Light Wheat Irish Soda Bread

If there's one thing I've learned about Irish Soda Bread over the years, it's that everyone has an opinion about how they want it to taste. Seeds, no seeds. Raisins, no raisins. I'm easy . . . I'll eat it in any form, especially if someone bakes it for me. That said, I do have a pretty strong feeling regarding one specific issue: Irish Soda Bread is a quick bread, not a yeast bread. Why? It's called Soda Bread for a reason! It's chemically leavened ~ that is, with baking soda and baking powder. Hence, no yeast needed. The yeast can chill on the shelf until it's needed for Easter Babka (another holiday bread that seems to have as many opinions about its proper production as there are bakers who craft it).

In my experience, most of the soda breads you find in the grocery store are yeast breads. Why? Probably because they keep longer and are easier to produce in volume. An Irish Soda Bread is essentially a giant scone, and like all scones, it's at its best on the day it's made. Arguably, the hour it's made, when it's still harboring some warmth in its tender heart.

I've made mine here with a little wheat flour for the texture and the sweetness. Sometimes I throw in a handful of oats. Sometimes a half-cup of raisins, Craisins, or even chopped toasted walnuts. (Hey, I'm not Irish, I can make the leap with impunity.)

Usually I make a couple of loaves, with and without raisins, so everyone is happy. And because leftovers are awesome the next morning, lightly toasted with butter.

Go ahead and try this recipe; I think you'll like it. Make a couple of loaves, one with and one without--seeds or raisins--but please, no yeast.

Light Wheat Irish Soda Bread

•3 cups all-purpose flour
•1 cup whole wheat flour
•¼ cup light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
•1 teaspoon baking soda
•½ teaspoon salt
•6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
•2 large eggs, lightly beaten
•1 1/2 cups buttermilk, sour milk, or yogurt
•¾ cup raisins (optional)
•1 egg, beaten
•Turbinado sugar for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and buttermilk. Pour buttermilk mixture over flour mixture, add raisins if using, and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.
4. Dust with flour and knead three or four turns, just until dough clings together. Divide into two pieces and form each into a round loaf. Place on opposite ends of a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cut a 3-inch cross, about 1/2 –inch deep into the top of each loaf using a sharp paring knife. Brush loaves with beaten egg and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
5. Bake loaves in a 375 degree oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown and bottoms sound hollow when lightly tapped. Let cool on a rack before serving.

Whole-Grain Caramel Apple Holiday Cake ~ And a giveaway!

There's nothing like a drippy cloud of dietary guilt to spoil a perfectly delightful parade of holiday goodies. Good news! You don't have to confine yourself to the veggie platter to enjoy healthier treats this holiday season. With high-quality ingredients and a few simple swaps, it's simple to create really delicious baked goods that you'll enjoy not only eating, but giving as hostess and teacher's gifts and serving at your holiday get-togethers.

I've come up with a recipe that adjusted one of my holiday classics to make use of two of my favorite Hodgson Mill products: Whole Wheat Pastry Flour and Whole Wheat Flour. Instead of butter in the cake, I use canola oil. The nutty wholegrain flours are perfect to host the homey spices, sweet apples, and crunchy nuts that make this cake so special. Well, that and the caramel butter frosting, which is a truly decadent finishing touch.

 
And more good news! Hodgson Mill has been kind enough to provide a $25 prize pack for one lucky visitor to At the Baker's Bench! For a chance to win, leave a comment below by midnight (EST) on December 15, 2012, telling me about your favorite holiday baking tradition, and include your e-mail address so I can notify you if you win. Also, visit Hodgson Mill online for a change to win a holiday gift pack. Click here for a printable Hodgson Mill coupon.

Happy baking!

Caramel Apple Holiday Cake

• 2 cups Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• 1 cup Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 medium baking apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts or pecans (optional)

Caramel Butter Frosting 
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 stick (4 oz) butter
• ¼ cup milk, cream, or half-and-half
• Pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 to 11/2 cups confectioners’ sugar


1. Spray two 9" cake pans with nonstick pan spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine oil, sugars, eggs, vanilla, apples, spices, and nuts, if using; stir to combine. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon or large spatula to incorporate all dry ingredients—batter will be stiff.
4. Transfer batter to prepared pans and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center tests clean. Remove pans to rack for 10 minutes; de-pan cakes and let cool completely before frosting or freezing.
5. For Caramel Butter Frosting: Combine brown sugar, butter, salt, and milk or cream in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and let cook for 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla. Let cool 10 minutes. Using a hand mixer on medium speed, beat in confectioners’ sugar ½ cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. Frost cake layer(s) with a small offset spatula, swirling frosting in a smooth motion. If frosting hardens too quickly, place over low heat on stove (or in microwave for a few seconds) until it softens. If desired, add sprinkles or decorations immediately after spreading as this frosting will set up quickly.

 Recipe Notes: 
• You can make this cake in loaf pans, small Bundt pans, or even muffin pans. Adjust baking time down for smaller pans.
• If you want to drizzle rather than spread frosting, just prepare as directed but use less confectioners' sugar to achieve a drizzling consistency. Alternatively, thin frosting with a little bit of milk or cream, or heat and drizzle over cake while the frosting is warm.
• Unfrosted, this cake freezes beautifully. Make one layer to serve now and wrap the other tightly in two layers of plastic wrap and store in the freezer to serve later.

Almond-Poppy Quick Bread

Almond and poppy ~ such a classic combination for tea bread. This is really lovely; the crumb is moist and flavorful, with the nuttiness of poppyseed and an almost floral note from the almond extract. The top is crusted with almonds and sugar, a perfect foil for the delicate crumb.

You can use the same batter for loaves or muffins, and both freeze well. If you like citrus, add the zest of an orange or lemon to the batter along with the extracts. 

Almond-Poppy Quick Bread

Yield: 2 loaves
 

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 11/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 11/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 11/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• ¼ cup sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 8x4-inch loaf pans with nonstick pan spray.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Divide batter evenly between prepared loaf pans.
3. Sprinkle each loaf with half of the sliced almonds and then half of the turbinado sugar. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each loaf comes out clean.
4. Let loaves cool in pans on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool completely before wrapping and storing.

Review: Pure Vanilla

Pure Vanilla
by Shauna Sever
Quirk Books, October 2012
ISBN: 978-1-59474-596-6
Hardcover, $22.95

I believe that vanilla has gotten an unfair reputation as the wallflower of the flavoring sisters. Poor vanilla, she's not as spicy as cinnamon, as bright as citrus, or as sexy as chocolate. But to me, there's no such thing as "plain vanilla." Never domineering, acrid, or bitter (unlike those more volatile sisters), vanilla plays well with others, complementing and enhancing the flavors of her fellow ingredients. (Why do you think we add a bit of vanilla extract to everything from brownies to pumpkin pie?)

Shauna Sever's wonderful Pure Vanilla features eighty recipes and loads of luscious full-color photos to help you enjoy vanilla's solo act. Whether you're a longtime fan of vanilla's subtle grace notes or a diehard chocolate addict willing to explore the paler side of the dessert tray, you'll find plenty to drool over. From nice (Vanilla Stewed Fruit) to naughty (Twinkie Bundt Cake) to super sexy (Vanilla Martini), there are recipes for a wide range of tastes.

Vanilla Cloud Cake

Sever includes lots of info on her subject in Pure Vanilla, including a history of vanilla, tasting notes, and a really interesting look at how our favorite spice goes from orchid pod to extract bottle. The book begins with an introduction and ends with a resources sections, and the chapters are broken down thusly:

1. Breakfasts
2. Cakes and Pies
3. Cookies and Bars
4. Candies and Confections
5. Custards and Creams
6. Drinks

The Scoop:
*Good for gifting.
*Good for cookshelf.

Thanks to the ever-awesome Quirk Books for providing photos and a review copy. 

Peanut Butter Triple Chocolate Chunk Blondies

Last week my daughter was born . . . today she drove herself to school for the first time. Okaaay, not last week. It was sixteen and a half years ago. But it feels like it was just last week. So it's a bit surreal, to say the least, that this child, who was most content when swaddled as tightly as a spring roll, is suddenly begging for the freedom to execute a solo mission to Target with her freshly minted license.

 

As I made this batch of blondies to celebrate her successful road test yesterday afternoon, she was on her phone, making plans to drive to Canada or California or the mall.

"Mom, is it okay if I take the car tonight?" she called, hand over the phone.
"But I'm making peanut butter blondies!" I yelped.
"Mom, be serious."

Maybe I couldn't keep her home with oven love, but I could delay activating her insurance coverage a few more hours ~ just long enough to deal with my pangs of apprehension and separation anxiety.

So we sat around and celebrated one more developmental milestone and reminisced about yesterday, when the only car keys she was interested in were plastic and attached to a teething ring.

Peanut Butter Triple Chocolate Chunk Blondies 

Recipe adapted from this one by Joy the Baker.

• 5 ounces unsalted butter
• 2 cups light brown sugar (see Notes)
• 1 ¼ cups smooth peanut butter (I choose Jif)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 large milk chocolate bar cut into chunks
• ½ cup semisweet baking chips
• ½ cup dark chocolate baking chips or chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13” glass baking dish with nonstick spray, line with parchment, spray parchment.

In a 3-quart saucepan, melt butter and sugar over medium heat until butter is melted, stirring to combine. Remove pan from heat. Stir peanut butter into butter mixture. Let cool for 10 minutes or so. Stir in beaten eggs and vanilla extract until smooth.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to peanut butter mixture and stir just until the wet ingredients are moistened. Batter will be very thick. Spread batter into prepared pan and level with a spatula. Bake at 350 degrees F until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and blondies are golden brown. Check at 20 minutes and then at 5-minute intervals thereafter.

Let pan cool on rack; pull gently up on parchment sling to remove blondies from pan. Cut into squares and serve.

Notes:

• If you don't have brown sugar, you can make a perfect substitute by using one cup granulated sugar plus 2 tablespoons molasses for each cup of brown sugar called for in the recipe.  
• I used about 2 cups of chocolate chunks total, which seemed like the perfect amount. 
• You can replace half of the AP flour with whole wheat flour without too much drama.
• You can use salted butter if you don't have unsalted; omit the added salt in this case.

Carrot Cake Granola Bars

a midnight snack . . .

I love granola bars for post- (or mid-) run snacks. My kids love them for quick, grabby breakfasts. It's such a simple item to prepare yourself, and they're infinitely customizable. I make big batches, wrap the bars individually, and store them in the freezer. The bars take less than 10 minutes to thaw, but I've gnawed on many a still-frozen bar with no ill-effects.

I came up with this recipe because I wanted something nice and fall-ish that didn't involve going to the store to buy pumpkin. So, do they actually taste like carrot cake? Yep, these are definitely cousins in the carrot cake family. Think of them as the kind of jovial, polite, but health-conscious cousins who come to Thanksgiving dinner and make great conversation but eat only one kind of pie and no second helpings.

Carrot Cake Granola Bars with Walnuts

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup flaxmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil inside a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish and mold it to fit the dish. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, wheat flour, white flour, flaxmeal, salt, spices, and walnuts. In a medium mixing bowl, combine honey, oil, egg, extract, carrots, and raisins. Stir carrot mixture into dry ingredients; mix until thoroughly combined and all dry ingredients are evenly moistened.

Spoon mixture into foil-lined baking dish and press into an even layer with a spatula or a oiled hand. Place pan in a 350F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Set pan on rack and let cool completely. When cool, carefully lift foil out and transfer to cutting board. Use a large, sharp knife to cut into bars.

If desired, wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in a tightly sealed container in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Yields: Makes about 20 bars.

Date Walnut Bread

When I say “date walnut bread,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? For lots of people ~ especially in the Chock Full o’ Nuts generation (I refer to the cafe, not the mental state) ~ this conjurs images of dark, dense nut bread studded with tender pieces of sweet dates. For others ~ many, many others ~ it conjurs the following response: blech.

I stand here today a little embarrassed to confess that just a few hours ago, I was in the latter camp. In all the years I’ve been baking both recreationally and professionally, I can’t recall ever having produced a single loaf of date-nut bread. But that was yesterday. Now, I’m all about it!

Earlier today, I set out to make a couple of quick breads. Banana? Snore. Zucchini? Sounds good. I called my gardening mom and asked her to hook me up with a few of the giant zukes she undoubtedly was hauling by the wheelbarrowful from her garden this late in the season. "Oh . . . well, I gave them all away. But I do have half a four-inch zucchini left. You can have that." So much for that. I dove to the back of the pantry in desperation, where I happened upon a bag of dates left over from my days of making who-knows-what I used to make with dates. Hmm. Interesting.

So a little of this and a little of that later, I was sliding two orange-scented, sugar-crusted date-walnuts loaves into the oven. And then I sat down to catch up on some blog reading and Facebook trolling, which is where I learned that by extraordinary coincidence, today happens to be Date Nut Bread Day! I kid you not. {Go Google that . . . September 8, Date Nut Bread Day. Seriously.} Weird, right?

Well, what's even weirder is that there are TWO Date Nut Bread Days ~ September 8 and December 22. My theory on this: you make the two loaves on September 8, pop one into the freezer, and remember it on December 22 ~ Happy holidays!

Orange-Scented Date-Walnut Bread

Yield: 2 8x4” loaves

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or Cointreau (optional)
• 1 cup pitted dates, chopped
• ¾ cup canola or other neutral cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 orange
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 3 cups flour
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; spray two 8x4” loaf pans with nonstick pan spray

1. Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add liqueur and chopped dates. Cover and remove from heat; let stand 20 minutes. Reserve all liquid in pot.
2. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
3. To dates and soaking liquid in pot, add oil, vanilla, and orange zest. Stir in eggs until well blended.
4. Add date mixture to flour mixture and stir to mix thoroughly. Fold in chopped walnuts.
5. Divide batter evenly between pans. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of turbinado sugar over batter in each pan. Place pans on middle rack in oven and bake at 350F for approximately 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Let pans cool on rack for 15 mins. De-pan loaves and let cool on rack at least 1 hour before cutting.

Tips:

• Like most fruit and/or nut breads, this one benefits from some resting time. If you can wait, after cooling, wrap tightly in plastic and let sit overnight before slicing and serving.
• This bread freezes very well. Wrap cooled loaves (or individual slices) in plastic wrap and then in foil, label, and store for up to 2 months in the freezer.
• This bread has a lot of flavor and is delicious on its own, but it’s just crazy-good with a shmear of whipped cream cheese. And don’t be skimpy.