Strawberry Brown Butter Banana Bread

On Saturday we had the great opportunity to meet the lovely Joy from Joy the Baker at her book signing in Winnetka, Illinois! Unfortunately we got there just as her last book was sold, so we didn't have an actual book for her to sign--regardless, we still waited to talk to her and it was so worth it. She is incredibly nice, personable, and just all-around cute! It makes sense why so many people love her blog and her great personality that shines through in her writing. She is just as fun and witty in person! (She also mentioned that she has seen our blog--whoa nelly! Joy, you rock! Thanks for the support!)



Since we missed out on getting her book, I thought I'd make a recipe of hers from her blog that I've been wanting to try for awhile: Strawberry Brown Butter Banana Bread. Best decision I've made in a long time--this bread is amazing, you guys. It's insanely moist, and the brown butter! Ah! Not to mention the strawberry/banana combo--so classic. If you like traditional banana bread, I promise you will like this one just as much, if not better. This recipe is going down in my top 5 favorite breads for shiz.



If you haven't read Joy's great blog, you should definitely check it out. She's great. And while you're at it, make some of this bread and read her blog at the same time. Joy times two!

Happy Spring Break!



Strawberry Brown Butter Banana Bread
From Joy the Baker

6 ounces unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup plain yogurt (we used greek), or buttermilk
3 very ripe bananas
1/2 cup finely-diced strawberries, plus one thinly-sliced into rounds for the top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Butter will start to bubble; keep stirring. When butter begins to turn brown and smell nutty, quickly transfer butter to a small bowl to stop the browning process. Browning goes very fast, so make sure you're watching closely! Set aside to cool.

Next, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a separate medium bowl, mix together eggs, vanilla, and yogurt. Add bananas and mash until mixture becomes a puree. Add cooled butter and stir to combine.

Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together until completely combined. Stir in diced strawberries, being careful not to over-mix. Pour batter into loaf pan and lay strawberry rounds over the top. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto the rack. Cool completely, then enjoy!

Cheddar, Beer and Mustard Pull-Apart Bread

What does comfort food look like to you?

Is it buttermilk fried chicken? A quinoa salad with roasted vegetables? A peanut butter and jelly sandwich?



To me, comfort food (and all food, for that matter) is simple, fresh, and full of flavor. It's also probably full of butter, cream, or maybe both. It might have white flour, or white sugar, or vegetable oil. If I'm feeling particularly feisty, it may contain lentils, coconut oil, or kale. But probably not.

I think food should be delicious, easy, and healthy, when applicable.




Oh, and my two food idols? Ina and Deb. These ladies have taste. They both love flavorful, hearty, feel-good meals, and I am constantly drooling over their mouth-watering creations. Perfect roasted chickens? Lasagne Bolognese? Plum Rasberry Crumbe? Yes please. I think they regularly read my mind.

So cheers to you, Deb, for creating this insanely awesome and manly pull-apart bread. It's the comfort food of my dreams.

Notes:

1. This bread is fairly time consuming, so keep that in mind if you're making it for something specific (like a party or potluck). We started the bread on Saturday, the day before the Superbowl, and let the dough rise in the fridge overnight. Then we finished it in the morning before the game. This worked really well for us and didn't seem nearly as overwhelming. Just something to consider.

2. This recipe may look really difficult, but it's actually not that bad. If you're able to make dough rise (which shouldn't be hard, as long as you don't keep your house at 62 degrees *mom*), then you can totally do it. It's also crazy impressive, right?! Try it! Don't be scared.

3. Okay, one more thing. Like I said before, this bread is INSANELY good. I could've eaten the whole thing myself, in one sitting. And I don't even like mustard. Beware! It's that good.



Cheddar, Beer and Mustard Pull-Apart Bread
Slightly Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Makes one 9x5-inch loaf

Bread:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup beer (we used Negro Modelo)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/3 cup rye flour (we just used more all-purpose flour)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature

Heat butter and 1/4 cup beer in a small saucepan until butter has melted. Remove from heat and add remaining 1/3 cup of beer. Let cool slightly; you will want it warm but not hot.

Next, whisk together 2 cups of the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, turn the mixer on low and pour in the beer mixture (save dirty saucepan for later). Mix until flour is moistened, then add eggs one at a time and mix until combined. Batter should look lumpy (don't worry). Add remaining 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and the 1/3 cup rye flour (or all-purpose if you're us), mixing until just combined. Take off paddle attachment and put on dough hook. Knead dough on low for 3 to 4 minutes.

Place dough in an oiled bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside for about an hour, or until dough has doubled. (You could also put the dough in the fridge, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and leave it there overnight. Just make sure you take it out the next day and let it come to room temperature for an hour before using.)

Filling:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon honey mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Dash of hot sauce
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
Several grinds of fresh black pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Using the same saucepan you used to make the beer mixture, melt butter and then remove from heat. Whisk in mustard, Worcestershire, and hot sauce until smooth. In a separate medium bowl, add mustard powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper and stir together. Add cheddar and coat with spices. Put bowl in the fridge until needed to prevent the cheese from melting or getting sticky.




Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray. Flour your counter and place dough in the center, rolling out to a 20x12-inch rectangle. (If it sticks to the counter, just lift sections of the dough up and place more flour underneath.) Brush dough rectangle with mustard mixture, making sure to get the entire surface coated. Cut dough into five 12x4-inch strips and sprinkle the first strip with 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture. Carefully put another dough strip on top, covering it with another 1/4 cup of cheese. Repeat with remaining strips, including the last. Use all of the cheese.




Carefully, and with your sharpest knife, cut the stack into six or seven 4x2-inch segments (how ever many your dough will allow). We felt it worked best to saw back and forth with the knife rather than just pushing straight down when cutting the stack. Arrange segments in your loaf pan, gently pressing dough to the side to make more room if needed. Make sure dough is evenly distributed in pan, then cover loosely with plastic wrap again and let it rise for another 35-40 minutes.




Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake loaf for 25-35 minutes, until puffy and brown. If you start eating it and notice that the middle is still really doughy (like ours was), just put it back in until dough is soft but not wet. Transfer pan to a cooling rack and let sit for 5 minutes before turning out onto a plate.



Serve warm, with a nice cold beer!

Hot Cross Buns

"Hot cross buuuuuns...hot cross buuuuuuns...one a penny, two a penny, hot cross buuuuuuns!"



Did I ever mention that I teach music?

I taught my 3rd grade students to play "Hot Cross Buns" on their recorders recently, and wow, were they excited! They were so proud to be able to play an actual song; it was very fun watching them find such joy in a three-note recorder piece. Oh, to be 8 years old again!

As I was teaching my students about the history of hot cross buns, I could tell that the kiddos were getting hungry (they sure liked the sound of the frosting cross on top). One of my students even had the guts to ask me if I could make them a batch of buns if they played the song perfectly--such bribery! So instead of baking buns for my students, I made them for myself. Is that selfish?



These were my addition to my family's Easter brunch a couple of weeks ago, and they turned out to be quite good. I might change a few things about them next time, but if you're looking for a good hot cross buns recipe, this one will definitely do. Now if only I had twenty third graders instead of ninety, I might consider making them again...


Hot Cross Buns
by The Pioneer Woman

For dough:
2 cups whole milk (I used 1 cup half-and-half, 1 cup skim)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
4 cups flour + another 1/2 cup
1/2 cup (additional) flour
1/2 teaspoon (heaping) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (scant) baking soda
2 teaspoons salt

For filling:
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon*
1/2 cup raisins

For glaze:
1 egg white
splash of milk

For frosting:
4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla



Combine milk, canola oil, and sugar in a large dutch oven. Stir over medium-high heat until steaming but not boiling. Take dutch oven off the stove and let it cool for about 30 minutes. Mixture should still be slightly warm.

Add in yeast and 4 cups of flour and stir until well combined and sticky. Cover with a tea towel and set in a warm place for 1 hour. Then add last 1/2 cup of flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir until combined.

While waiting for the dough, mix sugar and cinnamon together for the filling. Add in a touch of cardamom, allspice, or nutmeg if you'd like, too.

After dough has risen, take out of dutch oven and place on a lightly-floured surface. Flatten into a sheet and sprinkle a few teaspoons of the filling and about 1/3 of the raisins over the top. Fold dough in half to cover the filling, flatten again, and repeat with filling and another 1/3 of raisins. Fold over one last time (dough should now be 1/4 the size) and add filling and raisins. You may not use the whole bowl of filling.

Flour your hands and then rip off a small piece of dough. Take each corner and tuck them under to form a smooth ball of dough. Shape more if needed. Dough should be about the size of a golf ball. Place on a greased cookie sheet and cover again with a tea towel for another hour.



Preheat oven to 400 degrees and whisk egg white and milk together for the glaze. Brush mixture onto each bun. Place buns in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Remove and cool on a cooling rack.

I used cream cheese frosting for this recipe, but you can use any white frosting that you like. Combine butter and cream cheese together in an electric mixer, and then add powdered sugar slowly until smooth. Beat in vanilla last. Make sure to wait until buns are completely cool, and then pipe frosting in an X on the top (put in a plastic baggie and cut the corner for an easy piping bag).

Sing and enjoy!



I'm sharing with you a sound clip of my dears playing the song right after they learned it--I thought it would be fitting.

Grandma Bradley's Banana Bread

If I'm ever feeling down, there are three things that can without-a-doubt lift my mood:

1. A sweet treat
2. Nice weather
3. Retail therapy

(Oh, and Husband. He's number 4.)

Luckily, I got all three of these things this weekend! Husband and I had a lovely Saturday shopping with our siblings and niece, which of course ended in some great new spring purchases (just bought this with a gift card and I am just over the moon). It was so nice to be outside without a coat; I feel so recharged! I hope these warm days decide to stick around for awhile.



My sweet treat is actually in the process of baking right now, and it's smelling quite tasty. Whenever I have overripe bananas lying around, I always make my Grandma Bradley's classic banana bread recipe. It really is the best banana bread, no lie. I'm also thinking I might make a special batch of banana chocolate chip muffins this afternoon too; I'll let you know how they turn out (my sweet tooth was craving some chocolate, sorry Grandma)!


Grandma's Banana Bread
By Grandma Bradley

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 large ripe bananas
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a large loaf pan.

Cream together the sugar and butter in a stand mixer. Add eggs and beat until combined. Mix bananas and lemon juice in a separate small bowl until only small chunks remain. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in a third bowl.

Add banana mixture to creamed mixture and stir together. Add flour mixture next and blend until all is moistened. Do not over-mix.

Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.