“Mommy, you make the best bread!” Top Gun said as he happily munched on a slice of baked Boston brown bread. We made this to go with our slow cooker Boston baked beans, and the boys later enjoyed slices of it with butter as an after school snack. And like those baked beans, this bread is another easy recipe that the kids can help make, or even make on their own.

Traditional Boston brown bread is steamed in cans for a couple hours, something you may remember your mother or grandmother doing. I’ve been tempted to try it, and I hate to sound cranky, but cans aren’t what they used to be with all the modern coated linings which I would not want to put in a hot oven with my bread. So I bake in pans instead, and we’re happy with the flavor and texture, even if it’s not exactly like the method we fondly remember.

Recipe Notes

I use rye flour, but you can also use whole wheat or graham flour. Many original recipes for Boston brown bread call for melted shortening, but I use canola oil instead. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by pouring a couple tablespoons of lemon juice in a measuring cup then adding lowfat milk until you have two cups, then letting it rest on the counter for about 5 to 10 minutes until it sours.

Baked Boston Brown Bread

Adapted from Yankee Magazine.

Makes 2 loaves.

Equipment

1 large mixing bowl
1 medium mixing bowl
2 9×5 loaf pans, well greased

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups (180 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (113 g) rye flour
1 cup (170 g) cornmeal
2-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup (160 g) raisins
1/3 cup (80 ml) canola oil
1 large egg, beaten
2 cups (480 ml) buttermilk
3/4 cup (180 ml) unsulphured molasses

Preparation

1. Place rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350° F/175° C.

2. In the large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, rye flour, cornmeal, baking soda, and raisins. In the medium mixing bowl, stir together the canola oil, egg, buttermilk, and molasses. Stir into the flour mixture, just enough to mix it all together completely, but do not over mix.

3. Pour into the prepared loaf pans, distributing the batter evenly. Baked in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then turn out onto wire racks to finish cooling.

More Easy Bread Recipes

More Whole Grain Bread Recipes From Around the Blogs

The Perfect Pantry – Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread with Golden Raisins

Cooking on the Side – White Whole Wheat Walnut Bread

Wild Yeast – 70% Rye with Whole Wheat Bread

Kalyn’s Kitchen – Baked Whole Wheat Flatbread with Olive Oil and Za’atar

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

Breakfast is one of our favorite things about Christmas day. We sit down together later in the morning after all the presents have been unwrapped but before Michael and the boys begin work on assembling toys, and enjoy a hot breakfast of homemade cinnamon rolls, scones, pancakes, cranberry apple French toast, panettone, or waffles. These eggnog waffles are a Christmas morning favorite we savor with butter and warm maple syrup, and small glasses of eggnog on the side with a sprinkling of nutmeg. These waffles energize the boys for a full day of play, including time outside in the snow when we’re lucky enough to have some during the holidays.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

EGGNOG WAFFLES

Makes 6 or 7 Belgian waffles.

Equipment

large mixing bowl
Belgian-style waffle machine

Ingredients

3 (360 g) cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2-1/4 cups (540 ml) light eggnog (Rich eggnog may cause the batter to be too thick.)
1/4 cup (60 ml) sunflower or canola oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preparation

1. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in the mixing bowl. Add the eggnog, oil, and eggs. Stir well, until all the dry ingredients are coated, but don’t over mix.

2. For each waffle, pour 3/4 cup of batter onto the hot waffle iron, spreading it around lightly to even it out a bit, then cook according to the manufacturers directions. Keep finished waffles warm in the oven at 150° F until ready to serve.

More Christmas Morning Breakfast Recipes

More Recipes with Eggnog From Around the Blogs

Pinch My Salt – Spiked Egg Nog French Toast

Brown Eyed Baker – Eggnog Fudge

Eclectic Recipes – Panettone Eggnog Bread Pudding

FatFree Vegan Kitchen – Vegan Eggnog Cheesecakeg

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

It’s apple butter season! Ok, well, it’s apple season, and just like every year I find myself craving apple butter, apple pie, apple dumplings, apples in salads, apple cakes, apple cider, I could go on for a while. I like Empires, Honeycrisp, Cortland, and Fuji for eating out of hand, and usually bake with Granny Smith or Gala. I’ve tried a number of different apples for apple butter, and finally settled on Gala as my favorite due to it’s slight sweetness and soft texture, which easily cooks down.

I found this recipe for muffins at Eating Well and as soon as I saw they had apple butter in the ingredients this recipe went on my to do list. I first made them for a girls’ brunch, where they were a hit, and have also sent them to school for teacher breakfasts. My family loves them and I always make a double batch so we can have some for another day, and they keep pretty well because they are so moist. I make the muffins according to the recipe with only one change, I grate the apple rather than chop it because I like the texture better that way, but you can certainly chop if you prefer.

Applesauce has long been used as an ingredient in muffins, and apple butter makes so much sense because it adds flavor as well as moisture. You can use just about any kind of apple butter you like, but I recommend choosing one with plenty of spices. I also love the molasses in the muffins, which gives them a rich flavor.

APPLE BUTTER MUFFINS

Adapted from Eating Well.

Makes 12 muffins.

Equipment

small bowl
large mixing bowl
medium bowl
muffin tin, lined with muffin papers and lightly coated with cooking spray

Ingredients

1/2 cup (80 g) golden raisins
3/4 cup (96 g) whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup (90 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup (70 g) oat bran or wheat bran
1 large egg
1/2 cup (120 ml) low-fat milk
1/2 cup apple butter
1/2 cup (55 g) packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (60 ml) sunflower or canola oil
3 tablespoons molasses
1 Gala apple, grated

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°F/190° C. Put the raisins in the small bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside for about 15 minutes.

2. In the large mixing bowl, whisk the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in the bran.

3. In the medium bowl, whisk the egg, milk, apple butter, brown sugar, oil, and molasses until
blended. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Drain the raisins and add them and the grated apple to the bowl. Stir just until combined; don’t over mix. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan. Each cup will be full.

4. Bake the muffins in the preheated oven until the tops spring back when touched lightly, about 18 to 22 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then loosen the edges and turn the muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

More Autumn Muffin Recipes

More Muffin Recipes From Around the Blogs

Gluten-Free Goddess – Gluten-Free Pear Polenta Muffins

Pinch My Salt – Sour Cream Cinnamon Streusel Muffins with Pecan Filling

My Baking Addiction – Morning Glory Muffins

FatFree Vegan Kitchen – Carrot Spice Muffins

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

When I started making quesadillas for lunch several years ago, I had no idea how much our boys would fall in love with the classic Mexican cheese sandwich. They hang around and watch as I lay a tortilla on the skillet, sprinkle the cheese, and top it with another tortilla, and they keep an eye on it and tell me when it’s ready to flip. And Builder Guy is now into burritos, filling them with everything he loves about Mexican food.

Tortillas were originally made with lard, and if you have access to good lard from a local pig farmer you could give it a try it, or render it yourself then make the tortillas for a weekend project. If not, vegetable shortening is a good substitute. And either way, you’ll have fun learning how to make your own tortillas without a bunch of additives and preservatives. And it’s easy enough that an 8-year-old can do it.

Just mix together whole wheat flour,

salt,

lard or shortening,

and warm water.

Let the dough rest, then roll it into balls,

flatten,

and cook.

How Adults Can Help the Kids

• Demonstrate and assist with any tasks that might be new: measuring, rolling the dough, pressing the tortillas.
• Make sure an adult or older child or teenager works with the food processor

Safety Tips

• Make sure an adult is present at all times.
• Young children should not handle sharp knives or work on the hot stove.

For more information on how to start cooking with your whole family, visit The Kids Cook Monday website.

WHOLE WHEAT TORTILLAS

Makes 8 to 10 6-inch tortillas, depending on how thick you like them.

Equipment

food processor
medium mixing bowl
plastic wrap
tortilla press
wax paper
cast iron griddle
warm platter + tea towel, or a tortilla warmer lined with wax paper

Ingredients

2 cups (256 g) white whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (51 g) lard or vegetable shortening
2/3 cup (160 ml) warm water

Preparation

1. In the bowl of the food processor, mix together the flour and salt. Cut the lard or shortening into small pieces and add to the flour. Pulse about 10 times, until it is well distributed throughout the flour. Add the warm water and pulse again about 10 more times, until the dough comes together.

2. Turn out into the mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside to rest for about 2 hours to allow the flour to fully absorb the liquid and soften.

3. Turn out the dough onto a floured board and knead for about 1 minute. Divide dough into 8 or 10 equal pieces and roll each into a ball.

4. Warm the griddle over medium heat. Use the tortilla press (or the bottom of a cast iron skillet) to press each dough ball into a tortilla between 2 pieces of wax paper. When the griddle is good and hot, place one tortilla on the griddle, and wait until you see it start to bubble and the bottom start to brown, about 20 seconds. Turn it over and cook for about 15 seconds more. Place the warm tortillas on the platter and cover with a tea towel or place in a tortilla warmer. Continue with the rest of the dough.

5. Tortillas will keep in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for several days, or you can freeze them for up to 2 months.

More Kids Cook Monday Recipes

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

For years Michael has been telling me about the Easter bread his mother made, and for years I’ve been trying to obtain the recipe. I finally succeeded in getting two recipes: one from his mother, a scan of a page taken from an unknown cook book over 50 years ago; and the other from his brother Chip which originally came from Uncle Tom. His mother began making braided bread for Christmas and Easter during the first year they were married, a departure from her family’s Easter babka. She didn’t have her mother’s babka recipe, so she started her own family tradition. For several months there were email discussions back and forth on which recipe was better than the other and why, and I wanted to make sure I honored this family favorite.

I thought about using dried cherries instead of raisins, and Michael was fine with that. Then I had to figure out the glaze recipe, which was not on the original scanned page, and after racking Michael’s brain on ingredients and thickness, we called his mom again. Her glaze is actually more like a buttercream frosting, and I just made a simple milk and sugar glaze, but thick enough to hold the colorful jelly beans. I must admit I felt a little intimidated about taking on this family tradition, but thankfully Michael liked the bread I made and the boys love the jelly beans on top.

So a new tradition is born for our family.

Recipe Notes

The dough is flavored with mace and lemon zest and studded with almonds and cherries or raisins, and at Christmas you can flavor it with orange zest and nutmeg and add dried cranberries. It’s a versatile sweet dough that you can use for many different shapes. You can decorated with the glaze and some jelly beans or mini malted Easter eggs, or you can skip them if you prefer.

(Print this recipe)

BRAIDED EASTER BREAD

Adapted from a recipe from Ann Meyers.

Total Preparation Time: 4 hours 15 minutes

Makes 2 large loaves.

Equipment

stand mixer with paddle attachment and dough hook
large mixing bowl, lightly greased
2 baking sheets lined with parchment

Ingredients

7 cups (840 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (88 g) granulated sugar
4 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons/113 g) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups (360 ml) warm milk
1/2 cup (120 ml) warm water
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon mace
1 cup (120 g) dried cherries or raisins
1 cup (112 g) chopped almonds
1 egg + 2 teaspoons cold water

GLAZE

2-1/2 cups (200 g) confectioners sugar, sifted
4 to 5 tablespoons lowfat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

OPTIONAL DECORATIONS

jelly beans
mini malted eggs

Preparation

1. In the bowl of the stand mixer, mix 4 cups of the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt, then add the softened butter and the eggs and mix until the butter is evenly distributed. Add the warm milk and water and continue mixing until it resembles a slurry. Switch to the dough hook and add the lemon zest, mace, cherries, almonds, and another cup of flour, mixing until the flour is fully incorporated. Continue adding flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough starts to clean the sides of the bowl. Knead with the dough hook until it is smooth and elastic, about 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Transfer the dough to the greased mixing bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 90 minutes. Punch down the dough and let it rise again until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.

3. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 2 equal pieces. Set one piece aside, then divide the other into 4 equal pieces. Roll 3 of the pieces into 14-inch strands. Place them side-by-side on one of the parchment-lined baking sheets, then gently braid them, tucking the ends under. Divide the remaining piece into 3 equal pieces and braid them, then place the braid on top of the larger braid. Make another double braid with the remaining dough.

4. Cover both braids with tea towels and allow to rise until doubled, about 45 to 60 minutes.

5. Place the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, allow plenty of room for the breads to rise. Preheat the oven to 350° F/175° C.

6. Brush the braids with the egg and water mixture, then place in the preheated oven. After 20 minutes, move the bottom baking sheet to the top and the top baking sheet to the bottom. Continue baking until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on wire racks.

7. GLAZE: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the confectioners sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. The glaze should be slightly thickened, not runny. Drizzle it over the cooled bread, then place a few jelly beans (optional) in the crevices of the bread, tucking them into the glaze to hold in place.

More Sweet Easter Recipes

More Sweet Easter Recipes From Around the Blogs

Food Blogga – Traditional Italian Easter Rice Pie

Baking Bites – Easter Egg Shortbread Cookies

From Argentina With Love – Rosca de Pascua, Easter Bread Ring

Culinary Concoctions by Peabody – Milk Chocolate Marshmallow Peep Ice Cream

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

The final weekend of Mardi Gras is approaching, which means Pancake Day (aka Pancake Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday) is next week. In our home one would think that it’s Pancake Day just about every Sunday morning since that’s our weekly ritual, though these pancakes were born on a snowy weekday morning this winter when the boys were trapped at home and schools were closed. The morning was much more relaxed than our usual rush to get everyone fed, dressed, and off to school on time. The boys played while I took my time making breakfast, then they eagerly asked for syrup and apple butter to top their plate of pancakes.

The boys liked these so much that they asked for them every morning of that week we were snowed in. Thankfully we had heat to keep us warm with all that snow and ice piled up, and there were plenty of pancakes to go around.

(Print this recipe)

WHOLE WHEAT, OATMEAL, AND BANANA PANCAKES

Makes 4 to 5 servings.
Time: about 30 minutes

Equipment

food processor
medium mixing bowl
small mixing bowl
griddle or skillet

Ingredients

1 cup (80 g) uncooked whole oats
1 cup (128 g) white whole wheat flour
3/4 cup (90 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (28 g) packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 cups (480 ml) buttermilk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 very ripe banana, mashed

SERVE WITH
maple syrup
apple butter
fried apples

Preparation

1. Process the rolled oats in a food processor until the texture resembles coarse flour. In the medium bowl, whisk together the oat flour, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

2. In the small bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and melted butter. Stir in the mashed banana. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Let the batter stand for 5 minutes.

3. Warm a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Ladle the batter onto the hot griddle and cook until bubbles form and the edges turn dry, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the other side. Keep warm on a covered plate while cooking the rest. Repeat with remaining batter.

More Pancake Recipes

More Pancake Recipes From Around the Blogs

Kitchen Parade – My Mom’s Pancake Recipe

Appetite for China – Chinese Scallion Pancakes

Kalyn’s Kitchen – Socca (Garbanzo or Chickpea Flatbread Pancake from France)

The Perfect Pantry – Latkes, Potato Pancakes

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

We’ve had quite a few snow and ice days recently, more than we thought we would have this year. I guess after the unusually powerful snow storms we had last year we thought the next few winters would be milder, more like the average winters for this area. But there is still snow on the ground and just a couple days of sunshine sprinkled here and there, and with being cooped up we’ve been baking more than usual. Not that that’s a bad thing, and the boys appreciate having fresh muffins and scones for breakfast.

These whole wheat ricotta muffins \stick to the ribs and keep the boys going in the mornings, and they love the flavor and smell of the orange zest with the dried cranberries. After zesting the orange, I rub it into the sugar with my fingers and let it sit for a few minutes before mixing with the butter, which gives the sugar a distinct orange flavor that permeates the muffins. You can also use orange sugar leftover from storing candied orange peels for more fabulous orange flavor.

Whole wheat muffin batter tend to be stickier than muffins made from all-purpose flour, and coating the muffin papers with nonstick spray helps them to peel off easier without the muffin sticking. The texture is best on the first day, but if you have some leftover muffins you can warm them up a bit the next morning and they’ll be fine.

WHOLE WHEAT CRANBERRY ORANGE RICOTTA MUFFINS

Makes 12 muffins.

Equipment

muffin tin, lined with paper liners coated with nonstick spray
small mixing bowl
medium mixing bowl
stand mixer with paddle attachment, or hand mixer and large bowl

Ingredients

1 cup (175 g) granulated sugar plus more as needed for sprinkling
1 orange, zested and juiced
2 cups (256 g) white whole wheat flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (57 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (248 g)  whole-milk ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1/2 cup (80 g) dried cranberries

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350° degrees F/175° C.

2. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of sugar with the orange zest, using your fingers to rub the zest in. Set aside and allow the orange to infuse the sugar for about 15 minutes. You can also do this the day before to really let the flavor soak in.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In the stand mixer, beat the infused sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the ricotta until it’s thoroughly mixed, then add the eggs and orange juice, mixing until thoroughly combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir by hand just until blended (the batter will be thick and fluffy), but don’t over mix or the muffins will become tough. Gently fold in the cranberries.

4. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle a little sugar over the muffins. Bake until the muffins just become pale golden on top, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

More Muffin Recipes

More Whole Grain Muffin Recipes From Around the Blogs

Farmgirl Fare – Whole Grain Pear Bran Muffins

Guilty Kitchen – Brown Butter Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

This Week for Dinner – Whole Wheat and Flax Cornbread Muffins

Pinch My Salt – Pumpkin Maple Muffins

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

It’s time for another post for The Kids Cook Monday, and this time our boys chose one of their favorite breakfasts, waffles. Around our house breakfast can also be dinner and the boys enjoy waffles any time of the day. Serve healthy whole wheat waffles with fruit and  a vegetable omelet or frittata or and you’ve got a great meal.

This is a whole wheat waffles recipe that I adapted from King Arthur Flour using honey instead of sugar, buttermilk instead of milk, and adding some cinnamon for a bit of spice. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by combining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice plus enough milk to make 1-1/2 cups, then let it rest on the counter for about 10 minutes. It will start to curdle and give you some tangy milk. You can also substitute plain yogurt. This is an easy recipe for the kids to help with, just mix and let the waffle iron do the cooking. All three of our boys get to help and each has a task, and they get excited about wearing their chef aprons and hats.

Here’s how you make the waffles:

Whisk the dry ingredients.

Whisk the wet ingredients.

Stir it all together. (I love this picture of Michael and Monkey Boy.)

Cook.

Enjoy!

How Adults Can Help the Kids

• Demonstrate and assist with any tasks that might be new: measuring, stirring, pouring.
• Demonstrate how to pour the waffle batter on the hot iron, remove the cooked waffle, then assist the kids as necessary. Young children should not handle the hot waffle iron.

Safety Tips

• Make sure an adult is present at all times.
• An adult should be in charge of plugging in and turning on the waffle iron.
• Use wooden tongs or a heat proof spatula to lift the cooked waffle off the hot iron.

HONEY CINNAMON WHOLE WHEAT WAFFLES

Adapted from King Arthur Flour.

Makes 4 Belgian waffles.

Equipment

medium bowl
small bowl
Belgian waffle iron, or other type as desired
nonstick cooking spray

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups (192 g) whole wheat flour, white or traditional (We recommend King Arthur flours.)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, beaten
1-1/2 cups (360 ml) buttermilk or lowfat yogurt
2 tablespoons honey, warmed
1/3 cup (75 g) melted butter

SERVE WITH
maple syrup
apple butter
fried apples
fresh fruit

Preparation

1. In the medium bowl whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

2. In the small bowl stir together the egg, buttermilk, honey, and melted butter.

3. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until combined.

4. Cook according to your waffle iron manufacturer’s directions. You can keep cooked waffles warm in a 250° F/120° C oven while making the rest, just lay them directly on the oven rack, and they will even crisp a little.

More Breakfast Recipes

More Waffle Recipes From Around the Blogs

A Bloggable Life – Gingerbread Waffles

The Perfect Pantry – Yogurt Lemon Waffles

Gluten-Free Goddess – Gluten-Free Pumpkin Waffles

Baking Bites – Raised Orange Waffles

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

We are hosting family Thanksgiving this year, and we’re so happy that our family is making the trip to spend a few days together. Like any family we all have busy lives and don’t get to see each other as often as we would like, so it makes holidays all the more special for us. It means cooking for 15 this year instead of 5 and making sure we get everyone’s favorites on the table. It’s going to be a busy, crazy couple of days, and we wouldn’t miss it for the world.

It also means paying more attention to ingredients so my sister can safely enjoy the meal with all of us, so for the first time I’ve been doing some gluten-free baking to get ready for the big feast. My family eats stuffing cooked outside the bird, and the dressing my family made when we were growing up was shaped into small patties and baked. I prefer to bake it casserole-style because I think it retains moisture better and becomes a perfect palette for the gravy.

Because I’m new to gluten-free baking and just learning about all the gluten-free flours, I chose to use the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Cornbread Mix for this recipe, though of course you can use your own GF cornbread recipe. The mix made a 9×9 pan of cornbread, and about half of that was enough for this stuffing recipe, so the extras can be eaten with another meal. Making the cornbread a day ahead allowed time for it to dry a little before mixing into the stuffing.

The celery and all the fresh herbs came from our garden. Looking out at the garden and seeing the herbs and some of the greens still growing on a chilly November day always makes me smile, and we’ve found that most of the herbs continue to grow throughout the winter, giving us fresh garden flavor during cold months.

This recipe is my contribution to Grow Your Own, a blogging event that celebrates the dishes we create from foods we’ve grown, raised, foraged, or hunted ourselves. Whether it’s autumn or spring wherever you are, we hope you’ll join us this month, and if you have holiday recipes to share that will make it even more festive. Send your post information to me at andreasrecipesgyo AT gmail DOT com by November 30. If you are new to the event, you can read more about the rules for participating at the Grow Your Own page.

(Print this recipe)

GLUTEN-FREE CORNBREAD AND SAUSAGE STUFFING WITH HERBS

Serves 12.

Equipment

large skillet
large mixing bowl
9×13 pan, lightly coated with nonstick spray

Ingredients

16 ounces baked gluten-free cornbread, cooled completely (We recommend making it a day ahead.)
12 ounces gluten-free sweet Italian sausage, casing removed and crumbled
1-1/3 cups chopped celery
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup (80 g) dried cranberries
3 tablespoons minced fresh sage
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1/2 cup (20 g) chopped flat leaf parsley
2 to 3 cups (480 to 720 ml) gluten-free turkey or chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F/190° C.

2. In the large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat until it’s browned and fully cooked. Add the celery and onion and cook while stirring until they have softened but still have a slight crunch. Remove from the heat and stir in the cranberries.

3. Break up the cornbread into large chunks and put it into the mixing bowl. Add the sage, rosemary, thyme, and parsley and toss.

4. Pour 2 cups of the broth over the cornbread chunks and stir. The cornbread should soak up most of the liquid and look wet, not dry. Add more broth 1/4 cup at a time until the mixture is wet but not soupy and has a little liquid pooled at the bottom of the bowl.

5. Add the sausage mixture and toss well. Add salt and pepper to the mixture and stir. Add the melted butter and and eggs and stir well.

6. Spread the stuffing in the prepared baking dish and cover with foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking until lightly browned on top, about 20 to 30 minutes. Serve hot.

More Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes (May or may not be gluten-free.)

More Stuffing Recipes From Around the Blogs

101 Cookbooks – Sage, Walnut, and Dried Fig Stuffing

Gluten-Free Goddess – Gluten-Free Cornbread Stuffing with Maple Roasted Acorn Squash

Hunter Angler Gardener Cook – Chanterelle Stuffing

Baking Bites – Bacon, Pumpkin, and Pecan Stuffing

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

I admit that I’ve been a bit of a chicken about trying gluten-free (GF) baking. Though I’m a relatively accomplished baker, the list of ingredients for many GF recipes left me quaking in my boots and I’ve studiously avoided it. Cooking GF for my sister has not been a problem because most things I cook are naturally GF, but I usually just ask her about what kinds of bread of whatever else she might need when she visits and just go out and buy it. Leave it to Shauna to get me out of my GF baking rut. She threw down a Thanksgiving GF baking challenge and how could I possibly say no?

But I was still a wee bit nervous.

So I decided to start simple and adapt our pumpkin scones recipe, which would make a delicious addition to the Thanksgiving breakfast table. I like to make Thanksgiving breakfast the night before so the morning gets off to an easy start, and it’s so refreshing to wake up with breakfast ready to go, especially since the rest of the day will be spent in and around the kitchen.

I found GF ingredients at Target. How easy was that?

For the scones, I used 2 cups of the GF baking flour and 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum, which is the replacement for gluten. The Bob’s Red Mill flour mix has garbanzo flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, sorghum flour, and fava flour, and is easy for a beginning GF baker to start with.

Mixing was a snap, no different from our regular recipe, though I did add a tablespoon of milk toward the end of mixing to pick up the loose bits of flour laying in the bottom of the bowl. The dough shaped nicely and baked up beautifully. From the exterior we couldn’t see any difference. The real test was in the tasting, and Michael gamely cut into one and took a bite, then another, and gave me a big look of surprise and said he couldn’t taste a difference. We could have done a blind taste test with the regular and GF scones and would have been challenged to tell which was which. Now I call that a successful first GF baking experience.

There’s a bunch of us participating in Shauna’s GF Thanksgiving challenge, so make sure you check out Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef for links to the other blogs. And thank you, Shauna, for the challenge! Between you and my fabulous sister I might actually get this gluten-free baking thing down.

And while you are over at Shauna’s blog, make sure you check out the incredible giveaway they are offering to get you started on gluten-free baking! Prizes include:

• 3 copies of their fabulous cookbook,
• a collection of all the gluten-free flours necessary to bake from their cookbook,
• a grab bag of spices and oils that might be necessary to bake from their cookbook,
• a baking package, including jelly roll pans, a Silpat, tart pans, etc., and
• a Kitchen Aid Mixer!

[Updated January 15, 2011.]

(Print this recipe)

GLUTEN-FREE PUMPKIN SCONES

Makes 8 scones.

Equipment

food processor with blade attachment
small bowl
large mixing bowl
baking sheet, greased or lined with parchment paper

Ingredients

2 cups (240 g) Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour, plus extra for dusting
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/3 cup (58 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 stick (8 tablespoons/113 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup (120 mil) pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (50 g) raisins or golden raisins
milk
cinnamon & sugar mix

Preparation

1. Move the oven rack to the lower-middle part of the oven. Preheat oven to 400° F/200° C.

2. In food processor bowl, mix the flour, xanthan gum, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Add the pieces of butter and pulse about 10 to 12 times. The mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth.

4. Pour the flour mixture into the large mixing bowl and add the raisins. Stir in the pumpkin mixture until large dough clumps form. Press it all together with a spatula, making sure you don’t have any loose bits of flour.

5. Flour your hands well. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and pat into an 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Brush milk on the top and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mix.

6. Cut into 8 triangles and place them on the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

More Gluten-Free Recipes for Thanksgiving

The Complete Gluten-Free Thanksgiving 2010

Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef | Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Dishes
Andrea’s Recipes | gluten-free pumpkin scones
Not Without Salt | gluten-free chocolate biscotti
Zest Bakery | warm pumpkin polenta with goat cheese
The Mommy Bowl | gluten-free bread
Smith Bites | gluten-free celery root soup with cashew cream
White on Rice Couple | Turkey Sloppy Joes on Rosemary Rolls
What’s Gaby Cooking | gluten-free molasses cookies
Food for My Family | Gluten-Free Apple Pie Cheesecake
Kitchen Gadget Girl | gluten-free pumpkin strata
Rookie Moms | chocolate peanut butter brownies
Tiffin Tales | gluten-free Thanksgiving torte
Adventures of a Gluten-Free Mom | gluten, dairy and egg free crescent rolls and cinnamon rolls
Eat the Love | Gluten Free Maple Sweet Potato Cheesecake with Gingerbread Bottom
Gluten-Free Doctor Recipes | gluten-free sourdough rosemary rolls and gluten-free mincemeat cookies
The Art of Gluten-Free Baking | gluten-free pumpkin pie
Sophisticated Gourmet | cranberry-almond-coconut macaroons topped with chocolate
Cook 4 Seasons | gluten-free pumpkin mousse
Cook It Allergy Free | Cornbread and (Shauna’s) Crusty Bread Stuffing
Lexie’s Kitchen | dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, no-bake pumpkin pie filling
Recipe Girl | an entire Thanksgiving menu, gluten-free
Two Peas and Their Pod | gluten-free apple cranberry crisp
Gluten-Free for Good | gluten-free cherry cobbler
My Madeleine | butternut squash soup.
The Sensitive Pantry | gluten-free brown sugar hand pies
Art and Lemons | gluten-free rustic squash tarts
Bellalimento | Gluten Free Pumpkin Roll with Mascarpone and Nutella Filling
Mom Food Project | an entire Thanksgiving, gluten-free
Gluten-Free Easily | candy carrot coins
Dish Towel Diaries | kale Caesar slaw
A Baking Life | gluten-free gingerbread cake
Glugle Gluten-Free | gluten-free pumpkin muffins
Wenderly | sweet and savory prosciutto cups
Cannelle Et Vanille | sweet potato and crabapple clafoutis
Who Ate My Tomato? | gluten-free squash tart
What’s Cooking with Kids | gluten-free apple crisp
CakeSpy | Gluten-Free Turkey Meatloaf Cupcakes
Blue Bonnets and Brownies | apple and pear cobbler
Wasabimon! | gluten-free butternut squash pie
Chez Us | gluten-free apple crisp

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