2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax
1/4 cup oat bran (opt)
2 1/2 tsp (1 pkg) yeast (raw yeast if you have it, otherwise use active dry)
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg

Combine flours, flax, oat bran, yeast and salt. Stir together milk, brown sugar, butter and vanilla and heat until warm and butter is melted. When liquid is a wrist comfortable temperature, stir in to dry ingredients. Add egg and knead well. Cover and let rise about 1 hour (30-60 minutes, depending on how warm your kitchen is).

Roll out into a rectangle and spread with:
2 Tbsp butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon

Roll up like a jelly roll and cut into 12 even slices. Place in greased pan. Cover and allow to rise a second time. Bake at 350* about 25 minutes and until lightly brown on top.

Remove immediately from pan.

Glaze with the following:
2 Tbsp cream cheese (or use 1 – 2 Tbsp butter)
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat until smooth and drizzle over top.

If you would like to get some raw yeast, try asking at your local bakery, or at your grocery store’s bakery. Sometimes they are willing to sell it by the pound, which can be much less expensive than off the shelf. Always helpful if you bake a lot!

Soak bran cereal in buttermilk for 15 minutes. In separate bowl, mix together flours, sugar, salt, cinnamon and baking soda. In another bowl, lightly beat eggs, then add oil, pineapple, honey and raisins. Make well in dry ingredients and pour in egg mixture and buttermilk mixture. Stir just until smooth.

Honey Glaze (to grease muffin tins with):
1/4 cup butter, softened
6 Tbsp brown sugar
6 Tbsp white sugar
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp water

Cream butter and sugars. Add honey and water and beat until fluffy. Coat 20 – 24 muffin tin cups and spoon in batter until about 3/4 full.

Bake at 400*F for 18 -20 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately turn out of pans and leave upside down on rack to cool.

1 1/2 cups flour (all-purpose or unbleached)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter, softened or melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup finely chopped or slivered nuts (opt)
Jam

Stir together flour, baking powder, soda and salt. In separate bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. (Use a mixer if you like). Beat in eggs and flavoring. Stir in half of the flour mixture, then half of the yogurt. Repeat. Fold in nuts (or fruit). (You can also stir these into the flour mixture).

Spoon into greased muffin tins, filling half full. Make a small indent and put a teaspoonful of jam in. Top with remaining muffin batter and bake at 375*F for 18 – 20 minutes until top springs back when lightly touched.

Variations:

Instead of jam, stir in:
- 1 cup fresh or frozen berries or diced fruit (eg. blueberry, cranberry, raspberry, banana, pineapple, apple)
- 1/2 cup raisins or other diced dried fruit (eg. cranberries, cherries, apricots, dates)
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 cups grated carrots (goes good with raisins)
- 1 cup pureed pumpkin (goes good with cinnamon)

Substitute vanilla or almond flavoring:
- 1 tsp orange, lemon or lime zest
- 1 tsp cinnamon or ginger
- 3 Tbsp poppy seeds
- 3 Tbsp instant coffee (dissolve in yogurt)
- 1/4 cup cocoa

Substitutions for sugar:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup honey
- sugar substitute equivalent to 1/4 – 1/2 cup sugar
- sugar content can be reduced to 1/4 cup but muffin will be noticeably less sweet; pour wet ingredients all at once into a well in the flour mixture and stir just until combined

Substitutions for flour:
- half or all whole wheat
- 1 cup flour and 1 cup oatmeal

Substitutions for yogurt:
- milk
- fruit juice
- buttermilk
- sour cream

Substitutions for butter:
- substitute all or part with vegetable oil or margarine
- fat content can be reduced to 1/4 cup, but do not mix with mixer; increase liquid (eg. yogurt or milk) to 1 cup; pour wet ingredients all at once into a well in the flour mixture and stir just until combined

Optional Toppings:
(before baking)
- cinnamon-sugar
- sugar
- nuts or seeds
- butter, flour and brown sugar crumble

(after baking)
- brush tops with honey or honey-butter
- brush tops with glaze of icing sugar and juice (eg. lemon)
- frost with butter frosting or cream cheese frosting

I love this way of making muffins – 1 big muffin in a pie pan. It takes a few minutes longer in the oven, but it turns out moist and delicious. (Take a little extra care to make sure it is done in the center before taking it out of the oven – it’s like a cake that way). And it means no muffin tins to wash out afterwards! I also measure my wet ingredients right into my 2-cup Pyrex glass measuring cup which means less mess and fuss, AND even fewer dishes to wash. Gotta love fast, fuss-free and fewer dishes!

Apple Banana Oatmeal Muffin (Pie)
with Walnuts on top!

1 cup unbleached flour
1 cup quick oats
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
sprinkle of cinnamon

1 egg
1/3 cup oil
1 apple, chopped (peel on if you like)
1/2 banana, chopped
3/4 cup milk (or a little more)

sprinkle of granulated sugar
handful of walnuts

Measure flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt into bowl. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon. Stir well with spoon or whisk to combine.

In a separate bowl, measure in egg, oil, chopped apple, banana, and milk. Stir or beat together well to combine.

OR (and this is how I do it!!)
In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, crack an egg, pour in oil to about the 1/2-cup line, slice in apple and banana, and pour in milk to about the 2-cup line, or a little over. Stir with fork, being sure to break up egg and combine all together well.

Dump wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Fill a greased pie pan (or muffin cups). Top with a sprinkling of white sugar and a generous handful (or two) of walnuts.

Bake at 350*F for about 25 – 30 minutes for the pie pan (15 – 20 minutes for the muffins), until the edges are golden brown and the top springs back when lightly pressed.

Cut into wedges (or remove from muffin cups) and EAT IT ALL UP! (with the help of your family, of course!)

Lemon Muffins

2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup melted butter (can substitute vegetable oil)
2 eggs
grated zest of 1 large lemon
juice of large lemon
1 cup milk

Whisk together dry ingredients. Melt butter in glass measuring cup in microwave, then measure in remainder of wet ingredients. Form well in dry ingredients, pour in wet and mix just until thoroughly moistened. Spoon into greased muffin cups and bake at 350*F for about 20 minutes or just until tops spring back when lightly touched. Eat as is, or add optional lemon juice and icing sugar glaze.

Optional glaze:
Additional lemon juice mixed with icing sugar to make a thin glaze. Poke tops of freshly baked muffins with fork or toothpick and pour or brush over top.

Apple Nectarine Coffee Cake

1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar (can increase to 1 cup)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup oil (can increase to 1/2 cup)
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract (you could also try almond extract, instead)

2 apples, peeled, cored, quartered and sliced
1 nectarine, cut from stone and chopped

Batter:
Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl. Combine wet ingredients in separate bowl or large measuring cup. Form well in dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Mix just until combined.

Crunch:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
3 Tbsp margarine or butter

In small bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Work in margarine or butter with fingers.

Assemble:
In greased 9 x 9 baking dish, spread about half of the batter. Layer the fruit over the top. Then sprinkle over half of the crunch. Gently spread the remaining batter over the top of that, followed by the remaining crunch topping.

Bake at 350*F for about 45 minutes. Check with toothpick to see when it is done. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Banana Muffin Pie

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup blueberries
1 banana, sliced lengthwise and then into chunks

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Form a well. Add in oil, buttermilk, blueberries and banana chunks. Stir gently just until combined. Fill greased muffin cups, pie pan, or similar. Bake at 350*F for about 20 minutes for muffins, 25 minutes or so for larger dish. When done, tops will spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center will come clean. Don’t overbake.

Banana Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

1/3 cup vegetable oil (or butter/marg; could increase to 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup sugar (could increase to 1/2 cup)
1 egg
2/3 cup orange juice (or substitute another fruit juice, soured milk or buttermilk)
1 banana, sliced in half lengthwise and then into small chunks
1/2 cup or so of blueberries

1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups quick oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Stir together oil and sugar. Beat in egg. Add juice. Slice banana into small chunks. Toss in blueberries and stir together.

Mix flour, oats, soda and salt in a separate bowl. Pour in wet ingredients and stir just until moistened. Take care not to smash the blueberries.

Spoon into greased or lined muffin tin and bake at 350*F for about 20 minutes or just until top springs back when pressed.

Makes 10 muffins.

Cinnamon Twists (makes 8 )

Dough:
2 cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cold butter
scant 1 cup milk

Topping:
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1. Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in microwave in a glass measuring cup or correlle cereal bowl, or similar.

2. Measure and mix together 1/3 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon sugar in a second shallow bowel (eg. corelle cereal bowl).

3. Set oven to 425*F to preheat.

4. Measure flour, 2 Tbsp. sugar, baking powder and salt into bowl. Stir with wooden spoon or whisk.

5. Cut in 1/4 cup butter with pastry cutter.

6. Add milk and stir in. Turn out on floured counter and knead 8 – 10 times to gather dough together.

7. Cut into 8 fairly even pieces.

8. Roll each piece into a rope about 9 inches long. Form a ring and pinch ends together to seal.

9. Dip dough ring into melted butter, then into cinnamon sugar.

10. Twist once into a figure 8 and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired.

11. Bake about 10 minutes, until lightly browned (check bottom of twists). Serve hot.

Note:
HOT OVEN CAUTION: This is a recipe my kids made. Depending on their age, you will probably want to be there to help, especially with the hot oven.

Alternate: You can omit the cinnamon, and just make “Sugar Twists”.

Apple Rolls

1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup hot water
1 tsp yeast
3 tsp (1 Tbsp) sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups unbleached flour
2 apples, peeled, cored and finely diced
4 heaping teaspoons brown sugar (2 – 3 Tbsp)
sprinkle of cinnamon

Add hot water to milk. Stir in yeast and sugar. Add salt and whole wheat and stir. Add melted butter and beat well. Add 1 cup unbleached flour, then remaining flour a bit at a time until dough is stiff enough to begin to handle by hand. Knead until smooth and elastic on a lightly floured counter. Add additional flour only as necessary – keep dough as moist as you are able to manage and still knead comfortably without it sticking to everything.
When dough is smooth and elastic, round into a ball, coat with melted butter or oil. Cover and let rest for 15 or 20 minutes while you prepare the apples.

Peel and core apples. Use a food processor or chop finely by hand. Stir in brown sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Roll out rested dough into a rectangle about 18″ wide and 12 – 15″ long.
Spread chopped apple mixture evenly over the top, except for an inch or so along one 18″ edge so that you can seal it. Roll up toward dry edge and seal. Cut into 12 slices about 1 1/2″ thick. Place in greased 9 x 13 pan. Let rise until double, about 1 hour.

(A trick I tried this time to speed rising, was to place the pan on a hot, wet towel, and cover it with another tea towel (well wrung out). Once the towels cooled, I removed them and covered with a dry tea towel instead.)

Bake at 350*F for about 25 minutes until done and tops are lightly browned. Serve with butter, if you like. These buns are not sweet. If you prefer them sweeter, drizzle with an icing sugar glaze.

Note: Diced apples mixed with sugar will get quite juicy if left to sit. Which means your rolls will have juice running out the bottom as you cut them and set them in the pan. Oh well.