Homemade Quick and Easy Cinnamon Bread

I thought of it, I wanted it... so I baked it. 

I really love cinnamon... if it weren't so expensive I'd probably eat from Cinnabon everyday : ) Here is my own quick and easy cinnamon bread. I like mine plain but if you want to put raisins, walnut or anything else that catches your fancy then you may. (I'll tell you when to add them.)

 What You Need:

• 4 cups flour
• 2 cups milk
• 4 eggs
• 3 tsp ground cinnamon
• one stick of butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 tsp bakung powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• raisins or nuts (optional)

For the streusel topping

• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp butter

  Let's Bake It!

 For those of you who thought baking was a challenge.... you will be pleasantly surprised that its really quite easy.   

1. Sift together all the dry ingredients (Flour, cinnamon, sugar, salt and baking powder). For the flour you can use cake, all purpose or whole wheat whatever you want.Set aside.

 
2. In a large bowl mix all the wet ingredients. Lightly beat the eggs with a fork and add the softened butter or margarine (leaving it on the table for 30 minutes is enough to soften it,). Add this mixture to the milk and stir a little to achieve consistency.

3. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mixing as you add, make sure you stir all the way to the bottom of the bowl so you don't miss anything.  If you are adding nuts or raisins you have to add it now.

4. Prepare the streusel topping.  Mix all the streusel ingredients until it's crumbly and looks like this...

 

5. Pour the batter into deep loaf pans (about 3 inches deep). Pour one layer first about 1 inch thick and top it with the streusel mix then pour another layer and repeat the same procedure with the topping. I like to make the topmost streusel thicker because it makes the bread top sweet and crunchy.  Bake at 250 degrees for 40 minutes, check if its done by sticking a toothpick into the bread if it comes out clean its done, if not then bake it for another 10 minutes.

 

 ALL DONE!!!

Cool before removing from pan and slicing.

        Nice and crunchy on the outside 

Soft and moist on the inside

 Enjoy Your Homemade Cinnamon Bread !

Ave's Moist and Savoury Roast Chicken

I've always hated how commercial roast chicken can be so dry and horribly flavored so I have tried and tried and tried and now have come up with a roast chicken recipe that stays moist inside and flavor packed to the core :) You guys simply must try this....

  

Ave's Roast Chicken

One Whole Chicken about 1.2 to 1.5 kgs.
3 Tbsp Rock Salt
1 Tbsp Ground Pepper
110 grams margarine (half of the entire stick of margarine)
Dill or Celery (I use Dill)

Here we go!

1. Mix margarine, salt and pepper. I know it 3 tbsp of salt and 1 tbsp of pepper may look too much but more than half of that ends up in the dripping pan so don't be afraid to be generous in your portions.

2. Divide the mixture into two and put the first part inside the cavity, take about 3 stalks of Dill (or Celery) make a knot and put into the cavity as well. The Dill or Celery gives it a little kick of spice without overpowering the chicken's natural flavor. I grow my own Dill cause I use it for a lot of my recipes, if you don't have it in your herb garden you can buy some at any supermarket. Plug the opening with a little chicken fat (I get mine from the butt part of the chicken)

3. With your hands rub the rest of the margarine salt pepper mixture onto the chicken make sure you cover every nook and cranny : ) Its kind of hard to make the mixture stick to the chicken skin... I chill my chicken a bit so the margarine will harden a little when it comes to contact with the chicken, this trick makes the mixture stick (love how that rhymes hahaha)



4. Skewer the chicken with that thing you get with your rotisserie oven (not sure what its really called) make sure the prongs are sticking into the chicken flesh and locked into the rod nice and tight. Set oven to 250 degrees, cook for 2 hours, yep that's how long it takes so make sure you have ample time to prepare and cook we don't want you having dinner at midnight :)

5. Cooking time can vary a little depending on the size of your chicken, I test mine by pricking the chest part really deep with a toothpick, if the bubbly liquid that oozes out is clear then it's done slightly pink means hold your horses it needs to stay in the over longer. If you noticed I used an aluminum pan to catch the drippings, I store the drippings in the ref and use it for making gravy for other recipes or I use it to add flavor to plain ole fried rice.

6. Enjoy your masterpiece!