Irish Barm Brack

As a tribute to upcoming St. Patrick's Day, I wanted to make an authentic Irish baked treat. After some research and contemplation I decided upon Barm Brack.

What is Barm Brack?  It is a dense yeast-bread filled with raisins and currants, spiced with mixed spice and cinnamon and then baked up either as a traditional loaf or in a round cake pan.

The history of Barm Brack  (meaning speckled loaf) actually revolves around Halloween.  As per Wiki and other sites, the Halloween version of Barm Brack traditionally contained various objects baked into the bread and was used as a sort of fortune telling game.  There would be a pea, a stick, a piece of cloth, a small coin (originally a silver sixpence) and a ring all wrapped up individually in bits of greaseproof paper. Each object, when received in the slice, was supposed to carry a meaning to the person concerned: the pea, the person would not marry that year; the stick, would have an unhappy marriage or continually be in disputes; the cloth or rag, would have bad luck or be poor; the coin, would enjoy good fortune or be rich; and the ring, would be wed within the year. Other articles added to the brack include a medallion, usually of the Virgin Mary to symbolize going into the priesthood or joining a convent.

For me, it is just a lovely way to enjoy a sweet yeast bread with a cuppa tea ! I will pass on the convent option. But coins are most welcome.

The Perfect White Rustic Loaf

Ok let me begin by being honest - I am not a bread person. To clarify, I could eat loads of it but unless I can make a loaf in my bread machine, I rarely dabble in bread making. Main reason? Kneading. Blech. I get no joy out of manual labor. Sure, I could use the knead cycle of my bread maker but I rarely do.  Then I became the owner of a KitchenAid mixer with a dough hook. I haven't looked back since. It is the best thing next to sliced bread, no pun intended.

Which brings me to the recipe I am sharing with you today for a sinfully good White Rustic Loaf. The crust is golden brown, crispy and somewhat chewy. The inside is like biting into a cloud. Serve warm with a pad of butter and some top-notch jam and you will grin from ear to ear. And trust me, you will come back to this recipe time and time again. Seriously, it is that good.

Applesauce Cinnamon Quick Bread

Oh, for the love of applesauce and cinnamon. A flavor combo that stands the test of time. Sure, we combine them in pies, cakes, crisps and muffins. But what about quick bread? I had this loaf prepped and in the oven in 10 minutes. Then I sat back, feet up, tea in hand, and let it bake away for 55 minutes on the dot. What emerged from my oven? A glorious moist applesauce loaf that I swear the neighbors could smell from their place - the aromas of sweet cinnamon wafting out the open window !

If you prefer , bake it with chunky applesauce for extra texture. But for us, we prefer the smooth kind and it works so well in this recipe. As far as cinnamon goes, this is where being cheap on adding spices won't cut it. You want to add 2 level tablespoons of cinnamon to get the right flavor in this loaf. Don't be afraid. Just go for it.

You don't need too much oil or more than 1 egg in this recipe. You don't lose the moistness factor as a result either. The applesauce takes care of that nicely.

Eat it plain or topped with butter, cream cheese... even apple butter sounds fantastic. My daughter really likes her toasted. Whichever way you slice it, this bread is a winner!

I didn't frost this loaf as I did with my chocolate loaf but it is safe to say that a caramel frosting would be the cat's meow on this !

Are you ready? Haul out that loaf pan and let's get at it.

RECIPE:
*adapted source recipe, Cinnamon Applesauce Bread, McCormick

WHAT YOU NEED

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup chunky applesauce
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
SPRAY a large loaf pan with baking spray (preferably the kind with added flour)
IN LARGE BOWL, whisk together first 4 ingredients
IN MEDIUM BOWL, whisk together remaining ingredients
FOLD WET INGREDIENTS into dry ingredients blending just until combined
POUR into loaf pan and smooth top
FEEL FREE to sprinkle with some turbinado sugar now if you like
BAKE 55-60 MINUTES or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean

ENJOY !



Also seen here:

Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

I picked up a huge basket of wild blueberries this past week and have eaten most of them simply tossed with some vanilla sugar and topped with pouring cream. Beautiful ! But I was also in the mood for a baked sweetness too. In addition, I wanted to make a few treats to give to friends. A quick bread or sweet loaf of some kind was in order.

Recently Sweet Pea's Kitchen published a fantastic recipe (and gorgeous photos) for a Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Loaf and I thought it would be a perfect way to highlight this blueberry bounty I had on my hands.

This loaf is amazingly moist, sweet and wonderful to eat any time of day. I really love a slice accompanied with a black tea. A perfect combo.

The best way to ensure super moistness in any loaf is to add a simple sugar syrup to it after it is baked. I use long bamboo skewers to poke several holes throughout the loaf making sure the holes reach all the way to the bottom. Then I brush the syrup over the warm loaf in stages ensuring each brushing is totally absorbed before adding another layer of syrup. Lastly, this recipe calls for a lovely lemon glaze that does harden a bit as it cools resulting in a phenomenal crust.


Feel free to also switch things up a bit fruit-wise. In one loaf I added 1/2 the quantity of blueberries and then threw in fresh raspberries too. Fantastic.

For the yogurt, I used plain greek yogurt. I love the thick consistency of greek yogurt and it is superior in baked goods. Full fat sour cream would also be great too.

Lastly, this recipe can make one large loaf. But I managed to get 2 8"x4" loaves from one recipe. They rose beautifully and were the perfect size for gift-giving. If you want to go with 2 smaller loaves just reduce bake time to 50 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean when done.

So let's get baking!

Rather than repost Sweet Pea's Kitchen's recipe I will simply redirect you to the site.

RECIPE: Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

ENJOY !

Raisin Bran Loaf

The next best thing to a raisin bran muffin. This bread is made in your bread maker and filled to the brim with goodness: all-bran cereal, wheat bran and whole wheat flour. Molasses adds richness, color and that taste that brings anything labeled "raisin bran" truly alive.

This bread is super quick to put together even though it has a tad longer ingredient list than usual. Within a few hours you will have a lovely loaf to enjoy. This one is great toasted but also would be fantastic as a basis for your next french toast breakfast.

If you don't have wheat bran handy simply swap it out with oat bran. I tend to have oat bran on standby all the time as it is one of my favorite hot cereals. I used dark raisins in this recipe but you could also use golden raisins or any other small dried fruit and exchange it in the recipe at a 1:1 ratio.

So let's get BAKING!

I use this brand of cereal.

It is excellent in this recipe.


A fresh and golden loaf

RECIPE:
*source recipe: 250 Best Canadian Bread Machine Baking Recipes
Makes 1.5 lb loaf


WHAT YOU NEED

1 1/4 cups water at room temperature
1/4 cup skim milk powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon of molasses (not blackstrap)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (neutral flavor only)
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups white bread flour
1/2 cup bran cereal
1/4 cup wheat bran
3/4 cup raisins
1 1/4 teaspoon bread machine yeast

MAKE IT

ADD all ingredients into your bread maker pan in the order above except raisins
ADD raisins to dispenser container on your bread machine. If you don't have a dispenser then go ahead and add the raisins with the rest of the ingredients
SELECT WHOLE WHEAT cycle
SELECT EXTRAS if you have an extras dispenser for the raisins
SELECT 1.5 lb loaf and MEDIUM crust setting
PRESS START and let the bread maker do all the work

ENJOY !

Double Vanilla Sour Cream Cake

I started making Dorie Greenspan's French Yogurt Cake but became sidetracked due to lack of ingredients, a main one being yogurt. But then I saw a new container of full-fat sour cream in the fridge and thought, why not !

I also love vanilla and had recently picked up some gorgeous Madagascar beans. There is nothing like seeing the flecks of vanilla bean in a cake to really make one feel all earthy and warm. So in went the scrapings of one vanilla bean and 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract.

The end result is a moist, rich and beautifully infused vanilla cake.
This will be perfect for dessert topped with macerated strawberries and whipped cream.

LET'S BEGIN

RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan

1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup ground almonds - remove any lumps
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup superfine sugar
1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1/2 cup flavorless oil (ie canola or safflower. I used Becel)

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
GREASE a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan
IN LARGE BOWL whisk together first for 5 ingredients
ADD remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth - do not over-whisk to ensure a light cake
POUR batter into prepared pan and smooth the top

PLACE loaf pan on a cookie sheet
BAKE for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
ALLOW to cool in pan 5 minutes
ALLOW to cool completely on cooling rack

ENJOY !!!!