Overnight Cinnamon Buns

These cinnamon buns are amazing. Letting the dough rest overnight produces the softest, fluffiest buns.

Adapted from Alton Brown, makes 12 large buns

Ingredients

4 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoon butter, softened
4 cups flour, plus additional for dusting
1 package yeast (2 1/4 teaspoon)
1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 8 ounce package cream cheese
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups icing sugar

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter and buttermilk.

Add approximately 2 cups of the flour, along with the yeast and salt. Stir until moistened and combined. Remove the paddle attachment and replace with a dough hook. Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes.

Check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary. The dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. Knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand for approximately 30 seconds.

Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, lightly oil the top of the dough. Cover and let rise until double in volume, approximately 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Once the dough has risen, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until well incorporated.

Butter a 9"x13" baking dish.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle. Roll into a roughly18"x12" rectangle. Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving 1/2" border along the top edge. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4" border along the top edge. Gently press into the dough.

Beginning with the long edge, roll the dough into a tight log. Using a serrated knife, slice the log into 1 1/2" rolls. Arrange the rolls cut side down in the prepared baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning...

Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in a cold oven. Fill a shallow pan with boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy, approximately 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. When the oven is heated, bake the rolls until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

In the meantime, make the icing by whisking the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Add the milk and whisk until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar and whisk until smooth.

Spread over the rolls and serve immediately. These rolls are best while still warm.

♥  Amy

Banana Bread

We have had a lot of company around for breakfast lately and these muffins have been a big hit. They are a little lighter than your average banana bread.

Adapted from Heart Smart by Bonnie Stern , makes one dozen muffins or one loaf

Ingredients

3 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg or 2 egg whites
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a loaf pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bananas, yogurt, baking soda, egg, sugar, oil and vanilla. Mix well. Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix just until combined.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 50 to 60 minutes for a loaf or 20 minutes for muffins, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

♥  Amy

Rosemary Garlic Focaccia

This recipe is for real restaurant quality focaccia. It is not difficult but it takes a long time. Several days long. Believe me, it is worth the patience.

From The Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhardt via Clockwork Lemon, makes one large loaf


Ingredients

5 cups bread flour, plus additional for dusting
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons yeast
6 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for brushing
2 cups water, room temperature

3/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon rosemary
3 cloves garlic, smashed

1 tablespoon rosemary
1 head garlic, roasted and chopped

Directions

Combine the 3/4 cup of olive oil, rosemary and garlic in a small sauce pan over low heat. Allow to warm for a couple minutes to infuse the rosemary and garlic into the oil. Set aside. (You could always infuse additional olive oil for dipping or for use in salad dressings. The oil can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.)

In the bowl of the stand mixer, combine the flour, salt and yeast. Stir to combine. Slowly add the water and oil while mixing on low speed with the paddle attachment. Once the mixture has combined into a wet sticky dough, switch to the bread hook and knead for 5 to 7 minutes. The dough should be smooth but still sticky. It should have cleared the sides of the bowl but still sticking to the bottom.

Generously sprinkle the work surface with flour. Scrape the dough on to the surface. Dust the dough with flour and then pat into a large rectangle. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Stretch the rectangle out lengthwise to twice the size. Fold over in thirds like a letter. Brush the top surface with olive oil and sprinkle with flour. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

Repeat the stretching, folding and resting process two more times. After the last fold, allow the dough to rest on the counter for an hour to rise.

Line a 11x17 baking pan with parchment paper. Drizzle 1/4 cup of the infused olive oil over the paper ensuring it spreads to cover the entire surface. Transfer the dough into the pan. Spoon an additional 1/4 cup of infused olive oil over the top of the dough. Use your fingers to dimple and spread the dough, making sure not to tear the dough. If the dough is too springy to dimple and stretch, allow it to rest for an additional 15 minutes and then resume dimpling. Ensure that the entire surface is coated with olive oil.

Cover the pan with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge to rise overnight.

The next day...

Remove the dough from the refrigerator three hours prior to baking. Drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup of infused olive oil over the bread and dimple the surface again. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for an additional three hours.

Preheat the oven to 500 F.  Sprinkle the rosemary and roasted garlic on top of the dough. Place the pan in the oven on the middle rack and lower the temperature to 450 F. Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes until the surface turns golden brown.

Remove the oven and immediately remove the bread from the pan. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before serving.

♥  Amy

Baked French Toast

This is a fantastic dish to serve at a brunch because it requires so little work! It can also be prepared the night before allowing the bread to soak up the egg mixture overnight.

Sorry for the lack of photos. I made this for the "crew" the morning we poured our new concrete steps and it disappeared before I could get a picture.


Serves four

1 large sour dough loaf
4 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup blueberries
3 tablespoons raw or brown sugar

Preheat over to 350 F. Grease a 9x12 casserole.

Cut the bread into one inch cubes and place into a large bowl. In a small bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Pour the mixture over top of the bread and stir to ensure all of the bread is well covered.

Transfer to the casserole and top with blueberries and sugar.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot with your favourite french toast toppings.


Amy

Zucchini Cake

I made six batches of this in one go in order to deal with the abundance of zucchini in our garden. I had attempted to make a paleo version but it was a failure so I resorted to the traditional recipe.

Adapted from Martha Stewart, makes one loaf or 12 muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup zucchini, grated and drained
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray the loaf pan with vegetable oil.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, salt and egg until combined. Add the vanilla, zucchini and sour cream. Incorporate the flour and cocoa powder. Stir in the walnuts and chocolate chips.

Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the loaf comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

Amy

No Knead Bread

This recipe originated from the Sullivan Street Bakery in New York and since I discovered it in the Calgary Herald this winter it has become the only bread recipe I use.

Makes one large loaf

3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups water

In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add the water and stir until blended - I use my hands! The dough should be sticky, otherwise add more water a tablespoon at a time.

Cover the bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap. Let dough rest at room temperature for minimum12 hours - longer is preferable - until the dough has doubled in size. The surface of the dough will dotted with bubbles.

Lightly flour a work surface and remove the dough from the bowl. Gently shape the dough into a ball, using just enough flour to prevent it from sticking to everything. Place the ball onto a sheet of parchment paper, cover with a tea towel and let rise for another 1 to 2 hours, again letting it double in size. 

Half an hour before dough is ready, pre-heat the oven to 450 F. Place a heavy covered pot in the oven to warm - I use cast iron.

Carefully remove the pot from the oven. Place the dough, complete with the parchment paper, into the warm pot. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes or until the loaf is golden brown.

Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned.

Remove the loaf from the pot and allow to cool - in our house it never survives that long!

Amy