Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Apple Cinnamon Rolls

(Adapted from http://fakeginger.com/?p=1632)

For the cinnamon rolls:

6 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch ground nutmeg

5 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 large egg, slightly beaten

Zest of one lemon

3 ½ cups bread flour

2 teaspoons dry active yeast

1 cup plus 2-4 tablespoons milk, warmed to 110F

For the filling:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

3 apples, peeled, cored and cut into small cubes

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

½ teaspoon cornstarch

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch ground nutmeg

pinch salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup sugar

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the glaze:

Powdered sugar

Milk

Maple syrup

Directions:

Combine the yeast and milk. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter on medium-high speed until smooth.  Mix in the egg and lemon zest until incorporated.  Alternate adding the flour and milk to the butter mixture (flour in three additions, milk in two additions).  Knead dough for 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, turning once to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, make the filling.  To make the caramelized apples, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the apples, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Mix until the apples are evenly coated.  Cook about 18 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.  Set aside to cool.  In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon to blend; set aside.

Mist a work surface with spray oil.  Roll it out into a rectangle with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the dough with flour if needed to keep it from sticking (about 12 x 14 inches for larger rolls or 9 x 18 inches for smaller rolls).  Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix to blend.  Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the surface of the dough.  Evenly distribute the caramelized apples over the top of the dough.  Starting with the wide edge, roll up the dough into a cigar-shaped log, creating a cinnamon sugar spiral as you roll.  Pinch the seam shut, and with the seam side down, slice the log into your desired number of rolls.  Transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, placing the rolls about ½-1 inch apart.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature 75-90 minutes, until the rolls have grown into each other and have nearly doubled in size.  At this point, the rolls can also be covered and retarded in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.  Pull the pan out of the refrigerator 3-4 hours before baking to let the dough proof.

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown.  Let cool in the baking about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Make the glaze.

Makes 8-12 large cinnamon rolls or 12-16 smaller rolls

Beef and Beer Pie

Serve with garlic mashed potatoes to soak up the sauce from the pie.

Serves about 6

For the filling:

Adapted from Pie by Angela Boggiano

3 ½ tablespoons flour

2 lbs. chunk steak, cut into 1” cubes

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

2 carrots, chopped into 1” cubes

2 teaspoons soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons tomato paste

2 cups beer

1 ¼ cups beef broth

2 teaspoons sugar

Garlic salt

Ground black pepper

Place the flour in a large bowl and season with salt and ground black pepper. Add the cubes of meat and toss well in the flour until evenly coated.

Heat the butter and oil in a large pot until the butter has melted. Add the meat and brown quickly all over for just a minute, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the onions and carrots to the pot and fry gently for about two minutes. Return the meat to the pan and add the soy sauce, tomato paste, beer, beef broth, and sugar. Grind in plenty of black pepper and add a little salt. Stir well and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook very slowly for 2 hours until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened and is glossy. Remove from the heat, place into a 6-cup deep pie dish and leave to cool completely. Refrigerate overnight.

For the crust:

From Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Café (Canada, UK), by Mollie Katzen

1 ½ cups flour

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed

Up to 3 tablespoons cold water

Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Cut the butter into slices, add to the processor, and buzz several times, until the mixture is uniform and resembles coarse meal. (If you don't have a food processor, use a pastry cutter or 2 forks instead.)

Continue to process in quick spurts as you add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time. As soon as the dough adheres to itself when pinched, stop adding water and turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Gather it gently into a ball. Roll the dough into circle that has a diameter that is two inches greater than that of the pie dish.

To assemble the pie:

Beef and beer pie filling

Pie crust

Egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Place a pie funnel in the center of the pie filling. Cut a hole into the center of the pie dough to make space for the pie funnel.

Place the dough over the pie filling. Crimp the edges decoratively using a fork or your fingers. Brush the egg yolk over the top of the dough.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the crust is crisp and golden.

Croissant Bread Pudding with Bananas

3 baked croissants, day-old or frozen

2 overripe bananas, sliced

3 egg yolks

1 egg

1 2/3 cups heavy whipping cream

1 2/3 cups milk

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Cut croissants into cubes and slice bananas. Mix croissant cubes and sliced bananas together and place in an 8”x8” dish. Whisk all other ingredients in a bowl. Pour over croissants and bananas (not all of mixture will be needed). Soak croissants for 15 minutes.

Bake at 350F for 50 minutes. Serve topped with powdered sugar.

Chocolate Syrup

Adapted from http://smallnotebook.org/2009/07/10/homemade-chocolate-syrup/


¼ cup cocoa powder
½  cup water
1 cups sugar
pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon vanilla


In a small saucepan, combine the water and cocoa powder. Add the sugar and bring to a boil. Once the mixture comes to a boil, remove it from heat and add the salt and vanilla. Cool and store in the refrigerator. Yields about one cup.


For a thicker syrup, boil the mixture for three minutes.

Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls

Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls (adapted from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/easy-sticky-buns-recipe/index.html)

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 package (17.3-ounces/ 2-sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted

Filling

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.


Combine the 1 ½ sticks of butter and 1/3 cup of the brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups.


Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar and 1 ½  teaspoons of the cinnamon. 


Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2-inch and discard. 


Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 ½  inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 cinnamon rolls.


Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the rolls onto the parchment paper (ease the filling out onto the buns with a spoon) and cool completely. Drizzle icing on top, if desired.

Chocolate Pudding Cake

Chocolate Pudding Cake (adapted from http://www.joyofbaking.com/puddings/ChocolatePuddingCake.html#ixzz1KTlvaxXq)

Pudding Sauce

1 1/2 cups boiling water

2 teaspoons instant coffee

1/3 cup granulated white sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Cake

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 large egg

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1/3 cup granulated white sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter, or spray with a non stick cooking spray, an 8 inch (20 cm) square baking dish.

Pudding Sauce: Stir the instant coffee into the boiling water. Set aside. In a separate bowl, stir together the white sugar, brown sugar, and cocoa powder.

Cake: In a bowl, sift the flour with the cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. In another large bowl, whisk the egg with the melted butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture until combined. Spread the batter evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle the sugar/cocoa mixture evenly over the cake batter. Gently pour the coffee mixture over the cocoa mixture. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the cake is puffed and just beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, either plain or with vanilla or coffee flavored ice cream. Leftovers can be covered and stored in the refrigerator. Reheat in microwave.

Serves 8.

Peeta Bread

Pita Bread (adapted from BeantownBaker.com)

1 tablespoon sugar
1 packet dry active yeast

1 cup warm water + more if necessary

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt

Combine the sugar, yeast, and water in a medium bowl. Let stand for ten minutes. Add the olive oil and stir to combine. Stir in the flour and salt.All of the ingredients should form a ball. If some of the flour will not stick to the ball, add more water.

Once all of the ingredients form a ball, place the ball on a work surface, such as a cutting board, and knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes.

When you are done kneading the dough, place it in a bowl that has been lightly coated with oil. Form a ball out of the dough and place it into the bowl, rolling the ball of dough around in the bowl so that it has a light coat of oil on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to rise until it has doubled in size, approximately 90 minutes.

When it has doubled in size, punch the dough down to release some of the trapped gases and divide it into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, cover the balls with a damp kitchen towel, and let them rest for 20 minutes. This step allows the dough to relax so that it'll be easier to shape.

While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven to preheat as well. If you do not have a baking stone, turn a cookie sheet upside down and place it on the bottom of the oven while you are preheating the oven. This will be the surface on which you bake your pitas.

After the dough has relaxed for 20 minutes, spread a light coating of flour on a work surface and place one of the balls of dough there. Sprinkle a little bit of flour on top of the dough and use a rolling pin or your hands to stretch and flatten the dough. You should be able to roll it out to between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. If the dough does not stretch sufficiently you can cover it with the damp towel and let it rest 5 to 10 minutes before trying again.

Open the oven and place as many pitas as you can fit on the hot baking surface. They should be baked through and puffy after 3 minutes. If you want your pitas to be crispy and brown you can bake them for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.

Pita Chips

Pita bread (day-old pita works best)

Olive oil

Minced garlic

Garlic powder

Garlic salt

Pepper

Asiago cheese

Preheat oven to 350F.

Brush the top of the pitas with olive oil. Sprinkle minced garlic, garlic powder, garlic salt, and pepper on top. Grate cheese over the pitas. Bake them for about ten minutes, or until crispy.