OATY BREAKFAST BUNS - GF, LOW FODMAP

Oaty breakfast bun with pecan

I follow a low fodmap diet because I have fibromyalgia so eating out is tricky, but eating at home is manageable. I did The Happy Pear's Happy Gut online cookery course last year and got some great new low fodmap recipes from it. This is one of my favourites.

I normally make these with blueberries but substituted grated carrot today for a change. I eat one for breakfast with an Alpro Coconut 'yogurt' and a sprinkle of mixed seeds.

INGREDIENTS

1 TBLSP GROUND FLAX SEED

3 TBLSP WATER

90G PORRIDGE OATS

70G GROUND ALMONDS

½ TSP BAKING POWDER

½ TSP BREAD SODA

75 ML VEG OIL

75 ML MAPLE SYRUP

1 TSP VANILLA ESSENCE

100G RASPS OR BLUEBERRIES or 1 GRATED CARROT

PECANS FOR DECORATION (OPTIONAL)

METHOD

·         Pre heat oven to 180c

·         Line a bun tray (makes 9 small or 6 large)

·         Make up the flax egg with the water

·         Grate the carrot finely (if using)

·         Mix the dry ingredients together

·         Mix in the wet ingredients

·         Mix in the berries or carrots

·         Plop mixture into bun cases

·         Decorate with pecans (or flaked almonds)

·         Bake for 20 to 25 minutes

DARK CHOCOLATE ORANGE MUFFINS

Dark chocolate orange muffin

I bought a muffin tin. You know, American-sized muffins, as opposed to normal Irish bun-sized ones. And then it took me ten shops to find the proper cases to go in them and, even then, I could only find boring plain ones. (Though I did find some snazzy yellow cardboard ones in Tiger that won't fit in the tin...)

The Dublin airport chocolate orange muffin

Anyway, I am addicted to the giant-sized choc-orange muffins that you get in Harvest Market in T2 in Dublin Airport. I would almost (almost) take a flight just to have one of those muffins. They make the whole airport shenanigan worthwhile.

But I'm not flying anywhere until May, so I have had to resort to making my own. The ones in the airport have a gooey, sweet, orange jammy curd in the centre (drool!) but I couldn't find a satisfactory recipe to match that. So I have adapted a few different recipes to make these delicious choc-chippy-orangey ones instead. These are a trial run for Easter Sunday, when I will probably (hopefully) take the time to ice and decorate them.

My helpers

238 kcal per muffin

Makes 6 large sized muffins, 10 bun/cupcake sized muffins or 12 minis

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup self raising flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup caster sugar

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (I used a 100g bag)
zest of an orange
1/4 cup milk
1/8 cup orange juice
1/8 cup veg oil (I used rapeseed)
1 medium egg, beaten

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180 deg C

Zest and juice the orange

Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar and choc chips

In a jug, mix together the orange juice, orange zest, milk, veg oil and beaten egg
Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in wet ingredients
Mix and pour into muffin cases

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes

BLUEBERRY AND WALNUT MUFFINS

Tesco had an offer on blueberries, which I haven't baked with in ages, so I snapped them up and baked some bun-sized, healthy muffins.This recipe makes 12 small muffins/buns.

139 calories per bun, 6g of fat.

INGREDIENTS

125g wholegrain spelt flour
125g self-raising flour
75g light muscovado sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp mixed spice
150ml soya milk or milk
1 beaten egg (or 1tsp NoEgg mixed with 2tblsps water for vegans)
50g of blueberries
40g chopped walnuts
2 tblsps vegetable oil
12 small muffin or bun-sized cases


METHOD

• Preheat oven to 180˚C
• Put muffin cases into bun tray
• Mix the flour, spice, sugar and baking powder in a bowl
• Beat egg or make up the NoEgg as per pack
• In a jug, mix together the soya milk, oil and egg/NoEgg mixture
• Make a well in the flour and beat in the milky mixture
• Mix in the blueberries and walnuts until you have a sticky dough
• Divide the mixture between the muffin cases
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes

CARROT & WALNUT MEMORY MUFFINS

Muffins, buns. Buns muffins. These are really buns, but buns generally are not stuffed with carrots and walnuts so I am calling them muffins. Whatever you want to call them, use a bun tray and normal bun cases for baking.

These are dense and spicy. Very tasty.

And I have handily worked out the calorie content of each muffin: 137 calories and 7 grams of fat. So, not bad compared to your average shop bought bun or cereal bar. And walnuts combat memory loss. What's not to love??!!

INGREDIENTS

150g spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
50g light muscovado sugar
40g chopped walnuts
1 large carrot finely grated
50g sultanas
½ tsp vanilla essence
45ml (3 tblsps) rapeseed oil
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsps cinnamon
60ml soya milk

METHOD

• Pre heat oven to 200°C
• Line the bun tin with bun cases
• Grate the carrot
• Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl
• Add the sultanas and walnuts
• Beat the egg in a bowl, with the milk and vanilla essence
• Mix in the grated carrots to the eggy mixture
• Mix in the oil
• Add this mix to the dry ingredients and combine well
• Divide the mix into the 12 bun cases (using two teaspoons!)
• Bake for 25 minutes

CHOC ORANGE SPELT BUNS

You can use wholewheat flour instead of spelt flour for these buns, if you prefer, but the spelt flour gives a lighter texture. These are a great snack: low in sugar but sweet because of the orange. This recipe makes 12 small, tasty, low GI buns.

Preheat oven to 180˚C

INGREDIENTS

250g (9oz) wholegrain spelt flour
25g (1oz) light muscovado sugar
2 tsps baking powder
1 tblsp of cocoa powder
1 tsp mixed spice
zest of 1 large orange
juice of 1 large orange
50ml soya milk
1 beaten egg (OR 1tsp NoEgg mixed with 2tblsps water)
2 tblsps vegetable oil
12 muffin or bun cases

METHOD

• Put muffin cases into bun tray
• Sieve the flour, spice, cocoa, sugar and baking powder into a bowl
• Zest and squeeze the orange
• If using, make up the NoEgg as per pack
• In a jug, mix together the soya milk, oil, orange juice and egg mixture
• Make a well in the flour and beat in the milky mixture
• Mix in the orange zest
• Divide the mixture between the muffin cases
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes

OPTIONAL ICING
We decorated ours with about 10 squares of dark chocolate, melted, with one teaspoon of icing sugar mixed in. Also jelly beans!

My chocolate splattered helper :)

SAINT PATRICK'S DAY VEGAN BUNS!

Finn decorating the buns



Citrusy tricolour buns for Paddy's Day


Happy Saint Patrick's Day, everyone!!

And here are some festive buns to celebrate our national saint. At home we always called these buns, others called them fairy cakes or queen cakes, and nowadays they are called muffins or cupcakes. Whatever you choose to call them, they are a zesty treat and kids LOVE helping with the decorating, as you can see.

Makes 12 small buns.

Preheat oven to 180˚C

FOR THE BUNS
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 small orange, zested and juiced
250 gr (9oz) wholegrain spelt flour
50gr (2oz) light muscovado sugar
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp mixed spice
150ml soya milk (or ordinary milk for non-vegans)
1 tsp NoEgg mixed with 2tblsps water (non vegans can use one beaten egg)
2 tblsps vegetable oil
12 muffin or bun cases

FOR THE TRICOLOUR DECORATIONS
I used a mix-with-water Royal icing. Vegan versions available.
Greeen and orange jelly tots!! (Or any suitably festive sweeties...)

• Put cases into bun tray
• Zest the orange and lemon, then half them and squeeze them. Strain the juice and put to one side
• Mix the citrus zest, flour, spice, sugar and baking powder in a bowl
• Make up the NoEgg as per pack (or beat your egg)
• In a jug, mix together the soya milk, oil and NoEgg mixture
• Make a well in the flour and beat in the milky mixture
• Mix in the lemon and orange juice until combined
• Divide the mixture between the muffin cases
• Bake for 30 minutes
• Leave the buns to cool, then make up the icing (as per pack) and decorate. Leave to set for about half an hour (not in the fridge) and eat!