Cinnamon-Sugar Rip Apart Bread

You ever just have a day when you feel like you want to do things?

Today, I had this sudden urge to be good. Bake something, spend no money, clean a lot, cook a nice dinner for the kids and their parents, shower (don't judge), make a nice pot of coffee in the middle of the day.

So I did those things. Cleaned, cooked, coffeed, BAKED! Sometimes, when I don't have time to bake for awhile and then I do it without being rushed, I am shocked by how soothing it is. Heaven. More baking.

This bread was the answer to a sweet craving. I used a recipe that was originally from Joy The Baker and was then re-blogged by Brown Eyed Baker, two of my all time favorite food blogs. Consider it an homage to these two awesome ladies...they made me salivate to the point where I immediately had to make the recipe.

This bread is soft, moist, sugary, cinnamoney (good words!), and FUN! Yea, I said fun. Again, don't judge. It's food you pull apart with your hands and eat...covered in sugar. And brown butter. So there. It's fun.

Originally, the recipe is called Cinnamon-Sugar PULL APART Bread, but Willa didn't like that, so she changed it to RIP APART Bread. I like it. Feels more active. RIP IT!

With Finn (aka Chimichanga) as my sous chef (mainly eating cheerios and drooling...), we were off!

Eat warm. With coffee. Share with kids. They will rip it to pieces. Active eating.

FUN!

Cinnamon-Sugar Rip Apart Bread
Adapted from Joy The Baker & The Brown Eyed Baker


You'll Need...
For Dough
2 3/4 cups of flour, plus 2 tbsp on the side
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 tsp (1 packet) of active dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
2 ounces salted butter
1/3 cup of milk
1/4 cup of water
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

For Filling
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of light brown sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon
2 ounces browned butter

Make dough! Mix together 2 cups of your flour, sugar, salt and yeast. In a separate small bowl, whisk the eggs. In a saucepan, heat the butter and milk together until the butter melts. Add the water and vanilla then remove from heat and allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes.

Pour the milk mixture into the dry stuff, mix with a spatula. Add the eggs. The dough is kind of tricky, keep mixing until everything is combined, it will be pretty sticky and get stuck on the spatula. Keep going, it's all good.

Mix in the remaining 3/4 cup of flour (you should still have 2 tbsp for later!) Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel and let rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.

While you have rising happening, make filling!

Mix together the sugars and cinnamon. Melt your butter in a small saucepan until it browns. Remove from heat. Easy!

Also, grease a loaf pan.

Once dough has risen, knead in the remaining 2 tbsp of flour and let sit covered by the towel for another 5 minutes. Roll out onto a floured surface. Roll the dough until its about 12x20-inches. Brush on your browned butter, then sprinkle on the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Use the entire mixture. I was afraid it was too much, it wasn't!

Cut the dough vertically into 6 long strips. Stack them on top of one another. Cut them into 6 stacks, so you'll have 6 stacks of 6 layers. Place them in the loaf pan (Brown Eyed Baker described it as "Like a flip book" this is a very helpful visual.)

Place the towel over the loaf and allow to rise another half hour. Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Bake your loaf for 30-35 minutes, until it is a nice golden brown. Remove from the oven, let cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, run a knife around the edges and invert onto a serving plate.

That's a happy loaf!

French Bread

 There are certain things that I never even fathomed making. There's a way that buying a nice crisp load of French or Italian bread has become a part of my on the way home routine that is so innate to my schedule I can't imagine ever not doing it. I would never even stop to think how the amazing bread was made, even when I started making bread it never occurred to me that French bread was baked by someone, and not created magically by little French fairies in the sky with magic machines and wood burning ovens. This was what existed in my mind. Scary right?

But then... I BAKED IT MYSELF! Like a big girl, like a French fairy with a wood burning stove...but instead a Puerto Rican New Yorker with an tiny oven that only works at 250 or 450. A different version of the fantasy. You should try it, you won't believe how good you'll feel when it's done..and your apartment smells amazing...and it's super great.

Simple ingredients (no magic needed apparently)

Active yeast

Melt some butter, nice and slow.

Dry stuff.

Add some wet stuff.

Food processor! So easy!

Ball o' dough.

Make a roll. (Chako giggles...doof)

Put it to bed. 

A good nights sleep helps you grow.

Bake and release!

Yum. Serious yum.

An Honest Loaf of French Bread
Adapted from The Essential New York Times Cookbook, February 26, 1978: "French Bread Without Tears" by Craig Claiborne with Pierre Franey


You'll Need...
1 1/8 tsps active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 cup cold water
2 tbsps unsalted butter
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt

Blend the yeast with the lukewarm water in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve the yeast and let stand until foamy.

Slowly melt the butter in the cold water by heating slowly in a saucepan.

Add flour and salt to a food processor. Blend the flour and salt by pulsing three times. Add the yeast mixture and the dissolved butter mixture. Blend until the dough forms and becomes a ball and clears the sides of the processor, about 10-15 seconds.

Lightly flour a clear surface and turn the dough onto it. Knead the dough quickly and gently, try not to add to much extra flour. Shape into a ball.

Put the dough in a bowl that has been lightly buttered. Cover with a clean cloth and let stand for about 45 minutes until doubled in size. Turn out onto the floured surface and knead again, shape into a ball and return to the bowl for another hour until doubled in bulk again.

Turn the dough onto the floured surface seam side up and flatten with your fingers into a rough rectangular shape. Fold 1/3 of the dough towards the center of the rectangle and roll up like a jelly roll. Transfer the roll to a baking sheet with the seam on the bottom and the ends folded under. At this point, the roll should be about 13 1/2 inches long and 3 1/2 inches wide and 2 inches high. APPROXIMATELY! Don't go crazy. Cover with a clean cloth and return to a warm place. Let stand for 15-30 minutes until doubled in bulk.

As the dough rises, heat your oven to 450 degrees.

Using a super sharp knife (sharper then the one I used clearly...), make three parallel, diagonal gashes in the top of the dough. Immediately place the pain in the oven and add four ice cubes to the floor of the oven. Bake for five minutes then add four more ice cubes. Turn the pan so that the loaf bakes evenly. Bake for 10 minutes (now a total of 15!), then reduce the oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes longer. Transfer the bread to a rack and let stand until cooled.

ENJOOOOOOY

Cardamom-Lime Sweet Rolls

This has been an insanely long couple of weeks. I directed a major production, and we just struck this weekend. Today I woke up not really sure what to do with myself, but sure that I should find some way to be productive with all the parts of my life I have been ignoring for weeks. I did a few things, paid some bills, finally filled out a jury questionnaire that was going to have the government knocking on my door soon if I kept ignoring it...but I was still staring at the walls of my apartment feeling ever so slightly lost. Then I decided I was going to take one day for me, just me. Chako had to work today, reflooring and painting the building where he is the technical director. I was debating going to help him do some painting (I could use some money which I would've been paid for the physical labor), but I decided I deserved this one day. So I made buns. Or sweet rolls, as they are technically called, but I prefer to say BUNS. Warm, soft, round little buns!

I have been looking for the chance to make cinnamon buns, but then I was browsing the Cooking Light website and found this amazing idea, Cardamom-Lime Sweet Rolls! They are tangy and sweet and tart and sugary, little zesty buns perfect for an end of summer breakfast (or dessert...or lunch...).

Gather some ingredients...a flour party included...

Make dough!

 Signs...

Knead and round

Zest!

Shaved limes!

Filling

Roll it out..

 Slather is with melted butter! 

Spread

Roll

Roll

Let rise, little bun city! I played with sizes...

Bake those bitches!

 Dig in! Happy days!

I'm eating another one (or several) now. A special gift to myself. You probably deserve one, do it!!

Cardamom-Lime Sweet Rolls

Adapted from Cooking Lighting (website), Jackie Mills, January 2008

You'll Need...

Dough

1 package dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tsps)

1/4 cup warm water

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 tsp salt

1 large egg or egg white, beaten

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 

Cooking spray

Filling

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tbsp grated lime rind

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1/8 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp butter, melted

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

3 tbsp fresh lime juice

Make some dough! First dissolve your yeast in the warm water, let sit for about 5 minutes, or until you are ready to use it. 

In a large bowl, combine sour cream, granulated sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, salt and egg until well blended. Gradually stir in yeast mixture. Add 2 1/3 cups of flour into the mixture, forming a soft dough. 

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, knead, using remaining flour to keep the dough from sticking, add about 1 tbsp at a time as you go. Knead about 8 minutes, until elastic and smooth. Place the dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray (flip your dough around to get it coated in the spray), cover and let rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size, about an hour.

Make filling!! Combine brown sugar, rind, cardamom and cinnamon (add more cinnamon if you want...). Divide into two equal portions.

When the dough is ready, divide it in two parts. Roll out the first half into a 12x10 inch rectangle. Brush with 1 tbsp of the melted butter, and sprinkle with half of your filling. Starting with the long side, roll it up, pinching the seam but not the ends. Cut the roll into 1 inch slices. Place slices, cut sides up, in a baking pan coating with cooking spray. Repeat with the other half of dough and filling. Cover and let rise for about a half hour, or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Uncover and bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes in tray.

Make glaze! Combine the powdered sugar and lime juice until smooth and, well, glaze like. Drizzle the glaze over warm rolls. Enjoy with ice cold milk!

Side note! Post script! Special treat! Our kitten Bean got spayed last week while we were in our run. Poor Beaner! She has a cone! She is a cone cat! She has to wear it for two weeks and get meds and stuff and she's kind of pathetic. She keeps walking into things and getting stuck. She's very happy I am home today to fawn over her. So for you, a CONE CAT PICTURE!!

Olive Bread

I did it!! I made bread! From top to bottom I made it! I've never made bread before, so this was a huge accomplishment. I was dancing around my kitchen, called Chako at work, sent phone pictures to everyone. It's so yummy! I researched all last night, like a tool. Read about how to make yeast rise best, different types of bread I could make. I decided on an olive bread. I found several recipes, committed them all to memory, and set out on my own...stupid, you ask?? Maybe. I like to think AMBITIOUS!!!

I used yummy, delicious black olives, but you could probably use whatever you'd like!

I KNEADED DOUGH!

Kneaded like four times, let rise and knead again...then spread out on a corn starch dusted baking sheet...

And got this!! 

So delicious! Crunchy on the outside, chewy and soft on the inside. Next time I want to work on shaping the bread to my taller and more loaf like and for the olive variety I think I'd like to add rosemary. I MADE BREAD!!!!!

Olive Bread


You'll need...
3 cups of bread flour
3/4 cups of chopped black olives
2 tsp of active dry yeast
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tsp salt
3 tbsp GOOD virgin olive oil
1 1/4 cups of warm water
corn starch

Mix together olives, flour, yeast, sugar, salt, oil and water. Turn your dough onto a floured surface, knead for about 10 minutes, then leave to rise for about 45 minutes. Knead again for 5-10 minutes, then let rise for about 30 minutes (or until double in size). Transfer your dough to a bowl lined with a towel that is very well floured. Allow to rise once more, till it doubles in size. Meanwhile, put a pan of water in an oven preheated to 500 degrees. Turn your dough onto a well oiled baking sheet, dusted with corn starch. Bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees, then lower heat to 350 and bake for another half hour or until  your bread is fully cooked through! EAT WARM WITH BUTTER AND BE SO HAPPY YOU DID IT!!!!