BETTER THAN BAKED APPLES - BAKED APPLE MUFFINS!

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Karola B. Lütjen (Herzensköchin blog), a nurse and nutritionist, doesn't only cook from the heart, but, also, for the heart - a healthy one!

Her Bratapfelmuffins had been on my to-bake list since last December. The late fall with its drizzling rain, intermingled with wet snow flakes, made me crave the comfort of something cinnamon-y, with apples and almonds - Baked Apple Muffins seemed an excellent choice.

To make the muffins taste even more like baked apples, I sautéd the apple cubes in butter and toasted the almond slices. I also reduced the sugar amount a bit and used vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean.

I like Honey Crisp or Cripp's Pink for baking

Those wonderfully moist muffins with crispy almonds surpassed all my expectations! My husband found them: "Much better than baked apples", and I couldn't agree more!

Better than baked apples!

BAKED APPLE MUFFINS  (12)  (adapted from Karola B. Lütjens' Bratapfelmuffins)

3.4 oz/100 ml apple cider, hot (I used hard cider)
0.9 oz/25 g raisins
0.9 oz/25 g dried cranberries
2.6 oz/75 g almonds slices, toasted
1 1/2 - 2 apples, cored, and cubed (9 oz/265 g net)
3.5 oz/100 g butter, softened + 1 tbsp. (1 stick)
2.6 oz/75 g sugar in the raw
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature

5.6 oz/160 g all-purpose flour
1.4 oz/40 g whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp. baking powder
5 oz/150 ml milk (whole or 2%)


In a small bowl, pour hot cider over raisins and dried cranberries and let them soak for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 355ºF/180ºC. Line cups of a muffin pan with paper liners.

In a skillet without fat, toast almond slices until light brown and fragrant. Transfer them to a small bowl.

Cook apple in butter for a few minutes

Wash apples, quarter, core and cut into 1/4-inch/1/2-cm cubes. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the (now empty) skillet and sauté apples until al dente - they shouldn't turn into mush!

In a large bowl whisk together flour and baking powder.

In mixer bowl cream remaining 3.5 oz/100 g butter until fluffy, then mix in vanilla, cinnamon and sugar until well blended. Add flour mixture in portions, alternating with the milk, until everything is just combined.

Mix raisins, cranberries and apples with almond slices

Drain soaked raisins and cranberries in a strainer (use soaking liquid for another purpose). Add with apple cubes to the bowl with toasted almond slices, and mix to combine.

Fold 2/3 of the fruit mixture into the batter

Fold 2/3 of the apple mixture into the muffin batter. Distribute evenly among the paper liners (3/4 full). Sprinkle muffins tops with the remaining fruit-almond mixture, then press gently down a bit to attach.

Bake muffins for 25-30 minutes, until tops are light brown, and a needle comes out clean. (Don't wait for them to turn really brown, then they will bake too long!). Let muffins cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer them to a wire rack.

Baked Apple Muffins fresh from the oven

TIP:
Baked Apple Muffins taste best a bit warm.Thanks to the whole wheat and the juicy fruits they keep fresh for several days (in a cool place).To warm them up, zap them briefly in the microwave.

Even Ruffi, the Roamer, likes it better indoors now!

PUMPKIN ROLLS WITH RUM FRUITS

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When I came back from my Hamburg trip it started snowing here in Bar Harbor. The thick, wet flakes soon melted from the streets but left the garden a wintery mess - no way to get rid of those pesky maple leaves covering lawn and flower beds now.

The first snow in our street

Hanaâ's ABC-bakers had posted their Cranberry Pumpkin Rolls for November already, but all their appetizing photos convinced me to tackle those little golden rolls, albeit belatedly, too.

Combining pumpkin, cranberries, raisins and crystallized ginger with warm spices like cinnamon and cloves was very tempting (the smell!) and just the right thing for this cold, unfriendly transition from fall to winter.

As ususual, I adapted King Arthur Flour's recipe to my preferences, exchanging a quarter of the white flour with whole wheat, reducing the salt, and, since the crystallized ginger was sugary, also the amount of sugar. Most important, I gave the dried fruits a bath in rum!

Dried fruits for the rum soaker

A slow overnight rise (with less yeast!) allowed the rich ingredients to meld and develop their flavors. And with pumpkin inside - why shouldn't there be pumpkin seed on top, too?

The little, soft rolls were so delicious that we devoured them within two days (I made half the recipe). Thanks to the long, cold fermentation they had a mellow spiciness, and the rum soaked fruits were soft and plump without any harsh alcoholic note.

With jam or just with butter: delicious!

PUMPKIN ROLLS WITH RUM FRUITS (nach King Arthur Flour)
(16 small rolls)

Fruit Soaker:
64 g dried cranberries
64 g golden raisins
53 g crystallized ginger, diced
1/8 cup/60 ml rum

FINAL DOUGH
18 oz/510 g all-purpose flour
2 oz/57 g whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1.4 oz/40 g brown sugar, light or dark
1 tsp./6 g salt
2 1/4 tsp./0.3 oz/7 g instant yeast
6 oz/170 g/3/4 cup canned pumpkin (or homemade*)
rum fruits (with soaking liquid)
2 large eggs
3 oz/90 ml water (or more, depending on the water in the pumpkin)
2 oz/57 g/4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
egg, slightly beaten with a little water, for egg wash
pumpkin seeds, chopped, for topping

*homemade pumpkin puree see Dan Lepard's recipe) 


DAY 1
In the morning:
Mix dried fruits and rum in a small bowl, cover and leave to soak, stirring now and then.

In the evening:
Mix all dough ingredients at low speed (or with wooden spoon) until they come together (1-2 minutes). Let rest for 5 minutes. Knead at mediump-low speed (or by hand) for 6 minutes, adjusting with a little more water or flour as needed (dough should be soft and a bit sticky).

Then work the dough with stretching & folding as described here (S&F 3-4 times).  Place dough in a lightly greased bowl or container, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

After the last S & F the dough is ready for the fridge

DAY 2
Remove dough from refrigerator 2 hours before using. It should have almost doubled in volume, if not, let it rise longer.

Divide dough in equal pieces and shape into rolls

Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide it into 16 equal pieces, roughly 2.75 oz/78 g each. Shape pieces into rolls. Place rolls, smooth side up, on parchment-lined or perforated baking sheets. 

Shaped rolls before rising...

Brush rolls with egg wash and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds, pressing seeds lightly to adhere. Cover, and let rise for about 1 hour, or until they have grown at least 1 1/2 times their original size (finger test: a dimple should remain visible).

Preheat oven to 350ºF/175ºC. No steaming.

....and ready to be baked

Bake rolls for 20 - 25 minutes (rotating pan 180 degrees after half the baking time for even browning), until golden brown (internal temperature at least 190⁰F/90ºC). Turn rolls out onto a wire rack to cool.

Freshly baked - you can eat them warm

Serve warm or at room temperature.

STORAGE: Wrapped in plastic foil, the rolls can be kept at room temperature for three days. Or you can place them in a ziploc bag and freeze them.

For BreadStorm users (also the free version) here the interactive formula to download:
Submitted to YeastSpotting

BREAD BASKET FOR GÖTZ VON BERLICHINGEN

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Dear baking friends who joined in my challenge to create a Bread for the Knight with the Iron Hand:

YOU FILLED MY BASKET WITH 30 WONDERFUL LOAVES!!!

You thought about breads that were worthy of a famous knight from the middle ages, and, also, could please the palates of today's guests of Schlosshotel Götzenburg.

Not only your enthusiasm and creativity is amazing - your comments about medieval knights in general, and Götz von Berlichingen in particular, are highly entertaining.

Götz von Berlichingen putting his iron hand to good use!

Some of you even tried to figure out what practical considerations might influence a pastry chef's decision on what kind of bread to choose - like using leftovers from the restaurant kitchen and easy availability of ingredients.

By and by, I will try to bake all of your breads (I have started already).

Also, I translated all German recipes into English and vice versa. So, if you don't want to be at the mercy of Google-Translate (rather pathetic with bread formulas, but always good for a laugh!), please contact me and I will send you the recipe.

Please, accept our gift!

Dear management of Schlosshotel Götzenburg,
28 enthusiastic bread bakers from 9 countries, from Canada to Dubai, helped me fill a basket with 30 different breads worthy of a Götz von Berlichingen.

Please, accept our gift of recipes - so that your guests will find breads on the breakfast buffet that are a credit to your beautiful hotel (and not bland mass-produced loaves.) 

SCHLOSSHOTEL GÖTZENBURG BREAD BASKET

1. Heritage wheats are not that easy to work with. The same is true for medieval bread grains that were around when Götz was fighting. But Barbara Elisi (Bread & Companatico) even coaxes a filigree crumb out of stubborn whole grain breads.

SICILIAN HERITAGE WHEAT BREAD FOR A GERMAN KNIGHT. I already baked her bread, with Maine heirloom wheat - it tastes fantastic!

Barbara's Sicilian Heritage Wheat Bread for a German Knight

2. With his hearty, moist bread, Brian/Skibum (The Fresh Loaf) wants to supply hotel guests with a healthy dose of grains, seeds and fibers, and, also, make good use of leftover potato cooking water (from the restaurant kitchen):

IRON-HAND-12-GRAIN BREAD

Brian's Iron-Hand-12-Grain-Bread

3. Björn Hollensteiner (Der Brotdoc) presents his GÖTZ VON BERLICHINGEN BREAD (with wheat and spelt) in two delicious versions, as round loaf:

Björn's Götz von Berlichingen Bread - als loaf...

and as break-away flatbread. Considering Götz' one-handed-ness, the latter is, no doubt, a big plus! (Björn has a bilingual blog, in German and English.)

...and as break-away-flatbread

4. With her  hearty POTATO-WHEAT-RYE BREAD FOR GÖTZ VON BERLICHINGEN, Britta (Brot vom Niederrhein) thought of the hotel guests' well-being, but, also, of possible leftover usage in the restaurant kitchen.

With its high potato content - cooked and uncooked - her bread is nice and moist, and keeps fresh for several days. I made it, and it tastes great! (Please, contact me for the English translation of her recipe.)

Britta's Potato-Wheat-Rye Bread for Götz von Berlichingen

5. Just back from China, Che Foodzeit (What's the time? It's FOODZEIT) had two goals in mind. His bread should symbolize the knight's iron hand (flax seed with a high iron content), and, also, "out-smell" his dirty mouth (with lavender flowers):

MIXED FLOUR BREAD FOR GÖTZ (Che's blog is bilingual, German and English.) 

Che Foodzeit's Mixed Flour Bread for Götz

6. Chorus (Die Mehlkäfer) offers a light wheat bread to the medieval knight, appropriate for his noble status. She also adapted her post to medieval language, and cautions:

"Refresh yourself, while you still can, rejoice and play the shawm, the little piece of bread in your hand could be you last. Enjoy it with appetite."

BISHOP'S BREAD FOR GOETHE'S GÖTZ  (Please, contact me for the recipe in English)

Chorus' Bishop's Bread for Goethe's Götz

7. Dabrownman (The Fresh Loaf), baker extraordinaire of grain loaded breads, felt so inspired by Götz' life that he created two loaves in his honor.

Hearty enough for the strongest knight, and, also, in view of the sanitary habits of yore (and the call for a clean behind), baked with high alcohol black ale:

GÖTZ VON BERLICHINGEN ANCIENT AGE SOURDOUGH BREAD

Dabrownman's Götz von Berlichingen Ancient Age Sourdough Bread

8. To slice his SWABIAN POTATO BREAD FOR GÖTZ OF THE IRON FIST,  you don't need a sword, it's softened by the potato content, and reminiscent of the knight's Swabian origin. After making it twice - it advanced to the ranks of my favorite breads (here's my take on it)

...and his Swabian Potato Bread  for Götz of the Iron Fist

9. Dagmar Kern (Brotecke) gave her mighty loaf a war-like name, and a matching fierce decoration to boot. Marked with a sword - and made with black ale, rye and spelt: just the right thing for a hungry knight and his guests!

SWORD BREAD FOR GÖTZ (Please, contact me for the recipe in English)

Dagmar's Sword Bread for Götz

10. Daniel Ronay (Facebook/Baking 101) believes a hothead like Götz should have a robust bread that matches his passionate nature.

His HOT CHILE-PEPPER LOAF FOR GÖTZ is seasoned with chile peppers. (Daniel doesn't have a blog, please contact me for the recipe).

-

Daniel Ronay's Hot Chile Pepper Loaf for Götz

11. To "add a medieval tone" to his loaf, Daniel Strachan (Joy of Gluten) included a "bubbling, blurping porridge" in his SPELT-PORRIDGE-BREAD FOR GÖTZ VON BERLICHINGEN

The trapped water in the porridge keeps the attractive breads moist for several days.

Daniel Strachan's Spelt-Porridge-Bread for Götz von Berlichingen

12. David Snyder/dmsnyder, one of The Fresh Loaf's best hobby bakers, finds that a medieval German knight would have been very lucky, indeed, to have a bread like this on his breakfast table:

70% RYE BREAD FOR A MEDIEVAL KNIGHT

David's 70% Rye Bread for a Medieval Knight

13. Dietmar Kappl, master baker at the renowned Reichl-Bäckerei in St Marien (lucky Austrians!), shares some his wonderful breads in his Homebaking Blog.

Even if authorities and clerics (which Götz despised, anyway) would have sneered at such a hearty rye loaf - my husband and I certainly didn't, it tastes excellent! (Please, contact me for the recipe in English.)

KNIGHT'S BREAD "GÖTZ VON BERLICHINGEN",

Dietmar's Knight's Bread "Götz von Berlichingen"

14. He didn't find a medieval bread recipe during his research, but Don Sadowsky, author of the wildly popular "Really? Authentic Bread?" unearthed a "tough as Krupp steel" Komissbrot from the trenches of Verdun.

It could have saved quite a few lives - if used as impermeable shield against flying shrapnel!

1914 GERMAN ARMY KRIEGS-BROT

Don's 1914 German Army Kriegs-Brot

15. Eva Henningsen (Kochpoetin) caters to the (long neglected) soft side of Sir Götz. I baked her tender spelt brioches with fine orange-lime aroma - even the fiercest old warrior would have enjoyed a

KNIGHT'S BREAKFAST (Please, contact me for the recipe in English)

Eva's Knight's Breakfast

16.  Freerk Bos (BreadLab) shares his very special relationship with Goethe's Götz - he was the first (and probably only) student who ever checked out this drama from the local library!

Little rolls, with a paprika-chili spiral, dipped in seeds - I can't think of a prettier way Sturm und Drang became bread.

NO GÖTZ NO GLORY - HOT BLOODED  BUNS:

No Götz no Glory - Freerk's Hot Blooded Buns

17. Gary Turner (The Fresh Loaf) did some research on food in medieval times. Whereas common people had to eat coarse rye and barley breads, only finest wheat was good enough for the higher classes.

This is his delicious, mildly acidic FIRST CLEAR FINE BREAD FOR SIR GÖTZ:

Gary's First Clear Fine Bread for Sir Götz

18. Ian Sandman's (Mookie loves bread) four-legged kitchen helpers would have rather baked for the mysterious Black Knight without hands (from the Artus legend), but could be persuaded that at least one hand was needed to handle this rustic loaf!

IRON-HAND-CHALLENGE-BREAD - A PORRIDGE MICHE:

 

Ian's Iron Hand Challenge Bread with Porridge

19. For health reasons Janet Cook (The Fresh Loaf) cannot eat her beautiful loaves herself, but that doesn't deter her from indulging in her bread baking passion: making her neighbors happy.

Inspired by medieval drinking habits, she added a barley mash to her wheat spelt bread.

BARLEY MASH BREAD FOR THE KNIGHT WITH THE IRON HAND (Janet has no blog - please, contact me for the recipe!)

Janet's Barley Mash Bread for the Knight with the Iron Hand

20. A piece of this bread in his chain mail pouch or saddle bag would have made a good meal for any knight hungry from pillaging. Joanna's (Zebbakes) loaf, made with a kefir levain, is substantial enough for a forceful character like Götz:

KEFIR REMACINATA BREAD FOR A FORCEFUL CHARACTER

Joanna's Kefir Remacinata Bread for a Forceful Character

21. Josh/Golgi70 (The Fresh Loaf) wants to sustain a knight on the road with a very nourishing loaf - full with berries, seeds - and bacon! It also makes good use of some kitchen leftovers:

A KNIGHT'S RYE 

Josh's Knight's Rye

22 + 23. Jürgen Krauss' (The Fresh Loaf) spelt bread comes in two variations, with light or green spelt. You can also choose between a purist version, or a loaf seasoned with nettle and fennel. Served with goat cheese the nettle version earned him his family's Annual Culinary Awards!

GÖTZ BROT - JÜRGEN'S TAKE, WITH LIGHT SPELT

GÖTZ-BROT - JÜRGEN'S TAKE, WITH GREEN SPELT

Jürgens Götz-Brot with light or green spelt (right: with nettle and fennel)

24. I wanted to use my favorite flours, spelt, einkorn, rye and barley my own bread, and give it a medieval touch with a millet porridge. My bread guinea pig husband and I liked it a lot!

WORTHY OF A KNIGHT - KARIN'S GÖTZENBURG-BROT

Karin's Götzenburg-Brot

25. Even in faraway Dubai, Khalid/Mebake (The Fresh Loaf) bakes with freshly milled organic wheat, rye and spelt flours from Germany. His loaf tastes smoky, nutty, slightly acidic and caramel sweet, since it's made with a raisin soaker.

KHALID'S GÖTZENBURG BREAD
(My take on it you find here)

Khalid's Götzenburg Bread - from Dubai!

26. Marcus/Wassisname (The Fresh Loaf) wondered, what kind of loaf he might offer Old Götz nowadays, and opted for a wheat bread with barley, oats and flax seed.

Everybody who tried it enjoyed his GÖTZENBROT. And if anyone doesn’t like it?  Well… thanks to Götz von Berlichingen, Marcus knows just what to say to those wimps!

Marcus' Götzenbrot

27. Marion's (Marion's Kitchenstories) sourdough with whole wheat and rye berries has such a wonderful "bite" that it made the list of her top ten favorite breads. (She posted in Dutch and English)

MARION'S WHEAT & RYE BERRY SOURDOUGH FOR A COURAGEOUS KNIGHT 

Marion's Wheat & Rye Berry Sourdough for a Courageous Knight

28. No wonder that Ninive (Ninive Loves Life) took up the challenge to help fill the bread basket for Old Götz - her maiden name is Götze!

Her WHOLE RYE BREAD FOR GÖTZ, made with coarse rye meal, beer and molasses, develops its good taste during long, slow fermentation. (Ninive's blog is bilingual, German and English).

Ninive's Whole Rye Bread for Götz

29. Sam Kargl (Sam's Kitchen) wondered how traveling noblemen and their followers prepared their food when when they had no oven. Surely they would have brought a kettle!

But if you aren't busy with plundering and pillaging you can also bake this hearty rye-wheat loaf in a regular oven, in a cast iron pot, or even without a "kettle". (Please, contact me for the recipe in English)

KETTLE BREAD FOR GÖTZ:

Sam's Kettle Bread for Götz

30. Susan (Facebook) bakes this 1.8 kilogram heavy weight every week, and thinks a bread that she and her neighbors have enjoyed for years, should certainly please an old knight, too.
(Susan has no own blog -  please, contact me for the recipe).

COUNTRY FRENCH BREAD FOR GÖTZ

Susan's Country French Bread for Götz

COUNTRIES:
Germany:        Britta, Che Foodzeit, Chorus, Eva, Brotdoc, Ninive, Dagmar
Great Britain: Jürgen, Joanna
Netherlands:   Freerk, Marion
Austria:           Dietmar, Sam
Sweden:           Barbara
Switzerland:    Daniel Strachan
Canada:          Brian
USA:                Ian, Josh, Karin, Janet, Marcus, Gary, Don, Daniel Ronay, David, Dabrownman,
                        Susan
UAE/Dubai:    Khalid

Good bye!