STICKY BUNS WITH CROISSANT DOUGH - FINGER-LICKING GOOD!

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If you undertake the (highly rewarding!) task to make croissants, you might wonder what to do with all that delicious, buttery dough - if you have just two people to feed (like me). 

It's not worth the effort to make smaller amounts, but croissants are best enjoyed the same day, and laminated dough doesn't like long hibernation in the freezer.

Fortunately, Standard Baking Co. ("Pastries") has more suggestions for the use of laminated dough: morning buns (aka sticky buns): flaky cinnamon rolls with caramelized walnuts.

Sticky buns,  very popular in the US, are the great-grandchildren of the good old German Zimtschnecke (= "cinnamon snail"), brought by immigrants to Pennsylvania in the 18th century.

With or without nuts - true to their name, these sweet little rolls are finger-licking good! 

These buns are finger-licking good!

When I make croissants, I always separately freeze a third of the prepared laminated dough, either to fill it later with ham or cheese, or turn it into sticky buns.

STICKY BUNS  (adapted from Standard Baking Co.: "Pastries")

         12 buns                                              Ingredients                                           4 buns   

1 recipe croissant dough                 after resting period, chilled             1/3 croissant recipe (ca. 460 g)

295 g dark brown sugar                                                                           98 g dark brown sugar

2.9 g/1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon                                                               1 g ground cinnamon
                                                          chopped walnuts, to taste

Sprinkle muffin cups with cinnamon sugar and chopped walnuts

In small bowl, stir together brown sugar and cinnamon.

Butter muffin pan (cups and top surface). Place 1 teaspoon (firmly packed) cinnamon sugar into each muffin cup, then sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Roll out croissant dough into a square (here for 4 Sticky Buns)

On lightly floured surface, roll croissant dough into 9 by 22 inch (23 x 56 cm) rectangle (12 buns), or a 9 by 7.3 inch/23 x 18.5 cm rectangle (4 buns), about 1/4 inch/13 mm thick.

Spread dough rectangle evenly with remaining cinnamon sugar.

Roll dough into a tight log (here for 4 buns)

Starting with a long side (12 buns) or a short side (4 buns), roll dough into a tight log. Place log seam side down. (Remove any loose flour from surface with pastry brush). 

Using a sharp chef's knife, cut log into slices

Using sharp chef's knife, cut log into 1 3/4 inch/4 cm thick slices (add any runaway cinnamon sugar to muffin pan)). Place dough slices into muffin cups, with cut side down. 

Place slices into muffin cups

Let buns rise at moderately warm room temperature for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, or until they have doubled in size (finger poke test: a dimple should not fill up again).

20 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375ºF/190ºC, with rack in middle position.

The buns have doubled in size

Place muffin pan on rimmed baking sheet (to catch any sugary spills).

Bake buns for about 30 - 35 minutes, rotating pan 180 degrees after half the baking time). Buns should be golden brown, firm to the touch, and show no translucency if pulled apart.

Baked Sticky Buns

To turn buns out, line baking sheet with parchment paper and place in reach.

Remove muffin pan from oven, and immediately turn buns out (away from you) onto prepared baking sheet, before caramel hardens. Shake pan gently, if they don't release (if that doesn't help, loosen buns with a knife).

Turn buns out onto parchment lined baking sheet

Scrape out any caramel syrup sticking to pan, and drizzle over buns.

Serve warm. 

Sticky Buns taste best when fresh, but you can wrap them in plastic (when cooled), and keep for 1 day at room temperature. To serve, nuke a few seconds, or briefly warm them up in the oven at 400ºF/200ºC.

Sleepy Sunday for Ruffi

The scrumptuous rolls were my contribution to Zorra's BBD #81 (hosted by Sandra From Snuggs-Kitchen), with the motto: "Around the World"

American sticky buns for breakfast!

100% WHOLE WHEAT CINNAMON SWIRL BREAD

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Our ABC April project came just in time to alleviate a bout of winter blues. While my mother in Hamburg told me about blooming forsythias and crocuses, we hunkered down for yet another blizzard.

Usually not the greatest fan of sweet breads, I even might have skipped Hanaâ's pick, 100% Whole Wheat Cinnamon Swirl Bread, but there is something warm and soothing about cinnamon, and, looking at the snow outside, it was:

TIME FOR COMFORT FOOD!

Looking out into our snowy garden

King Arthur's original recipe uses a few tricks to temper the somewhat harsh taste of 100% whole wheat: a small preferment, and orange juice.

I know that whole wheat mellows considerably by long fermentation, but with only a quarter of the flour in the starter, most of the wheat didn't have time to undergo this softening.

And would half a cup of orange juice (though it would add a nice flavor,) really be able to fix the problem?

Using milder white whole wheat was an option, but I had plenty of regular whole wheat in my pantry, so that was my obvious choice.

I decided to give the whole procedure a makeover, working with my preferred stretch and fold (plus overnight rest in the fridge,) to allow for a longer fermentation and mellowing of the wheat.

With this method I could also safely reduce the amount of yeast. What I didn't cut down on was the sugar - 100% whole wheat needs the full dose.

One more finishing touch: I thought the sweet, cinnamon infused bread could benefit from having a little nutty bite, so I added some walnuts.

And the result? The bread was wonderful! Wheaten goodness without a hint of harsh or "too healthy" taste, pleasantly sweet and cinnamon-y. Just what the doctor prescribes for late winter blues.

  BreadStorm-Users (including the free version) can download the formula here.  

Wheaten goodness, mellow and cinnamon-y

100% WHOLE WHEAT CINNAMON SWIRL BREAD  (adapted from King Arthur Flour)

Dough
28 g/1 oz/1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
46 g/1 5/8 oz/1/4 cup potato flour (or 1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes)
425 g/15 oz/3 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
6 g/0.2 oz instant yeast
113 g/4 oz/1/2 cup lukewarm water
113 g/4 oz/1/2 cup lukewarm milk
113 g/4 oz/1/2 cup orange juice
71 g/2 1/2 oz/5 tbsp. melted butter
9 g/0.3 oz/1 1/2 tsp. salt
35 g/1 1/4 oz/3 tbsp. sugar
85 g/3 oz walnuts, coarsely chopped

Filling
1 egg, beaten (for brushing the filling and shaped loaf)
67 g/2.4 oz/1/3 cup sugar
7 g/0.2 oz/2 tsp. cinnamon
11 g/0.4 oz/1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
sugar in the raw (for sprinkling)

DAY 1

Stir all dough ingredients on low speed for 1 - 2 minutes (or with a wooden spoon) until all flour is hydrated and a shaggy mass forms. Dough will be sticky. Let it rest for 5 minutes.

Knead on medium-low speed for 6 minutes (or by hand). Dough should still be somewhat sticky.

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled work surface. With wet or oiled hands, stretch and fold (S&F) 4 times at 10 minute intervals (see here how this is done), stretching only as far as the dough allows, don't tear at it.

After the last fold, place dough in an oiled container with lid, and refrigerate overnight.

Dough waiting for the next S&F

DAY 2

Remove dough from refrigerator at least 2 hours before using. It should have grown about 1 1/2 times its original size.

Cinnamon filling

For the cinnamon filling: whisk together sugar, cinnamon and flour in a small bowl.

My dough was quite elastic and easy to roll out

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled work surface (or use a lightly floured silicone mat). Roll into a long, thin rectangle, about 16" x 9" (40 x 23 cm).

Brush dough with egg and sprinkle with cinnamon filling

Brush dough first with egg, then sprinkle evenly with filling.

Beginning with a short side, gently roll the dough into a log. Pinch seam and ends closed. Gently shape it into a smooth 9" (23 cm) cylinder, and place it in lightly greased 9" x 5"(23 x 13 cm) loaf pan.

Brush the loaf with some of the leftover egg and sprinkle with raw sugar

Brush loaf with leftover egg, and sprinkle with raw sugar. Cover, and let it rise until it has grown over the rim of pan by about 3/4"/2 cm, about 90 minutes, and stays dimpled when gently poked with a finger. (Don't forget to preheat your oven).

The loaf has grown about 1 1/2 times its original size

Preheat the oven to 350°F/175ºC.

Bake bread for 10 minutes. Lightly tent it with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 45 - 50 minutes (check the browning - I removed the foil during the last 10 minutes.) It should be dark golden brown and register 190°F/88ºC on a instant thermometer.

Turn loaf out onto a wire rack to cool.

Stored in a paper bag, the bread keeps 3 days fresh. It also freezes well.

Not a hint of spring  - even Ruffi the Ruffian feels the blues

If you would like to join the Avid Bakers and take part in the monthly challenge, check here. New members are always welcome!

Submitted to Yeast Spotting

and Panissimo:  Bread & Companatico                                       
                           Indovina chi viene a cena 

                                       
 






 

DARK CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

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When I saw the original name of these: "Emergency Blender Cupcakes", I almost decided to skip this month's ABC challenge. "Emergency" sounds like "fast food", using "just some stuff you might have at hand", like "throwing something haphazardly together". In other words - not very enticing for an avid baker!

But, trusting Hanaâ's judgement, and keeping in mind that the Cinnamon Rolls from "The Weekend Baker" had been fantastic (see my blog), I overcame my reservations, studied the recipe, and couldn't find anything in the list of ingredients to confirm my arrogant assumptions.

The cupcake batter is, indeed, mixed in a blender, but can be easily made in a regular mixer, too. And that's what I recommend, for I couldn't see any advantage in the "blending". The sides of the bowl had to be scraped down several times, it's more difficult to empty it out, and the mixing process is not any faster.

After 17 minutes baking time, the cupcakes domed nicely, showing moist, glistening cracks, as they should. And while they were still hot from the oven, the best of all husbands came into the kitchen and shamelessly grabbed one, under the pretext that he loved lava cake, and didn't care for frosting, anyway (wait and see...!)

Like the cake batter, the frosting was easy to prepare. As a Mainer, coffee addict, and proud owner of a pantry full of flavored liquors (don't get me wrong - as fancy ingredients, not for raw consumption!), I couldn't resist adding a tablespoon of Allen's Coffee Brandy to the mixture. (Two wouldn't have hurt, either.)

Abby Dodge, the author of "The Weekend Baker", admits to having a weakness for mountains of frosting. I saw that comment only after I was wondering how much was left in the bowl. But when I took my first bite, I realized her wisdom in piling the fudgy chocolate higher on the cakes. This frosting alone was worth the effort! (Half of the amount is plenty, though).

Chocolate on chocolate - a finishing touch was clearly needed. Though I always like something crunchy to bite on (Ben & Jerry's spoiled me for plain chip and chunk-less ice creams), sugary, colored sprinkles, as suggested in the recipe, don't do it for me. A nut topping was the obvious alternative. I used toasted walnuts, but hazelnuts would have been just as good.

In spite of their unassuming name, the cupcakes are delicious. Intensely chocolate-y and moist, not too sweet, and with the best chocolate fudge frosting I've ever tasted. The toasted walnut topping adds a satisfying crunch.

And the best of all husbands? Did he shun the frosted goodies? Guess, what .....


DARK CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES  (adapted from "The Weekend Baker")

Cakes:
43 g/1.5 oz        unsweetened natural cocoa (not Dutch processed)
175 ml/3/4 cup hot water
128 g/4.5 oz      all-purpose flour
227 g/8 oz         sugar
1/2 tsp              baking soda
1/4 tsp              sea salt
107 g/1/2 cup   canola or other vegetable oil
1                       large egg
1 1/2 tsp           vanilla extract

Frosting:
114 g/4 oz        bittersweet chocolate (60%), chopped
57 g/4 tbsp       unsalted butter
160 g/1/2 cup   sweetened condensed milk
40 g/1/8 cup    light corn syrup
1/2 tsp             vanilla extract
1 tbsp              coffee flavored liquor (optional)
1 pinch            salt
1/2 cup            walnuts, toasted and chopped, for topping


Preheat oven to 375ºF/190ºC. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

In a small bowl, whisk together hot water, oil, vanilla, and egg. In a medium bowl (with a spout), whisk together flours, cocoa, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk until blended, ca. 1 minute.

Divide batter evenly between cupcake liners. Bake until needle comes out clean, 17 - 19 minutes. (Don't over-bake, the cracks on the surface should still look moist). Cool pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove cupcakes from pan, and let cool completely before frosting.

Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler. Remove from heat and add condensed milk, corn syrup, vanilla, coffee liquor, and salt, whisking until well blended. Let cool to room temperature, whisking frequently.

With small spatula, spread frosting generously on top of cupcakes. Sprinkle with toasted walnuts.

Cupcakes can be stored, covered, up to 4 days at room temperature. Frosting can be stored for 3 weeks in refrigerator (leftovers can also be warmed and used as fudge sauce).

 
The original recipe you find in "The Weekend Baker", and in Abby Dodge's website (though here with a marshmallow frosting): 

And if you'd like to join the Avid Baker Challenge - there's definitely room for more!