I’m wiping up the mud and debris left from January and welcoming February with open arms. January is a rough month. It starts out on a high, with resolutions and promises. But I dunno, something veers off. Maybe because 2 years ago on January 21st my mom died and that kind of is like a big kick in the gut to every January that comes after. So I’m going to declare February as my new slate! It’s a time when winter shakes off all of the big bad-ass-ness and fuzzy blossoms, sunshine and warm air start swirling around Vancouver. This month, we’ve had the windows open every day and it smells of springtime. Years ago, when my brother first came to visit me from Ontario, he came in February. He wore is heavy winter coat and toque as is the fashion out east. But as soon as he arrived, he ditched the cold weather gear and felt liberated in only a denim jacket and a colourful plaid scarf. Add in cherry blossoms, sun that warms the cheeks, and the smells of the earth coming back to life and you’ve got February.

And to celebrate, I’ve baked up some banana bread and trust me, it’s no ordinary loaf. I first made this in January when I had a friend over for tea. We needed tea and comfort and chocolate, because as I mentioned, you need all the help you can get during that dark month. This bread was just the ticket and it’s this bread that I want to share with you today.

Yup, that tasty loaf came from these fugly, brown bananas. Whenever we have bananas that start to get too spotty and soft, into the freezer they go. And when we’ve got a few rounded up, I start thinking banana bread. I’ve made a few in my day, but wanted to try something new. Chocolate chips were a given, but I decided to throw in some cocoa powder along with grated coconut into the mix. I also used some coconut-flavoured yogurt, but if you don’t have any on hand and wanted a bit more of a coconut kick, add in a 1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract into your milk or yogurt mixture. Oh, and I added rum. I like rum. It goes well with bananas and chocolate. And January.

February has only begun and there’s already some exciting news to share. I’m beyond thrilled to mention that this blog has been nominated for a Bloggie which is a huge (!!!) weblog award. I’d sure appreciate it if you could head on over and vote for Everybody Likes Sandwiches as Best Canadian Blog. As well, you can check out a whole host of other awesome blogs that have been nominated.

elsewhere: Got a hankering for soup? Look no further because the smokey southwestern apple & squash soup I had last week was so freakin’ tasty!!! (It deserves every. single. exclaimation. point.) You can get the recipe on Poppytalk.

cocoa-coconut banana bread
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c vegan margarine
3 ripe bananas, mashed – about 1 cups worth
1 T rum (or use vanilla extract)
1 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 c coconut-flavoured yogurt or vegan yogurt or 1/3 c soy/almond/coconut milk* + 1 tsp vinegar
1/2 c chocolate chips
1/4 c walnuts, chopped
1/4 c unsweetened grated coconut

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease loaf pan with margarine & dust with flour. Set aside.

Cream together the sugar and margarine until fluffy. Add in mashed bananas and rum and blend well.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

Pour half of the flour mixture into the wet mixture and stir until combined. Add in the milk or yogurt mixture and combine. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix. Fold in the chocolate chips, coconut & walnuts. Spoon batter (don’t worry, it will be thick) into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about one hour and 10 minutes.

* If you use coconut milk, don’t use the stuff from the can – instead use the carton kind which is more like milk.

Possibly related posts:

• banana espresso chocolate chip bread
• the big bad banana: jacked-up banana bread

I always associate apples as a fall thing, but this year, I got a hold of some early apples from my sour cherry orchard hook-up. So, this late August & early September I was swimming in heritage apple varieties like Wealthy, Sunrise, and King apples, along with the more familiar Gala and Mac varities. I love apples so an early apple glut is a welcome surprise.

I snacked on the crisp and juicy apples for as long as I could, but since I live in a shoebox of an apartment (no cold cellar), I couldn’t keep them crisp for long. So my delicious crunchy apples had transformed from an eating specimen to a cooking one – perfect for apple pancakes, ginger apple pandowdy, baked apple oatmeal, but I settled on trying out an apple cheddar quick bread instead. Good choice!

The bread was delicious and flavourful and worked really well as a side for a vegetable stew I had made for supper. But we ate it toasted for breakfast the next morning and might I say it was even better. Toasted cheese and apple bits? I’m so in.

The only real trick with this recipe was the baking time. I figured that 35-40 minutes should have been enough, but it wasn’t. While it looked lovely and golden on the outside, inside it was still gooey. So I baked it for an extra 15-20 minutes and it turned out fine. The recipe below reflects how long I think it should bake for, however, if you are using a larger loaf pan you might want to reduce the baking time.

elsewhere: Want to see just about the prettiest thing? Click over to Poppytalk where I do a post with a recipe for sea salt caramels with toasted pecans. But that’s not all! I wrap up the caramels using parchment & washi tape so it makes a super cute gift. Adorbz.

apple & cheddar quick bread
1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3/4 c milk + 2 T
1/3 c canola oil
1 egg
2 T brown sugar
1 c finely diced apples
1 c strong cheddar cheese, grated

3 T cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400F. Prep your 8×4 loaf pan* by lightly greasing it with butter and then use a mixture of cornmeal and flour to dust the insides with – about a spoonful of each should do. Shake out any excess and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk everything together. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the milk, oil, egg and brown sugar until well blended. Pour in the diced apples and stir in the flour mixture. Add in the cheese in 3 handfuls – stirring between each addition. Dump the batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over top of the bread and cook for 10 minutes longer until the cheese melts and the bread is cooked all the way through – use a wooden skewer in the middle of the loaf to test doneness.

*if your loaf pan is larger, reduce the baking time by 10-15 minutes.

Possibly related posts:

• the apple of my eye: apple-cheddar-bagel snack
• smitten with apples: chai-spiced apple oatmeal bread

First up, broccoli crunch slaw. This is one of the most popular recipes on this blog & for good reason too. It’s not heavy (thanks to the yogurt in the dressing) and it’s very festive with the dried cranberries and the crunchy roasted almonds. Even slaw-haters and raw-broccoli naysayers will love this one.

My mom always made a soup for Thanksgiving and I’m happy to carry on the tradition. While she would usually make vichyssoise, I tend to think sweet & spicy. I love love love this sweet potato, corn & jalapeno bisque (which is just a fancy way of saying soup) and despite how easy it is to make, it’s fancy enough for your frilliest guests. Got more adventurous friends, this spicy African yam & peanut soup is incredible.

Who doesn’t love a good cranberry sauce? Apples, cranberries and fresh rosemary co-mingle to make something really wonderful. Tasty with turkey, stuffing and all the fixings – and also delicious over biscuits and mac and cheese. It’s utilitarian-ly delicious. This cranberry chutney is another delicious alternative.

Everyone always finishes their stuffing, right? I personally think it’s the one thing that everyone loves. I love my mom’s traditional sage-onion-celery stuffing but I’ve made it a bit more exciting with the addition of chopped apples and walnuts. A keeper.

I can’t get enough of vegetables on the Thanksgiving table. I was a vegetarian for 10 years and old habits die hard. These braised vegetables are a godsend for busy holidays because they are so simple to prepare. Trust me, these braised turnips, onions and carrots will knock your socks off. Want to braise some more? Try this braised cabbage, cumin and apple dish or give milk-braised cauliflower & carrots a go.

Who could argue with a good pumpkin dessert? This pumpkin and apple crumb cake is made for Thanksgiving, though I’d happily eat it all year round.

But you can’t forget pie! Last year I made a fantastic apple & sour cherry pie with a crumb topping. I still dream about that pie. And if you can’t forgo pumpkin pie, why not give this retro looking pumpkin chiffon dream pie a try!

Please don’t forget that after Thanksgiving it’s not about eating leftover pie for breakfast (though a little slice never hurt anyone). Give yourself a hearty & wholesome breakfast and try this pumpkin spice bowl of steel cut oats.

Now take a deep breath, because now you’re Thanksgiving day ready. Just remember to breathe and the rest will be easy. Do you have any Thanksgiving favorites? Share them with me in the comments, I’d love to hear about your own dinner traditions.

Possibly related posts:

• thanksgiving is pretty much all about food.
• thanksgiving pt. 2: cranberry chutney + pumpkin chocolate chip cake

I’m a believer in a good breakfast. After all, you need something to look forward to when you heave yourself out from under your warm and cozy covers. A mug of hot, steaming coffee and a bowl full of granola with a small heap of flopping yogurt alongside is a morning wake up call that I can’t fight.

As a bit of a granola fiend, I already have several wonderful recipes already on this blog, so I really had to consider what made this olive oil granola different. Well, after my first bowl I was convinced of its greatness and it’s become my new go-to recipe. Sure this granola doesn’t clump up like some, but it has all the flavours and textures I crave in a breakfast bowl. Crispy oats, crunchy nuts & seeds, a mild sweetness and a warm spiciness from the cinnamon, ginger & nutmeg. And it doesn’t call for  a boat-load of oil or sugar.

But I think the clincher here is that it makes a large batch – enough to fill my gigantic thrifted screw-top glass jar. It sits out on my counter and waits patiently until morning. After I’ve poured my coffee, I take out my favorite bowl, fill it halfway with granola and top with my favorite yogurt (a tart greek yogurt or my indulgently rich coconut yogurt from Liberté). If I’m lucky enough to have some fresh soft fruit, it comes along for the ride, but it’s totally unnecessary.

elsewhere: I received another welcoming wake up call this morning when I realized that this blog was listed as one of Saveur magazine’s 55 Great Global Food Blogs! Thank you Saveur & welcome new visitors! And as usual, every Wednesday, find a new recipe from me over at Poppytalk. Yesterday I posted a super simple recipe made for picnics and brown bag lunches – zesty zucchini with orzo.

big batch olive oil granola
(adapted from Sweet Amandine & Jamie Oliver)
8 c whole oats (gluten free if you use gluten free oats)
2 c almonds, roughly chopped
1 c pepitas
1 c shredded unsweetened coconut
2 t cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
1/2 t nutmeg, freshly grated
1/3 c olive oil
1/3 c maple syrup
1/3 c brown sugar
1 t sea salt
1 c dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 325F. In your largest bowl, mix together your whole oats, chopped almonds, pepitas, coconut, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

In a small saucepan, combine the oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, and sea salt and simmer over medium heat until everything is melted.

Pour over oat mixture and toss until well mixed. Dump the mixture into 2 large sheet pans and bake in the middle racks for 25 – 30 minutes. Keep a close watch and stir mixture occasionally to prevent any burning and to spread that golden glow around. Divide the dried cranberries onto both sheets, stirring them into the mixture and bake for an additional 10 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and let cool. Store in a tightly lidded container.

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• suggestive breakfast: no fail granola
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A couple weeks ago, I received a phone call from someone at CBC radio. The “On the Coast” program hosted by Stephen Quinn was doing a short segment about blackberries and had a few questions for me. A google search by their researchers revealed that I’m not only a forager of local blackberries but I’m a big fan of the fruit. I was asked a few questions and then asked to go to the CBC studio the next day. Needless to say, I was a big bundle of nerves. What if I stumbled or said “ummmm” every few seconds? Well, it turned out that the whole thing was really fun and a great experience. And you can listen to me right here defend this wonderful fruit and hear my nervous giggles! Thanks again to CBC Radio & On the Coast for letting me post this clip here!

Over at Poppytalk I’ve been busy whipping up some fantastic things! On Wednesday I wrote about a super simple – but totally elegant – peach tart using the best local fruit. It can easily be made vegan too! And last week I made a stack of buckwheat pancakes which are gluten-free and totally delicious. Light and fluffy and wholesome? Check!

Possibly related posts:

• blackberry & peach shortbread bars
• i’m hooked on blackberries: cornmeal pate brisee & blackberry-peach galette

Despite having eaten only one banana in my entire life (I was nine when my life-long hate started), I do tend to get a bit gooey for banana bread. While my husband might keep the banana brokers in business, he often buys more than he can chew at once. The ones he doesn’t manage to stuff into his maw before they turn brown end up inour freezer where they shrivel, turn black and get baked into banana bread. Not a bad life-cycle, I think. One of the most repeated recipes in my kitchen is this wonderful cinnamon and chocolate banana bread but sometimes one needs to shake it up a little.

This banana bread is a delicious one and it has a wonderful pedigree – it comes from the Baked cookbook which has given my kitchen so much wonderful baked bounty in the past. This recipe is no exception. The original recipe makes muffins but I decided to go with a loaf pan instead. Also, the recipe easily doubles and freezes well in case you want to get all your baking done at once.

Chocolate and espresso? Oh yeah! This is a great banana bread to wake up to in the morning as it pairs so nicely with a good hot coffee. If you are a walnut-hater (and a surprising amount of you are), then just replace the walnuts with more chocolate chips and you can’t go wrong.

banana espresso chocolate chip bread
(adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking)
1 1/2 c mashed, ripe bananas (about 4)
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 c unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c milk
1 large egg
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t instant espresso powder
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c walnuts, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour one loaf tin and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the bananas, sugars, butter, milk and egg. In another bowl, combine the flour, espresso powder, baking soda and salt. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips & walnuts.

Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for about 55 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool in a pan for 15 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Possibly related posts:

• lookie lookie: chocolate chip banana bread with ginger
• 3 brown bananas: vegan cocoa-coconut banana bread

This isn’t so much a recipe as a suggestion. Sometimes life is hard and cupboards are bare. Sometimes you’re so tired from work that you just want something that tastes great without a lot of fuss. If that sounds like a day/week/month you’ve recently lived, then this is the breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack idea for you.

We ate these for a late weekday breakfast recently and it was such a treat. I used a jarred marinara sauce to keep it simple and instead of drowning the pita in cheese, I used a good manchego to bring the flavour without the grease and ooze. If you wanted to serve this for dinner, a nice arugula salad would be a perfect accompaniment.

runny egg on a pita
1 pita
2 T marinara sauce
1 t butter
1 egg
1 t grated manchego cheese

Turn on the broiler in your oven. Spread marinara sauce over pita bread and place on a baking sheet. Place it under the broiler to lightly toast the pita and warm the sauce – about 3-5 minutes should be good.

In a small frying pan, melt butter and fry an egg over med-high heat until the sides get crispy and the whites somewhat set. Do not flip. Remove the pita from the oven and slide the egg on top and cover with grated cheese. Broil for 1-3 minutes depending how soft you like your egg & until cheese melts.

Possibly related posts:

• haute egg sandwich
• red lentil curry dip with pita chips

I’ve always felt a bit of a bias against buckwheat. Buckwheat was cute, but I was head over heals in love with Alfalfa. Then one day my dad brought home some fresh honey comb from the farmer’s market and I was completely absorbed with this new uber-sweet treat. The combination of the chewy wax and gooey honey along with all those cute little hexagons was so new and exciting. But along side the tray of honeycomb, my dad slipped in a tub of his favorite honey – buckwheat. Well, if he had a favorite honey I was sure it was going to be my favorite too. Oh to be six years old and eager to please! Let’s just be polite and say that buckwheat honey is an acquired taste. Very acquired.

Ever since that buckwheat honey incident, I steered clear of anything buckwheat related (well, except for The Lil’ Rascals on Saturday morning television). I passed up diner buckwheat pancakes because just the idea brought back some awful taste memories. But then a bag of buckwheat flour – by way of a moving neighbour – found its way into my cupboard. And I was curious. I had spied some buckwheat cookies over at Orangette and then another recipe popped up at Food Loves Writing and I was more than intrigued. Hmm, maybe it was time to give buckwheat another shot.

So I did a bit of research and it turns out buckwheat isn’t related to wheat at all but is more of a cereal, which means it’s gluten-free. As for the honey, well, buckwheat honey is still gross. But the flour certainly isn’t. I tried it out using my standard pancake recipe and it passed with flying colours! And while cookies seemed like a good choice, it was a weekend morning and I wanted to bake up some scones for breakfast. That buckwheat bag was staring me in the face and so I went with it. Maple and walnut seemed like a good compliment to the heady buckwheat and it was. The scones were delicate and not too sweet and were so nice eaten warm and smeared with cold butter and a thick layer of sour cherry jam. Buckwheat, you’re not so bad after all!

elsewhere: Looking for an easy brunch or dinner idea? How about a crustless quiche? Over at Poppytalk I make a broccoli and feta version without bothering with crust. Perfect!

maple walnut buckwheat scones
2 c buckwheat flour
2 t baking powder
½ t salt
1/4 c cold butter, cubed
1/2 c milk + 1 t vinegar
1 t maple extract
1 egg
2 T pure maple syrup
3 T chopped walnuts
1 T raw sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 425F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add in the butter and use your hands to work it into the flour until you’ve got oat-shaped bits spread throughout the mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine the milk and vinegar, along with the egg. Stir well until mixed. Pour all but a tablespoon into the flour along with the maple syrup and extract, and walnuts. Stir with a wooden spoon until a dough forms.

Sprinkle a clean work surface with a bit of flour and turn out the dough, kneading for no more than 12 times. Pat dough into a round shape, flattening it with your palms to 1/2 inch thick and cut into 8 wedges. Place on a baking sheet covered with a Silpat or parchment and brush over the leftover milk/egg mixture. Sprinkle with raw sugar, if desired. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack and eat warm or cold.

Possibly related posts:

• snow day: ginger & vanilla scones
• chocolate chip maple walnut cookies

I’m no stranger to baking with booze. I’ve used a red dark ale in cake and some Jack Daniels in a batch of vegan chocolate cupcakes. But I’ve never poured a decent, peaty-tasting scotch into something I was going to throw into the oven. I’m sure some would cry heresy and a waste of good booze. Especially when in this hella-expensive booze province a bottle of mid-range scotch comes to a whopping $60.

But trust me, the scotch gives this cake a decided earthiness that helps to cut the sweetness (and next time I bake this, I’ll cut down the sugar a bit more to just a half cup). There’s steel cut oats in here too which add texture but doesn’t weigh this cake down. In fact, despite the oats and the whole wheat flour additions, this cake is light and springy and the perfect thing to eat with a spot of tea. This cake is also perfect for breakfast – it must be the oats that makes this highly suitable to early morning snacking.

This cake can be made in 2 loaf pans, but I wanted the cake to bake in a round pan. Unfortunately, I only have one 8″ pan and I still had batter left over, so the rest went into a prepped loaf tin. It worked out perfectly, so I suggest splitting the batter between 2 loaf tins to make things easier.

elsewhere: Pop on over to Poppytalk and take a peek at my latest garage sale find along with a recipe for a super simple frozen yogurt.

scotch whiskey oat cake
1 c steel cut oats
1 1/3 c buttermilk
1 c all-purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c or 3/4 c sugar, depending on your taste
1 T baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg
1 t cardamom
3/4 c roasted walnut oil (or vegetable oil)
1 large egg
1 c dried cranberries
1/3 c scotch whiskey
2 T butter, melted
coarse sugar for sprinkling over top

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a medium sized bowl, pour the buttermilk over the steel cut oats and let them sit for 30 minutes. If you’ve got old oats, they may need to sit longer – try overnight! Prep 2 loaf pans, or 1 8″ cake pan plus 1 loaf pan, by buttering each pan and dusting with flour.

Meanwhile mix together the flours and sugar, along with the baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Beat the egg into the steel cut oat and buttermilk mixture and pour into the dry mix along with the oil. Stir to combine, and add in the cranberries and the whiskey. Pour into prepared pans, drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with a handful of raw sugar. Bake for 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out dry. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing pan – cool on a wire rack.

Possibly related posts:

• breakfast cake! maple breakfast cake
• raspberry/blackberry oat breakfast bars

Sometimes in order to attain comfort you must move outside your comfort zone. I shy away from finicky recipes. Complicated steps and unfamiliar ingredients scare me a little bit. But I do push myself to try new techniques or try to see something in a whole new way. The rewards of putting yourself out there are always a bit risky, but the rewards are great.

These cinnamon buns are an example of a great reward. I’ve never made cinnamon buns before because they seemed a bit too fussy for my liking. But I really wanted to make the tightly swirled buns found at the market in my neighbourhood. You see, the Union Market makes 2 kinds of cinnamon buns – the large, blown-out style covered in icing, which I always pass on because they’re just too sweet and give off a bad attitude. But the other cinnamon bun is a shiny golden-hued bun laced with cinnamon and raisins. It sits meekly next to its brassier neighbour and I like this bun best, the one that doesn’t shout. It’s sweet but not overly so and with your morning coffee there’s nothing better.

I didn’t know if I could replicate them, but I wanted to give it a shot. While I’ve gotten over my aversion to using yeast, I still shy away from recipes that need rising time. I’m more of an instant gratification kind of girl and I just hate the waiting, but I went at it anyway. In the morning I mixed together butter and flour and yeast and pushed myself to wait it out and watched that lump of dough grow and rise and arch its body over my largest mixing bowl. In the evening, I rolled it flat and slathered on the butter, sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest and dried cranberries before rolling it up tight – but not too tight. I arranged the dough in pans and put it in the fridge until morning. I got up extra early to let the buns rise again, my patience once again tested. But when the buns got fat and chummy with their neighbours, into the oven they went. And the scent filling your kitchen smells as good as any bakery.

Oh, trust me, it’s worth it. The fussiness, the wait, the reward. And maybe you’ll love them so much that you’ll make them again and notice that the things that bothered you in the past have now become routine. Your nerves (what nerves?) are relaxed and you don’t need to go over your recipe with a fine-toothed comb. The sense of pride in knowing that “it’s no big thing” is a wonderful place to get to. It’s a badge of honour – you’ve climbed that mountain – you’ve made it!

I loved these buns. My husband really, really loved these buns. But I should mention that they aren’t the same as the buns I wanted to replicate. I’m okay with that. I certainly could rise to the challenge and work and try again and fiddle with the proportions and add an egg wash. But I also could walk the six blocks and pick up 2 cinnamon buns with raisins from the friendly owners and walk back the six blocks to enjoy them with our morning coffee.

cinnamon buns with dried cranberries & lemon zest
(adapted from Gourmet)
1/2 c warm water
5 t yeast (2 packets)
1/2 c sugar
5 c flour (+ additional for dusting)
1 1/2 t salt
1 c lukewarm milk
2 large eggs at room temperature
1/2 c soft butter

filling
1 c brown sugar
2 t cinnamon
1/4 – 1/2 c very soft butter
2/3 c dried cranberries or raisins
zest of 1 lemon

Dissolve yeast in warm water along with a pinch of sugar in a small bowl and set stand 10 minutes until foamy.

Add flour, salt and remaining sugar into your electric mixer and let mix with the dough hook at very low speed. Combine the milk and eggs together and then add it to the flour, along with the yeast. Beat at med-low speed until a dough begins to form. Add butter and beat at medium speed for 4 minutes until the dough becomes smooth, soft and elastic – it will be quite sticky at this point.

Rinse a large bowl in hot water and add the dough to the wet bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a warm damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, at least 1 hour or overnight.

Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Roll out the dough on a well-floured surface into a rectangle shape. Use an offset spatula to spread the butter over the surface. Evenly sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over top and do the same with the dried cranberries and lemon zest.

Roll up the dough firmly, but not too tight. Slice the dough into 2″ sections and arrange, cut side up, in buttered cake pans – making sure to leave about a 1″ space around each slice. At this point, you can cover in plastic wrap and place in the fridge until morning. Or put them in the freezer to eat another day.

Ready to eat? Preheat oven to 350F. Cover the buns with plastic wrap or a warm towel and let the buns rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about an hour. Bake until golden and puffed, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then dig in. Add a glaze if you wish, or not. I always choose not. Now pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

Possibly related posts:

• happy easter: hot cross buns with cinnamon icing
• just pudding! rice pudding with dried cranberries