Morning buns

Apparently these are a new fad that started slowly but is quickly gaining momentum. They were created at Tartine Bakery in San Francisco in the 1970s; I first had one many years ago, but it's been only recently that I've started seeing them more frequently in coffee shops. (I don't think I've ever seen one in a bakery.) I'm not a fan of the super sweet, heavily laden breakfast pastries that are the usual fare in American bakeries, so I was immediately addicted to these lightly sweet, flaky, buttery rolls. (I'd call them a roll, not a bun. After all, they are rolled!) That said, while every one I've had has been very flaky, similar to a croissant, I just found another recipe from Bon Appétit that is made with enriched bread dough, which to me seems more like a cinnamon roll.

I didn't change much in this recipe. I switched out cardamom for the cinnamon (the scent of the cardamom with the orange was otherworldly), water for the orange juice (and used it for proofing the yeast), used less orange peel, and a mix of salted and unsalted butter (adjusting the added salt accordingly.)  I also modified the rising technique as recommended in one of the comments.  Here's what I used:

For the Dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon + 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2¼ teaspoons instant (rapid-rise yeast)
¼ cup orange juice water, very warm
3/8 teaspoon salt
1½ cups butter (half unsalted) cut into ¼-inch-thick slices and chilled
1 cup sour cream, chilled
3 tablespoons ice water
1 egg yolk

For the Filling:
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated zest of one small orange
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon cardamom, freshly ground
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Proof the yeast in the warm water with 1 teaspoon of sugar.  Combine the flour, 2 teaspoons sugar, and salt in a large zipper-lock bag. Add the butter, seal and shake to evenly coat the butter. Press the air out of the bag and reseal. Roll over the bag several times with a rolling pin, shaking the bag after each roll, until the butter is pressed into large flakes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the yeast mixture, sour cream, ice water, and egg yolk until combined.  Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead briefly to form a smooth, cohesive ball. Roll the dough into a 20x12-inch rectangle. Starting at the short end, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Pat the cylinder flat into a 12x4-inch rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for 15 minutes.

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners and grease with non-stick cooking spray.  In a medium bowl, stir together the sugars, orange zest, cardamom, and vanilla.  Remove the dough from the freezer and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a 20x12-inch rectangle and sprinkle evenly with the filling, using more towards one long (outside) edge and less on the other long (inside) edge.  Leave a ½-inch border at the long ends. Lightly press the filling into the dough. Starting at the long end with less filling, roll the dough into a tight cylinder and pinch lightly to seal the seam. Cut the cylinder into 12 equal pieces and transfer cut-side-up to the prepared muffin tin. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and place loaf or cake pan on bottom of oven. Remove plastic from rolls and place in oven. Pour 3 cups boiling water into pan in oven, close oven door, and let buns rise until puffed and doubled in size, 20 to 30 minutes*.  

Remove the rolls from the oven and heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bake for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.  Bake until the rolls are deep golden brown, **40 to 50 additional minutes. 

Allow the rolls to cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and remove the liners. The rolls are best served warm, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Make Ahead: After placing the buns in the muffin tin, place the tin in the freezer until the buns are firm, about 30 minutes. Transfer the buns (with the liners) to a zipper-lock bag and freeze for up to 1 month. To finish, return the buns to a muffin tin and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours, then proceed with rising in the oven as directed.


I had some problems with this recipe.  The first was with the rising.  According to the comments, this recipe is from Cook's Country (subscription required), although the blogger did not credit them.  (She claims she did, but I still don't see it.)  They modified the rising technique so that, instead of placing the rolls in a warm oven (which apparently caused some butter leakage), they put them in a cold oven with a pan of hot water.  My oven has a constant pilot light and so is always a little warm (no more than 100F), but I also used the pan of hot water.  *After 30 minutes, the rolls had hardly puffed at all, which didn't surprise me.  (It might be my yeast, which has been in the freezer for several years.  While it proofs fine in warm water, dough seems to rise more slowly than expected.  It really seems to need the heat.)  I let the rolls rise until they looked puffed and actually doubled, which was an hour and 45 minutes.  (On the other hand, in this demonstration by Claire Saffitz for Bon Appétit, the rolls have risen only about 1 cm after 30 minutes--not much different from mine.  She tests their readiness by the dent test.  I tried that at 30 minutes and the dough sprang right back, but I wasn't sure if it wasn't just sticking to my finger.  Besides, her dough was an entirely different consistency.)  By that time, there was a substantial amount of leakage of the sugar water.

Which brings me to problem #2:  the liners.  I had been counting on using my silicon muffin liners, but despite digging through every box I thought might have kitchen items, I couldn't find them.  The blogger warns that these rolls WILL stick, so I had concerns.  I greased the tins, lined the bottoms with a circle of greased parchment, then wrapped a strip of greased parchment around the side of the rolls and crossed my fingers.  It worked fine--- no sticking.

Since my oven's only heating element is at the bottom, I end up with burned bottoms with items that have a high butter content, so I try to use an air-bake pan in those cases.  To address that here, I put the muffin tin on an air-bake sheet pan (which also helped to catch some of the leakage.)

One problem I did not have was a wet dough, as some people did.  My dough was beautiful--soft and easy to work with.  I can only assume either they put in too much liquid, or, most likely, their butter softened while they were working with it. 

At 40 minutes, the rolls looked done, but I wanted them more caramelized and crispy, so I left them another 5 minutes.  I sort of think that, since butter browns so easily, anything with a high butter content probably needs to get pretty dark before it's actually fully baked.  (I was also concerned about what effect the liquid leakage and the air-bake pan would have on the bottoms, whether they'd be soggy.  Better over baked than under.)  But when I started taking them out of the pan, they seemed too pale and soft on the undersides.  So I put them back in the oven, without the air-bake pan, and baked for another 10 minutes.  I checked the undersides again, and they still seemed too pale and soft.  Back in for another 10 minutes.  **In all, I baked them for about an hour and a half, minus the five minutes or so that they were out of the oven while I was fussing with them.  They turned out perfectly:  crispy and flaky on the outside, very soft and airy on the inside.  (The tips and edges were just starting to get too brown.)  There was a little caramelized sugar at the bottom of each tin that would have cemented the rolls to the tin if I'd let them cool very long in it, but I took them out hot and cooled them on a rack upside down.  (And peeled the paper off before it hardened on as well.)  I'm not even sure it's necessary to do anything more than grease the tins, as long as you remove the rolls soon enough.

Conclusion:  These were absolutely delicious.  They are a bit fussy when you don't know what to look for or expect, but I think once you know that you can whip these up pretty easily.  The reduced amount of orange was still plenty for me--- just a hint.  My only issue is that they are almost too buttery.  I'd probably start with 1 cup of butter next time and see how that works out.  I'm just hoping now that they'll freeze well.

Original recipe:  Morning Buns via Brown Eyed Baker (via Cook's Country)

Tahinli çörek (Turkish sesame pastries)

I read somewhere that mahlab is good for only something like 6 months. I've had mine for quite some time, but I keep it in the freezer, hoping that will extend its viability. It had a bitter flavor, but one might expect that since it's made from the pit of a type of cherry. I wish I'd tasted it when it was fresh. I wasn't sure it was a pleasant flavor.

These are pretty rich, so I cut the recipe in half and made them the smaller size (3 instead of 2.) I have to admit that one and a half of the pastries was just about the right amount for breakfast to satisfy the taste buds and the tummy, but for health's sake one should probably stick with a single, smaller bun.

Since these are unique, I stuck pretty closely to the original recipe, mostly just adjusting the salt quantity.  Here's what I used to make half the original quantity:

For the dough:
1/2 heaping teaspoon dry yeast
1/6 cup warm water
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon oil
1 heaping tablespoon sugar
1 egg, scrambled and divided
1 -1¼ cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon mahlep (mahlab)

For the filling:
5 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon melted, salted butter
1 teaspoon orange flower water
salt to taste (if necessary)
2 teaspoons finely chopped shelled pistachios per pastry (optional)

2 tablespoons orange flower water for coating pastry
raw sesame seeds
sugar (granulated or demarera)

Proof yeast with warm water and sugar. Set aside approximately 10 minutes, until well frothy.  In a mixing bowl, add the milk, butter, oil, and sugar and mix well. While still warm (not hot!), add  half the scrambled egg and the yeast mixture and mix well with a whisk. Sift together 1 cup of flour, salt, and mahlep. Add this to the egg mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until you get a slightly sticky dough. Knead the dough, adding the extra ¼ cup flour if needed. Once you have a nice dough, place it back in a greased bowl, cover, and place in a warm area for approximately 2 hours (until doubled).

Punch down the dough and knead for a minute; divide into 2 or 3 equal pieces. Let the balls rest about 25 to 30 minutes. After 15 minutes, mix together the tahini, sugar, melted butter, and orange flower water.  Mix well, then check to see if you want to add salt. The mixture will be granular. (And for me there seemed to be some sort of chemical reaction which made it become fairly thick and almost gummy.  Weird.)

Once proofed, roll each ball into a disk about 1/8-inch thick. (If making 2, it should measure about 11 or 12 inches; 3 should measure at least 7 inches.  They should be as thin as you can get them while still being manageable.) Divide the tahini mixture evenly for each pastry, approximately 3 tablespoons each. Spread this out very thinly almost to the edges. If you like, sprinkle 2 - 3 tsp of finely chopped pistachios on each one. Roll each round into a tight cigar shape; pinch each end closed. Slowly and gently roll each pastry back and forth with your hands to extend it, starting at the middle. Don't worry if small tears occur. The final strand will be almost as long as from the tip of your fingers to your elbow. Twist the long strand of dough gently over and over again (but don't over twist or you will snap it.) Coil the twisted pastry loosely from the center working outwards and tuck the end underneath. Place the coils on prepared baking sheets (either lightly greased or lined with parchment) several inches apart, leaving room for final rolling.  Preheat oven to 350 F.  Cover pastries with a tea towel and let proof for 30 minutes. (While proofing, the centers might pop up -- that will be fixed with the rolling. There might also be small amounts of oil weeping from the pastry.)

When the rolls are nearly done, beat the remaining egg half in a small dish; arrange in separate bowls the orange flower water, sesame seeds, and some sugar. Flatten each pastry with a rolling pin gently to half its size. Prick it all over with a fork to arrest its rising in the oven. Using a pastry brush, wash the pastries with orange flower water all over, then the egg wash. Sprinkle each pastry generously with sesame seeds and finally with sugar. (It will make a nice crust when baked). Bake pastries for 30 minutes (for the large) or about 20-25 minutes (for the small), or until golden brown.  Watch for over browning the bottoms.

 

These were more time-consuming than I had anticipated, perhaps mostly because I had to keep checking the directions.  (I've simplified the process here.)  I tried to call up the web page, but it kept diverting to another screen (although I could call it up on the iPhone.  Apparently this redirect is due to a faulty widget, but the original blogger is no longer maintaining his blog, so this won't be remedied.) It helped to check the photographs in the original blog post.

They were probably plenty done at 25 minutes (perhaps could have done less), but since it mentions a brown crust I left them a little longer, but then they were over done. (The bottoms were dark.) And the twists didn’t show up on the outside.

Conclusion:   These were tasty, with an unusual flavor (perhaps the mahlab), fairly crisp on the outside but tender on the inside.  The filling wasn't very noticeable, but I'm sure lent moistness and flavor, though subtle.  They were good despite being a little tough (from extra baking); they just don’t look terribly appetizing.  (They'd look better if they weren't over baked.)  The orange flower water wasn’t very discernible. Perhaps could have done with a tiny bit more salt, but were okay as they were. (I didn’t add any additional salt to the filling.)  I probably would not make this recipe again, but I'd like to try the one at M bakes.

Recipe:  Tahinli via Is That My Buréka?

January ABC challenge: Rondos (Dutch almond pastries)

 
The new year starts the Avid Baker's Challenge with a new challenge source:  The Weekend Bakery.  This blog is created by two folks from the Netherlands, so their recipes are originally in Dutch but also posted in English.  They are primarily artisan bread bakers, but do a lot of other baked items as well. 

So we're off on our first Dutch pastry, and just like Brittany, oops, I did it again:  I made the frangipane for this recipe, but didn't measure out what was called for when assembling the rondos. (I'm so used to recipes giving exact amounts, not leaving you with extra.)  So, I don't know if my final rondos have too much or not enough.  I used about 2/3 of the quantity made, and thought I was putting in a generous dollop.  (I mean, my rondos ended up domed instead of flat.)  I really need to pay better attention.  I'm getting cocky.

I made one quarter the recipe called for, but otherwise stuck pretty much to the directions.  The only significant change was that I considerably reduced the quantity of sugar in the dough to less than half the amount called for.

Here's what I used (yield 2):

For frangipane filling:

13g butter
13g (1 tablespoon) granulated sugar
¼ egg (13-14g)
zest of 1/8 a lemon
17.5g finely ground almonds

For the pastry:
50g pastry flour (of which 1 teaspoon was corn starch)
¼ teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
37.5g cold salted butter, in cubes
25 g 9g (2 teaspoons) soft white or light brown granulated sugar 

For assemply:
35g to 50g frangipane
2 almonds
egg wash for brushing tops (beaten with some water or cream)
  

Slowly melt the butter over low heat and then let it cool. In a small bowl, beat together with a whisk the sugar, egg, and lemon zest until creamy. Slowly add the melted butter while continuing to beat. Add the almond flour and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the butter cubes and rub it into the flour. Add the sugar and quickly combine to form a smooth dough. Divide the dough into four equal balls and pat down to make a slight disc. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to firm slightly.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Roll out each of the dough discs to a small circle, about 1/8th inch thick, or to the approximate diameter of whatever baking ring or tin you're using.  (I used 2.75" and 3" round cookie cutters.)  Cut the dough to fit, two for each tin.  Place the rings (I lightly greased the inside of them) on parchment paper on a baking sheet, and fit one round of dough in the bottom of each.  Dab a generous blob of the frangipane on top of the dough rounds inside the rings (you will not likely use all of it), then carefully top with the second rounds. Softly press the tops and bottoms together, keeping the tops flat.  Brush each rondo with the egg wash. Place an almond in the middle of each rondo and press in lightly. Give the tops a second brush with the egg wash.  Bake the rondos for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately remove the baking rings.  Leave to cool on the tray for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. 

The original recipe contains an option for filling with almond paste.  These could also be made in a muffin tin or tart tins.  Here is a video that shows how that would work.

I found the original directions for these rather tedious and in that sense difficult to follow.  She goes so far as to tell us to remove the frangipane from the refrigerator before using.  I like to be able to skim a recipe and quickly and easily see what I need to do next without having to read through a lot of text like it's a novel.  These really aren't difficult at all, but they seemed so while making them.

One concern I had was that the frangipane might stick to the rings and the pastries would then be difficult to remove.  That's why I greased the rings, and also pressed the top dough down along the edges to try to prevent any leakage.  It probably wasn't necessary -- no one seemed to have a problem with that, though when making these in a muffin tin, one is directed to fully encase and seal in the filling.

Conclusion:  These were extremely tasty, like a good shortbread, and very rich (over 2 tablespoons of butter each.)  I expected them to be more cake-like, based on the original photos, and considerably less dense.  I would have liked a stronger almond flavor and less lemon.  It seems these often have almond extract added to the filling, which I would do in the future, and perhaps eliminate the zest (just for my own taste preference.)  Cardamom would also be a nice addition.

Original recipe:  Homemade Rondos via Weekend Bakery

Sicilian Buccellato

It's not often I get the opportunity to make something as ornate and large as this.  Our office holiday party was yesterday and I thought it would be just the thing.  It did take quite a bit of work and time, but it was the construction mainly that appealed to me.  I enjoy the hand work.

What I used.

Traditionally, buccellatos are decorated with a special tool called a pinza per buccellato, appropriately enough.   A pair of hotdog tongs worked nicely.

 

   What you're supposed to use.

The only real challenge to making this is its size and weight.  You don't want to have to move it any more than necessary.  I thought I was being tricky by baking it on parchment paper; I shaped it on the paper, and then just slid the paper and pastry easily onto the baking sheet.  The problem arose when I was trying to remove the parchment from under the baked pastry.  It took two hands -- and I could have used a third -- to lift the ring without breaking it, and then I needed still another to pull the paper off the bottom of the ring.  In the end, I did break the ring a little, but due to the deep indentations of the design, the breaks were easily disguised.  I recommend moving the ring as little as possible:  shape it on the baking sheet, and after baking slide it straight from the sheet onto the cutting board or serving platter.   Whatever you serve it on, it should be sturdy and able to take cuts from a sharp knife.  This is a substantial loaf!

Some buccellato recipes call for chopping the filling mixture in a food processor until it is chopped fine.  Chopping by hand produces larger, uneven pieces of fruit and nut, particularly the citrus peel.  It takes longer, but gives a nicer texture.  I highly recommend using a high-quality dark chocolate.  I used Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips, and they were the low point in the dessert.

Here's what I used:

For the filling
500g (17 oz.) dried figs, chopped
250g (8.5 oz.) apricot or fig jam
100g (3.5 oz) almonds, chopped
100g (3.5 oz) hazelnuts, chopped
50g walnuts (1.75 oz), chopped
50g pistachios (1.75 oz), chopped
200g candied cherries, chopped
100g (3.5 oz) raisins
100g (3.5 oz) candied orange zests, chopped
100g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon, grated
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon clove powder
1 espresso shot
100ml (3.5 oz) Marsala or Muscat wine
125g (4.4 oz) honey

For the dough
500g (17 oz) flour
150g (5.25 oz) sugar
200g (7 oz) lard
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon honey
8g (a little more than 1/4 oz) ammonium bicarbonate (or baking soda)

For the glaze and the decoration
3 tablespoons apricot jam
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon water
Candied cherries
Pistachios, ground

Start by preparing the filling.  Best to do this the day before so it can cool down completely, and because it's time-consuming. 

Toast and roughly chop/crush all the nuts.  Chop the dried figs and candied fruits. Put all the ingredients (apart from the chocolate) in a pot over low heat and let it cook on a slow fire for 5 minutes.  Stir well.  Allow to cool completely, then add the chocolate.  Stir well and set aside.

For the dough, put all the ingredients in the bowl of a mixer with a hook attachment and knead for 5 minutes, or until you obtain a smooth and pliable dough.  Wrap tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Take the dough out and roll it into a rectangle 15 cm x 30 cm.  Make a log out of the filling and put it in the center of the rectangle.  Bring the sides of the dough up and over the filling, overlapping slightly; press to seal.  Gently transfer the log, seam side down, onto a baking sheet.  Bring the ends together to form a ring and close the joint by pressing with your fingers.

To decorate, go around the cake four times with hotdog tongs to create a zigzag pattern of angled pinches close together.  Make longer pinches by placing two pinches side-by-side, as shown.  With each pass, angle the pinch in the opposite direction.   (You can also use a fork by digging and slightly dragging it into the dough.)  Refrigerate the buccellato for 1 day BEFORE baking it.

The following day, pre-heat the oven to 390°F.  Bake the buccellato for 35 – 45 minutes, until golden brown.  Cool completely.

In the meantime, prepare the glaze by simmering all the ingredients for 5 minutes.  Brush the cold buccellato with the hot glaze.  Decorate with candied cherries and ground pistachios.

This was very challenging, and interesting.  It wasn't as good as I'd hoped, although I got compliments on it and it was almost entirely consumed.  It's one of those things you learn and perfect by doing, year after year.  The filling might benefit from being made well in advance and being allowed to ripen, if it won't go bad.  The dough was VERY soft; the pinches did not stay deeply pronounced but were still very visible.  (The softening smoothed out most of my clumsy design work.)  It was also huge – 14" in diameter and several pounds.

 

Conclusion:  This was very European-tasting. It was impressive, but more trouble and expense
than it was worth.   Very rich and sweet, it might have benefited from some ice cream to cut the intensity.  If I made it again (unlikely), I would make the pastry barely sweet so it contrasted with the filling.  I might also use all butter, as the pastry wasn't very tasty.  (That rhymes.)  I'd probably play with the filling flavoring a little more as well.  One teaspoon of vanilla?  I doubt that made any difference.  A little anise might have been nice, though, a little more salt, and perhaps a stronger booze.     

Recipe:  Buccellato via Manu's Menu, also referencing this recipe at Cooking with Rosetta.