Molly Wizenberg's Cinnamon Rolls

The month of March really snuck up on me.  February certainly didn't feel short with its chilly, dark days and falling snow, but somehow the month flew by.   We took a much-needed trip to warmer weather for a wedding in Miami and spent a weekend with friends at a remote ski area in southwest Colorado called Wolf Creek.  We cozied up in a rustic cabin called the Lonesome Dove, wore ourselves out on the slopes during the day, and curled up with tea and a movie at night.

One of my favorite things about getting away for the weekend is that the time is spent together - there are no chores to get in the way or other social engagements to keep.  You can really focus on whatever you are doing, whoever you are seeing, or wherever you are that weekend.  

On the flip side, we've been away three weekends in a row and the laundry and mail are piled high and I haven't cooked in weeks.  I am looking forward to just being home this weekend. 

You know what would be perfect for our first weekend morning home in weeks?  Molly Wizenberg's Cinnamon Rolls.  You can't go wrong with cinnamon rolls and these are soft and sticky and the frosting is the perfect complement to the sweet dough and cinnamon sugar filling.  I've been meaning to make these since Molly's recipe appeared in Bon Appétit and now that I know they are easy to make and SO good, I'm kicking myself for having waited so long.  

Molly Wizenberg's Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

Bon Appétit March 2008

Notes:  Read this recipe through before beginning to allow yourself enough time to make the rolls.  The dough must rise twice so you have to allow appropriate time for that to occur.  I actually made the dough the night before (through step #2 below), let the dough rise in the fridge overnight, and then continued with the recipe in the morning.  Ali also blogged about this recipe and she made the rolls through step #5, refrigerated them overnight, and baked them in the morning.  Either way, just don't plan on starting these at 8 AM and having cinnamon rolls one hour later.

Ingredients

Dough:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 1/2 cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast (from 2 envelopes yeast)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Non-stick vegetable oil spray

Filling:

• 3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

Glaze:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

For dough:
1.  Combine milk and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed to 120°F to 130°F, 30 to 45 seconds. Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1 cup flour, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add 2 1/2 cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. Form into ball.

2.  Lightly oil large bowl with non-stick spray. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

For filling:
3.  Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl.

4.  Punch down dough. Transfer to floured work surface. Roll out to 15x11-inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over butter. Starting at 1 long side, roll dough into log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up. With seam side down, cut dough crosswise with thin sharp knife into 18 equal slices (each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide).

5.  Spray two 9-inch square glass baking dishes with non-stick spray. Divide rolls between baking dishes, arranging cut side up (there will be almost no space between rolls). Cover baking dishes with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 40 to 45 minutes.

6.  Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake rolls until tops are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto rack. Cool 10 minutes. Turn rolls right side up.

For glaze:
7.  Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Spread glaze on rolls. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cinnamon Raisin Pull-Apart Bread

The second half of January seemed to pass in a flurry of home organization projects, unseasonably warm weather, a really busy month of work, and an unfortunate bout of the flu.  An unexpected consequence of the flu was a complete and utter disinterest in cooking of any kind.  The only upside was that I had a few days at home during which I watched my first episodes of Downton Abbey.  How have I not been watching this show all along?  I'm hooked.

I'm finally back in the kitchen and comfort food seems to be the name of the game.  Last week it was Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon and this Cinnamon Raisin Pull-Apart Bread.  I love cinnamon raisin bread of any kind, but there is something about how this is baked in layers that makes it even better.  I think it is that the bread is essentially pre-sliced for you, making it easier to sneak a piece of bread each time you pass through the kitchen.  Trust me, you won't be able to resist.

Cinnamon Raisin Pull-Apart Bread
Makes: One 9x5x3-inch loaf
Recipe adapted from Joy the Baker

For the Dough:
3  cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 ounces unsalted butter
1/3 cup whole milk
1/8 cup water
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Filling:
1 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted until browned

Preparation

1.  Active your yeast by whisking the yeast into 3 tablespoons of warm water (between 105 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit).  Add a pinch of granulated sugar and allow the mixture to sit for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is foamy and frothy.  If the mixture does not foam and froth, toss the yeast and try again with another package of yeast.  Add the activated yeast when you combine the wet and dry ingredients.

2.  In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together 2 cups flour, sugar, and salt.  Set aside.

3.  Whisk together eggs and set aside.

4.  In a small saucepan, melt together the milk and butter until butter has just melted.  Remove from the heat and add water and vanilla extract.  Let mixture stand for a minute or two, or until the mixture registers 115 to 125 degrees Fahrenheit.

5.  Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients.  Add the activated yeast and mix with a spatula.  Add the eggs and stir the mixture until the eggs are incorporated into the batter (I did these mixing steps using my stand mixer).  The eggs will feel soupy and it’ll seem like the dough and the eggs are never going to come together.  Keep stirring (or mixing).  Add the remaining 3/4 cup of flour and stir with the spatula for about 2 minutes (or mix until combined with stand mixer).  The mixture will be sticky, which is how it should be.

6.  Place the dough is a large,  greased bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel.  Place in a warm space and allow to rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour.  If you are making your dough the night before but plan to make the rolls the next morning, let the dough rise until doubled in size, then refrigerate overnight for use in the morning.  In the morning, let the dough rest on the counter for 30 minutes before following the roll-out directions below.

7.  While the dough rises, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg for the filling.  Set aside.  Melt 2 ounces of butter until browned.  Set aside.  Grease and flour a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.  

8.  Deflate the risen dough and knead about 2 tablespoons of flour into the dough.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes.  On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out.  The dough should be 12-inches tall and about 20-inches long.  If you can’t get the dough to 20-inches long, just roll the dough as large as you are able to (I had to work really hard to get mine to be close to 12x20, but you can see from the photos above that it certainly wasn't rectangular).  Use a pastry brush to spread melted butter across all of the dough.  Sprinkle with all of the sugar and cinnamon mixture - it will seem like a lot, but you won't regret it.  Finally, sprinkle the dough with the raisins, redistribute them as necessary, and push them down slightly into the dough.

9.  Slice the dough vertically, into six equal-sized strips.  Stack the strips on top of one another and slice the stack into six equal slices once again (if the raisins fall off, just stick them back on top of the strips before you stack them).  You’ll have six stacks of six squares.  Layer the dough squares in the loaf pan like a flip-book.  Place a kitchen towel over the loaf pan and allow in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes or until almost doubled in size.  Some of my pieces rose more than others (see the crazy large pieces on either end).  I'm not sure whether it was our chilly house or something else, but I had trouble getting the loaf to rise at this stage.  To solve this problem, I set the oven to preheat to 350 degrees, turned it off once it had preheated, and put the loaf in the oven to rise with the door slightly ajar.  This did the trick!

10.  Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place loaf in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is very golden brown.  The top may be lightly browned, but the center may still be raw.  A nice, dark, golden brown will ensure that the center is cooked as well.  If the top starts to get TOO brown, cover it with tinfoil while the center continues cooking.

11.  Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 20 to 30 minutes (if you can - I couldn't wait that long).  The bread is most delicious still warm from the oven and the same day it was made, but I enjoyed pieces for the next 2-3 days, particularly if when toasted or warmed.

Pumpkin Bread

I have an amazing group friends and family.  I recognize this year-round, but every year on my birthday the cards, telephone calls, and celebrations serve as a special reminder of just how lucky I am.  This year, I had not one but three friends sing happy birthday to me in voicemails, which absolutely made my day -- I listened to the messages while waiting for the bus and had a HUGE grin on my face.  The day before my birthday, I got to celebrate my Mom's birthday with a fall run through the canyon behind my parent's house with my parents, followed by a surprise party for my Mom that my Dad planned (yes, my Mom and I almost share a birthday)!  Rob treated me to a new craft beer to try.  A special friend even brought me the best black licorice in the world from Berlin.  My birthday extended from a day into a week as we finally hosted a housewarming party a few days later.  If I ever feel lonely, I need only remember how awesome it was to have fifty friends drop by our house on a gorgeous fall day.  There were kids playing and running through the house, Forest the cat basked in the attention of our guests, and new friendships were forged.  Instead of snow, we had sunshine.  Life is great. 

It also reminded me of how we thought we'd have a housewarming barbecue in July, shortly after we moved in.  Ha!  Only now do I feel like the house is ready to have guests... our new closets are finished, our bookshelves are done as of yesterday, and the basement is a work in progress, but thankfully not one I have to look at every day.  It definitely feels like home.

In one of my birthday phone calls, I was discussing with B how disappointed I had been with the pumpkin-inspired recipes I've made recently.  These Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts, for example, were fine, but not great.  On my birthday, I made a special dinner for Rob (Pumpkin Shepherd's Pie) and while I love all of the ingredients, the end result was underwhelming.  I've heard B rave before about her pumpkin bread, and she passed along the recipe in the hopes that it would lift me out of my pumpkin funk.

It absolutely worked!  This bread could not be easier to make.  It is flavorful without being too sweet.  It makes both an excellent breakfast or dessert.  Plus, it makes two loaves, so you have one to keep for yourself and another to share (or to freeze... but why not make someone's day and give them a surprise loaf of delicious bread?).  As I write this, I am enjoying a piece at my desk... 

Pumpkin Bread
Recipe shared from friend to friend and given to me by Betsy Strenio

Note - I reduced the sugar by 1/2 cup.  If you prefer your bread super sweet, I'd add that 1/2 cup of sugar back in.  I used olive oil and loved the end result.  The original recipe, however, calls for vegetable oil.  And if you want to make the bread healthier, you could try substituting apple sauce for half of the oil.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 16-ounce can solid pack pumpkin (I use both store-bought pumpkin and homemade puree in my pumpkin goodies.  If you want an easy and instructive post on homemade puree, use this link.)
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preparation

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F.  Butter and flour two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans.  Beat sugar and oil in large bowl to blend.  Mix in eggs and pumpkin.  

2.  In a separate large bowl, sift flour, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.  Stir dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture in 2 additions.

3.  Divide batter equally between prepared pans.  Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes.  Transfer to racks and cool 10 minutes.  Using sharp knife, cut around edge of loaves. Turn loaves out onto racks and cool completely.  You can freeze a loaf for future eating or give one to a friend!

Birthday beer from Crooked Stave in awesome mugs courtesy of Danielle & Kate

Pumpkin Pecan Granola

We spent last weekend near Aspen with my parents and a group of family friends celebrating a 60th birthday.  The leaves were glowing yellow and the Saturday market in Aspen was full of gourds and pumpkins.  There was an early morning chill to the air.  We went on a mountain bike ride on Sunday and as we rode through the trees there were leaves flying around as if we were in a rainstorm.  It was magical.  On Saturday, we all ran the Golden Leaf Half Marathon, which lived up to its name.  The race is run on trails from Snowmass to Aspen.  The route weaves in and out of aspen stands - the forest almost seems like it is on fire when the sun shines through the leaves.  For a tiny mountain race, it drew some serious star power - Lance Armstrong and Scott Jurek both ran! 

The weekend reminded me that even though summer is winding down, good things await.  I have felt a bit sad about the days getting shorter, saying farewell to stone fruit, and the impending cold weather.  The weekend reminded me that I should instead be looking forward to apples, squash, and pumpkins... to cooler temperatures and our first dusting of snow... and to carving pumpkins and watching football... 

Ali recently inspired me to pick up The Sprouted Kitchen cookbook, which compliments the arrival of fall.  Life has been a bit hectic lately, and without any weekends at home my kitchen adventures have been limited to week nights.  I'm dreaming of a weekend where I can try the Grilled Eggplant and Herbed Quinoa, or morning at home with Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts.  For now, this Pumpkin Pecan Granola is a satisfying replacement.

When it comes to granola, I am all about improvising.  I'll read recipes and occasionally toss in new ingredients, but I tend to stick to what I have in the cupboard.  It always involves sliced almonds, honey, almond extract, and unsweetened shredded coconut and I improvise with regard to quantities.  For this Pumpkin Pecan Granola, I not only followed a recipe, but mixed things up with the addition of puréed pumpkin.  The huge upside to using pumpkin (aside from the flavor, which I love) is that it helps keep the granola healthy.  Typical granola recipes are full up added fat, usually in the form of butter or oil.  While it helps make the granola crunchy and forms clumps, it also makes it extremely unhealthy.   

Like all granola, this comes together in a matter of minutes with delicious results.  Your home will smell like spices and pumpkin and the sesame seeds and pecans add a nice flavor and crunch to the end result.  I've been enjoying this with Greek yogurt and I'll also eat it with milk and a drizzle of honey.  I bet it would be great for dessert served over a cinnamon ice cream.  

Pumpkin Pecan Granola
Adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen
Yield = 3 cups

Note - If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, just blend together freshly-grated cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.  

Ingredients
2.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup grade B maple syrup
1/3 cup pumpkin purée
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup raw pecan pieces
3 tablespoons sesame seeds

Preparation
1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, pumpkin pie spice, maple syrup, and pumpkin purée.  Whisk until smooth.  Add in the oats, pecans, and sesame seeds and stir until well-coated.

3.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Spread the mixture evenly across the baking sheet keeping as many clumps of granola together as possible.  Bake until dry and golden in color, approximately 35 minutes.  Be sure to star the granola every 10 minutes, paying particular attention to not let the granola in the corners burn.  Let the granola cool completely before storing it in an airtight container.

Peach Dutch Baby Pancake

We aren't big brunch people.  Since moving to Colorado, weekend mornings are for tee times, trail runs, bike rides, or hitting the slopes and rarely for a leisurely meal with each other or friends.  However, there are times when taking the time to enjoy the morning is just what you need - coffee, reading materials, and something delicious to eat.

Pancakes and waffles are delicious, but I've never liked that one person slaves away over the griddle while others eat - and if you stick the pancakes or waffles in the oven so you can all eat at the same time, they just aren't quite as good as they are fresh off the griddle.  Enter the Dutch Baby Pancake, which is a giant pancake that you bake - no cooking one or two pancakes at a time, no dripping batter on your stove, no waiting to cook all of the batter before you can eat.  The consistency and pancake itself is also different - it is more soufflé-like and almost has the texture of a bread pudding or a popover.  This can definitely double as a dessert as well as breakfast.

I made the pancake below with whole milk and used a non-stick pan (I don't own a cast-iron skillet).  I think you'd get similarly good results with skim or 2% milk if you want to make this a bit healthier, but I haven't tested it that way.  I suspect any fruit would be delicious.

Peach Dutch Baby Pancake
Serves 4-6 (depending on how hungry everyone is)
Adapted from Bon Appétit*

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 peaches, halved, pitted, cut into 1/4"-thick wedges

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan; scrape into a blender. Add eggs, flour, milk, 1 Tbsp. sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Blend batter until smooth; set aside in blender.
2. Heat a 12" cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add remaining 2 Tbsp. butter and remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until sugar starts to caramelize, about 2 minutes. Add peaches to skillet; increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 minutes. Briefly re-blend reserved pancake batter. Pour evenly over peaches and transfer to oven.
3. Bake pancake until puffed and golden brown all over, 17–20 minutes (it will deflate as soon as it's removed from the oven).  If you’d like, dust the pancake with powdered sugar and serve immediately.  I found the pancake to be plenty sweet without powdered sugar.

* Note - The original recipe called for making a cherry compote to serve along with the pancake.  I found that by adding more peaches, the pancake had enough flavor and sweetness without a compote; in fact, we didn't put anything on top of our pancakes.  I am sure these would be nice dusted with powdered sugar, with maple syrup or butter, or with a fruit compote.  I feel like peaches are easily overwhelmed by other fruit, and I loved that this actually tasted of peaches.