Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls are part of the weekend breakfast rotation at my house.  They're the perfect sweet treat for a lazy morning spent lying around the house. Here's a recipe that can be made the night before to sit in the fridge overnight.  Even the icing can be made the night before and just reheated in the microwave the next morning.  This way, however late you decide to wake up, you can just pop them into the oven and await the warm, gooey bliss.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
•  
• For the filling:
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup raisins
•  
• For the glaze:
• 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons half-and-half cream

Directions:

* Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Add the butter and stir until melted; let cool until lukewarm.


* In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the milk mixture. Add the sugar, 3 cups of flour, salt and eggs; stir well to combine. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes.


* Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.


* Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10x 14 inch rectangle. Lightly brush the far edge with water. In a small bowl combine the cinnamon and 3/4 cup brown sugar and sprinkle over the rectangles. Then sprinkle the raisins and chopped nuts over the dough. Roll up the dough into a log and seal the seam.


* Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces; place the pieces in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan, or 12 inch deep dish pizza pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight.


* The next morning, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Take the rolls out of the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.


*Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden. Meanwhile, combine the corn syrup with the vanilla in a small bowl. Whisk in the powdered sugar and enough cream to make a thick glaze; set aside. Drizzle the glaze over the rolls 
and serve warm.


(Recipe from Allrecipes.com)

Orange Currant and Cherry Scones

Scones are something that my husband loves to make, and the America's Test Kitchen recipe he uses makes the best scones that I've ever had.  That's really saying something because we live in England, a scone mecca.  These, however, are not dense biscuit scones.  They're filled with soft, flaky layers of buttery pastry dough and are amazingly light.

This time I helped him make these gems in two different flavors. We mixed orange zest into the batter with currants from our vegetable box in half of the dough and cherries in the other half. The result was perfection as usual.

Ingredients:

8 TBS unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups currants or cherries

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsps baking powder

1 1/2 tsp fresh orange zest

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

For browning the tops:
2 Tbs melted butter

raw sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:


* Freeze the butter either the night before or a few hours before starting to bake.  Put a couple mixing bowls into the freezer with your currants/cherries in them for use later.

* Preheat oven to 425 deg. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Set aside.

* Grate 8 TBS of butter and put back into the freezer.

* Whisk the milk and sour cream together and refrigerate until needed.

*Whisk the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, orange zest, salt, and baking soda.

*Add the grated butter and toss until completely combined coated.

*Fold in the milk mixture until it is just combined. 

* Turn the dough onto a floured cutting board. Flour your hands and the dough and knead for about 30 seconds. It should barely hold together in a wet ball. Sprinkle a bit of flour over the dough as necessary for working with it.

* Roll dough out into approximately a 12 x 12 square. Fold the top and bottom of the dough over toward the center.  Then, fold the sides into the center.

*Put the dough in the freezer for about five to ten minutes.  While the dough is in the freezer, cut your fruit into bite-sized pieces if it isn't already.

* Flour your countertop and roll the chilled dough into a 12 x 12 square again. Sprinkle the top with your fruit and press the pieces gently into the dough.

*Start on one long end and roll the dough in a log, jelly-roll style.

* Flour each side of a knife and cut the dough in 4 small rectangles. Cut each rectangle in 2 triangles.

* Put the scones on a sprayed baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with some raw sugar(or regular).

* Bake for 18-25 minutes until light golden brown. Let cool for five minutes after taking out of the oven.

* Enjoy!

Quick Sticky Bun Breakfast

I woke up last Saturday morning craving our typical weekend carb-loaded breakfast, but I didn't really want to go all out in baking something.  I decided to peruse my bookmarked recipes for something that was quick and easy (i.e. ready-to-eat in about half an hour with the least amount of dirty dishes possible).

I came across this recipe several months ago and decided to bookmark it since my husband loves monkey bread. When it popped up in my saved recipes, I saw that it was loaded with buttery, brown sugar goodness, and it really only required that I have a can of biscuits in the fridge.  Perfect!  I had just bought a can of biscuits from the store "just in case" anything popped up.  I must have been channeling this recipe at the grocery store.

Although my husband still prefers the traditional monkey bread to this recipe, I actually think that this takes about 50% of the effort to get 95% of the satisfaction of monkey bread.  Here it is for you to judge for yourself.

Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring

Five Minute Doughnuts

I crave doughnuts.  Basically, I could eat them at least every weekend if not more.  Recently, I had these amazing melt-in-your-mouth doughnuts at a local pumpkin patch, and I knew I had to find something similar to make at home.  After searching the web for the easiest possible recipe, I stumbled over this gem that uses a can of biscuit dough.

This is the first time that I've ever fried anything in my kitchen.  I have to say that I was a bit concerned that I was going to set the whole place on fire, but luckily it was very easy with little mess.  The frying only took about one minute on each side, and then they were done!  This recipe is sure to please when you're craving some fried dough but don't want to go to all out.

Recipe for Melt-In-Your-Mouth Doughnuts

Pancake Day

Every year my family attends a Pancake Day event that kicks off the fall season in our local area.  Pancakes are made under a giant circus tent by the local Kiwanis Club and served to patrons from a huge conveyor belt.  It's such a fun event, and, even though I've lived far from home for several years now, I still like to celebrate Pancake Day with my own special breakfast.

This year I decided to make apple cinnamon pancakes for a hearty, warm start to a brisk British morning.  I made sure to use plenty of butter in the pan to get those nice brown skillet marks on the flapjacks.  For the cinnamon apples, I sliced an apple thinly lengthwise and mixed in about a teaspoon of cinnamon.  Then, I topped the slices with a few small pats of butter and microwaved them for thirty seconds at a time, mixing between heating.  Paired with real maple syrup, the result is a perfect stack of pancakes sure to please.

Friday Favorites: Good Housekeeping Muffin Recipe

Breakfast on the weekends in my house is always a special treat usually consisting of a carb overload to make your belly nice and heavy for a late morning nap.  I've been using this basic muffin recipe for several years now as my go-to breakfast.  It's from the Good Housekeeping cookbook I received when I got married, and it's been the gift that keeps on giving.  Some of my favorite add-ins to the recipe include blueberries and cinnamon apples.  Give it a try:

Good Housekeeping Basic Muffins

(Adjusted slightly to my tastes)

2 1/2 c flour

3/4 c sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 c milk

1/2 c (1 stick) margarine or butter, melted

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

* Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and grease your muffin pan.

* Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

* In small bowl, beat milk, melted butter, egg, and vanilla until blended.  Add to flour mixture until moistened.  If slightly too thick, add milk until it runs off spoon with ease.

* Add your favorite fruit, chocolate chips, or nuts to create your own flavor combination.

* Cook for 20-25 minutes and serve warm.

Enjoy!