Homemade English Muffins

I got this recipe from a friend's blog: www.motherhoodnaturally.com/scratchcooking

My stove top is very hot, and the outsides cooked very quickly in my cast iron, so I had to turn the heat to medium -low and make the dough rounds thin (they plump a bit when cooked) and the middles will be raw if the outsides cook too quickly.

Make sure to use a fork to cut them open! 

 

English muffins

1c milk
2 TB sugar
2 ¼ tsp. yeast
1c warm water
¼ c melted butter
6c flour
1 tsp salt
cornmeal

Combine sugar, yeast and water. Let proof until foamy.
Warm the milk until warm to the touch. If it’s too hot, it’ll kill the yeast.

Add milk, butter and salt to the water/yeast/sugar mix.

Add flour until dough forms. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding flour as necessary. Let rise until double. Punch down and roll into a tube shape about as round as typical English muffins. Cut about 1.5-2 inch rounds off the tube, dust with cornmeal and set aside. Once you have cut your rounds (you’ll end up with about 18 of them), let them rise another 20 minutes.

Cook in an ungreased skillet on medium heat about 8 minutes per side. You want them to get a light shade of brown but you don’t want them to burn. Adjust heat until you find the right setting.

Pumpkin Scones

Pumpkin Spice Scones

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 7 tablespoons sugar
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
* 6 tablespoons cold butter
* 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
* 3 tablespoons half-and-half
* 1 large egg

Powderered Sugar Glazze

* 1 cup powdered sugar
* 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
* 2 tablespoons whole milk

Spiced Glaze

* 1 cup powdered sugar
* 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
* 2 tablespoons whole milk
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1 pinch ginger
* 1 pinch ground cloves

Directions

1.TO MAKE THE SCONES:
2.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
3.Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Using a pastry knife, fork, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious. Set aside.
4.In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half, and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.
5.Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide). Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions. Cut those three slices diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet.
6.Bake for 14–16 minutes. Scones should begin to turn light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.
7.TO MAKE THE PLAIN GLAZE:.
8.Mix the powdered sugar and 2 tbsp milk together until smooth.
9.When scones are cool, use a brush to paint plain glaze over the top of each scone.
10.AS THAT WHITE GLAZE FIRMS UP, MAKE THE SPICED ICING:.
11.Combine the ingredient for the spiced icing together. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (at least 1 hour). A squirt bottle works great for this, or you can drizzle with a whisk.

Pancakes and Blueberry Syrup!

Whole-Grain Pancakes with Blueberry Maple Syrup

If you can't find white whole wheat flour, feel free to substitute unbleached all-purpose flour.

2 cups of blueberries, rinsed
1/4 cup natural granulated sugar (evaporated cane sugar)
1/4 cup real-deal, PURE, maple syrup
2 tablespoons water

2 cups white whole wheat flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup natural granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2 1/4 cups organic buttermilk (I used kefir)
2 large organic eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter

butter, to serve (and for pan)

To make the blueberry maple syrup put 1 cup of the blueberries, the sugar, maple syrup, and water in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat and stir until the sugar dissolves and simmer for 5 or 6 minutes or until the blueberries begin to split. Remove from heat and press the blueberry mixture through a fine strainer into a bowl. Mash the fruit to get all the juiciness extracted. Throw out the solids. Stir the remaining blueberries into the warm syrup and set aside.

To make the pancakes combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter. Stir all the ingredients until they are just combined. Don’t worry if the batter is a bit lumpy, you don't want to over mix.

(For extra fluffiness I separated the eggs and beat the whites until they peaked and then folded them into the already mixed batter)

Heat your skillet, pan, or griddle to medium-hot and brush it with a bit of butter. Test for the right temperature. If a drop of water dropped onto the pan starts to dance, you are in the ballpark. Pour about 1/3 of a cup of batter into the skillet. Wait until the pancake bottom is deep golden in color, then flip with a spatula and cook the other side until golden and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Serve with a golden pat of butter and plenty of blueberries and syrup.
Makes about 12 large pancakes, or dozens of silver-dollars - enough to feed a small crowd.

Recipe by Heidi Swanson of 101cookbooks.com

Waffles

Waffles
Serves 6-8 (8-10)
(6) 4 eggs for added fluffiness, seperate the eggs and beat the whites until they peak and then fold it into the batter at the very end
(6) 4 c. flour
(1 ½) 1 c. oil if you use coconut oil you can omit the sugar and they taste absolutely marvelous!
(4 ¾) 3 ½ c. milk
(3) 2 T sugar
(12) 8 t. baking powder
(¾) ½ t. salt

Scones to die for!

Cranberry Orange Scones

Makes 8 scones

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, chilled
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 large egg
5 tablespoons heavy cream, plus more for brushing on scones

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside. 2. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add butter by pinching cubes of butter with your fingers until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; stir in cranberries and orange zest. 3. In a small bowl, beat together egg and cream. Add to flour mixture; stir gently with a fork until mixture just comes together. If dough seems too dry, add a splash of cream; mixture should not be too sticky. 4. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Shape dough into a 6-inch circle, about 1 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut dough into 8 equal wedges. Place scones on prepared baking sheet; lightly brush tops with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. 5. Let cool slightly on baking sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Scones are best eaten the day they are made.

Finish it off with an Orange Glaze.

1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest

Directions

In a medium bowl, stir together the juice, zest, and sugar until thick and shiny.

Maple Syrup

Maple Syrup

4 c. Sugar
½ c. Brown Sugar
2 T. Corn Syrup
2 c. Water
Bring to boil. Stir until dissolved. Bring to a boil. Cover and boil gently for 10 minutes. Do not stir. Remove from heat, cool and add:
1 t. Vanilla
1 t. maple flavoring

Pancakes

Pancakes
Serves 6-8
4 eggs
4 c. flour (use half whole wheat, half white for healthier, more filling breakfast)
4-5 c. milk (more if using whole wheat)
½ c. oil
¼ c. baking powder
2 t. salt

Hash Brown Omlet

I feel like I'm spilling all my secrets here, but this breakfast dish is too good not to share.

*Important Tip: It took me a couple trys to get this recipe down. I found that the trick is to let the egg mixture set (covered) before adding the bacon and cheese. By cooking the hash browns for about 7 minutes FIRST, then letting the second layer of egg mixture cook and set over that (don't forget to cover for quick even cooking), and then sprinkling with the bacon and cheese, you can ensure each layer is cooked properly for a perfect finish.

As with any omlet, feel free to alter the ingredients (I usually leave onions and peppers out)

Ingredients:
4 slices bacon
2 cups refrigerated shredded has brown potatoes (about 10 oz)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green sweet pepper
4 eggs
1/4 cup mik
1/2 tsp salt
Dash ground black pepper
1 cup shredded chedder cheese (4 oz)
Bias-sliced green onions (optional)

Directions
1. In a large skillet cook bacon until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels, reserving 2 Tbsp. drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon; set aside. Combine potatoes, chopped onion, and sweet pepper; pat into the skillet. Cook, uncovered, over low heat about 7 minutes or until crisp and brown, turning once.
2. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl beat together eggs, milk, salt, and black pepper; pour over potato mixture. Top with cheese and bacon. Cover; cook over low heat for 5-7 minutes or until egg mixture is set. Loosen omelet; fold in half. Turn out of skillet onto plate. Cut into 4 wedges to seve. If desired, garnish with green onions. Makes 4 servings.