheet with cornmeal or semolina.

  7. When it’s time to remove bagels, use the slotted spoon and place them back on the baking sheet now sprinkled with cornmeal. Add toppings immediately while the bagels are still wet. Repeat with second sheet of bagels.

Bake the Bagels

  1. Place both baking sheets of bagels in the preheated oven. Bake for 7 minutes, then switch the pans on the racks and rotate each 180 degrees to bake the bagels as evenly as possible.

  2. After you switch and rotate, lower oven temperature to 450°F / 232°C and bake for another 7-8 minutes, or until light golden brown.

  3. Remove from oven and allow bagels to cool for 15 minutes before devouring.

Jenny’s Notes:

  • To keep scale clean while weighing dough, place the now-empty bowl (no need to clean it) and press tare. You can also use a piece of plastic wrap over the scale and tare if needed.

  • I love lassoing the bagels while shaping them! Fast, fun, and effective. Not as big a fan of the rope and seal version, I thought it took longer and the finishing ring was not as symmetrical. Try out both versions to find which works best for you!

  • I found it best to make the dough in the evening and boil and bake the bagels in the morning or they over-rose, but I believe this is mostly due to my not-cold-enough fridge. If you have a cold and well functioning fridge, you should be fine to make and bake the bagels at your leisure!

  • Chewy bagels are my favorite, and thus I boil bagels for the full minute on each side. I have found, though, that beyond 1 minute on each side can cause the outside of the bagels to cook too much. This means when they are baked this outer baked “shell” doesn’t allow the bagels to reach their full rise and may result in flatter bagels.

  • When baking the bagels, know your oven. If you have hot spots or a small oven, you can choose to bake one sheet of bagels at a time. Since my oven is small, I baked the first sheet of bagels while I was boiling the second sheet, and simply rotated the pan 180 degrees after the first 7 minutes.

Overnight Bagels
Yield 12-24
Author
Prep time
1 H & 45 M
Cook time
15 Min
Inactive time
12 Hour
Total time
14 Hour

Overnight Bagels

A recipe from Peter Reinhart's "The Breadmaker's Apprentice." The bagels get an overnight ferment leading to increased umami flavor and are boiled for optimal chewiness.
Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

For the Sponge
For the Dough
For Boiling the Bagels
Toppings, any or all of the following

Instructions

DAY 1 Make the Sponge
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl, stir yeast into flour. Add water and stir just until a sticky dough has formed, similar to pancake batter.
  2. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until very bubbly and active. It should be about twice the size and collapse when bowl is tapped on countertop.
Make the Dough
  1. Once sponge is ready, add next measurement of yeast and mix on low speed with dough hook or by hand with a spoon. Next, add 3 cups / 383g of the next measurement of flour, salt, and malt powder / flavoring of choice. Stir on low speed for about 3 minutes, or with a spoon until a mostly homogeneous ball is formed. Slowly add remaining 3/4 cup / 99g flour to stiffen dough a bit.
  2. Knead dough on medium-low speed for about 6 minutes or turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for about 10 minutes. Dough should be smooth and firm yet pliable, not sticky, with all flour worked in. If it seems too dry or there is excess flour throughout, add a few drops of water until desired consistency is reached. Likewise if it’s too sticky, add in a bit of flour until correct stiffness is reached. At this point the dough should pass the windowpane test. (Stretch a small piece of dough between your thumbs and forefingers; if enough gluten has developed through kneading the dough should stretch thin where you can see light coming through. If it breaks before you can stretch it thin, knead another few minutes and try again.)
Weigh and Shape the Dough
  1. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and grease well.
  2. Weigh dough and divide weight by the number of bagels you wish to make: If making mini bagels, divide weight by 24; if making regular bagels, divide weight by 12. This will give the goal weight for each dough ball you are about to make. For example, the weight of my dough the last time I made these was 1,566g. 1,566g divided by 12 for regular bagels = about 130g each. Or, 1,566g divided by 24 for mini bagels = about 65g each.
  3. Once you have a goal weight for the dough balls, divide dough in half, then keep dividing the halves and quarters until you have 12 or 24 dough chunks. Weigh each chunk and add or subtract a bit of dough until they are all within about 5g of the goal weight. Roll each dough chunk under your palm with a cupped hand in a circular motion, guiding with outer edge of your palm, until you have a nice ball. It works best to roll them on a surface with little to no flour. This way the dough sticks slightly to the surface as you move in a circular motion and pulls and creates surface tension.
  4. Place dough balls on a lightly floured surface and cover with a damp towel. Allow to rest for approximately 20 minutes.
  5. Shape each dough ball into bagel form by poking your thumb through the center of the ball and rotating your thumb around the inside of the hole or lassoing it a few times around your thumb, until the hole is about 2 1/2 in / 6 cm for regular bagels or 1 1/2 in / 4 cm for mini. Aim to stretch the bagel as evenly as possible, avoiding a thick and thin side so you won’t end up with lopsided bagels. Alternately, you can roll the doll ball into an 8 in / 20 cm long rope, wrap it around your knuckles with the seam on the under side, then rock the seam on the counter until sealed.
  6. Place shaped bagels onto greased baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Mist with spray oil or rub on oil, then slip each sheet into a clean, food-grade plastic bag or cover with plastic wrap.
  7. Place bagels in fridge to rise overnight. They are best if used the next day, but can be kept up to three days in the fridge.
DAY 2 Boil the Bagels
  1. Test to see if bagels are ready to be boiled by removing one carefully from fridge and placing in a bowl of cool or tepid water. If bagel floats within 10 seconds, it’s ready. Immediately return bagel to covered baking sheet in fridge while you ready the water.
  2. If bagel does not float within 10 seconds, either return it to the fridge and repeat float test every couple hours until bagels are ready, or remove both sheets of bagels from fridge and let raise at room temperature, repeating float test every 10 to 20 minutes until a bagel passes. Return them to the fridge once they are ready so they don’t over-rise. The stiffness of the dough, your house temperature, and your fridge temperature will all impact when the bagels are ready to be boiled.
  3. If your bagels have over-risen (you can tell if they collapse when you gently handle them or if they overly deflate when boiled) or they have stuck to the pan, transfer them as carefully as you can to another better-oiled parchment lined baking sheet. Let rise at room temperature for another 15-20 minutes or until they pass float test again. Return them to the fridge once they are ready.
  4. When bagels are just about ready, place the large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil, then add baking soda, if using. Have a skimmer or slotted spoon ready nearby. Preheat oven to 500°F / 260°C and place two racks in the middle of the oven.
  5. Remove one sheet of bagels from fridge and gently slide 3-4 into boiling water, or however many can fit comfortably side to side. Boil for 30 seconds to 1 minute on one side, then flip each bagel and boil for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Bagels boiled for 1 minute on each side will be chewier than those boiled for only 30 seconds on each side.
  6. While bagels are boiling, sprinkle the same parchment lined baking sheet with cornmeal or semolina.
  7. When it’s time to remove bagels, use the slotted spoon and place them back on the baking sheet now sprinkled with cornmeal. Add toppings immediately while the bagels are still wet. Repeat with second sheet of bagels.
Bake the Bagels
  1. Place both baking sheets of bagels in the preheated oven. Bake for 7 minutes, then switch the pans on the racks and rotate each 180 degrees to bake the bagels as evenly as possible.
  2. After you switch and rotate, lower oven temperature to 450°F / 232°C and bake for another 7-8 minutes, or until light golden brown.
  3. Remove from oven and allow bagels to cool for 15 minutes before devouring.

Notes

  • To keep scale clean while weighing dough, place the now-empty bowl (no need to clean it) and press tare. You can also use a piece of plastic wrap over the scale and tare if needed.
  • I love lassoing the bagels while shaping them! Fast, fun, and effective. Not as big a fan of the rope and seal version, I thought it took longer and the finishing ring was not as symmetrical. Try out both versions to find which works best for you!
  • I found it best to make the dough in the evening and boil and bake the bagels in the morning or they over-rose, but I believe this is mostly due to my not-cold-enough fridge. If you have a cold and well functioning fridge, you should be fine to make and bake the bagels at your leisure!
  • Chewy bagels are my favorite, and thus I boil bagels for the full minute on each side. I have found, though, that beyond 1 minute on each side can cause the outside of the bagels to cook too much. This means when they are baked this outer baked “shell” doesn’t allow the bagels to reach their full rise and may result in flatter bagels.
  • When baking the bagels, know your oven. If you have hot spots or a small oven, you can choose to bake one sheet of bagels at a time. Since my oven is small, I baked the first sheet of bagels while I was boiling the second sheet, and simply rotated the pan 180 degrees after the first 7 minutes.


Nutrition Facts

Calories

303.74

Fat

1.50 g

Sat. Fat

0.22 g

Carbs

60.82 g

Fiber

2.14 g

Net carbs

58.68 g

Sugar

0.83 g

Protein

10.16 g

Sodium

1017.73 mg

Cholesterol

0.00 mg

Nutritional Info is Approximate. Based on 1 large bagel.

bagel, overnight bagels, everything, parmesan, sesame, poppyseed
bread, breakfast, brunch
Jewish-American
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Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

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IMG_4773.jpg

Last Updated August 13, 2024

Nothing is quite as satisfying to make as homemade bread. From the relaxing kneading of the dough, to the mouth-watering aroma that fills the house as the bread bakes, to slicing into a fresh loaf, it’s one of the simple pleasures of life.

Add in a cinnamon raisin swirl and it can be hard to imagine it getting much better. This bread makes for wonderful eating plain, and even better toast. Use it for French Toast or however you best like to use bread!

Note: I used sourdough starter to make the loaves in the pictures. I didn't leave enough time for rising, and thus you can see you the crumb is rather tight and dense. Delicious nonetheless, but know that if you use instant yeast (or sourdough and allow for proper proofing) your loaves should be taller! 

This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from The Kitchn

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

Makes 2 9-inch loaves

IMG_4782.JPG

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup / 150g raisins

  • 1 cup / 237g hot water

  • 1 Tbsp / 10g active dry or instant yeast

  • 1 cup / 237g milk

  • 4 Tbsp / 56g melted butter or oil

  • 2 tsp / 9g salt

  • 5 1/2 - 6 cups / 660 - 720g all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 cup / 100g sugar

  • 1 1/2 Tbsp / 12g cinnamon

  • 1 egg

  • 2 tsp / 9g water

Directions:

Oven 375°F / 190°C.  2 greased loaf pans, approximately 9 x 5in / 23 x 13cm.  

IMG_4778.jpg

  1. Place raisins in a small bowl with the hot water and let plump for at least 10 minutes.  

  2. Drain water from raisins into the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl.  Set raisins aside.  Sprinkle yeast over the water.  If you're using active dry, let the yeast sit for a few minutes until it starts to foam; if you're using instant, proceed to the next step. 

  3. Add milk, butter, and salt to yeast mixture and stir well.  Add 5 cups / 600g of flour, mixing to incorporate. 

  4. Switch to the dough hook or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 8 - 10 minutes, adding more flour as necessary.  At the end, test to see if your dough is ready by performing the window pane test (see notes.)  If not, continue to knead dough until it passes.  

  5. Toss raisins with a bit of flour to absorb any residual water.  Add to your dough, and knead until evenly distributed.  If using a stand mixer, you may find this easier to do by hand.  

  6. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, cover, and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.  

  7. Meanwhile, combine the sugar with the cinnamon in a small bowl.  

  8. Beat the egg with the 2 tsp water in another small bowl. 

  9. When the dough has risen, punch it down and divide into two equal pieces.  Starting with one half, roll dough into a rectangle about 9in / 23cm wide and at least 18in / 46cm long. 

  10. Brush the dough evenly with some of the egg wash, leaving one narrow end dry; sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar mixture.  Starting from the opposite short end, roll dough up and pinch the seam to seal. 

  11. Transfer to the loaf pan, placing seam side down.  Repeat with other half of dough.  

  12. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes.   

  13. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and internal temperature reads 185 - 190°F / 85-88°C. 

  14. Let bread cool 10 minutes before removing from pans and allowing to cool completely.

Jenny's Notes:

  • If the dough shrinks back on you as you're rolling it out, let it rest for a few minutes and try again.  

  • If you have leftover egg wash and cinnamon sugar, you can brush the top of the loaves with the egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar before baking.  

  • Loaves can be frozen for later enjoyment.

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread
Yield 24
Author
Prep time
1 Hour
Cook time
40 Min
Total time
1 H & 40 M

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

Enriched white bread with swirls of cinnamon and plump raisins throughout.
Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Oven 375°F / 190°C. Grease 2 loaf pans, approximately 9 x 5in / 23 x 13cm.
  2. Place the raisins in a small bowl with the hot water and let plump for at least 10 minutes.
  3. Drain the water from the raisins into the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl. Set the raisins aside. Sprinkle the yeast over the water. If you're using active dry, let the yeast sit for a few minutes until it starts to foam, if you're using instant, go ahead and proceed to the next step.
  4. Add the milk, butter, and salt to the yeast mixture and stir well. Add 5 cups / 600g of flour, mixing to incorporate. Switch to the dough hook or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 8 - 10 minutes, adding more flour as necessary. At the end, test to see if your dough is ready by performing the window pane test (see notes.) If not, continue to knead the dough until it passes.
  5. Toss the raisins with a bit of flour to absorb any residual water. Add to your dough, and knead until evenly distributed. If using a stand mixer, you may find this easier to do by hand.
  6. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, cover, and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  7. Meanwhile, combine the sugar with the cinnamon in a small bowl.
  8. Beat the egg with 2 tsp water in another small bowl.
  9. When the dough has risen, punch it down and divide into two equal pieces. Starting with one half, roll dough into a rectangle about 9in / 23cm wide and at least 18in / 46cm long.
  10. Brush the dough evenly with some of the egg wash, leaving one short end free, and sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Starting from the opposite short end, roll the dough up and pinch the seam to seal.
  11. Transfer to the loaf pan, placing seam side down. Repeat with other half of dough.
  12. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes.
  13. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and internal temperature reads 185 - 190°F / 85-88°C.
  14. Let bread cool 10 minutes in pans before removing and allowing to cool completely.

Notes

If the dough shrinks back on you as you're rolling it out, let it rest for a few minutes and try again. If you have leftover egg wash and cinnamon sugar, you can brush the top of the loaves with the egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar before baking. Loaves can be frozen for later enjoyment! If you really dig raisins, add more than 1 cup! Just be aware, though, if you start to add too many (I would imagine more than 2 cups) then they could start to weigh down your dough, not allowing for a full rise.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

171.35

Fat

2.64 g

Sat. Fat

1.44 g

Carbs

33.09 g

Fiber

1.42 g

Net carbs

31.67 g

Sugar

7.96 g

Protein

4.10 g

Sodium

218.89 mg

Cholesterol

13.56 mg

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on 24 servings or 12 servings per loaf.

cinnamon raisin bread, cinnamon raisin swirl bread, cinnamon toast,
Bread, Breakfast, Brunch
American
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs
IMG_4777.jpg

Buttermilk Bread

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Last Updated August 7, 2024

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when someone says, "Buttermilk"?  

For me, that would be buttermilk pancakes. The lightest and fluffiest of all pancakes. If you live in the south, maybe that's buttermilk biscuits. Maybe your favorite cake recipe or scone recipe calls for buttermilk. Whatever it may be, these delectable food items all have one thing in common: Their light crumb, a.k.a. fluffiness. The high acidity in the buttermilk reacts with the leavening agent, like baking soda, thus creating a beautiful rise, and a nice, light product.  

I don't often have buttermilk on hand; I find it much easier to make my own as I always have milk and lemon juice/vinegar on hand. Lemon juice or vinegar are both very acidic and will have a similar effect on the leavening agent. However, there is something so satisfying about using true buttermilk in a recipe. After all, Milk and Lemon Juice Pancakes don't sound nearly as appealing as Buttermilk pancakes.   

So, a trip to the store, a carton of buttermilk bought, pancakes made and eaten.  Now, there is only 7/8 of a carton of buttermilk left in your fridge.  The likelihood of making 7 or more batches of buttermilk pancakes before the buttermilk goes bad is, well, not likely.  (But if you do, let me know, I’ll come live at your house!)  

The question remains, what I can do with the rest of this buttermilk without being wasteful?  Make buttermilk bread! (Another side note, if you like to drink buttermilk straight, well then.  You just can't relate with our buttermilk overload predicament, can you?)  The fluffiness factor we were talking about earlier still plays a role in this bread.  So fluffy.  Makes great toast.  And did I mention french toast?  Now you can serve buttermilk french toast! Oh yes. Full circle, baby. Actually, I don't really know where the circle started, so it's hard to tell if we actually came full circle...

On to the recipe! 

Recipe adapted from Jane's Sweets and Baking Journal

Buttermilk Bread

Makes 2 approx. 9x5 inch loaves

Ingredients:

  • 5-6 cups / 620-740g all-purpose flour

  • 1 Tbsp / 9g instant yeast

  • 2 tsp / 10g salt

  • 2 cups / 474g buttermilk

  • 1 Tbsp / 20g maple syrup or honey

  • 2 Tbsp / 28g oil or melted butter

Directions:

Oven 375°F / 190°C.  Grease two approx. 9x5in / 24x13cm loaf pans.

  1. In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place 5 cups of flour, yeast, and salt. Mix together. Add buttermilk, maple syrup, and oil, mixing well.  Switch to the dough hook if using a stand mixer.  

  2. Knead in the stand mixer or by hand on a lightly floured surface, until a smooth dough is formed, adding more flour as needed. This should take about 5-7 minutes with a stand mixer, 10 minutes by hand. If using a stand mixer, still knead a few rounds on a lightly floured surface at the end.

  3. Lightly grease a bowl and place your dough in it, flipping once so that all the dough is lightly coated in oil. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in volume, about one hour.  

  4. When bread has risen, punch or press down to degas it. Dump back onto your floured surface and divide the dough into two even pieces, using a scale for accuracy.  

  5. Starting with one half, form dough into a ball by flattening in a small square, then folding 3-4 times to create a ball, stretching as you do to create some tension. Move to a part of your work surface that has minimal flour. Place the ball between your two floured hands, loosely cupped. Move the ball between your hands in a circular motion while gently pulling the dough in a downward action. The bottom of the dough should stick to your surface a bit, and as you gently stretch it down in a circular motion you are creating surface tension. If the dough starts to tear lighten up on the pressure; the dough should look taught and smooth.  The surface tension will create a nice crust for your dough. This is called shaping a "Boule." If you're as confused as I would be reading this for the first time, this demonstration from King Arthur Flour is very helpful, the technique we're going for is shown starting at about 0:30.  

  6. Repeat with other half of dough.  Place towel or plastic wrap over the two boules and let rest for 15 minutes.

  7. Shape each round into a loaf and place in prepared pans.  Place back in a warm place to double, about 1 hour.  Preheat your oven towards the end of this time.  

  8. When dough has risen for the second time and the oven is hot, spray the inside walls of your oven with water to create steam.  A spray bottle works well.  Place loaves in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until internal temperature reads 200-210°F / 93-99°C.  Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack.  

Buttermilk Bread
Yield 20
Author
Prep time
40 Min
Cook time
30 Min
Total time
1 H & 10 M

Buttermilk Bread

A soft white bread made extra fluffy with the use of buttermilk. Great for toast and french toast.
Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Oven 375°F / 190°C. Grease two approx. 9x5in / 24x13cm loaf pans.
  2. In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place 5 cups of flour, yeast, and salt. Mix together. Add buttermilk, maple syrup, and oil, mixing well. Switch to the dough hook if using a stand mixer.
  3. Knead in the stand mixer or by hand on a lightly floured surface, until a smooth dough is formed, adding more flour as needed. This should take about 5-7 minutes with a stand mixer, 10 minutes by hand. If using a stand mixer, still knead a few rounds on a lightly floured surface at the end.
  4. Lightly grease a bowl and place your dough in it, flipping once so that all the dough is lightly coated in oil. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in volume, about one hour.
  5. When bread has risen, punch or press down to degas it. Dump back onto your floured surface and divide the dough into two even pieces, using a scale for accuracy.
  6. Starting with one half, form dough into a ball by flattening in a small square, then folding 3-4 times to create a ball, stretching as you do to create some tension. Move to a part of your work surface that has minimal flour. Place the ball between your two floured hands, loosely cupped. Move the ball between your hands in a circular motion while gently pulling the dough in a downward action. The bottom of the dough should stick to your surface a bit, and as you gently stretch it down in a circular motion you are creating surface tension. If the dough starts to tear lighten up on the pressure; the dough should look taught and smooth. The surface tension will create a nice crust for your dough. This is called shaping a "Boule." If you're as confused as I would be reading this for the first time, this demonstration from King Arthur Flour is very helpful, the technique we're going for is shown starting at about 0:30.
  7. Repeat with other half of dough. Place towel or plastic wrap over the two boules and let rest for 15 minutes.
  8. Shape each round into a loaf and place in prepared pans. Place back in a warm place to double, about 1 hour. Preheat your oven towards the end of this time.
  9. When dough has risen for the second time and the oven is hot, spray the inside walls of your oven with water to create steam. A spray bottle works well. Place loaves in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until internal temperature reads 200-210°F / 93-99°C. Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

161.19

Fat

2.00 g

Sat. Fat

0.28 g

Carbs

30.42 g

Fiber

1.12 g

Net carbs

29.30 g

Sugar

2.10 g

Protein

4.79 g

Sodium

239.83 mg

Cholesterol

0.95 mg

Nutritional information is approximate and based on 1 slice from 20 servings.

bread, white bread, carbs, buttermilk, toast, french toast bread
Bread
American
Did you make this recipe?
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Whole Wheat Bread

/

Last Updated August 7, 2024

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Simple, delicious, whole wheat bread. No batons, bread machines, or rocket scientists required. Actually, if you have a bread machine your bread making life is probably a lot simpler than mine. I enjoy working the bread with my own hands, though.  It's very therapeutic and gives you a nice upper body workout. Which means you could then eat more bread, yes?

Anyway, this is a simple, versatile bread, good for sandwiches, toast, and...bread.  

Recipe adapted from The Frugal Girl

Whole Wheat Bread

Makes 2 approx. 9in / 23cm loaves

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 Tbsp / 14g instant yeast

  • 2 1/2 tsp / 13g salt

  • 3 cups / 384g whole wheat flour

  • 2 3/4 cups / 330g all-purpose flour

  • 2 1/3 cups / 552g warm water (about 110°F / 43°C)

  • 1/4 cup / 80g maple syrup or honey

  • 1/4 cup / 56g oil or melted butter

Directions:

Oven 350°F / 177°C.  Grease 2 approx. 9x5in / 23x13cm bread pans. 

  1. Combine yeast, salt, 1 cup / 128g whole wheat flour, and 1 cup / 120g all-purpose flour in the bowl of a stand mixer on low speed, or mix by hand.  

  2. Add warm water, maple syrup, and oil.  Mix until ingredients are combined, then increase speed to medium, beating for 3 minutes, or vigorously by hand.  

  3. Add remaining whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour until a soft but kneadable dough is formed.  

  4. Switch to dough hook and knead for 5-7 minutes, turning out on to a lightly floured surface to knead for 1-2 minutes more, until dough looks smooth and elastic. Or, knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes.  

  5. Grease a large bowl and place dough in it.  Flip the dough over once so that both sides are lightly greased.  Cover bowl with a clean towel and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in volume, about 45-60 minutes.  

  6. When dough has risen, punch down and knead on a lightly floured surface for 4-5 minutes.  

  7. Separate dough into two equal pieces.  Roll or press one piece out into a small rectangle.  It does not have to be exact or very big, the width of it should be a touch smaller than your bread pan, or 9 inches.  Starting from the short end, roll the dough up and place in your prepared pan.  Repeat with second piece.  

  8. Place towel back over loaves and let rise until doubled, about 30-45 minutes.  

  9. When loaves have risen, bake for about 30 minutes.  They should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom or internal temperature should read about 205°F / 96°C.  

  10. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing and allowing to cool completely.  

Jenny's Notes:

  • If you use oil to make this bread, it will be dairy-free. If you use oil and maple syrup, it will also be vegan.

  • I have also made this bread with great success substituting part of the all-purpose flour with wheat germ. Gives it an extra nutty flavor profile.  

  • The rolling step creates surface tension in the bread, and therefore a prettier loaf.

Whole Wheat Bread
Yield 20
Author
Prep time
35 Min
Cook time
30 Min
Total time
1 H & 5 M

Whole Wheat Bread

Classic everyday whole wheat bread, great for sandwiches, toast, or anyway you like to eat bread!
Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Oven 350°F / 177°C. Grease 2 approx. 9x5in / 23x13cm bread pans.
  2. Combine yeast, salt, 1 cup / 128g whole wheat flour, and 1 cup / 120g all-purpose flour in the bowl of a stand mixer on low speed, or mix by hand.
  3. Add warm water, maple syrup, and oil. Mix until ingredients are combined, then increase speed to medium, beating for 3 minutes, or vigorously by hand.
  4. Add remaining whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour until a soft but kneadable dough is formed.
  5. Switch to dough hook and knead for 5-7 minutes, turning out on to a lightly floured surface to knead for 1-2 minutes more, until dough looks smooth and elastic. Or, knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes.
  6. Grease a large bowl and place dough in it. Flip the dough over once so that both sides are lightly greased. Cover bowl with a clean towel and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in volume, about 45-60 minutes.
  7. When dough has risen, punch down and knead on a lightly floured surface for 4-5 minutes.
  8. Separate dough into two equal pieces. Roll or press one piece out into a small rectangle. It does not have to be exact or very big, the width of it should be a touch smaller than your bread pan, or 9 inches. Starting from the short end, roll the dough up and place in your prepared pan. Repeat with second piece.
  9. Place towel back over loaves and let rise until doubled, about 30-45 minutes.
  10. When loaves have risen, bake for about 30 minutes. They should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom or the internal temperature should read about 205°F / 96°C.
  11. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing and allowing to cool fully.

Notes

If you use oil to make this bread, it will be dairy-free. If you use oil and maple syrup, it will also be vegan. I have also made this bread with great success substituting part of the all-purpose flour with wheat germ. Gives it an extra nutty flavor profile. The rolling step creates surface tension in the bread, and therefore a prettier loaf.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

162.77

Fat

3.50 g

Sat. Fat

0.30 g

Carbs

29.38 g

Fiber

2.69 g

Net carbs

26.69 g

Sugar

2.54 g

Protein

4.53 g

Sodium

254.58 mg

Cholesterol

0.00 mg

Nutritional information is approximate and based on 1 slice from a 10-slice loaf.

vegan, dairy-free, whole wheat bread, wheat germ, honey, maple syrup, toast, french toast, whole wheat sandwich bread, homemade bread, loaves
Bread
American
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Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Muffins

/
Do you like my snowman liners? :)

Do you like my snowman liners? :)

This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Muffins are great, aren’t they? So American and so versatile. They can be savory or sweet and just about any flavor you could desire. They can be calorie bombs or nutrition bombs. These Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Muffins are actually pretty good for you, considering how delicious they are.

The sugar content is low, only whole wheat flour is used, and they’re rich in peanut butter and chocolate!

Sometimes I think muffins don’t get the recognition they deserve. Each country has its specialty and maybe of all the things that my country could’ve invented I would’ve chosen croissants or pastries, but muffins have their place on the table for sure! I am not ashamed.

The world is a beautiful place full of diverse people, traditions, and food.  The beauty of the age we live in is how accessible it has become to travel.  You no longer have to rely on magazines and other people's experience, or weigh the cost of time it takes to get places and the chance of death as you voyage on a ship or whatnot.  Even if you remain right where you are, chances are the other people around you are coming and going.  The world is opening up more and more, we are no longer isolated from each other.  We are exposed to different ways of thinking, culture, languages, ideals.  Sometimes we agree, and sometimes we don't, and as long as we know how to do those two things humbly and lovingly, it can be a beautiful thing.  Even when it seems the disagreements outweigh the agreements, there will always be one thing we have in common: Food. 

Never underestimate the power of food.  We can thank France for flaky, buttery pastries, crepes, chocolate mousse, and baguettes, Italy for pizza, pasta, gelato, and panettone, Germany for pretzels and bratwurst, Greece for Gyros and tzatziki, the middle east for hummus, falafel, tabbouleh, baba ganoush, pita, and shawarma, Turkey for Turkish delight and baklava, Japan for sushi, China for wontons, spring rolls, and dumplings, Ireland for Shepherd's pie, Mexico for tacos, burritos, and enchiladas, Canada for Poutine, U.S. for macaroni and cheese, apple pie, s'mores, buffalo wings, jambalaya, annnnnnd muffins. 

Basically, while the French are making pastries, Americans are making muffins.  Hm.  That's fine.  Taking two days to make something does not necessarily mean it will be automatically better.  (In this case, however, I think it does.)  But we don't always have the luxury of taking two days to make pastries when the fancy strikes.  Life and work happens.  Enter the humble muffin.  Simple, humble, delicious, and quick to whip up.  It has its place in the kitchen.

They tend to get a bad rap for being high in calories, unhealthy, and associated with muffin tops.  I promise, their sole intent in life is not give you a muffin top.  Poor muffins.  I am here today to show you that muffins can be nutritious, not 500 calories a pop, and enjoyable to make.  I hope I don't have to tell you they are also enjoyable to eat.  Especially these ones. :)

Recipe adapted from Culinary Adventures in the Kitchen

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Muffins

12-14 muffins

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/4 cups / 270g whole wheat or white whole wheat flour

  • 1 tsp baking soda

  • 1 tsp baking powder

  • 1/4 tsp salt

  • 3 Tbsp / 42g oil

  • 1/4 cup / 61g yogurt

  • 1/2 cup / 100g brown sugar

  • 3/4 cup / 195g peanut butter

  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 cup / 237g buttermilk

  • 1 cup / 175g chocolate chips

Directions:

Oven 375°F / 190°C.  Muffin tin lined with cupcake liners or greased.  You may need two pans.

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 

  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine oil, yogurt, and brown sugar.  Add peanut butter and mix until incorporated.  Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. 

  3. Add 1/3 of flour mixture to the stand mixer, mixing just until combined.  Add half of the buttermilk, again mixing until just combined.  Repeat with another third of the flour, the remaining half of the buttermilk, and finally the last third of flour.  Gently stir in 3/4 cup / 130g chocolate chips with a spoon or spatula. 

  4. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full, and sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup / 44g chocolate chips over the tops. 

  5. Bake until lightly golden around the edges and/or a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 16-18 minutes. 

Jenny's Notes:

  • Whole wheat flour is not necessarily healthier than white whole wheat flour, they are simply different kinds of wheat.  Whole wheat flour is a red wheat, which gives it the darker color and slightly heavier texture.  Think of it like a Granny Smith apple and a Macintosh Apple, they are different varieties of apple but equally nutritious for you. 

  • Using either plain yogurt or a sweetened yogurt like vanilla is fine in this recipe. 

  • These muffins are not overly sweet, (I think they're perfect for breakfast so you don't start your day with a sugar coma) so feel free to up the sugar if you prefer sweeter muffins. 

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Muffins
Yield 12-14 Muffins
Author
Prep time
30 Min
Cook time
18 Min
Total time
48 Min

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Muffins

Lightly sweet, whole wheat peanut butter muffins with a healthy sprinkling of chocolate chips.
Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Oven 375°F / 190°C. Muffin tin lined with cupcake liners or greased. You may need two pans.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine oil, yogurt, and brown sugar. Add peanut butter and mix until incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
  4. Add 1/3 of flour mixture to the stand mixer, mixing just until combined. Add half of the buttermilk, again mixing until just combined. Repeat with another third of the flour, the remaining half of the buttermilk, and finally the last third of flour. Gently stir in 3/4 cup / 130g chocolate chips with a spoon or spatula.
  5. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full, and sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup / 44g chocolate chips over the tops.
  6. Bake until lightly golden around the edges and/or a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 16-18 minutes.

Notes

Whole wheat flour is not necessarily healthier than white whole wheat flour, they are simply different kinds of wheat. Whole wheat flour is a red wheat, which gives it the darker color and slightly heavier texture. Think of it like a Granny Smith apple and a Macintosh Apple, they are different varieties of apple but equally nutritious for you. Using either plain yogurt or a sweetened yogurt like vanilla is fine in this recipe. These muffins are not overly sweet, (I think they're perfect for breakfast so you don't start your day with a sugar coma) so feel free to up the sugar if you prefer sweeter muffins.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

329.90

Fat

17.53 g

Sat. Fat

4.88 g

Carbs

39.14 g

Fiber

4.20 g

Net carbs

34.95 g

Sugar

18.61 g

Protein

9.13 g

Sodium

328.68 mg

Cholesterol

32.10 mg

Nutritional information is approximate and based on 12 servings.

muffins,snack,nutritious, chocolate chips, whole wheat, dark chocolate, peanut butter, buttermilk,yogurt
Breakfast, Bread
American
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Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread

/

Last Updated August 5, 2024

Pumpkin Bread. No, not that wonderful, dense, quick-bread pumpkin bread, but a light, yeasted bread made with PUMPKIN and spiced with nutmeg and ginger!!! And a beautiful cinnamon swirl. It makes a-may-zing toast. I think I say that about all my bread recipes. But it’s the truth. And I love toast.

Do you want to know something really sad, though? (You’re maybe thinking, uh no, scrolllll.) I’m blogging about this bread, and I can’t even eat it. (By choice, I guess I like to punish my body??) I’m going to tell you about it.

Ever heard of Whole30? Me neither, up until last year. Actually, New Year's Eve. (Yes, only 2 weeks ago. I know, I know, those "last year" jokes are so old, but I still get SO much entertainment out of them. Too much.)  Anyway, I read about the Whole30 in an email from this informative and entertaining fitness site called Greatist.   Like all normal people, my first thought when I see things like ice cream and strange diets is to say, "I WANT TO BE A PART OF THAT."  Actually, I prefer the ice cream to be a part of me, meaning I ate it. 

I am not normally a spontaneous person by any means, but two days later I had commenced my very own #Whole30January. Without even reading all the way through the guidelines.  It's almost easier to list what you can eat than what you can't. But I'll start with what you can't, just because it's fun and I like to complain about it.  It's not even all that hard.  Especially with a buddy.  Just ask my Mom, she just loves doing this with me.

Not allowed:

  1. grain (not even quinoa)

  2. dairy (guess that ice cream is not going to become a part of me after all)

  3. sugar (say no to stevia)

  4. soy (watch out for sneaky ingredients like soy lecithin)

  5. alcohol (put down the vanilla extract)

  6. legumes (think beans and peanuts)

  7. sketchy preservatives like carageenan

That leaves you with veggies, fruits, eggs, nuts, meat, and all the sadness you want.  But you may not take any of those approved items and combine them to create something in the "cheat" category.  For example, you cannot combine eggs and bananas and pour it onto a griddle because that would be a pancake.  The goal is to break you of unhealthy relationships with food.  So instead of replacing everything you normally eat with healthier versions (because at the end of the 30 days you will most likely go back to the exact same way you ate before, and then nothing has changed) the goal is to explore and create new delicious and nutritious (and sad) food.  Ha ok I'm done being sardonic.  If you want to read more about Whole30, click here.  

So in the midst of these January blues and food sadness, I will share with you this recipe for pumpkin cinnamon swirl bread so you can eat it in my stead.  While you're at it, would you also eat some cheese and every other kind of bread that exists for me?  Thanks. 

This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy

Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

For the Bread

  • 2 1/4 tsp / 7g active dry yeast

  • 1/4 cup / 60g warm water, 110°F / 43°F

  • 1/4 cup / 50g + 1/2 tsp sugar

  • 1/4 cup / 60g warm milk, 110°F / 43°C

  • 2 Tbsp / 42g molasses

  • 3/4 tsp salt

  • 1 Tbsp / 14g oil

  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg

  • 1/4 tsp ginger

  • 1 egg

  • 1 cup / 246g pumpkin puree

  • 3 1/2 - 4 cups / 420g - 480g all-purpose flour

For the Cinnamon Swirl

  • 1 1/2 Tbsp / 21g butter, melted

  • 1/3 cup / 67g brown sugar

  • 2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Make the Bread

Oven 375°F / 190°C.  1 greased bread pan, approximately 9x5in / 23x13cm.

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine yeast, water, and 1/2 tsp of sugar.  Allow to sit until yeast starts to bubble, about 5 minutes.

  2. Stir in the milk, molasses, remaining sugar, salt, oil, nutmeg, ginger, egg, and pumpkin until combined. 

  3. Switch to a dough hook and slowly add flour.  Continue adding flour until a soft, but not too sticky dough is achieved. 

  4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 1-2 minutes. 

  5. Place in an oiled bowl, flip so that both sides are oiled, and cover with a towel. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. 

  6. While the bread is rising, whisk together brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Set aside.

  7. When the bread is doubled in size, punch down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.  Roll out into a rectangle, about 22x8in / 56x20cm. 

  8. Spread melted butter over dough, going within 1/2in / 1cm of edge.  Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over butter.

  9. Starting from one of the short sides (the approximate 8in / 20cm) roll dough into a loaf.  Place in prepared loaf pan seam side down. 

  10. Cover with a towel and let rise again until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. 

  11. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until bread sounds hollow to the tap and an internal temperature reaches about 190°F / 88°C. 

Jenny's Notes:

  • If using instant yeast instead of instant active dry yeast, you can skip step 1. and add all the ingredients from step 1. and 2. together, then proceed to step 3. The reason for this is because active dry yeast is dried and needs to be reactivated in some warm liquid and a bit of sugar before adding to the rest of the ingredients. Instant yeast is ready to be added in without any extra prep.

  • This bread is delicious toasted!  And if you're really a pumpkin fan, might I mention pumpkin butter?

Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Yield 12-14
Author
Prep time
50 Min
Cook time
40 Min
Total time
1 H & 30 M

Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Light, yeasted pumpkin bread spiced with ginger and nutmeg with a beautiful cinnamon swirl.
Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

For the Bread
For the Cinnamon Swirl

Instructions

Make the Bread
  1. Oven 375°F / 190°C. 1 greased bread pan, approximately 9x5in / 23x13cm.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine yeast, water, and 1/2 tsp of sugar. Allow to sit until yeast starts to bubble, about 5 minutes.
  3. Stir in the milk, molasses, remaining sugar, salt, oil, nutmeg, ginger, egg, and pumpkin until combined.
  4. Switch to a dough hook and slowly add flour. Continue adding flour until a soft, but not too sticky dough is achieved.
  5. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 1-2 minutes.
  6. Place in an oiled bowl, flip so that both sides are oiled, and cover with a towel. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  7. While the bread is rising, whisk together brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
  8. When the bread is doubled in size, punch down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out into a rectangle, about 22x8in / 56x20cm.
  9. Spread melted butter over dough, going within 1/2in / 1cm of edge. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over butter.
  10. Starting from one of the short sides (the approximate 8in / 20cm) roll dough into a loaf. Place in prepared loaf pan seam side down.
  11. Cover with a towel and let rise again until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
  12. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until bread sounds hollow to the tap and an internal temperature reaches about 190°F / 88°C.

Notes

If using instant yeast instead of instant active dry yeast, you can skip step 1. and add all the ingredients from step 1. and 2. together, then proceed to step 3. The reason for this is because active dry yeast is dried and needs to be reactivated in some warm liquid and a bit of sugar before adding to the rest of the ingredients. Instant yeast is ready to be added in without any extra prep.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

219.22

Fat

3.60 g

Sat. Fat

1.28 g

Carbs

41.35 g

Fiber

2.07 g

Net carbs

39.28 g

Sugar

9.02 g

Protein

5.33 g

Sodium

170.35 mg

Cholesterol

19.66 mg

Nutritional information is approximate and based on 12 servings.

yeasted bread, yeast, pumpkin puree, canned pumpkin, pumpkin bread, cinnamon swirl
bread, breakfast
American
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What lurks in the darkness...

What lurks in the darkness...

Lemon Raspberry Sweet Rolls

/

Last Updated August 18, 2024

We all love a good cinnamon roll.  The soft dough, warm-gooey-buttery-cinnamon filling, topped with a sweet glaze or cream cheese icing.  The smell of fresh baked breads wafting from the kitchen and the warmth of bread in our tummy are especially comforting as the months turn colder. 

Today, however, we are not making cinnamon rolls (that's old hat :) but lemon raspberry rolls.  The tang of the lemon and raspberry paired with the sweet glaze is a match made for breakfast.  Or anytime. Pair it with a cup of tea or coffee and you have all the incentive you need to get out of bed in the morning!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from Joy the Baker

Lemon Raspberry Sweet Rolls

Makes 12 regular rolls or 8 jumbo

Ingredients:

For the Dough

  • 1 cup / 237g warm milk (about 100°F / 38°C)

  • 1/2 cup / 100g sugar

  • 4 1/2 tsp / 14g active dry yeast

  • 1/4 cup / 56g oil

  • 2 eggs

  • Zest of 1 lemon

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 4 1/4 cups / 510g all-purpose flour + about 1/2 cup / 60g for kneading

For the Lemon Raspberry Filling

  • Generous 1 1/4 cups / 170g (1 6oz container) fresh or frozen raspberries (if using frozen do not thaw)

  • 1/2 cup / 100g sugar

  • Zest of 1 lemon

  • 1 tsp cornstarch

  • 1/4 cup / 56g butter

For the Glaze

  • 1 1/2 cups / 188g powdered sugar

  • 3 Tbsp / 42g lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F / 205°C. Grease a 9x13inch / 23x33cm rectangular baking dish.

Make the Dough

  1. Pour milk into a large bowl. Add sugar and yeast and allow to sit for 7-10 minutes. Yeast should foam up a bit. 

  2. Add oil, eggs, zest, and salt. Add 4 1/4 cups of flour and mix until combined. 

  3. Flour a clean surface and turn out dough. Knead for about 8-10 minutes, sprinkling more flour on your work surface as needed. Dough should be soft and elastic by the end, so don't get too flour-happy. Alternately, knead in a stand mixer with dough hook attachment for 8-10 minutes, adding in flour as needed. The dough should stick only to bottom of bowl, not much to the sides.

  4. Lightly grease or flour a large bowl (the bowl you mixed the dough in is fine) and place dough in bowl. Cover and place in a warm area to rise for about 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. 

Make the Lemon Raspberry Filling

  1. In a small saucepan melt butter and let simmer until it starts to brown. Remove from heat and cool slightly. 

  2. In a medium bowl lightly mix raspberries with sugar, zest, and cornstarch.  It's okay if raspberries get a little crushed. 

Assemble the Rolls

  1. When dough has risen, punch it down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for about a minute, then roll into a large rectangle, about 10x20inch / 25x50cm.   

  2. Spread cooled butter over dough almost to edges; sprinkle evenly with raspberry mixture. 

  3. Starting from one of the longer sides, roll dough up, pinching dough together at the end to seal it. 

  4. Slice into 12 even pieces, or 8 for jumbo sized. Place rolls in prepared pan and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm area to rise for about an hour, or until puffed.

  5. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until golden on top and centers no longer look doughy. Internal temperature should be about 185°F / 90°C of an outside roll.

Make the Glaze

  1. In a small bowl whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice.  It should be thin enough to drizzle but not too liquidy. Add more powdered sugar or lemon juice as needed. 

  2. Drizzle warm rolls with glaze. 

Jenny's Notes:

  • If you don't have a thermometer handy to know what 100 degrees is, simply warm until milk feels quite warm, but not hot. 

  • You can freeze these rolls once you have sliced them and put them in the pan. Once removed from the freezer allow to thaw and proceed as normal. 

  • When using a stand mixer to knead, I still recommend kneading it for a few minutes by hand afterwards. I find they are not always as thorough as kneading by hand and you want an even rise for your dough.  I often to do it all by hand just because it’s therapeutic!

Lemon Raspberry Rolls
Yield 12
Author
Prep time
1 H & 10 M
Cook time
22 Min
Total time
1 H & 32 M

Lemon Raspberry Rolls

These bright breakfast rolls are like cinnamon rolls, but made with fresh lemon zest and raspberries instead!
Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

For the Dough
For the Lemon Raspberry Filling
For the Glaze

Instructions

Make the Dough
  1. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm milk until it is about 100F / 38C. Pour milk into a large bowl. Add the sugar and yeast and allow to sit for 7-10 minutes. The yeast should foam up a bit.
  2. Add oil, eggs, zest, and salt. Add the 4 1/4 cups of flour and mix until combined.
  3. Flour a clean surface and turn out dough. Knead for about 8-10 minutes, sprinkling more flour on your work surface as needed. Dough should be soft and elastic by the end, so don't get too flour-happy. Alternately, you can use the bread hook on a stand mixer and knead for 8-10 minutes, adding in flour as needed. The dough should stick only to the bottom of the pan, not the sides.
  4. Lightly grease or flour a large bowl (the bowl you mixed the dough in is fine) and place dough in the bowl. Cover with a towel and place in a warm area to rise for about 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.
Make the Lemon Raspberry Filling
  1. In a small saucepan melt the butter and let simmer until it starts to brown. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
  2. In a medium bowl lightly mix raspberries with sugar, zest, and cornstarch. It's okay if the raspberries get a little crushed.
Assemble and Bake the Rolls
  1. Preheat oven to 400F / 205C. Grease a 9x13inch / 23x33cm rectangular baking dish.
  2. When the dough has risen, punch it down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for about a minute, then roll into a large rectangle, about 10x20inch / 25x50cm.
  3. Spread cooled butter over dough almost to the edges, then sprinkle evenly with raspberry mixture.
  4. Starting from one of the longer sides, roll dough into a spiral, pinching the dough together at the end to seal it.
  5. Cut the log in quarters, then each quarter into 3 slices. Place the rolls in the prepared pan and cover lightly with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Place in a warm area to rise for about an hour, or until puffed
  6. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until golden on top and centers no longer look doughy. Internal temperature should be about 195F / 90C.
Make the Glaze
  1. In a small bowl whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice. It should be thin enough to drizzle but not too liquidy. Add more powdered sugar or lemon juice as needed.
  2. Drizzle warm rolls with glaze.

Notes

If you don't have a thermometer handy to know what 100 degrees is, simply warm until the milk feels quite warm, but not hot. It'll be fine!You can freeze these rolls once you have sliced them and put them in the pan. Once removed from the freezer allow to thaw and proceed as normal. When using a stand mixer to knead, I still recommend kneading it for a few minutes by hand afterwards. I find they are not always as thorough as kneading by hand and you want an even rise for your dough.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

355.58

Fat

6.43 g

Sat. Fat

0.88 g

Carbs

68.26 g

Fiber

2.37 g

Net carbs

65.89 g

Sugar

32.75 g

Protein

6.77 g

Sodium

121.93 mg

Cholesterol

32.58 mg

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on 1 roll.

Breakfast rolls, lemon raspberry
Breakfast, Dessert
American
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Pumpkin Sticky-Bun Muffins

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In the midst of all the political upheaval, here is a little reprieve from the chaos to focus on the important things in life: pumpkin and autumn.  This is all I am going to write today, you have plenty of other lengthy essays from one political stand point or another to read at your leisure, you don't need another one from me.  You're welcome.  Go and make these Pumpkin Sticky-Bun Muffins in peace.

On another note, today’s recipe features nuts, namely, pecans and walnuts. If you’d like to get your mind off of politics and instead learn all about walnuts and how nutritious they are, click here!

Montreal, Canada

Montreal, Canada

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from Southern Living

Pumpkin Sticky Buns

Makes 24 + a few extra

Ingredients:

I used walnuts in this batch

I used walnuts in this batch

  • 2 cups / 250g pecans or walnuts, or a mixture

  • 1/2 cup / 113g butter (1 stick), melted

  • 1/2 cup / 100g brown sugar

  • 2 Tbsp / 40g maple syrup

  • 2 cups / 256g whole wheat flour

  • 1 1/2 cups / 180g all-purpose flour

  • 2 1/2 cups / 500g sugar

  • 1 tsp cinnamon

  • 3/4 tsp cloves

  • 3/4 tsp nutmeg

  • 1/2 tsp ginger

  • 1 tsp baking soda

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 1 15 oz / 425g can pumpkin purée

  • 3/4 cup / 168g oil

  • 4 eggs

Directions:

Oven 350°F / 170°C.  Grease 2 12-cup muffin tins.

  1. Arrange pecans or walnuts evenly on a baking sheet.  Bake for about 10 minutes or until fragrant and slightly darker in color. 

  2. In a small bowl combine butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup.  Evenly distribute among the 24 muffin cups, putting about a tsp of the mixture in each.  Sprinkle evenly with toasted pecans and set aside.

  3. In a large bowl combine flours, sugar, spices, baking soda, and salt.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

  4. In another medium bowl beat together pumpkin, oil, eggs.  Pour this mixture into the well in the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened and combined.  Spoon batter over pecans in muffin tins, filling about 2/3 full. 

  5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

  6. Immediately run a knife around the edge of the muffins to loosen and invert pan onto a wire rack or counter to remove muffins.  If you wait too long the muffins will stick to your pans.  

Jenny's Notes:

  • This recipe makes extra batter, you may choose to make more pumpkin muffins, or grease a bread pan and make pumpkin bread.  Extras muffins or bread can always be frozen for a later date. 

  • I don't recommend using paper liners for this recipe.  However, to help with the clean up, be sure to immediately remove muffins from pans and soak pans in hot soapy water.

Pumpkin Sticky-Bun Muffins
Yield 26-28
Author
Prep time
40 Min
Cook time
35 Min
Total time
1 H & 15 M

Pumpkin Sticky-Bun Muffins

Whole wheat pumpkin muffins made with a sticky, gooey caramel and nut topping.
Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Oven 350°F / 170°C. Grease 2 12-cup muffin tins.
  2. Arrange pecans or walnuts evenly on a baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes or until fragrant and slightly darker in color.
  3. In a small bowl combine butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup. Evenly distribute among the 24 muffin cups, putting about a tsp of the mixture in each. Sprinkle evenly with toasted pecans and set aside.
  4. In a large bowl combine flours, sugar, spices, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
  5. In another medium bowl beat together pumpkin, oil, eggs. Pour this mixture into the well in the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened and combined. Spoon batter over pecans in muffin tins, filling about 2/3 full.
  6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  7. Immediately run a knife around the edge of the muffins to loosen and invert pan onto a wire rack or counter to remove muffins. If you wait too long the muffins will stick to your pans.

Notes

This recipe makes extra batter, you may choose to make more pumpkin muffins, or grease a bread pan and make pumpkin bread. Extras muffins or bread can always be frozen for a later date. I don't recommend using paper liners for this recipe. However, to help with the clean up, be sure to immediately remove muffins from pans and soak pans in hot soapy water.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

323.77

Fat

18.03 g

Sat. Fat

3.58 g

Carbs

39.27 g

Fiber

2.73 g

Net carbs

36.55 g

Sugar

24.87 g

Protein

4.10 g

Sodium

179.52 mg

Cholesterol

37.96 mg

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on 26 servings.

pumpkin sticky buns, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, nutmeg, cloves, pecans, walnuts, caramel, fall recipe, whole wheat pumpkin muffins
breakfast, brunch, snack, dessert
American
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Blackberry Banana Bread with Cinnamon Streusel

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Last Updated July 10, 2024

Wild blackberries abound in Italy. 

Ok, that's a bit general, I have not been everywhere in Italy, but I can safely say that they are abundant in Florence and Cinque Terre.  I'm all for anything free and tasty, so I will always stop and pick a few when they are in reach. 

Most evenings I like to go for a "passeggiata," or stroll, usually along the Fiume (river) Arno, and there are lots of vines that grow down towards the river.  A fence conveniently kept me from clambering down and picking any, getting torn up by the thorns, and possibly dying in the pursuit, but that didn't stop a little nonna one evening from trying her best to reach through the fence and grab a few tasty morsels.  I admired her greatly. 

Along the hiking trails of Cinque Terre there was also a plethora, and they were perfectly placed along the trail for me to grab handfuls here and there, energy bursts for the 2 hour (solid uphill, both ways) trek!  Especially helpful since I had already eaten my packed lunch before we even started hiking...

Then there was that one time when a friend, who loves to do triathlon and ride his bike for millions of miles, said he had passed a huge group of blueberry bushes while riding up in the rolling hills of Tuscany.  So a group of us drove up to the spot, prepared with bags, open mouths, and welcoming stomachs.  A couple of us headed to the nearest loaded bush, and although my first thought was "those are strange looking blueberries", it didn't occur to me to stop and figure out what they were before picking or eating any.  They had been told to me as blueberries, therefore they must be.  So the first thing I do? Pop one in my mouth.  It was the single most sour/bitter thing I have ever had in my mouth.  And I like sour things, I like straight lemon juice and lemons.  But this had a pit and I was expecting a sweet blueberry.  I swiftly spit it out and we didn't pick or eat anymore.  For awhile after we were convinced it was nightshade, OH NO, and I thought I might die.  Not really, it wasn't.  But don't eat something in nature if you don't know what it is.  JENNY.  I'm looking at you.  

Another evening I took a different route for my passeggiata and passed tons of blackberry bushes.  They lined the road for quite a ways, and so I went back several times with friends to pick a couple bagfuls.  I gained a few battle scars from the prickers, some "ciao bella's" from people passing on the road probably wondering what is that weird girl doing climbing on the road guard half hidden/hanging from thorns in bushes, but most importantly, free berries.  And what do you do when you have too many blackberries to eat?  You bake with them, of course.  Delicious and tender banana bread with little bites of blackberries dispersed throughout topped with a sweet cinnamon streusel.  

*All photos of food in this post are credited to my friend, Bailey Shoemaker Guthrey. She’s a visual design natural!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe by Jenny

Blackberry Banana Bread with Cinnamon Streusel

Ingredients:

For the Blackberry Banana Bread

  • 2 cups / 240g all-purpose flour

  • 1 tsp baking soda

  • 3/4 tsp salt

  • 3/4 cup / 150g sugar

  • 1/2 cup / 112g oil

  • 2 eggs

  • 2-3 large bananas, mashed, about 300g

  • 1 tsp vanilla

  • 1 1/4 cups / 181g blackberries

  For the Cinnamon Streusel

  • 3/4 cup / 90g all-purpose flour

  • 1/3 cup / 67g sugar

  • 1 tsp cinnamon

  • 3 Tbsp / 42g cold butter

Directions:

Oven 350°F / 177°C.  1 greased 9x5in / 23x13cm loaf pan.

Make the Blackberry Banana Bread

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

  2. In another large bowl, beat together sugar, oil, eggs, banana, and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients and stir until just combined.  Gently fold in blackberries. 

  3. Pour into prepared pan.

Make the Cinnamon Streusel

  1. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, sugar, and cinnamon.  Using a pastry cutter, a fork, or my preferred method, clean hands, add butter and mix until crumbles form, like coarse pebbles. 

  2. Sprinkle evenly over batter in pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out almost clean.  

  3. Allow to cool in pan at least 10 minutes before removing to cool completely.

Jenny's Notes:

  • Feel free to substitute any type of berry for the blackberries!  Blueberries and raspberries are also delicious.   

  • This is a great recipe to use up sourdough discard. Use up to 100g and add in with the wet ingredients, proceed as instructed.

  • Bananas are always a bit of guess work to measure because recipes will give measurements without having any idea how big or small your bananas are. If you see a recipe with a measurement of 300g, like the one above, and that ended up being 2 + 7/16 of a banana, what are you going to do with the remaining 9/16 of that mushy banana? No worries, using a little more or less banana than called for shouldn’t yield anything other than delicious bread.  The more banana the more moist it will be, and also a touch heavier. Go too far and it will start becoming gummy.

Blackberry Banana Bread with Cinnamon Streusel
Yield 8-10
Author
Prep time
25 Min
Cook time
40 Min
Total time
1 H & 5 M

Blackberry Banana Bread with Cinnamon Streusel

Moist banana bread with little explosions of blackberries throughout and a sweet cinnamon streusel on top.

Ingredients

For the Blackberry Banana Bread
For the Cinnamon Streusel

Instructions

Make the Blackberry Banana Bread
  1. Oven 350°F / 177°C. 1 greased 9x5in / 23x13cm loaf pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
  3. In another large bowl, beat together sugar, oil, eggs, banana, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Gently fold in blackberries.
  4. Pour into prepared pan.
Make the Cinnamon Streusel
  1. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Using a pastry cutter, a fork, or my preferred method, clean hands, add butter and mix until crumbles form, like coarse pebbles.
  2. Sprinkle evenly over batter in pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out almost clean.
  3. Allow to cool in pan at least 10 minutes before removing to cool completely.

Notes

Feel free to substitute any type of berry for the blackberries! Blueberries and raspberries are also delicious.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

474.54

Fat

20.00 g

Sat. Fat

4.11 g

Carbs

68.73 g

Fiber

2.39 g

Net carbs

66.34 g

Sugar

32.50 g

Protein

6.35 g

Sodium

428.44 mg

Cholesterol

57.79 mg

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on 8 servings.

banana bread, blackberry banana bread, cinnamon streusal, wild blackberries, blackberries in Italy, quick bread
Breads, breakfast
American
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs
Don't waste your mushy bananas, instead make these:
Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
Blackberry Banana Bread with Cinnamon Streusel
Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies
Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies
Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Banana Coconut Breakfast Cookies
Banana Coconut Breakfast Cookies

IPA Pretzel Bread

/

Last Updated September 27, 2024

IMG_4049.JPG
This post was written from the London Heathrow Airport!

This post was written from the London Heathrow Airport!

Bread is delicious. #FACT.

Then when you make pretzel bread and add beer to it, it becomes extra delicious. #FACTZ. And that’s exactly what this bread is, boiled beer bread.

Pretzel bread is made simply by boiling bread dough in baking soda water. This particular recipe adds a bit of beer to the boiling water, because if you’re going to make beer bread, you might as well go all out!

Beer in baking

Beer can be added to all kinds of desserts from cookies and brownies to cakes and breads, even caramels and candies! It creates tender baked goods, can help raise, and of course, adds wonderful flavor notes. One of the beauties of baking with beer (and wine!) is choosing from all the different varieties, as each will lend its own unique flavor.

If you’re new to baking with beer, you’ll probably want to start with the recipe’s suggested beer, an Indian Pale Ale if you decide to make this bread. Once you start to get an idea of how beer acts and tastes in recipes, you can begin to branch out and try your favorite beers to find matches with different baked goods. For example, stouts (think Guinness) are lovely in chocolate cake. A staple of a bakery I worked in was a Chocolate Guinness Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Actually, the photos of the bread you see in this post are made with an American Pale Ale from Short’s Brewery, not an Indian Pale Ale. But they’re similar, I don’t know I’d notice the difference between breads made with an IPA or an APA. Just stay away from light beers, those are watery and not good for baking.

If you don’t like beer, chances are you will still like desserts and breads made with beer. Most of the alcohol gets baked out as well, so if it’s more the alcohol you avoid that can be reassuring. However, you’ll probably want to make your own informed choice on that as there will still be trace amounts of alcohol even after baking/cooking. :)

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from Little Market Kitchen

IPA Pretzel Bread

Makes two loaves

Ingredients:


    •    1/2 cup / 119g warm water (about 105-110 Fahrenheit)
    •    2 1/4 tsp / 7g active dry yeast
    •    1 1/2 cups (12 oz) / 356g IPA or beer of choice, room temperature, divided into 1 cup and 1/2 cup
    •    4 cups / 480g bread flour or all-purpose flour
    •    1 Tbsp / 13g sugar
    •    1 tsp / 5g salt
    •    3 Tbsp / 42g oil
    •    10 cups / 2,370g water
    •    1/2 cup / 110g baking soda
    •    1 egg yolk beaten with 1 Tbsp / 15g water
    •    coarse or flaked salt, for sprinkling


Directions:

Oven preheated to 425°F / 218°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat.

IMG_4056.JPG

  1. Pour warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl.  Sprinkle yeast over the water and let sit for about 10 minutes, or until bubbly and frothy.

  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. 

  3. Once the yeast is active, add the flour mixture, then the oil, then 1 cup / 237g of the beer.  Mix in a stand mixer with dough hook or knead by hand until a soft, but not sticky, dough forms, about 10 minutes.  If it's too soft, add more flour, or if it's too dry/stiff, you can steal a bit of beer from the reserved 1/2 cup / 119g. 

  4. Give the dough a few kneads by hand if a stand mixer was used and place in a large lightly oiled bowl. Flip dough once so both sides are oily. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.  

  5. In a large pot, combine water, remaining 1/2 cup / 119g beer, and baking soda.  Bring to a boil. 

  6. Once bread has doubled in size, punch down and divide in half.  Shape each half into a round loaf. 

  7. Working with one loaf at a time, lower into the boiling water using a large sieve or spatula, boil for 30 seconds and flip in the water once.  Remove and place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with second loaf. 

  8. Brush the loaves with the egg yolk and water mixture, sprinkle with salt. 

  9. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes then place a piece of tinfoil on top to keep the bread from darkening too much.  Bake for an additional 3-8 minutes until a baking thermometer inserted near center reads at least 190°F / 88°C. 

  10. Allow to cool, slice, and enjoy!

Jenny’s Notes:

  • If the dough is too soft when trying to create a round and it won’t hold its shape, add flour a bit at a time until it will.  Dough that relaxes a little bit out of shape is ok, just keep in mind that adding too much flour will create a dry bread. It’s about finding the balance between creating a soft dough yet strong enough to hold it’s shape. Properly kneaded dough is also important in a free form loaf holding its shape.

  • This bread makes excellent toast. I think I say that about every bread recipe. Toast is so good.

IPA Pretzel Bread
Yield 16
Author
Prep time
35 Min
Cook time
28 Min
Inactive time
1 H & 10 M
Total time
2 H & 13 M

IPA Pretzel Bread

Pretzel bread and beer bread combine in this flavorful bread made with India Pale Ale.
Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Oven preheated to 425°F / 218°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat.
  2. Pour warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the water and let sit for about 10 minutes, or until bubbly and frothy.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt.
  4. Once the yeast is active, add the flour mixture, then the oil, then 1 cup / 237g of the beer. Mix in a stand mixer with dough hook or knead by hand until a soft, but not sticky, dough forms, about 10 minutes. If it's too soft, add more flour, or if it's too dry/stiff, you can steal a bit of beer from the reserved 1/2 cup / 119g.
  5. Give the dough a few kneads by hand if a stand mixer was used and place in a large lightly oiled bowl. Flip dough once so both sides are oily. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  6. In a large pot, combine water, remaining 1/2 cup / 119g beer, and baking soda. Bring to a boil.
  7. Once bread has doubled in size, punch down and divide in half. Shape each half into a round loaf.
  8. Working with one loaf at a time, lower into the boiling water using a large sieve or spatula, boil for 30 seconds and flip in the water once. Remove and place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with second loaf.
  9. Brush the loaves with the egg yolk and water mixture, sprinkle with salt.
  10. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes then place a piece of tinfoil on top to keep the bread from darkening too much. Bake for an additional 3-8 minutes until a baking thermometer inserted near center reads at least 190°F / 88°C.
  11. Allow to cool, slice, and enjoy!

Notes

If the dough is too soft when trying to create a round and it won’t hold its shape, add flour a bit at a time until it will.  Dough that relaxes a little bit out of shape is ok, just keep in mind that adding too much flour will create a dry bread. It’s about finding the balance between creating a soft dough yet strong enough to hold it’s shape. Properly kneaded dough is also important in a free form loaf holding its shape.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

149.06

Fat

3.44 g

Sat. Fat

0.35 g

Carbs

23.58 g

Fiber

0.84 g

Net carbs

22.74 g

Sugar

0.91 g

Protein

4.04 g

Sodium

2046.95 mg

Cholesterol

11.53 mg

Nutritional information is approximate; based on 1 slice, if each loaf yields 8 slices.

beer bread, pretzel bread, IPA bread, baking with beer,
bread
American
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs
More Carbohydrates:
IMG_2686.jpg
Favorite Blueberry Muffins
IMG_5082.jpg
Morris House Rolls (Parker House Rolls)
IMG_6676.jpg
Jenny's Favorite Cinnamon Rolls
IMG_4152.jpeg
Flax Bread
IMG_3863.jpeg
Whole Wheat Garlic Knots
Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
IMG_2103.jpg
Overnight Bagels
IMG_4773.jpg
Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread
Buttermilk Bread
Whole Wheat Bread
Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Muffins
Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Monkey Bread Muffins

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Last Updated August 21, 2024

You might be familiar with Monkey Bread: soft, cinnamon and sugar bread that tears apart and is oh, so good? You might also know it as Monkey Puzzle Bread. Or its more literal name Pull-Apart Cinnamon Sugar Bread. Or individual pieces of heaven. Or as we call it, Plucketts.

While apparently no one can decide on a name, what everyone is unanimous on is how delicious Monkey Bread is. There is no yeast in Monkey Bread, just baking powder, making for a quick and satisfying baking adventure.

What’s special about this recipe is that instead of being baked in a bundt or other larger pan, these are assembled in a muffin pan, making for individual Monkey Bread Muffins!

The dough comes together in a matter of minutes, then shaped into lots of small balls that are rolled in sugar, and placed in a muffin pan. Melted butter and brown sugar gets drizzled all over before baking, seeping into all those cracks and crevices, which helps to make these easy to pull apart when eating. Finally, a simple glaze finishes off these little treats.

What’s in a name?

Honestly, I have no idea why it's sometimes called monkey bread in the first place. There is no banana involved, and as far as I know a monkey didn't invent the recipe. Maybe people act like monkeys when they eat it? Not to mention we haven’t even gotten through all of its possible names yet.

This and similar recipes are also called Bubble bread, African coffee cake, Hungarian coffee cake, sticky bread, Pinch-Me Bread, Pluck-Its, or even Monkey Brains. Because that last one sounds SO appetizing. A quick Google search has brought me to the conclusion that many people are also confused as to why it's called Monkey Bread, but might be so named because the bread resembles monkeys in a barrel (but does it?), monkeys like to pick at things, or it resembles the bark of the monkey puzzle tree. I guess we shall remain shrouded in mystery, and continue to make up even more names for it as we go along. For now, I’ll just stick with Monkey Bread.

On to the recipe!

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Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy

Monkey Bread Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

For the Muffins

  • 2 cups + 2 Tbsp / 255g flour

  • 1 Tbsp / 12g sugar

  • 1 Tbsp / 14g baking powder

  • 1/2 tsp / 3g salt

  • 1/2 cup / 120g buttermilk or sour milk*

  • 1/3 cup / 79g milk

  • 5 Tbsp / 70g oil

  • 1/2 cup / 100g sugar

  • 5 Tbsp / 70g butter, melted

  • 2/3 cup / 133g brown sugar

  • 2 tsp cinnamon

For the Glaze (optional)

  • 1/2 cup / 60g powdered sugar

  • 1 Tbsp / 15g milk

Directions:

Make the Muffins

Oven preheated to 350°F / 177°C.

  1. Lightly grease a muffin pan or line with liners (preferably grease-proof.) 

  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, 1 Tbsp sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Add both milks and oil to flour mixture.  Stir with a fork until just combined. Over mixing = dense muffins. 

  3. Place 1/2 cup / 100g sugar in a bowl or container with a lid.  Scoop out roughly one tsp of dough, round into a ball shape with your palms, and plop into the sugar,. Repeat until you have an even layer of balls in the sugar. Place on lid and gently shake to coat with sugar. Place sugar-coated balls in muffin pan, about six in each cup. Repeat scooping, rolling, and sugar-coating with remaining dough.

  4. In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pour evenly over each muffin. Place muffin pan on a baking sheet and bake for 17-19 minutes, or until lightly golden-brown and they no longer look doughy. 

  5. Remove from oven and allow to cool at least 15 minutes before removing from pan so they don't fall apart. Run a knife around the edge of each muffin to loosen.

Make the Glaze

  1. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together powdered sugar and milk.  Using a spoon, lightly drizzle each muffin with glaze. 

Jenny's Notes:

  • *If you don't have buttermilk, sour milk can be substituted. For every 1 cup milk add 1 Tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Stir and let sit for a minute before using. This works with regular milk, nut milks, and most other milk alternatives. 

  • When first mixed, the batter may seem wet but it quickly becomes scoop-able. Something about baking powder doughs tend to be this way, they seem too wet when it first comes together, then within a matter of seconds it seems fine.

  • The glaze is optional, mostly depending on if you want that finished look and how sweet you like your monkey muffins. You may notice the actual dough is just lightly sweet, only 1 Tbsp of sugar. The brown sugar butter mixture that gets poured over is what makes these sweet and rich. I personally don’t think they need to be sweeter beyond that, but I do like the glazed/finished look.

Monkey Bread Muffins
Yield 12
Author
Prep time
30 Min
Cook time
19 Min
Total time
49 Min

Monkey Bread Muffins

Individual serving pull-apart cinnamon sugar bread made in muffin tins. Sticky, sweet, and satisfying, it's hard to eat just one!
Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

For the Muffins
For the Glaze (optional)

Instructions

Make the Muffins
  1. Oven preheated to 350°F / 177°C.
  2. Lightly grease a muffin pan or line with liners (preferably grease-proof.)
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, 1 Tbsp sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add both milks and oil to flour mixture. Stir with a fork until just combined. Over mixing = dense muffins.
  4. Place 1/2 cup / 100g sugar in a bowl or container with a lid. Scoop out roughly one tsp of dough, round into a ball shape with your palms, and plop into the sugar,. Repeat until you have an even layer of balls in the sugar. Place on lid and gently shake to coat with sugar. Place sugar-coated balls in muffin pan, about six in each cup. Repeat scooping, rolling, and sugar-coating with remaining dough.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pour evenly over each muffin. Place muffin pan on a baking sheet and bake for 17-19 minutes, or until lightly golden-brown and they no longer look doughy.
  6. Remove from oven and allow to cool at least 15 minutes before removing from pan so they don't fall apart. Run a knife around the edge of each muffin to loosen.
Make the Glaze
  1. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together powdered sugar and milk. Using a spoon, lightly drizzle each muffin with glaze.

Notes

  • *If you don't have buttermilk, sour milk can be substituted. For every 1 cup milk add 1 Tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Stir and let sit for a minute before using. This works with regular milk, nut milks, and most other milk alternatives. 
  • When first mixed, the batter may seem wet but it quickly becomes scoop-able. Something about baking powder doughs tend to be this way, they seem too wet when it first comes together, then within a matter of seconds it seems fine.
  • The glaze is optional, mostly depending on if you want that finished look and how sweet you like your monkey muffins.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

289.12

Fat

11.45 g

Sat. Fat

3.84 g

Carbs

41.19 g

Fiber

0.83 g

Net carbs

40.35 g

Sugar

17.7 g

Protein

2.95 g

Sodium

258.48 mg

Cholesterol

14.78 mg

Nutritional information is approximate, based on 1 muffin if recipe makes 12.

monkey bread muffins, individual serving cinnamon sugar pull-apart bread, monkey brain muffins, mini plucketts, cinnamon bubble bread, African coffee cake, Hungarian coffee cake, sticky bread, Pinch-Me Bread, Pluck-Its
dessert
American
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