Cinnamon Swirl Bread

There is nothing like the smell of bread baking in the oven.

 

Yummy!

recipe here

Peach Kuchen

I have been fighting a cold lately and have not felt much like baking.   Today I felt much better and thought that I would give this simple coffee cake a go....and besides, I am aching for summertime to get here so I thought that some peaches would be a wonderful choice.   This kuchen is quite biscuit-like and reminisant of an upside down cake from the brown sugar syrup that was poured over the cake before baking.  The cake was fluffy and moist and the edges were crispy and gooey. It took no time to put together and bake.  A good choice!  It would be awesome served with ice cream for dessert.

South Dakota Peach Kuchen
Midwest Living

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/4 t ground nutmeg or cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
2 cups sliced peaches or frozen unsweetened peach slices, thawed and well drained on paper towels
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 T light corn syrup
1 T butter
1 t lemon juice
Vanilla or peach ice cream

Grease and flour a 9-inch springform or 9x9x2 inch baking pan.  In bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.  Using pastry blender, cut in 1/4 cup butter to resemble coarse crumbs; make well in center.  In small bowl mix egg and milk; add to flour mixture.  Stir just until moistened (it will be lumpy).

Spread into prepared pan.  Halve any large peach slices. Arrange slices over batter.  In saucepan, mix brown sugar, corn syrup, 1 tablespoon butter and juice.  Bring to boiling.  Drizzle over peaches.  Bake in 350 degree oven 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on wire rack 15 minutes.  Serve warm for breakfast and with ice cream for dessert.  Serves 9

Dried Cherry Almond Scones

These scones are wonderful.  The lemon rind really brightened up the flavors of the cherries and the almonds.  I have to admit I have never made scones before...they were so easy!  I will surely make them again and again and again!!!  Yum, yum, yum!!

 



Dried Cherry Scones

Anne Burrell

3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 lemon, zested

pinch salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 1/2 sticks of cold butter, cut into pea size pieces

1 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup toasted, sliced almonds

1/2 cup heavy cream

Turbinado sugar, for garnishing

In a small bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, salt and cinnamon.  Add in the butter and rub with your fingers into the dry ingredients until coarse meal forms.  Add in the cherries and the almonds.  Add the heavy cream and combine it into the butter mixture.

Form the dough into a one inch thick disk and cut into 6-8 wedges.  Sprinkle each wedge generously with the turbinado sugar.  Transfer the wedges to a parchment lined sheet pan and bake in the preheated over for 17 to 18 minutes, turning the pan halfway through.  Serve warm.

ABC Old World Braided Coffee Cake





This months Avid Bakers Challenge offering is a braided coffee cake.  I was a bit nervous about this one, never have made a braided coffee cake before and wasn't really envisioning the process of it all.  After reading the recipe over and over and finding a few tutorials online about how to braid a coffee cake, I felt a little better about giving it a shot.  Everything went well, it was actually very easy.  Mine turned out a bit rustic but nice and brown and quite tasty!  I love this cookbook!!  Looking forward to next months challenge. 

Please click on the ABC badge below and see what the other extraordinary bakers did with this recipe