Morning Buns

Morning Buns are San Francisco's amped up version of cinnamon rolls (and a special treat I look forward to having each weekend at our local coffee shop). Flaky croissant dough is rolled with cinnamon and sugar, baked in muffin tins, and tossed with granulated sugar for a sparkling finish. Since croissant dough is so time consuming, I made a double batch knowing that this recipe was next. I rolled out the dough into a large rectangle, brushed it with egg, and topped it with a generous amount of cinnamon and brown sugar. After rolling the dough into a long cylinder, I cut the dough into twelve portions and placed them in the muffin tin to proof. Once the buns had doubled in size, they cooked for thirty minutes in a 375-degree oven. While the buns were still warm, I tossed each one in the sugar for added crunch and a festive presentation. I can't say enough about this recipe--these morning buns are an unexpected and delicious departure from the average cinnamon roll.

Up next: Cheese Danish

Classic Croissants

I am happy to announce that I have officially moved onto Chapter 2, Layered Pastries! I enjoyed honing my bread skills, but I am looking forward to working more with pastries. I love croissants and I've made them once before, so I knew what I was getting myself into when I decided to make this recipe after work last night (needless to say I wasn't in bed until after one a.m.). Croissants belong to a group of pastries called "laminated doughs" since layers of butter are sandwiched between thin sheets of rich dough. The recipe began by mixing the croissant dough--a combination of yeast, whole milk, sugar, butter, salt, and flour. Once the dough was in a rough mass it rested in the fridge while I worked on the beurrage (butter block). Next, I rolled out the dough into a large rectangle and placed the beurrage on two thirds of the dough and did my first letter turn. Since I worked quickly and the butter stayed cool, I was able to roll out the dough and do a book fold for my second turn, before returning the dough to the fridge to rest for an hour. After a third and final letter fold, I let the dough chill for two hours before rolling it out to be shaped. Classic croissants are cut into triangles, then a small slit is made at the base (creating the shape of an Eiffel tower) before the dough is gently tugged and rolled into its final shape. Once all the croissants were shaped, they sat on the counter to proof for an hour and a half (it was a cool, slow proofing so the butter didn't melt). Then, after a quick egg wash, they went into a 400-degree oven for sixteen minutes. The final croissants were a deep golden brown with a beautiful, splintery crust and tasted better than anything you can buy from the store. I really enjoyed making these croissants and even though they are quite a bit of work, I know I will go back to this recipe again and again.

On deck: Morning Buns

Maddie's Chocolate Cake

My niece Maddie had her first birthday on Saturday and I was in charge of the cake! I decided to make a chocolate cake with a dark chocolate filling and a vanilla Italian meringue buttercream. I started with my go-to chocolate cake recipe--Martha Stewart's One-Bowl Chocolate Cake. I prepared two square cake pans (lined with parchment paper and lightly greased) and baked the two layers for 40 minutes in a 350-degree oven. I let the cakes cool overnight and left the frostings and decorating for the next day. Saturday morning I started bright and early with the dark chocolate filling (another Martha Stewart go-to and the same one I used for my chocolate cupcakes). I used this to layer in between the four cake layers (I split each cake layer in two for a more dramatic presentation when you slice into the cake). I let the cake and filling cool in the fridge for thirty minutes to help hold its shape. While the cake was chilling I made the buttercream. I used a recipe from the Advanced Pastry Chef (a book I stole from my sister who went to culinary school) and the frosting came out beautifully. I died it pink to match the "Princess" theme and then I started my crumb coat (a thin layer of frosting that covers the cake and helps prevent any crumbs from showing when you apply the final coating). With the crumb coat in place, I let the cake chill for another thirty minutes before I applied the final layer of frosting. I used a bench scraper to create a clean, smooth look because I wanted to the finished cake to look like a present. Once the final layer of frosting was on, it was back to the fridge for one last chill while I created the fondant decorations. Since the cake was going to look like a gift, I cut strips of fondant to create a bow and ribbon. I covered the fondant with pink sprinkles and applied them to the cake. I thought the final cake came out cute and everyone at the party seemed to enjoy it. The final touch was a monogrammed Necco with the letter "M" that finished off the bow. The cake tasted delicious--moist, tender, and so chocolaty! I know Maddie liked it (and not just because it was her first taste of sugar!). The cake took a lot of work, but it was fun and I am already looking forward to the next one.

Maple Pecan Sticky Buns

I was so excited for this recipe--who doesn't love sticky buns? The recipe began by creating the gooey, stikcy topping (a combination of maple syrup, butter, and brown sugar, topped with pecans, or walnuts in my case). Once the topping was in the pan I started on the dough--the same rich, breakfast dough as in the previoust wwo recipes. Thankfully, the dough came together much easier this time around. Once the dough was proofed I was able to roll in out into a large rectangle and cover it with a mixture of cinnamon, butter, and brown sugar. I rolled the dough into a long log and sliced it into twn equal sections. After gently pressing down on each bun, I placed it into the pan with the gooey topping. The dough went through a final proofing for an hour before baking in a 350 degree oven for thirty minutes. The final sticky buns came out great--they tasted fantastic and the doughg was the perfect texture. The only probelm I had with the recipe was i used a springform pan and unfortunatley, a lot of the gooey topping leaked out during the baking. I think If I used a different pan, the topping would have caramelized better and resulted in a better sticky bun. Next time!

Up next: Classic Croissants (the first recipe in chapter two!)

Cinnamon-Currant Bread (minus the currants...)

Ahhhh....after a long week away from the kitchen I finally had time to bake the next recipe in the book--cinnamon currant bread. I am not really a fan of raisins or currants, so I opted to make the recipe without them. The base of this recipe is called "rich breakfast dough"--a little less rich than brioche but plenty flavorful for sweet breakfast breads. It was also the same base as in the previous recipe (Apricot, almond, chocolate coffee cake). This dough was a little tricky because it took so long to come together for me (unlike the 5-6 minutes as listed in the recipe). Once the flour, milk, yeast, salt, eggs, and sugar were combined, the dough was slightly rough and ragged looking. I added softened butter, one tablespoon at a time, until it began to incorporate into the dough. I then kneaded the dough for nine minutes until it was smooth, silky, and soft to the touch. The dough proofed for an hour and a half and I then rolled it out into a 12x15" rectangle. I brushed the dough with an egg wash and topped it with cinnamon and brown sugar before rolling it into a long cylinder. The recipe called for slicing the log lengthwise, then into chunks. All of the pieces were put into a loaf pan to proof for another hour and then baked for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Overall, the bread was delicious, although it involved a lot of work for how similar it tasted to the Monkey Bread (which was much simpler to make!). I think next time, rather than cutting the bread into chunks, I will add butter and slice for big cinnamon rolls. Yum!

On deck: Sticky buns

Peppermint Saltwater Taffy Part II

I was a bit disappointed at my last attempt to make salt-water taffy--it came out too hard and lacked the characteristic soft, chewy texture I remember. So, not one to give up, I decided to tackle it again tonight. This time, I did a little more research on what temperature to cook the sugar mixture to and opted for a lower temp of 255 degrees (vs. 266 degrees from version 1). After boiling the sugar, I poured it onto a granite slab to cool. I divided the taffy into two sections, dying one red and leaving the other white. I learned the hard way that pulling taffy is easier with two people so I recruited Ryan to help me pull the taffy. Once it lightened in color I twisted the two colors to form peppermint looking ropes. While I cut bite-sized pieces, Ryan wrapped them in wax paper. They came out delicious and much, much sifter than the first round. I think I found a winner!

Apricot, Almond, and Chocolate Coffee Cake

The recipes in the book are starting to go towards the sweeter side of the spectrum (finally!) and this coffee cake was no exception. I'm not the biggest dried apricot fan, but they worked in this recipe. This coffee cake was more like the cross between a danish and a cinnamon roll--with untraditional flavors. The dough started with milk, sugar, yeast, flour, and salt--after those were blended, I began to add in a stick of butter. This part took longer than I expected--the butter just didn't want to incorporate. Ten minutes later, the sticky, doughy mess was transformed into a silky, soft ball of dough. While the dough proofed, I created the filling. First, dried apricots were pureed in the food processor then added to simmering water and rum to help plump up the bits. Next, almond paste and butter were mixed together to create a smooth paste. When the dough was ready, I rolled it into a rectangle and covered it with a layer of the apricot paste then the almond mixture. I finished the dough off with a sprinkling of semisweet chocolate chips and rolled everything up. Unlike cinnamon roils, this dough stayed in one long log, with each individual roll laying to the left or right of the "spine". I think the author intended the sections to stand up more vertically, but I thought it looked more interesting to smush them down a bit to expose the inside. After another hour of proofing the coffee cake baked for 25 minutes in a 375-degree oven. When the coffee cake came out, I brushed it with an apricot glaze to make it shine. This morning I finished the cooled cake with a drizzle of vanilla sugar icing. I think it was the perfect breakfast to kick off the week!

Peppermint Salt Water Taffy

Well, here's another recipe not found in the cookbook, but it was fun so I am including it in my blog. I spent Saturday afternoon at the used cookbook store in Kensington and I came home with an old Time Life Candy Making book. The saltwater taffy recipe caught my eye so I decided to try my hand at it. The taffy begins by boiling all of the ingredients (sugar, corn syrup, corn starch, salt, and water) until the mixture reaches 266 degrees. At this point, I stirred in 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint oil (peppermint is my favorite saltwater taffy flavor!). I let the mixture cool on a sheet pan for ten minutes before adding green food coloring and beginning to move stir the hot sugar. After another ten minutes the mixture was cool enough to handle by hand and then I began to pull the taffy. After getting an intense upper arm-workout, the taffy began to turn opaque, lighter in color, and almost satin-like (10 minutes). I broke the taffy into three chunks and pulled each chunk into a long rope. With buttered hands and scissors I cut each rope into bite-size pieces and wrapped them in individual sheets of wax paper. This recipe was really fun but probably a lot easier with two people (I am already volunteering Ryan for round 2). The taffy tastes delicious, although it is a little harder than store-bought versions (after a little chewing, it tastes just like the stuff you find at the boardwalk!). I think I'll do some research to see how I can improve the texture, but overall it was fun to make and I have enough taffy to tide me over until my next trip to the candy store.

On deck: Apricot, Almond, and Chocolate Spiraled Coffee Cake