Mulled Pear and Almond Crisp

My family got a box of those fancy pears this Christmas. Then another.
Pear overload.
-pressure -
What to do?
Wine and baking!
right?

Mulled Pear and Almond Crisp
- 6 bosc pears, peeled
- 1 c red wine
- 1/4 c brandy
- whole nutmeg, cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, knob fresh ginger
- 1/4 honey
- 1 lb blanched almonds
- 1 c sugar
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 3 tbsp butter
Place nutmeg, cinnamon cloves and ginger in a cheesecloth and tie closed. Bring wine to a boil, turn off heat, stir in the honey, and steep the cheesecloth spice bag in the mixture for five minutes. Pour in the brandy, place the pears in the pot, and simmer, basting the pears for 15 minutes or so. Make sure to rotate the pears so that each side gets a chance to soak in the wine. When pears are tender, but not soft, remove from pot and let them cool. Continue cooking down wine/honey mixture until reduced to a thick syrup.
Meanwhile, in a food processor, grind almonds into a fine powder, then pour in the sugar and almond extract, and then the butter, and pulse to combine till crumbly.Slice pears thin and layer in a greased baking dish and then pour the wine syrup over top.

Dust with cinnamon and then top with the ground almond mixture.
Bake at 350 until golden brown and crispy on top - about 25 minutes. Serve warm, room temperature or cold with whipped cream or ice cream. Enjoy.

Spanikopita and Garlic Tarragon Shrimp

Had a bunch of leftover Phyllo Dough. Had spinach. Had feta.
The mission was clear, the choice was made.
Spanikopita would be had.




Just needed a main - something mediterranean to hold it down.
Garlic-Tarragon shrimp!
Marinated in garlic, sauteed with fresh tarragon, squeezed with lemon - did the trick.

Spanikopita
- 5 sheets phyllo dough
- 2 bags baby spinach or other greens
- 1/2 an onion, sliced thin
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 c feta
- onion powder, garlic powder, oregano

Saute onion till translucent, add spinach, and cook down till wilted. Remove from pan and let cool. Preeat oven to 350. Mix spinach-onion mixture with beaten egg whites, feta, and spices. Cut phyllo sheets in half, and lay individual sheets on the bottom of a greased baking dish, spraying each layer with cooking spray, then spoon out the spinach mix over top. Repeat process with the remaining phyllo sheets overtop, put it in the oven, and bake until golden and crispy.

Garlic Tarragon Shrimp
- 1 lb shrimp
- olive oil
- minced garlic
- sea salt
- fresh tarragon, minced
- 1/4 c white wine
- 1/2 lemon
Toss raw shrimp with olive oil, garlic and sea salt, and let sit while you prepare the spanikopita. When ready to cook, heat a saute pan till hot, toss in the shrimp, and once beginning to turn pink, dump in the wine and the tarragon. When cooked through, squeeze the lemon over top and plate.

Curry-Dijon Turkey PotPie

Leftover Turkey?
No problem.

Sandwhiches, Stews overdone it for you?

No problem.

Try something new; Turkey PotPie.

Curry-Dijon Turkey Pot Pie.

No problem.

Curry-Dijon Turkey PotPie

- 1 c carrots, sliced
- 1 c frozen sweet peas- 1 c frozen pearl onion
- 1/3 c sherry
- 1/4 c stoneground mustard
- 1 tbsp mayo
- 2 c roasted turkey, chopped
- 1/8 c fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 pckts chicken bouillon seasoning
- 5 sheets Phyllo dough

Preheat oven to 350. Saute carrots until just beggining to soften, add in peas, onions and the sherry - simmer. Add in the mayo and mustard, and then the turkey, stirring gently to coat. Add all of the seasonings and allow to simmer unti heated through.
Spoon filling into a baking dish, and then, a single layer at a time, lay the phyllo dough overtop of the dish, coating the final layer with cooking spray or melted butter.
Bake for 10 minutes at 350 or until top is golden brown and flaky. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls w/ Maple Icing

Pumpkin. MAPLE.
enough said.
these were damn good, and the dough can be made the night before.
these + scrambled eggs = heaven.
Christmas morning didn't know what hit it.

PUMPKIN CINNAMON ROLLS
w/ Maple Icing
- 1/2 pack of instant Vanilla pudding
- 1/4 c milk
- 1 c pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 c butter, melted
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 pckge Yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 warm water
- 4 c flour
Filling:
- 1/4 c butter, softened
- 1 c brown sugar
- 1-2 tbsp Cinnamon
- Pumpkin Pie Spice (optional)

Whisk together milk and pudding, then add the pumpkin, salt and nutmeg and next the melted butter and the beaten egg - set aside. Next, dissolve the yeast and tablespoon of sugar in the warm water, mix, and let sit 5 minutes until foamy. Combine the yeast and the pumpkin mixtures and then gradually add in the 4 cups of flour. Scoop dough onto a floured surface and knead for 9 minutes, then let sit, covered with plastic wrap in a greased bowl for around 2 hours. (at this point you can stop and let the doughball rise over night)
When doughball has doubled in size, punch it to expell the air, flip onto the counter, and roll it out into an 11 x 18 rectangle. Next, spread the softened butter over the whole thing, leaving a 1 inch margin on the right and the left. Sprinkle the brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice (if using) over the butter, fold the right and left sides inward, and then, starting from the bottom, roll the whole thing up tightly into a log shape, being careful to seal the edges as best you can when finished.
With a serrated knife, bcut off the ends, and then cut the rolls off in 2 inch pieces (should make 7 rolls). Place these rolls in greased baking dishes with enough room to spread out, and brush each one with maple syrup before covering with plastic wrap and allowing to rise for 5 minutes before baking for upwards of 20 minutes.
When rolls are golden brown, and hard to the touch, remove from oven, and let cool for 2 minutes before icing.

MEANWHILE!!!!!!!!!

For the icing; Mix together
- 6 oz cream cheese, softened
with
- 2 tbsp butter
and then add
- 1/4 c pure MAPLE syrup
- 1/4 tsp maple extract
and finally
- 2 c powdered sugar

When the rolls have cooled slightly, drizzle them with icing and serve warm. I reccomend serving the extra frosting on the side, in a bowl, for dipping. Yes...dipping.

Fig and Pear Strudel

Not only does Santa not bring Broccoli-Rab, he doesn't bring Figs either. Not fresh ones anyway. I'd been planning on making a fresh Fig and Pear strudel for Christmas dessert, but alas. So I settled on dried figs, and changed my tactics a little bit. The results?
Freakin delicious.

Fig and Pear Strudel
- 3/4 lb dried Mission Figs, slice thin
- 5 ripe pears, peeled and cubed
- 1/4 c brandy
- 1/4 maple syrup
- 10 sheets Phyllo Dough
- 3/4 c bread crumbs
- 1/3 c sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon

Toss figs and pears in brandy and maple syrup, and set aside to marinate and soften for at least 2 hours.
When ready to make and bake; Preheat oven to 350. Mix breadcrumbs, sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside. Lay a clean towel on the counter and then a single sheet of Phyllo - brush with melted butter, sprinkle evenly with breadcrumb mixture, then top with another Phyllo layer, and repeat. Do this four times, until you lay on the 5th Phyllo sheet. Leaving a one inch margin on the left, spoon out figs/pears in a 3 inch wide strip, then starting from the left side, roll up the strudel, rolling gently but tight. Put on a greased cookie sheet, and brush with melted butter and a sprinkle of sugar.
Repeat this process for the second strudel.
These can be made ahead of time and baked right before you are ready. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, until tops are golden brown and flaky. Let sit for 5 minutes, then cut into 2 inch pieces with a serrated knife.
Serve warm with whipped cream.

Rainbow Cookie Cake

I don't know if any of you have ever had or heard of Rainbow Cookies, but I have, and so has my sister. We grew up in New York, and the chocolate covered, tri-color and jam-sweetened cookies were a favorite treat of ours from the Italian bakery.
So, when I was thinking of what I could give her for her 21st birthday, this popped into my mind, and I knew right away that she would love it!Actually she's not much of a chocolate person, nor a dessert person for that matter, so I ended up eating her piece and mine, so you can trust me when I tell you; this cake doesn't just look good; it tastes great! Just like those cookies I used to love...just bigger!
RAINBOW COOKIE CAKE
- 3 sticks butter, softened
- 1 1/2 c sugar
- 6 eggs
- 12 oz almond paste, grated
- 1 tbspn almond extract
- 3 c flour, sifted
- 3 tspn baking powder
- red, green, yellow food coloring
- 1/4 c raspberry jam
- 1/4 c apricot preserves
For the ganache:
- 1 c light cream
- 12 oz semisweet chocolate

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy; about 5 minutes. Add in eggs and beat until smooth. Next add in grated almond paste and extract and beat until well combined; about 3 minutes.
In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients, and then add gradually to the wet mixture.
Divide the mixture among 3 bowls, and dye with the respective colors. Pour into cake pans and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
Meanwhile, heat cream in a small sauce-pan until just about to boil and then pour it over the broken up chocolate, stirring constantly until completely smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Spread the red layer with the raspberry jam, top with the yellow layer, spread that with the apricot jam, and then top with the green layer. Pour on the ganache and spread it all over, and decorate at will. Let the cake sit outside (if it's cool) or in the fridge until the ganache sets before serving. Slice it up and enjoy!

MUFFINnnffum

Single serving muffins for solo missions.

BANANA-BERRY MUFFIN for ONE!
- 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
- 1 tbsp oatmeal
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 packets splenda
- 1/2 ripe banana, mashed
- handful of mixed berries
- 1/2 tsp canola oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp milk
- handful chopped walnuts
- 1 tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all the dry ingredients. In another bowl mash the banana with the milk and oil, add to the dry ingredients and then stir in the berries. Grease a small baking dish or a single cup on a muffin tray, scoop out the batter and sprinkle on top with the walnuts. Bake for about 15 minutes, and just before it's done, sprinkle with the tablespoon of sugar and give it a brief blast under the broiler so it gets nice and crunchy on top, but be careful that the walnuts don't burn.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake w/ Mocha Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

I was commissioned to make up a cake for a surprise party.
She likes chocolate, banana bread, and mocha.
Easy enough.
But baking for 40 people is no joke.
I was baking, literally, all day.
But it was worth it.
This cake was awesome. And I don't like cake.

BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE
(makes 2 thin cake layers)
- 1 stick sweet cream butter
- 1 c sugar
- 3 eggs, separated
- 1 c mashed ripe banana
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 c flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 c buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 c dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 35o, grease and flour cake pans. Cream butter and sugar and then beat in the egg yolks, then the mashed banana and the cinnamon until well mixed. This will infuse the banana flavor all through the cake. In a separate bowl, sift and whisk together all dry ingredients, then add to the wet mixture and stir gently until all mixed. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and then fold them into the batter, then toss the chocolate chips with a tablespoon of flour and mix them in as well. Pour into the prepared cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes until the toothpick trick comes out clean, and let the cakes cool for 10 minutes before you removing them from the pans and leaving to cool completely before icing.

...and speaking of icing:

Mocha Whipped CreamCheese Icing
- 1 pckg cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 c whipping cream
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder
- 1 to 2 c powdered sugar

Beat whipping cream on high till stiff peaks form. In another bowl beat cream cheese and then add the cocoa and coffee powders, mix well, and then beat in the sugar. Finally, gently fold in the whipped cream, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to set for at least 2 hours in the fridge before using.

* extra frosting can be frozen and scooped out like ice cream for those of you who want to take that brave and delicious, but diabetes inducing step. i did. no regrets. no re grets ;)

White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

What the hell could be better than this?
WHITE CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY OATMEAL COOKIES
- 1/2 c (1 stick) butter, softened (can use light butter)
- 1/2 c light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 c white sugar (or sugar sub)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 c white flour
- 1/2 c whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/4 c oatmeal
- 3/4 c dried cranberries
- 1/2 c white chocolate chips (add more to your tastes)

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, and then beat in the egg and the vanilla. In a large bowl combine flours, baking powder and soda, salt and cinnamon, stir in the wet ingredients and then the oatmeal. Lastly, carefully stir in the cranberries and the white chocolate chips and then let the batter sit and firm up in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
Use spoons to scoop balls of dough onto greased baking sheets and flatten each ball down a little bit before baking for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are golden brown and crispy.
Confucius say Dunk your Cookie.

White Cocolate and Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

When I got assigned Taylor's blog GREENS and CHOCOLATE as my first Secret Recipe Club assignment, I was excited. When I actually went to her blog page though, I was even more excited. The first post that caught my eye was her Chai Spiced Cinnamon Chip Blondies, and I said "Oooo I want to make that", and then I saw the Avalanche Bars and said "no, THAT!" and then her Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting and the Peanut Butter M&M Blondies and I didn't even know what to do anymore...
Indeed, Taylor seems to be some sort of a baking goddess, with a special penchant for combinging everything I love - like peanut butter, cinnamon, chai, smores - into delicious baked good creations. But her talents clearly aren't isolated to baked delicacies like Blueberry and White Chocolate Oat Bars , no, she had me practically drooling over her Maple Bacon Baked Beans post. The point is, while I had to choose just one recipe to post, you don't! Go, and run don't walk, to Taylor's GREENS and CHOCOLATE blog, and make EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!
While trying to decide which recipe to try out, it was clear that I had to try one from Taylor's special skill-set of baking, and while I was initially distracted by all kinds of blondies, cookies and brownies catering to my inordinate love of peanut butter, I have strangly been craving something I don't go for very often; White Chocolate. So, when I saw Taylor's recipe for White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies, my mission was clear.
Honestly, I'm not a huge baked goods guy. I don't like cake or cupcakes, and on brownies and the like I could go either way. But I LOVE pies and cookies, and by cookies I mean Oatmeal cookies. There's nothing as good as a soft and chewy oatmeal cookie studded with raisins and anything else that you can squeeze in there, and with just a few personal tweaks on my part, these cookies were nothing short of amazing.Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, the tartness of the dried cranberries went especially awesome with the creamy sweetness of the white chocolate chips. I started out with a sample of batch 1, and being a good chef, felt obligated to sample batch 2 as well. But I just couldn't decide which was better and had to try another of each again. The verdict? They were both AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME, and I didn't even think twice about having just eaten cookies for dinner.
So, don't just take my word for it, go to the store, buy the stuff, and make these White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies, and while you're munching away in chewy-sweet goodness, check out Taylor's blog GREENS and CHOCOLATE and figure out what to make next!
WHITE CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY OATMEAL COOKIES
- 1/2 c (1 stick) butter, softened (can use light butter)
- 1/2 c light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 c white sugar (or sugar sub)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 c white flour
- 1/2 c whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/4 c oatmeal
- 3/4 c dried cranberries
- 1/2 c white chocolate chips (add more to your tastes)

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, and then beat in the egg and the vanilla. In a large bowl combine flours, baking powder and soda, salt and cinnamon, stir in the wet ingredients and then the oatmeal. Lastly, carefully stir in the cranberries and the white chocolate chips and then let the batter sit and firm up in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
Use spoons to scoop balls of dough onto greased baking sheets and flatten each ball down a little bit before baking for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are golden brown and crispy.
Lastly, let these babies cool for an agonizing 10 minutes or so before pouring yourself a big glass of milk, and digging, I mean DUNKING in!!!!!

Vegan Pineapple Downside-Up Cake

All the goodness of a Pineapple UpsideDown Cake, with all the life sucked out of it.
HAAHAHA. just kidding
it's good as hellVegan Pineapple Downside-Up Cake
- 1/3 c vegan butter (Nature's Balance)
- 1/3 c dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp rum extract
- 1 can sliced pineapple in juice
- 1 jar maraschino cherries

- 1 c white flour
- 3/4 white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp each Coconut and Vanilla extracts
- 1/2 c water
- 1/2 c pineapple juice (reserved from can)
- 1/4 c + 2 tbsp canola oil

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl, mix together the water, pineapple juice, oil, vinegar and coconut and vanilla extracts, and in a separate bowl mix the flours, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir gently till well mixed.
In a 10 inch cast iron skillet, melt the vegan butter and then stir in the brown sugar, and continue stirring constantly as the mixture begins to thicken so that the caramel doesn't burn. Add in the rum extract, and when the caramel is bubbly and thick enough to coat a spoon, remove the pan from the heat. Next, arrange the pineapple slices and cherries in the caramel in whatever design you like, spray the exposed sides of the skillet with cooking spray and then pour the cake batter evenly over top.Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
When cake is finished, run a knife around the edges of the skillet and let sit to cool for 20 minutes or so and then carefully put a large plate over top of the skillet and turn the whole thing over to release the cake, Pineapple or Downside up. Let the cake cool to room temperature and then cover and let it chill in the fridge as the caramel seeps down into the cake. Serve with vegan vanilla ice cream, vegan whipped topping or a vegan (but not virgin) Pina Colada and ENJOY!!!!!!!

BANANA (bread)

I make the best banana bread in the world.
Proven fact.
Books have been written about supporting this.
Holy books.
Delicious holy books.
full of bananas

BANANA (bread)
- 5 whole overripe bananas
- 1 ripe banana, sliced
- 1 c white flour
- 3/4 c whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 stick butter, melted and cooled
- 3/4 c brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- toasted walnuts
Preheat oven to 350. Put 5 overripe bananas in a microwaveable bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high for 5 minutes. There will be liquid in the bowl - pour liquid into a saucepan and strain bananas over saucepan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a bowl. Bring liquid to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until reduced to about a 1/4 c of liquid. Add liquid to bananas and mash until smooth, and then stir in your melted butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. In a large bowl whisk together flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and then add in the wet mixture, stirring until well combined. Gently fold in walnuts (and any other add-ins) and pour batter into a greased loaf pan. Arrange the sliced banana in two strips down the center of the loaf, sprinkle the top with a tablespoon of sugar, and then bake for 40 - 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Run a knife around the edges and let cool for 15 minutes before removing from loaf pan and slicing.variations; add in raisins or chocolate chips, swap out walnuts for pecans, and also feel free to substitute sour cream or applesauce for half the butter, and even maple syrup for the sugar...go wild, make it yours.

* I also make a vegan version of this for two friends of mine who absolutely love it; simply use soy margarine instead of butter, omit the eggs entirely; there are enough bananas to act as a binder so the missing eggs don't make any difference. If the batter seems too dry, add a splash of almond or soy milk.

Grandma's Cookie Pie

I had barely been in Maine for five minutes before my Aunt told me I couldn't leave without making a Cookie Pie. In this family, Cookie Pie is more than a favorite; it's a tradition, or possible so favorite that it exceeds tradition. At first I made it only every thanksgiving, and would delight Grandma by calling for the recipe which I could never seem to remember but always manage to misplace. But then I started getting requests for Christmas and then birthdays, and now this, as a trade for my freedom (as if I even wanted to leave...)

Grandma treated this recipe with great secrecy and would always hand it over grudgingly, making a great story of how she practically had to beat it out of an unsympathetic chef in a New England diner. But she eventually secured the cherished recipe...albeit from the back of a Hershey Bar!
So, thanks to that stubborn chef, or Mr. Hershey, but mostly thanks to Grandma, I, my family, and now the rest of the world are able to enjoy the warm, chocolatey, artery-clogging goodness that is cookie pie.

COOKIE PIE(makes 1 pie)
- 2 sticks butter, melted and cooled
- 1/2 c flour
- 1/2 c sugar
- 1/2 c brown sugar

- 2 eggs

- 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
- pecans (optional)

Melt and cool butter. Mix flour and sugars in a bowl, add egg and mix, and then add butter. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if using, and bake for 40 minutes to an hour, or until the crust is brown and the top of the pie looks crispy. Because of all the butter in the pie, it will not be firm when you take it out of the oven, and may not appear done in the middle, but if you leave it in longer, the crust will burn. What I've found is that it sets as it cools, and no one has ever complained of a Cookie Pie being too gooey... Serve warm with ice cream, or room temperature, or try it cold out of the fridge the next day. Just don't eat it all in one sitting, or at least have an EKG on hand...

variations: consider using peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips or white chocolate chips, depending on your fancy, and you can also try adding banana, raisins, or anything else you would think about putting in a cookie.

(I would love to try making an Oatmeal Raisin version of this, but no one in my family has let me so far. Let me know if you give it a try!)

WHAT YOU KNEAD (Maple Swirl Bread) !

You know what's special about my Sundays?
Nothing.
No, that's what's special about it; the nothingness.
I try hard to do nothing on Sundays and that needs starting off with a good breakfast.
Alas, the problem is that cooking said breakfast disturbs the tranquil waters of Sunday nothingness, tilts the balance, strays the center, and sometimes we just need to relax...
But that's what's great about this breakfast; you can do all the work the night before and just pop it in the oven before sitting back with a cup of Sunday coffee.
This recipe is a modification of a one that I found online for Cinnamon Swirl Bread; I took it and made it mine. First off, while Cinnamon Swirl is good and all, my heart belongs to Maple, and what sounds better than MAPLE Swirl Bread?
Secondly, I swapped out the 1/2 c milk and 3/4 c water for 1 c of Buttermilk, and 1/4 water to give it a fuller taste and a little more body (I think). And thirdly, as I said, I wanted to make this all ahead of time and only have to pop it in the oven in the morning. The original recipe goes straight from the forming of the loaf to the rising and then the baking, but I rolled the loaf and let it sit in the fridge over night and it came out great. I let it sit out for 1/2 and hour before baking it and brushed the top with a little Maple Syrup, which gave the brown crust a nice sweet flavor.
The bread itself was good too; the fluffy Buttermilk dough is infused with the cinnamon and ground nutmeg, and the Maple Butter curls in moist swirls throughout it all, collecting in a gooey, Mapley center...
Yeah, it's good, and exactly what you knead to start of a slow day of...

MAPLE SWIRL BREAD
- 1 c Buttermilk
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp shaved nutmeg
- 1 pckt Active Dry Yeast
- 1/4 c warm water
- 1/2 jar Maple Butter*
- 2 c white flour (plus some for dusting)
- 1 c White Whole Wheat Flour

Melt butter and add to Buttermilk along with salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and Maple Syrup. Dissolve the packet of yeast in the warm water, add to the Buttermilk mixture, and mix well. Stir in 2 1/2 c of the flours and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Add the last 1/2 c of flour, and knead it into the dough, continuing for around 5 minutes as the sticky dough becomes soft and satiny.
Put the dough into a greased bowl and flip it to coat the top, cover with plastic wrap, and let it sit for 2 hours or so in a warm place.When it has doubled in size, punch the dough to expel the air, turn out onto a floured surface, and roll it into a rectangle. Warm the Maple Butter so that it becomes soft and spreadable, and spread it over the rectangle (You can add cinnamon, raisins or even Maple Sugar if you want to). Then, starting at one end, roll the dough tightly into a log form, and put it into a greased loaf pan, seam-side down. At this point you can either put it in the fridge to rise over night, or you can let it rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour and then bake it right away.In the morning, heat the oven to 350, then let the loaf sit out for a 1/2 hour to rise. Brush lightly with Maple Syrup, and cut three slits in the top before baking until the top is golden brown and the bread gives a hollow sound when tapped. Let it cool for 10 minutes before transferring it to a cutting board and brushing the top lightly again with Maple Syrup. Enjoy it warm and buttered right away and even as toast or French Toast if there's any leftovers...* You should be able to buy Maple Butter in the store, it should be with the honeys. However, alternatively you can substitute by sing real butter and sprinkling Maple Sugar. If all of that fails, you can make this a Cinnamon Swirl Bread if you want, or ANY type of swirl bread for that matter...