Cardamom and Cast Iron...

Upon finally releasing myself from the warm, comforting clutches of my bed this morning and plodding down the stairs, I realized to my dismay that the breakfast choices were quite minimal, and those that were present, saddening.
What better opportunity to try out my new-to-me, reclaimed cast iron muffin pan!

English Breakfast Heaven

I grabbed a recipe my sister and I had created last summer: Buttermilk Oatmeal Muffins. That was, of course, after I had begun to warm yesterday's Earl Grey for a refreshing cuppa while I baked. :)

Buttermilk Oatmeal Muffins with Cardamom and Toasted Sesame

1 c. oats                                                                         1/4 c. flaxseed

1 c. buttermilk                                                               1/4 c. wheat germ

1 egg                                                                              1 t. baking powder

1/4 heaping c. brown sugar                                           1/2 t. baking soda

1/4 c. canola oil                                                             3/4 t. salt

1/4 c. all purpose flour                                                  1/2 t. cardamom

1/4 c. whole wheat flour                                                toasted sesame seeds

Little side note: I used Penzey's cardamom. 

Great place to pick up QUALITY, amazing spices!!

1. Soak the oats in B-Milk. For buttermilk, I always just combine 1 c. milk + 1 T. lemon juice. Soaking the oats really helps soften them up before baking. I use steel cut oats, so this is especially true.

2. Combine flours, flax, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, and toasted sesame seeds, and whisk thoroughly. I toasted mine in the toaster oven at 350F, until they were lovely and brown and smelled delicious. :)

Toasting Sesame!

How much sesame? However much you like! If you look at the picture below, you can get an idea for how much I used. By the way, they were darker in real life.

Dry Ingredients

 3. Now we can throw the egg, brown sugar, and oil right in the measuring cup with the thick buttermilk-oat goop. :) Mix it right up.

Wet Ingredients

 4. Combine the wet into dry and stir/fold gently, so that most lumps are gone. You don't want to overmix, or else you'll get a dense, horrible muffin. Plop the batter into your greased muffin pan. I love cast iron because it heats SO EVENLY, puts iron into your food (great for women!), last generations, and when properly loved, can stand up to anything and requires so little cleaning if it's been well seasoned. It also gives baked goods these great crusty edges. Yummm!

 


5. Bake them at 400F for about 15-20 minutes. Let cool for ~5 min. in pan, and then tip out, and enjoy (great with butter)! By the way, if your cast iron pan looks like this because they didn't just slide out, it needs TO BE SEASONED! Just like mine. :)





I realize cardamom and toasted sesame aren't the most common combination, especially for breakfast, however, the muffins were delightful. They were extraordinarily light, tender, and soft. And those edges! So crispy! Like a perfect waffle. :)