Main navigation

Maple Apple Breakfast Bread

Maple Apple Breakfast Bread | Gather & Dine

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.  His love endures forever.”  Psalm 136:1

Today I give thanks for God’s steadfast love enduring even in the moments when I am most unlovable and for His love that carries me through all of the joys and struggles of life. His love endures forever.

Leaving you with a simple recipe for this Maple Apple Breakfast Bread that we’ve been enjoying as our happy start to our past few days.  This bread is whole wheat, naturally sweetened, and a festive way to transition from fall to winter.  I used a combination of white whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour to keep the texture light and and the buttermilk makes the bread incredibly moist and tender.  I finished it off with a coconut sugar glaze that soaks into the bread ever so slightly.  We loved this glaze, but a light dusting of powdered sugar would also be nice alternative to the glaze.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Maple Apple Breakfast Bread | Gather & Dine

Print

Maple Apple Breakfast Bread

Maple Apple Breakfast Bread | Gather & Dine

Ingredients

Bread:

  • 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup usalted butter (8 tablespoons), melted
  • 3/4 cup maple syrup
  • 3 eggs. lightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 1/2 cups chopped peeled apples, I used Pink Lady

Glaze:

  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1-2 teaspoons water

Instructions

Bread:

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter or spray a 8 1/2-inch bundt pan.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
  3. in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir together until just combined. Fold in chopped apples.
  4. Bake for 50 minutes -1 hour, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes in pan and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Glaze:

  1. Whisk 1/2 cup coconut sugar in a blender on high speed until it becomes powdered sugar.
  2. In a small bowl, mix the powdered coconut sugar with 1-2 teaspoons of water until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake.

Notes

adapted from The Black Dog Summer of the Vineyard Cookbook

 

 

Continue Reading

Chicken Rosemary Parmesan Meatballs

Chicken Rosemary Parmesan Meatballs

A few weeks ago when I had wanted to make these Olive and Rosemary Breadstick Twists, I went for buying an entire rosemary plant, rather than a small bunch of rosemary that cost almost as much as a whole plant.  The lady at the store promised that as long as I was careful to soak the roots with water everyday, the plant would last for at least several months.  It did not.  (sad face)  There are now only a couple branches that are still alive and green and I am getting ready to toss it and move on.  This is why I am not a gardener.

In my determination to get one last use out of my quickly fading rosemary plant, I decided to make these Chicken Rosemary Parmesan Meatballs.  So perfect for dinner on a snowy day!  I used this recipe from Annie’s Eats,  except I swapped out the dried basil for fresh rosemary.  It made a delicious substitute and I am so glad that I could find one last use for my rosemary plant.  We enjoyed this served over polenta along with a crusty baguette, but it would also go well with pasta.   Now that the snowy weather is here, it’s time for comfort recipes like this!

Print

Baked Chicken Rosemary Meatballs

  • Yield: 4-6

Ingredients

For the sauce:

  • 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, liquid reserved
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream

For the Meatballs:

  • 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat panko crumbs
  • 1/3 cup finely minced onion
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large egg lightly beaten
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

To Finish:

  • 4 ounces shredded mozzarella, about 1 cup
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
  • 2-3 tablespoons minced fresh basil or parsley, for garnish

Instructions

For the sauce:

  1. Place the whole tomatoes in a blender or food processor, reserving most of the liquid. Puree tomatoes until smooth, adding some of the reserved liquid if necessary.
  2. In a cast iron skillet or large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté until onions are softened and begin to become translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the tomato paste, garlic, and red pepper flakes and mix together until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the pureed tomatoes and cook over low heat until sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in the cream.

For the meatballs:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, panko, onion, parsley, rosemary, parmesan, garlic, eggs, salt, and pepper. Use hands to mix ingredients together until well combined. Form meatballs about 1 1/2-inches in diameter.
  2. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook meatballs in one or two batches, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. Add meatballs to tomato mixture.

To finish:

  1. Preheat oven to 400. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese and parmesan on top and bake until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Garnish with parsley or basil. Serve warm.

Notes

To make this ahead of time, I assembled the meatballs and sauce together and left off the cheese. About 30 minutes before I was ready to serve, I reheated the meatballs and sauce over the stove before adding the cheese and baking.

slightly adapted from Annie’s Eats, originally from Dinner, a Love Story

Continue Reading

Cranberry Pecan Cornbread

Cranberry Pecan Cornbread | Gather & Dine

Keeping it short and sweet today with a festive twist on a traditional cornbread which is completely whole grain and naturally sweetened.  This Cranberry Pecan Cornbread incorporates both white whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour and is sweetened with maple syrup and a touch of honey.  It would be a beautiful addition to any Thanksgiving spread, but it also makes a nice breakfast bread or afternoon snack.  I like this best served warm with some extra raw honey spread on top.

Cranberry Pecan Cornbread | Gather & Dine

Print

Cranberry Pecan Cornbread

Cranberry Pecan Cornbread | Gather & Dine

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cups plain whole milk yogurt
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans, plus 10-12 pecan halves for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9×5 loaf pan.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together both flours, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, syrup, honey, butter, and eggs.
  3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the cranberries and chopped pecans. Transfer batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top. Arrange pecan halves neatly in a row down the center.
  4. Bake until bread starts to become golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool in pan for 20 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

adapted from Epicurious


Continue Reading