A couple of recipes

Sorry for not posting as much as I wish I could. I wanted to put up a few recipes that my husband and I have been making a lot lately and really enjoy.

The first is for homemade, whole wheat English muffins. These are really good to have on hand for an easy breakfast or for quick sandwiches.

English Muffins

·       1 package dry active yeast

·       1 cup warm water (105 to 120°F)

·       1 cup milk

·       1/4 cup butter

·       2 tablespoons sugar

·       1 teaspoon salt

·       6 cups flour, 3 cups whole wheat flour and 3 cups bread flour mixed well, divided

·       1/2 cup white corn meal

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl. Heat milk and butter in small saucepan until butter melts. Add sugar and salt to milk mixture.

Stir yeast mixture, milk mixture and 3 cups flour together until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough.

Turn onto lightly floured surface; knead 2 minutes. Spray a large bowl with no-stick cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning to coat surface. Cover with damp cloth or plastic wrap; let rise in warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350ºF. Cover rolling surface with corn meal. Punch down dough; divide in half. Roll each half out to 1/2-inch thickness on prepared surface. Cut into 3-inch rounds; place on baking sheets about 1 inch apart.

Bake 6 minutes on each side, or until browned. Cool on wire racks. Serve split and toasted.

This next recipe is for Cinnamon Roll Scones. They are so good. They might not be really healthy, but they are much better than an over-iced cinnamon roll from a store. You can also make them healthier by using half whole wheat flour and half unbleached all-purpose.

Cinnamon Bun Scones

·       2/3 cup light brown sugar

·       1 stick (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice, plus 2 tablespoons softened

·       1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon

·       3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

·       1/3 cup granulated sugar

·       1 tablespoon baking powder

·       1/2 teaspoon salt

·       1 cup heavy cream

·       1 large egg

·       1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 425°. Line a large, heavy baking sheet with parchment paper. In a food processor, pulse the brown sugar with the 2 tablespoons of softened butter and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon until soft crumbs form. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.

In the processor, combine the 3 cups of flour with the granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and the remaining ¼-teaspoon of cinnamon and pulse to blend. Add the diced butter and pulse until the mixture resembles small peas. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and make a well in the center.

Add the cream, egg and vanilla to the well and stir to combine. Using a wooden spoon, gradually stir in the flour mixture until a firm dough forms. Crumble the brown sugar mixture over the dough and knead it into the dough, leaving some streaks.

Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Turn the dough out onto it and knead 3 times. Pat or roll the dough into an 8-inch round, about 1 inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges, then transfer the scones to the baking sheet and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until browned. Let cool slightly on the sheet, then transfer to a wire rack.