We Love Cooking!:
raisins

I am still playing catch up with all the photos from the last few weeks, so you will have to excuse me if my timeline is slightly skewed! We were in Sweden to celebrate Sofie's grandad's 80th and on the day of his birthday, we all rented snow mobiles and went on a guided snow mobile safari through an amazing snow covered forest. We drove to this little cabin in the woods which had a blazing fire going and we were given sticks to cook hot dogs on!

I had made a chocolate fudge birthday cake and after everyone had had a slice and we had sung happy birthday in both English and Swedish we were ushered into a changing room to get ready for an outdoor hot bath. Everyone sat in a massive indoor sauna to get really hot and then when I was adequately cooked I was sent out to tip toe across the freezing wooden floor to jump into a massive wooden bath filled with water at 42 degrees! Not being used to any of this my weak Irish body was ready for a serious lie down after but when were done, I was hoisting myself back up on the snow mobile for the journey back!

One of Sweden's big things in my experience is that they love their dairy products, and cheese is served at breakfast on a daily basis, so it can get a little heavy going. Plus I'm more a porridge with honey and cinnamon type of guy when it comes to breakfast, so I did bake these little muffins to keep myself going. They went down well with the Swedes too! :)

Big Boy Apple Breakfast Muffins
I made these lovely muffins when we were in Sweden skiing. They are like a whole breakfast in one muffin, with everything you could need, porridge oats, raisins, apple and yoghurt oh my! To make the cool paper cases in the photos, cut squares of parchment paper, wrap them around a tumbler glass and tie them tightly with some kitchen string. Then simply remove the glass and your left with really cool homemade paper cases!

Makes 12-16 muffins
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
150g of flour
150g of rolled oats
4 eggs
125ml of natural yoghurt
240g of honey
4 apples, cored, peeled and chopped in small chunks
110g of raisins
A few slices of apple and a sprinkle of brown sugar to top the muffins

Preheat the oven to 190oC/Gas Mark 5. Place baking cases on a baking tray.
Sift the flour, baking powder, ginger and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl and stir through the rolled oats.
Mix the natural yoghurt and honey in a large measuring jug until combined. Separate the eggs, placing the whites in a large steel bowl and the yolks in with the yoghurt and honey.
Make a well in to the oats and flour bowl and pour the yoghurt, honey and egg mix and raisin and apple chunks in. Using a wooden spoon mix gently until everything is combined.
Using a whisk, beat the egg whites until soft white peaks form, then gently tip this in to the muffin mix and fold through gently until it is evenly incorporated.
Spoon heaped tablespoons of the mix into the paper cases and place a slice of apple and a sprinkle of brown sugar on top. Place in the oven to bake for around 25 minutes.

It's true that there is no better smell wafting around the house than baked bread but I have to challenge that. These cinnamon and raisin bagels will definitely give the traditional sliced pan a run for its money, toasted with a little butter there is nothing that compares.

If you haven't made bagels before it's pretty similar to making a normal bread except just before they go in the oven you pop them in a little boiling water for a few minutes. The finished product has a wonderfully chewy texture with a great crispy crust.

I have a few variations on the traditional bagel recipe to post, but would love to hear your suggestions, what are your favourite types of bagels? Multiseed, Poppyseed, cheese? Let me know!

Cinnamon and Raisin Breakfast Bagels
I first tried these bagels in America and have been hooked ever since. The flavours are perfect for a cosy late morning breakfast. Bagels are really easy to make and if you can master bread you can definitely give them a go.

Makes 12 Bagels.
500g of strong white flour.
350ml of lukewarm water.
1 sachet of active dried yeast.
3 tablespoons of sugar.
1 tablespoon of cinnamon powder.
2 teaspoons of salt.
125g of raisins.
1 beaten egg.

Soak the raisins in a bowl of boiling water for 30 minutes. Place the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center with the back of a spoon. Pour the water, yeast and sugar into the well and allow to sit for 6-8 minutes or until it becomes thick and frothy. Add the cinnamon and salt and using a spoon slowly incorporate the flour into the yeast and water mix until you form a dough. Turn the dough out on to a floured surface and knead in the raisins. Continue kneading for 4-5 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Grease the mixing bowl, place the dough in and cover with a damp cloth. Leave in a warm place for 30 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size. Punch the dough down and turnout onto a floured surface. With your hands shape the dough into a long sausage shape and cut into 12 bagel shaped pieces. Poke your finger through the middle and with your fingers form the bagel shape. Place on greaseproof paper and set aside for 5 minutes.
Preheat the oven to Gas 5/375oF/190oC.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil, lower the heat to simmer and drop 4 bagels in at a time. Cook the bagels for approximately 1 minute either side, turning with a slotted spoon. Drain the bagels and place on a floured baking sheet. Brush with a little beaten egg and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes until they are golden.
Enjoy toasted with a little butter!