Howdy! Fancy some apple pan dowdy?

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/09/2015 (3772 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Last week we looked at basic baking mix, a homemade shortcut often made with flour, baking powder, salt, milk powder and shortening. The mixture can be kept in the pantry for four weeks or in the fridge for up to six weeks and used to make biscuits, dumplings, muffins, quick breads, cookies, cobblers and coffee cakes.

Thanks this week to Linda Snider, Donna Massier and Lilianne Barnabe. Lilianne sent in a recipe for basic baking mixture as well as a handy chart that provides recipes for more than a dozen things to bake with it, including oatmeal raisin cookies and apple pan dowdy. (I had never made an apple pan dowdy, but I had heard that it “makes your eyes light up and your tummy say ‘Howdy,’ ” so I thought I’d give it a go.) Next week, I plan to wrap up with another version of baking mix and one more recipe to go with it.

Annette Mowat is looking for a reliable recipe for knishes and for good old-fashioned tuna casserole.

If you can help with a recipe request, have your own request, or a favourite recipe you’d like to share, send an email to recipeswap@freepress.mb.ca, fax it to 204-697-7412, or write to Recipe Swap, c/o Alison Gillmor, Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6. Please include your first and last name, address and telephone number.

 

Apple Pan Dowdy

1.5 kg apples (3 lbs, or about 8-10 apples, depending on size), peeled, cored and thinly sliced
45 ml (3 tbsp) molasses
45 ml (3 tbsp) brown sugar
1 ml (1/4 tsp) cinnamon
500 ml (2 cups) basic baking mix
60 ml (1/4 cup) melted butter
125 ml (1/2 cup) water

Preheat oven to 205 C (400 F). Combine apples, molasses, brown sugar and cinnamon in a 2.25 L (2 qt) shallow baking pan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix basic baking mix, melted butter and water just until a soft dough forms. Pat out on a floured surface or wax paper to fit the baking pan. Remove foil from apples and cover with dough. Cut slits to let steam escape. Bake 30 more minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with cream.

Tester’s notes: The apple layer was good and tart — I used Granny Smiths — and the topping was somewhere between pastry and a biscuit. The ratio of fruit to topping was a bit low for me, though, so next time I might concentrate the apples in a smaller pie plate — I had used a 25-cm (10-inch) dish — and scale back the topping to keep it thin. Also, molasses has a strong taste. I hedged a bit and used half molasses and half maple syrup.

You’ll need to be extra-careful when placing and (if necessary) trimming the dough because the pan will be hot.

 

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

125 ml (1/2 cup) butter or shortening
125 ml (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
1 egg
500 ml (2 cups) basic baking mix (from last week’s Recipe Swap)
60 ml (1/4 cup) water
125 ml (1/2 cup) large flake rolled oats (not instant)
125 ml (1/2 cup) raisins
5 ml (1 tsp) cinnamon

Preheat oven to 190 C (375 F). In a medium bowl, beat butter or shortening with sugar; add egg. Blend in basic baking mix, water, oats, raisins and cinnamon. Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheet, spacing cookies 5 cm (2 inches) apart. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen.

Tester’s notes: These easy cookies are quite cakey and soft, as basic baking mix contains a lot of baking powder for leavening. If you prefer a chewy or crispy oatmeal cookie, you might want to bake from scratch.

Watch near the end of baking time to keep bottom of cookies from scorching. Mine were done at about 13 minutes.