Tag Archives: breakfast

Cinnamon Rolls

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cinnamonrolls

I wanted to try a new recipe for cinnamon rolls besides our go-to fave. I love the richness of the dough, but it does require 5 eggs and it makes 12 huge rolls. I sent a batch of these with my husband to share with volunteers this weekend; and made this smaller batch with some minor changes just to suit our preferences. Instead of white sugar, I used brown sugar for the filling and significantly less cinnamon. I also swapped the water and milk for buttermilk; and I used less butter in the filling – only two tablespoons. Oh, and instead of making 11 rolls (weird number) I made 8 slightly larger rolls that fit in the baking dish better.

Verdict: These were okay, and I guess good in a pinch if you don’t have lots of eggs on hand. The glaze is missing something too – cream cheese in my opinion. The dough was not nearly as easy to work as the other recipe, and it was actually really frustrating to cut into rolls. The differences were much more obvious because I had just made the overnight rolls…so I was really aware and very picky. I probably won’t bother making these again only because we’ve already found the best recipe. Thanks for stopping by!

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Easy Cinnamon Rolls – heavily adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Rolls-
  • 2 and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast (1 packet)
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 2 and 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 large egg
Filling-
  • 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 heaping tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
Glaze-
  • 1 cup powdered (confectioners’) sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 Tablespoons milk

Directions –

  1. Make the dough: Set aside 1/2 cup of flour. In a large bowl, toss the remaining flour, sugar, salt, and yeast together until evenly dispersed. Set aside.
  2. Heat the water, milk, and butter together in the microwave until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot to touch. About 125F-130F degrees. Stir the butter mixture into the flour mixture. Add the egg and only enough of the reserved flour to make a soft dough. I only needed 1/3 cup, but you may need the full 1/2 cup. Dough will be ready when it gently pulls away from the side of the bowl and has an elastic consistency.
  3. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 5-6 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl and let rise until doubled in bulk – about an hour.
  4. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape in a 14×8 inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter on top. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle it all over the dough. Add more cinnamon/sugar if desired. Roll up the dough tightly. Cut into 8 even pieces and place in a lightly greased 9-inch round pan. Loosely cover the rolls with plastic wrap and allow to rise overnight in your refrigerator.
  5. In the morning, take the rolls out and allow to rise until they become puffy. Preheat the oven to 350F. Bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned.
  6. Make the glaze: Right before serving, top your cinnamon rolls with glaze. Mix the powdered sugar and milk together until smooth and drizzle over rolls. If you prefer a thicker glaze, add more powdered sugar and then add salt to cut the sweetness, if desired.

Buttermilk Pancakes II and Strawberry Sauce

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I wanted to try a new recipe for pancakes that didn’t require lots of ingredients or that made a huge batch, (like our favorite, go-to recipe). The pancakes are more dense than I prefer, but I’m sure pastry flour or even cake flour would take care of that issue. I also decided to make this simple strawberry sauce because I had less than a pint of strawberries left in the fridge that needed to be used up. The strawberry sauce is so easy to throw together and would taste great on top of waffles, ice cream, cheesecake, angel food, yogurt or you could stir it into milk, or lemonade! Thanks for reading, enjoy!
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Best Buttermilk Pancakes – adapted from Nummy Kitchen
  •  2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon soda (baking soda)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 slightly beaten eggs
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter

Directions –

Sift flour, soda, salt, and sugar into bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter, stirring only until flour is barely moistened.
Bake on hot, lightly greased griddle or electric skilled heated to 375 degrees. For uniform pancakes, use a 1/4 cup measure – or use a drip-cup pitcher and count 1-2-3 as you pour. Turn cakes when center springs back to touch, or when bubbles on surface break. Flip cakes only once. Makes about 1 and 1/2 dozen 4 inch cakes.

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Strawberry Sauce – adapted from Our Best Bites 

  • 1 pint strawberries
  • 1/3 c. white sugar (*I used vanilla sugar, so I omit the extract*)
  • 1 tsp. almond extract or vanilla extract

Directions –

Wash strawberries and remove stems. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can roughly chop the berries, but I say you’re already feeling ambitious enough by making your own strawberry sauce. So don’t sweat it.

Combine berries, sugar, and extract in medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for five minutes, stirring/breaking strawberries up with a wooden spoon constantly.

After five minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. When cool enough, transfer mixture to blender and pulse until desired consistency is reached.

 

Oatmeal Banana Muffins

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The kids love to get muffins in their lunch; and these are easy and much healthier than your average muffin – and the best part? They don’t seem to notice 😉 Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Banana Oatmeal Muffins – adapted from The Lemon Bowl

  • 1¼ cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1½ c oat flour**
  • ½ c milk
  • ½ c plain yogurt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ⅓ c brown sugar – packed
  • ¼ c unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 2 large ripe bananas – mashed
  • 1 egg

Directions –

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin pan with 12 liners or spray with non-stick spray. In a large bowl, combine oats with plain yogurt and milk. Meanwhile, mix together oat flour (see note above), baking soda, baking powder, sugar, spices and salt; set aside. Add applesauce, oil, egg and mashed bananas to the oat/milk mixture and stir well. Combine dry mixture with the wet mixture and stir until incorporated. Divide batter evenly into muffin tins and bake for 18-20 minutes.

**Oat Flour: To make oat flour, simply pulse 2 cups old-fashioned oats in a food processor to create a fine meal. This should only take about 60 seconds!

Lemon Yogurt Cake

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This didn’t last long at our house!

Lemon Yogurt Cake – adapted from Ina Garten

  •  1 1/2 cups King Arthur Self-Rising flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions –

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it’s all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

Zucchini Bread

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zucchini

This one has been pinned for a while, and my friend inspired me to bake some of these off to give as teacher gifts for Valentine’s Day. I went out and bought mini loaf pans to make these the perfect size for gifting, plus small is cute! 😉 I will have to bake more teeny loaves of my favorite quick bread recipes now to justify the purchase of the pans, but that just means I can spread more of these carbs around! Next time I will use half whole wheat pastry flour and unsweetened applesauce for these, but I figured for the first try, I should make these as the recipe.

Verdict: I know my kids love this, but have yet to hear back from them about what their teachers thought. It’s always the thought that counts, but I love rave reviews as much as anyone 😉 The crust has a nice little crispness to it (probably because all of that sugar), but they’re not too sweet; and the loaves are very moist. My loaves needed to bake for 50 minutes in the mini loaf pans – just check yours every five minutes or so toward the end of baking time. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Zucchini Bread – adapted Lion House via TSG Cookin’

  • 3 cups flour (375 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup toasted chopped pecans (toasting is optional, but adds extra flavor)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup oil
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 cups grated zucchini
Directions –
  1. Preheat oven to 325-degrees F.
  2. Grease well a large 8×4 inch loaf pan or 2 small 7×3 inch loaf pans. Set aside. (Please note: There was too much batter for an 8×4-inch loaf pan. I used one 8×4-inch loaf pan and one 7×3-inch loaf pan.)
  3. In large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and toasted nuts. Set aside. (I toasted the pecans in a baking pan for 8-10 minutes in the preheated 325-degree F oven.)
  4. In separate mixing bowl, beat eggs until light and foamy. Add oil, sugar, vanilla and mix well. Stir in the zucchini.
  5. Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients. and mix just until moist. (Over-mixing causes tunnels and a coarse texture.)
  6. Pour into prepared pan or pans. (Pans should be about two-thirds full.) Bake at 325 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes for large loaf or 35 minutes for small loaves, or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Do not over-bake. (My ovens required 60-65 minutes baking time for the large loaf and 45-50 minutes baking time for the small loaf.)
  7. Remove from oven and allow bread to sit in pans for about 5 minutes. Loosen gently from sides of pan, if necessary, and turn out onto a wire rack to cool. To store, place in a closed plastic bag or wrap well in foil.

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

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blueberrycake

I made this one at least 7 months ago but haven’t gotten around to posting it; but I remember it because it is a fantastic treat for breakfast. I avoided posting because the pictures (and I took several) didn’t turn out well at all! (Click the link for a more appetizing shot). I sent my camera out a few weeks ago for repairs and it can’t come back soon enough. I’m sure I’ll make this one again soon and take a better picture. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake – adapted from Alexandra Cooks

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon
  • 3/4 cup sugar (use vanilla sugar if you have it)
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 cups fresh blueberries
  • ½ cup buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.

4. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Challah

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I had a hankerin’ for some rich, fluffy French toast, but there is a shortage of bread in my house. I failed miserably (twice) trying to braid the dough, so I baked off two 8×4 loaves instead. The dough held up well to being manipulated more than I intended 😉 With its medium density, and tight crumb it soaks up custard like a sponge without falling apart; and the resulting French toast is creamy and not too sweet. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Challah – adapted from Williams-Sonoma

  • 2 packages (5 tsp.) active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water (105° to 115°F)
  • 1/2 cup sugar (*I used vanilla sugar*)
  • 3 eggs, plus 1 egg, beaten, for glaze
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour (625 grams)
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room
    temperature

Directions –

To make the dough with a stand mixer, in the 5-quart bowl of a mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar, 3 eggs, 4 1/2 cups of the flour, the salt and butter. Place the bowl on the mixer, attach the dough hook and knead on low speed, working in the remaining flour as necessary to keep the dough from being too sticky, until the dough is smooth and elastic, 5 to 7 minutes. Do not be tempted to add too much flour. The dough should stay soft and will become less sticky with kneading. Remove the dough from the bowl.

Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in bulk, about 2 hours.

Line a half-sheet pan or rimless baking sheet with parchment paper. Punch down the dough. Using a plastic pastry scraper, scrape the dough out onto a clean work surface. To make a 4-strand braid, cut the dough into 4 equal pieces with a sharp knife or a bench scraper. Using your palms, and starting in the center and working outward, elongate 1 piece by rolling it gently against the work surface with even pressure until you have formed a rope as long as the prepared pan. Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces.

Line up the 4 strands in front of you horizontally. Cross the strand farthest from you across the other 3 strands so that it is nearest you. Cross the strand that is now next to it across the other 2 strands away from you. Position the outside strands so that they are away from the center ones, and position the center 2 strands perfectly horizontal. Bring the strand nearest you down between the 2 horizontal strands. Bring the strand farthest from you up and across to the opposite side. Again, bring the strand farthest from you down between the 2 straight strands. Bring the strand nearest you up and across to the opposite side. Starting from the strand nearest you, repeat the braiding until you reach the ends of the ropes. Pinch them together at the top and at the bottom, and tuck the strands under at the ends.

Place the braided loaf on the prepared pan, cover with a dry kitchen towel, and let rise again in a warm, draft-free spot until the loaf doubles in size and is spongy to the touch, 45 to 60 minutes.

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 350°F.

Brush the braid gently with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the seeds. Bake the braid until it is nicely browned and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Makes 1 large braided loaf.

Chocolate Chip Waffles

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I promised my kids that I would make waffles for breakfast before school…I was a slacker these past two weeks! My kids love anything with chocolate chips for breakfast, so these are perfect. This batch is huge, and now I have 60 quarters in the freezer for easy (ahem…lazy) mornings. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Waffles – adapted from Add A Pinch

  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons sugar (*I used vanilla sugar*)
  • 3 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
  • 4 cups buttermilk
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 stick butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions –

  1. Whisk together flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.
  2. Toss in chocolate chips and coat well with flour mixture.
  3. Mix together buttermilk, eggs, butter, and vanilla.
  4. Pour into dry mixture and stir together just until combined.
  5. Pour batter into waffle iron and cook to your iron’s instructions.
  6. Serve immediately with your favorite syrup.

Sky-High Buttermilk Biscuits

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Thanks to the time change this morning, I was able to get these on the table at a real “breakfast hour” 😉 I knew I wanted to make a batch of biscuits that was large enough to guarantee leftovers for freezing. I was able to make 15 large biscuits because I patted the dough out to about an inch in thickness for most of these. The new biscuit recipe did not disappoint! They are flaky, buttery and have a slight tang from the buttermilk – perfect in my opinion 🙂 Speaking of buttermilk, I haven’t bought it in over a month cause I’m a cheap-skate! I have been making it successfully by following this fool-proof recipe here. You can use any fat content of milk you like, which I appreciate. The fattier the milk, the thicker and creamier the buttermilk will be. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Buttermilk Biscuits – adapted from Simply So Good

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour (500 grams)
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup melted butter for brushing biscuits (optional)
Directions –
Preheat oven to 450 F (230 C).  Sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl.  cut in the chilled butter until the texture of coarse crumbs.  Stir in the buttermilk to form a soft dough.
Transfer the dough onto a floured surface.  Knead briefly and roll or pat to about 1 1/4 inch thick.  Cut into 3-inch rounds and arrange on a baking sheet that has been lightly greased or lined with parchment paper.  Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden.  Remove from oven and brush with melted butter.  Makes about 9 skyscraper tall biscuits.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffin

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I added all the brown sugar into the batter…woops! I have a bad habit of not reading through an entire recipe – don’t be like me 😉  I figured the extra sugar couldn’t hurt these, and I was right. I didn’t add more to the tops, but next time I will be sure to remember that “divided” step. The kids and I love these and they are really flavorful, fluffy and moist. One of the ways I safeguard against dense baked goods that require whole wheat flour, is to make the simple substitution of whole wheat pastry flour. Another easy modification is to add the buttermilk and flour in three additions to the butter/sugar/egg mixture. The resulting batter is light and fluffy and baked into 16 Fall inspired muffins. And about the temperature called for in these – I cut it back to 350 degrees on convection for 20 minutes and they came out perfectly. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins – adapted from Smitten Kitchen via King Arthur Flour

Yield: They said 12, I got 16

  • 1 cup (4 ounces) whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed, divided
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk or yogurt
  • 2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

Directions –

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease and flour 18 muffin cups and set aside.

Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix in the buttermilk gently. (If you over-mix, the buttermilk will cause the mixture to curdle.) Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on top. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.