A delicate cousin to the classic rich and fluffy cinnamon roll, these are sweet without being overly tooth achingly so, and a lovely hint of cardamom to welcome fall baking into our kitchens. I've put off making these for so long because I wanted to get Pearl Sugar to top them with... the classic European/scandinavian garnish for many sweet bread products. But then I realized that I had the resources to fabricate my own... I took some very large chunky white sprinkles that are pretty much inedible in their natural state due to the fact they are just huge lumps of hard white tooth-breakers. I wasn't using them. Suddenly I realized, if I just bash these up into smaller pieces... I have pearl sugar! Boom. I truly adore marzipan, I am now making a vow to use more marzipan. To make ground cardamom, simply buy whole green cardamom pods and whiz them up in a high powered blender. This will be far fresher and superior than buying pre-ground cardamom at the grocery store. Cardamom Marzipan Cinnamon Rollsrecipe from the Ikea FIKA cookbook makes about 20 buns for best results, all ingredients should be at room temperature For the Dough:
How To:
Crumble the yeast into the bowl of a mixer. Pour over the milk (either have the milk at room temp, or gently heated to lukewarm, about 37˚C or 100˚F) Start mixing or stir until the yeast has dissolved. Add the flour, the butter in pieces, sugar, eggs, salt and cardamom. Work the dough until it is very smooth and elastic, takes up to 10 minutes or so! If you live in a humid climate you may need to add more flour. I live in Alberta, where it is dryer than dry, so I do not need any additional flour than this suggested amount. Round the dough into a ball and allow it to rise in an oiled bowl, covered with a damp towel. I like to place the bowl in my oven (that is turned off) because it is a nice quiet and peaceful and draft free zone, and potentially less dry than sitting out on my counter. Let it rest and rise for at least 30 minutes, or until it has doubled in size. Meanwhile, make the filling: break up the marzipan into chunks and combine with the sugar, breadcrumbs, water and cinnamon. Blitz in a food processor. Melt the butter, and process the butter in too. Place the dough onto a clean work surface dusted with a bit of flour. Roll out into a rectangle. Spread with the filling. Roll up the dough from the long side of the rectangle and cut into buns about 1 inch. Place into a baking pan lined with parchment, leaving room to allow them to expand. Cover and let rise until they are doubled in size, about 30 minutes. You can also leave them in your fridge overnight, and then take out the next morning and let them proof for an hour before baking, then breakfast is ready! Meanwhile preheat your oven to 375˚F Whisk together the egg, salt and water and brush the egg wash over the risen buns. Sprinkle with pearl sugar. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Happy September, happy fall.
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Monday Morning Muffins make me a happy Lar Ain't nothin like baking something just for fun on your day off, and how lucky I am that I have two wonderful housemates to share with. I can actually make 12 muffins and they won't go to waste! Just don't make the rookie/I-know-better mistakes that I did which were making these post-run when I was starving and tried to rush the process by not thawing my giant chunks of rhubarb and being all like "it's fine" and then taking them out of the oven when they were done baking only to discover that the bit of batter around the frozen rhubarb was of course still raw. I promptly ate two muffin tops and felt sorry for myself for a bit before I did the old turn the oven back on and put the almost cooled muffins back into the oven in the hopes that they will continue baking which by the way almost NEVER WORKS but by some miracle this time it did. In any case, my two roomies did enjoy the finished product! The next day mama and I treated ourselves to a morning coffee in the park and I brought us each one of these guys to munch on, and one for her to take home to papa. The muffins turned out just fine and we all agreed we can feel good about the healthy whole wheat quality that they bring to the table. A wholesome little snack to satisfy. These babies are made using quinoa flakes... which are incredibly similar to rolled oats, but made from quinoa instead of oats, of course. They are fun and if you can find them then please give it a whirl but if you wish you can tOATally just substitute them for rolled oats. Either way, sprinkle a little on the muffin tops before they go in the oven, everything looks better with a little garnish don't you agree? Whole Wheat Muffins with Rhubarb and Gingerrecipe slightly adapted from Jennifer MacKenzie, found in this book makes 12 muffins
Actually called Dutch Baby but also called Oven-Puff-Pancakes and also known as Crepe-Shake!! Fantastic variety of strange names but whatever you call it, I'm a fan! It's like a sweet yorkshire pudding that you can eat for breakfast. It's pleasantly chewy and subtly spiced with cinnamon and fresh nutmeg so all ya gots to do is top it with some berries, a dust of powdered sugar, a dollop of plain greek yogurt and a kiss of maple syrup and eat it right out of the pan... cuz this bebe serves one! (Double the recipe if you want to serve you and your bebe) Dutch Baby Pancakerecipe adapted from Renee Kohlman
It's Wednesday! I'm the temporary owner of my Aunt's waffle iron! Let's make weird waffles! Temporary owner because my Aunt is currently on some strange diet in which she will not be making waffles for herself... I'm not sure I approove of this form of living however I do approve of me having a waffle iron in my life. So... I will not say anything and be here in my kitchen whipping up batters of various flavours and seeing just what wonders I can waffle. Cinnamon raisin bread is a fan favourite so why not cinnamon raisin waffles?! Add some whole wheat flour not because we righteous, but because we like FLAVOUR. Highly recommend indulging with peanut butter and syrup... breakfast comfort supreme. Smells amazing! Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Wafflesrecipe from Dorie Greenspan
Ah it's Pancake Tuesday! What a wonderful holiday, I simply cannot let it go by without celebrating it. This year, I wanted to try something different so I scoured my recipe books and found so so many pancake recipes. One stuck out to me, not only because it sounded incredibly different from regular pancakes, but also because it required a few weirdo ingredients that somehow I had on hand?? Including 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin of which I had almost that EXACT amount just chilling (heh heh) in my freezer waiting to be made into something... So I like to think the universe chose these pancakes for me to make. I got up early, went for a swim, picked up some milk on my way home from the pool. Made some coffee, and got to work making these pancakes. The best part is that one of my roommates was working from home today, so I had a brunch buddy to help me eat up! My other roomie will be home later, and there are plenty of leftovers for her... which I think she will enjoy because A) she loves pancakes and B) she is trying to eat more gluten-free things. I am not bothered one bit by gluten but I sure love experimenting with different flours... This recipe calls for "whole-grain medium grind cornmeal". This is important to note that not all cornmeal is created equal! Just like whole grain flour, you can buy whole grain cornmeal. This means that it includes the entire grain: bran, germ and endosperm. (Regular white flour and cornmeal only contain the endosperm.) I'm sure you could make these with regular cornmeal, but the whole grain stuff is sure nice and adds more flavour. It requires a bit more searching in the grocery store, but I found it with all the "Bob's Red Mill" brand flours and grains, often in the health-food section if your grocery store has one. Good old bob, he's done it again. This is also where you will find brown rice flour and quinoa flour, if you don't already have those in your house like this weirdo... **If you buy strange flours like these and don't use them super often, I recommend storing them in the freezer! This way they will last a long time and not go rancid, which is indeed something you must be concerned about especially with these high-protein flours. Right now in my freezer I have: brown rice flour, white rice flour, quinoa flour, buckwheat flour, whole wheat flour, pastry flour, rye flour, almond flour... Yup, I told you I like to experiment! Gluten Free Pumpkin Cornmeal PancakesRecipe barely adapted from The Vegetarians Complete Quinoa Cookbook
A very wise lady inspired the belief in me that a house is not a home until one has baked homemade banana bread in it. I am 100% on board with this concept. And so in an effort to make my new house my new home... I baked banana bread. Amen. My mom, and her sister, are both banana bread baking queens. They both use the same recipe, one passed down from their Aunt, known by most as, Auntie Irene. My great Auntie Irene was the sweetest of little ladies, with fire-truck red hair and the cutest smile. Despite her petite size, she would smother you with hugs and kisses and tons of food. Her recipes remain family favourites, and are made often in my household. A few recipes come to mind including cheesy mashed potatoes, her famous chocolate sauce... but made most often, her whole-wheat-banana-bread. One taste of this loaf and I am instantly "home" no matter where I actually am. I love the combo of half whole wheat flour and half regular flour, not just because I trick myself into thinking its good for you, but the whole wheat flour adds another layer of nutty flavour which I crave! This baby is delicious just on its own, but I also love adding toasted walnuts for some crunch, or chocolate chips if I'm feeling it. Oh I'm feeling it. Can't go wrong. I baked two mini loafs in my new place to welcome myself into the kitchen and lay a foundation for home-baked goodies to come. Before we can get crazy making new experiments, we gotta stick to the old favourites first, ya know? When I got to sit down and enjoy a warm slice of my labour... my first thought was "Tastes like mom!" (Hi mom) Life is good. Auntie Irene's Whole Wheat Banana Breadmakes 1 large loaf, or 4 mini loaf pans. Or ~12 muffins!
ingredients:
Happy Baking <3 LIFE IS SO GRAND RIGHT NOW! I have finally put on my big girl socks and MOVED OUT. It sounds more final and official than it really is. I've lived away from home on my own before and done lots of travelling, so it doesn't feel like too much of a stretch... but everything does feel new and exciting and darn weird when I realize my old room back "home" no longer exists. Yikes. To cope with any potential feelings of overwhelming unfamiliarity, we make the things that are familiar. The things we can't go for a week without, or even a day. The things like, homemade granola. I've been making homemade granola for yeeeeeeeears and with some fresh fruit and yogurt, it's my favourite everyday breakfast. I have been thinking about MY FIRST BAKE IN THE NEW KITCHEN and getting stoked and making a big deal about it. Then I realized that without thinking about it, I started making granola because I just can't live without that stuff. So I guess that's my "first bake", and I feel like that is completely appropriate. Also I haven't set up my NEW MIXER yet... I smell a future blog post. Of course I'm not used to this new oven entirely and I put a little too much faith in it (and, true confession, started doing yoga while it was baking) and I kinda burnt it. Definitely still edible... but a little extra toasty let's just say... whoopsie daisies! A reminder that not all ovens are created equal! Making this easy recipe (even though I almost burnt it, haha!) brings me much comfort.And much tasty snacking for the week :) It also helps me and the new kitchen get acquainted with one another, like "Hello, I am Larissa and we are going to make some weird and wonderful stuff together, okay? Let's do this." So here is to figuring out new ovens and new routines and new bus routes and making the very first batch of good ol' granola in my new home! <3 Happy Days. Good Ol' Granolathis recipe is extensively adaptable, and you can/are encouraged to use whatever you have on hand or like! here are the basic ratios: (This recipe is good for one sheet pan, I normally double it and spread it out over two pans. However, this is a good starter amount)
THE DRY:
ADD INS:
Happy Baking :) Two things I love most in life: Fresh Muffins. Fresh Hair do's. Yesterday both of these occured within the same morning... and life was glorious Fall is sort of like spring in that there is a feeling of renewal in the air. It's hard to deny. When the world around you is changing colour, you can't help but feel like you should change a bit too. Suddenly I find myself inspired to clean out forgotten drawers, organize my closet, start a new project, refresh my look... My tastebuds crave all the warm spices, but my heart and soul also desires to spice things up a bit... I finally did a thing I have been threatening to do for a few months now... I went WILD and got my hair permed. My inner grandma is so content right now. There is nothing quite like a new hair-do to put a new spring in your step. Or in my current case, a spring in your hair (Sorry not sorry). Although I am still not used to my reflection, and admittedly can't help myself giggling every time I look in the mirror... I am pretty happy with my new curls! Even though I am not going back to school this fall I still feel like I want a fun fresh start. So why the heck not?! Yes, a new season, a new look, a new Lar. I do love the fall. Spice it up! That's what fall is all about #amiright? More importantly however, fall is about PUMPKIN EVERYTHING Hence I made these pumpkin muffins which are soft and fluffy and spiced with all the happy spices and studded with chocolate because CHOCOLATE and crowned with pumpkin seeds to make them pretty. I brought some to my hair dresser which I think helped her to forgive me for showing up late... Note to self, if you're gonna be late, at least bring muffins. Also known as, nobody notices your flaws if you distract them with fresh baking. This is how I get through life. Here's to the pumpkin-spice-curly-perm life. Amen. Pumpkin-Chai-Chocolate-Chip MuffinsRecipe from Renee Kohlman (Sweetsugarbean) and her wonderful book: All The Sweet Things {makes about 12-14 muffins}
WET ingredients:
Muffin Monday!!! There is nothing quite like alliteration to encourage one to bake. Although I have often worked on Mondays, this particular Monday was a DAY OFF for me, and so a perfect muffin-making-monday opportunity. I have recently acquired a GORGEOUS NEW HARD COVER SHINY COOKBOOK, of which is bursting with handfuls of recipes that I am so very excited to try. It's rather difficult deciding where to begin when one is so inspired by so many ideas... but seeing as it is blueberry season, (and muffin monday) these blueberry muffins seemed appropriate enough, and so I stopped thinking about it and just MADE MUFFINS. These are not your usual blueberry muffins however... See how yellow they are? That is not just me putting some hipster filter over the photo, no, the yellow is for real! The colour comes naturally from one of my favourite spices... turmeric! I've had turmeric in savoury foods and in tea before, but never have I ever seen turmeric in muffins. I love turmeric because people claim that it is healthy for you and I claim that it is delicious. Both turmeric and blueberries have anti-inflammatory properties, and with all the biking and on-my-feet-all-day days, I could use some of that healing power. Topped off with a honey-oat-sunflower streusel because streusel makes muffins more fun! The turmeric in these muffins is intriguing but not overpowering and they are sweetened only with a bit of maple syrup and banana, so a lovely option when you want muffins but don't want a lot of refined sugar for breakfast. But I must say they taste delicious with a bit of butter and honey fresh and warm from the oven ;) This recipe comes from "All The Sweet Things" by Renee Kohlman, and at first glance the book appears beautiful and the recipes divine. Upon closer inspection, Renee, who is also known as SweetSugarBean, is my new hero, as her interests and career path align with my interests and life goals and her words and stories both give me encouragement and inspiration. Also, there are so many wonderful photos in this book, and she does all of her own photography. Let's just say I am a huge fan and I look forward to my future days off when I can try out more of these creative, scrumptious sounding recipes. Blueberry-Turmeric Muffins with Honey Oat StreusalRecipe from Renee Kohlman's (Sweetsugarbean) All the Sweet Things cookbook muffin inngredients:
I am happy to have another addition to my muffin repertoire. I absolutely love the flavour of cornmeal in both sweet or savoury adaptations... this particular quick-bread is more on the sweet side, making it a lovely breakfast option. You can add anything you like to the batter to mix things up... in the photo below I added local saskatoon berries and fresh thyme from my backyard which gives the muffins a splendid scent. Cheddar cheese and chives add savoury notes, which makes for a nice lunch alongside a soup or salad. Any kind of frozen berries, chopped fruit, sundried tomatoes, cheese, olives etc would also be welcome additions. Use your creativity/imagination/pantry! Cornmeal MuffinsRecipe adapted from my experience at The Butchart Gardens I like to measure by weight, however I have tried to also give cup measurements on the side. I cannot guarantee their accuracy, but it would be my best approximation!
In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. If desired, add any fruit, herbs, cheese etc to the batter and fold in gently, being careful not to over-mix. Scoop into lined muffin tins and bake at 350 (325 convection) for about 20 minutes depending on the size of your muffin tins, until just lightly golden around the edges and the tops spring back when pressed with your finger. Let cool slightly, serve warm or at room temperature. |
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