Irish Oatmeal Muffins

(I seem to have misplaced my photos.  It's just an oatmeal muffin-- nothing too sexy about it.)

Following on from this post for oatmeal muffins a few years ago where I discussed my search for the perfect oatmeal muffin, I'm trying another recipe, one that I've tried before but didn't say much about at the time.  That probably means I thought it was just okay, acceptable. (I've also made these banana oatmeal muffins, which I liked better.)  I've made some small adjustments this time:  I used regular milk, but changed up the sweetening to add molasses (which provides the acid necessary to react with the baking soda.  For good measure, I squeezed in about a teaspoon or more of lemon juice, since I already had a sliced lemon handy.)  I also added just over a 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.  

The original recipe claims to make two dozen muffins; I made a note previously that 18 was a better quantity.  I cut the recipe in half this time and it filled nine standard muffin cups to the top.  Here's what I used:

1 cup buttermilk whole milk, plus juice from 2 small lemon slices
1/2 cup rolled (old fashioned) oats
1 egg
3/8 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons dark molasses
1/2 + 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon oil

Combine the milk and oats at least six hours (preferably overnight) before mixing and baking the muffins. Stir well, cover, and let rest in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 400F; grease the muffin tins. Beat the egg in a mixing bowl just until yolk and white are blended. Add the sugar and molasses and beat until smooth and well blended. Add the milk-oatmeal mixture, then the flour, baking soda, salt, and oil. Beat until the batter is well mixed. Fill the muffin tins almost to the rim. (The oats settle to the bottom of the bowl, so be sure to scoop them up with a spoon or ladle rather than pouring the batter into the tins.)  They usually bake about 20 minutes, but start testing for doneness after 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool on racks or serve hot.

This batter was very thin, liquid.  Nonetheless, it baked up fine.  (The oats and whole wheat probably soak up the excess moisture.)  The skewer came out clean at 15 minutes, but the center of the tops still looked a little glossy, so I gave them another 2 minutes.

The flavor was good, but not very interesting.  They needed something, either more spice (like a spice muffin -- the nutmeg wasn't noticeable) or a crunchy streusel topping.  The texture was extremely light and fluffy, like cake, probably from all that milk; I prefer something more dense and solid in a muffin.  (Maybe the amount of milk could be cut a tad.)  They were especially delicate while still warm, although they firmed up after cooling.  Because they were so delicate, they didn't come out of the pans nicely.  I probably would need to let them cool longer before trying to remove them, but then there's the risk of the edges firming to the point that they stick.  Perhaps the happy medium is to run a knife around the sides after they've cooled a few minutes, then letting them firm up more before trying to remove them.

Conclusion:  Nice, but I'm not inclined to make them again.  Mostly, they're not a texture I like in muffins, being far too delicate and soft.  Also, they're not so much a muffin to be eaten plain, but should have butter and jam.

Recipe:  Irish Oatmeal Muffins via The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham

November ABC challenge: Pumpkin Fruit Bread

This month's challenge was pumpkin. There are a LOT of pumpkin recipes out there to choose from, many of which I've saved to make "one day." To add to the fun, I saw this at the checkout stand and made the spontaneous purchase (setting me back $13, I might add. Seriously?) I even marked a few recipes to try.

Then I remembered I had this little booklet, at least 20 years old, from the experts themselves...

 

I looked through that and found this curious recipe for fruit bread made with yeast, yet prepared more like a quick bread.  So many pumpkin recipes are just iterations of the same three or four recipes -- this was completely different, so I wanted to try it.

I cut the original recipe in half, using the ingredients exactly as the original, but I simplified the preparation.  I hesitated about using cardamom because, although I love it, I find it's wasted when paired with any competing flavors.  I should have followed my instinct, as I couldn't detect it in the final product (and I'm not sure it would have been a good pairing anyway.)  The changes shown in the recipe below (in italics and strikeout) are suggestions for future use.

1¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm water
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup uncooked rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom ginger or cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
3/8 cup (6 tablespoons) chopped dates (and/or cranberries or tart cherries)
3/8 cup golden raisins
3/8 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Proof the yeast in the water along with 1/2 teaspoon of the honey (or just use sugar). In the main mixing bowl, combine the flours, oats, spice, and salt; set aside. In a small saucepan, combine the rest of the honey, pumpkin, brown sugar, and orange juice concentrate and heat until very warm, but not hot. (It shouldn’t scald your finger.) Add it to the flour mixture, along with the yeast mixture, and mix well. Add the fruits and the nuts and stir to combine. Spoon into a greased loaf pan. (Original recipe calls for an 8 x 4-inch pan.) Cover and let rise for 30-50 minutes, or until doubled. Bake at 325F for 35-40 minutes (original recipe is 50-60 minutes), or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.  Recommended:  serve toasted with a cream cheese spread.

Since this isn't like anything I've ever made before, I'm not sure if my results were what they were supposed to be, but I suspect they were a little off.  The "dough" was actually a thick batter -- very unusual for a yeast bread -- but since the instructions were to "spoon" it into the pan, I expected that.  With all the moisture and the sugar and the fruit, I'm surprised this rose at all.  It did, barely, but didn't puff up like a yeast dough. It retained every dent and peak as when it started out, and with no skin I certainly couldn't do the finger-dent test to see if it was proofed enough.  As it was, I let it rise well over an hour and hoped for some oven spring, but that didn't happen either.

Since I was using a smaller pan (I used a Wilton 4-ounce round baking pan), I wasn't sure about the baking time, and to be honest, now I can't quite remember how long I let it bake.  I think I checked it around 35 minutes and, although it seemed firm and probably would have passed the toothpick test, it felt so heavy and dense that I put it in for another 5 or so.  (I even rapped on the bottom, but I'm never confident about what a "hollow" bread loaf would sound like.)

The final bread appears to have risen enough, but the texture still seems off.  (By appearance more than feel.)  It looks to me as though the dough was too wet, and I don't like the way the oats leave little dry-looking white marks.  (With all that moisture, I'm surprised they didn't just dissolve into the batter.)  I'm thinking maybe adding the oats to the wet ingredients and letting them soak up some of that moisture might help.  Mostly, though, the flavor needs help; there were too many dull, anti-umami flavors.  Everything was earthy:  the pumpkin, the cardamom, the whole wheat, the raisins, the walnuts, and especially the dates!  (Every time I bake with dates, they get a slightly unpleasant taste to them, almost bitter, even though the dates themselves were fine.)  I would use ginger as the spice, or cinnamon (but only if absolutely necessary) and add some tart fruits.  I'd also chop the dates into smaller pieces, about 1/4 inch, so no bite had too much.  I think this would add a nice contrast to the other earthy flavors.

Toasting this bread made all the difference in the world, and adding the cream cheese spread also really improved it.  I just mixed cream cheese with a tiny bit of orange juice concentrate and some sugar, but here's the suggested recipe in the booklet, halved:

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Spread
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1½ tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest

Conclusion:  I enjoyed this, but I'm not sure I'd make it again.  I was disappointed at first, but toasted and eaten with the sweetened cream cheese spread, it was very nice, with a crackly crust and a good bite.  It reminded me a lot of this Chocolate Cherry Pecan Bread.  But I would definitely make changes to the ingredients to brighten up the flavor a bit.  As it's an easy bread to make, it's worth trying again for that experiment alone.  This is not a very sweet bread, so it might also be good with a semi-firm cheese.

Recipe:  Oats 'n Fruit Wheat Bread via Libby's Favorite Pumpkin Recipes 

Hearty whole-grain bread for toast

 

 

This is a grainy, seeded loaf with good flavor that makes great toast, although it can also be used for sandwiches.  This recipe makes a large, substantial loaf.

2 handfuls steel-cut oats
Very warm water
1 scant tablespoon yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
3½ - 4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup high gluten flour
Handful flax seeds
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
2 tablespoons dark molasses or malt barley syrup
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 - 1 cup liquid whey (preferred) or water, warmed
Handful of raw sunflower seeds
Corn meal or semolina

Place oats in a cereal bowl and add about ½ cup of the warm water. (They should be wet, but not drowned.)  Cover and allow to soak. In a small bowl, proof the yeast with the sugar in about ½ cup of very warm water (the warmest you can comfortably hold your finger in). Once yeast has proved, in a mixing bowl add 2 cups whole wheat flour, gluten flour, flax seeds, and salt and whisk to aerate. Then add the molasses, olive oil, yeast mixture, oats, and whey (or water) and stir to combine. It will be a thick slurry.  Cover with a towel and allow to rest for 20-30 minutes. Add about another 1½ cups of flour along with the sunflower seeds and begin kneading, adding more flour (or warm water) as necessary to produce a shaggy, sticky dough. Knead for 20-30 minutes until there’s good gluten development and dough is only slightly tacky. It should be loose, but you should be able to form it into a ball with a tight skin. Place in an oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size and an indentation remains when pressed.  This can take up to 6 hours or more, or it can be done overnight in the refrigerator.

Punch down and knead a few times to redistribute the air. Cover with a towel and allow to rest for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, grease a loaf tin well and heavily coat the bottom and up the sides with corn meal or semolina. Form the dough into a loaf and place seam side down into the loaf tin.  Cover and allow to rise in a warm place.  After about 30-40 minutes (about when the dough has reached the top of the tin), preheat oven to 350 degrees. When loaf has nearly doubled, place in oven and bake for about 55 minutes, until it’s well browned on top. It may even look slightly burnt. Remove from tin and allow to cool completely before slicing.

Steel-cut oatmeal muffins

I've been craving a nubbly, fluffy, steel-cut oatmeal muffin for some time.  I could have sworn it was something I'd made before, but I couldn't find any similar recipe.  So I looked around and settled on this one that sounded like what I wanted, but I did have to make some adjustments.

To make a dozen muffins, here's what I used:

1½ cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 3/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 large egg
1 cup cooked steel-cut oatmeal
1/2 cup whole milk
1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 400°F, and grease a 12-cup muffin tin. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  In another bowl, lightly beat the egg.  Add the oatmeal to the egg, and mash with a fork to break up clumps.  Add the milk, vanilla, and the butter, and stir or whisk to combine.  Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, and stir briefly to just combine.  Divide the batter evenly between the wells of the prepared muffin tin.  Sprinkle tops with walnuts and press in to secure.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean.  The muffins won't brown much on top and might even look a little anemic, but that's okay.

Although the tester came out clean after 15 minutes, I think these could have used a few more minutes in the oven.  I'd also knock the sugar down to 1/2 cup and try that.  (I wanted them sweet enough to eat alone, but they were  slightly too sweet.)  Considering some muffin recipes add up to 1½ cups of sugar (gah!), these were still only mildly sweet.

I tend to cook oatmeal fairly dry and perhaps a little "al dente," which might explain why my batter was VERY thick.  I added another splash of milk, but I wish I hadn't.  Perhaps extra time in the oven would have fixed the texture, but these were ever so slightly gummy, rather than fluffy.  It could have been that extra milk, though.  Perhaps they could have used another 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, maybe a little nutmeg, and a little less vanilla.  I meant to use brown sugar in them but forgot---I think that would be a nice addition.  A touch more salt would be an improvement as well.  So, like, basically a whole different recipe.

Conclusion:  These were good, but didn't quite hit the mark.  I wanted something more nubbly, more hearty, and with a more satisfying flavor. 

Recipe:  Left-over Oatmeal Muffins via epicurious (adapted from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook)

Peanut butter oatmeal cookies

I made these to address a craving.  Part of #quarantinebaking  They hit the spot, although they could have used a little more chocolate.

Here's what I used to make 15 cookies:

1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/4-1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 - 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream together the butter and peanut butter, then add the sugars and cream together until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and the vanilla extract and beat until well blended.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; add to butter mixture and beat until well blended.  Add the oatmeal, walnuts, and chocolate chips and stir to incorporate evenly.  Scoop by heavily-heaping tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350F for about 10-12 minutes until lightly golden brown.  Allow to cool a few minutes on the pan, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

I used 1/4 cup chocolate chips, which wasn't enough, even for me.  One half cup might be too much, although it was the perfect amount of walnuts.  There was also the perfect amount of salt.  I didn't measure the peanut butter--- I put in two big tablespoons, which didn't look like it was quite 1/4 cup, but seemed like plenty.  They have a mild peanut butter flavor, so for more intense flavor, use more peanut butter.  (I'm just not sure if that's a full 1/4 cup or more than that. I set the recipe as up to 1/2 cup.)

Conclusion:  These were delicious, and just what I needed.  For breakfast cookies, I'd add some whole wheat or wheat bran, reduce the sugar, and increase the chocolate.  (I'd rather the sweetness come from chocolate or fruit.)  Dried cranberries or tart cherries would be good too.

Original recipes:  Chris' Kicked up Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and Twisted Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, both via Emeril Lagasse