Perfect Cornbread

The best. Enough said.

1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups milk

Whisk together the oil, butter, eggs, and milk in a large bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Pour into a greased 8x8 square and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Doubles perfectly for a 9x13 pan.

Recipe from here.

Have any questions about this recipe? Email me at me@amandaabby.com

Sticky Buns

Boy, were these goooood. They took about 4 hours from start to finish. Traditionally, sticky buns contain pecans, but I used walnuts because that's what we had in the freezer. The brioche dough is from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day and the "goo" (caramel sauce) is from this recipe. I actually prefer this dough recipe over Pioneer Woman's cinnamon roll recipe (I know-I was surprised!).

A note on how to rise the brioche dough: rise it in the oven to reduce rising time! I preheat my oven for about 1 minute until it is about 100-105 degrees. Then I place the dough (covered with a towel) on the middle rack and quickly close the oven door.

Makes 12 sticky buns

For the Brioche:

3/4 cup lukewarm water
2 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (1 packet)
2 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
3 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Mix the yeast, salt,eggs, honey, and melted butter with the water in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the flour until all of the flour is incorporated. Cover and allow to rise for 2-3 hours (see note above on rising dough in the oven). This dough is very wet and will not look like a traditional dough- don't worry! It all turns out good in the end :) Also, for better handling of the dough, I placed the bowl of dough in the fridge for the last half of the rising time. Otherwise, the dough would have been an absolute pain to roll out. You can leave the dough in the fridge for a few days if need be.

For the "goo" (caramel sauce):

3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup heavy cream (I used skim milk- worked just great!)
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup nuts, chopped

Melt butter in saucepan. Whisk in sugar until dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk in the other ingredients. Pour into a 13 x 9 pan. Let cool for at least 30 minutes. Before placing rolls on the "goo," sprinkle on the chopped nuts.

For the filling of the Sticky Buns:

1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup nuts, chopped
2 tablespoons melted butter

Stir together.

To assemble the Sticky Buns:

On a heavily (seriously) floured surface, roll out dough until it is roughly the size of a sheet pan. Sprinkle on the filling and spread it to the sides of the dough. It may look like there's not enough filling, but be still, and know that the goo will make up for it.

Tightly roll up the dough and with a pastry scrapper, and cut into 12 evenly sized pieces. Place rolls on top of the goo and lightly cover with plastic wrap and rise for 1-2 hours in the oven (see note above picture).

Remove the plastic wrap and with the rolls still in the oven, preheat to 350 degrees and immediately set the timer for 35 minutes. You may need to place a piece of aluminum foil over the sticky buns if they become too browned. Let cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack (I used a trivet). Serve sticky buns by flipping over the bun so the caramel (goo) and nut side is facing up.

Creme Brulee French Toast

The title is definitely a disguise. This is nothing like traditional French toast and will certainly fulfill one's daily calorie allotment (and then some). But it is worth it. I received this recipe from a sweet religion class teacher from church.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Melt the above ingredients in a saucepan on low heat and pour on a sheet pan.

5 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of nutmeg

good-quality bread (white bread is the best in this recipe!)

Whisk together the above ingredients and dip your bread into the egg mixture and set bread slices  on top of the caramel in the sheet pan. Cover with plasticwrap and place in fridge for 1-2 hours.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350. Pull the sheet pan out of the oven and filp bread slices over. Cook for another 15 minutes.

If you really want to make this french toast even more unhealthy, add a dollop of freshly whipped cream and serve, but know that this is PLENTLY rich on its own. We served ours with strawberries as well.

Orange Yogurt Sweet Bread

Light, airy, fluffy, moist, perfectly orangey, and perfectly sweet.

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup yogurt (I used vanilla Light & Fit)
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange zest
1/2 cup oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan (or 2 mini ones) with shortening and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together yogurt, sugar, eggs, zest, vanilla and oil. Add baking powder and salt and whisk. Add flour and whisk. Pour into one loaf pan or 2 mini loaf pans. Bake for 50 minutes for a normal loaf pan and 30-35 minutes for the mini ones.

Let the bread cool slightly and remove from loaf pan to cool.

source: recipe from here

Have any questions about this recipe? Email me at me@amandaabby.com

Costco-esque Poppyseed Muffins

I contributed a recipe for these delicious muffins here.

The Best Banana Bread

Remember when I said that these banana muffins were the best (and better than your's)? Well, I take that back. I found a different recipe, and it's awesome! Thanks to Epicurious, I made this heavenly banana bread. I just changed a few things, like reducing the sugar some and making one loaf with no nuts and the other with pecans (because I had no walnuts)- I actually preferred the loaf without the nuts. This bread is perfectly moist, perfectly sweet, and just so darn good. Try it, you'll love it.

And be careful with the oven, I badly burned my poor little thumb. I think I have more battle wounds from cooking than the kids who are bruised and scratched up from playing sports. I'm currently sporting a blister on my thumb and 2 fading scars are my right forearm from six months ago. That silly oven.

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour


• 2 teaspoons baking soda


• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 4 eggs at room temperature for 30 minutes (I set them out for 15 or so minutes while I was prepping the other ingredients)


• 2 cups sugar


• 1 cup vegetable oil


• 3 cups mashed ripe bananas (I used 7)


• 1/4 cup creme fraiche ( I used sour cream- who ever has 'creme fraiche' lying around?)


• 2 teaspoons vanilla


• 1 1/3 cups walnuts, chopped (I preferred the bread without nuts)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter 2 (9 x 5 x 3 inch) metal loaf pans, then dust with flour, knocking out the excess flour.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a bowl.

Beat together eggs and sugar in bowl of electric mixer at medium-high speed until very thick and pale and mixture forms a ribbon when beater is lifted, about 10 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add oil in a slow stream, mixing, then mix in bananas, creme fraiche (or sour cream), and vanilla. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in flour mixture and nuts gently but thoroughly.

Divide batter between loaf pans, spreading evenly, and bake in middle of oven until golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer comes out clean, 1 to 1 hr. 15 minutes. (The loaf without nuts took 1 hour and 5 minutes, whereas the one with nuts took about 1 hr. and 20 minutes. Make sure you don't underbake. No one likes a doughy banana bread. Also, I covered the banana bread about 17 minutes into the cooking process with a lightly greased piece of aluminium foil).

Cool loaves in pans on a rack 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Cool completely.

Banana bread keeps wrapped well in plastic wrap at room temperature for 2 days or frozen for 1 month.

-amanda

Pumpkin Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Cream Cheese Icing

Okay, these cinnamon rolls took from 1 pm to 6 pm to make. But... they are extremely delicious and the icing is the perfect addition to these fall-ish cinnamon rolls. I doubled the recipe- I made 24 (big) cinnamon rolls. It's times like these I wish I still lived near my family. The five of us just can't eat 4.8 cinnamon rolls each. I am sure my grandmas and grandpas and my aunt and uncle and their family would've loved these. So, instead I'll share this recipe with you...

I adapted the dough recipe a bit from Closet Cooking (http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/)    and the icing recipe and caramel recipe is from me.



Pumpkin Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Cream Cheese Icing

(makes 12 rolls)

1 batch pumpkin sweet yeast dough (see below)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature) I used salted
1/2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 batch caramel cream cheese frosting (see below)

 Directions:
1. Punch down the dough and knead for 30 seconds.
2. Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes.
3. Roll out the dough on a floured surface into a 24" by 12" rectangle.
4. Spread the butter over othe dough leaving 1 inch on each side free.
5. Mix the sugar and spices and sprinkle it onto the dough.

6. Roll the dough into a log, pinch to seal and cut it into 12 even slices.
7. Arrange the buns in a greased sheet pan and  cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
8. Bake in a 375F preheated oven until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Mine only took about 12 minutes
9. Top the buns with the frosting and drizzle with the leftover caramel sauce. 

Pumpkin Sweet Yeast Dough

(makes 1 batch)

1/4 cup water (warm)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs (room temperature)
1/4 cup butter (melted and cooled)
1/4 cup sour cream (room temperature)
1 cup pumpkin puree (room temperature)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

extra all-purpose flour

Directions:
1. Mix the water, yeast and sugar into a large bowl and let it sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the sugar, eggs, butter, sour cream, pumpkin puree, spices, salt and 2 cups of the mixed flour and mix for 2 minutes at medium or 200 strokes by hand.
3. Stir in enough of the remaining mixed flour to make a soft dough.
4. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. (The dough should feel soft and buttery and not sticky.)
5. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a damp towel and let the dough rise until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

 Caramel Cream Cheese Icing

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened*


• 1/4 cup butter, softened


• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla


• 1/2 cup powdered sugar


• 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup caramel sauce (recipe follows)

1. Beat the cream cheese and butter until creamy and blended.


2. Add the vanilla, powdered sugar and mix. Add caramel sauce and stir.

*A fast way to softened cream cheese is to submerge the block of cream cheese (with silver wrapping) in a bowl filled with hot water. Let sit for a minute or two. Works like a charm.

Caramel Sauce

• 1/2 cup brown sugar


• 2 tablespoons water


• 1 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup


• 1 to 2 tablespoons flour


• 1/4 cup heavy cream


• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. On medium heat, whisk together brown sugar, water, and corn syrup.


2. When the mixture comes to a boil, pour in heavy cream and vanilla. Stir. Add flour and whisk until thick (normal caramel sauce consistency). Cool to room temperature

 

Banana Muffins

These seriously are better than your banana muffin/bread recipe. I dare you to try them. You'll like them much better. They're not dry or mushy.

Here's the recipe that's better that yours ( I promise!!!)

• 1 cup sugar


• 1/3 cup butter, softened


• 2 eggs


• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (3 or 4 medium)


• 1/3 cup water


• 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour


• 1 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1. heat oven to 350 degrees F.


2. Mix sugar and butter in bowl. Stir in eggs until blended. Add bananas and water, beat 30 seconds. Stir in remaining ingredients until moistened.


3. Pour into muffin tins (with cupcake liners). Bake for 18-25 minutes (check to see if done with toothpick)

Stop what you're doing and make these pretzels. I'm not kidding. I've made quite a few things in my 17-year-old life, and this is one of the best (besides my grandma's eclairs). It's one of those recipes that just turns out amazing. All the effort (this recipe is easy, though, so not much effort) is so worth it. There were no regrets when we all tasted these. I couldn't decide if I like the cinnamon/sugar or kosher salt. Both are just good. I don't know how else to describe these. And don't be afraid of boiling the pretzels. For some reason, that scared me when I read the recipe- "what? can't I just thrown them in the oven?" No. Trust me. These are divine.

Soft Pretzels

makes 8 - Alton Brown

• 1 1/2 cups warm tap water (110- to 115 degrees F)


• 1 T sugar


• 2 tsp kosher salt


• 1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)


• 22 ounces all-purpose flour (I used 4 cups)


• 2 ounces melted butter


• 10 cups water


• 2/3 cup baking soda


• cooking spray (PAM)

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then spray with PAM or the like. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, sprinkle with kosher salt (or sugar/cinnamon- just make sure to cover the pretzels half way through cooking time with foil so the sugar doesn't burn). Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.