Banana pancakes (slice them into the pancakes as they're poured into the pan) are one of our favs. If the bananas get too ripe too fast, since I only make pancakes on the weekends, I put them in the refrig to 'hold' them. I altered this banana bread recipe and we really like it: Banana Pecan Bread with Yoghurt 1 stick softened butter 1 cup sugar or equivalent Splenda 2 large eggs 1-3/4 cup all purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1-1/2 mashed very ripe bananas (about 4 small or 3 medium) 1 cup (8 oz) vanilla yoghurt, any kind 1 tsp vanilla 3/4 cup chopped pecans Note: you can mash bananas in your stand mixer, then put them aside in another bowl as you continue with the recipe. You donÂt have to start with a clean mixer blade, just start creaming the butter and sugar. 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter (or use the Pam Baking Spray) a 9x5x3" loaf pan. 2. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. 3. Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. On slow speed, add half the flour. 4. Add the banana pulp, yoghurt, and vanilla; beat on lowest speed until almost mixed. 5. Add remaining flour; mix on slow speed till combined. Stir in nuts by hand. 6. Pour batter in pan. Bake approx 1 hr and 10 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. 7. Remove from pan, invert on rack and cool completely.

That sounds like a good low fat muffin! I make the following and keep in the freezer for breakfast. These are very good. They have less sugar and some good ole oat bran...if your interested. Don't overbake these so they stay moist: Oat Bran Morning Muffins (Very good and very good for you.) 2 1/2 cups oat bran 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 1/3 cup canola oil (or extra-light olive oil) 2 cups buttermilk 1 cup dried blueberries or cranberries 2 medium apples (Gala); peel & chopped small 2 large eggs; beaten 1 1/2 cups white whole-wheat flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt Preheat oven to 375° and position rack in the center of the oven. Grease or place muffin liners in 16 to 18 standard size muffins cups. In a large bowl, combine the oat bran and the brown sugar; stir in the oil and buttermilk until evenly moistened. Add the dried fruit and chopped apples. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes, add the eggs. Combine the remaining ingredients and add to the buttermilk mixture using a large spatula or spoon just until evenly moistened, using no more than 15 to 20 strokes. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups level with the tops. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until tops are dry and springy (tooth pick test comes out clean). Let them rest in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to rack to cool. Store in an air tight container. They freeze well. *Recipe from Beth Hensperger, Author of the Bread Bible and The Pleasure of Whole-grain breadsÂmy minor changes are as written above. Marilyn

Annie, I've found there's a lot of differences between the wheatberries from different farms. If yours aren't working, you might try finding one with a tested for that crop higher protein level. These might not apply to you, but are some of the things I've learned for 100% whole wheat, home milled, bread: If you mill at home, and aren't looking for a sweet flavor, you don't need any sweetener. What the honey is for in a lot of recipes is hiding the bitterness that whole wheat flour develops when it sits awhile (weeks) and starts to go rancid. A little acid, besides dealing with the anti-nutrients, works as a dough conditioner and retards mold growth (if we leave an end long enough to mold it's the free flour on it where it starts, not the bread itself). Ascorbic acid is fairly easily found as vitamin C crystals. I figure a jar may last me forever. It does add a little complexity to the flavor, which you might notice as acidity, but won't taste sour like vinegar. Handling the risen dough as little as possible, helps keep the gluten from being cut. It does not like "drawing a tight cloak". Like that saying about teaching a pig to dance, drawing it around like that just annoys the bread--the gluten breaks rather than stretches. A better way to shape, if necessary, is by folding, lightly. Do your best not to degas because it may not reinflate. If you're willing, adding vital wheat gluten makes up for the deficiencies of the protein content of the wheat. Re hydration, I always do a soak. A soak is where you either make up the dough for a long rise (at least 8 hours), or just combine the flour and liquid and let that set for at least 8 hours. This can be done in or out of the fridge. It takes awhile for the wheat to hydrate and what seems too dry turns damp and sticky. Whole wheat also takes more hydration than white. The best proportion I've been able to find, and have been using, but haven't tested extensively enough to know for sure from my own hands is 5 tsp. water for every cup of whole wheat flour that you substitute for white flour. Also be careful of the rise. If it doubles, it's probably too far gone. Aim for half that (1.5 times the original bulk). Maybe a little more. I haven't found a lot of good recipes, but that's common to all of the ones I do have, and if I miss and it gets to double on the rise, I don't get any oven spring. Oh, and no double rises. It doesn't want to be punched down. I found this recipe in a surprising place when I was looking for a low cleanup (water saving) daily bread: http://www.instructables.com/id/100-Whole-Wheat-Crusty-No-Knead-Artisan-Bread/ It's a good recipe. I've been playing with it, adding in other grains, and mixing in seeds and all. Overdoing that can also interfere with the rise, but I've got it to where I like it, and I prefer the multigrain flavor. I don't know if any of that is helpful to you. I've been on the same journey for a year, and had some sourdough flats of my own. :) Great sympathy here!

I have a Bundt cake recipe with chopped apricots and it's one of my favorites. It's called orange apricot yogurt bread. Nice for summer. I've found another recipe from the Boston Globe. The ratios look better than the other ones and I'm gong to substitute chopped chocolate for the blueberries and use a ganache glaze. Blueberry Buttermilk Tea Cake 2 1/4 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup fresh blueberries, picked over 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3/4 cup buttermilk Confectioners’ sugar (for sprinkling) 1. Set the oven at 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan. Dust the pan with flour, tapping out the excess. 2. In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to blend them. 3. In another bowl, toss the blueberries with 1 teaspoon of the flour mixture. 4. In an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the butter for 2 minutes. Add the sugar in two additions, beating for 1 minute after each. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. 5. With the mixer set on low speed, beat in half of the flour mixture, then the buttermilk, then the remaining flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula once or twice. 6. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand. With a large rubber spatula fold in the blueberries and any excess flour in the bowl. 7. Spoon the batter into the loaf pan, mounding it slightly in the center. Bake the cake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake is clean when withdrawn. 8. Set the cake on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Turn the cake out of the pan and return the cake to the rack to cool. Dust the top with confectioners’ sugar. Cut into slices with a serrated knife. Lisa Yockelson