Ultimate Cinnamon Buns

Ingredients

Dough

3/4 cup warm whole milk (110 degrees)
2 1/4 teaspoons instant/rapid-rise yeast (one packet)
3 large eggs, room temperature
4 1/4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into 12 pieces and softened

Filling

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (1/2 stick)

Glaze

1 1/2 cups confectioners' (icing) sugar
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon whole milk or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method
1. For the Dough

Make foil sling for 13x9 inch baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil; first sheet should be 13 inches wide and second sheet should be 9 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan.

Grease foil.

Whisk milk and yeast together in liquid measuring cup until yeast dissolves, then whisk in eggs.

2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and place loaf or cake pan on bottom of oven. Using stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix 4 1/4 cups flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt on low speed until combined. Add warm milk mixture in steady stream and mix until dough comes together, about 1 minute.

Add butter, 1 piece at a time, until incorporated. Continue to mix until dough is smooth and comes away from sides of bowl, about 10 minutes (if dough is still wet and stick, add up to 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it releases from bowl). Turn out dough onto counter and knead to form smooth, round ball.

Transfer dough to medium greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and transfer to middle oven rack. Pour 3 cups boiling water into loaf pan into oven, close oven door, and let dough rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

3. For the Filling: 

Combine sugar, cinnamon, and salt in small bowl. Remove dough from oven and turn out onto lightly floured counter.

Roll dough into 18-inch square and, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges, spread with butter, then sprinkle evenly with sugar mixture and lightly press sugar mixture into dough.

Starting with short edge, roll dough into tight cylinder, pinch lightly to seal seam, and cut into 8 pieces.

Transfer pieces, cut side up, to prepared pan.

Cover with plastic and let rise in oven until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

The sliced buns, ready for their second rise.

4. For the Glaze:

Remove buns and water pan from oven and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk all ingredients together in medium bowl until smooth. Remove plastic and bake buns until deep golden brown and filling is melted, 35-40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.

Transfer to wire rack, top buns with 1/2 cup glaze, and let cool for 30 minutes. Using foil overhang, lift buns from pan and top with remaining glaze.

Serve. And try and stop with just one.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Hold on to your butts, we're gonna make a Cook's Illustrated recipe. So, I'm gonna need you to block off, oh, the next 6-7 hours for this.

Seriously.

Don't get me wrong, it's delicious. But you're going to have to accept that you won't be able to go 20 feet from your kitchen for approximately 4 hours. There are steps, then half steps, then little quarter steps. This is the definition of a long-term recipe.

But, it's Cook's Illustrated, which means every part of this 180-step recipe has been tested and re-tested, so in a way, it's more or less fool proof. Or as fool proof as a yeast-based bread recipe is ever going to get.

Ingredients

Dough
8 tbsp unsalted butter
3 3/4 cups bread flour, plus extra for work surface
3/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (or 1 packet) instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (approx. 110 degrees F)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten (but keep separate)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups golden raisins

Filling
 1 cup confectioner's sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

Method

1. For the dough
Cut butter into 32 pieces and toss with 1 tbsp floor. Set aside to soften while mixing dough.

Whisk remaining flour, milk powder, sugar, and yeast together in bowl of stand mixer. Using stand mixer fitted with dough hook, add water and 1 beaten egg and mix on medium-low speed until cohesive mass forms, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl if necessary.

Cover mixing bowl and plastic wrap and let stand for 20 minutes.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and place a large dish, loaf or cake pan on bottom of oven. Remove plastic wrap from mixer bowl add salt, and mix on medium-low speed until dough is smooth and elastic and clears sides of bowl, 7 to 15 minutes.

With mixer running, add butter, a few pieces at a time, and continue to knead until butter is fully incorporated and dough is smooth and elastic and clears sides of bowl, 3-5 minutes longer.

Add raising and mix until incorporated, 30-60 seconds.

Transfer dough to large greased bowl and, using bowl scraper or rubber spatula, fold dough over itself by gently lifting and folding edge of dough toward middle. Turn bowl 90 degrees; fold again. Turn bowl and fold dough 6 more times (total of 8 folds).

Cover tightly with plastic and transfer to middle rack of oven. Pour 3 cups of boiling water into loaf pan in oven, close oven door, and allow dough to rise for 45 minutes.

Remove bowl from oven and gently press down on center of dough to deflate. Repeat folding process (total of 8 folds), re-cover, and return to oven until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.

2. For the Filling 

Whisk filling ingredients together until well combined; set aside.

3. Shaping and Putting the Filling in the Dough

Grease two 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pans. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and divide into 2 pieces.

Working with 1 piece of dough, pat into rought 6 x 11 inch rectangle. With short side facing you, fold long sides in like a business letter to form 3 x 11 inch rectangle.

Roll dough away from you into a ball. Dust ball with flour and flatten with rolling pin into 7 x 18 inch rectangle with even 1/4 inch thickness. Using spray bottle (or flicking water with your hands), spray dough lightly with water.

Sprinkle half of filling mixture evenly over dough, leaving 1/4 inch border on sides and 3/4 inch border on top and bottom. Spray filling lightly with water (filling should be speckled with water over entire surface).

With short side facing you, roll dough away form you into firm cylinder. Turn loaf seam side up and pinch closed; pinch all ends closed. Dust loaf lightly on all sides with flour and let rest for 10 minutes.

Repeat with second ball of dough and remaining filling.

Slicing the loaf lengthwise

4. The Russian Braid

Working with 1 loaf at a time, use bench scraper or sharp chef's knife to cut loaf in half lengthwise; turn halves so cut sides are facing up.

Gently stretch each half into 14 inch length.

Line up pieces of dough and pinch 2 end strips together. Take piece on left and lay over piece on right. Repeat, keeping cut side up, until pieces of dough are tightly twisted (this is known as the Russian Braid technique, keeping the dough together while providing escape routes for excess air). Pinch ends together. See photos below for how to braid:

Making the Russian Braid

The completed Braid

Transfer loaf, cut side up, to prepared loaf pan; push any exposed raisins into seams of braid.

Repeat with second loaf.

Cover loaves loosely with plastic, return to over, and allow to rise for 45 minutes.

Remove loaves and water pan from oven; heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Allow loaves to rise at room temperature until almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes (top of loaves should rise about 1 inch above lip of pan.

5. Baking (finally)

Brush loaves with a mixture of 1 egg lightly beaten with pinch of salt. Bake until crust is well browned, about 25 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to about 325 degrees, tent loaves with aluminum foil, and continue to bake until internal temperature registers 200 degrees (I have no intention of ever checking the internal temperature of bread), which should take between 15-25 minutes longer.

Transfer pans to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove loaves from pans, return to rack, and cool to room temperatures before slicing, about 2 hours.

Pear-Hazelnut Quick Bread

 

Who doesn't love quick bread? It's bread. More quickly. My mother has been lusting after this flavor combination for some time (don't ask me about a certain pear-hazelnut cake that I have promised to make her), but this quick bread was able to mollify her for the time being.

It's ridiculously simple and open to plenty of variation. Being the lazy cook I am, I refused to peel the hazelnuts, even after I toasted them. I don't think it took a thing away from the overall bread. If anything, I think it made it nice and "earthy".

The hazelnuts on top are also a good touch, both for eating and viewing purposes.

Makes either one large loaf or 12 muffins

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour (or whole-wheat flour)
1 cup all purpose (plain) flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground allspice
2 large eggs
1 cup nonfat/lowfat buttermilk
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups diced peeled pears (about 2)
1/2 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts, plus more for topping

Method

Preheat oven to 400 F for muffins and 375 F for a large loaf. Coat pan with cooking spray.

Combine the first eight ingredients in a large bowl.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, buttermilk, brown sugar, butter, oil, and vanilla.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients bit by bit, stirring until just combined. Add pears and hazelnuts. Stir until just combined (don't overmix).

Transfer batter to the prepared pan. Top with additional hazelnuts, if desired.

Bake until golden brown, until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 22-25 minutes for muffins, about 1 hour for the large loaf. Let cool in the tin (15 minutes for muffins, 45 minutes for a loaf) before turning out onto a wire rack.

Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ok, arguably, a muffin shouldn't have frosting on it. As (again, arguably) a breakfast food, one perhaps should forgo the delicious delicious topping that everyone agrees goes naturally with carrot cake, i.e. cream cheese frosting.

I completely disagree.

I know Martha Shulman, who provided this recipe as a healthy alternative to fatty muffins in her series "Recipes for Health" in (where else?) The New York Times, is probably screaming somewhere at my abuse of her new improved healthy muffin recipe, but alas, I'm sorry Martha, this muffin needs frosting.

Of course, you are more than welcome to make the muffin as Martha suggests, frosting-less, but for those secret guilt-ridden frosting-lovers out there (which I proudly count myself among), put the frosting on in copious amounts and don't you dare feel bad about it. After all, it's a healthy muffin.
And on that note, I will say that this carrot cake recipe, muffin or otherwise, is delicious. Despite the whole wheat flour, it tastes every bit as good as a standard carrot cake recipe without the dangers of dryness or mealiness. Huzzah for carrot cake and huzzah for muffins.

Ingredients (recipe for cream cheese frosting follows)
2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour (Martha recommends pastry flour, I used standard whole wheat flour and did just fine)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup raw brown (turbinado) sugar (or light brown sugar, which I used)
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup golden raisins tossed with 1 teaspoon unbleached all-purpose flour, or 2/3 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups grated carrots

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees with the rack in the upper third of the space. Oil or butter muffin tins.

2. Sift together the whole-wheat pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.

3. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, oil, buttermilk and vanilla. Using a whisk or a spatula, stir in the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Do not beat; a few lumps are fine, but make sure there is no flour at the bottom of the bowl. Fold in the raisins or pecans and the carrots.

4. Spoon into muffin cups, filling them to just below the top (about 4/5 full). Place in the oven, and bake 25 minutes until lightly browned and well risen. Cover copiously with cream cheese frosting (recipe follows).

Yield: Twelve muffins, depending on the size of the muffin tins.

Cream Cheese Frosting (come on, you know you want to)
(from the Joy of Cooking)

Ingredients
8 oz. cold cream cheese
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar (icing sugar)
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Method
Beat in a medium bowl at low speed the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until just blended.
Add the sugar 1/3 at a time, and beat just until smooth and the desired consistency. Stir in ground cinnamon.
If the frosting is too stiff, beat for a few seconds longer but be careful not to overbeat.

Heart-Stopping Cinnamon Rolls

And that's the picture of these babies without the frosting. I just couldn't bring myself to take a picture of the completed item. It hurt my arteries too much. I mean, look at the sugar on those rolls. Go ahead, look again. That's all sugar. Well, that and a little cinnamon. Imagine what these things will do to you with frosting.
Which is to say that they'll be the most delicious things you've had in your life. You won't be able to eat more than one. Your body won't let you. There's a point at which your body can't handle any more sugar. You hit that point when you eat half of one of these. And then you keep going. Why? Because they're wonderful. Because they're tasty. Because they're everything that's good and right about waking up too early in the morning to make fresh cinnamon rolls.
Not that I did that. No way. These cinnamon rolls were a late evening snack. Being a yeast product, they require at least 3 hours of rising. Now, whoever wants to get up early enough to enjoy these things right out of the oven as a breakfast item is welcome to it. I, however, will be sleeping late and enjoying my cinnamon roll in the more sensible hours of the afternoon.
Paula Dean, in her infinite wisdom, provides this recipe. And it shows. There are about 2 1/2 sticks of butter in this recipe. At least. Thank you southern comfort.

Ingredients

Dough:
1/4-ounce package yeast (or 7 grams)
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:
1/2 cup melted butter, plus more for pan
3/4 cup sugar, plus more for pan
4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup raisins, walnuts, or pecans, optional

Glaze:
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 to 6 tablespoons hot water
Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours (mine took about 2).

When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread melted butter all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts, pecans, or raisins if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices.

Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

Meanwhile, mix butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until the glaze reaches desired consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.