Spicy Beef Cheesy Corn Taco Muffins

Love tacos but need for them to be more portable, less messy to eat? Make my spicy beef cheesy corn taco muffins. These savory muffins are made with spicy canned tomatoes and cornmeal. They turn leftover ground beef seasoned with taco spices into a great mobile breakfast, brunch or lunch option.

The weekend I made these muffins was a get-‘er-done sort of weekend. We ran errands and crossed to-dos off the list that had been languishing there for ages. On day two of the weekend – that would be Saturday here – a song came on that reminded my dear husband of one of our favorite restaurants in Houston, Texas. “Let’s go to El Jardín for dinner!” he says. “You are a cruel, cruel man,” I responded. What we wouldn’t give to be able to eat at El Jardín anytime!

When my elder sister first started working in Houston, using her relatively freshly earned law degree, her office was just down the road from what would become our favorite Mexican restaurant, in a part of town that is not the most upscale, if you know what I mean. But the margaritas are inexpensive before evening dinner service and the food is deliciously prepared and served with a smile. The décor is cheerful, with brightly painted wooden chairs with straw-covered seats, colorful tile-topped tables and lots of tissue paper flowers and banners of papel picado, those decoratively snipped Mexican folk art tissue squares.

Even when we are in Houston, El Jardín is still a hike from our home but we make a point of going there whenever we get the chance.

So, the short end to this long story is that we had to have Mexican food for the dinner that night. Had to. That’s all. It wasn’t El Jardín but tacos with all the fixings were the best I could do on short notice, after two long days of getting ‘er done.

When you brown more than 500g (1.1 lb) of ground beef for tacos and you have only two people for dinner, you are going to have leftovers. These muffins are the perfect use for the leftover spicy beef, extending your Mexican meal through breakfast or brunch or even lunch the next day.

Leftover taco meat? Make Spicy Beef Cheesy Corn Taco Muffins!

Think of them as portable tacos. No leftover meat? Next time, make extra, just so you can make these muffins. You won’t be sorry.

Ingredients
1 cup or 150g fine yellow cornmeal 1/2
1/2 cup or 65g flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 225g sour cream
1 1/4 cups or 10 oz or 280g Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chilies
2 eggs
1/2 cup or 120ml canola or other light oil
7 oz or 200g (about 1 1/2 cups) leftover seasoned ground beef for tacos
8 oz or 225g extra sharp cheddar or half cheddar and half Monterrey Jack cheese

Method
Preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C and grease your muffin pan liberally with non-stick spray or butter.

Grate your cheese, if not already grated. Put a handful or so aside to top the muffins before baking.

Measure your cornmeal, flour, salt, baking soda and grated cheddar into a large mixing bowl and mix well.

Measure the sour cream and oil into a small mixing bowl. Add the eggs and the can of Ro-Tel tomatoes – juice and all. Whisk to combine.

Fold your wet ingredients into your dry ones until just mixed.

Set a little of the seasoned ground beef aside for topping the muffins before baking and fold the rest into the batter.

Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups.

Sprinkle the top with the reserved cheese and beef.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until you can see that the sides are turning golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.  Remove from the pan, loosening gently with a knife if necessary, and cool further on a wire rack.

Enjoy!



Like spicy foods with a Mexican flair? You might want to try my chicken and black bean enchiladas with homemade enchilada sauce, my easy breakfast Chilaquiles Rojos con Huevos Revueltos – Tortillas with Salsa and Scrambled Eggs or my Sopa Seca de Fideo - Spicy Mexican Noodles. All three are delicious and will satisfy your spicy cravings.

And if you love tacos as much as we do, you are going to be a huge fan of this week's Sunday Supper. Check out all the delicious taco recipes we are sharing today. Many thanks to our event manager Em Beitel for all of her hard work.

Breakfast, Dessert, and Alternative Tacos

• Jalapeño Cornbread Taco Pie by Soulfully Made
• Loaded Taco Tots by Gourmet Everyday
• Naked Egg Breakfast Tacos by Palatable Pastime
• Spicy Beef Cheesy Corn Taco Muffins by Food Lust People Love
• Veggie Packed Mouth-Watering Cauliflower Breakfast Tostadas by Bites of Wellness

Lunch and Dinner Tacos

• 1970s Style Tacos by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Asian-Spiced Black Cod Tacos with Kimchi and Avocado-Sriracha Mayo by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Beef and Bean Tacos plus planning Taco Tuesday: An Easy Family Meal by Hardly A Goddess
• Buffalo Chicken Tacos by A Mind Full Mom
• Chorizo Tacos with Black Bean and Corn Salsa by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Cinnamon Beef Tacos by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Easy Fish Taco Recipe by Sunday Supper Movement
• Healthy Ground Turkey Tacos by Mid-Life Croissant
• Low Carb Beef Tacos by Our Good Life
• Salmon Tacos with Watermelon Pico de Gallo by Pies and Plots
• Sloppy Joe Tacos by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Slow Cooker Asian Pork Tacos with Cabbage Slaw by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Slow Cooker Korean BBQ Tacos by Cricket’s Confections
• Steak Tacos with Chimichurri Sauce by The Freshman Cook
• Surf and Turf Tacos by The Weekend Gourmet
• Walking Chili Cheese Tacos by Bottom Left of the Mitten

Pin it! 

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Almond Blueberry Banana Bread #BreadBakers

Almond flour is the secret ingredient that adds richness and extra flavor to this almond blueberry banana bread, making it buttery, without any butter. As a bonus to many, it's also gluten free!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about friendship and what it is that creates those bonds. Sometimes it’s a hobby or interest in common that brings us together. Other times it’s weathering a storm or difficult circumstances or even living in a challenging place at the same time. As expats in far-flung locations, we come to depend on each other, become like family, because we have no one else who understands us, who gets what we are going through.

The blogging world is like that too. I can’t compare starting my food blog with moving to places like Balikpapan, Indonesia or Macaé, Brazil, but back in 2011, typing up words and sending out a recipe for possibly no one to read and comment on felt equally as solitary at the beginning. (Six years ago this very month!)

Like moving to a new city and country, finding friends in the food blogging corner of cyberspace takes time. My first blog, started in 2007, was set to private. I didn’t see it as a way to connect with anyone but family. I told stories of our holidays and posted photos of our girls. But with the public food blog, all that changed. I was a nervous wreck the first time I actually shared a post link on Facebook with friends. What would they think? Would anyone read it? Worse, would they laugh?

My confidence grew as I made blogger friends, joined the Food Bloggers Network group on Facebook, exchanged tips and comments on cooking and recipe writing and photography and social media. I learned the meaning of foreign terms like SEO and white balance and bounce rates, including the mysterious ways of Google analytics. I began participating in themed group events, like Sunday Supper and Bundt-a-Month and Muffin Mondays.

I might never have believed it before, but my online friends, my fellow bloggers, became real friends. We chat privately, in twos and in groups. We commiserate with each other. We support each other. We laugh and we vent. We are a community drawn together by our like interests, our love of cooking, our frustration with changing social media algorithms and learning new technology, and the profound knowledge that we are understood.

________

This month my Bread Bakers group is using nut flours to bake our breads at the instigation of our host Cindy of Cindy’s Recipes and Writings. I’ve been enamored of using almond flour in baked goods since I first read Nigella Lawson’s languorous description in her How To Eat of the clementine cake she makes every Christmastime.

While the gluten free flour mix in this recipe can be easily substituted with all-purpose flour, I chose to make a gluten free recipe today to honor my friend and fellow blogger, T.R. Crumbley of Gluten Free Crumbley, one of our community who left us too soon, not even 30 years old.

As a member of the Sunday Supper, Movement, I got to know T.R. through our group events. He was a sweetheart, quick to volunteer his help, the first to crack a joke and at our annual Food Wine Conference, the life of the party. I’m so sorry that he was too sick to join us in person this year where he was honored as Bloggers' Choice Blogger of the Year. He’d have been in his element at the Strawberry Bash on Saturday night. He accepted his award by Skype so he did get to hear the cheers and applause of the crowd.

As managing editor of Sunday Supper, I corresponded from time to time with T.R. over the last year. He graciously gave me permission to expand the Weekday Supper posts that he had contributed over the years, to include the full recipe. His only request was that I let him know when I was going to republish one, so that he could be sure to share it again on social media. That was T.R. all over.

If you or someone you know eats gluten free, please check out Gluten Free Crumbley. T.R.’s family plans to keep his blog going both as a tribute and because it would be a shame to let all of his hard work go to waste. He loved to cook for family and friends. He especially loved sharing his recipes. I like to think he'd enjoy this almond blueberry banana bread. I hope he knows how much we miss him.

Ingredients
3 medium ripe bananas
1 large egg
3/4 cup (180 ml) milk
3 tablespoons or 45ml canola or other light oil, plus extra for pan if not lining with parchment
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup or 120g almond flour
1 1/4 cup or 200g gluten free bread flour blend (I used Dove Farms.)
1 1/4 cup or 120g quick cooking oats
1/2 cup or 100g dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup or 140g fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw first, if using frozen)

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and grease a 9x5in or 23 x 13cm pan or line it with baking parchment.

Use a whisk to mash your bananas in a bowl and then add in the egg, oil vanilla and milk. Whisk to combine.

In another large bowl, add all of your dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add in the blueberries and stir to coat.

Pour your wet ingredients into your dry and use a wooden spoon to mix well until the dry ingredients are thoroughly combined with the dry. Unlike in quick breads made with all-purpose flour, gluten free flour batters need to be completely wet before baking.

Pour the thick batter into your prepared pan.

Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until the internal temperature of your Almond Blueberry Banana Bread reaches 210°F or 99°C on an instant read thermometer. Cover the loaf with foil if it is getting too browned before it is cooked inside.

Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Enjoy!

Do you love baking with nut flours too? You might enjoy making my White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies, Staffordshire Yeomanry Pudding, Almond Raspberry Cake or Passover Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars as well.

And check out this creative nut flour recipe list from my fellow Bread Bakers. Many thanks to our host Cindy of Cindy’s Recipes and Writings for all of her hard work behind the scenes.

• Almond Blueberry Banana Bread by Stacy at Food Lust People Love.
• Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins by Pavani at Cook's Hideout.
• Almond Flour Bread by Robin at A Shaggy Dough Story.
• Almond Flour Sandwich Buns by Gayathri at Gayathri’s Cook Spot.
• Almond Pear Bread by Cindy at Cindy’s Recipes and Writings.
• Carrot Nut Bread by Mayuri at Mayuri's Jakoni
• Citrus Bread with Macadamia Nuts by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm.
• Fig and Walnut Bread by Karen at Karen’s Kitchen Stories.
• Fig Date Walnut Bread by Sneha at Sneha's Recipe.
• Mixed Berry Almond Loaf by Namita at Ambrosia.
• Peanut Brittle Ring Bread by Sharanya at Sara’s Tasty Buds.
• Peanut Butter Breakfast Loaf by Sue at Palatable Pastime.
• Quick Almond Bread by Kalyani at Sizzling Tastebuds.
• Whole Grain Date Walnut Bread by Sona at Spill the Spices.

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page.
We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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Easy Apple Banana Bread #BreadBakers

Easy Apple Banana Bread is a wonderful transition from summer to fall, as our temperatures finally get cool enough to bake without cranking the air conditioner thermostat down to compensate.

You know when you are so fast asleep that the phone rings and you somehow incorporate it into your dream? That was me the other night. My sister called about 1 a.m. to ask if I could come over to stay with her girls because their father was being taken to the medical center for testing. The doctors suspected a blockage in one artery. Well, I didn’t wake up in the four rings it took the answering machine to do its thing so she had to call our mom to go. I felt terrible the next morning when I saw the phone blinking and realized that I had missed the call.

The next day, while he was still being tested, I was charged with picking the girls up from school, so I decided to bake an after school snack for them. There was a change of plans and I ended up not doing the school pick up but I can assure you that this easy apple banana bread makes an excellent after school snack! Or breakfast. Or midmorning coffee break.

In other good news, my brother-in-law is fine and he was released that day. I believe a stent may be in the cards but at least it’s not an emergency situation.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups or 190g flour
3/4 cup or 150g sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 ripe bananas, peeled
1/3 cup or 75g butter, melted and cooled, plus more for buttering the pan
1 egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large or 2 small apples
Option for decorating: a light sprinkling of powdered or confectioner’s sugar

Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Butter a loaf pan or line it with baking parchment.

Whisk your flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a mixing bowl and set it aside.

In another bowl, use a fork to mash your bananas until they are fairly smooth and pour in the melted butter.

Mix well with the fork until the butter is completely incorporated.

Add in the vanilla and egg and mix well again.

Peel and chop your apple/s finely. Add the apples to the banana bowl and stir well.

Fold the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined.

Pour the batter into your buttered loaf pan. You can sprinkle on a little extra cinnamon and sugar, if you'd like.

Bake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes or until the loaf is nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for about 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Run a knife around the edges and turn the apple banana loaf out on to the wire rack to cool completely.

Slice with a serrated bread knife to serve.

Enjoy!

This month my Bread Bakers group is celebrating fall fruit and vegetables with a plethora of breads, both quick and yeasted. Many thanks to our host, Pavani of Cook's Hideout, for her behind the scenes work.

• Apple & Olive Oil Boulé from Food Above Gold
• Apple Cider Muffins from A Baker's House
• Apple, Pear and Persimmon Stuffed Brioche from A Shaggy Dough Story
• Baked Cauliflower Breadsticks from Sneha's Recipe
• Broccoli Burger Buns from Herbivore Cucina
• Brown Sugar Pumpkin Apple Bread from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chilli and Cheddar Potato Rolls from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Easy Apple Banana Bread from Food Lust People Love
• Figs Quick Bread from Basic N Delicious
• Harvest Bread with Sweet Potato from Cook's Hideout
• Kartofel Khleb - Russian Potato Bread from Ruchik Randhap
• Potato Bread Rolls from Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Pumpkin Challah from Passion Kneaded
• Sauerkraut-Nut Bread from Palatable Pastime
• Savoury Potato Rose Rolls from Sara's Tasty Buds
• Spiced Apple Star Bread from Hostess At Heart

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin it!

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Cinnamon Pumpkin Quick Bread #BreadBakers

Cinnamon Pumpkin Quick Bread is made with the muffin-method. Bowl of wet ingredients mixed quickly with the bowl of dry. The texture is light yet moist with just the right amount of sweetness. 

This month my Bread Baker group is doing one of two things. Jumping the gun, if you aren’t ready for pumpkin recipes yet. Or fulfilling your what-the-heck-took-so-long needs for pumpkin bread, if you’ve been waiting.

If you are in the former group, hey, pin them for later. If you are in the latter, you are most welcome. Either way, you are going to love this creative group of recipes. Many thanks to our host this month, Kylee of Kylee Cooks. Kylee is a fellow expat in reverse. She was born and raised in New Zealand but lives in the US now. I can completely relate to her regrets that her boys don't get to spend as much time with their grandmother as she did with hers. There are pluses and minuses to this expat life and missing family is a big downside.

You know what helps ease the pain though? Sweet pumpkin bread with cinnamon. This recipe has been adapted from one on the King Arthur website. I have no idea why they complicated their lives by using beaters for quick bread but my way is much easier and completely delicious.

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups or 220g flour
1/2 cup or 100g granulated sugar
1/2 cup, firmly packed, or 100g dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup or 200g canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup or 120ml vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1/3 cup or 80ml water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To decorate:
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon sugar mixed with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your loaf pan by rubbing the inside with a little oil or by lining it with baking parchment.

Use a large bowl to mix together your flour, sugars, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and baking soda. My brown sugar tends to get lumpy. If you have the same problem, use the tines of a fork or even your hands to get rid of the lumps.

In another smaller mixing bowl, whisk together the canned pumpkin, oil, eggs, water and vanilla extract.

Pour your wet ingredients into your dry.

Fold until they are just mixed. There may still be a little flour showing.

Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle on the pumpkin seeds, then top them with the cinnamon sugar.

Bake in your preheated oven for about 60-70 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean. For the last 20 minutes or so, cover the top loosely with foil.

Allow to cool completely in the pan before slicing.

Enjoy!

Check out all the lovely pumpkin or pumpkin spice breads we have for you today.

• Almost Vegan Chocolate and Pumpkin Loaf Cake by Sizzling Tastebuds
• Brown Butter & Pumpkin Seed Scones by Food Above Gold
• Cinnamon Pumpkin Quick Bread by Food Lust People Love
• Cinnamon Spice Pumpkin Bread with Walnuts and a Trio of Frosting by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Hearty Whole Wheat Bread with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Italian Pumpkin Bread by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Lal Bhoplyachya Gharge by Sneha's Recipe
• Nutella Swirl Pumpkin Bread by Plated Cravings
• Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Swirl by A Baker's House
• Pumpkin Cardamom Buns by Sara's Tasty Buds
• Pumpkin Chocolate Babka by House of Nash Eats
• Pumpkin Cornbread by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Pumpkin Dinner Rolls by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling by Cook's Hideout
• Pumpkin Pepita Muffin Tops by A Salad For All Seasons
• Pumpkin Pie Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls by Kylee Cooks
• Pumpkin Raisin Scones by Palatable Pastime
• Pumpkin Ricotta Pull Apart Buns by Food Smart Mom
• Pumpkin Sour Cherry Sourdough Bread by A Shaggy Dough Story
• Pumpkin Spice Ale Soft Pretzels by Baking Sense
• Pumpkin Spice Raisin Bread with Kinako by What Smells So Good?
• Pumpkin Spice Swirl Quickbread by Baking in Pyjamas
• Multigrain Pumpkin Bread by Herbivore Cucina
• Two Tone Pumpkin Bread by Passion Kneaded
• Whole Wheat Pumpkin Sandwich Loaf by Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Yeasted Pumpkin Bread by Veena's Vegnation

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin it!

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Cider Honey Quick Loaf #BreadBakers

This rich cider honey quick loaf is naturally sweetened by the cider and the honey. It’s especially delicious toasted.

This month my Bread Bakers are creating sweet breads without refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. Our host Mayuri of Mayuri’s Jikoni limited us to natural sweeteners like maple syrup, honey, blackstrap molasses, dates, banana puree, coconut sugar, balsamic glaze, brown sugar syrup, real fruit jam made without any sugar, stevia or palm jaggery. Further, she said NO SUGAR - white, brown, demerara, turbinado, muscovado, etc- . to be used in the bake.

Trying to use what I have on hand, I decided that honey was the way to go. I’m in the Channel Islands right now so I am also fortunate to have ready access to alcohol, unlike at home in Dubai where one must have a license to purchase (and mine has expired.) The first thing we buy is some traditional English cider, often called hard cider in the United States. It's tart and dry with a little sweetness.

Ingredients
3 cups or 375g flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons honey
12 oz or 355ml cider, at room temperature
1/2 cup or 113g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In another smaller bowl, add the honey to half of the melted butter.

Pour in the cider and mix well.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just mixed.

Pour half of the remaining melted butter into the loaf pan.

Spoon the batter into the pan, and pour the rest of the butter on top of the batter. Jersey butter comes by its color naturally, from the beta-carotene in the grass the cows eat.

Use a pastry brush to spread it around.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until top is golden brown and a toothpick/knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. If the top is browning too quickly, cover with foil and continue baking until done.

Cool for a few minutes in the pan and then turn the loaf out on to a wire rack to cool.

Slice and enjoy!

Check out all the wonderful naturally sweetened breads we have for you today! Many thanks to Mayuri of Mayuri’s Jikoni for hosting.

• Blackberries and Honey Bread by Kidsandchic
• Cheddar Honey Flowers by Ambrosia
• Cider Honey Quick Loaf by Food Lust People Love
• Date and Chai Muffins by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Date Sweetened Banana Bread by Herbivore Cucina
• Eggless Banana Chocochip Bread with Cranberries and Coconut Sugar by Sizzling Tastebuds
• Eggless Carrot Coconut Quick Bread by Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Eggless Wholewheat Maple Banana Oat Muffins by Spill the Spices
• Einkorn Drop Biscuits with Peaches and Blueberries by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• English Granary-Style No Knead Bread by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Grape Bread by The Bread She Bakes
• Healthy Banana & Blueberry Bread by Baking in Pyjamas
• Honey Almond Banana Muffins by Baking Yummies
• Honey Cornbread by Magnolia Days
• Honey Oat Pain de Mie by Hostess At Heart
• Honey Pineapple Pull-Apart Rolls by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Jackfruit Honey Bread by The Schizo Chef
• Jackfruit Semolina Muffins with Jaggery by My Cooking Journey
• Mangalore Buns by Sneha's Recipe
• Maple Bacon Cheddar & Pickle Pull-Apart Bread by A Shaggy Dough Story
• Maple Pecan Scones by Cook's Hideout
• Maple Oatmeal Bread by A Baker's House
• Pain au Levain avec Banane by What Smells So Good?
• Tangerine Honey White Bread by A Day in the Life on the Farm

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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Apple Crumb Quick Bread #BreadBakers

Tart apples and lemon juice brighten up a crisp Autumn day when they are baked into a sweet quick bread that fills your whole house with the aroma of baked cinnamon apples. Nothing better!

You know how people used to do their colors? Well, I think we can categorize our general lives in the same sort of way. I am definitely a summer person. I want beach and water and sand and surf. A day out at the beach or on a boat, preferably one that moves along smartly, is the best day! But I do have an appreciation for the beauty of fall.

This month my Bread Bakers group is using fall flavors to welcome the coming of the new season. Our air is hardly crisp in Dubai, but temperatures are mercifully starting to fall, even if it’s just a little. I had a bit of reprieve last week though, because I was in the States to celebrate my father’s 80th birthday. The trees in Texas and Louisiana were just starting to turn and the weather was sweet. Sunny days and slightly cooler nights and early mornings. Just perfect for baking bread, don’t you think?

Is there anything that beats the smell of bread in the oven? Yeast or quick bread, sweet or savory, it really doesn’t matter. But when you add apples and cinnamon, the delightfulness of the aroma expands ten-fold.

This recipe is adapted from one on Cube 5107.

Ingredients
For the bread batter:
2 Granny Smith or other tart green apples
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups or 250g flour
1 cup or 200g sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup or 125g sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the crumb topping:
1/2 cup, firmly packed, or 100g brown sugar
1/4 cup or 32g flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup or 60g butter

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and line a normal bread pan with baking parchment or grease it well with non-sticking baking spray.

Put your lemon juice in a small bowl.

Core, peel and finely dice your apples and put the pieces in the lemon juice and stir well as you go along.

In a small bowl, mix together your all your ingredients for the crumb topping, except the butter.

Cut the butter into pieces and work them into the dry mixture with two knives or a pastry blender. You are trying to make something that looks like very coarse sand but with the occasional small butter lump still.

Add a good handful of your apple pieces to the crumb topping and mix well.

In a large mixing bowl, combine your flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

Add the rest of the apples pieces to the dry ingredients and stir to coat.

In another smaller bowl, whisk together your eggs, sour cream and vanilla.

Pour your liquid ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl and use a rubber spatula to stir until just combined.

Spoon the thick batter into your prepared bread pan.

Spread the crumb topping out over the batter.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. If you are a thermometer user, the internal temperature should reach 200°F or 94°C.

Cool in the bread pan for about 10 minutes and then remove and cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to our Bread Baker host this month, Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm. Are you ready for fall weather and fall flavors?

• Apple Crumb Quick Bread from Food Lust People Love
• Apple Raisin Bread from A Shaggy Dough Story
• Browned Butter Semolina Pumpkin Bread from Sizzling Tastebuds
• Buttermilk Wheat Bread from Magnolia Days
• Eggless Apple Sage Cheddar Scones from Spill the Spices
• Fall Harvest Bread from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Fig Focaccia from My Catholic Kitchen
• Harvest Grains Bread from Hostess At Heart
• Mr. Potato Bread from What Smells So Good?
• Multigrain Bread With Seeds from Sneha's Recipe
• Pumpkin and Apple Cornmeal Griddle Cakes from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pumpkin Bread from la cocina de Aisha
• Pumpkin Breadfrom Sara's Tasty Buds
• Pumpkin Bread Rolls from Spiceroots
• Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls from Recipes, Food and Cooking
• Pumpkin Dinner Rolls with Cinnamon Butter from Bread Therapy
• Pumpkin, Poppy & Papaya Seeded Breadsticks from G'Gina's Kitchenette
• Pumpkin Raisin Bagels from Cook's Hideout
• Pumpkin Saffron Yeast Biscuits from The Schizo Chef
• Pumpkin Scones from A Baker's House
• Pumpkin Sourdough Bread from Passion Kneaded
• Schiacciata Con L'uva (Tuscan Style Grape, Olive and Goat Cheese Focaccia) from Ruchik Randhap
• Sesame Seeded Semolina Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Spicy Pumpkin Yeast Bread from Mayuri’s Jikoni

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

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