Marzipan Cinnamon Challah
I know we’re nearly into Spring now, but I couldn’t resist one more warm and toasty winter-style recipe for the season’s end.
Marzipan challah isn’t my idea, I first saw it on TV from Breads Bakery, and have since seen it done on a few other blogger websites as well. I wanted to give it a little twist, and also make it even more of a dessert style bread, which is where the addition of cinnamon comes in.
I’ve never made challah, but man it’s fantastic. Even just the dough feels lush and soft and fluffy the whole way through. I’m into this bread, filled or not you guys.
Alright so, we’re starting with the dough. Once you’ve got everything completely mixed up and kneaded, here’s what you should be seeing:
After letting it rise for the first round, it’ll look quick similar, but puffy and larger of course:
Then, we’re going to start working on each of the ropes. You’ll flatten out each section of dough into a long rectangle, and put a little line of the marzipan mixture right in the middle:
Wrap it up tight, pinch the seam, and roll it out to about a 16 inch rope:
Then, you braid. Now listen, there’s just no way I can explain or show this to you any better than this video, so if you want to stick with this 6 braid design like me, check out this video. This was my first try, and you can tell my loaf is a little lop-sided. It’s cool, the ugly loaves are still delicious, I promise.
After you let the dough rise once more, you’ll brush it with your egg white wash, and brush it good. Here’s what my shiny braid looked like:
And that’s it really, then you’re just baking it until golden brown- easy peasy. I loved this bread you guys. It’s like the perfect little dessert bread treat, and it makes french toast you would just die over. See below.
Seriously doesn’t that sound amazing? Well it was, and you should do it up too. Enjoy guys!
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup half & half
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk (reserve the white)
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 5- 5 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tbs. salt
- 5 oz. baking marzipan
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 sup softened butter
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together the water, half & half, and sugar. Microwave until the mixture reaches about 110 degrees.
- Sprinkle in the yeast, and stir. Set aside to bloom.
- While you wait for the yeast, whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, and canola oil in a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer. Once the yeast has bloomed and is foamy, stir it into the egg mixture.
- Add in 4 cups of flour to start, along with the salt, beating for a few seconds on medium speed with a paddle attachment.
- Add another cup, and switch over to the kneading hook attachment. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, and add more flour if the dough is not coming together.
- The dough should still be soft and a little sticky. Scrap it out of the bowl, and onto a floured surface.
- Form the dough into a ball, and cover lightly with plastic. Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size. For me this took about 20-30 minutes.
- During this rise, in a medium bowl, mash together the marzipan, cinnamon, sugar, and softened butter until completely combined. Set aside.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Pat and stretch each piece into a long rectangle. Place about 1/6 of the filling in an even, long, strip in the middle of the rectangle. Roll the dough around it, and pinch closed, making a rope that is about 16 inches long.
- Repeat these steps with all 6 pieces of dough and filling.
- Braid or twist your dough as you wish, I used a classic 6-strand braiding technique.
- Transfer the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet with a little bit of flour spread on it. Cover lightly with plastic, and let the dough rise for another 20-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and whisk the reserved egg white with a splash of water.
- The dough should puff up a bit, and rise by about 1/3 in size.
- Brush the dough liberally with the egg white mixture. Be sure to get into the crevices and down the sides of the dough.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the dough has reached a rich golden brown.
- Cool slightly before slicing and serving, enjoy!
Chocolate Dipped Cream Puffs
Hey everyone! I hope your 2018 has gotten off to a wonderful start, and if not, I have just the thing.
Today we’re making cream puffs. I said we because honestly you guys, you have to make these. If you’re anything like me, cream puffs and eclairs and all that, it seems like some high-tech pastry stuff. But really, it’s so easy, and you’re gonna feel like a champ when it’s done.
I dipped mine in a thick, glossy chocolate ganache, which really blends well with this shortcut french vanilla filling.
So here’s the thing- this is actually a revamp of an old recipe of mine, and it deserved another look. The filling here is the real star, and it’s so flippin’ easy you won’t believe it. Sometimes I’m all for making everything from scratch and doing the whole pastry cream thing, and I promise I wouldn’t substitute if the results weren’t truly fantastic.
Turns out, if you whip up instant pudding mix with some milk AND some heavy cream, you end up with this mousse-like substance that will change your life. Use it to fill these babies, but also use it for pies and parfaits and anything else ever. Seriously.
Sidenote- I handwrite all recipes that I work on because I don’t want to dirty up my electronics in the kitchen, but it’s such a mess haha. Here’s what a recipe looks like while I’m working with it- all out of order, and used a drip catcher, and other nonsense included:
Anyways, back to the puffs themselves. The process for the dough is actually really simple and easy, and it just requires a few minutes on the stove, and another few in the stand mixer. On the other hand- you can totally do this by hand without a mixer, it’ll just take a little elbow grease. You got this.
Here’s what the dough looks like after you add the flour:
And here’s what it looks like after adding the eggs:
I do recommend that you use a piping bag and a wide tip to pipe out the dough, but you can also spoon it out. It’s just a bit easier to get the right shape if you pipe it. Regardless of your method here, you can wet your fingers with water to shape the dough or press down any pointy edges.
These are super pretty in the end, and I hope you make them and they knock the socks off of everyone you know (they will). Happy 2018 everyone!
Ingredients
- For the puffs:
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1 tbs. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 eggs (I always use large, and size matters here!)
- For the ganache topping:
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- For the cream filling:
- 2 boxes of French Vanilla Instant Pudding
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
Instructions
- For the puffs:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat.
- Add the water and vanilla into the melted butter, and turn the heat up to medium-high. Heat the mixture until boiling.
- Remove from the heat, and immediately stir in the flour mixture. Continue to work in the flour until it is completely incorporated- the dough will be very thick (see image above).
- Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer, or to a mixing bowl if you plan to do it by hand. Let the dough cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Stir in the eggs, one at a time, mixing fully between each addition. The dough will become smooth and stretchy (see image above).
- Transfer to a piping bag with a large tube tip on it (I use the Ateco 808 tip), and pipe the puffs onto your prepared baking sheet, about 2 tablespoons of dough per puff.
- You'll end up with some pointy tops or edges no matter how you pipe them. Wet your fingers with water to press down any pointy edges and further shape the puffs if needed.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until they have puffed up, cracked, and are golden brown. Cool completely before filling.
- For the ganache topping:
- Heat the heavy cream in your microwave until boiling. Whisk in the chocolate chips, salt, and vanilla until the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature while you prepare the filling and fill the puffs.
- For the cream filling:
- In a medium bowl, beat together the instant pudding, milk, and heavy cream until the mixture is thick and has soft peaks.
- To fill the puffs, you can either cut them in half and spoon the filling in, or use a piping bag with a small tube tip to fill them from the bottom or sides.
- Be generous with the filling, you'll have plenty!
- Once the ganache has come to room temperature and is fairly thick, dip each puff into it.
- Chill the puffs immediately, and serve and store cold.
- Enjoy!
Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon rolls.
Today we’re talking about an easy step to cinnamon roll making that makes ’em next level. Because if you’re going to trouble yourself to make homemade cinnamon rolls, let’s make them the best ones ever. It’s chocolate chips, in case you hadn’t guessed.
I used mini chips, because I really wanted them to blend in with the classic cinnamon filling. It’s not overloaded with chips, but just enough to add that sweet note of chocolate.
Cinnamon rolls aren’t the easiest thing to make, especially at an altitude. If you’re up high someplace like me, the rising times and baking information should be perfect. If you are at sea-level, you’ll need more time for rising, and you should bake your rolls at a slightly higher temperature.
What I’ve found with bread recipes and rising dough is that you want to pay more attention to the dough itself than your given rising times. Sometimes if it’s humid in my house, the dough takes like, half the time to rise. So, here’s your reference for this recipe- on the first rise, you want the dough to double in size. On the second rise, you want the dough to rise around 1/3. And finally, your last rise should be fairly short, only about 1/4 size increase.
Working with yeast breads doesn’t have to be hard, and the results always make me feel like a champ. Make sure you’ve got fresh yeast, and be sure to use a thermometer- don’t just guess on the temperature to bloom your yeast. After that, it’s easy!
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- Dough:
- 2 packages active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water (100-110 degrees)
- 2 tbs. sugar
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbs. canola oil
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 5 cups (to 5 1/2 cups) bread flour
- Filling:
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 1/2 tbs. cinnamon
- 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- Frosting:
- 4 oz. softened cream cheese
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbs. milk
Instructions
- Mix together the yeast, warm water, and sugar. Let this sit for 5 minutes until the yeast has bloomed.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat together the whole milk, 1 cup of water, canola oil, and salt until about 120 degrees.
- Pour the milk mixture into a stand mixture, or a large bowl. Add in 4 cups of flour to start, and beat together until combined.
- Add in the yeast mixture, and beat together for several minutes. You will have a lumpy, very wet mixture at this point.
- Add in another 1/2 cup of flour, and beat together. Continue slowly adding flour until dough leaves the sides of the bowl, and is no longer sticky.
- Then, pull the dough out onto a floured surface and gently knead in a little more flour until it's smooth.
- Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 50-55 minutes for the first round.
- After the first rise, punch down the dough, and knead on a floured surface once or twice. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover, and let it rise again for about 40-45 minutes this time.
- Meanwhile, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together for the filling.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Roll out the dough into a large rectangle, and spread the filling butter evenly across the entire thing. Then sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the top, and pat down into the dough. Sprinkle your mini chips across the dough.
- Roll up the dough tightly, and slice into 15-18 rolls.
- Place your rolls in a greased sheet pan, and let rise for another 15 minutes or so.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until rolls are golden brown.
- For the frosting, mix everything together until smooth. Smear over each roll after cooling for about 15 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Scones Three Ways
Happy Monday evening you guys! At least the day is almost over.
To celebrate the end of another Monday, I’ve got a super easy set of recipes for you guys! You’ve probably had your regular coffee house scones before, and don’t get me wrong, I love those. But making fresh scones is actually super quick, and they taste amaze- I mean that.
My favorite part of this recipe is just that you can flavor it however you want. Add berries, do some lemon zest, chopped nuts, maple extract, or you can just leave ’em plain and enjoy classic buttermilk scones. Honestly, I prefer scones to most other coffee companions. They aren’t super sweet, you can totally dip them in coffee, but they’re still soft and offer a great texture for your breakfast pastry.
The key to a great scone (or biscuit for that matter) is to avoid over-working the dough. You can cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender, in a food processor, or even just with clean hands- but whatever you do, be sure to leave chunks of butter involved. I personally use a pastry blender- you can find the one I use here. They’re cheap, and they’re great for other things too, like mashing boiled eggs for egg salad.
I don’t even use a rolling pin, you just want to pat the dough down to the thickness you need. You can use a small 2 inch round cutter like I did here, or you can simply cut the dough with a knife.
Anyways, today I’m sharing an orange scone, a chocolate chip scone, and a vanilla bean version that I’m sure you’ll love. Enjoy!
Orange Scones
2 cups + 3 tbs. all purpose flour
1 tbs. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tbs. orange zest
6 tbs. cold butter, cut into small chunks
1 tbs. sour cream
1/2 cup + 2 tbs. buttermilk
1 large egg
1-2 tbs. Cream
For the Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbs. orange zest
3-4 tbs. heavy cream
-Preheat your oven to 425 degrees, and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or non-stick sheets
-In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, and orange zest.
-Use your pastry blender or your hands to cut in the cold butter until mixture resembles a course crumb. there should still be chunks of butter about the size of peas.
-In a separate bowl, mix together the sour cream, buttermilk, and egg. Then, pour the wet mixture into the dry.
-Use a spatula to combine until the dough holds together mostly.
-Turn onto a lightly floured surface and pat together until the dough holds together completely. Then pat into a disk about 1/2 inch thick.
-Use a cutter or a knife to make roughly 2 inch sized scones, and place on your baking sheets.
-Brush the cream over the tops. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until just golden brown.
For the glaze:
-Mix together the sugar, zest, and cream with a fork. Dip the cooled scones in the glaze, and let it set completely!
Chocolate Chip Scones
2 cups + 3 tbs. all purpose flour
1 tbs. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup dark chocolate chips
6 tbs. cold butter, cut into small chunks
1 tbs. sour cream
1/2 cup + 2 tbs. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1-2 tbs. Cream
-Preheat your oven to 425 degrees, and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or non-stick sheets
-In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.
-Use your pastry blender or your hands to cut in the cold butter until mixture resembles a course crumb. there should still be chunks of butter about the size of peas.
-Stir in the chocolate chips
-In a separate bowl, mix together the sour cream, buttermilk, vanilla and egg. Then, pour the wet mixture into the dry.
-Use a spatula to combine until the dough holds together mostly.
-Turn onto a lightly floured surface and pat together until the dough holds together completely. Then pat into a disk about 1/2 inch thick.
-Use a cutter or a knife to make roughly 2 inch sized scones, and place on your baking sheets.
-Brush the cream over the tops. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until just golden brown.
Vanilla Bean Scones
2 cups + 3 tbs. all purpose flour
1 tbs. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
6 tbs. cold butter, cut into small chunks
1 tbs. sour cream
1/2 cup + 2 tbs. buttermilk
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla bean paste
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-2 tbs. Cream
For the Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
3-4 tbs. heavy cream
-Preheat your oven to 425 degrees, and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or non-stick sheets
-In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.
-Use your pastry blender or your hands to cut in the cold butter until mixture resembles a course crumb. there should still be chunks of butter about the size of peas.
-In a separate bowl, mix together the sour cream, buttermilk, egg, and both vanillas. Then, pour the wet mixture into the dry.
-Use a spatula to combine until the dough holds together mostly.
-Turn onto a lightly floured surface and pat together until the dough holds together completely. Then pat into a disk about 1/2 inch thick.
-Use a cutter or a knife to make roughly 2 inch sized scones, and place on your baking sheets.
-Brush the cream over the tops. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until just golden brown.
For the glaze:
-Mix together the sugar, vanilla, and cream with a fork. Dip the cooled scones in the glaze, and let it set completely!
Cheddar Bacon Herb Biscuits
Today we’re talking biscuits guys.
For me, biscuits are up there on the list of comfort foods, and I’m kind of a carb-o-holic. Biscuits and gravy is maybe my favorite breakfast meal, and guys, can you imagine THESE biscuits under your gravy??
This version is loaded with sharp cheddar cheese, thyme, rosemary, and bacon. Could there really be anything better? Don’t get me wrong, I love plain old classic biscuits, but these are crazy flavorful. I pulled them out of the oven and they barely lasted long enough for me to take pictures.
I used thyme and rosemary for mine, but you can really add any fresh herbs that you prefer in here. I also used traditional yellow cheddar cheese, mainly just for the color appeal, but if you’ve got white cheddar, that’ll taste just as amazing!
The key with biscuits is to avoid over-working them. Just keep it gentle, and don’t worry about getting everything perfectly incorporated- that will make for a tough biscuit!
The cheese will caramelize a bit in the oven, and with some coarse sea salt on top, you can just eat these babies plain. I was going to serve them with some herb butter, but the herbs come out in a beautiful way already inside the biscuits, so it’s totally not needed.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour, pus more for rolling
- 1 tbs. sugar
- 3 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 2 tsp. chopped fresh herbs
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2-3 tbs. crumbled bacon
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- Milk and coarse sea salt to top
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and line a cookie sheet with parchment or a non-stick sheet.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, pepper and herbs.
- With a pastry blender or your hands, cut in the shortening until mixture is crumbly.
- Stir in the cheese and bacon. Stir in the buttermilk until just combined.
- Turn out the dough onto a floured surface. Pat the dough into a square about 1/2 inch thick.
- Cut out the dough into 10-12 square biscuits, and place onto your cookie sheet.
- Brush the tops with milk and sprinkle coarse sea salt over the top.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown on top!
