Super Fast Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits

Sometimes, you just need a biscuit.

Nothing fancy, just a bite of bready goodness to get you started on the right track.  Or maybe you just came back from a run and think you need some carbs to replenish your glycogen stores...because you know, 3 miles really wipes you out.

This would be the recipe for you.  I made these free-form, which is code for ugly.  You could shape them and an egg wash to the top to make them prettier, if you're into that sort of thing.  But that would make them just regular cinnamon sugar biscuits, instead of super fast. 

Super Fast Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
1 egg

Preheat oven to 425.

In a medium mixing bowl, add whole wheat flour, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.  Using either your hands or a pastry cutter, mix well until brown sugar is well incorporated and distributed into the flour mixture.

In a separate bowl, add the milk and egg.  Gentle whisk to combine.

Add milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Using a 1/4 measuring cup, measure out 6 biscuits.  Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes. Place on rack and cool slightly.  Best served warm with butter and jam. 

 

Total time: 15 minutes.  From oven to blog in 30.  

A race to remember

I missed running.  After running a half marathon last year, I lost my drive.  Burn out is totally real, plus I had pretty much crippled my hips with poor training.  

Then I got pregnant and had the perfect excuse to stick to walking.  Running with a basketball attached to your front is awkward and ya know, I didn't want the baby to fall out.  

After Sam was born all I wanted to do was get out of the house, but my stupid c-section benched me for 6 weeks.  Around week 4 I decided to throw caution to the wind and walk the dog.  I didn't die.  At week 8, I ran my first mile and I've been trying to get my groove back ever since.

But then I had another excuse- I was SO tired.  There is a reason sleep deprivation is used as torture- after weeks of no sleep, I would have confessed to pretty much anything just to get some shut eye.

I signed up for the Memphis Soul 5K BBQ run in the midst of my postpartum haze.  I  figured it would motivate me to get in shape.

It didn't. 

And then...out of nowhere...a miracle happened.  Sam slept through the night.  12 beautiful hours of peace and quiet.  Then, he did it again.  And again.  A whole week of glorious sleep- I was beyond thrilled.  

My cheer squad!

Any race that starts at a bar has got to be a good time.

This would be my pace- what up, slow folks?  The 10 minute pace group was HUGE and likely full of a more than a few liars.  10 minute miles are no joke. 

I finished in 36:27 which would be a 11:44 minute mile- booyeah!

And then I came home and made bread.  I know, I know- not the best way to cool down, but so, so worth it.  Plus, since I didn't buy bread this week, Nick's sandwiches would have been very sad without it.

I followed this recipe from TheKitchn to the letter and it was wonderful! The tutorials were also super helpful.

Sometimes I like to pretend that I'm one of those fancy bloggers who gets everything all set up and pretty and uses a light box to get the perfect shot....then I stop being polite and start getting real.  Please note the giant stuffed carrot in the background. 

Does anyone else think that sea monkeys and yeast are the same thing?  Alive, yet not alive...and 100% weird.

Kneading is seriously so much fun.

My first rise was in the oven with just the light on.  This provides just enough warmth to get the dough puffing.

Check out that crumb!!!

 

 

 

 

 

If only I had a video of the bread happy dance I did after this came out of the oven...I probably wouldn't post it, but I would watch it on bad days and remember how completely awesome I am.

Finally, a PSA for you, good readers- don't start making bread at 6:45 PM.  You will be up LATE. 

Irish Brown Bread

Just a few more eats to show you, and a recipe for our favorite Irish baked good- brown bread.


Ice cream from Murphy's in Killarney- dark chocolate + cookie for Nick, sea salt + honeycomb for me. Sea salt was a surprise hit for me- love that salty sweetness.



Tea at the Old Courthouse Cafe in Inishmore. Love when they give you your own pot!



Trout, shepherd's pie, and potatoes + french fries from the Curragh in Killarney.


Bailey's ice cream from Jo's in Kinsale.

Seafood pancake and fried fish from the White House in Kinsale.


Whiskey tasting from Jameson Distillery in Dublin.



Beef and cheese pastie from Hanley's Cornish Pasties.



Seafood chowder and traditional Irish coddle from Oliver St. John Gogarty's in Dublin.

Flapjack!!

And now for the main event...brown bread. It's served alongside most dishes and the beauty of the brown bread lies in its simplicity. It's like the Irish people- cozy, welcoming, and inherently comforting.

Though we don't have the exactly right kind of flour needed for true brown bread, this works as a lovely substitute. I modeled it off of the recipe that Nick's Irish cousin Mary uses- she makes a fresh loaf every day and we got to devour more than our fair share when we stayed with her and her husband Pat in Galway.





Irish Brown Bread

Makes 2 small loaves

4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup ground flax meal
1/2 cup steel cut oats
Scant 3 cups almond milk
3 tblsp vinegar
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
*Note- you could substitute buttermilk for the almond milk and vinegar. Or use regular cow's milk and vinegar to it.

Preheat oven to 425.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, flax, oats, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine well.

In a large measuring cup, pour the almond milk and vinegar. Stir well and let stand 5-10 minutes. This is going to look kind of funky, but don't freak out.

Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. The resulting dough is pretty wet and sticky. Freaking out is still unnecessary.

Grease two loaf pans and divide dough evenly between the two. Use your hands to gently shape the loaves.

Put both pans into the oven and bake 30-35 minutes. Test loaves by pulling them out of the oven and flipping over into an oven mitt. Tap the bottom. (ha.) It should should hollow.

Cool at least 30 minutes before cutting.

Pumpkin Bread

This is a bit of a recipe showdown. I grew up eating some of the most delicious pumpkin bread south of the Mason-Dixon line. It just so happens that delicious doesn't equal nutritious, despite the bright orange color. Even though I embrace my inner health nut now, I need food that tastes good. A few easy substitutions reduced the amount of fat and sugar without sacrificing any flavor. Portion control is also important- Ninnie Marlene's was baked in loaf pans and I remember cutting myself HUGE slices. Making pumpkin bread in muffin cups helps you keep track of how much you're eating.

BONUS: Your house will smell like a Yankee Candle.

I'm posting both recipes here, the original by my grandmother and the updated version by me.

Ninnie Marlene's Pumpkin Bread, as written out by my mom

Mix together in a medium bowl:
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Mix in mixer:
1 #2 can pumpkin
3 cups sugar
1 cup cooking oil
4 eggs

Add dry ingredients to wet alternating with 2/3 cup of water. Nuts or raisins optional. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes at 350. Makes three loaves. Brush the top with syrup while still warm-I know! It's so wrong, it's right.

The pictures below illustrate my updated version.


In a medium bowl, combine whole wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Whisk to combine.

In a large bowl, add pumpkin, white sugar, brown sugar, eggs, applesauce, and yogurt.

Whisk the wet ingredients until thoroughly mixed.


Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture in three batches, alternating with 2/3 cup water.


Stir until just combined.


Using 1/2 cup measure, fill muffin liners until almost full.

This recipe made 19 muffins. If you want smaller muffins try using a 1/3 cup measure- you can probably get 24.


Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Rotate the racks halfway through cooking.

Time for pumpkin bread glamour shots!

Work it....work it....

A little to the right...


Now vogue.


Healthy Pumpkin Bread

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
*would've added 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg if I had any
1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup applesauce
1/3 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt
2 cups canned pumpkin (not the pie mix!)
3 eggs

2/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, stir the sugars, applesauce, yogurt, pumpkin, and eggs until well combined.

Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in three batches alternating with 2/3 cup water.

Using a 1/2 cup measure, fill the muffin liners until almost full. Bake 30 minutes and rotate pans halfway through cooking. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.