Buttercup Biscuits

• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups self-rising flour

Cream butter and sour cream together.
Add flour, mix.
Fill mini muffin tins about three-fourths full.
Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield: 48 mini muffins

Tip:
Recipe is easily halved.

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Irish Soda Bread

What is thought of as Irish soda bread is really an American invention. In the 1840's baking soda mixed with buttermilk allowed people to make bread at home without ovens. The bread was baked in cast iron pots with lids placed directly over hot coals. The original recipe did not include sugar, butter, eggs or dried fruit. Several recipe books published in the UK in 1866 and 1868 give the standard recipe for soda bread with the note that "it is much eaten in the United States."

Cutting an X into the top of the loaf allows the heat to penetrate into the thickest part of the bread.
There is the expression "to let the devil out of the bread," so it is slightly superstitious. And if you make that cruciform shape on the bread, when it bakes it will break beautifully.
So you have the blessing of the bread by putting the cross on it and then you have the symbolic breaking of the bread.


Irish Soda Bread   

 

• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon for currants
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
• 1 extra-large egg
• 1 cup dried currants

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer.

Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.

Mix the buttermilk and egg together.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture.

Combine the currants with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough.

It will be a very wet dough.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it a few times.

Shape into a round loaf.

Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and cut an X into the top of the loaf with a serrated knife.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

When tapped the loaf will have a hollow sound.

Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.


Tip:
Martha White or White Lily flour are the best flour to use for this bread.  A soft winter wheat
flour will produce the lightest bread.


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Sour Cream Cornbread

 

• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1 8.25 ounce can cream-style corn
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup self-rising cornmeal

Mix eggs, corn, sour cream and oil together until well blended.
Stir in cornmeal until just combined.
Pour into greased baking pan.
Bake in 425 degree pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Tips:
Heat greased skillet in oven while the oven is pre-heating.
Don't let batter sit after mixing.  Put in directly into the oven.  The leavening agents react immediately with the wet ingredients, so you will get the best rise if it is baked immediately.

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Banana Nut Bread

Banana Nut Bread

Vary the bread by the nuts used.  Pecans, walnuts, or macadamias complement bananas.

 



Macadamia-Banana Nut Bread


2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter
2 large eggs
3 ripe bananas mashed
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup nuts

Stir together dry ingredients.  Flour, baking soda and salt.
Beat eggs.
Mix together wet ingredients. Eggs, sugar, melted butter, mashed bananas, buttermilk and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
Beat until smooth.
Stir in nuts.
Turn into a well-greased 8 1/2" by 4 1/2" by 2 1/2"  loaf pan.
Bake in moderate oven at 350 degrees about 70 minutes.
Cool bread before slicing.

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Banana Muffins

Easy banana muffin recipe made with sour cream.

 

• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Mix bananas, brown sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla until smooth
Slowly add flour until just mixed
Mix in sour cream
Fill prepared muffin pans 2/3 full.
Bake in preheated 375* oven 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in center.
Makes 18 muffins.

Printable Recipe

What you will need:

Bananas, Brown sugar, Oil, Egg, Vanilla, Self-rising flour and Sour cream

Mix bananas, brown sugar, oil, egg and vanilla in mixing bowl

Mix until smooth.

Slowly add flour until just mixed; over mixing after you add flour will cause your baked goods to be tough.
Stir in sour cream.
Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and bake in preheated 375* oven 18 to 20 minutes
Tip: Even if you use cupcake liners spray the liners with Baker's Joy and the muffins will not stick to the paper.

This is the same batter but baked in mini muffin tins.  They make a great mid-morning snack with a cup of coffee.  I rolled the muffins in cinnamon sugar while they were still warm.

 

Self- rising flour was invented in England in 1845 by a baker, Henry Jones.  He received a patent in the USA in 1849.  It is widely used in the South for biscuits and other quick breads.  Southerns prefer a soft winter wheat flour.  Winter wheat produces a light product because of it's low protein and gluten content.  Popular brands are Martha White and White Lily.  Self-rising flour already has the leavening agent and salt added to it.  My mother always bought self-rising flour in 25 pounds sacks.  It came in brightly colored cotton sacks.  My grandmother quickly claimed these sacks.  She carefully washed, starched, and ironed this fabric.  Over the years Granny had quite a collection of aprons, pillowcases, tea towels, and her favorite, patchwork quilts.  Now days I have a collection of different flours in my kitchen each for a different use, but at least I don't have to decide which bag is the prettiest.