O.k. I was on a mission to find the closest replacement for Costco’s Blueberry Muffins. I tried 4 or 5 different recipes, with only one being a true bust (I messed with the recipe so much that I threw the whole batch out … the muffins were gummy and I had to scrape them off the muffin liners). This, right here, is the closest I will ever get because I’m not taking the chance of wasting any more of these delicious blueberries! This recipe was adapted from here. Take a look at the picture of the muffins on that page … that’s what these looked like! Yum! This recipe would be wonderful baked in loaf pans (maybe to standard-sized) … for about an hour or so. The texture would be firm enough to slice and make French toast with it (if you are that kind of a person *grin*).
Preheat oven to 375°F with a rack in middle of the oven.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients—the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together, until fluffy (easiest and best consistency if using an electric hand mixer or Kitchenaid). Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time, beating well after each one (at this point, it should look like fluffy frosting). Now, add the vanilla and mix in well.
Add one third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and beat until just incorporated. Mix in one third of the yogurt. Repeat until all the flour and yogurt are mixed in. Do not over mix (though, for this entire process I used my electric hand mixer and the batter remained light and fluffy, unlike the rocks I ended up with the first time, where I gently mixed in all the ingredients by hand)!
Gently fold the blueberries into the mixture (I found it easiest to sprinkle the frozen berries over the entire surface of the batter, instead of in a giant pile in the center).
Place a muffin liner in each well of the muffin tin, or if you don’t have muffin liners, coat the inside of the muffin tin wells with vegetable oil or butter with a pastry brush or with cooking spray. Distribute the dough equally among the cups (I use a standard ice cream scoop). Don’t be afraid to fill them high.
Place in the oven and bake until the muffins are golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Test with a tooth pick to make sure the centers of the muffins are done. Let the muffins cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then remove them from the tin and let sit on a wire rack for 10 more minutes. Serve slightly warm. If you have any left once they are cool, store in a sealed container so they don’t dry out.
I found a web page with instructions for “30 second bread,” which was really just tortillas, although they didn’t call it that.
Tortillas… despite being genetically the whitest person you may know, I grew up eating fresh flour tortillas. No one around ever made corn tortillas at home, and I can understand why. They call for a special corn flour that isn’t readily available in some areas but you can find all-purpose flour everywhere! However, as much as I love fresh flour tortillas, nothing beats fresh corn tortillas! I am lucky enough to live near some Mexican markets that make them fresh every day and I can be seen wandering around the market eating warm tortillas right out of the bag.
I’ll be honest. I have the recipe for making corn tortillas. I tried it once, but they tasted like fried mush. They were nothing like store-bought tortillas. I used the wrong masa (yellow corn meal instead of yellow corn flour). I realized today that the method for making corn tortillas can also work with any grain flour since it doesn’t rely on gluten at all.
Here are the recipes for both flour and corn tortillas. Play around with them. In the picture, those tortillas were made with about 1/3 sprouted grain flour (red and white wheat, with a little barley).
Stir together the flour and salt in a large bowl. With your fingertips, mix in the shortening (LARD *grin*). Add the water, working the liquid into the dough until a sticky ball forms (Kitchenaid with a dough hook works wonders).
Dust a counter with flour and knead the dough vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes. The mixture should be soft but no longer sticky. Let the dough rest, covered with a damp cloth, for about 15 minutes. Divide the dough into about 25 balls, coat in shortening, cover them again with the damp cloth, and let them rest for at least 45 minutes longer (this is to allow the gluten to form … if you don’t have the time, it won’t hurt them too much). **If not for use immediately, the dough can be greased lightly and refrigerated for up to 12 hours. Bring the dough back to room temperature before proceeding.
Lightly flour your counter. Flatten a ball with your hand, then roll the dough from the center outward, turn the tortilla a few inches and roll again, attempting to keep the growing circle even. Roll out the dough into a circle as thin as possible, preferably 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick. They don’t have to be perfectly round … just make sure you do not have any folds. OR you can use a tortilla press with plastic wrap or oiled parchment paper. These will result in a less-chewy tortilla.
Heat a dry griddle or large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cook each tortilla 10 seconds on each side, then continue flipping (about 10 seconds on each side) until the dough looks slightly dry and wrinkled with a few brown speckles on the surface. It helps to use a cloth or paper towel to pop any air bubbles that form but be careful … that steam is HOT!
Place cooked tortillas between on a flat surface, ensuring they do not touch. This will prevent them from sticking together. Once cool, you can put them into a 1 gallon Ziploc bag and place in the fridge (if you do this while they are still warm, the steam will cause them to become mushy, and nothing’s worse than a mushy tortilla).
I don’t know how long these will last … they are so good, they are gone in no time!
There are two types available in the stores. One is for tamales, the other is for tortillas. The difference is the grind. The masa harina for tortillas is a fine flour, the tamale one is courser but not as course as corn meal. For authentic tortillas, you cannot use corn flour. Masa harina is made by taking the dried corn and soaking it in a water/lime solution (to read more about this, go here: What is Masa Harina?). For any other grain, just grind to a fine flour.
Heat a dry griddle or heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
In a large bowl, mix the ingredients with a sturdy spoon or your hands until the dough is smooth and forms a ball. The dough should be quite moist but hold its shape. Add a little more water or masa harina, if needed, to achieve the proper consistency.
Form the dough into 12 balls approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Cover the balls with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. If any of the balls do dry out before cooking, knead more water into them. Unlike the dough for flour tortillas, this dough can be reworked.
Place one ball of dough in a tortilla press between the two sheets of plastic that are sometimes sold with the tortillas press or two a 1 gallon freezer bag, cut into two sections. If you don’t have a tortilla press, you can either roll each ball between two sheets of waxed paper or press between two sheets of waxed paper with a heavy, flat bottomed pot (my pressure canner worked great for this). Flatten to about 1/8 inch thick. Carefully pull the plastic from the tortilla and lay on the hot griddle or skillet.
Cook for 30 seconds, flip over and cook about another minute, flip and cook the first side an additional 30 seconds. Place the cooked tortillas between two cloth towels until all tortillas are cooked. Store as above (once cooled, place in a gallon Ziploc bag and store in fridge).
I’ve been using this recipe for about 6 months now and it hasn’t failed me yet. I got it from my mom’s friend Bernice (who got it from a neighbor when her kids were little … and they are about my age). I love it! One note I would like to make: I have tried substituting Splenda for all (and then part) of the sugar. They just weren’t the same. Splenda doesn’t have the same “bite” as sugar. So, if you can’t have any sugar, just don’t make these. I haven’t used whole grains yet. Now that I’m more comfortable with the recipe, I’ll start branching out and maybe substitute some for the all-purpose flour but today I’m making these for other people (a memorial for my dear friend’s mother).
In a small bowl, mix yeast and water. Let sit while preparing the milk mixture.
In a medium saucepan, mix sugar, butter, salt and milk. Heat just until the butter and sugar melt (stirring continually to prevent scorching). Pour into a large bowl. Once lukewarm, beat in the egg and the yeast mixture. Now, mix in the flour, a cup at a time, until a soft dough forms. Pour out onto a floured surface and knead until it’s fairly smooth (I don’t knead this as much as bread dough).
Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and set in a warm place until doubled (about an hour). Now, form into whatever you decide to make, let rise another hour, then bake at 350 degrees F until slightly brown (about 15 to 20 minutes).
A friend of mine just suggested this dough could be used to make kolaches.
For Cinnamon Rolls:
For Cinnamon Rolls:
You need
room temperature butter
brown sugar
cinnamon
Roll out the dough into a rectangle that is about 1/4 inch thick (the thinner it is, the more sugary-cinnamony goodness your rolls will have). Spread with butter (I use a rubber spatula so I don’t stick the dough). Do not spread the butter all the way to the edge (leave about 1/4 inch gap). Now, sprinkle with brown sugar. I think the first time I did this I used about 1/2 cup packed brown sugar. Now, I just go by look (I want it everywhere). Then, sprinkle with cinnamon. I use a lot. I make sure all the sugar/butter has a dusting of cinnamon.
Starting at a long side, slowly start rolling the dough tightly (I can’t emphasize this more … the first time I made these I didn’t roll tight enough and they unrolled while baking … tasted great, looked awful). Once you get the the end, pinch the ends of the dough together (or, they will unroll). Slice across the dough, making your rolls about and inch or more thick. Place in a well greased 13X9 pan, cover, and let stand u
For Fruit Danishes:
For Fruit Danishes:
You need
room temperature butter
sugar
jam (I’ve used blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, grape, apricot-pineapple)
Now, this one’s trickier. Roll out the dough just like you are making the cinnamon rolls above. I got the technique from Joe Pastry (http://www.joepastry.com/category/pastry/danish-pastry/). He describes it much better than I do (and he has great pictures) so go there and read how he does it. He also has other pastry ideas that this dough would be perfect for. I originally made it like he does, with pastry cream. Well, I don’t have any today so I’m just going to spread the dough with butter and sprinkle sugar on it (I’m wondering if brown sugar would be
For Icing:
For Icing:
Powdered Sugar
Milk
For a double recipe of sweet goodness, I use about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, then slowly add the milk until it’s the consistency I like. If it’s too runny, add more powdered sugar. See in the picture on Joe Pastry’s web page of the icing? That’s how it should look after you mix it. Still white (can’t see through it) but liquid enough so it will stream a bit off a fork (I tried using a spoon and a tiny whisk but ended up with giant blobs of icing).
