Going Bananas

As the dog days of summer give way to crisp fall mornings, I like to serve something hot for breakfast.  A quick bread, like banana muffins, is a great way to get the family out of bed on a cool morning.  Quick breads can easily be mixed up right before baking, making it easy to get breakfast on the table and everyone out the door on time.

Not only are banana muffins quick and easy to make, they're a great way to use overripe bananas.  The bananas add moisture to the muffins as do the sour cream and brown sugar used in this recipe.  If you use low-fat sour cream like I do, the muffins will still be moist, but they won't be as firm as when you use regular sour cream.

Brown sugar, the combination of white sugar and molasses, is moister than granulated sugar.  The darker the brown sugar, the more molasses it contains.  Unless a recipe specifies otherwise, you can use either light or dark brown sugar.  I prefer the subtle flavor of light brown sugar over the more robust molasses taste of dark brown sugar.

The addition of molasses makes brown sugar moist, but it also makes it clump together which means it isn't pourable like its granulated counterpart. To ensure you're using the right amount of sugar, most directions call for brown sugar to be packed.  This is easy to do.  Put some brown sugar in the appropriate size measuring cup.

Use a spoon to firmly press the brown sugar into the cup.

Repeat the steps until you end up with this.

When the brown sugar is removed, it will retain the shape of the cup.

Although it only takes a few minutes to mix up the batter, it takes 20 to 30 minutes for the muffins to bake.  If you're pressed for time, combine the dry ingredients the night before and store them in a covered container or resealable plastic bag.

The recipe makes 18 muffins so I always have some left over.  It seems to me the muffins get moister with each passing day.  Of course, I don't know how many days that holds true.  With a teenager in the house, the muffins don't stick around long enough to find out!

Banana Muffins

18 Servings

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup sour cream

2 eggs

3 large ripe bananas, mashed

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Cream together butter and brown sugar.  Add sour cream, eggs, bananas and vanilla; mix well.  Combine dry ingredients and add to mixture; mix well. Pour batter into greased muffin cups.  Bake at 350° for 20 to 30 minutes until muffins are golden brown and spring back to the touch.

© Margaret's Morsels

Brunch: Part 3

This is the third of a three part series on brunch.

Brunch is such a versatile meal.  You can serve breakfast, lunch or a combination of the two.  When restaurants serve a brunch buffet, they usually offer a selection of sweet items.  When I serve a brunch that's more breakfast than lunch, I prefer to offer something with just a hint of sweetness that also doubles as the bread.  Fruit bread, scones or muffins are all good choices.

Muffins are quick and easy to prepare.  They're usually mixed in a bowl with a spoon.  Muffins run the gamut; they can be sweet or savory, fruit or vegetable, plain or fancy.  When you make muffins, there's one important rule:  don't overmix the batter.  If you do, the muffins will be tough.  Mix the batter only until the ingredients are moistened.  It's ok if there are lumps in the batter; they'll disappear during baking.

One of my favorite muffins, Coffee Cake Muffins, taste like coffee cake, but with the ease of preparing muffins.  Unlike most breads that are best served hot from the oven, these muffins are best made a day ahead. Since the muffins are already baked, there's one less thing to do the day of the brunch.

Coffee Cake Muffins have a brown sugar mixture similar to a streusel that goes in the middle and on top of the muffins.

Line the muffin cups with paper baking cups and lightly spray each one with nonstick cooking spray.  Put one tablespoon of batter in each cup.

Sprinkle half the brown sugar mixture evenly among the 12 cups.

Put the remaining batter on top of the brown sugar mixture, using about 3 tablespoons in each cup.

Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar mixture on top of the batter.

Bake the muffins and remove them to a wire rack to cool.  The muffins can be served as is or with a powdered sugar glaze.  Drizzle the glaze on the muffins while they're still warm.  Once the muffins are completely cool, store them in a single layer in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Without the glaze.

With the glaze.

If you're serving Baked Omelet Roll and Potatoes O'Brien, add a breakfast meat -- bacon, ham, sausage -- and some fresh fruit or a fruit salad.  A batch of Coffee Cake Muffins will round out the meal and make a sweet ending to brunch.

Coffee Cake Muffins

12 Servings

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

glaze (optional)

Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and, if desired, pecans.  Stir together flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in the center of the mixture.  Stir together egg, milk and oil; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.

Place paper baking cups in muffin pans and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.  Spoon 1 tablespoon batter into each of 12 cups; sprinkle evenly with half of brown sugar mixture.  Top evenly with remaining batter and sprinkle with remaining brown sugar mixture.  Bake at 400° for 22 to 24 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove muffins to wire rack to cool.

Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1 Tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine in small bowl, stirring until smooth.  Drizzle over warm muffins.

© Margaret's Morsels

Emerald Isle Fare

Several years ago, I decided to honor my Irish heritage by cooking corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day.  My family still talks about this meal.  Unfortunately, their comments aren't positive.  My husband didn't like the cooked cabbage or carrots.  My son thought the cabbage made the house smell bad and, like his father, didn't like the cooked cabbage or carrots.  This year, I decided to make something a little sweeter for St. Patrick's Day:  a loaf of Irish Soda Bread.


Traditional Irish Soda Bread consists of four ingredients:  flour, soda, buttermilk and salt.  American versions of the recipe usually contain additional ingredients such as butter, eggs, sugar and sometimes currants, raisins or caraway seeds.  These additions make a more cake-like bread.


Irish Soda Bread is a quick bread which isn't the same thing as batter bread.  Quick breads don't require kneading or rising because they're leavened with something other than yeast.  Batter breads don't require kneading either, but they use yeast as the leavening agent.


There are two important rules to remember when you make quick bread. One, have all the ingredients at room temperature.  This makes it easier to combine the ingredients which is important for the second rule.  Two, don't overmix the dough.  Overmixing produces a tough loaf of bread.


The bread starts by mixing the dry ingredients together.  This recipe uses baking powder and baking soda as the leavening agents.  Most baking powder is double acting which means it releases gas when it's mixed with a liquid and again when exposed to heat.  On the other hand, baking soda must be mixed with an acid in order to work as a leavener.


Once the dry ingredients are mixed together, the margarine is cut into the mixture with a pastry blender.  Normally, when you cut butter or margarine into dry ingredients, the mixture turns into coarse crumbs.  Not so with this recipe because you're only adding 1/2 cup margarine to 4 cups of flour. Blend the margarine into the dry ingredients until there aren't any clumps of margarine remaining.

The dry ingredients after the margarine has been cut in.

The liquid ingredients are added next.  Remember how I said baking soda needs an acid to make it work?  In this recipe, the acid is provided by buttermilk.  Not only does the buttermilk act as the acid, it also produces a bread that is extremely tender.  If you don't have buttermilk, you can make your own sour milk.  To make 1 cup sour milk, put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar in a measuring cup.  Add enough milk to make 1 cup.  Thoroughly stir the mixture and let it sit for 5 minutes; proceed as directed.

Once you add the liquids, use a wooden spoon or spatula to combine the ingredients.  Remember rule number two and don't overmix the dough.  It won't be firm enough to shape into a ball yet and will look something like this:   

Normally, you don't knead quick bread.  This recipe is an exception because you need to shape the dough into a round.  Out of all the bread doughs I've worked with, this has been the easiest to knead.  Put the dough on a lightly floured surface.  Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough and knead it three or four times. This is all it takes for the dough to stick together.   Shape the dough into a round and transfer to a greased baking sheet.

The dough after it's been kneaded and shaped.

Traditionally, Irish Soda Bread has a cross or an "X" on top of the dough. The cross signified blessing the bread whereas an "X" allowed the devil out of the bread.  There is actually a very good reason for scoring the bread.  Cutting 1/2-inch into the bread before it's baked allows heat to penetrate into the thickest part of the bread.

You can bake the bread as is or add a glaze to the top.  A glaze gives the bread a glossy look when it's baked.  Most glazes use either egg yolks or egg whites mixed with milk or water.  This recipes uses melted margarine and buttermilk.  The easiest way to apply the glaze is to brush it on with a pastry brush.  I apply the glaze before baking the bread and at 15 minute intervals while the bread is baking.  The finished loaf is prettier when it's glazed.

When the bread is done, let it sit on the baking sheet 10 minutes and then transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool completely.  The bread can be served warm, but don't cut it while it's still hot.  If you do, the pieces will crumble.

If you're looking for something to serve for St. Patrick's Day, give Irish Soda Bread a try.  It's quick, easy to prepare and, according to my husband and son, much better than corned beef and cabbage.

Irish Soda Bread

20 Servings

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1/4 cup margarine, melted

1/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 375°.  Whisk the first 5 ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.  Blend in the softened margarine using a pastry cutter until no clumps of margarine are visible.  Stir in the buttermilk and egg.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough and knead three or four times.  Form the dough into a round and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.   Using a sharp knife, cut an "X" 1/2-inch deep into the top of the dough.

In a small bowl, combine the melted margarine and buttermilk.  Brush the bread with the mixture.  Bake at 375° for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Brush the loaf with the margarine mixture at 15 minute intervals while the bread is baking, if desired.

When the bread is done, let the bread sit on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes.  Transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool completely.

© Margaret's Morsels