Buttermilk Corn Muffins: Updated

When I was pregnant with Clayton last year, I had a hankering for corn bread one evening.  I decided that the people who make corn meal are probably a pretty good resource for corn bread, and I gave the recipe on the box a try.  And we haven't looked back once.

If you like a savory, dense cornbread, then keep looking.  This cornbread is moist and sweet--in fact, we sometimes call it corn cake because of the sweetness and texture.

Sweet Buttermilk Corn Bread
(Adapted from the side panel of Alber's Corn Meal)
Makes 1 8x8 pan

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup cornmeal (white or yellow)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 Tbls butter, melted

Combine flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl.  In small bowl, combine milk, eggs, oil, and butter.  Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until moistened.  Pour into greased baking pan.

Bake 35 min. at 350 degrees or until toothpick comes out clean.

NOTES: Sometimes, I substitute brown sugar for 1/2 of the sugar.  Changes the flavor just a bit.  And, I usually sift my flour through a mesh strainer.  That disintigrates any flour lumps.  One more thing--this is a quick bread.  You don't want to overmix it.  (See my explanation in "Banana Crumb Muffins".)  For muffins, reduce baking time to about 20 min.  It makes about 12.

Extra Notes: (July 6, 2010) Recently, I adapted this recipe to use buttermilk.  It is HEAVENLY!  It makes the texture so much lighter and fluffier.  You would seriously be missing out if you didn't try it!  BUT--if you want to make it with plain milk, omit the baking soda and increase the baking powder to 1 Tbls.

Banana Crumb Muffins

Bananas are a popular item in our home.  In fact, we usually buy 2 Costco bunches each week.  And, with as many as we actually eat, there are always a few that don't make it to the end of the week.  Because of this, I'm always in the market for a good overripe-banana recipe.  A few Sundays ago, my extra time coincided with a few overripe bananas.  So, I hopped on allrecipes.com and found this deliciousness. 

These muffins had a great topping.  And, the inside of the muffin was totally moist.  They were even moist and delicious the next day!

Banana Crumb Muffins
12 muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbls all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbls butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease (or line with paper) 12 muffin cups.

In large bowl, mix together first 4 ingredients.  In another bowl, mix bananas, white sugar, egg, and melted butter.  Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture just until moistened.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

In small bowl, mix the brown sugar, 2 Tbls flour, and cinnamon.  Cut in 1 Tbls butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.  Sprinkle topping over muffin batter.

Bake for 18-20 min, or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

NOTES: When I was in college, I took a "Family Cooking" kind of class.  It wasn't as in depth as culinary school would have been, but I did learn a few tricks of the trade.  One of these tricks involved quick breads, which are made with baking powder instead of yeast.  (Examples are pancakes, muffins, banana-type breads...) 

Whenever you are making a quick bread, you should mix your wet and dry ingredients separately.  After you add them together, you should mix only until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Mixing too much causes the gluten in the flour to develop, which creates a more dense structure.  The leavening power in baking powder can't compete with the strands of gluten and you end up with a dense, rubbery quick texture.

In the past, some of my quick breads have ended up with lumps of flour and/or baking soda in the batter.  If you've ever taken a bite with a lump like that, you know it's not a pleasant experience.  I have found that sifting my dry ingredients through a mesh strainer into the wet ingredients helps avoid this problem.

Rosemary Focaccia

A few months ago, I made a batter-style focaccia that I found food-blog-hopping...and I can't find the blog anymore!  It was very fast, very easy, and very tasty--and I've been looking for something similar ever since.  Friday night, I had promised my husband that I would make some italian bread to go along with our spaghetti dinner.  Well, as you would expect, I forgot about this promise until about 4:30.  After searching foodgawker for a minute or two, I found this Rosemary Focaccia recipe.  (Which was minus the rosemary for us, since I didn't have any.  I have since remedied the situation.)  It was quick and fantastic!

Rosemary Focaccia
Yeild: 1 9-in. round loaf

1 pkg. active dry yeast, (2 1/4 Tbls.)
1 tsp. sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup warm water, plus more for loosening dough
1/2 tsp. salt
Kosher salt
1 tsp. dried rosemary
2 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for greasing

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.  Let stand till foamy, 5-10 min.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In large bowl, mix flour and salt.  Add yeast mixture; stir to combine.  Gradually add water, one Tablespoon at a time, until dough is moistened enough to form a ball.  Knead dough in bowl until smooth.  Remove dough and oil bowl; replace dough and cover with a moist cloth.  Let rise until doubled, about 30 min.

Drizzle 1-2 Tbls. olive oil into 9-in. glass pie pan.  Very lightly press dough into dish.  Let rise until dough reaches edges of pie pan.  Using your fingers or the handle of a wooden spoon, poke indentations evenly over the surface of the dough.  Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with rosemary and Kosher salt.  Bake for 10-15 min. or until top crust begins to brown.

NOTES: You know the part where it tells you to add water one Tbls. at a time?  Well, I added too much.  So, I had to toss in a bit of flour to balance it out.  Still turned out great!  (Whew.)

Prior to kneading the dough the first time, I coated my hands with olive oil.  It kept them from sticking before the dough was holding together just right.  And, instead of coating the bowl with flour, I just coated the dough ball.

If you are in the Seattle area, I *HIGHLY* (is there enough emphasis on that word?) recommend heading to Pike Place Market and picking up some garlic-infused olive oil from Sotto Voce, (they're on the triangle block across from the main market).  I have been using their oil for several years now and just can't get enough.  I've even brought Ryan on board the Sotto Voce train--and when we start getting low, he reminds me that we need to make a trip to PPM.  This oil is fabulous on EVERYTHING, but especially delicious on bread and pizza.  That's what I used to coat my dough, oil my pan, and drizzle on top of the focaccia.  It totally transforms the taste.  If you're starting to get jealous because you don't live in Seattle, you'll just have to come visit.  Or check out the Sotto Voce website and order a bottle (or 2 or 3).  Our favorite is Olio Santo, but we also like Olio Pomodoro and Olio Basilico and I like Olio al Funghi.

I didn't punch my dough down before I put it in the pie pan.  I just plopped it in and spread it out a little--I didn't have time to wait for it to rise again.  And, I'm not sure how long I did let it rise once I put it in the pan.  But, it was what I felt was the perfect thickness when all was said and done.  If you have time to wait for another 30 min. rise, by all means, punch it down, knead it a bit (to develop the gluten strands), and then let it rise again before baking.

Finally, if you don't have rosemary...or if you don't like rosemary, you can use any herb combo you happen to appreciate.  I didn't use any herbs--just the Kosher salt and some freshly ground black pepper.  If you are using dried rosemary, pour it into your hand and crush the leaves before sprinkling them on the dough.  It will give you a slightly stronger rosemary flavor.

Most importantly--ENJOY this bread!  It's much easier than my long-winded explanation would make it seem. And let me know what you think when you try it!