There is something about coming in on a dim winter afternoon, cheeks frozen from sledding, and smelling the aroma of date nut bread wafting out of the oven.  Not that I have experienced many snowy afternoons here in Texas, but growing up in Bucks County, Pa..well I had my share of Currier and Ives moments!

Making a sweet bread for breakfast means thinking ahead the day before and I don’t often do that much thinking ahead…at least not anymore.  So, whipping up these muffins for breakfast (total time 30 minutes) is simple.  Sweet and filling, these date nut muffins have big date flavor in every bite, with the faint woodsy-nutty walnut flavor coming in right behind.  Mix them up by hand so that you don’t over beat them—muffin murder.  Overbeating will cause muffins not to rise, and to be heavy and lethargic, somewhat like a teenager  at 7 in the morning.

Date Nut Muffins (from one of my vintage cookbooks, with adjustments by me)

• 1 cup chopped dates
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups flour, sifted
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Topping:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup flour

Crumble together until it looks pebbly.

Directions:

1. Combine dates, baking soda, butter, and water.  Allow to cool.
2. Sift the dry ingredients together.
3. Beat sugar, vanilla, and egg until well blended.
4. Add dry ingredients to the date mixture, alternating with the egg mixture.  Begin and end with dry ingredients.
5. Stir in nut meats.
6. Scoop into 12 muffin cups and top with streusel.  Bake at 400 for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Serve warm.

12 muffins.

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O.k..so..yeah.

It’s just bread with cranberries and walnuts. But, I love naming things so humor me.  I do not go as far as one of my favorite characters, Anne Shirley,naming trees and woods but I like to give my recipes cool names.  Especially for bake sales.

One of the things that I found out when I had the tearoom was that the more exotic the name the better the item sold…Unless we had a lot of good old boys come in (and yeah, that did happen…what they thought they were going ot get in a tearoom I don’t know) European sounding things worked well.

So..we were having a bake sale at church for the JBQ, one of the kids programs.  My best friend runs it (an does a great job, the kids love her) and so I wanted to do something that would be a little different.  A little autumn, a little exotic…

This bread is great. The secret is to have a really flavorful maple syrup and to toast the walnuts to bring out the flavors there.  Give it a good, long rising time for the ingredients to blend and you will end up with a delicious breakfast bread or ..if you are especially daring, it makes an excellent bread for smoked turkey sandwiches.

The crust is crisp with that artisian chewiness.  Slightly sweet, but not overly so, with the occasional tang from the cranberry.

Shape the loaves into a freeform oval, and then make slashes as if you were adding veins to a leaf that you had sketched.  Rub the top with flour so it has a good layer.  It gives a nice presentation to the bread.

The sides on this are soft because I made 4 or 5 loaves and then baked them in a row on the baking sheet.  It was a time issue.

Pain d’Automne de Provence

or

Artisian Cranberry Bread with Toasted Walnuts

Step One

1/2 cup lukewarm water

2 tablespoons yeast

2 tablespoons maple syrup

allow to stand until foamy.

Step 2

Stir in:

3 1/2 cups lukewarm water

2 cups organic white flour

2 cups whole wheat flour (fresh ground if possible)

1/2 cup maple syrup

Mix well and allow to sponge for 30 minutes.  Stir down.

Step 3

Add:

1/2 cup melted butter

1 1/2 tablespoon salt

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted in the oven or microwave until golden

3 cups whole wheat flour

Enough organic white flour to make the dough leave the sides of the bowl, and ” feel right”.

Knead for 15 to 20 minutes by hand, or about 5 minutes in a Bosch.  If you knead in the mixer then knead it for a few minutes by hand just to make sure it feels right.  It needs to be a good stiff, elastic dough without being dry.

Form into a ball and oil.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Step 4

Punch down.  Form into ovals and slash tops.  Rub flour into the tops.  Cover and let rise about 45 minutes.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped.  Pour one cup of water on the oven floor when you put the bread in and close the door quickly.

After 15 minutes pour another cup of water on the oven floor.

4 loaves.  (these freeze well)

Image:Marye Audet

Post from: Baking Delights

But the color of the light is starting to change. Autumn light has a golden cast to it..and it is beginning. I can feel in myself the changes that I grew up with in Pennsylvania/New Jersey..the turning of the leaves..the first gentle fall breezes..the smell of leaves burning, and the sound of the Canadian Geese flying over head. These images are a permanent part of my life even though I only see them in my spirit now.

In the early days of September there was an apple tree that ripened in a nearby field. Actually on the fence line between a neighbor’s property and a huge undeveloped hunk of land that grew amazing things like blackberries and Queen Anne’s Lace. That should tell you how long ago THAT was. Anyway this apple tree grew the crispest, tart-sweet apples that I have ever tasted with perfect white flesh…I have never tasted the like before, nor since. I suspect it was an old heirloom variety. I am sure that it was turned into landfill long since.

Anyway..fall makes me think of apples…and this is an excellent way to enjoy the season’s best. I was trying to wait to get a picture of this..You won’t see it on the pages of a gourmet magazine, nor on one of the chef reality shows..this is home cooking..it is really delicious and I think the recipe dates back from the 50’s…I am not sure, but it smells like everything autumn is and it tastes …well try it and see and let me know what you think..and if you email me a picture of it I will post it here.

Apple Butterscotch Bundt Cake

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups chopped tart apples
1 6 oz package butterscotch chips
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
Topping
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine oil and sugar; mix well. Stir in eggs then beat until smooth and creamy. Add flour, salt, and soda. Stir in remaining ingredients, blending well. Pour batter into a 10-inch Bundt pan or tube pan; bake at 350° for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

Combine topping ingredients in a saucepan; cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is smooth. Pour warm mixture over warm cake while it’s still in the pan. Cool cake thoroughly before removing.

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  Oatmeal cake is not too too sweet…Just right with a cup of cold milk or a cup of coffee…

  1 1/4 c boiling water

1 c quick oatmeal

Pour water over oatmeal and let stand for 20 minutes.

 Add:

1 c brown sugar-1 c white sugar (I think this means which ever you have on hand, I do not remember putting in two cups of sugar!!)

2 eggs

1/2 c butter

Beat well.

Add:

1 1/3 c sifted flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

Beat well. Bake at 350 for 35 or 40 minutes in a greased cake pan.

Topping:

6 Tbs butter

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 c cream

1 tsp vanilla

1 c coconut

1/2 c hickory nut meats or walnuts

mix together and spread on top of cake while it is hot.Put under broiler for 5 minutes or until coconut is brown.

Post from: Baking Delights