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English muffins don’t come in with too many flavor options beyond plain and sourdough, although whole wheat do seem to pop up more and more often these days. The one real flavor that english muffins come in is cinnamon raisin – and it’s a good one. When the spicy muffins toast up, the cinnamon scent and flavor is released from the bread and the raisins become hot and sweet. They’re not as versatile as the go-with-anything plain variety of english muffin, but when they’re spread with butter, cinnamon raisin is a fantastic breakfast treat.
These are very easy to make at home. The english muffin dough is a no-knead batter that is mixed up and allowed to rise for just a short period of time. Once it has risen, the dough is dropped in big spoonfuls and cooked on a skillet or griddle. This allows both the top and the bottom of the muffin to take on a golden color, while the center cooks through and still remains chewy and soft, the perfect texture for toasting.
This recipe calls for nonfat milk because it tends to produce slightly holier muffins. The higher the fat content in the english muffin, the tighter the crumb. Low fat milk works pretty well, but if you compared a whole milk muffin and a nonfat muffin, you’d notice a difference. All that said, both will taste good. If you want to experiment a little, try using other dried fruits in place of the raisins, like currants, cranberries or blueberries.
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Bread pudding is a great dessert because it is fairly easy to make and is a great way to use up a half loaf of leftover bread that is just a touch past its prime. That said, it’s also delicious enough that I’ve been known to run out to the store to buy a fresh loaf just to make some.
Most bread puddings have a custardy base made of milk and/or cream and eggs, similar to the mixture that french toast is soaked in before cooking it. For this bread pudding, I wanted to try something a little different and added some cream cheese into the basic custard mixture, adding a little bit of that tangy cream cheese flavor to the dish. I was inspired to give this a try when, during a dinner out, one of my dining companions just couldn’t decide between a mini cheesecake and homemade bread pudding We ended up getting both for the table and splitting them, and it was apparent that the textures and flavors would be very complementary, as both are often creamy and mild desserts on their own.
The finished bread pudding tasted like a very mild cheesecake, with just a hint of cream cheese flavor mixed in with a strong vanilla flavor, and had a slightly firmer texture than some of the softer bread puddings I’ve tried. The cream cheese blended in very well into the rest of the milk-egg mixture and had no problems being absorbed by the bread cubes that make up the base of this dessert. I would opt for white bread, or a bread like challah or brioche for this pudding, as a whole grain bread will add enough of its own flavor that the dessert will loose some of its cheesecake essence (although it will still be rich and tasty).
Since this is a fairly plain bread pudding, I would serve it with a few spoonfuls of cream anglaise or other custard sauce, or pair it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you opt for the ice cream route, serve the bread pudding warm. Otherwise, it is good both warmed and at room temperature.
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Mother’s Day is a big brunch holiday. It falls on a Sunday, so there is ample opportunity to sleep in, and going out to brunch takes a lot of the “what should we do today?” question out of the occasion. Restaurants are packed for Mother’s Day brunch, so it is bound to be less expensive and more relaxing to stay home, eat and relax (and open Mother’s Day presents!). Since you’re eating in, there will probably be plenty of time to fuss with a fancy meal, but keep in mind that your mmom probably just wants to spend time with you, so it might be a good idea to choose dishes that are not high-maintenance and/or can be made in advance.
A Cheesey Egg Casserole is a rich, tasty brunch dish that can be made in advance. The casserole can be halved for a small group, but the leftovers taste great, too, if you decide to make the whole thing. A fritatta or crustless quiche can be an easy to prep option, and one that gives you lots of freedom as to what to include in it. Eggs-in-Toast need to be made at the last minute, but look very cute if it’s just you and mom for breakfast.
Sugar Donut Muffins taste very decadent, and better than many storebought donuts. Coconut Scones, Strawberry Scones and Meyer Lemon Scones are also nice munching options, and recipes for full-sized scones can be used to make minis by cutting each piece in half and reducing the baking time. For a richer brunch pastry, Easy Cinnamon Bun Bread is a great option that requires almost no babysitting. Classic MonkeyBread might be even better than cinnamon buns, but is best for serving to a big group, as it is so easy to share.
Don’t forget that a good pot of coffee, fresh oj and some champagne will really finish of the breakfast
Hi everyone. I’m taking a couple of days off, so I’ll leave you with this picture to hold you over until I get back. I’ll update with the recipe soon. Promise.
For all of you who have e-mailed me over the past few months, asking when we were going to have another round of Blogging By Mail, your time has come. The global, non-digital event has returned!
When I started Blogging By Mail, back before any of the other postal-blogging events did, I might add, I didn’t know it would be as popular as it was. The first round had 26 people. Subsequent rounds had more than 100. It takes time and a vast amount of organization to coordinate packages going from Manila to New York and Auckland to Indiana. But I’m sure you don’t want to hear about the boring details. We’re leaving all that to the host of this round, Stephanie from Dispensing Happiness.
Stephanie has posted all the guidelines for packages and how to sign up, so read them carefully! You must e-mail her (and not me) to participate. Sign-ups will last from now until August 25th, and all packages must be shipped by September 15th, at the latest.
This event is a chance to swap a few of your favorite goodies, either local or homemade, with someone somewhere else in the world. I do ask, however, that you all profusely thank Stephanie for organizing this round. I know she’s going to do a brilliant job, so we might as well thank her ahead of time – what else will we have to do while waiting to find out who we’ll be sending our packages to?
