A rare moment when they’re all looking at the camera. From L to R: Henrietta, Big Bird, Louise, Little Grey, Little Brown, Zeb, Penny, Riley
I’m sure you’re thinking, now what in Monkey Bread could possibly have come from a garden?? And you’d be right- absolutely nothing in this came from my garden. But I’ve had a craving for it lately, so I decided that I would make it from scratch. Its a stormy, rainy Friday, and spending the day at home baking seemed like the perfect plan. Oh yeah, and I get to play with the chickens in between! (I have two of the chipmunk bantam ameraucanas perched on my arm as we speak). There are three that I’m pretty sure are roosters, and one more I’m starting to think might be… but I’m trying not to think about it!
Chipmunks – the one in the back is a pretty definite rooster
I knew that I wanted to make the monkey bread dough from scratch, as opposed to buying refrigerated biscuit dough like most recipes call for. Although I’m sure that method is easier for some, I know that I am fairly adept at making bread from scratch. I also wanted a recipe that had lots of gooey-goodness in between the balls of dough, and I liked the idea of baking them in muffin tins. So off I went on my google search.
I found a yeasted bread dough recipe at Baking Bites which looked doable, and then instructions on making muffin-sized monkey breads at Dine and Dish. Usually combining recipes works out fine. In this case… well, there were technical difficulties. Completely my fault: yeasted bread expands (hence two rises). So jamming all the dough balls into 12 muffin spots just because I don’t want to get out another pan, means they expand A LOT. Not normally a problem, except when you’ve just drizzled them with a melted butter/sugar mixture, that then starts flowing over the entire muffin tin and dripping below (right into a cookie tin I had thoughtfully placed for just such a purpose). So in my instructions below, I am going to post what I SHOULD have done…
Monkey Bread Muffin-Style, from Scratch
1/4 cup water, warm (100-110F)
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (.25-oz)
3 – 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour and 2 1/2 cups bread flour)
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
1 large egg
2 tbsp butter, melted
3/4 cup milk, warm (100-110F)
Lightly grease a 12-muffin tin and a 6-muffin tin. Set aside.
Combine warm water and yeast. Let stand for 2 minutes, until yeast is slightly foamy.
Stir in 1 cup of the flour, along with the salt, sugar, vanilla, egg, 2 tbsp melted butter and warm milk. Mix well, until dough is fairly smooth. Gradually add in the remaining flour, until it begins to come together a bit. Knead for 3-4 minutes. Cover the bowl with a dishcloth, and let dough rest for 30 minutes somewhere warm (I turn the oven to 200, turn it off, and after 5-10 minutes put the bowl in there).
1 cup sugar combined with 2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tbsp butter, melted
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
Handful of pecans, chopped or halves
Punch down dough, and start to tear off small pieces and roll into balls (I liked 1/4-1/2″ size). Dip the balls into the butter quickly, then roll in the sugar/cinnamon mixture before placed in the muffin tins. Only fill the muffin tins 2/3 of the way full!!! Critical for the glaze that follows (if you eliminate the glaze, you could potentially stuff the tins fuller). Sprinkle and stuff the pecan pieces into the dough balls. Set aside in a warm place for at least 30 minutes to allow the dough to rise a bit (I did not do this. I should have though!).
Heat the remaining butter and brown sugar over medium to low heat. Allow to boil for one minute. Then drizzle over the dough balls. If you need more, make up a bit more.. but remember, the balls are going to continue to rise while baking!
Alternative method: While you are rolling the balls in sugar, halfway through drizzle in some of the butter/sugar glaze. That way more gets to the bottom bits.
Bake at 350 for 15-25 minutes – check them often to make sure they aren’t overflowing too much. If you are worried about spillover (and you probably should be), put a cookie sheet or two underneath the pans to collect any dripping. Scraping burned sugar off the oven floor is no fun. Once they are done, let rest for a few minutes in the pan. Then scoop out and flip over onto a plate (scooping up any leftover drizzle too). Enjoy!
So. For the past week, every time I’m in the kitchen at the same time as Chester, he’s been asking me of what I’m making: “is it vegan?” And I say, “Yes Chester, its vegan… until I add the cheese!!!” To which he says… “NOT VEGAN!” But it did make me think about what I cook. And my conclusion is that 90% of what I make could very well be vegan.. if I didn’t add the cheese. Or if I used oil instead of butter. Meaning that, I don’t feel like meat, dairy, or eggs are the main player in my meals – often I try to think of them as garnish. Now, if I’m making a quiche – I’m going to use eggs. Especially when the chicks start laying! But I know that pizza is just as good without cheese (I just happen to like it better with cheese). And that many times, the addition of non-vegan ingredients can definitely be omitted without being missed. So Chester, in honor of you, I decided that I would post something entirely vegan.. if only so I could say, “yes Chester, it IS VEGAN!! Leave me alone!” 
Matt and I have both been getting lunch delivered once a week from Organic Living SB, a lunch delivery service that only uses local ingredients and accommodates any dietary restrictions. We both get the vegan option – for me, I like to see how other people use their creativity in cooking delicious meals that don’t involve meat. I’ve been really impressed so far! Last week, my lunch was a stir fry of cashews, broccoli and turnips over wild rice with a very subtle sauce. The turnips really surprised me – I actually liked them. Which is more than I can say for the vast majority of the experiences I’ve had cooking them. So I decided to get a bunch of turnips at the market, and see what I could do!
My search for inspiration as usual started out at Tastespotting, where I found a recipe for braised kale, white beans, and turnips (I will post the link below). It sounded like a nice combination, and since I also had picked up some heirloom dried beans at the market, and we always have kale in the garden, I decided to give it a go. In my vegan quest, I knew I could eliminate the bacon and chicken broth, and instead use vegetable broth and add a bit of extra salt. I think if I made it again, I would use less apple cider vinegar and sugar, but I may wait until tomorrow (like chili, apparently braised dishes taste better the second day) to make my final verdict.
Part two of my cooking adventure for the night involved a quick crusty bread. I knew I didn’t have time or patience for a yeasted bread, so instead I found a recipe for a beer bread from Farmgirl Fare – something I’ve never tried before, but promised crusty results. And even better- no eggs or butter in the batter! Done deal. I’ve come across Farmgirl Fare before, and I really like the concept- similar to my own, yet so much more detailed. A great resource! The bread turned out perfectly, too! I would imagine you could substitute fizzy seltzer water with the same result if you don’t want to use beer. Or, just go buy your favorite crusty bread…
Braised Kale, Turnips, and Beans (my modified version. For the original, see here)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb Turnips, ends and tops trimmed off, cut into quarters about the size of your thumb
2 cups vegetable broth
Less than 1/8 cup Apple cider vinegar (or more, depending on taste)
2 cups cooked beans (I used the blue heirlooms, but white would be a great easy find)
1 to 1 1/2 large bunches of Kale, washed, stems discarded, and leaves roughly chopped
1/2 Tablespoon sugar (taste first, then add if you think you want it)
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 lemon, juiced
Salt and Pepper
Place a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, onion, and turnips to the pot. Stir and cook until the vegetables are softened and beginning to turn brown on the edges. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Pour the vegetable broth and apple cider vinegar into the pot, and stir while scraping the bottom to deglaze any browned bits stuck to the pot. Next add the beans and kale. Cover the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. Braise the kale for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the leaves are tender and wilted and the turnips are cooked through.
Once the kale is tender, remove the lid and add the hot sauce and lemon juice. Stir and taste the liquid. Add salt, pepper and sugar (if desired). Turn off the heat and serve the braised kale with slices of thick crusty bread to sop up the liquid.
Beer Bread with Fresh Herbs (original recipe found here)
3 cups organic all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
Several sprigs of oregano, rosemary, and thyme, snipped up
12 ounces beer (or seltzer water)
Optional glaze: 1 egg & 2 teaspoons water, beaten
Heat oven to 375°. Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and herbs in a large mixing bowl. Slowly stir in beer and mix just until combined. Batter will be thick. Spread in a greased 8-inch loaf pan, brush with egg glaze if desired, and bake until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool 10 more minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Flavor note: Instead of herbs you could use a variety of other mix-ins. The original recipe has many ideas if you need inspiration!
Our pumpkins got a bit of a late start this year. We didn’t plant the seeds until July, but they grew remarkably fast. And we were rewarded with about 6 small, bright orange, Cinderella pumpkins. They were an heirloom breed, but I think given their short growing season they didn’t attain their normal size. I was still happy – we used them as decoration, and then I did something I’ve always wanted to do – I roasted the pumpkins and made fresh pumpkin puree! While slightly time consuming, it was so worth it. As it always is, when I look at the food on my plate and think, I grew this… from seed to harvest… approximate travel, 20 feet…
I did a bit of google research to figure out method, but it was pretty easy. Like most winter squash, I cut the pumpkins in half, scooped out the seeds, put them in a baking dish face down and roasted them. I scooped out the puree and let it drain overnight. The next day I decided on my plan of attack – first I wanted to make pumpkin bread, because that is our favorite way to use pumpkin puree.
My friend Katie makes a killer pumpkin bread (with the addition of chocolate chips and millet – I may post that at a later date), but I went for something traditional and nostalgic: Mama Dean’s pumpkin bread. My college roommate’s mother was from England (but lived 30 minutes from our college), and she would periodically either make us treats or give us cooking lessons. Each fall we savored her pumpkin bread, usually accompanied with pineapple cream cheese. Best of all, the recipe made two loaves! I decided to make one loaf, and the rest of the batter into muffins.
I had 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree leftover, so I scoured the internet for recipes using such a small amount. I came across one for maple pumpkin cookies -two of my favorite fall flavors and a perfect combination, as cookies are second only to ice cream in my husband’s sweet tooth hierarchy. They turned out to be just right – slightly chewier texture than pumpkin bread, and divine with a glass of milk.
Pumpkin Puree
Cut pumpkin in half. Scoop out seeds/membranes. Turn face down in a baking dish, and bake ~ 1 1/4 hours in a 375 oven until super soft. Scoop out the puree into cheesecloth lining a colander, and let drain 2 hours – overnight in the refrigerator. Its now ready to use – it can be frozen for a few months if you have more than you want to use in the next few days.
Mama Dean’s Pumpkin Bread
2/3 c water
1 c oil
4 eggs, beaten
2 c pumpkin puree
3 c sugar
3 1/2 c flour (2 white, 1 1/2 whole wheat)
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp each: nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice
Sift dry ingredients together. Mix pumpkin, oil and eggs in a large bowl. Add water and sugar – mix well. Add all dry ingredients. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans (or 1 loaf pan and 12 muffins). Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool and remove from pans.
Pineapple cream cheese: Mix 1 block cream cheese with 1 small can of crushed pineapple. Beat together, and serve with bread.
Maple Pumpkin Cookies (original recipe here)
1/2 cup soft butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large egg
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cream margarine and sugars together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, maple syrup and pumpkin. Mix together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir flour mixture into creamed mixture. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough on cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes.
One final image – the bees just love the borage that is growing so abundantly in the front bed! I had a photo session with one guy the other week.
