Java Plum Muffins - #MuffinMonday

A few years ago I discovered an unknown tree growing in my backyard. I did some research and found that it is called java plum but Jamaicans call it ribena (a reference to the black currant drink). It is native to Southeast Asia. The fruit is extremely tart and I immediately wanted to bake something with them. I also learned that Jamaicans make a drink with them. Side note: Jamaicans make a drink with EVERYTHING. Multiple times this past week persons mentioned making pumpkin punch. I stick to baking. 

I wanted to use the java plum as one would use blueberries but the huge seeds are a pain. Deseeding them leaves you with little yield and a very purple kitchen and hands. I ditched my plans and in 2018, the tree was cut down because it had become a hazard (tall trees + hurricanes). A few weeks ago, I noticed the fruit on the ground. The tree had sprung back up and was bearing. Time to try again. This time I made a bit of a jam and swirled that into my muffins. 

Scroll down to see what the other Muffin Monday bakers made!

Java Plum Muffins 

Yield: 12 muffins

Jam Ingredients

250 g Java plums 

1/4 cup water

75g sugar

1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice

Muffin Base Ingredients 

1 3/4 cup flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt 

2 eggs 

3/4 cup sugar 

1/2 cup oil 

1/2 coup sour cream 

1/4 cup milk 

2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Directions 

Place the java plums and water in a small pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring often until the pulp falls off the seeds. Turn the heat off and remove the seeds. That is a bit tedious. Sorry.

Add sugar to the pulp and return to medium heat. Cook until thickened. Stir it often so it doesn't stick tot the sides or bottom of the pot. I reduced mine by about a half or so. Stir in the lemon or lime juice. 

Allow to cool completely. Chill if you have time. 

Preheat oven to 425 F. Grease or line a 12 cup muffin pan. 

Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk eggs and sugar then add oil, sour cream, milk and vanilla. 

Divide the batter among the 12 muffin wells - they will be almost full. Gently swirl in a heaping teaspoon of java plum jam. Alternatively, you can add about a tablespoon and a half of batter, a little jam, more batter and then swirl a little more jam. That gives you a nice surprise in the middle. 

Bake for 5 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 350 F. Bake for another 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

Notes

• My research suggested that the over-ripe fruit was not best for jam - less pectin. I still used very ripe fruit because it is not as tart. The texture was fine for my purposes.
• Don't swirl too much!

 

• Apple Streusel Muffin Tops from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Banana Mocha Chip Muffins from Making Miracles
• Dirty Chai Latte Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Java Plum Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Raspberry Rhubarb Muffins from Zesty South Indian Kitchen 
• Sweet Summer Squash Muffins from Food Lust People Love

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

Chocolate Chip Sweet Potato Muffins - #MuffinMonday

Recently I found a can of sweet potato in my cupboard that was dangerously close to its expiration date. I can't remember where I got it as it isn't readily available here. But it was perfect timing though as I had no idea what to make for this month's Muffin Monday. I wasn't sure that I'd like the addition of chocolate chips to a spiced muffin but I was pleasantly surprised. It made an already moist and delicious muffin even more tasty. 

Be sure to scroll down for the other tasty muffins this month!

Chocolate Chip Sweet Potato Muffins 

Yield: 16-18 muffins 

Ingredients 

1 3/4 cup sweet potato puree 

1/2 cup oil

3 eggs 

1 1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon grated ginger

2 1/4 cups flour 

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions 

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin pan with liners or grease well. 

Beat together sweet potato, oil, eggs, sugar and grated ginger. Whisk flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.

Gently fold the flour mixture into the sweet potato mixture until just moistened. Reserve some chocolate chips to place on the tops of each muffin and then fold the rest into the batter. Don't over mix. 

Divide among the muffin wells filling almost to the top. Top each with reserved chocolate chips. 

Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. 

Notes

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Pumpkin Bread recipe. 

 

The final link list:

• Banana Nut Muffins from Making Miracles
• Cherry Almond Muffins from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Chocolate Chip Sweet Potato Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Cinnamon Sweet Potato Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Dark Chocolate Coffee Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Lemon Lavender Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Small Batch Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Spiced 'Tree Pumpkin' (Persimmon) Muffins from Culinary Adventures with Camilla

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.
#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

Struan Bread - #BreadBakers

This multigrain loaf comes from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day. I love the slightly sweet loaf and while it is indeed the perfect sandwich bread, I also enjoyed it plain and also slathered with butter. You can switch up the grains used and that will determine the colour of your loaf. For this I used cornmeal (refined instead of the coarse that's preferred), oats, and brown rice so my loaf is on the lighter side. This loaf definitely requires a bit of planning. If you don't have extra cooked rice on hand, you will have to make some. I typically only have rice and peas on hand. It would have been easier to pick out the red peas (red peas in Jamaica = kidney beans) but I decided to just buy and cook some brown rice. Use leftover rice. Don't waste time cooking it - especially if you're like me and have not eaten brown rice in at least ten years.  Also, pay attention to the kneading steps. There are few stretch and folds to do so timing is important.

This month the Bread Bakers made some sandwich loaves for you. Scroll down to see what the others made. Thanks for hosting this month, Karen! 

Straun

Yield: 1 loaf 

Ingredients 

510 grams bread flour 

34 grams cornmeal 

40 grams rolled oats 

45 grams cooked brown rice 

45 grams brown sugar 

1 tablespoon honey 

2 teaspoons salt 

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast

1 cup + 1 tablespoon water 

6  1/2 tablespoons milk

Directions

Mix all the ingredients on low speed for 2 minutes then let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Mix again for another 2 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky, if it is dry, add a little water by the teaspoon. If it is wet, sprinkle in some flour. 

Take the dough out the bowl and lightly knead for 2 to 3 minutes. If it is sticking a lot to your hands, oil your hands. Stretch and fold the dough from the bottom and then from both sides. Cover it and let it rest for 10 minutes. Do the stretch and fold 3 more times. You will notice that the dough has become easier to handle. 

Refrigerate overnight. 

Roll the dough out into a 9" x 12" rectangle. Roll up along the short side and place in a greased 9" x 5" pan. 

Allow to proof until the dough is about 1 1/2 times the original size. When the dough is almost ready, preheat the oven to 350 F. 

Bake 45 - 60 minutes until the crust is golden. 

Notes

• Peter Reinhart uses more water than I do (up to 2 more tablespoons) but it is extremely hot and humid here so I didn't need to use that much water. 
• I adjusted the recipe to yield enough for 1 9" x 5" loaf. 

Welcome to Bread Bakers! This month, our them is Sandwich Bread and our host is Karen of Karen's Kitchen Stories.

• Eggless White Sandwich Bread by Sneha's Recipe
• Farmhouse White Sandwich Bread by Making Miracles
• Just Bread Sandwich Loaf by A Messy Kitchen
• Pain de Mie aka Pullman Loaf by Food Lust People Love
• Seeded Sandwich Bread by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Sourdough Burger Buns by Cook with Renu
• Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread by Ambrosia
• Sourdough Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread by Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Struan Bread by Passion Kneaded
• Subway Sandwich Bread by Anybody Can Bake

#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 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.