So, I’m guessing there could be worse things do be addicted to, right?

While I’m preparing to admit that I am a marmalade junky, I find this breakfast muesli bread. I’ve suddenly become like a child who only singly eats mac and cheese or pb&j for weeks straight.

Breakfasts, lunches, midnight snacks are spent longing for the next time I can glob juliennes of sticky zest over my raisin stuffed sunflower bread.

As I’m leaving my local unnamed bigbox store with the oversized package of my next fix and realizing I have issues, I decided to stick to my personal claim of not buying what I can quite easily make on my own. I just couldn’t rightfully keep forking out five bucks for a bag of bread.

A little while back, with a few leftover minneolos, a cup of o.j, water and sugar, I had the marmalade covered. So now, it was on to the bread. The store bought, of course, had it’s yummy je ne sais quoi mixed in, so I was left to pick out my favourites, the first of those, being sunflower seeds. The next to impossible task was finding any that weren’t hulled, apparently they are only good for spitting but after an exhaustive search, I found some. They were salted, but beggers can’t be choosers, right? I figured I’d either rinse them or omit the extra salt.
Thanks to my son, I always have raisins, and we’re talking the big fat ones too. He just won’t accept those puny shriveled ones. – Left from the last trip to the health food store, was his half eaten bag of plump organic jumbo flames. They’re about the size of his knuckle, so I was headed for a good start. I had an apple, cinnamon oatmeal and flax, all the good müesli things.

The bread recipe is pretty basic. Taking the knowledge from Mark Bittman and his book How to Cook Everything, I keep my whole wheat bread ratios to 3:1 all purpose flour to whole wheat; doing this keeps a good crust. And that’s just what it needed to keep all the good stuff in and my globs of marmalade on safely top.

MÜESLI BREAD

1/3 Cup Flax Seeds
1/2 Cup Sunflower Seeds
1 Cup Organic Jumbo Flame Raisins
1/3 Cup Steel Cut Oats (precooked), or add 1/3 Old Fashioned Oats, uncooked
3 Cups Water (divided)
4 Cups All Purpose Flour (divided)
1 1/2 teaspoons Yeast (divided)
2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1/3 Cup Maple Syrup
1/4 Cup Safflower Oil
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Granny Smith Apple, peeled & finely diced

Cook the steel cut oats as to the package directions, set aside.
Cover the flax, sunflower seeds, raisins and oats with 1 1/2 cups of warm water. Stir to combine and leave 1 hour or up to overnight.
In another bowl, combine 2 cups of the all purpose flour with 1/2 teaspoon of the yeast along with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of warm water. Stir well to combine and leave the sponge to prove 1 hour or refrigerated overnight.
Combine the seed mixture along with the sponge.
Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of yeast granules, maple syrup, oil, salt and cinnamon.
Once well mixed, add the remaining all purpose and whole wheat flours, in stages.
Knead for 5 – 7 minutes or until the dough is springy, soft and elastic.
Transfer the dough to a clean, slightly oiled bowl. Let the dough rest and rise for about 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into two pieces. Shape into two traditional or rustic loaves, placing into two slightly greased loaf pans or onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
Allow the dough about another hour to rise.
Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Place a pan of hot water on the lowest rack of the oven along with the loaves on the center rack.
Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 400ºF, remove the pan of water and continue to bake for an additional 20 – 25 minutes, until the loaves are golden and hollow sounding when tapped from underneath.

I wouldn’t go so far as to label myself a hippie or anything. Although I do enjoy a good amount of Canned Heat, I’m just not old enough. What I could call myself is frugal. I grew up with granola in the house but it was “Dad’s Cereal”. Which is, of course, why it was so elusive. We were told it was too expensive for us to burn through on a Saturday morning and we were much better off with the Fruit Loops within reach. However, little did my Mother know that as one of the few occasions my brother and I would get along, we would tag team to the top shelf for a sneaky handful from the protected bag of goodness.

Being the rebel that I am, I’ve continued to prefer granola over mass produced O’s, but the one tidbit of price tag always stuck with me. The giant yellow box is half the price of the tiny one I covet. Seeing you can’t stuff air into oatmeal must be one reason for the price difference and of course, that age old saying of getting what you pay for.

As frugal as I am, I tend to never order in a restaurant or buy anything food wise that I could easily make for myself at home. Granola, naturally fits into this category quite well. After recently receiving a bag each of dried papaya and almonds I hit my pantry to complete the list of ingredients.

Although filled with a little more of the good stuff than most store brands, I would call it pretty close to that shoveled childhood handful. All I need to go with it is the bravery of Lolo to commit to making my own soy milk to go with it.

LOW FAT TROPICAL GRANOLA

2 Cups Whole Oats, Old Fashioned
1/3 Cup Dried Papaya, 2 spears halved and diced
1/3 Cup Almonds, coarsely chopped
1/3 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Safflower Oil
3 Tablespoons Blue Agave Nectar
2 Tablespoons Brown Rice Syrup

Preheat the oven to 300ºF.
Toss the oats, papaya, almonds, coconut and salt together in a large bowl.
In a small saucepan combine the oil, agave and syrup.
Mix well to combine and heat until it just begins to bubble.
Remove from the heat and pour over the dry ingredients. Stir well to coat.
Spread evenly over a parchment lined, edged cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes. Stir to mix and rotate pan.
Return to oven and bake for an additional 5 – 10 minutes.
Shake granola lightly to break apart any large piece and leave to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container.

In response to a quick visit from an old friend coming for tea, I naturally made for the kitchen. I’d set aside my quest for a recipe to use up the copious amounts of extra coconut I had from the Perfect Party Cake and thought that the best morning treat with tea would have to be scones.

My friend is a super baker, so as I thought for a bit about tea from porcelain and creative flavour combinations, yet still I settled on simplicity and tradition.

Scones are standard pantry fare using most ingredients typically on hand. One of those ingredients for scones and pastry alike is chilled shortening. For this, I like to keep mine in the freezer, so it’s ready and waiting to keep whatever my cold hands have in mind for it to make light and flaky.

The scones are lightly sweetened with brown sugar and maple syrup, making them slightly caramelly. Quick to put together, the batter is easy and forgiving.

BROWN SUGAR SCONES

2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, loosely packed + 1 Tablespoon
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Vegetable Shortening
3/4 Cup Soy Milk
1/2 Cup Maple Syrup

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, 1/4 cup of brown sugar and salt.
Add and cut in the shortening with either two knives or a pastry cutter to a coarse crumb texture.
Add the milk and maple syrup and stir well with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together, finishing up by hand if necessary to form a ball.
Transfer the dough ball to the parchment lined baking sheet and flatten to 3/4″.
Cut the dough into 8 wedges and sprinke with the 1 tablespoon of remaining brown sugar.
Bake for about 20 – 25 minutes or until golden.

For something a little extra, you could try a drizzling of maple glaze or for a vegetarian version, a little of my latest addictions, David Lebovitz easy recipe for Dulce de Leche.

Clawing from the depths of a seemingly endless winter, spring has finally arrived.
Of course with about a foot of snow still remaining outside of my urban home and the prediction of 6 more weeks of crappy weather, it’s a little hard to believe. Thankfully with the double whammy of this beloved first day and an early Easter, I was compelled to fill my house with flowers and the scent of cinnamony Hot Crossed Buns.

I swear I don’t remember eating these since I was a kid – back when I pulled one flattened, from a lavender and yellow bag only to be thoroughly disappointed that the cross wasn’t pure icing. Hunks of candied fruit, maraschino cherries, raisins.
Mm, delicious.
Not.

With a certain need to perk up into spring, I set off to recreate my own version. I combined dried cranberries with my own candied orange peel, for something a little more to my tastes. I have to admit that the candied peel was a bit time consuming but fun none the less. I opted to do it the night before, but made enough for a bit extra, which was a good thing since my kids surprisingly mistook it for Easter candy and were caught gobsmacking the orange loot. For a two year old with an orange peel, that must say something. But my little Easter buns were golden and puffed and I couldn’t help but sweeten the paste for the crosses, just for old time sake. Served slightly toasted with some cold butter, I thought these would be perfect to celebrate the equinox and serve up with Sunday brunch.

HOT CROSSED BUNS

1 1/2 Cups Soy Milk
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 Cup Vegetable or Safflower Oil
1 Tablespoon Yeast
1/2 Cup Warm Water
2 3/4 Cups All Purpose Flour, plus more, if necessary, for kneading
2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/4 Tablespoons Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Tablespoon Crystalized Ginger, crushed (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
1 Cup Dried Cranberries
3/4 Cup Candied Orange Peel, chopped

Hot Cross Paste

3 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Sugar
2 1/2 Tablespoons Water

Heat the soy milk and stir in the sugar to dissolve.
Add the salt and oil and cool to a lukewarm temperature.
Meanwhile, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let sit until it bubbles.
Measure out the flours and spices into the a large bowl or one of a stand mixer.
Stir the yeast and with the motor running, add it along with the warm milk to form a dough.
Add the cranberries and chopped peel.
Continue to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, turning the dough out with the additional flour, if necessary to a board to completely work in the fruit.
Lightly grease a large, clean bowl and let the dough rest and rise until it has doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
After the rise, roll the dough into an 18 inch long tube, then cut it into 18 pieces.
Line a baking sheet with parchment and roll each piece into a ball and evenly place them in six rows of three.
Cover and let double in size again.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Mix up the paste mixture and lightly indent each bun with a knife with a cross, then pipe the paste over.
Bake until golden; about 10 – 15 minutes.
Glaze with reserved sugar syrup from candying the oranges or with heated, strained apricot jam.

Being amongst the world’s best doughnut eaters, not that I would necessarily know, of course but what can I say? I’m Canadian. Those little slurps here and a spoonfully nibble there of the grapefruit curd, reminded me of a fresher, livelier version of the sweet lemony filling squeezed out as the best part of a filled doughnut. Petite tarts of fanciness were sent to the back burner as I set out to create a canuck worthy doughnut.

Updating that simple, lemony filling to this, little more grown up, less of a drive-thru flavour was supurb with a little dusting of sugar and a hot morning cup of coffee. It was so sinfully wonderful to have to admit that vegan food isn’t always healthy but certainly scrumptious.

As the January resolutions met their match, I realised I’m not the only one who’s given up a diet for some February grease. Helen from Tartlette and Peabody have teamed up for a donut fry fest; this, my friends should be good.

RED GRAPEFRUIT CURD

1 Cup Freshly Squeezed Red Grapefruit juice
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Cold Water
4 Tablespoon Corn Starch
1/8 teaspoon Salt
Zest of Grapefruits, well washed before grating
1/4 Cup Soymilk
2 Tablespoons Margarine

In a large saucepan, whisk together the juice and sugar, heating through over a medium high setting
Dissolve the cornstarch in the cold water and salt.
Once the juice and sugar have just come to a boil, add the cornstarch mixture.
Reduce the heat to medium and whisk, stirring constantly, until it comes to a full boil.
Add zest.
Allow to boil for 1 minute, without stirring; it should be quite thick.
Remove from heat.
Blend in the margarine, then soymilk, with the whisk.
Cool the curd, cover and refrigerate.

YEAST DOUGHNUTS

1 Cup Soy Milk, warmed
1/2 teaspoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Instant Yeast (1 packgae)
1/2 Package Medium Silken Tofu, room temperature (225g)
1/3 Cup Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
3 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 Cup Shortening, (vegetable oil may be substituted)

Warm the soy milk so it is tepid but not hot to the touch.
Add the 1/2 teaspoon sugar and yeast granules, stirring to combine and dissolve.
Let the yeast rest to prove, for 5 – 10 minutes or until bubbled and frothy.

Meanwhile, drain and blend the tofu in a food processor until very smooth.
In a medium saucepan, gently heat and whisk together the blended tofu, shortening, salt and remaining sugar.
Once combined, remove from the heat and add the dissolved yeast mixture.
Using an stand mixer, or by hand, add 3 cups of the flour to the bowl and with the dough hook, or a wooden spoon, add the warmed ingredients to create a soft, but not sticky ball of dough, adding more flour as necessary.
Transfer the dough to a large, slightly oiled bowl and cover.
Leave it in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk.
Move the dough to a lightly floured surfaced and with a flour dusted rolling pin, stretch the dough into about a 12″x9″ rectangle.
Using a glass or a biscuit cutter, cut the dough into rounds and leave, covered on a dusted baking sheet for about 40 minutes to rise.
In a large saucepan, heat 3″ – 4″ of oil. Using a candy thermometer, bring the temperature to 350ºF – 365ºF.
Once the oil is heated, carefully drop 2 – 3 of the risen, cut donuts, one at a time into the hot oil, being sure not to overcrowd the pan.
Using a slotted spoon, regularly flip the donuts until golden brown; about 3 minutes or 90 seconds per side.
Lift the donuts and let the excess oil drip before transferring to a brown bag or paper towel lined cooling rack.
Repeating to cook the donuts.
Once the donuts are cool enough to handle, using a long handled skewer or chopstick, poke a hold and make a space in the center of the donut for filling.
Using a piping bag with a large holed tip, pipe in the red grapefruit curd to fill.
Dust the filled donuts with confectioners sugar just prior to serving.

Makes about a bakers dozen.

It’s embarrassingly amazing how used to baking in a toaster sized convection oven I’d become. In fact many of these photographed recipes were made from that bitty thing. The last stove worked, however the oven did not and the burners needed a little Laura Ingles styled lovin’ with a match and some rapid waving. It’s taken me a few days to stop reaching for a match and just turn a knob to light it.
This technology continues to amaze me.

It’s pretty natural for me to be quite in love with such a new toy. Any good kitchen gal loves a new oven, right? I’d been yearning for large loaves of fresh bread and batches of cookies baked more than six at a time. …And the thought of waking up in the morning with the smell of fresh cinnamon rolls all puffed and ready, just waiting to be baked in a real sized oven? Heaven.
Ahhhh. My house has never smelled better.
Needless to say, you might have to look forward to more baked items from me this winter.

CINNAMON ROLLS

1 Ripe Banana, finely mashed
1/4 Cup Sugar
6 Tablespoons Margarine, melted or vegetable oil
3/4 Cup Soy Milk, warmed slightly
3 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Unbleached Flour, plus additional for dusting
1/2 Cup Soft Whole Wheat Flour
2 teaspoons Instant Dry Yeast, 1 Package
1 1/4 teaspoons Salt
Cooking spray or vegetable oil

FILLING

1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed
1 1/2 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
Pinch salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons Margarine, melted
(For a more “grown-up” version, try adding 1/4 cup of raisins, currants, or dried cranberries soaked in 1/4 cup of brandy.)

ICING

1/4 Cup Tofuti Brand Cream Cheese
2 Tablespoons Soy Milk
1 Cup Confectioners Sugar

Warm the soy milk, making sure it’s not hot. To it add the sugar and yeast and allow it to set for about 5 minutes until it bubbles.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the mashed banana and oil until well combined then add the soy milk and yeast mixture.
Remove the whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook.
Add approximately 2 cups of the flour along with the salt; mixing until moistened and combined.
Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for about 5 minutes.
Check the consistency of the dough adding more flour if necessary; the dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. Knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough cleaned the sides of the bowl and has come together.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 30 seconds.
Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, lightly oil the top of the dough, cover and let it double in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl.
Mix until well incorporated.
Set aside until ready to use.

Grease a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.
Shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you.
Roll into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle.
Brush the dough with the 1 1/2 tablespoons of melted margarine, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge.
Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough. Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder.
Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down.
Gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 12 rolls.
Arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours to rest.
Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off.
Fill a shallow baking dish 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls.
Close the oven door and let the rolls rise from the steam until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes.
Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.
Preheat the oven to 350º F.
When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes.
While the rolls are cooling slightly, make the icing by whisking the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy.
Add the soy milk and whisk until combined.
Sift in the powdered sugar, and continue whisk until smooth.
Spread over the rolls and serve warm.

Wanting more than a traditional burnt raisin and bran muffin, I first began eating these to get the obvious fiber addition in a grab and go breakfast. When I realized I could eat the whole lot straight from the oven I knew I had my winner.
I’ve tried them with different fruit combinations but one thing always remained, the wonderfully moist centre and crisp outer edges – perfect. This is why could I not resist sharing these for the Muffin Monday 04 round up.

Mostly hands off they’re almost faster to make that your morning coffee (or juice as this day would have it).
Toss the moist ingredients together, take a shower, return to mix in the dry and bake it while you get dressed and blend your juice. Nothing says breakfast more than orange juice, however these are my favourite muffins so the to make the juice a little bit more add a handful of seasonal strawberries and a banana, frozen if you have one on hand. Blend until smooth and check the muffins. Depending on your muffin size it’s, ten to fifteen minutes in the oven, one minute to cool and no time to enjoy!

12 GRAIN BREAKFAST MUFFINS

3/4 Cup 12 Grain Cereal Mix
1/4 Cup Rolled Oats
1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries
1/4 Cup Broken Pecans
1/3 Cup Canola Oil
1 Cup Soy Milk
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar, Packed
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
3 Tablespoons Orange Juice or 1 teaspoon of orange zest

Prep muffin tins with a light spritz of spray oil.
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the cereal, oatmeal and stir in the milk and oil.
Allow everything to absorb and soften for 15 – 20 minutes. If you are hard pressed for time, you may skip this step.
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Add the baking powder and soda, then stir in the juice (or zest, if using).
Add the flour, combining only enough to moisten everything – try not to over work.
Spoon into prepared tins and bake 10 minutes for mini-muffins and 15 minutes for regular sized muffins or until golden and slightly crisp around the edges.

GOOD MORNIN’ SUNSHINE JUICE

2 Cups Orange Juice, freshly squeezed is of course the best
2/3 Cup Fresh, Hulled Strawberries
1 Banana, Frozen

Blend everything on high, until the fruit is puréed and everything is smooth.
If you’re not usually a pulp lover, you might want to strain the strawberry seeds.

*Note: If you don’t have a frozen banana on hand, just crush an ice cube or two to get the chilled slush goodness.