Irish Soda Bread

How can something so simple be so good?  This petite loaf slices well and is marvelous toasted with butter and honey.  Amount of sugar can be adjusted up or down depending on your taste.  The loaf  in the picture was quickly devoured with our corned beef and cabbage dinner today—better double the recipe and make two loaves if you want some left over for breakfast!  No kneading is required  for this soft dough.

•    Scant 1 cup of buttermilk*
•    2 cups all-purpose flour
•    1/2 teaspoon salt
•    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•    2 teaspoons sugar




Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Lightly grease a pie tin or cast iron pan and dust with flour or corn meal.

Mix together flour, salt, baking soda and sugar.  Make a well in the center and add buttermilk.  Stir quickly and lightly with a fork until just blended (dough will be wet and sloppy).

Turn dough out onto heavily floured board and form into a mound; place mound in pan and bake for 20 minutes or until crust is firm and golden.

Cool loaf completely and cut into thin slices with serrated knife before serving.

*No buttermilk?  Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to liquid measuring cup and add milk to measure 1 cup.  Allow to stand for 10 minutes before using.

Scones & Honey & Blackberry Jam

I was fortunate to receive several jars of Abeille Broadmoor Honey earlier this summer, and I quickly set to putting it to good use. This wonderful New Orleans nectar, with its sweet, smooth taste and anise overtones is perfect for spreading on scones and muffins. My projects included honey mustard, honey soap, honey biscotti, and honey liqueur (with varying degrees of success), but my favorite was the honey-blackberry jam, another delicious topping perfect for my freshly-baked scones!

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup shortening or butter
  
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup heavy cream or milk
  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Crack eggs into a small bowl. Remove one tablespoon of the egg white and reserve for topping.
Beat eggs and combine with cream or milk.
Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of this mixture and add egg mixture all at once. Stir lightly (avoid over mixing!).
Turn dough onto a floured board and knead five or six times, just until dough sticks together. Divide in half, then roll or pat each half into six-inch circle. Cut each circle into 4 wedges. Place wedges on an ungreased baking sheet and brush tops with the reserved egg white (beat it first).
Sprinkle with sugar.
Bake at 400 degrees F. for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Note: Where we're from scones rhymes with lawns not bones, and they are sometimes baked on a griddle instead of in an oven. Granny made her currant-studded delights in an electric frying pan, and though I don't have her recipe, I seem to recall that Bisquick was involved.

Variations:
Currant Scones: Add 1/2 cup currants to dry ingredients before cutting in shortening.
Buttermilk Scones: Substitute buttermilk for the milk or cream. Reduce baking powder to two teaspoons, and add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.
Cranberry-Orange Scones: Increase sugar to 1/4 cup. Add 1/2 cup dried cranberries and two teaspoons grated orange rind before cutting in shortening.
Griddle Scones: Use two eggs (no need to reserve any egg white). Use a biscuit cutter to cut dough into rounds instead of wedges. Preheat electric griddle or frying pan to 325 degrees (medium heat). Place scones on ungreased griddle and bake for about 10 minutes, then turn over and bake the other side for about 10 minutes.

Meyer Lemon Marmalade Bread

I get my Meyer lemons from a magical spot in Bonny Doon, California. A kind friend with a backyard orchard supplies me with an abundance of this rare, sweet-sour fruit, and I always have plenty left over for making marmalade. This recipe makes a lovely, delicately flavored tea bread (add the optional lemon zest for a more intense flavor). If you are not fortunate enough to have access to Meyer lemons, just substitute your favorite flavor of homemade or store-bought marmalade. Toss in a handful of currants or raisins if you prefer a "fruitier" bread.

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup sugar
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  
• 1/2 cup lemon marmalade
• 2 large eggs (beaten)
  
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• Grated zest from one lemon (optional)

____________________________

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan.

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

Stir together oil, marmalade, beaten eggs, milk, and lemon zest.

Make a well in center of flour mixture; add liquid mixture and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix. Fold in nuts. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for one hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Cool completely before serving.

Granny Sedgwick's Orange Raisin Nut Bread

One of my favorite childhood memories is of walking into my grandmother’s kitchen and discovering loaves of this delicious bread cooling on the counter. We liked to spread thin slices with butter and have it with our tea (Granny was very English and believed the fine art of tea-drinking must be taught at an early age).

• 2 CUPS SIFTED FLOUR
• 4 TSP BAKING POWDER
• 1/2 TSP SALT
• 1/2 CUP SUGAR
• 3/4 CUP CHOPPED NUTS
• 1 CUP RAISINS,PLUMPED
• 1 TBSP ORANGE RIND
• 1 EGG, WELL BEATEN
• 1 CUP MILK
• 2 TBSP. MELTED BUTTER OR MARGARINE

_________________________________________________

Grease an 8x5x3” loaf tin thoroughly.

Plump raisins by placing them in a colander and pouring a kettleful of boiling water over top. Drain.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into mixing bowl. Add sugar, nuts, raisins and orange rind. Mix well.

To beaten egg add milk and melted butter. Add to flour mixture. Mix just until blended. Turn into prepared loaf tin and allow to stand for 20 minutes.

Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes. Bake in center of oven on middle rack. Turn out on wire rack and cool several hours before slicing.

Bran Muffins

I love a good bran muffin for breakfast (or even for dessert, for that matter!). Here are two great recipes:

Canadian Bran Muffins

These are my favorites, especially with chopped dates. Sometime I throw in a handful of chopped nuts, too. Be

Wheat Bran

sure and use whole bran, not bran cereal.

• 1 CUP FLOUR
• 2 TSP BAKING POWDER
• 1/2 TSP BAKING SODA
• 1/2 TSP SALT
• 1 CUP WHOLE BRAN
• 1/2 CUP MILK
  
• 1/3 CUP MOLASSES
• 1 EGG
• 1/4 CUP MELTED SHORTENING OR BUTTER
• 1/2 CUP RAISINS OR CHOPPED DATES (OPTIONAL)

____________________________________________

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Stir flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Combine whole bran, milk and molasses and let stand until most of the moisture is absorbed. Add egg and shortening; beat well. Add the raisins or dates to the dry ingredients, then blend into bran mixture, stirring until just combined. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.

Makes 10-12 medium-size muffins.

Albert's Favorite Bran Muffins

This version uses brown sugar instead of molasses for a milder, sweeter muffin

• 1-1/2 CUPS WHOLE BRAN
• 1 CUP BUTTERMILK*
• 1 CUP FLOUR
• 1 TSP BAKING POWDER
• 1 TSP BAKING SODA
• 1/2 TSP SALT
• 2/3 CUP BROWN SUGAR
  
• 1 EGG
• 1/3 CUP VEGETABLE OIL
• 1/2 TEASPOON VANILLA
  
• 1/2 CUP CHOPPED DATES
  
• 1/2 CUP CHOPPED PECANS
  

____________________________________________

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine buttermilk and bran in mixing bowl; let stand for 10 minutes. Whisk together sugar, oil, egg and vanilla, then stir into buttermilk-bran mixture. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Add the dates and nuts to the dry ingredients, then blend into bran mixture, stirring until just combined. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

*If you don't have any buttermilk, mix one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice with enough milk to equal one cup; let stand 5 minutes.

Strawberry Poppyseed Bread

• 1/2 CUP BUTTER
• 1 CUP SUGAR
• 1/2 TSP ALMOND EXTRACT
• 2 EGGS, SEPARATED
• 2 CUPS FLOUR
• 1 TSP BAKING POWDER
• 1 TSP BAKING SODA
• 1 CUP CRUSHED OR CHOPPED STRAWBERRIES
• 1/4 CUP COCONUT (OPTIONAL)
• 2 TBSP POPPY SEEDS

________________________________________________

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together butter, sugar and almond extract. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time.

Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add flour alternately with strawberries to creamed mixture. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into mixture along with coconut and poppy seeds.

Grease and flour a 9x5” loaf pan or line with greased wax paper. Pour batter into pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Cool 15 minutes on rack. Remove from pan.

Buttermilk Nut Bread

A delicious low-fat bread.
There is no butter or oil in this recipe.

• 2 EGGS, WELL BEATEN
  
• 1-1/2 CUPS BROWN SUGAR
  
• 3-1/4 CUPS SIFTED FLOUR
  
• 2 TEASPOONS BAKING SODA
  
• 1/2 TEASPOON SALT
  
• 2 CUPS BUTTERMILK
  
• 1 CUP CHOPPED NUTS
  
• 1 CUP CHOPED DRIED FRUIT (APRICOTS, DATES, RAISINS, ETC.)—OPTIONAL

_______________________________________

Beat eggs, add sugar and mix well. Sift flour, soda and salt together and add
alternately with buttermilk to egg mixture. Add nuts. Pour into 2 greased loaf
pans. Bake in slow oven (325°F.) for 1 hour.

Makes 2 (8x4-inch) loaves.

Applesauce Bread

Especially good when made with your homemade applesauce

• 1 EGG
• 1 CUP APPLESAUCE
• 4 TBSP BUTTER OR MARGARINE, MELTED
• 1/2 CUP DARK BROWN SUGAR, FIRMLY PACKED
• 1/4 CUP GRANULATED SUGAR
• 2 CUPS FLOUR
• 2 TSP BAKING POWDER
• 1/2 TSP BAKING SODA
• 1/2 TSP SALT
• 1 TSP CINNAMON
• 1/2 TSP GRATED NUTMEG
• 1/2 CUP CURRANTS OR RAISINS
• 1/2 CUP PECANS, CHOPPED

_____________________________________________

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line bottom and sides of a 9x5” loaf pan with wax paper and grease.

Break the egg into a bowl and beat lightly. Stir in the applesauce, butter or margarine, and both sugars. Set aside.

In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Fold dry ingredients into the applesauce mixture in 3 batches. Stir in the currants or raisins, and pecans.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let stand 10 minutes before unmolding and transferring to a cooling rack.

Little Lynn's Pumpkin Bread

Good during the holidays.
Makes two large or four miniature loaves.

• 4 EGGS
• 2/3 CUP WATER
• 1 CUP VEGETABLE OIL
• 1 15-OZ. CAN OF PUMPKIN
• 3-1/2 CUPS FLOUR
• 3 CUPS SUGAR
• 1/4 TSP CLOVES
• 1 TSP CINNAMON
• 1 TSP NUTMEG
• 2 TSP BAKING SODA
• 2/3 CUP CHOPPED NUTS (OPTIONAL)

____________________________________

Grease and flour loaf pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large bowl, beat eggs, add oil, water and can of pumpkin; mix well. Add dry ingredients; mix well.

Divide batter between two standard loaf pans; bake at 350 degrees for one hour until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.