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How to Make Jam-Filled Donut Muffins! | Bake Along w/ Anna Olson

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*Recipe below—bake along!* I love a jam-filled doughnut, but these muffins are easier to make, and don’t require a deep fryer! This simple, hand-mixed batter has jam dropped into it before baking, and the muffin tops are then brushed with butter and dipped in cinnamon sugar. Yum!

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*• Recipe •*
Makes 18 muffins
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

To refresh a muffin that is a day or two old, simply brush the top with a little milk and microwave for 5 to 8 seconds or heat in a toaster oven for 5 minutes. Give it a fresh sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and it will taste like it just came out of the oven.

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*• Ingredients •*

Muffins:
1½ cups (375 mL) 1% or 2% milk
1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
⅔ cup (160 mL) vegetable oil (**see notes below**)
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3½ cups (525 g) all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp (10 g) baking powder
½ tsp fine salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ cup (125 mL) raspberry or strawberry jam

Topping:
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, melted

Notes:
When baking with vegetable oil, use neutral-tasting canola, corn, safflower or grapeseed oil. Alternatively, use extra-virgin coconut oil and melt it before measuring.

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*• Directions •*
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease two muffin tins (or line 18 of the cups with paper liners).

2. For the muffins, whisk together the milk, sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl until blended. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add these dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring just until blended (a few lumps are OK).

3. Using an ice cream scoop, fill 18 muffin cups two-thirds full with the batter, leaving about a quarter of the batter remaining. Stir the jam to soften and drop a teaspoonful into each of the muffins. Scoop the remaining batter over the top so that it covers the jam completely. Bake the muffins for about 30 minutes, until a tester inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean of batter (a little jam may stick to your skewer). Allow the muffins to cool for 20 minutes before turning out to cool completely.

4. For the topping, stir the sugar and cinnamon together. Brush the top of each muffin with the melted butter and dip the muffins into the cinnamon sugar, tapping off any excess.

5. Serve at room temperature. The muffins will keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or can be frozen for up to 3 months.

How to Make Farmhouse Oat Bread! | Bake Along w/ Anna Olson

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Recipe below—bake along! Earthy but not at all heavy, this whole wheat bread loaf is ideal for toasting, making sandwiches and especially for eating, still warm and slathered with butter and a sprinkle of salt. You can bake this bread as one giant round loaf (boule) in a cast-iron pot, but it is equally delicious baked as two smaller loaves on a baking tray.

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• Recipe •
Makes 1 large farmhouse boule or 2 smaller loaves
Prep Time: Under 15 minutes, plus proofing and cooling
Cook Time: 1 hour

The bread will keep, well wrapped, at room temperature for 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

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• Ingredients •

1½ cups (150 g) regular rolled oats
1⅔ cups (250 g) whole wheat flour, divided
1¾ cups (425 mL) boiling water
¾ cup (175 mL) 2% milk, at room temperature
2 Tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil
1 Tbsp (18 g) honey
2 cups (300 g) bread flour
1 (2¼ tsp/7 g) pkg instant dry yeast
1½ tsp fine sea salt

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• Directions •
1. Soak the oats. Combine all of the oats and ⅔ cup (100 g) whole wheat flour in a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment. Pour the boiling water over the grains and stir well—this will make a thick, stodgy paste (like porridge). Set aside to cool for 20 minutes.

2. Mix and knead the dough. Add the milk, oil and honey and mix until roughly combined. Add the bread flour, remaining 1 cup (150 g) whole wheat flour, yeast and salt and mix until the dough comes together. If using the mixer, continue to knead the dough on medium-low speed until it becomes elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. If kneading by hand, lightly dust a work surface with flour (see tip), turn the dough out onto it and knead the dough until elastic, about 7 minutes.

Note: The key to successfully kneading dough by hand is to not add too much flour when kneading. The dough will naturally be sticky when you start because the flour hasn’t had time to absorb the water, nor have the proteins in the flour developed. When combining the dough, I hold back ⅓ cup (50 g) of the whole wheat flour listed in the ingredient list, and then I use that flour to dust my kneading surface. That trick makes the dough easier to knead and I know I am not adding extra flour. Halfway through kneading, the dough will start to become more taut and less sticky.

3. Proof the dough for 90 minutes. Transfer the dough to an ungreased bowl and cover the bowl tightly. Let sit on the counter until doubled in size, about 90 minutes.

4. Shape the loaves and proof for 30 minutes. Lightly flour a work surface, then turn the dough out onto it. Knock the dough down and shape it into a ball. If you prefer two loaves, divide the dough in half and shape into two balls or roll out into two ovals. Place the dough onto a square of parchment paper not much bigger than the width of the dough itself, or place onto the baking tray. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and place a large Dutch oven inside to heat, or line a baking tray with parchment paper instead.

6. Score the dough. Uncover the dough and use a sharp paring knife or a bread lame (see p. xx) to score the top of the bread. If using the Dutch oven, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift the lid. Carefully place the loaf on its parchment paper in the bottom of the pot and cover the pot. Place the Dutch oven (or baking tray) in the oven.

7. Bake the bread for 30 minutes, remove the lid of the pot and then bake for another 30 minutes (two smaller loaves on a tray will take a total of 50 minutes). Immediately remove the bread from the oven and transfer it from the pot or tray to a rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

How to Make Focaccia Bread! | Bake Along w/ Anna Olson

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Recipe below! Even if it’s your first time breadmaking, you can follow along this fantastic, fluffy, no-knead focaccia recipe from professional baker Anna Olson! This bread is easy to make and follows the no-knead method of making a highly hydrated dough and giving it time to slowly proof. The end result is a soft, airy, flavourable bread that can be enjoyed on its own, and is great for grilling or for making sandwiches.

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• Recipe •
Makes one 9-x-13-inch (23-x-33 cm) pan
Enough for 8 sandwiches or 16 servings

Prep time: 15 minutes, plus rising
Cook time: 30 minutes

Focaccia is best served the day it’s baked, but leftover bread can be stored, well-wrapped on the counter for up to 2 days, and grilled, toasted or warmed in the oven for serving. It can also be frozen

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• Ingredients •

4 cups (600 g) all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp coarse sea salt
1 ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
¾ tsp instant dry yeast
2 ¼ cups (530 mL) tepid water
6 Tbsp (90 mL) extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 Tbsp semolina or cornmeal (optional)
18-24 cherry or grape tomatoes (optional)

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• Directions •

1. Stir the flour, salt and yeast together in a large bowl. Add the water and stir this with a wooden spoon until you get a rough, wet dough and when dry flour is no longer visible – the dough will be very sticky.

2. Pour 2 Tbsp (30 mL) of the olive oil into a medium bowl and swirl it around to coat it. Transfer the dough to this bowl. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and set it on the counter.

3. Let the dough rise for 2 hours on the counter and over the course of that time, fold the dough over itself 4 times, every 30 minutes. To do this, tuck your fingers under the dough down the side of the bowl and pull the dough up and over itself. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat this 3 more times, for a total of 4 folds. Sprinkle the top of the dough with semolina or cornmeal (if you wish). Cover the bowl again and refrigerate it for 24-36 hours – it will slowly double in size.

4. Drizzle the bottom of a 9-x-13-inch (23-x-33 cm) pan with 2 Tbsp (30 mL) more of the olive oil. Uncover the dough and gently tip the dough into the pan and use your fingertips to press the dough out to the edges, to fill the pan. Don’t worry if it springs back a little initially. Once the dough relaxes (and then bakes), it fills in the corners. Cover again with a tea towel and let rise on the counter for 2 hours.

5. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Uncover the focaccia and drizzle the remaining 2 Tbsp (30 mL) of olive oil. Gently use your hands to spread the oil and then use your fingertips to dimple the focaccia, or if using the tomatoes, press them into the top of the bread, creating dimples. Bake the bread for about 30 minutes until the top of the bread is a rich golden brown (the bubbles may turn a darker brown). Slide the focaccia out of the pan using the parchment paper and let the bread cool for as long as your patience will allow on a rack.

How to Make Chocolate Almond Toffee Bars! | LIVE w/ Anna Olson

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Recipe below! Join Anna Olson to learn how to bake these decadent bars—a twist on Hello Dolly Bars, super easy to make, and able to be stored for a long time.

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• Recipe •
Makes 1 9-inch (23 cm) square pan
Cuts into 25 squares
Prep Time: Under 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

The toffee bars will keep, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks or they can be frozen for up to 3 months.

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• Ingredients •

1 ½ cups (150 g) regular rolled oats
½ cup (65 g) graham cracker crumbs
¼ tsp fine salt
½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup (175 g) Skor toffee bits
1 cup (180 g) chocolate chips
1 cup (100 g) sliced almonds
300 mL tin of sweetened condensed milk

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• Directions •

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Grease and line a 9-inch (23 cm) square pan with parchment paper, so that the paper hangs over the sides of the pan.

2. Stir the oats, graham crumbs and salt to combine, and then stir in melted butter to coat evenly. Press this into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the Skor bits evenly on top, followed by the chocolate chips and sliced almonds. Pour the condensed milk evenly over pan (it will sink in as it bakes) and bake for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the edges are bubbling. Cool to room temperature on a cooling rack, then chill for at least 4 hours before slicing.