Breads and such

Blues is to jazz what yeast is to bread. Without it, it’s flat.” 

Carmen McRae

Southern Corn Cake

Note: I add either a can of cream-style corn and cut the milk to 1.5 cups, or scrape an ear or two of fresh corn and blend it with the eggs, milk, and vanilla, then continue with the recipe. You can also use a cornbread mix like Jiffy (which contains lard) or Krusteaz (which does not), which replaces the sugar, cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and shortening.

Ingredients

Apple Fritter Bread Recipe

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup full-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 – 2.5 pounds sweet-tart apples (such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Pink Lady), peeled, cored, and diced (about 6 cups)
• 1/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable, not olive
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt if using unsalted butter, plus more for the apples
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk, apple cider, or unfiltered apple juice, plus more as needed

Make the bread: 

1. Heat the oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom and two long sides of the pan with a parchment paper sling, making sure it hangs over the sides by a few inches. Whisk 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon each of the ground cinnamon and nutmeg together in a small bowl; reserve for topping.

2. Melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl.

3. Add 1 1/2 pounds peeled and diced apples, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1 pinch kosher salt to the now-empty skillet (do not wipe out). Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples start to soften and the sugar is dissolved and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.

4. Whisk 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, the remaining 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda together in a medium bowl. Whisk in the remaining 3/4 cup of granulated sugar, 1/4 cup of neutral oil, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt into the melted butter until well combined.

5. Whisk in 3 room-temperature large eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in 1/3 cup room-temperature sour cream or yogurt until combined and no streaks remain. Fold in the flour mixture until just combined.

6. Transfer 1/4 of the batter into the loaf pan (about 3/4 cups) and spread into an even layer, going all the way to the edges. Top with one third of the apple mixture (about 2 cups) and press it lightly into the batter. Dollop half the remaining batter over the apples and spread it to the edges, covering the apples completely. Add half of the remaining apple mixture and repeat. Then add the remaining batter. Scatter the remaining apple mixture evenly over the top. Sprinkle the cinnamon/nutmeg sugar evenly over the top.

7. Bake until the bread is puffed, deeply browned, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 65 to 70 minutes. Place on a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the bread to loosen. Grasping the excess parchment, lift the loaf out of the pan and place it on the rack. Let cool completely, about 1 hour.

Make the glaze:

Whisk 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon milk together in a small bowl until smooth. You can add a drop of vanilla if you like. If the glaze is too thick to drizzle, whisk in more milk or apple cider a few drops at a time as needed. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the bread and let sit until set, about 15 minutes.

Want freshly baked bread or rolls for your holiday dinner but that just isn’t your forte? Here are some suggestions for rolls you can purchase at most grocery stores:

1. Rhodes Bake-N-Serv Dinner Rolls are my favorites. They come in bags of 36, have to be thawed and proofed, and are delicious.
2. Kroger Original Yeast Dinner Roll Dough is a good second choice. It isn’t as flavorful as Rhodes, but it is good for things like monkey bread and cinnamon rolls.
3. If you are in a hurry, and don’t mind admitting that you didn’t make them from scratch, Rhodes Warm & Serve Artisan French Rolls are a fast fix. They are crusty and smell divine.

Honey-Oat Rolls

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 to 2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup honey
• 5 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 large egg, room temperature

Directions

• 1. In a large bowl, mix 1 cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oats, yeast and salt. In a small saucepan, heat water, honey and 4 tablespoons butter to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Add egg; beat on high 2 minutes. Stir in enough remaining all-purpose flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).
• 2. Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• 3. Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide and shape into 24 balls. Place in a greased 13×9-in. baking pan. Cover with a kitchen towel; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
• 4. Preheat oven to 375°. Bake until golden brown, 20-22 minutes. Melt remaining butter; brush over rolls. Remove from pan to a wire rack.