Main navigation

Maple Apple Breakfast Bread

Maple Apple Breakfast Bread | Gather & Dine

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.  His love endures forever.”  Psalm 136:1

Today I give thanks for God’s steadfast love enduring even in the moments when I am most unlovable and for His love that carries me through all of the joys and struggles of life. His love endures forever.

Leaving you with a simple recipe for this Maple Apple Breakfast Bread that we’ve been enjoying as our happy start to our past few days.  This bread is whole wheat, naturally sweetened, and a festive way to transition from fall to winter.  I used a combination of white whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour to keep the texture light and and the buttermilk makes the bread incredibly moist and tender.  I finished it off with a coconut sugar glaze that soaks into the bread ever so slightly.  We loved this glaze, but a light dusting of powdered sugar would also be nice alternative to the glaze.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Maple Apple Breakfast Bread | Gather & Dine

Print
Maple Apple Breakfast Bread
 
Ingredients
Bread:
  • 1½ cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1¾ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1¾ teaspoons baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup usalted butter (8 tablespoons), melted
  • ¾ cup maple syrup
  • 3 eggs. lightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2½ cups chopped peeled apples, I used Pink Lady
Glaze:
  • ½ cup coconut sugar
  • 1-2 teaspoons water
Instructions
Bread:
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter or spray a 8½-inch bundt pan.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
  3. in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir together until just combined. Fold in chopped apples.
  4. Bake for 50 minutes -1 hour, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes in pan and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Glaze:
  1. Whisk ½ cup coconut sugar in a blender on high speed until it becomes powdered sugar.
  2. In a small bowl, mix the powdered coconut sugar with 1-2 teaspoons of water until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake.
Notes
adapted from The Black Dog Summer of the Vineyard Cookbook

 

 

Continue Reading

Cranberry Pecan Cornbread

Cranberry Pecan Cornbread | Gather & Dine

Keeping it short and sweet today with a festive twist on a traditional cornbread which is completely whole grain and naturally sweetened.  This Cranberry Pecan Cornbread incorporates both white whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour and is sweetened with maple syrup and a touch of honey.  It would be a beautiful addition to any Thanksgiving spread, but it also makes a nice breakfast bread or afternoon snack.  I like this best served warm with some extra raw honey spread on top.

Cranberry Pecan Cornbread | Gather & Dine

Print
Cranberry Pecan Cornbread
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1¼ cups plain whole milk yogurt
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 large eggs
  • ⅔ cup dried cranberries
  • ½ cup chopped pecans, plus 10-12 pecan halves for garnish
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9x5 loaf pan.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together both flours, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, syrup, honey, butter, and eggs.
  3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the cranberries and chopped pecans. Transfer batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top. Arrange pecan halves neatly in a row down the center.
  4. Bake until bread starts to become golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool in pan for 20 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
adapted from Epicurious


Continue Reading

Olive and Rosemary Breadstick Twists

Olive and Rosemary Breadstick Twists

There is a certain reward that comes from baking your own bread at home.  Unlike other forms of cooking or baking, working with bread dough forces me to slow down and it calms my soul.  The process is beautiful and there is no substitute for warm crusty bread fresh out of the oven.  Over the past few years I’ve experimented with various bread baking techniques in trying to achieve the crust found on most artisan breads.  For these Olive and Rosemary Breadstick Twists, I used a steaming method that I once learned from a Zingerman’s bread baking class.  In addition to making a fairly wet dough, a steam tray is placed in the bottom of the oven, helping the bread to develop a golden, crisp, and chewy crust.

With the abundance of rosemary plants at Whole Foods last week, I was reminded of a whole -grain rosemary loaf that I once tried at the farmer’s market.  In these breadsticks, I added kalamata olives with the rosemary and found that those pair quite well in this savory bread.   I used a combination of all-purpose, whole wheat, and rye flours for character and flavor.   This bread does require some planning ahead as it needs to be started the night before, but the dough comes together quickly and no kneading is necessary.  During the overnight resting period, the bread develops an incredibly deep flavor and a great chewy texture.  Lastly,  in the recipe I’ve included measurements by weight and by volume, but using weighted measurements will most accurately help you to achieve the correct flour to water ratio.  It’s hard to believe that such a simple method can lead to such great results, but I hope you will give this a try!

Olive and Rosemary Breadstick TwistsOlive and Rosemary Breadstick Twists

Print
Olive and Rosemary Breadstick Twists
 
Ingredients
  • 10 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
  • 3½ ounces whole wheat flour (about ¾ cup)
  • 1½ ounces rye flour (about ¼ cup)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon yeast
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
  • ⅓ cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
  • 7 ounces water (about ⅞ cup)
  • 3 ounces beer (about ⅓ cup)
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • coarse finishing salt for sprinkling on top
  • special equipment: pizza stone
Instructions
  1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, and yeast. Stir in the rosemary and kalamata olives. In a small mixing bowl or liquid measuring cup, mix together the water, beer, and vinegar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together with a wooden spoon until well combined.
  2. Cover and let rest for 8-18 hours.
  3. Place pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven. Place a large rimmed baking sheet on the bottom rack. Preheat oven to 425.
  4. Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead 10-15 times. Divide dough to make 10 smaller pieces. Roll each piece to make a 10-inch rope. Twist 2 pieces together and pinch the ends. Repeat with the remaining 8 pieces. Cover and let rise 30-40 minutes, until the indentation springs back when a finger lightly presses the dough. Sprinkle lightly with coarse salt.
  5. Quickly sprinkle the pizza stone with cornmeal and gently transfer the breadstick twists to the pizza stone. Pour 2 cups of water in the rimmed baking sheet and quickly close the oven door.
  6. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until bread is golden brown.




Continue Reading