Bread Rolls Buns & Dough
Almond Toffee Applesauce Bread
May 22, 2013 | 
Author One year ago today, I posted about meeting my nephew Luke for the first time and just yesterday I saw a video of him walking (more like running)! I wish I could witness it in person but unfortunately am not sure when I will be able to visit next, especially with all the weddings I am in this summer/fall, trying to graduate and then they are moving to southern California in August! Which means my job searches just got expanded to include the west coast as well, haha. In the meantime I thrive through Facebook and Dropbox photos and videos.
…and baked goods. When it comes to sweet breads, I love making mini loafs. They are cute, fun and you just want to eat them right up! Just like Luke but I digress. These mini applesauce loaves also have toffee bits and almond slices mixed in for a little bit of crunch and extra sweetness.
One year ago: Inedible Favorites – Luke
ALMOND TOFFEE APPLESAUCE BREAD
Makes 1 loaf or 3 mini loaves
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
5 oz toasted sliced almonds (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup toffee bits
1 egg, beaten
1 cup applesauce
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a standard sized loaf pan or three mini loaf pans.
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and cardamom in a large bowl. Add the sliced almonds and toffee bits to the dry ingredients, reserving about three tablespoons of the almonds.
- In another bowl, combine the melted butter, egg and applesauce. Add to dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms (do not overmix).
- Smooth batter into loaf pan and top with reserved sliced almonds. Bake for 1 hour (30 minutes for mini loaves) or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before slicing.
Source: Adapted slightly from Eat, Live Run.
Peanut Butter Banana Bagels
The idea for these bagels spawned from reading a post on A Beautiful Mess, where Emma mentioned that her favorite bagel was from Panera – a peanut butter and banana bagel in fact! I never had the chance to try this gem, as it has been discontinued, but decided to take on this challenge of recreating what I imagine they would have been like. The execution of making these bagels however, poses the problem of adding two wet ingredients to dough, which would just result is needing more flour. But I have made bagels using pumpkin puree in the past and therefore substituted with mashed banana and used PB2′s powdered peanut butter instead.
I had hoped for a very obvious flavor, but the result was more subtle and I may need to try folding in real peanut butter for a swirl or try peanut butter chips. Or maybe my desire for a super peanut buttery-banana-y bagel is unrealistic, and this is as close as it gets. Don’t get me wrong, these were wonderful bagels! I wouldn’t be sharing them on my blog if they were not, just not a “wow that’s an explosion of peanut butter-banana flavor”. That response might be reserved for moister items such as muffins and blondies. To compensate, these were particularly good with a smear of Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter. Peanut butter on top of peanut butter – that’s just how I roll!
Actually, I recently discovered that cake batter flavor exists, and upon searching their website while writing this post found both banana and peanut butter flavorings. I feel like it would be a cop out to use them instead of real banana and peanut butter, but maybe a couple drops would get this bagel flavor up to the next level. What are your thoughts?
Two years ago: Baked Blueberry Almond Pancakes
PEANUT BUTTER BANANA BAGELS
Makes 8 bagels
Ingredients:
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup PB2 powdered peanut butter
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup warm water
2-1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 Tbsp sugar, divided
1 large very ripe banana, mashed
Directions:
- In a small bowl, combine the two flours. In a large bowl, whisk together 2-1/2 cups of the flour, powdered peanut butter, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine water, yeast and 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of sugar. Whisk together slightly and allow to sit for 3-5 minutes or until slightly foamy.
- Add the mashed banana and mix using a dough hook, then begin to slowly add the flour mixture. Mix for 5 minutes or until smooth, alternating between slow and medium speeds as you add flour. You want to mix it until the dough is no longer sticky. After 5 minutes, if the dough is sticky, incorporate the remaining flour, a little at a time.
- Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased large bowl. Cover and allow the dough to double in size, around 1 hour.
- Remove the dough and punch it down. Divide into equal pieces. A digital scale is very helpful, but if you don’t have one just eye out 8 even pieces of dough. Press your finger through the middle of the ball, and form into a bagel shape. They will rise some more, so if you want a hole, make it bigger than the size of a quarter. Repeat with the the rest of the dough. Place on prepared baking sheet and let rest until risen but not doubled, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bring 12 cups of water to a boil with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of sugar.
- In batches, boil the bagels for around 20 to 30 seconds per side. Remove from water and place back on prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool before serving.
Source: Adapted from Pumpkin Bagels, inspired by A Beautiful Mess.
Posted in Bagels, Bread Rolls Buns & Dough, Breakfast | 
Tags: bananas, peanut butter, whole wheat, yeast | 
15 Comments »
Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns
It seems that with every season change, I find myself very disappointed in my wardrobe. This statement probably comes off as insanity to those of you who have seen the expanse of my closet, but despite all the options I find myself bored. A lot of it I have owned for many years and although I still like them, they don’t seem exciting anymore. Since my graduate student stipend cannot support a full wardrobe renewal, I end up buying a couple new items to spruce things up a bit. With the weather warming up, it is likely that I will be doing just that come the weekend.
Another side effect of the changing of the seasons is a desire to eat grilled foods. I don’t actually own an outdoor grill, but I pretend nonetheless and use the George Foreman or a grill pan. And what’s a burger without a bun? In fact, homemade burger buns have been on my list of things to make for a long time. I’ve made pretzel buns several times, but somehow skipped right over the basics (maybe that’s why my closet bores me, because it’s overflowing with basics). So when I decided to make burgers for dinner, I made sure to set aside some time to make traditional buns first!
These basic (but not boring) buns were absolutely perfect with their smooth tops and fluffy insides which are just begging to be toasted. I only needed 4 buns for the burgers so I froze the remaining 4 to be used later with another burger. Freezers are awesome.
One year ago: Pineapple Pancakes with Honey Greek Yogurt Topping
WHOLE WHEAT HAMBURGER BUNS
Makes 8 buns
Ingredients:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp dry active yeast
1 cup 2% milk
1 egg
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 egg + 1 Tbsp water, for egg wash
Sesame and poppy seeds (optional topping)
Directions:
- Set a side a large bowl that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer or a medium bowl, combine the sugar, salt and yeast.
- In a smaller bowl, microwave the milk for 15 second increments until it is about 100 degrees or feels like bath water.
- Slowly whisk in the milk to the sugar, salt and yeast and stir until the yeast and sugar are basically dissolved (a couple of seconds). Add the egg, butter and 1 cup of the flour and stir until there are no clumps.
- Slowly add in the remaining 2 1/2 cups of flour until the dough is covered enough to start kneading with the dough hook (or flour covered hands). Knead for about 3 minutes.
- Transfer the dough ball into the bowl that you set aside earlier. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours until it has doubled in size.
- Punch the dough down, reshape into a ball, recover, and let it rise again for another 1 hour, until it has doubled in size again
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Shape the dough into balls and let them rise while the oven is preheating.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg and tablespoon of water. Brush the egg wash on the tops of the buns. Sprinkle with the seeds, if using.
- Bake for about 10-12 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature or freeze them!
Source: Barely adapted from Chocolate & Carrots
Cake Batter Cinnamon Rolls
When my friend Stephanie asked me to make cinnamon rolls for her Easter brunch on Sunday, it came as no surprise that I wanted to make some sort of crazy flavored cinnamon rolls. Had she asked anyone else she would’ve gotten traditional cinnamon rolls, but it’s me and any excuse to make a fun new recipe is pounced upon!
I first was torn between making raspberry or cake batter rolls, so I tweeted my dilemma only to realize how dumb of a question it was when I immediately got two votes for cake batter. Sure raspberry rolls sound delicious, but who can pass up anything involving cake batter? These cinnamon rolls not only are stuffed with cake batter flavor, but the dry mix is also in the dough itself and in the frosting! It’s cake batter mayhem.
By the way NYC ladies (particularly Tara), does this plate look familiar?
One year ago: Dark Chocolate Nonpareil Peanut Butter Cookies
CAKE BATTER CINNAMON ROLLS
Makes 24 rolls
DOUGH
1 box Funfetti cake mix, dry
2 pkg (4-1/2 tsp) active dry yeast
2-1/2 cups warm water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups bread flour
FILLING
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white cake mix
Cinnamon
Sprinkles
FROSTING
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup white cake mix
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 Tbsp milk
Sprinkles
Directions:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, measure out 2 1/2 cups warm water. Pour in the 2 packets of active dry yeast and let it activate and foam up.
- Add rainbow chip cake mix, salt, vanilla and bread flour. Use dough hook attachment to knead dough together, just for a minute or two.
- Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place dough inside. Cover with saran wrap. Let sit for an hour until doubled in size. Punch dough down with fists and cover again and let rise for an additional hour until double in size.
- Once dough has gone through its second rise, remove and placed on a clean floured surface. Roll out into a large rectangle shape measuring about 24 X 12 inches.
- Smear softened butter over top. Next evenly sprinkle, distribute and rub brown sugar over top. Then sprinkle yellow cake mix evenly over top of that. Rub gently to evenly cover if needed. Next sprinkle with desired about of cinnamon and sprinkles.
- On one of the long sides, roll up to make a long and skinny log. Slice into 24 even 1-inch rolls.
- Place in a greased 9×13 baking pan, 12 rolls per pan. (You can place them in the fridge overnight at this point on continue on.)
- Cover with plastic wrap and let cinnamon rolls rise a final time in the pan, about 30 minutes, or until they have doubled in size.
- Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.
- While cinnamon rolls are baking, make the cake batter frosting. In a large bowl, beat butter, powdered sugar, cake mix, vanilla and milk. Add more powdered sugar/milk until desired consistency is reached. Add in as many sprinkles as desired.
- Spread frosting over warm rolls. Sprinkle with additional sprinkles if desired.
Source: Adapted slightly from Chef in Training.
Posted in Bread Rolls Buns & Dough, Breakfast, Pastries | Tags: Funfetti, sprinkles, yeast | 11 Comments »
Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls
At the gym, I always get momentarily excited when a group fitness instructor will remind us how long it is until spring break. That is until I realize I haven’t had a spring break in 5 years and probably won’t ever again. I think throughout highschool and undergrad they need to prepare you for the fact that you will no longer have those cushy months off every summer, or the weeks off at Christmas and spring time. Oh the days before responsibility.
Enough reminiscing though. It’s time to talk about bananas and how much I love baking with them. Although it’s rare that they survive long enough in my kitchen to turn brown. They are usually consumed well before that can happen, but every now and then I get smart enough to buy larger quantities in order to force the situation in which they need to be baked with. This most recent time, they were so brown that if I had waited another day they might have ended up in the trash. But instead they were transformed into these beautiful cinnamon rolls that taste just like banana bread.
Two years ago: Chicken Parmeatballs
BANANA BREAD CINNAMON ROLLS
Makes 8-12 rolls
Ingredients:
DOUGH
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, to be divided
1/4 cup whole milk, warmed (not over 116 degrees)
1-1/4 tsp active dry yeast (from 1 .25-ounce or 7 gram envelope yeast)
1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch ground cardamom (optional)
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1 medium overripe banana, mashed (no chunks)
1 egg
Oil for coating rising bowl
FILLING
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp sugar
Pinch salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
Half medium banana, thinly sliced
GLAZE
2 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp milk
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
Directions:
- Make your dough: Melt your butter in a little saucepan. Once the butter has melted, keep cooking it over medium heat for a few additional minutes. It will bubble a lot, then take on a nutty flavor as golden bits form at the bottom of the pot. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- Combine the warmed milk and yeast in a small bowl and set aside. After five to seven minutes, it should be a bit foamy.
- In the bottom of the bowl of an electric mixer combine flour, sugars, salt and spices. Add just 2 tablespoons of your melted/browned butter and stir to combine. Add yeast-milk mixture, banana and egg and mix combined. Switch mixer to a dough hook and run it for 5 minutes on low (or knead by hand). Add more flour if necessary.
- Scrape mixture into a large oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for 1 hour in a draft-free place; it should just about double.
- While it is rising, line the bottom of one 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and butter the sides of the pan and the paper.
- Assemble buns: Scoop dough onto a very well floured surface and flour the top of it well. With a rolling pin, roll the dough to an approximately 12×12-inch square. Brush reserved melted/browned butter over dough. Stir together remaining filling ingredients and sprinkle mixture evenly over dough and top with banana slices. Roll the dough into a tight spiral. (It’s going to make a mess because the dough is crazy soft and some stuff spills off the ends; don’t sweat it.)
- With a sharp serrated knife, using absolutely no pressure whatsoever (only the weight of the blade should land on the dough) gently saw your log with a back-forth motion into approximately 1-1/2 inch sections (for 8 rolls) or 1-inch sections (for 12 rolls).
- Place buns in prepared pan. Sprinkle any sugar that fell off onto the counter over them. Cover pan with plastic wrap and let rise for another 45 minutes.
- If you’re doing this ahead of time, you can now put them in the fridge overnight. In the morning, leave them out for an hour to warm up and finish rising.
- 15 minutes before you’re ready to bake them, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, you can make the glaze. Beat your cream cheese until it is light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Drizzle in milk until you get the consistency you’re looking for, either thick enough to ice or thin enough to drizzle.
- Finish your buns: Remove the plastic and bake buns for 25 minutes, until puffed and golden. Transfer pans to wire cooling racks and drizzle with cream cheese glaze, then top with walnuts.
Source: Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.
Posted in Bread Rolls Buns & Dough, Breakfast, Pastries | Tags: bananas, cinnamon, cream cheese, walnuts, yeast | 13 Comments »
Mini Meyer Lemon Sticky Rolls
The Meyer lemon craze continues!
After trying out mini rolls while reviewing the Petite Treats cookbook, I fell in love with the concept and decided to make these rolls mini too. They are incredibly adorable but also very easy to lose track of how many you’ve had. I’m pretty sure I ate 5 in one sitting but that’s the equivalent to a little over one big one, right? Work with me here people.
In other news, many of you have today off from work! Even though I technically do too according to the university calendar, there is always work to be done. Especially when I am desperately trying to get all my data finished up for good. A few hours of extra work means a few hours closer to being finished – assuming it works. Oh, research. Someone once told me that if it always worked the first time it would just be called “search”. Nerdage.
One year ago: Creamy Tomato Basil Bisque
MINI MEYER LEMON STICKY ROLLS
Makes 24 mini rolls
Ingredients:
DOUGH
1-1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp warm milk (about 100-110 F)
1/4 cup (1/3 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-3/4 to 2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 Meyer lemon, zested
1 egg, at room temperature
FILLING
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
zest of 1 Meyer lemon
1 Tbsp Meyer lemon juice
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
GLAZE
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
Juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 Meyer lemon, zested (optional, for garnish)
Directions:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, sprinkle the yeast over the warmed milk and let it sit for a few minutes. Add the butter, sugar, vanilla, salt, nutmeg, lemon zest, and 1/2 cup of the flour and mix briefly to combine. Add the egg and enough of the remaining flour to make a soft yet sticky dough. Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. (Alternatively, you could turn the soft dough out onto a floured work surface and knead by hand for 7-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.)
- Lightly grease a large bowl with cooking spray. Add the dough and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot. Let the dough rise until nearly doubled, about an hour.
- To make the filling, mix the sugar with the nutmeg, then work in the lemon zest with the tips of your fingers until the sugar resembles wet, soft sand. Stir in one tablespoons of lemon juice.
- Lightly grease a 9 inch round baking dish with cooking spray. On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a rectangle that is approximately 10×8 inches. Cut into two 5×8 inch rectangles. Spread the dough evenly over both with the softened butter, then spread the lemon-sugar filling mixture over top. Starting with a long end facing you, roll the dough up tightly. Pinch the dough at the end to seal the seam. Repeat with remaining rectangle. Cut each dough roll into 12 even rolls (24 total), and place them, cut side up, in the prepared baking dish.
- Cover the rolls with a towel and let them rise for an hour or until puffy and nearly doubled. (You can also refrigerate the rolls at this point. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When you are ready to bake the rolls, remove the pan from the fridge, and let them rise for an hour.)
- Heat the oven to 350. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the rolls are lightly browned and a thermometer inserted into the center of a roll reads 190 F.
- While the rolls are baking, prepare the glaze. Whip the cream cheese (using a mixer or even by hand with a whisk) until light and fluffy. Add the lemon juice and blend until well combined. Mix in the powdered sugar until the glaze is smooth and creamy.
- When the rolls finish baking, smear them with the cream cheese glaze, and, if desired, sprinkle the lemon zest over the top to garnish. Serve while warm.
Source: Halved from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures.
Posted in Bread Rolls Buns & Dough, Breakfast, Pastries | Tags: cream cheese, lemon, nutmeg, powdered sugar, yeast | 15 Comments »
Review: Wilton Non-Stick Mini Holiday Pan & Buttermilk Biscuits
Everyone loves shaped pans these days, especially around the holidays. But these pans tend to be used for a single purpose. Therefore I have taken it upon myself to discover new ways to use the various seemingly single-use pans I own. I’ve already used doughnut pans for pancakes, and a muffin top pan for cookies, now it’s time to show you that the Wilton Non-Stick Mini Holiday Cookie Pan can be used to make buttermilk biscuits – gasp!
Although I am sure this pan would’ve made beautiful cookies (or whoopie pies, anyone?), I thought outside the box and decided to make buttermilk biscuits for breakfast. Some of the shapes were more difficult to identify, but most of them came out great! The gingerbread pan, Christmas tree and star were my favorites and are pictured below. Festive treats are not only for dessert now!
Two years ago: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip
BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
Serves 8
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
5 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, thinly slice
2/3 cup lowfat buttermilk, plus additional for brushing
3 Tbsp nonfat plain Greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
Directions:
- Heat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease the cavities of a mini holiday pan with non-stick spray. (Alternatively, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.)
- In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Rub butter into flour with fingertips until butter pieces are coated and about the size of peas. Stir in buttermilk and yogurt until just combined.
- Gently divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and lightly press into the cavities of the pan. Brush tops with buttermilk. Bake for 15 minutes or until puffed and lightly golden. Flip out and serve.
- (If using a parchment paper lined baking sheet: Scrape dough onto a lightly floured surface; very gently shape it into an 8″x 6″ rectangle, being careful not to overwork dough. Cut into 12 square biscuits. Transfer biscuits to baking sheet; brush tops with buttermilk. Bake until puffed and lightly golden, 15 minutes.)
Source: Adapted slightly from SELF Magazine.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary Non-Stick Mini Holiday Pan from Wilton. I was not compensated for this post. Thoughts and opinions are my own.
Posted in Bread Rolls Buns & Dough, Breakfast, Christmas, Holidays, Pastries, Reviews, Sandwich | Tags: buttermilk, Greek yogurt | No Comments »
Streusel-Topped Milky Way Apple Butter Bread
I finally had to bring my basil plants indoors last night. Here we are, mid-November, and it is only now getting into the freezing range of temperatures at night. Being on the third floor of an apartment building, my heat has barely kicked on this fall. Yay heat rising (although not fun for the summer months ). It also means that I can bake like crazy and enjoy the extra heat coming from the oven. Why not just bake all day and then your heater will be rendered completely useless! Someone should look into the price differential between oven-heating and central heating. I bet central wins for least expensive, but I’m going to ignore that fact and continue staying warm in front of the oven. Let’s bake!
Chopped Caramel Apple Milky Way candy bars were actually used in this recipe and not the regular candy bars, as implied in the title. Yea, I kind of lied to you about what you’re reading about today. But since that flavor candy bar is seasonal I left the description out for those of you who did not get your hands on a bag post-Halloween sale. I suppose you could use regular Milky Way candy bars, but I just had the Caramel Apple ones to use up after making cinnamon roll cupcakes with them, so I did!
Now that I have fully disclosed my deceitful ways, prepare yourself, because this is one sweet bread. I substituted apple butter for the pumpkin originally called for, but didn’t think to reduce the sugar. Thankfully, I have no problem with the sweetness of this bread. Besides, I added some whole wheat flour, which totally makes up for the sugar content O:-).
STREUSEL-TOPPED CHOCOLATE CHIP APPLE BUTTER BREAD
Makes 3 small loaves or one regular loaf
Ingredients:
TOPPING
2-1/2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
BREAD
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup 100% whole wheat
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup apple butter
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 oz cream cheese, cut into 12 pieces
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 Tbsp buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped Caramel Apple Milky Way candy bar minis (or regular Milky Ways, or chocolate chips)
Directions:
- To make the topping: Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and mash together with a fork until the mixture resembles wet sand. Set aside while you make the bread batter.
- To make the bread: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3 small loaf pans (or one 8-1/2 x 4-1/2-inch loaf pan) with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and baking soda together. Add the apple butter, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves to a large saucepan. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring almost constantly, until the mixture has reduced to about 3/4 cup. Remove the pot from the heat and add both sugars, the canola oil and cream cheese. Stir until combined (but not completely incorporated, there will still be clumps of cream cheese). Let stand for 5 minutes, then whisk until the mixture is completely homogeneous.
- Combine the eggs and buttermilk in a large measuring cup and whisk to incorporate. Add to the pumpkin mixture, whisking until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the pan and fold them in with a rubber spatula. Fold in the chopped candy bars.
- Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans. Distribute the topping evenly over the loaves. Bake for 35-40 minutes (45-50 for one larger loaf), or until a thin knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pans to wire racks, and let the bread cool for 20 minutes before turning it out of the pans. Allow to cool for at least 1-1/2 hours before serving.
Source: Halved and adapted slightly from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures.
Posted in Bread Rolls Buns & Dough, Breakfast | Tags: apple butter, buttermilk, chocolate, cream cheese, whole wheat | 12 Comments »
Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes
Every holiday comes with it’s own blend of specialty candies. However, it always seems like fall has the best variations. Even though I don’t favor Milky Way candy bars normally, when I saw this season’s caramel apple version I had to pick them up. But it took until now to figure out what to make with these fun treats. Why not stuff them into cinnamon rolls?
I wasn’t fully convinced on the apple flavor of the candies when I tried one by itself, so I went ahead and added in some real apple into the rolls as well. And then topped them off with a caramel glaze. It may still be reaching into 80 degree weather here, but it certainly tastes like fall with these cinnamon roll cupcakes.
While making these, I was almost certain I had killed the yeast with milk that was too hot, because it didn’t look like it was rising much. In the end they came out just fine! I really enjoyed these as individually portioned cupcakes too, but you could easily throw them all into a pan together like traditional cinnamon rolls. Also, I halved these from the original recipe, so feel free to double it back for a larger crowd!
CARAMEL APPLE CINNAMON ROLL CUPCAKES
Serves 12
Ingredients:
ROLLS
1 cups 2% milk
1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 egg
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
FILLING
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup finely chopped tart apples
1 cup (about 16) chopped Milky Way caramel apple mini candy bars
TOPPING
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp milk
Directions:
- In a small saucepan or a microwave oven, warm milk to about 110 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in the milk. Add salt and one cup of flour and beat for two minutes. Beat in egg and butter. Stir in the remaining flour a half cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about five minutes).
- Place the dough in a large bowl and cover it with a towel. Set in a warm place and allow to rise for 40 minutes or until approximately doubled in volume.’
- While waiting for it to rise, make the filling. In a medium-sized bowl, mix sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, apples and chopped candy bars.
- Roll out dough into a long rectangle (about 22″x10″) about 1/4” thick. Brush with about half of the melted butter.
- Spread the apple/candy bar mixture evenly over the dough, leaving about an inch empty on all sides.
- Roll dough over itself from back to front along the long side of the rectangle to form a log. Slice the log into 12 even pieces.
- Line cupcake tins with cupcake liners and place each piece of the log in a cupcake liner. If they don’t fit, fold the ends together to make a “C” shape. The pieces should come to about the top of the liners.
- Cover the cupcake tins and set in a warm place to rise for another 40 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Evenly distribute the remaining 1/4 cup of melted butter over the tops of the cupcakes. Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack.
- While the rolls are cooling, make the topping. In a small saucepan, cook brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup over medium heat for about 4 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and milk. Allow to cool slightly before drizzling over rolls.
Source: Rolls adapted slightly from Pass the Sushi. Topping adapted from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen.
Buckeye Monkey Bread Muffins
Can we just talk about last weekend’s game for a minute? Even though I am sure many of you readers did not watch, I can NOT believe we won. Not in the “wow we played so awesome”, but the “wow we are not looking good yet somehow the other team is doing worse”. Which does not really bode well for today’s game against Nebraska. Even though they are (4-1) at #21 and we are (5-0) at #12, their wins look more significant than ours thus far. We have only scored over 35 points once in the first game again Miami of Ohio, and they have scored over 35 in all but one game (their win last week against Wisconsin). Today is a night game, but we get to play at home so hopefully the home field advantage will be a reality. But anyway, now to redirect to these monkey bread muffins.
Yes I made monkey bread into muffins. I thought they were much more friendly for a work atmosphere (I brought them for lab meeting yesterday) being baked into individual portions. No need to worry about other people’s fingers prodding into the next person’s section. As for their tastiness level, I am sure I don’t need to elaborate once I tell you that they are stuffed with a cream cheese-peanut butter filling and coated in cocoa-sugar. I was tempted to cover them with a chocolate sauce of sorts as well, but it was not necessary once they paid a visit to my taste buds.
One year ago: Oatmeal Meatballs with Spinach
BUCKEYE MONKEY BREAD MUFFINS
Makes 20 muffins
Ingredients:
2-12 oz. cans (10 in each) refrigerated biscuits, cut into fourths
1-3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease 20 muffin cups in two muffin pans, or use liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, cocoa powder and cinnamon. In a small bowl, place the melted butter. In another medium bowl, blend together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.
- To stuff the biscuits, flatten one of the quarters in the palm of your hand. Place about 1 teaspoon of the peanut butter mixture in the middle, fold the dough over and pinch the sides together. Try your best to roll into a ball and prevent the filling from oozing out, but don’t worry about it being perfect. Repeat with remaining quarters.
- Dip the dough into the melted butter, dredge in the sugar mixture, and then layer 4 in each muffin pan – 3 on the bottom, one on top. I tried to face any unsealed edges towards the middle of the muffin, so that if it oozed out at all while cooking it would stay inside. Press down slightly.
- Bakes for 10-12 minutes and then allow to cool in the pan for another 10 minutes (this helps them stick together). Serve warm.
Source: Adapted from Bake or Break.
Posted in Bread Rolls Buns & Dough, Breakfast, Muffins | Tags: buckeye, cocoa, cream cheese, peanut butter | 11 Comments »
