We all deal with stress differently. Some work out, some go to a gun range, some have a cocktail. Me? I bake.

When I lived in Boulder one of my usual habits was coming home, throwing aside my bag, turning on the oven, and grabbing things from my pantry. I’d throw myself into a recipe with abandon, forget everything else about my day, and just bake. Last Thursday was one of those days. Not enough hours in the day, everyone was tense and overworked, surprise reshoots sprung on us, etc. I came home totally stressed, turned my brain off, and made cinnaswirl bread.

There’s nothing quite like the smell of cinnamon sugar caramelizing on fresh toast, so you can only imagine the awesome smell that permeates every inch of your apartment (or kitchen or house or what have you) when you bake this bread. I will warn you, it is an extremely drawn-out process (almost 4 hours of proofing total, plus 40 minutes of baking, plus 30 minutes of kneading/general prep), so don’t just start this bread without time to finish it. But please finish it. Trust me. Whether it’s for stress relief or just stuffing your face (or both) – it’s well worth the wait.

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Cinnaswirl Bread

Based on the recipe from The Pioneer Woman.

Makes 1 hearty loaf.

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk
• 10 Tbsp. butter, divided
• 2½ tsp. active dry yeast
• 2 whole large eggs
• 2/3 cup sugar, divided
• 3½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. table salt
• 2 Tbsp. cinnamon
• 1 egg and 3 Tbsp. milk beaten together
• 4 Tbsp. softened butter, for brushing and greasing the pan

Directions

1.) In a small saucepan, heat 6 Tbsp. butter with milk over medium-low heat until melted. Let cool to about 110° F. Sprinkle yeast into milk, stir gently, and let sit 10 minutes.

2.) Combine flour and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat eggs and 1/3 cup sugar until combined. Pour in milk-butter-yeast mixture and mix. Add half of the flour mixture and beat to combine. Add remaining flour and mix. Remove the paddle attachment and attach the dough hook.

3.) Knead the dough 8-10 minutes until the gluten develops. The dough will be pretty sticky, but if too sticky to handle, add another few Tbsp. flour and knead a few more minutes.

4.) Take a large glass bowl and fill it with hot running water. Let the bowl warm up, rinse it out, and dry well. Add a little vegetable oil to the bowl. Dump the dough into the oiled bowl and turn over a few times to coat. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set somewhere warm and draft-free to rise for 2 hours. (My trick: wet a washcloth and heat it up in the microwave for 2 minutes, creating a little sauna in your microwave. Quickly switch out the cloth for the bowl and shut the door.)

5.) After 2 hours, flour a large working surface. Combine remaining 1/3 cup sugar and 2 Tbsp. cinnamon in a small bowl. Dump the dough onto the floured surface and punch the air out, then roll into a rectangle no wider than the loaf pan, but 18-24 inches long. Spread 2 Tbsp. softened butter over rectangle, then sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar evenly.

6.) Starting at nearest end, roll dough away from you, keeping it tight and contained. Pinch seams on end and along the length of the loaf to seal.

7.) Grease loaf pan with remaining 2 Tbsp. softened butter. Place dough, seam down, in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 90 minutes.

8.) Preheat oven to 350° F. Brush loaf with some (but not all) egg-milk mixture and bake for 40 minutes on a middle/lower rack in the oven. Once done, remove from the pan and allow bread to cool completely on wire rack. Slice and serve with plenty of butter!

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: baking, bread, breakfast, sweet

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I know I posted some healthy, conscientious, figure-friendly banana chocolate chip muffins awhile ago. They’re great. Delicious. Healthy.

These are greater. More delicious. Not healthy. Many more chocolate chips. A lot more butter. A lot.

I made these as a thank-you gift to Rach’s sister who graciously let us stay at her house this past weekend during my visit to Minnesota. I had the most awesome time in Minnesota seeing Rach and my other girlfriend Steph for the first time since graduation. We laughed, we cooked, we watched Jon Woo movies. It was just like old times. And these muffins was our glorious breakfast for the weekend. The espresso powder doesn’t do much but make the chocolate really sing, and these are so moist they keep for days with no loss in texture or taste.

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Not-Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Based on the recipe from Baked.

Makes 15 muffins.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 3 large bananas)
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray 2 large muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, loosely whisk together the bananas, sugars, butter, milk, and egg. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, instant espresso powder, baking soda and salt. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

2.) Pour the mixture into the prepared muffin tins and bake 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Let cool completely on a cooling rack (in the pan) and then remove. The flavor actually gets better the next day, so keep in a airtight storage container and store up to 4 days.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: baking, banana, breakfast, sweet

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This dessert is a total cheat. It’s honestly like breakfast for dessert to me because I have Greek yogurt w/strawberries, honey, and nuts for breakfast practically every day. Yet the idea of changing the vehicle, adding more crunch, and sort of morphing it into a really refreshing and easy summer dessert seemed divine. Especially since you can crisp the wontons far in advance and then just assemble come dinnertime.

I’d serve this dessert with a nice glass of chilled rosé or really good coffee (and maybe dip an extra wonton or two in it…) paired with a summer breeze.

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Strawberry Wonton Sandwiches

Based on the recipe from Everyday Food.

Makes 6 sandwiches.

Ingredients

• 12 wonton wrappers
• 1 TBL unsalted butter, melted
• 3 TBL vanilla sugar (if you have it, otherwise just use plain sugar)
• ¼ cup almonds, chopped fine
• 1 cup Greek yogurt (I like 0% but it could be a bit strong for some, so use whatever you like!)
• 2 TBL orange blossom honey
• 8oz fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out the wontons on it. Brush wontons with melted butter and then sprinkle with sugar and almonds. Bake until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.

2.) Divide yogurt between 6 wontons, drizzle with honey and strawberries, and then top with extra wonton. Serve immediately with coffee.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: dessert, fast and easy, fruit, summer, sweet

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Oh, Easter. In a way you’re my favorite holiday in the culinary world more than any other because your day is devoted to breakfast and brunch, in which all my favorite foods reside. I was going nuts trying to choose what exactly to make for my Easter entry since there is no breakfast/brunch food I don’t love (no – really), and in the end, I had to go with one sweet and one savory dish (to be posted later).

Although we did a lot of the traditional Polish/Catholic customs for Easter growing up (dyeing eggs, strict lent, attending all Easter masses), our usual Easter fare wasn’t Polish at all. We’d have a big breakfast of sweet and savory things like scrambled eggs, potatoes o’brian, and Pillsbury cinnamon rolls before heading to church where I would secretly eat the Eggums I had snuck in my pockets and get disapproving looks from my mother. Then for dinner it would be bone-in ham, au gratin potatoes, and cornbread. There just wasn’t much Polish influence in our meals, so as much as I love my heritage and the food it offers, I decided to go with something we always enjoyed at our modern American Easter brunches.

The Doughboy certainly produces a delicious and fast cinnamon roll, but these just put him to shame. Although mine don’t make that glorious thoomp! sound when you make them, they are still ooey-gooey and rich cinnamon rolls with that cream cheese icing I could just eat by the bowlful. They require very little work (just time to rise) and once you’ve tried a homemade cinnamon roll, you’ll never touched the canned ones again.

Eggs, butter, buttermilk.

Dough + melted butter.

Eat your heart out, Cinnabon.

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Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 12 rolls.

Adjusted for altitude, but based on the recipe from Serious Eats.

Ingredients

For the rolls:

• ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk, warm
• 1 stick unsalted butter, separated into 6 and 2 tablespoons, melted
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 4¼ cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• scant ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1¾ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1¼ teaspoons salt
• Scant ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

For the frosting:

• 4 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
• 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
• 3 tablespoons buttermilk

Directions

1. Whisk the ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons warm buttermilk, 6 tablespoons of the melted butter, and eggs together.

2. In a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the flour, granulated sugar, yeast, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and mix until the dough comes together, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

3. Turn the dough out onto a clean counter and knead by hand to form a smooth, round ball, about 1 minute. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn over a few times until evenly coated, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, checking after an hour.

4. Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and a dash of salt together in a small bowl. Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured counter and press it into a 12 by 16 inch rectangle. Brush the dough with 1 tablespoon melted butter and sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over, leaving a ¾-inch border along the top edge. Press on the filling to make it adhere to the dough as best you can.

5. Roll the dough into a tight cylinder and pinch the seams on the end and the length of the roll closed. Gently roll the cylinder until it is 18 inches long and has an even diameter. Slice into 12 evenly sized rolls using a serrated knife or bench scraper. Arrange the rolls cut-side down in a 9×13 inch glass baking dish that has been greased with the remaining tablespoon of melted butter. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the rolls have nearly doubled in size and are pressed against one another, checking after about an hour.

6. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Bake until the rolls are golden and puffed, 20 to 25 minutes. Flip the rolls out onto a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes.

7. Whisk the cream cheese and 3 tablespoons buttermilk together until thick and smooth. Sift the confectioners’ sugar over the mixture and whisk until smooth, about 30 seconds. Flip the rolls upright and drizzle the glaze over them.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: breakfast, holiday, indulge, spring, sweet

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My last few baking adventures have definitely not been swimsuit-season minded, to say the least. Chocolate cake and lemon bars and snickerdoodles… butter was definitely a theme these past few weeks. Thankfully since my gym is within walking distance of my apartment it hasn’t become an issue… yet. But there’s nothing wrong with nipping things in the bud and making a healthy(er) sweet treat once in awhile.

When I found this recipe I thought “Banana and chocolate… low fat? Sign me up!” yet I was still dubious. So many things claim to be delicious and satisfying yet healthy, and mostly fail. Especially baked sweets. Even as I ate the batter thinking “Wow, this is good…’ I still doubted the outcome. But good God almighty was I proven wrong with these muffins. They’re not only some of the tastiest muffins I’ve ever tried period, they really do only have 165 calories a muffin! I refused to believe it until I did the math myself because they are just. that. good.

The moistness is out of control with the bananas, the sweetness level is just right but not overpowering, and by cleverly using mini morsels and sprinkling them over only the top of the muffins, you get that delicious bit of chocolate, without adding the extra calories. No stand mixer required, too! They really are almost too good to be true…

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Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Makes 12 muffins.

I’ve adjusted for altitude here in my version, so feel free to use the original below.

Based on the recipe from RecipeGirl.

Ingredients

• 1¼ cups mashed ripe banana
• 2/3 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons nonfat yogurt
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• ¾ cup whole grain oat flour (if you can’t find oat flour or it’s expensive, just grind up some oats until they’re fine like flour)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 375 °F with rack set in center of oven. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper cups and then spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

2.) In a large mixing bowl, mix together the bananas, honey, yogurt, applesauce, egg whites, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wheat flour, oat flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet, being sure to not overstir.

3.) Pour batter into muffin cups evenly and then sprinkle the ¼ cup of mini chocolate chips over all 12 muffins (not ¼ cup per muffin!). Bake 12-16 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes on a cooling rack and then remove the muffins from the pan to cool completely.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: baking, chocolate, healthy rethink, high altitude, sweet

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