We could all use a dose of Good Fortune in the New Year! Symbolized by a nice slice of this delicious cornbread!

Who’s with me?!!

While we’re at it, we’re going to load up on Black Eyed Peas (symbolizing coins or wealth), Collard Greens (representing money) and Pork (as a sign of moving forward). Call it superstition or simply a delicious dinner!

Good Fortune & Good Intentions

Heading into the new year, I’ve been pondering my good intentions for 2022. Despite what cliche resolutions come to mind, for me it all comes down to making healthy choices. A healthy lifestyle, a strong healthy body, and mental peace and clarity are what I’m aiming for.

So to begin, I will continue to incorporate fresh ingredients into my cooking. And you know there will be plenty of fresh herb flavor-love woven throughout.

I will spend more time in the woods, my ultimate happy place. Hiking, strolling, deep breathing and looking up. All of which lead to a clear and peaceful mind.

Are you a resolutions kind of person? I certainly view the New Year as an opportunity to reset. Perhaps to a fault, I put off change as the the new year approaches. So I’ll add one more good intention in 2022 – I will be more timely when my path needs adjusting. And forgive myself when I veer off course.

Recipe Inspiration

My Sage Brown Butter Buttermilk Cornbread recipe is bursting with buttery herb flavors. It’s pretty darn good if I might say so. It’s that recipe that has inspired this Good Fortune Golden Cheddar Cornbread with Fire Roasted Poblanos.

Golden Cheddar Cornbread

Herbs and aromatics will elevate your cornbread. In this case, I use fire roasted poblano peppers to infuse the brown butter. While including some nice sharp cheddar cheese adds to the cornbread texture and the flavor.

This easy cornbread recipe is the perfect weekend comfort food yet also quick enough to prepare with a weeknight meal.

Wishing you health, happiness and good fortune in the year ahead. And may your plates be graced with delicious good eats!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Good Fortune Golden Cheddar Cornbread with Fire Roasted Poblanos

Good Fortune Golden Cheddar Cornbread with Fire Roasted Poblanos is a standout recipe with savory wonderful texture and buttery crisp edges!

Course Bread

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 2 poblano peppers fire roast, sweat, remove skins and seeds, dice
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
• 1 stick butter

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425° F.
• Fire roast poblanos until well charred on all sides. Place into a metal bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 5 minutes. Run under cold water to remove charred skins. Remove stem and seeds, then fine dice. Reserve.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients flour through salt. In a large bowl, beat buttermilk with eggs. Stir in 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, reserving 1/2 cup for topping.
• In a large cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add diced poblano pepper, reserving 2 Tablespoons for topping. Saute peppers until tender and butter is turning golden brown. Pour all but 1 tablespoon of melted butter/pepper mixture into buttermilk/egg mixture and whisk to combine. Slowly whisk in dry ingredients. Pour batter into cast iron skillet. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and diced poblano pepper.
• Place skillet into preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

The post Good Fortune Golden Cheddar Cornbread with Fire Roasted Poblanos appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Separating this process into a separate blog post is a way for me to more efficiently explain my stuffing-making-method.

And considering stuffing itself is considered a food group in my house…it deserves all the love and attention I can provide.

The Bread

I find whole French or Italian Loaves, Ciabatta, Brioche, or even dinner rolls or bagels cut or torn into bite-sized pieces work well. I’ve even used flavored artisan breads like rosemary garlic or sourdough. Shoot for at least two varieties when making stuffing.

Recipe Tip – a few days or even weeks in advance of making stuffing – watch the day old bread shelf at your local market. You can often find high quality artisan loaves reduced from $4.99 to $0.99. Just pop them in the freezer until ready to make cubes. Or go ahead and cut and dry the bread as outlined below and then freeze. This is a great time saver!

The MOST IMPORTANT thing is to dry the cubes thoroughly before assembling the stuffing. The bread must be very dry in order to absorb the buttery herby broth.

Air Dry Method

Once you have either cut or torn your bread into bite-sized cubes, spread onto baking sheets. Air dry them on the kitchen counter for a day or two (loosely covered with a clean tea towel).

Oven Dry Method

Spread cut or torn bread cubes onto baking sheets and bake in a low oven (275 deg. F.) for about 45 – 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want hard, crunchy, very dry bread cubes but not browned.

Storing Bread Cubes

Once dry, it’s best to use the bread cubes within two days or seal tightly in plastic bags and pop in the freezer. Bread cubes can be stored in the freezer for 2-3 months.

Then when you’re ready to make heavenly Herb Browned Butter Stuffing you just pull the prepared cubes out of the freezer, allow them to come to room temperature, and prepare for stuffing love!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

The post How To Make Bread Cubes for Stuffing appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

She thought of us when she saw it in a magazine and cut it out for me. It’s been laying on my desk patiently waiting.

The ingredients are quite basic, most well stocked pantries could handle. The instructions are straight forward, albeit there is yeast and resting/rising involved. However I’m certain most modest cooks could tackle this recipe.

Yet day after day, week after week, I avoided eye contact. What was it about this recipe that I was avoiding?

Oh I knew. Deep down I knew. And I’m here to admit to you.

I’VE NEVER MADE A CINNAMON ROLL.

Nope, not one.

Like you, I’ve seen hundreds of cinnamon roll recipes floating around the internet. I’m fairly sure there are Pinterest boards entirely dedicated to this delicacy. Yet I have managed to avoid making them until now.

Fear of failure is the only thing I can think of that has kept me from attempting this family favorite breakfast treat. But on this day I’m going in!

Making the Dough

Step 1 of the instructions is to “dissolve yeast in warm water and cream until foamy.” Sounds simple enough. The picture above is the 3rd attempt at foamy, which also included sending my husband to the grocery store to buy more heavy cream. That’s how committed I was to making this Giant Cinnamon Roll.

As it turns out the problem was not the temperature of my water and cream. Remember last year when covid first hit and everyone was home. We were all working on our honey-do lists, organizing closets, and baking bread. All that bread baking created a yeast shortage. Not sure the exact facts but my grocery stores were out for weeks, maybe longer. I finally broke down and ordered a 1 pound package of instant dry yeast online. That’s a lot of yeast and the same yeast I was using for this recipe, some 15 months later. There was no foamy action happening.

I thought about backing out. I mean this was part of why I have avoided making cinnamon rolls in the past. He must have seen the look in my eyes when he said “I’m going back to the grocery store to buy you fresh yeast.”

Bless him!

The moral of the story….face your fears & use fresh yeast.

As you can see in the above pictures I achieved “smooth and elastic dough” as Step 2 instructed. The dough also doubled in size and rolled out nicely into a 12″ x 15″ rectangle. The pizza cutter trick was brilliant too. Things were going my way. Confidence filled the air.

I rolled each 2-inch strip around the previous, creating a beautiful giant cinnamon roll, which doubled in size again! The magic that only fresh yeast can deliver (and an hour in a warm spot).

Making the Homemade Caramel Sauce

But then came the homemade caramel sauce. Good God. “Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan, cook over medium heat until it turns light amber.” Amber was no where to be seen. My sugar crystalized and turned to sugar concrete. Two batches in and we’re going with homemade “golden” syrup. It was buttery, sweet and delicious. One day caramel I’ll get you, but not today!

Recipe Note: because this recipe calls for caramel sauce I didn’t want to leave you hanging. But clearly I’m no expert. Here is a great link on how to make Quick and Easy Caramel Sauce. The trick….resist the urge to stir.

The Results

This iconic cinnamon bun, also known as a cinnamon swirl or danish was a giant hit with the whole family, including Ms. Pat. The dough was buttery crisp on the edges with a light center and a wonderful cinnamon flavor swirled throughout. I’m already thinking about my next attempt and how I’ll approach it with conviction.

Today marks what would have been my mom’s 90th birthday. Without question she would have loved this cinnamon roll. I have a folder of recipes cut, torn, rewritten from magazines and newspapers that mom knew I would like. It’s time for me to tackle the next one!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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How To Make a Giant Cinnamon Roll

This Giant Cinnamon Roll was a hit with the entire family. The dough was buttery crisp on the edges with a light center and a wonderful cinnamon flavor swirled throughout.

Course Breads, Breakfast, Brunch

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Rise Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Leah Rekau, Milwaukee, WI

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 1 pkg. (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast be sure yeast is fresh
• 1/2 cup warm water 110° – 115° F.
• 1/2 cup warm heavy whipping cream 110° – 115° F.
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3-4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg beaten
• 3 Tablespoons butter melted

For the Cinnamon Filling

• 1/4 cup butter softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

For the Caramel Topping

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 6 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

For the Cinnamon Roll

• Dissolve yeast in warm (110° – 115° F.) water and cream until foamy. I verified the temperature with my instant read thermometer. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, salt and 3 cups flour. Stir in yeast mixture, beaten egg and melted butter. Add enough remaining flour to create a soft dough.
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding additional flour if mixture is too sticky. Place in a greased bowl, turn once to grease the top. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 12-inch x 15-inch rectangle. Spread softened butter over dough, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into (6) 2-inch wide strips. Roll one strip and place in center of greased 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Wrap remaining strips around center. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.
• Preheat oven to 350° F. Bake until golden brown about 35-40 minutes.

For the Caramel Sauce

• To prepare the topping, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook undisturbed until it turns light amber, about 8-9 minutes. Resist the urge to stir. Add butter, stirring vigorously. Remove from the heat, add cream and continue to stir vigorously. Cool slightly. Pour 3/4 cup over cinnamon roll. Serve with remaining caramel sauce.

The post How To Make a Giant Cinnamon Roll appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

(thank you Ben & Jerry’s for that)

Be honest with me.

When you see {Gluten Free} is that a turn off?

I’m never sure if I should just slip in “Gluten Free’ or shout if from the roof top.

When you read gluten free, do you assume that whatever is pictured must have a weird texture or funny taste?

Because these muffins are really good! Yes, they happen to be gluten free, but not because they have funky earthy ingredients, but because oats ground into flour make damn good muffins.

For my non-Gluten Free friends, please give them a chance. Then let me know in the comments below what you think. Deal?

I know this is a post about Wholesome Chunky Monkey Muffins but when your kitchen is graced with such beauty as this bouquet of flowers, it’s hard to keep the camera off of them.

One of the many reasons I love going to our local Farmers Market each week. We’ve met some really great people, who happen to be flower farmers.

While I’m certain it has its challenges, waking up to fields of flowers must be an enchanting way to begin the day.

Back to these muffins. From the minute they come out of the oven, the sweet wholesome aroma will speak to your taste buds.

Hello….

You’re going to love my texture. Love my nutty sweet flavors. And most certainly want to share the love with your friends and family.

Chunky Monkey Muffins are moist, with nutty banana flavors, sweetened with chocolate chips.

I’m generally a savory breakfast girl, but there’s something special about a slightly sweet muffin with a cup of coffee. It’s kind of like having a biscotti with your coffee.

Are there recipes that remind you of a favorite vacation that you’d like to see us recreate? I’d love for you to comment below. Your feedback is so important to me (and keeps the recipe love fresh).

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook!

All my best,
xo Libby

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The post Wholesome Chunky Monkey Muffins {Gluten Free} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Since breakfast is my favorite meal of the day it was only fitting that before March Meatball Madness came to a conclusion that we come up with a Breakfast Meatball.

I stumbled on this idea quite by accident.

When ALDI delivered my sister’s groceries, they inadvertently substituted frozen breakfast meatballs for frozen breakfast sandwiches.

Who knew such a thing even existed?!!

I mean we’ve all heard of sausage balls, but to incorporate French toast to the mix….brilliant!

Minimal ingredients and a very simple process make these French Toast Breakfast Meatballs a wonderful school or work day breakfast.

Of course no one would turn them down on the weekend either!

If you cook up a batch of Buttermilk French Toast over the weekend, save a couple slices to incorporate into your meatballs during the week or pop them into the freezer to pull out when needed.

The Meatball Ingredients

• For the meatballs I combined a pound of all-natural ground sausage
• An egg
• 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon of ground sage
• 1/2 of teaspoon of salt & pepper
• 2 cups of small cubed (1/4-inch) prepared French toast

The Process

• Roll the mixture into balls about 1 1/2″ in diameter. I made 32 meatballs.
• Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet at 400 degrees F. for 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and serve with warm pure maple syrup.

Growing up in New Hampshire made me a bit of a maple syrup snob.

Once you’ve had ‘real’ maple syrup there’s no turning back. Every year, just before spring, I buy my maple syrup from Ben’s Sugar Shack, located just a few miles from my hometown.

Their prices are reasonable, they ship quickly, their bottles are gorgeous, and their syrup is delicious!

Speaking of delicious :)

French Toast Breakfast Meatballs were definitely a hit! You totally get the French toast taste and feel, which makes them nice and soft with hints of cinnamon, but the combination with the sausage makes them savory and very juicy.

It’s a wonderful flavor fusion!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Libby with Lemony Thyme

French Toast Breakfast Meatballs have the French toast taste and feel, which makes them nice and soft with hints of cinnamon, but the combination with the sausage makes them savory and very juicy. It's a wonderful flavor fusion!

Course Breakfast

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

For the Buttermilk French Toast

• 6-8 slices french bread, sliced 1-inch thick you'll want 2 cups once cooked and cubed
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon butter for pan frying French toast

For the French Toast Breakfast Meatballs

• 1 pound all-natural ground sausage
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon ground sage
• 1/2 teaspoon salt optional
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper optional
• 2 cups 1/4-inch cubed prepared French toast see above

To Serve

• 1/2 cup warm maple syrup for serving

Instructions

For the Buttermilk French Toast

• In a shallow bowl, beat eggs with buttermilk and cinnamon. Dip bread slices in egg mixture, turning several times so they absorb some of the liquid. Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Pan fry the dipped bread slices until golden brown on both sides. Cool slightly then chop into 1/4-inch cubes.

For the French Toast Breakfast Meatballs

• Preheat oven to 400° F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine ground sausage with egg, maple syrup, sage, salt & pepper. Then mix in the chopped French toast until thoroughly incorporated. Make 1 1/2-inch diameter meatballs and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve with warm maple syrup.

The post French Toast Breakfast Meatballs appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Does anyone else buy boxes of “Little Bites” muffins for their kids (big or small)??

I can’t believe I’m admitting it – not because I’m a packaged food snob, but because muffins are so darn easy to make at home!

These bite sized homemade Double Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins are moist and cake-like, studded with chocolate chips throughout. They are a tasty grab-n-go snack, lunch box treat, or Sunday morning get ’em out of bed to start the day kind of breakfast.

We first made this recipe back during the summer of covid-cooking (2020).

In May, after being in quarantine for two months, we as a family decided to take on an ultimate cooking challenge.

Every recipe cooked was an entry to win the grand prize. Little did we know that we would cook our way through an entire cookbook (132 recipes) in just 50 days. Each one of them documented on Instagram @lemonythyme.

Covid Cooking 2020

This beloved cookbook titled “Eat What You Want” is by What’s Gaby Cooking.

It’s hard to precisely put into words how profoundly this cooking expedition shaped our lives during these challenging and difficult times.

• Let’s just say we simultaneously strengthened our family bond and our love of food
• We shared the love with neighbors we hadn’t previously had the time to get to know (many special deliveries were left on doorsteps and passed over fences)
• No doubt we challenged our cooking abilities
• All of us stayed mostly positive when a sea of negativity was brewing in the world around us
• We discovered a competitive over-achiever lay under the surface in each of us
• Without a doubt, we ate the most delicious dishes all prepared in our own kitchen

And while we were not chosen as the grand-prize winner of her competition, in our book this family adventure was Winning!!!

You can find our amateur how-to cooking video saved under stories on Instagram. @lemonythyme “Kids Cooking”

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Double Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

These bite sized homemade Double Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins are moist and cake-like, studded with chocolate chips throughout.

Course Breakfast, Snack

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author adapted from What’s Gaby Cooking

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup vbegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk only
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

• Preheast oven to 375° F. Spray 4 mini-muffin tins with cooking spray (48 muffins total).
• In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder with 1/4 cup cocoa powder. In a separate small bowl, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup cocoa powder with hot water until smooth.
• In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs and yolk, and vanilla on medium speed until combined. Add the cocoa powder/water mixture and beat until just combined. Now alternately add the flour mixture and sour cream in three additions. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir in 1 cup of each kinds of chocolate chips, reserving a 1/2 cup of the mini chips to sprinkle on top before baking.
• Bake in center of oven about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick instered in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Store in an air tight container or freeze in small batches.

Notes

This recipe can also be made as one dozen standard sized muffins (30 minute bake time) or 6 jumbo muffins (40 minute bake time).

The post Double Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I will happily admit that I have eaten many a McMuffin hot from the drive-thru line. They were quick & easy and always hit the spot.

So whether you’ve got a little extra time to make your own like I did this morning or you’re supporting your favorite local breakfast joint….don’t miss an opportunity to celebrate this beloved breakfast sandwich!!

The English Muffin {Gluten Free or Not}

I actually set a calendar reminder months ago for this national food holiday. I’m a huge breakfast fan, especially when bacon & eggs are involved. The challenge I’ve faced for the past few years is finding gluten free alternatives for the ‘muffin’ portion of the classic Egg McMuffin. Last night I just went for it!

I found this basic gluten free English Muffin recipe on Food Network that used ingredients I already had on hand (less the psyllium husks which I omitted).

Nearly three hours later, I had what appeared to be English muffins!! The result was a very tasty, slightly dense, breakfast-sandwich-worthy platform for today’s creation!

What the gluten free version were lacking were nooks and crannies and that familiar chewy texture.

All-in-all, they worked just fine. For those of you who don’t struggle with gluten, here’s a link to my more traditional Homemade English Muffins {bread machine method}.

The Breakfast Sandwich Key Ingredients

For the Breakfast Sandwich itself, I wanted to go beyond bacon, egg & cheese without sacrificing the familiar comfort we expect from an Egg McMuffin. I prefer traditional bacon to Canadian bacon, either or neither is just fine.

The Extra Special Add-Ins

In keeping with the Mickey D theme, what better ingredient to throw into our sandwich than a crunchy hash brown patty?!! They can be found in the freezer section of most grocery stores and bake up nice and crispy.

Now we’ve got the full breakfast experience in every bite!

Adding sliced creamy avocado was purely to make me feel like this breakfast bundle wasn’t over the top…just teetering a bit.

These Egg McMuffin style sandwiches were a hit and satisfied all the breakfast cravings!! Go ahead and Share the Love, your friends and family will be glad you did. Enjoy!!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Breakfast Sandwich {Egg McMuffin Style}

For the Breakfast Sandwich itself, I wanted to go beyond bacon, egg & cheese without sacrificing the familiar comfort we expect from an Egg McMuffin.

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 4 English muffins
• 8 strips bacon
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup shredded colby jack or cheddar cheese
• 4 frozen hash brown patties
• 1 avocado sliced
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2-3 Tablespoons butter for cooking

Instructions

Prepare ingredients

• Preheat oven to 450° F. Place frozen hashbrown patties on a dark baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes, then flip and bake for another 7 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook bacon until crispy. Drain on paper towel. Reserve. Toast English muffins, butter and reserve. Heat 1 Tablespoon butter in non-stick skillet. Fry eggs, breaking yolks and flipping; season with salt & pepper. Top eggs with shredded cheese. Remove from heat and cover for 1-2 minutes until cheese is melted.

To assemble

• Layer half of each English muffin with hashbrown patty, fried egg with cheese, bacon strips, sliced avocado, and top with remaining English muffin halves.

Or maybe a McGriddle is your thing. Here’s how we build these at home.

The post Breakfast Sandwich {Egg McMuffin Style} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I feel like I’m getting free cooking lessons every time I log in. 

Back to the Pita Bread.  It’s delicious. 

However, after my first attempt (and there will be many more) my bread was more like Naan than Pita.  We had no pockets, just some cute air bubbles (see tips from The Kitchn on how to correct this).

Here’s my little Step by Step Homemade Pita Bread summary. 

A quick & easy 5-ingredient dough comes together with minimal elbow grease (about 5-7 minutes of kneading).

The dough then rises for 1-2 hours.  Good things come to those who wait.

The dough is then cut into 8 pcs. that get rolled out into thin disks.

Get your cast iron skillet good and hot and coat it lightly with a little oil.

The directions said to cook for 1-2 minutes per side.  That seemed like a long time.

The end result yielded 6 out of 8…pretty darn good looking Homemade Pita Breads.  No we didn’t have “pockets” for stuffing, but these flat breads would be fantastic with Gyros or for dipping.

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Homemade Pita Bread

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Resting Time 2 hours hours

Author The Kitchn

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil

Instructions

• Mix the water and yeast together and allow to rest for 5 minutes until the yeast dissolves. Begin by adding 2 1/2 cups of flour, salt and olive oil to the water/yeast. Stir until a shaggy dough is formed. Sprinkle flour onto a clean surface and turn dough out and knead for 5-7 minutes. Add more flour as needed to achieve a smooth and elastic dough.
• Lightly oil a bowl and add dough, turning once to coat it. Allow to rest for 1-2 hours until the dough has doubled in size. Gently punch down the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 8 pieces and flatten each piece into a disk. Sprinkle pieces with a little flour and cover with plastic wrap until ready to bake.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll each disc into an 8"-9" circle, using a floured rolling pin. Lift and turn dough, dusting surface with additional flour as need to keep from sticking.

For oven method

• Preheat oven to 450° F. Place a baking stone or baking sheet into the oven. One by one, place the rolled out dough directly onto the baking stone and bake for 3 minutes each. They will balloon.

For stovetop method

• Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle a small amount of oil in the pan to coat, wipe out any excess. Place a rolled out pitz dough into pan and cook for 30 seconds until you see bubbles forming. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes, until toasted spots appear on underneath side. Flip again and toast other side for another 1-2 minutes.

The post Step by Step Homemade Pita Bread appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

These beauties are my first attempt at homemade popovers, simple to make and they were outstanding.

Don’t fear the popovers!

I gave careful consideration to the flavor profile I would incorporate into this my first popover attempt.

Fresh herbs for certain, which pair so nicely with the intensely sensual flavors of browned butter – kind of a no-brainer. It is after all well noted on the pages of Lemony Thyme that I’m rather infatuated with herbed brown butter.

Sensual /’sen(t)SH(OO)el/ adjective
“relating to or consisting in the gratification of the senses or the indulgence of appetite.” Which is precisely how I felt about these popovers!

A Trip Down Memory Lane

These Herbed Brown Butter Popovers brought back wonderful memories of working in the kitchen and dining room of Woodbound Inn, circa 1980’s. Woodbound was and still is a charming New England inn where generations would vacation year after year. As familiar as the guests were, so was the weekly menu lineup.

Since my days as a Woodbounder, I had forgotten some of the daily menus, so I reached out to my fellow alumni on social media to help fill in the gap. With over 60 responses we fondly recalled our favorites, which included Saturday night Prime Rib and Dot’s Yorkshire pudding.

Dot Flagg was the pastry chef who turned out pans of Yorkshire pudding every Saturday night to serve with their famous Prime Rib. As teenagers we were in awe of her and also slightly quite frightened by her stern disposition. However, as the years went on we learned that her crispy exterior was a bit of a front. And as it turns out, Dot had a wonderful sense of humor and was a softy inside, kind of like a popover :) or her incredible Maple Pecan Sticky Buns.

Popovers vs. Yorkshire Pudding

This is a good time to discuss the difference between Popovers and Yorkshire pudding.

Both are made from a thin egg batter that rises when cooked creating a crispy exterior and ‘hollow’ center that’s the perfect well for jam or fruit or gravy and au jus.

Traditionally Yorkshire pudding originated in Britain in the mid-1700s. It’s batter is poured into a pan that has been greased with the drippings from a roast, like Prime Rib.

Popovers are the American version of the beloved British pudding and were first referenced in the mid-1800s. Popover pans on the other hand are greased with melted butter or oil.

Other than that they’re basically the same delicious airy roll with endless flavor pairings, such as fresh herbs and browned butter.

Popovers

Now on to these particular Herbed Brown Butter Popovers. I followed a very basic recipe and used Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour. The result was a nicely puffed popover, with a beautifully crispy exterior, and an airy slightly eggy interior. The browned butter added a slight complexity to the flavor and the herbs peeked through as well.

Do not fear the Popovers. They are simple to make. Delicious to eat. A beautiful companion to any meal. Enjoy!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Herbed Brown Butter Popovers {Gluten Free}

The result was a nicely puffed popover, with a beautifully crispy exterior, and an airy slightly eggy interior. The browned butter added a slight complexity to the flavor and the herbs peeked through as well.

Keyword Baked Goods

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Resting Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 1 cup 1 for 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups milk slightly warmed
• 4 large eggs room temperature
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme)
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthum gum omit if GF Flour contains xanthum gum

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400° F. Grease a 6-cup popover pan or 12-cup standard muffin tin.
• In a small skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add chopped fresh herbs and saute until butter begins to brown slightly. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 minutes.
• For best results (smooth batter), make popover batter In a blender. Blend the eggs, melted butter, and milk until well combined. Add the flour and salt to the blender, then blend on medium-high until batter is smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, filling each cup 2/3 full.
• Bake for 25 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350°F and bake for another 15 minutes, until the popovers are a deep brown.
• Remove from the oven. Prick the side of each popover with a sharp knife to vent the steam; allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Recipe Note: Our Gluten Free Flour already had xanthin gum – so I omitted it from the recipe.

The post Herbed Brown Butter Popovers appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I set a calendar reminder for this food holiday because I knew it would be an opportunity to spend some time in the kitchen with Ella, my fun-loving, bright, kind and witty bonus-daughter who can hold her own in the kitchen. She’s 11. She’s a natural. And she makes banana bread like nobody’s business!!

We love quick breads and muffins. They are the perfect grab-n-go snack that’s easy to pack full of healthy goodness. We chose Dutch Apple Pie Muffins because Apple Pie is a favorite dessert in our house and the crumb topping on a Dutch Apple Pie just screams of muffin tops!!

We took our new favorite Pumpkin Morning Glory Muffin recipe and adapted it to create Dutch Apple Pie Muffins. By using equal parts Gluten Free Baking Flour and Old Fashion Oats ground into oat flour these muffins are gluten free with the most delightful texture and they are loaded with fresh apples.

The crumb topping is bursting with Apple Pie Spice aromas; cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.

For the apples we used Honey Crisp because we wanted the natural sweetness since this recipe uses maple syrup or honey in place of cane sugar. You could certainly use your favorite variety.

We hope you’ll give these Dutch Apple Pie Muffins a try. They’ll be the perfect autumn-thyme treat smack during apple picking season. But we loved them equally as much today on National Muffin Day!

This morning we also agreed to recreate store-bought “Little Bites” to see if we could match their undeniable teenager attraction. Check back, we believe we have cracked the code.

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Dutch Apple Pie Muffins {Gluten Free}

Dutch Apple Pie Muffins bring a warm Apple Pie flavor with a crumb topping that just screams of muffin tops!!

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

For the crumb topping

• 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
• 1/2 cup All-purpose Gluten Free Flour
• 1 teaspoon apple pie spice (recipe linked in post)
• 1/4 cup butter melted

For the muffins

• 3/4 cup Old Fashioned Oats ground into flour
• 1 cup All-Purpose Gluten Free measure for measure flour
• 2 teaspoons apple pie spice (recipe linked in post)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
• 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 cups apples peeled and chopped, about 2 apples

Instructions

For the crumb topping

• In a small bowl, combine all crumb topping ingredients. Reserve.

For the muffins

• Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease or line muffin tin (12 standard or 6 jumbo).
• In a large bowl whisk together dry ingredients through salt. In a small bowl, whisk applesauce, brown sugar, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla and eggs. Stir wet mixture into dry just until combined. Fold in chopped apples.
• Divide batter evenly into muffin cups. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of crumb topping onto each muffin. Bake for 18-20 minutes (slightly less for standard size muffins) or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out mostly dry. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, continue cooling on wire rack.

The post Dutch Apple Pie Muffins {Gluten Free} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.