Who else spent their childhood Saturday mornings eating endless bowls of Froot Loops? Was anyone else stuck in an elliptical of loop-milk imbalances that had to be rectified til they were five bowls in?
Just me? I don't believe it.
I look forward to mornings of tender sunshine shifting over apartment buildings, dew on the windows and birds waking up. I look forward to the end of the endless night of the indeterminate times Sam wakens me from REM sleep. Most of all, I look forward to brekky. Cereal-milk imbalances that lead me to eat an inappropriate amount of cereal, toast with cinnamon sugar, eggs made for me by someone else. I used to look forward to my weekend American diner breakfast, that sweet-savory goodness: pancakes and crispy bacon or waffles and eggs, made complete with cup after cup of drip coffee.*
After seven months living in Sydney, I do miss my American diners. No crispy bacon here.
Even without our diners or crispy bacon, Mosi and I manage to have good mornings. Even with the addition of our early-to-wake, beautiful baby Sam, we manage to have long mornings with coffee and toast made from whatever bread Mosi baked most recently. We take our 6-8:30am very seriously. That is the only time we feel refreshed, awake, and triumphant over the unpredictable night that is so often filled with baby feeds or diaper leaks. By morning, Sam is usually in a winsome, easy mood and the day has yet to throw all its challenges our way.
Our latest kick is a cinnamon swirl brioche loaf from the Great British Baking Show cookbook, which you should absolutely make. Warm up. Eat with butter. The three of us could eat this every morning. The recipe is posted at the bottom of the page and yes, there is a bit of a process.
If you do want to bake something else that requires a process, I can recommend croissants, plain or chocolate. The first time we made these was a near-disaster - they came out of the oven oddly shaped and inconsistent because were really bad at rolling them correctly., but they tasted lovely and we have since figured out that we need to proof them longer. Try this recipe from King Arthur Flour. Classic. I posted it at the bottom.
The croissants require a process, but the recipe makes a bunch so you can freeze** and eat them throughout the month or share if you're a generous baker (I guess I'm not since I kept all the croissants for myself).
Do not be intimidated by them! I was fearful for a long time: All the butter! The proofing! Using a rolling pin! Would they be flaky enough?! I need not have feared. Even with the several things we did wrong - too much butter and unable to keep encased in the dough, not proofing long enough, putting in a ton of chocolate ganache inside - they turned out beautifully. Well, they were incredibly delicious and some of them even resembled croissants. Next time we'll do better. I advise you to follow the recipe, do not take shortcuts, and remember that baking croissants is a master skill.
*Drip coffee is one thing Australians cannot fathom. "It's so watery." "Thin." "Is it burnt?" "Tastes bad." They say. All sort of true, but when you can have endless cups, warm and waiting for you after the push of a button, you don't even mind. Also, you can make very good drip coffee if the beans and ratios are right.
**Remember to take them out of the freezer and put them in the fridge the night before baking, then leave them on the counter for an hour or two (to proof) before you put them in the oven.
Re-posted from The Great British Baking Show Cookbook
A very pretty loaf, with a soft, rich crumb and sweet, spicy filling. The key to keeping a neat and even swirl with no gaps or holes is to use caster sugar rather than muscovado for the filling; caster sugar is finer and so melts more evenly. Take care when rolling and proving the loaf so it doesn’t become misshapen.
Makes: 1 large loaf
Hands on time: 40 minutes
Bake time: 40 minutes, plus time for rising
Skill level: Needs skill
Ingredients:
125ml milk 125ml water 25g caster sugar
50g unsalted butter
1 medium egg, at room temperature 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
8g salt
7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
For the filling:
60g caster sugar
1 teaspoon strong white bread flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons milk, for brushing
small knob of butter, to finish
You will also need:
900g loaf tin (about 26 x 12.5 x 7.5cm)
Instructions
Step 1 – Pour the milk and water into a small pan. Add the sugar and butter and heat gently, stirring, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and leave to cool until just lukewarm. Add the egg and beat with a fork until thoroughly combined.
Step 2 – Put the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a free- standing mixer, and mix well. Sprinkle the yeast into the bowl and mix thoroughly. Make a well in the centre.
Step 3 – Pour the milk/egg mixture into the well and gradually work into the flour with your hand, or the dough hook attachment on slow speed, to make a very soft but not sticky dough. If there are dry crumbs at the base of the bowl, work in more lukewarm milk (or water), a tablespoon at a time; if the dough sticks to the bowl, work in a little more flour, a tablespoon at a time.
Step 4 – Lightly flour the worktop and turn out the dough. Knead thoroughly for 10 minutes, or about 5 minutes with the dough hook on slow speed, until the dough is silky smooth, firmer and very elastic. Return the dough to the bowl, if necessary, then cover tightly with clingfilm or a snap-on lid and leave on the worktop to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Step 5 – Punch down (knock back) the risen dough to deflate it, then turn it out onto a very lightly floured worktop. Knead it a couple of times then pat it out to roughly a thick 18cm square. Cover it loosely with clingfilm and leave it to relax for 5 minutes – this will make the dough easier to roll. Meanwhile, grease the tin with butter and line the base and two short sides with a long strip of baking paper.
Step 6 – Combine the 60g caster sugar; 1 teaspoon strong white bread flour and 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon for the filling in a small bowl. Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll out the dough t o a neat, even 26 x 48cm rectangle – make sure the sides are straight and the corners square. Brush the dough liberally with 2 tablespoons of the milk, then sprinkle with the sugar mixture in an even layer leaving a 1 cm border at one short end.
Step 7 – Roll up the dough, neatly and tightly, from the other short end and pinch the seam together to seal it firmly.
Step 8 – Lift the dough roll into the prepared tin, gently folding the ends under to make a neat shape. Slip the tin into a large plastic bag, trapping in some air so the plastic doesn’t stick to the dough, and tie the ends. Leave on the worktop to prove and rise for about 50 minutes, or until just doubled in size – make sure the room isn’t too warm as you don’t want the dough to rise too quickly and become too big or the loaf will lose the neat swirl pattern and lose its shape. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to I80°C (160°C fan), 350°F, Gas 4.
Step 9 – Uncover the loaf and gently brush the top with the remaining tablespoon of milk Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the loaf is a good golden brown. To test if the bread is done, tap the base of the loaf – it should sound hollow; if there’s a dull ‘thud’, return the loaf to the oven (set it directly on the oven shelf) and bake it for a further 5 minutes and test again. The loaf will have a soft and delicate crust so handle it carefully (the crust firms up as it cools).
Step 10 – Set the loaf on a wire rack and rub the top with a knob of butter on a scrap of kitchen paper (or butter wrapper), then leave until completely cold before cutting into thick slices.
Re-posted from King Arthur Flour
DOUGH
2 large eggs + enough warm water to make 454g50g sugar, divided659g to 723g King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast28g butter, melted71g Baker's Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk (optional)1 scant tablespoon salt1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional; for sweet pastry)
BUTTER
425g unsalted butter, cool to the touch3/4 teaspoon salt60g King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
INSTRUCTIONS
For the dough: Put the eggs and water in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the sugar, 3 cups (362g) of the flour, and the yeast. Mix until well blended; set aside to let the sponge work.
For the butter: Cut the butter into 1˝ chunks and combine with the salt and flour at low speed in a stand mixer just until smooth, with no lumps. Be careful not to beat too much; you don’t want to incorporate any air.
Spread the butter on a piece of plastic wrap and shape into an 8˝ square. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Finish the dough: Add the melted butter to the sponge. Whisk together the remaining sugar, 2 1/2 cups (298g) of the flour, the dry milk, and salt and add to the sponge. Mix until the dough forms. Knead for 5 minutes; touch the dough lightly with your finger. If it’s still sticky, add the remaining flour 2 tablespoons at a time until the dough is the desired consistency. Once the dough is smooth and elastic, pat it into a 9˝ square, then wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
To laminate the dough: Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and gently roll it to a 12" square.
Unwrap the butter square and place it in the center of the dough at a 45° angle, so it looks like a diamond in a square. Pull the corners of the dough into the center of the butter diamond. Moisten the edges with a little water and pinch the seams together well to enclose the butter. Dust the top with flour and turn the packet over.
Tap the dough all over with a rolling pin, encouraging it into a rectangular shape. Once it’s pliable, roll it to a 20˝ x 10˝ rectangle, picking it up and dusting lightly with flour as needed.
When you’ve reached the proper size, use a dry brush to sweep off any excess flour and fold the dough in thirds, like a business letter. Take care to keep the edges straight and line them up directly over each other. If the dough slides around, use a little water at the corners to tack them in place. This is your first turn.
Rotate the dough out so it looks like a book about to be opened. Roll the dough out once more to 20˝ x 10˝ and fold it as before. This is the second turn. Wrap the dough and refrigerate it for 30 minutes to allow the gluten in the dough to relax.
Give the dough two more turns after its rest, then wrap the dough well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight before using. You can also freeze the dough at this point.To shape the croissants: Cut the packet of dough in half. Wrap and refrigerate or freeze one half.
Roll the other half to a 13˝ x 18˝ rectangle. Trim the edges about 1/4˝ all the way around with a ruler and pizza cutter. This removes the folded edges that would inhibit the dough’s rise.Cut the dough in thirds lengthwise and in half down the center. This will give you six 4˝ x 9˝ pieces. Cut these pieces in half diagonally and arrange them so the points are facing away from you. Stretch them gently to make them a little longer, then cut a 1˝ notch in the center of the base of each triangle.
Take the two inside corners of the notch and roll them up toward you, building a curved shape as you roll the base of the dough toward the tip. Make sure the tip ends up under the bottom of the croissant. Place the shaped pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet, curving the ends toward each other. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Take the croissants out of the refrigerator, and let them warm and rise for 60 to 90 minutes at room temperature. They should expand noticeably, and when you gently press one with your finger, the indentation should remain.
Towards the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 425°F. Brush each croissant with an egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven’s temperature to 350°F and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, until deep golden brown and no raw dough is visible where the layers overlap. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan on a rack for 20 minutes before serving.Yield: 4 pounds, enough for 2 dozen. TIPS
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