A delicate cousin to the classic rich and fluffy cinnamon roll, these are sweet without being overly tooth achingly so, and a lovely hint of cardamom to welcome fall baking into our kitchens. I've put off making these for so long because I wanted to get Pearl Sugar to top them with... the classic European/scandinavian garnish for many sweet bread products. But then I realized that I had the resources to fabricate my own... I took some very large chunky white sprinkles that are pretty much inedible in their natural state due to the fact they are just huge lumps of hard white tooth-breakers. I wasn't using them. Suddenly I realized, if I just bash these up into smaller pieces... I have pearl sugar! Boom. I truly adore marzipan, I am now making a vow to use more marzipan. To make ground cardamom, simply buy whole green cardamom pods and whiz them up in a high powered blender. This will be far fresher and superior than buying pre-ground cardamom at the grocery store. Cardamom Marzipan Cinnamon Rollsrecipe from the Ikea FIKA cookbook makes about 20 buns for best results, all ingredients should be at room temperature For the Dough:
How To:
Crumble the yeast into the bowl of a mixer. Pour over the milk (either have the milk at room temp, or gently heated to lukewarm, about 37˚C or 100˚F) Start mixing or stir until the yeast has dissolved. Add the flour, the butter in pieces, sugar, eggs, salt and cardamom. Work the dough until it is very smooth and elastic, takes up to 10 minutes or so! If you live in a humid climate you may need to add more flour. I live in Alberta, where it is dryer than dry, so I do not need any additional flour than this suggested amount. Round the dough into a ball and allow it to rise in an oiled bowl, covered with a damp towel. I like to place the bowl in my oven (that is turned off) because it is a nice quiet and peaceful and draft free zone, and potentially less dry than sitting out on my counter. Let it rest and rise for at least 30 minutes, or until it has doubled in size. Meanwhile, make the filling: break up the marzipan into chunks and combine with the sugar, breadcrumbs, water and cinnamon. Blitz in a food processor. Melt the butter, and process the butter in too. Place the dough onto a clean work surface dusted with a bit of flour. Roll out into a rectangle. Spread with the filling. Roll up the dough from the long side of the rectangle and cut into buns about 1 inch. Place into a baking pan lined with parchment, leaving room to allow them to expand. Cover and let rise until they are doubled in size, about 30 minutes. You can also leave them in your fridge overnight, and then take out the next morning and let them proof for an hour before baking, then breakfast is ready! Meanwhile preheat your oven to 375˚F Whisk together the egg, salt and water and brush the egg wash over the risen buns. Sprinkle with pearl sugar. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Happy September, happy fall.
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TIS THE SEASON!!! The BBQ SEASON! And I couldn't be more excited... because I am now the proud owner of the littlest, cutest camping bbq. Little Red. The Baby-Q. My shiny new toy! Let the grilling begin! And what better time to get the party started than the kick-off of the May long weekend. It just feels right, you know? Also, I've had some burgers taking up valuable space in my freezer for quite some time now, but I've been holding off cooking them until I could get my hands on a BBQ... Because that is the truly the best and perhaps only way I want to cook burgers. Thanks to my awesome brother, he made this gal's grill-dreams come true! I was originally going to BBQ-sit his "big-boy" real BBQ... however it turns out he doesn't require those services anymore and wants his BBQ for himself. Which is entirely fair and understandable. However I was left thinking... "But how will I survive the summer sans-grill?" When I grow up I know I will buy a Big-Girl BBQ... but in the meantime he came up with a brilliant compromise to suit my urgent and immediate needs by gifting me a brand new tiny red camping BBQ that he had no use for! He even dropped it off at my house, with propane to boot! (I thanked him with some Sidewalk Citizen pizza dough). What a guy. I love my bro. And I love my new BBQ! HAPPY DAYS! Naturally I had to make my own burger buns... which I sprinkled with the last little bit of my homemade "Everything" spice blend. But you could sprinkle these buns with just about anything your heart desires or your pantry inspires... herbs, spices, seeds, etc. I also whipped up some of my new favourite ingredient/condiment that I want to put on everything: Pickled red onions!!! They are the bees knees I tell ya! And soooo easy to make. A great use for the rather large half of a red onion that was begging to be utilized in my fridge... A jar of jewel toned magic I tell you! Burger Bunsrecipe slightly adapted from Noel Richardson makes 6 buns
Pickled Red onionsrecipe slightly adapted from Michael Smith
Happy Good Friday everyone! It sure is a Good Friday indeed. Why? Because we have a lovely recipe for Hot Cross Buns!!! I sure am not religious, however I love celebrating anything and everything, and ESPECIALLY anything that is themed around food... And so, Hot Cross Buns. I've made them once at home before and they didn't quite turn out. They tasted good, but they didn't rise and were little bread pucks. Unlike THESE BEAUTIES which are soft and fluffy and exactly what I dream of a hot cross bun to be. As a kid, my family would buy hot cross buns from our grocery store. And they were fine. But I never liked them... I'm pretty sure I was turned off by the weird rainbow coloured candied peel... I deemed them very much "old-lady" food. But here's the thing... I've grown older and wiser now and realized that minus the weird dried fruit, hot cross buns are just like a glorified fancy cinnamon-raisin bread... which I LOVE! And so... as a big girl who can make and bake her own decisions (and also because the grocery store had none...) I eliminated the candied peel and just used raisins instead :) These are not totally traditional in another sense... classic hot cross buns have a cross on them that is put on before the buns are baked. This cross is made with what is called "crossing paste" which varies by recipe but often contains milk, flour, eggs, butter and sugar... These guys are a little more simple, as their crosses are just made out of a simple icing sugar glaze and piped on top after the buns have been baked and are completely cooled. Simple, soft, slightly sweet... indeed these buns are quite a treat ;) Here's to all Friday's being Good! Happy Baking. Almost Classic Hot Cross BUnsRecipe slightly adapted from Canadian Living
A very wise lady inspired the belief in me that a house is not a home until one has baked homemade banana bread in it. I am 100% on board with this concept. And so in an effort to make my new house my new home... I baked banana bread. Amen. My mom, and her sister, are both banana bread baking queens. They both use the same recipe, one passed down from their Aunt, known by most as, Auntie Irene. My great Auntie Irene was the sweetest of little ladies, with fire-truck red hair and the cutest smile. Despite her petite size, she would smother you with hugs and kisses and tons of food. Her recipes remain family favourites, and are made often in my household. A few recipes come to mind including cheesy mashed potatoes, her famous chocolate sauce... but made most often, her whole-wheat-banana-bread. One taste of this loaf and I am instantly "home" no matter where I actually am. I love the combo of half whole wheat flour and half regular flour, not just because I trick myself into thinking its good for you, but the whole wheat flour adds another layer of nutty flavour which I crave! This baby is delicious just on its own, but I also love adding toasted walnuts for some crunch, or chocolate chips if I'm feeling it. Oh I'm feeling it. Can't go wrong. I baked two mini loafs in my new place to welcome myself into the kitchen and lay a foundation for home-baked goodies to come. Before we can get crazy making new experiments, we gotta stick to the old favourites first, ya know? When I got to sit down and enjoy a warm slice of my labour... my first thought was "Tastes like mom!" (Hi mom) Life is good. Auntie Irene's Whole Wheat Banana Breadmakes 1 large loaf, or 4 mini loaf pans. Or ~12 muffins!
ingredients:
Happy Baking <3 Biscuits were one of the first things I ever learned to make on my own. If my parents would let me take care of one aspect of dinner on my own, it could be biscuits. For me they are hard to mess up, but they are so impressive by how delicious they taste. There is little that is better than a fresh homemade biscuit, with warm melty butter. :) I'LL TAKE TEN, THANKS. I once went on a backpacking trip, and the only thing that I wanted during the long hours of hiking was to eat a fresh homemade biscuit. Yes, I got through that journey all thanks to daydreaming about biscuits, no shame. I made them immediately when we got back into civilization. It was nothing short of euphoric. I've made biscuits at home, in the homes of friends, and even across the Atlantic ocean when I lived Glasgow. I made them to feel at home, even when I was not. They are my staple comfort food! BUT WAIT A TWIST! I've been known to play around with biscuits by making variations with whole wheat flour, cheese, nuts and seeds... but now a new first, featuring like only my favourite ingredient, SWEET POTATO. Gosh, I just love em. These are good for breakfast. And lunch. And of course dinner. Sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar and call it dessert. Call it, my new favourite biscuit. Sweet Potato BiscuitsRecipe from Martha Stewart
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