Banana-Craisin-Pecan Yeast Rolls

2 mashed ripe bananas
1 egg
2T melted butter, coconut oil, or olive oil

In a big glass bowl, mash the bananas and stir in the egg and oil, or melted fat.

1/2c golden raisins or craisins

1/3c ground chia + flax seed

1-2t pumpkin pie spice

1t active dry yeast

1t brown sugar

1/2t salt

1/2c chopped pecans

2c bread flour

In a smaller bowl, stir this group together. Add this to the big glass bowl and combine well, using a heavy wooden spoon or silicone spatula, until all the flour is incorporated, the dough is sticky but pulls away from the bowl a little.

Cover and let rest about 1½-2 hours, in a warm place, until the dough doubles in size. I put mine in the oven with the interior light on.

Fold the dough a little, and poke it to release any air bubbles. Transfer it to a floured surface. I like to use corn flour for this. Move the dough around so the entire ball is covered in flour, pat it down flat and cut it into 9 equal pieces.

Flour the surface again, then shape each piece, pulling, folding, then rolling, into a smaller ball. Put these in a 9" square, non-stick, or oiled glass pan. Cover and let rise again until double in size, about 45 minutes this time.

Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes and savor the scent in your kitchen.  The rolls are not light and fluffy, they're more heavy and. healthy!

Here's what's left after a few were eaten. One on top, cut, buttered, now just awaiting a sprinkle of spiced sugar, and a quick heating in the microwave. Mmmm...

What a perfect fall day this has been. I worked on other 'house things' while making these rolls, listening to a favorite of mine, Ingrid Michaelson. .😊. .Lin

Tuesday Morning Bread Pudding

5 slices of whole wheat bread

5 slices of artisan white bread

4 jumbo eggs

1c half and half

½c white sugar

½t nutmeg

½t salt

1t pumpkin pie spice

1c golden raisins

1c chopped almonds

½c butter

¼-½c coconut spread

½c dark brown sugar

Dry the bread overnight then cut into cubes.  In a large bowl, whisk together the next group of ingredients.  Over medium heat, melt the butter, coconut spread and brown sugar together, then add to the bowl.  Using a wooden spoon, mix these well, then add the bread cubes.

Pour everything into a well-buttered 9"x13" glass pan.  Sprinkle the top with turbinado sugar and bake for 30-40 minutes.  Serve warm with tea or coffee. . .Lin 

Gluten Free Oat-Flax Cornbread

1½c corn flour

½c rolled oats

½c ground flax seed

½t sea salt

3t baking powder

3T sugar

1c buttermilk

2 eggs

½c vegetable oil

Combine all dry ingredients together in a medium size bowl, stirring well. Whisk together the 3 remaining ingredients in a smaller bowl. Add combined wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir, only until everything is blended. Pour into well buttered 9x13” glass pan. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Cool slightly before cutting. . .Lin

A Great Grilled Sandwich

2 slices of your favorite bread

4 slices of smoked turkey or chicken

lots of thinly sliced onion

mayonnaise

2-3 slices sharp cheddar or Swiss cheese

grape tomatoes or other fresh vegetables

Assemble all the ingredients on one slice of bread. Top with another slice, buttered on the outside. Put buttered side down on a hot griddle. Butter the top slice. Flip after 3-5 minutes. Cover, turn off heat and wait another 3-5 minutes. Serve with a fresh vegetable garnish. . .Lin

Italian Bread Pudding

8-10 slices or about ½ a loaf of crusty Italian
(or French) bread

Cube and put in a 9x13” pan. Put this in a 250° oven for 20-30 minutes or until the bread is dry.

Meanwhile in a medium size bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, spice and vanilla, then sugar and dried fruit:

2 fresh eggs

2c milk

1-2T pumpkin pie spice

2T± real, strong vanilla

2/3c brown sugar

1c dried cherries or craisins

Stir these together until the sugar dissolves. Let stand to hydrate the fruit. When the bread is dry, add the hot bread cubes to the bowl, mix then pour into a buttered 9x13” pan. Top with a little raw sugar, bake at 325° for 20-30 minutes until the liquid absorbs and pudding is lightly browned. . .Lin

Grainy-Nutty Apple Bread Pudding

In a mixing bowl combine:

1/2c  half & half

1T     Balsamic vinegar

1/2c  fruit-juice sweetened dried

          cranberries (craisins)

1/2c  walnut or pecan pieces

2       beaten eggs

The vinegar and half and half creates a buttermilk effect.  These 'wet' ingredients also rehydrate the cranberries (craisins) nicely as well as taking any bitterness out of the nuts.

4-5 pieces of bread*

4 flavorful apples (Macintosh shown here)

1/4c  Maple syrup

1/4c  butter

1/2t   salt

1T vanilla

1t  ground cinnamon

Cube - break up your favorite *grainy-fruity-nutty bread.  Put on a cookie sheet and into a 170° oven - stirring the bread several times to dry evenly.  This will take about an hour ±.

Meanwhile, if you want the apples peeled, a good way to do this is boil water in a 4qt. pot.  When water comes to a rolling boil, drop the apples in then stir gently, and turn until skins look shiny and stretched, about 1-2 minutes.  Take out and plunge into COLD water for a few minutes.  Peel, core, cut into pieces, dropping them right into the mixing bowl, gently stirring them in to coat with the half & half mixture, to prevent browning.

Put the Maple syrup, butter and salt in a heatproof container, microwave on low-medium setting just enough to warm the syrup and melt the butter.  Stir and add to the mixing bowl, along with the bread - when cubes are dry (not as dry as croutons however).  Gently combine all, let 'rest' on the countertop 10-45 minutes depending on how heavy your bread is.  This allows the bread to soften while preheating the oven.

Bake in a greased, 9"x13" glass pan @325° for -- minutes.  This would be nice heated a bit for breakfast, or served as a fruity-bready base for a big scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream, as a dessert.  This recipe ended up pretty labor intensive, but I think totally worth it!  :-D . . .Lin

Croutons

4  slices of bread
    I used Ezekiel bread but French or Italian would be excellent
2 T butter
1 T olive oil

Cut bread into cubes and pour melted butter-oil over them.  Bake at 400° for 10-15 minutes, stirring and checking often. . .Lin

Special Corn Muffins

Combine - in a big bowl:
1 c Corn Flour or Corn Meal
1 c Old Fashioned Oats
1 t  baking powder
1 t  baking soda

Stir together, in another bowl:
2        eggs
1/2 c  extra virgin olive oil
2/3 c  whole milk with 2 T vinegar added
5-6    jalapeno pepper rings (pickled) chopped well
2/3 c  craisins or golden raisins
2/3 c  salted sunflower kernels

Let this mixture sit 20-30 minutes to hydrate the craisins/raisins and allow the milk-vinegar mix to turn to buttermilk.

Stir second mixture into the first. If it seems too dry at this point, add more milk or for more heat, jalapeno juice. Spoon into lined muffin pan and bake at 350* until the edges just start to brown and the tops hold their shape when touched in the middle. Don't over bake. Makes 8-12+ depending on size.