Apple Pull-Apart Bread

I made this on Sunday morning before General Conference.  My kids wanted monkey bread, but I wanted to use the apples that we’d been given.  I found this recipe that I’d clipped from an old Taste of Home magazine but never tried.  It was delicious!  I used whole wheat flour instead of white but it still rose high and was nice and soft.  We’ll definitely make this again.  It’s more time consuming than monkey bread, but I had Corinne and Jillian helping me to roll and stuff each dough ball and the process went quickly.
Apple Pull-Apart Bread

• 1-1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1/2 cup butter, melted, divided
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 to 3-1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 medium tart apples, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  ICING:
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 3 to 4-1/2 teaspoons hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in milk. Add 2 tablespoons butter, egg, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt and 3 cups flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.   (I kneaded this in my Bosch for 10 minutes and skipped this first rise.)
• Combine the apple, pecans, cinnamon and remaining sugar; set aside. Punch dough down; divide in half. Cut each half into 16 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, pat or roll out each piece into a 2-1/2-in. circle. Place 1 teaspoon apple mixture in center of circle; pinch edges together and seal, forming a ball. Dip in remaining butter.
• In a greased 10-in. tube pan, place 16 balls, seam side down; sprinkle with 1/4 cup apple mixture. Layer remaining balls; sprinkle with remaining apple mixture. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pan to a wire rack. Combine icing ingredients; drizzle over warm bread. Yield: 1 loaf.

It disappeared quickly!

Pumpkin Waffles

I adapted this recipe from one I found in Family Fun magazine years ago.  I use whole wheat flour instead of white, and I doubled the pumpkin.  Add a little more milk if the batter is too thick.  I double this recipe for my family of 8 and usually have a few leftover to freeze for busy mornings.   These waffles are great served with maple syrup and chopped pecans (you can even stir the pecans into the batter), or for a special occasion, try the Cranberry Maple Butter recipe below.
Pumpkin Waffles

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk or buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted (or use oil)
• 1 cup canned pumpkin

1. In a medium-size mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter, and pumpkin. Pour the wet ingredients over the flour mixture and stir just until combined.
   
2. Coat the preheated waffle iron with cooking spray. Pour the waffle batter onto the center of each section of the iron. (You will need 1/4 to 3/4 cup of batter for each waffle.)
   
3. Cook the waffles for about 4 to 5 minutes or until they are crispy and light brown. (Read the manufacturer's directions for details about how long you should cook the waffles in your particular waffle iron.) Serve immediately with maple syrup and butter. Serves 4.
   

Cranberry Maple Butter

• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup butter, softened

In a small saucepan, combine cranberries and syrup. Cook over medium heat until berries pop, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl; cool slightly. Beat in butter until blended.

Whole Grain Pancake Mix

Source: King Arthur Flour's Whole Grain Baking
Yield: 10 cups dry mix; a batch using 1 cup of mix will make about 10 (3 1/2-inch) pancakes.
Whole Grain Pancake Mix
3 1/2 old-fashioned rolled oats
5 cups white whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
3/4 cup vegetable oil
To make the mix: Grind the oats in a food processor until they're finely chopped, but not a powder. Put the ground oats, flours and remaining dry ingredients into the bowl of a mixer with a paddle. Mix on slow speed, and drizzle vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running.  Store in an airtight container indefinitely in the freezer.  (I keep it in a 1 gallon ice cream bucket in my pantry.  I’ve had no problems with it staying fresh for about a month—it's usually gone by then so I don’t know how much longer it would last.)  To make the pancakes: Whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1 cup buttermilk (or you may use 1/2 cup plain yogurt plus 1/2 cup milk), and 1 large egg. Let the batter stand for at least 15 minutes before cooking (it will thicken as it stands—let it stand for 30 if you have time and the pancakes will be fluffier). Heat a nonstick griddle if you have one, or a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron. If your surface is not nonstick, brush it lightly with vegetable oil. When the surface of your pan is hot enough that a drop of water sputters across it, give the pan a quick swipe with a paper towel to remove excess oil and spoon the batter onto the hot surface, 1/4-cupful at a time. After 3 to 4 minutes, when the surface of the cake is no longer shiny and small bubbles are beginning to form around the edges, it's time to flip the cake. Cook other side until it's browned, 1 to 2 minutes more.
This recipe is a great base for adding your favorite ingredients—blueberries, chocolate chips, bananas, apples, pecans or walnuts, etc.  I like to sprinkle coconut on the batter after pouring it on the griddle.  When the pancakes are flipped, the coconut gets lightly browned and crispy.

The pancakes in this picture were made immediately after the batter was mixed.  The pancakes in the top picture of this post were cooked after the batter rested for about 25 minutes.  They both tasted great, but I prefer the fluffier ones.  However, in our family taste-test, many of my kids preferred the flatter ones.  So, if you’re in a hurry, you could skip the rest time and your family would never know the difference.

Basic Crepes

This is the recipe we (actually Cori--thank you!!) made for the cooking class. We doubled it and there were no leftovers! I didn't even get one!

Ingredients:
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour (use 1/2 whole wheat, 1/2 white)
1 tbsp oil or melted butter
¼ tsp salt

Method:
Combine eggs, milk, flour, oil, and salt; Whisk until smooth Heat an 8 inch non-stick skillet; remove from heat and add about 2 tbsp crepe batter. Lift and tilt pan to evenly spread batter. Return to heat and cook crepe until it appears dry. Cook on one side only. Invert crepe onto paper towel. Repeat process with remaining batter.

Notes: You can do so much with crepes. Like these Banana Caramel Toasted Coconut Crepes--delicious! For the cooking class I made an apple filling using the dried apples from the cannery. Just put desired amount of dried apples in a microwaveable bowl and add water just barely to cover. Microwave for about 5-6 minutes, stirring every minute, or until the liquid is absorbed. Add cinnamon and sugar to taste and serve inside crepes with vanilla yogurt and toasted walnuts or pecans. The Nutella was also very popular!

Buttermilk Syrup

This was a big hit at the cooking class. It's so yummy, and while I can't claim it's low-fat, it's much better for you than the original recipe was!

1 cup buttermilk
¼ cup butter
1 t. baking soda
2 cups sugar
2 t. vanilla

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients except vanilla; boil for 5 minutes. Add vanilla. Serve on pancakes, waffles, crepes, french toast, or ice cream. It’s important to use a big saucepan because it froths a lot while cooking and WILL boil over if you use one that‘s too small. Ask me how I know that (and ask Cori Reynolds how much fun it was to clean!).

Apple Spice Syrup

This syrup is great with pancakes, french toast, waffles, and German pancakes. It has very little added sugar because it's sweetened with apple cider or juice.

¼ cup packed brown sugar
2 T. cornstarch
¼ t. ground allspice
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
1-¾ cup apple juice or cider

In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, cornstarch, allspice and nutmeg; mix well. Add juice or cider. Cook and stir over medium heat until syrup is bubbly and slightly thickened. Makes 1-¾ cups. (I make it in the microwave in a large glass bowl. I cook it 3-4 minutes, stirring every minute or so.)

German Pancake

This is a favorite in our house and easy to make for a crowd--just double the recipe and bake in 2 pans. Or for a smaller family, half the recipe and bake in a pie pan or a square one.

6-8 servings

2 T. butter
6 eggs
1 c. milk
1 c. flour (I use whole wheat)
½ t. salt
Put butter in a 13x9 pan and place in the oven while preheating to 400. Watch carefully so butter doesn’t burn (not that I’d know from experience….) Blend all remaining ingredients in a blender until smooth. Tilt pan to distribute melted butter, then pour batter on top of the butter. Bake for 20 minutes. The pancake will get big bubbles in the middle and start to come off the edges of the pan.

Serve with your favorite toppings: fruit, yogurt, syrup, powdered sugar, warm applesauce, etc.

Steel-Cut Oats

serves 4-6

I love this much more than regular oatmeal but never ate it because it was expensive and takes awhile to cook. It is sold in the grocery stores as "Irish Oatmeal" in a fancy tin, but I found it at Kitchen Kneads in West Jordan as "steel-cut oats" for about 1/5th the price. My next great discovery is that it cooks in only 5 minutes (instead of 20-25) if you soak the oats in the cooking water overnight. In the morning, all you need to do is turn on the heat and stir it occasionally as it cooks. Now I eat it a couple of times a week.

2 c. dry steel-cut oats
4 c. water
1/4 t. salt

Mix all in a saucepan, cover, and let soak overnight. In the morning, heat over medium heat until creamy, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in your favorite ingredients. Some of my favorites are: chopped apple, Craisins or raisins, banana, chopped toasted nuts, vanilla yogurt, cinnamon sugar or brown sugar, and jam. Use a combination of the above and stir in a little milk if mixture is too thick.

Note: Millet is another grain I love for breakfast. It is considered one of the most nutritious, least allergenic, and most digestible grains. I buy this at Kitchen Kneads also. Cook it the same way, only the ratio is 1 c. millet to 3 c. water. After soaking all night it will cook in 15 minutes (instead of 45 for unsoaked).

Tangy Fruit Oatmeal

For those who don’t like oatmeal, they haven’t tried it this way!
Serves 4

3 c. orange juice
1-½ c. oats
½ c. dried fruit (craisins, raisins, chopped apricots, etc.)
¼ c. sliced almonds
2 T. brown sugar
2-4 T. jam, any flavor
¼ t. cinnamon
Dash salt
Bring juice to a boil; stir in remaining ingredients. Return to a boil and reduce heat. Cook 1 minute for quick or 5 minutes for regular oats, stirring occasionally. Cover and remove form heat. Let stand until thickened.

Raisin Pecan Baked Oatmeal

6-8 servings

My kids love this! It tastes like a cross between granola and a muffin and you eat it crumbled in a bowl with milk. In addition to reducing the sugar and the fat, and changing the butter to oil, I adapted it for the microwave so it’s fast enough to eat on busy school mornings, especially if you mix the wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls the night before and combine just before cooking.
¼ c. oil
½ c. honey or sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
3 c. oats (regular or quick)
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
½ t. cinnamon
1 c. milk
½ c. raisins
½ c. chopped pecans

Mix all ingredients in a microwaveable bowl until well combined. Cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Stir. Cook on half power for 4-5 minutes or until oats are tender and mixture becomes drier. Spoon into bowls and serve warm with additional milk.

If you prefer, you can bake it in the oven for 25-30 minutes in a greased 13x9 pan.

Note: add more sugar if it's not sweet enough for you--the original recipe called for 1 c. sugar but I like to cut back as much as possible. I often only use 1/4 c.

Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes

These delicious, hearty pancakes are a great way to start the day. This is a great use for the whole wheat in your food storage and you don‘t need a wheat grinder!

1 cup whole wheat kernels
1-1/3 cups milk or buttermilk
2 T. honey or brown sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 eggs
2 T. oil
1 t. vanilla

Put wheat kernels and 1 c. milk in blender. Blend on high speed for 2 minutes. Add remaining milk and blend for another 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and blend well. Add more milk if mixture is too thick. Pour onto griddle and cook on both sides.
Note: Try adding a banana to the batter before the final blending. Sprinkle nuts, coconut, blueberries, chopped apple, or chocolate chips on the batter after pouring onto griddle. Yummy! Serve with syrup, applesauce, or yogurt.

Sourdough Waffles

Click here for a delicious waffle recipe along with ideas for making Conference Traditions with your families.

Banana Bread Oatmeal

Serves 4

This is an example of a way to make your oatmeal more exciting! Use this as a base and try your own favorite fruits and nuts.

3 c. milk (or use powdered milk and water)

3 T. brown sugar

¾ t. ground cinnamon

¼ t. salt

¼ t. nutmeg

2 c. oats (regular or quick)

2 bananas, mashed

3 T. chopped, toasted pecans

Vanilla yogurt

Banana slices

Pecan halves

In a medium saucepan, bring milk, brown sugar, spices and salt to a gentle boil (watch carefully). Stir in oats. Return to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Cook 1 min. for quick oats and 5 min. for regular, or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir frequently.

Remove oatmeal from heat and stir in mashed banana and pecans. Spoon into bowls and top each serving with yogurt, banana slices, and pecan halves, if desired.