Brown Butter Soda Bread with Rosemary

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I am happy to report that my backyard rosemary survived the winter! The inclusion of rosemary drew me to this recipe. I must say that the rosemary and the oats made this soda bread uniquely delicious. I also loved the sheen from the egg white on top.

The recipe was adapted from Bon Appétit, contributed by Tori Ritchie. I modified the method and proportions. It was very tender and flavorful- perfect topped with salted butter. 🙂

Yield: Makes one 6-inch loaf

• 2 T unsalted butter
• 210 g (1 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 T granulated sugar
• 1/2 T chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup plus 2 T buttermilk
• 1 egg white, beaten to blend
• salted butter and/or preserves, for serving, as desired

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F, preferably on convection. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Stir butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until melted and golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Whisk flour, oats, sugar, rosemary, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper in large bowl to blend.
4. Pour buttermilk and melted browned butter over flour mixture; stir with fork until flour mixture is moistened.
5. Turn dough out onto floured work surface; sprinkle the top with flour. (I used a silpat.)
6. Knead gently just until the dough comes together. (You’ll get the most tender soda bread by kneading the dough gently and briefly, so the gluten is minimally developed.)
7. Shape into a ball; flatten into a 6-inch round.
8. Place round on the prepared baking sheet.
9. Brush the top with beaten egg white.
10. Using the dough scraper or a small sharp knife, cut 1/2-inch-deep X in top of the dough round.
11. Bake until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes on convection or up to 45 minutes in a standard oven.
12. Cool on rack for at least 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Irish Ale Bread with Caraway & Herbs

Hope everyone had a Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Other than wearing green, we typically celebrate the holiday by having a festive meal. 🙂

This year, instead of making a new soda bread, I made this Irish version of beer bread. I loved the caraway seeds (which I also love in soda bread) and the flecks of green from the fresh herbs in the dough.

We ate it for dinner with shepherd’s chicken pot pie, roasted asparagus, and green salad. It would also be a perfect accompaniment to a traditional celebratory corned beef and cabbage meal.

The recipe was adapted from 177milkstreet.com. I modified the baking time to bake the loaf in a pullman loaf pan in a convection oven. The bread was delicious with and without salted butter.

Yield: one Pullman loaf or one 9-inch loaf

• 260 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 60 g (1/2 cup) cake flour
• 1 T baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 T caraway seeds, coarsely ground in a spice grinder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives
• 1 T honey
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) salted butter, melted, divided
• 12 ounce bottle or can Irish lager, such as Harp

1. Heat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle position. (I used the convection setting.)
2. Mist a Pullman loaf pan or a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, whisk both flours, the baking powder, baking soda, caraway, salt and pepper.
4. Add the dill and chives, then toss well.
5. Drizzle in the honey and 4 tablespoons of melted butter, then add the beer and whisk gently just until evenly moistened; do not over mix. The batter will be thick.
6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Brush the top with 1 tablespoon of the remaining melted butter.
7. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean, 25 minutes in a Pullman pan on convection, or up to 40 to 45 minutes in a 9-inch pan in a standard oven.
8. Remove from the oven and immediately brush the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter.
9. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack. Turn the loaf right side up and cool to room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours.

Tip: Don’t slice the bread while it’s warm. Like all quick breads, this loaf slices more easily and cleanly at room temperature. Use a serrated knife and a sawing motion.

Irish Soda Bread

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

My kids ate this tender and delicious soda bread with their bowl of celebratory Lucky Charms for breakfast this morning. 😉 It was also wonderful on its own with and without a little butter and jam. It could be warmed and served with dinner as well.

The recipe was adapted from Kathleen’s Bake Shop Cookbook: The Best Recipes from Southampton’s Favorite Bakery for Homestyle Cookies, Cakes, Pies, Muffins and Breads by Kathleen King, the founder of Tate’s Bake Shop. I incorporated whole wheat pastry flour, unsalted butter, coarse salt and modified the baking time for a convection oven. My husband thought that it may be the best version I’ve ever made. Great.

Yield: two 7 to 8-inch round loaves

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 T granulated sugar
• 1 T baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/4 tsp coarse salt
• 8 T (1/2 cup or 1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 cup raisins
• 2 to 3 T caraway seeds, to taste
• 2 cups buttermilk (I used low-fat)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, preferably on convection. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
4. Add the raisins and caraway seeds and toss lightly.
5. Add buttermilk and mix with a fork until all dry ingredients are moistened. (The dough will be very soft and wet.)
6. Form the dough into a ball and turn it out onto a lightly floured board or counter. Knead for about 30 seconds or until the dough is smooth.
7. Divide the dough into two equal portions and shape into balls.
8. Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, cut and “X” on top of each loaf about 1/4-inch deep.
9. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in a convection oven, or up to 50 minutes in a standard oven, or until crusty and golden. (I baked my loaves on convection for 37 minutes.)

Pumpkin Muffins with Cinnamon-Sugar Topping

I do have a favorite pumpkin loaf but I can’t resist trying another recipe- especially if it involves cinnamon-sugar. 🙂 This one incorporated lovely spices as well.

This recipe was adapted from Smitten Kitchen.com. I increased the amount of cinnamon-sugar topping and baked the batter as muffins rather than a loaf. I love the portion control of a muffin.

Makes: 18 standard muffins or 1 large 9×5-inch loaf

For the Batter:

• 1 15-ounce can (1 3/4 cups) pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable or another neutral cooking oil or melted butter (115 grams)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 2/3 (330 grams) cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• heaped 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
• heaped 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• two pinches of ground cloves
• 2 1/4 cups (295 grams) all-purpose flour

For the Cinnamon-Sugar Topping:

• 2 tablespoons (24 grams) granulated sugar (use 1 T for a loaf)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (use 1 tsp for a loaf)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F, preferably on convection.
2. Butter 18 muffins wells or a 6-cup loaf pan or coat it with nonstick spray. (I used 8 outer wells in one pan and 10 in another.)
3. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, butter or oil, eggs and sugar until smooth.
4. Sprinkle baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinanmon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves over batter and whisk until well-combined.
5. Add flour and stir with a spoon or rubber spatula, just until mixed.
6. Using a 3 tablespoon scoop, ration the batter into prepared muffin wells, or scrape into a loaf pan, and smooth the top(s).
7. In a small dish, whisk or stir sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle over top of batter. (I sprinkled 1/2 teaspoon over each muffin top.)
8. Bake muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, and a loaf for 55 to 75 minutes, or until a tester poked into all parts of cake (both the top and center will want to hide pockets of uncooked batter) come out batter-free, rotating the pans once during the baking time for even coloring. (I rotated the oven racks between the two muffin pans as well.
9. Cool in the pan(s) for 10 minutes and then remove, or cool completely in the pan(s). The latter provides the advantage of letting more of the loose cinnamon sugar on top adhere before being knocked off. 

Note: The muffins (or loaf) keep well at room temperature. The original recipe recommends covering the cut edge of the loaf with a piece of foil or plastic and leaving the top exposed to best keep the lid crisp as long as possible.

Honey Beer Bread

My son has become obsessed with making this bread. It is absolutely delicious and he can make it completely independently. He has experimented with several types of beers but his favorite is a light lager because the flavor it imparts is more subtle.

This recipe was adapted from Little Sweet Baker. We have made it several times to serve with pulled chicken sandwiches- a great combination. The bread is buttery and has a chewy texture. Great!

Yield: One 9-inch loaf

• 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
• 1 T baking powder
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• 1/4 cup (60ml) honey
• 1 bottle of beer, of choice (330 to 355 ml) of choice, at room temperature (our favorite is Trader Joe’s light lager)
• 4 T melted unsalted butter, divided (I melt the butter in the microwave in separate 2 T portions)

1. Preheat oven to 350F, preferably on convection.
2. Grease a 9×5″ loaf pan with cooking oil spray. Set aside. (I used a glass loaf pan.)
3. Sift the flour into a large bowl, then whisk in the baking powder and salt.
4. Pour in 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, followed by the honey and beer.
5. Stir all the ingredients together until just combined.
6. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and brush the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter on top.
7. Bake for 40 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then remove the bread to cool on a wire rack.

Sourdough Muffins: Oatmeal Raisin & Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon

I love making muffins with my sourdough starter discard. Both of these muffins were very wholesome, minimally sweet, and had a wonderful crumb/texture. I incorporated whole wheat flour into both varieties and also sprinkled the top with cinnamon sugar prior to baking. I think that the sweetness on top was an essential addition.

The Oatmeal Raisin Muffin recipe was adapted from Food.com, contributed by Yankiwi. I weighed the ingredients, incorporated whole wheat flour and cinnamon in the batter, and sprinkled the tops with cinnamon sugar prior to baking. I also reduced the baking time for a convection oven.

Sourdough Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

• 90 g (1 cup) rolled oats
• 1 cup milk (I used whole milk)
• 113 g (1/2 cup) sourdough starter, unfed
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 120 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
• 57 g (1/2 cup) whole wheat or white whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• cinnamon sugar or turbinado sugar, for sprinkling (see Note)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C), preferably on convection.
2. In a medium bowl, combine rolled oats and milk. Set aside to soak.
3. Grease 12 muffin cups; set aside. (I used cooking oil spray.)
4. Stir sourdough starter, oil, egg and raisins into soaked oats; set aside.
5. In a large bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar.
6. Add oats mixture. Stir until dry ingredients are just moistened; don’t over mix.
7. Divide batter among the 12 cups. (I used a cookie scoop.)
8. Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar or turbinado sugar.
9. Bake in preheated oven 15 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove promptly from muffin cups.
10. Can be served hot or cold.

Whole Wheat Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Muffins

The Whole Wheat Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Muffin recipe was adapted from tastykitchen.com, contributed by baking barrister. I weighed the ingredients, added salt, incorporated brown sugar and reduced the total amount of sugar by half, modified the proportions and baking time, and used a Pink Lady apple. They were very moist and tasty.

Yield: 12 muffins

• 170 g (3/4 cup) sourdough starter, unfed
• 113 g (1 cup) whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour
• 50 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 100 g (1/2 cup) light brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 1 T ground cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 4 T (1/4 cup) canola or vegetable oil
• 1 large apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch chunks (I used a Pink Lady apple)
• cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling (see Note)

1. Preheat your oven to 350F, preferably on convection.
2. Thoroughly mix the starter, flour, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, egg, vanilla extract, and oil.
3. Fold in the apple chunks.
4. Using cooking oil spray, generously grease a muffin tin.
5. Divide batter among the 12 cups. (I used a cookie scoop.)
6. Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar or turbinado sugar.
7. Bake for 17 to 24 minutes, until they pass the toothpick test. Promptly remove from muffin cups.
8. Serve warm or at room temperature. Let cool completely before storing.

Note: I usually have leftover cinnamon sugar in my kitchen. Proportions vary, but 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon is a nice start. More sugar can be added to taste.

Banana Bread with Crunchy Sugar Topping

I have one more recipe to share from the special baking book, Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland by Shauna Sever. (for now!) In the book, this recipe is titled “The Only Banana Bread You’ll Ever Need.” That is a little over the top for me- I always welcome new recipes for banana bread. 🙂

In this version, the super moist bread is topped with crunchy, snowy granulated sugar. The sugar is dampened and clumped together before sprinkling it over the prepared batter. I had never used this technique and I loved it. The topping looked beautiful and had a wonderful contrasting texture.

I weighed the bananas and all of the dry ingredients. I modified the recipe by baking it in a Pullman loaf pan, adjusting the baking time accordingly. We loved it!

Yield: One loaf, Serves 8 to 10

• nonstick cooking spray for the pan
• 1 3/4 cups (400g) mashed, very ripe bananas (I used 3 1/2 bananas)
• 3/4 cup plus 2 T (196g) firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (112g) vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup (75g) well-shaken buttermilk, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 1 T dark rum, optional (I omitted it)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups plus 2 T (272g) unbleached all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 3 T (38g) granulated sugar, for sprinkling

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat it to 325 degrees, preferably on convection.
2. Spray a 9×5-inch or Pullman loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and line it with parchment paper with a couple of inches of overhang on the long sides. Lightly coat the parchment with nonstick cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the mashed bananas, brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, eggs, rum (if using), and vanilla.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
5. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and fold until just blended.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
7. Place the granulated sugar in a small bowl.
8. Using your fingertips, sprinkle water over the top of the sugar. Work the water into the sugar, pinching it together, until it begins to resemble snow. (It should barely hold together when it is pinched together.) To add additional water, sprinkle water over the top using the opposite (clean) hand.
9. Sprinkle the dampened sugar over the batter, aiming to get it clumped up together in spots.
10. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes in a Pullman pan or 60 to 70 minutes in a standard loaf pan.
11. Let cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then use the parchment paper to lift the loaf out of the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Note: Bread can be stored at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap and/or placed in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.