Sometimes good breads come in small packages. This bread was not a high-riser, but it certainly packed a lot of flavor! I may have used pans that were too large for the amount of dough. But looks aren’t everything, and I’ll eat a good slice of bread no matter what shape or size [...]]]>

Sometimes good breads come in small packages. This bread was not a high-riser, but it certainly packed a lot of flavor! I may have used pans that were too large for the amount of dough. But looks aren’t everything, and I’ll eat a good slice of bread no matter what shape or size it comes in.

My kitchen is a mishmash of pots and pans that have been acquired from a vast array of sources, mostly one at a time. Nothing fancy and nothing that matches. Except for my two 9″ loaf pans, a gift from my mom. They are my new go-to pans for baking loaves of bread. Which is why I automatically reached for them when making this bread, even though the recipe suggested 8″ by 5″ pans. My 8″ pans look to be more like 8″ by 4″ and I didn’t want to have overflow issues with the dough. So 9″ pans it was.

I oiled the pans and sprinkled some oats inside. The dough came together easily, giving off a fabulous molasses and oatmeal aroma. I always love the depth of flavor that molasses adds. This bread is slightly sweet with a definite whole grain taste.

This bread has been submitted to Yeastspotting, a weekly bread showcase.

Molasses Oatmeal Bread
Adapted slightly from Yankee Magazine
Yield: 2 loaves

1 cup old-fashioned oats, plus extra for pans
1 3/4 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
3 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup canola oil
4-5 cups whole wheat flour

Place the oats in a medium bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Let soak at room temperature for one hour.

If you’d like to use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, dissolve it in the lukewarm water and let it sit until it starts to bubble.

In a large bowl, or the bowl of your mixer, combine the oat mixture, yeast, water, molasses, salt, and canola oil. Add the flour one cup at a time, stirring well or beating with the paddle attachment of your mixer after each addition. Add enough flour so that the dough comes together into a ball. Place the dough ball in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, about 90 minutes.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for about 5 minutes. Form it into a ball and place in a clean, lightly greased bowl. Cover and let rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes this time.

Grease two loaf pans (preferably 8″ pans) with canola oil and sprinkle with uncooked oats. Divide the dough into two halves. Gently flatten each half into a rectangle about 5″ x 7″. Starting with the long side, roll each dough rectangle up and gently seal the seam with your fingers. Place each loaf, seam side down, into a loaf pan. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°. When the loaves have risen sufficiently, bake them for 40-50 minutes. The bread will be a deep brown color and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove loaves from pans immediately and place on a cooling rack to cool.

It has been way too long since I’ve made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. When my friend Susannah announced that she was coming to visit me, I asked her what kind of cookies she’d like to snack on. Oatmeal chocolate chip was her answer, and I couldn’t have been more thrilled.

These cookies have [...]]]>

It has been way too long since I’ve made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. When my friend Susannah announced that she was coming to visit me, I asked her what kind of cookies she’d like to snack on. Oatmeal chocolate chip was her answer, and I couldn’t have been more thrilled.

These cookies have the perfect amount of chewiness in the center, and the edges are lightly crisped. Absolutely divine!

We spent lots of time this week at the museum and the beach. I don’t get to visit the beach as often as I would like, so it’s always a treat when I have an excuse to go. We took lots of photos, and we even photographed these balanced rocks while lying on the ground in true Susannah fashion! Susannah frequently photographs from unique angles, which is part of what makes her work so fascinating. It’s a constant joke that we have, since her bio shows her lying in the middle of the road to get the perfect angle for a photograph.

What a beautiful and peaceful pastime it must be to balance these rocks along the shoreline. This was one of my favorite sights at the beach.

And after a day full of exploring, what better way to wind down than with oatmeal chocolate chip cookies?

This recipe makes 4 dozen cookies. That’s a lot of cookies! I didn’t bake them all (although we might have polished them all off if I had). I froze some of the dough to bake later, or perhaps to eat straight from the freezer. Either way, it’s delicious.

If you like your cookies to spread, use the dough right away. Refrigerating the dough for at least 20 minutes will produce more compact, puffy cookies. Here are the cookies that I baked right away:

The cookies below were baked with dough that had been refrigerated for 20 minutes:

I didn’t notice any difference in taste between the two methods. Both batches of cookies were wonderfully soft in the center! I’ll definitely be making these again very soon.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from The Frog Commissary Cookbook via Bakingsheet
Yield: about 4 dozen cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons soy milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned (rolled) oats
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the soy milk and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients by hand, or with the mixer on low speed. Add the oats and chocolate chips, stirring by hand.

If you’d like smaller, puffier cookies, refrigerate the dough for at least 20 minutes before baking. Form the dough into 1 inch balls, and place them on the cookie sheet 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges start to brown. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet, placed on a cooling rack, for 5 minutes. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and continue to cool them directly on the rack.

Banana oatmeal muffins are my go to muffin.  I always have the ingredients on hand and it’s so easy to whip up a batch.  My basic recipe is very forgiving.  I can change it up in any number of ways and the muffins still come out delicious.

This time I’ve made them healthier [...]]]>

Banana oatmeal muffins are my go to muffin.  I always have the ingredients on hand and it’s so easy to whip up a batch.  My basic recipe is very forgiving.  I can change it up in any number of ways and the muffins still come out delicious.

This time I’ve made them healthier and added a bit of spice.  Now I don’t feel so guilty when I reach for one to help me get through those last two hours of the workday!

Before I get to the muffins I’ve got to share this photo.  I live in southern California, and I woke up to this view of my street:

We’ve been having this huge rainstorm all week.  Torrential rainfalls, flooding, tornado warnings, and now snow!  I don’t get to see snow very often so it’s definitely a treat.

Also, my week was made a little brighter by Josie at Daydreamer Desserts.  She presented me with this Happy 101 award.

To accept this award, here’s what I need to do:

List 10 things that make me happy:

1. Baking and cooking
2. Ballet class
3. Listening to or playing music
4. Camping and hiking
5. My cat
6. Yard work
7. Contra dancing
8. Daydreaming about my next vacation
9. Reading a good book
10. Chocolate

Tag 10 other bloggers who brighten my day, link to their blogs, and notify the recipients.  Also, link back to the blogger who gave the award (see above).

Bloggers who brighten my day:

1. Lauren of Celiac Teen
2. Anita of Leave Room for Dessert
3. Kelly of The Picky Plate
4. Jen of My Kitchen Addiction
5. Sarah of Blue Ridge Baker
6. Rosalie of Mary Poppins in Heels
7. Emily of What’s Cooking in Emily’s Kitchen
8. Mimi of Delectable Tidbits
9. Claire of Culinary Goddess
10. Charlene of Secrets of a Southern Kitchen

And now, back to muffins.

Banana Oatmeal Spice Muffins
Recipe by Simple Math Bakery
Yield: 12 muffins

1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour (all-purpose works, too!)
1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 medium-sized bananas, very ripe
1 egg
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

Preheat the oven to 375°.  Grease a muffin pan, or line muffin cups with paper liners.

Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mash the bananas.  Add egg and applesauce and beat until combined.

Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until combined.  Divide the batter between the muffin cups, and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

I bake muffins every weekend.  Then I stash them in the freezer and eat one each day at work.  This challenges me to make healthy ingredient substitutions, and also to keep trying new flavors!

Apple season is winding down at our local orchards, but there are still [...]]]>

I bake muffins every weekend.  Then I stash them in the freezer and eat one each day at work.  This challenges me to make healthy ingredient substitutions, and also to keep trying new flavors!

Apple season is winding down at our local orchards, but there are still plenty of apples to be had.  I’m always on the lookout for a new muffin recipe, and this is my latest find.  Maple syrup and apples?  Yes please!  Oh, and oats.  Gotta love muffins with oats!

Promise me one thing: if you make these muffins, use real maple syrup.  The fake stuff is not worth your time.  Trust me on that.

Maple Apple Muffins
Adapted from Recipe Girl
Yield: 12 muffins and 12 mini muffins

1 1/3 cups flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 cups apples, peeled and chopped

Preheat oven to 400°.  Grease muffin tin with butter or line with papers.

Combine the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Set aside.

In a smaller bowl, combine buttermilk, applesauce, maple syrup, and egg.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.  Gently fold in the apples.

Spoon batter into muffin cups.  I filled up 12 muffin cups and had enough batter left over to make 12 mini muffins as well.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes in pan, then remove from pan and place on cooling rack to cool completely.