Tortilla Breakfast Wrap (TikTok Inspired)

I made these recently after seeing them online. They were tasty and the method would be great for other wraps with different ingredients. The wrap folds up easily with just one cut (use a pizza cutter). You place 4 different ingredients in the 4 quadrants, then fold up. See the original post for more details and a vid. Natasha's Kitchen

Tortilla Breakfast Wrap

adapted from Natasha's Kitchen

Makes 1 wrap- increase for more servings

1 large tortilla, 10” or burrito size
1 1/2 strips Cooked Bacon, 3 half strips
1/2 avocado
1 large egg
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 cup Shredded Cheese, Mozzarella or Mexican Cheese
1 tsp unsalted butter, to sauté

1. Cook the bacon- use the microwave, stove, oven, or buy pre-cooked bacon strips and warm up in the microwave.  Scramble an egg– Crack an egg into a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and beat with a fork. Sauté on a buttered non-stick skillet just until cooked through. OR, fry an egg- my preferred method. Mash 1/2 avocado in a bowl with a fork and season with salt and pepper.

2. Cut a slit into the side of the tortilla closest to you, cutting just up to the center. Arrange ingredients into 4 quadrants on the tortilla (Bottom right: Eggs, Top Right: Bacon, Top Left: Avocado, Bottom Left: shredded cheese).

3. Fold tortilla – fold the bottom right quadrant up, then proceed to fold the quadrants over each other to form a triangle.

4. Sauté – Heat the same nonstick skillet over medium heat and melt in some butter. Sauté the folded tortilla until golden brown and crispy on both sides, adding more butter for the second side.

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Brown Butter Pecan Granola

Yum- I think this is the best granola I've ever made.  The brown butter/brown sugar mixture is caramel-like, the pecans add a delicious sweet crunch, and the fresh orange zest just sends it over the top.  I've made this twice recently.  In fact, my son is sitting by me eating a big bowl right now.  I doubled the oats from the original recipe, and it's perfect.  If you like granola, you should make this immediately.  This recipe comes from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, and she has a great granola tip.  In all of my granola-making years, I never knew this- do not stir the granola after bringing it out of the oven for the last time.  The mixture will harden together and you can gently break it up to have clumps.  I've never had clumps before now.  (It tastes great either way, though.)  I stir it a second-to-last time, and then put it in for 2 more minutes, then remove from the oven.  Mel grinds the pecans up for this recipe, but I just added choppped pecans to the mixture and loved it.  

Brown Butter Pecan Granola

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

½ cup salted butter
¼ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup pecans
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup  raw or sprouted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
½ cup  unsweetened coconut flakes
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest, optional (from one orange)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon coarse, kosher salt

1.  Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray OR line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

2.  Over medium heat, melt the butter in a stainless steel skillet or saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until the butter foams and then browns, 5-6 minutes. Watch carefully so the butter doesn’t burn. You just want the itty bitty solids that separate from the butter to turn golden brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the brown sugar, honey, and vanilla. Set aside.

3.  In a large bowl, combine the pecans, oats, pumpkin seeds, coconut, orange zest (if using), cinnamon and salt. Pour the brown butter syrup mixture over the top and stir to combine evenly.

4.  Spread the granola into an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 45-60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, until the granola smells fragrant and is a nicely toasted golden color. The granola will look wet as you stir and might even look a bit wet coming out of the oven. It will dry as it cools. (Resist the urge to stir it as it comes out of the oven- let it harden as it cools so you can crumple it into clumps.)  

5.  Let the granola cool completely on the baking sheet. Crumble into pieces. Store in an airtight container at room temperature (it will keep well for 1-2 weeks).

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Pumpkin Muffins II

I have a favorite recipe for Pumpkin Muffins, but the recipe calls for a lot of oil.  Even when I cut the oil in half, it's still 3/4 cup of oil.  This recipe only calls for 1/2 cup, and still uses one whole can of pumpkin (I love pumpkin recipes that use the whole can!).  The two recipes taste very similar to me- I'll have to make the other ones again this fall to compare, but I think these are just as good as the old ones.  I took Smitten Kitchen's recipe for pumpkin bread, put it in muffin tins (she does state it can fill 18 muffin tins, and it does), added some chocolate chips, and skipped the cinnamon-sugar topping.  My house smells great and this is a great, quick fall recipe.  It only uses one bowl, too! 

Pumpkin Muffins

adapted from Smitten Kitchen, makes 18 muffins

1 15-ounce can (1 3/4 cups) pumpkin puree
1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable, sunflower, or another neutral cooking oil or melted butter (115 grams)
3 large eggs
1 2/3 (330 grams) cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Heaped 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
Heaped 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Two pinches of ground cloves
2 1/4 cups (295 grams) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup milk or mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (or a mixture)

1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 18 muffin tins with paper liners.  

2.  In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs and sugar until smooth. Sprinkle baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinanmon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves over batter and whisk until well-combined. Add flour and chocolate chips and stir with a spoon, just until mixed. Scoop into prepared tins. (I used my biggest cookie scoop.)

3.  Bake muffins for 20 minutes or until a tester poked into a muffin come out batter-free.  Cool and serve.  

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Butterscotch Oatmeal

This is a recipe I've been making all during lockdown, because I have time to do such things in the morning now.  It's not really butterscotch-y so much, but it's delish and easy.  There's an egg in it, but you can't taste it; it blends in and adds richness like an egg in rice pudding.  I cut the sugar in half on this recipe; and it's still plenty sweet.

Butterscotch Oatmeal
adapted from Allrecipes
Makes 2 Servings 

1 egg, beaten
1 3/4 cups milk
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons butter

1.  In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the egg, milk and brown sugar. Mix in the oats. When the oatmeal begins to boil, cook and stir until thick. Remove from the heat, and stir in butter until melted. Serve immediately.

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English Crumpets

These were so fun to make! I've been wanting to make them for a few weeks; a nice project during lockdown.  I've only had crumpets a few times, from Trader Joe's when I lived in the States, and then last spring, we bought some in Gibraltar during our Spain trip. 

You make a loose yeast batter and let it rest a while, then you add a mixture of water and baking soda, let it sit about 30 min, and cook them on a griddle or skillet.  You don't have to knead, since the dough is really wet, it wouldn't work anyway.  I used my Kitchenaid.  Oh, you'll need egg rings or something to cook these in, or the batter will run everywhere.  Luckily I have a set on hand.

English Crumpets
adapted from the Daring Gourmet

2 cups all-purpose flour (can substitute half bread flour)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm milk
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1.  Stir the sugar and yeast into the warm milk and let it rest for 10 minutes until frothy. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer combine the flour and salt.

2.  Add the liquid to the flour mixture and stir/knead until a thick dough forms. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment and beat the mixture for about 3 minutes until a thick dough forms. (Don't add more flour like making regular bread- this dough is loose.)  Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place for at least an hour or up to two to let the dough rise (it should nearly double in size). This stage is important for the formation of the bubbles that will later form the classic holes in the crumpets. 

3.  Dissolve the baking soda in the warm water and add it to the dough. If using a stand mixer, beat the batter for a minute or two. Or use an electric mixer to beat the batter. If some small lumps remain that's okay. Any remaining lumps will dissolve during the next resting stage.

4.  Cover the batter and let it rest in a warm place for at least 30 minutes. After 30 minutes the batter should be nice and bubbly.

5.  Prepare the crumpet/egg rings by oiling the inside of each rim.  Lightly oil the frying pan. You can use a regular skillet, an electric griddle, or a cast iron pan. Place the rings in the frying pan over medium-high heat.

6.  Once the rings are hot, pour the batter into each ring until it's slightly more than half full. Cooking time will vary depending on your stovetop and frying pan but these will cook for approx 8-10 minutes (the time will vary according to the kind of cooktop and cookware you're using. Just be sure to keep an eye on them to ensure they don't burn on the bottom. Lower the temp as needed to finish off the cooking). Turn the heat down as needed to prevent burning. The batter will begin to rise and bubble on top. After several minutes when the tops are cooked and the classic pores/holes are present with the bottoms lightly browned, your crumpets are done. Note: My crumpets weren't really done-looking on top at this point, so I cooked the other side as well.  I used the tip of a sharp knife to loosen the crumpet from the ring.  Using oven mitts, grab the ring and flip the whole thing over.  Gently push the crumpet down so it comes into contact with the cooking surface.

7.  Serve the crumpets immediately slathered with butter, jam, or honey. To reheat later, toast them in the toaster. Can also be frozen, thaw first before toasting. (Crumpets are eaten whole/open-faced and are not sliced in half horizontally.) 

Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Icing

I made these a few weeks ago for a special breakfast.  My daughter loves cinnamon rolls but I only bake them once or twice a year, lol.  Luckily I bought a fresh jar of yeast right before this craziness started, and my local store still had flour regularly until a few days ago.  I'm sorry for those who can't get these things right now. (I can't find any more yeast to buy now, though... hope there is more when I need it!)

Anyway.... these cinnamon rolls were so good! I took a recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe for the rolls themselves and used my own caramel icing.  I loved this combo.  The buttermilk cinnamon rolls were so fluffy and tender.  I think I'll use this as my base for cinnamon rolls from now on and just change up the icing.

Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Icing
adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and Here

ROLLS:

3/4 cup buttermilk, warm (try pouring the buttermilk in a glass liquid measuring cup and microwave for 1 minute on 50% power)
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
1 tablespoon regular* or instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups flour

FILLING:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Caramel Icing:
1/2 cup butter
1/2  cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (can just use milk, too)
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar

1.  For the dough, add the warmed buttermilk and butter to a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or you can use a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon). With the mixer running, add the eggs, sugar, yeast, salt and 1 cup of the flour. *If using regular (non-instant) yeast, proof in a bowl first with warm buttermilk and a pinch of sugar- then continue on. 

2.  Continue adding flour, just until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It should be very soft but not so sticky that it leaves a ton of residue on your fingers. Let it knead for just 1-2 minutes until it has come together in a soft, tacky ball.

3.  Place the dough in a large, lightly greased bowl and cover the top tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, around 2 to 2 1/2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen (you can speed up the rising by placing the covered bowl of dough in a very lightly warmed oven).

4.  Meanwhile, lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish   In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together. Set aside.

5.  When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a lightly greased counter and press it into a 16 by 12-inch rectangle.  Gently spread the softened butter over the rectangle, using an offset spatula or rubber spatula or just your fingers.

6.  Sprinkle on the brown sugar mixture, leaving a 1/2-inch border along the top and bottom edges. Lightly use the palms of your hands to press the brown sugar mixture into the butter, adhering it to the dough.
Lift the longest edge closest to you and begin rolling the dough into a tight log. Pinch the seam closed and roll the log so it is seam side down. Gently stretch the log to be 15- or so inches in length with an even diameter all the way throughout and pat the ends to even them up.

7.  Using a serrated knife, (or a piece of thread or floss) slice the log into 12 evenly sized rolls (or more if you like your rolls thinner). Arrange the rolls cut side down on the prepared baking pan and cover with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours; it's really important to let them rise well or else they won't be light and fluffy after they've baked. (You can put them in the fridge overnight here.... works out perfectly.  Just remove from the fridge while the oven preheats in the morning.)

8.  Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes, until the rolls are very lightly golden on top and cooked through but not overly browned.

9.  While rolls are baking, prepare the caramel icing: Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the brown sugar and salt and stir until combined. Continue cooking over low heat for another 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly. Add the heavy whipping cream or milk and stir to combine. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Whisk in the powdered sugar until nice and smooth. (I always have lumps in my icing because I'm too lazy to sift the powdered sugar.... but you can if you want.)

7. Remove rolls from oven and pour on icing immediately, or let them cool a few minutes and then pour on. Let cool slightly and serve.

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Baked Steel Cut Oats

This recipe is great because you prepare it overnight and let it sit in the fridge.  Then, the next morning, you just bake it.  It's hearty and healthy.  I love another baked oatmeal recipe, and that one used a lot of butter.  It's good, but I feel better about eating this one.

When you make this, it won't be pretty.  Lol.  It's because of the blueberries (I just used a whole bag of frozen blueberries, I think it was 12 oz.)  But, it will taste and smell great!

Baked Steel Cut Oats
adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

1 cup steel cut oats
3/4 cup sliced almonds or chopped walnuts
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 2/3 cups almond milk (or cow's milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/3 cup pure maple syrup (or brown sugar)
1 tablespoon coconut oil or butter, melted
1 – 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (can use a bit more if you want)

1.  In a medium bowl mix the oats, almonds, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together.

2.  In another bowl or in a liquid measuring cup, whisk the milk, vanilla, egg, maple syrup or brown sugar and coconut oil (or butter) together until smooth. It’s ok that the coconut oil/butter will solidify and form small clumps.  Pour the wet ingredients over the oatmeal mixture and stir to combine.

3.  Lightly grease a 9X9-inch baking dish (can use a similar sized baking dish of any shape – 9X9-inch or larger but smaller than a 9X13-inch).

4.  Toss the blueberries over the bottom of the dish. Give the oatmeal mixture a final stir and pour over the top of the blueberries (if using frozen blueberries, the oatmeal will definitely take on more of a blue-ish hue than if using fresh). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (8-12 hours).

5.  In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, uncover the baking dish and bake for 55-60 minutes until the mixture is set and oats are tender but still slightly chewy. Stir to combine, if desired, or just scoop out in portions as is. Serve with additional milk (to stir into the oatmeal), if desired.

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Pumpkin Buttermilk Pancakes II

I already have a recipe for Pumpkin Pancakes on here.  It's similar but not exactly the same.  I wanted to try this new one and was very happy with it.  The family enjoyed these too.  (Except my then 5-year old is now 14, and still didn't want to try them!!  Dork!! Lol).  I used my own pumpkin puree for this but feel free to use canned.  Whatever you prefer or have on hand.

Pumpkin Buttermilk Pancakes
adapted from Cooking Classy

2 cups (282g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 cup (55g) packed light brown sugar
1 cup (245g) pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups (350ml) buttermilk
3 Tbsp (1.5 oz) butter, melted, plus more cold butter for griddle
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

1.  Preheat a non-stick electric griddle to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Make a large well in center of mixture and set aside.

2.  In a medium mixing bowl whisk together pumpkin, buttermilk, brown sugar, melted butter, eggs and vanilla until well combined. Pour into well in dry mixture and whisk just until combined (batter should be slightly lumpy, don't over-mix). Let batter rest 3 minutes.

3.  Spray griddle with non-stick spray.  Pour about 1/3 cup of batter at a time onto griddle. Spread out a little if needed.  Cook until golden brown on bottom, then flip and cook opposite side until golden. Repeat process until all of the batter has been used. Serve warm with butter and maple syrup.

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Overnight Eggnog French Toast

We had this for dinner on New Year's Day.  I knew we wouldn't be awake enough to have it for breakfast, and I was too tired New Year's Eve night to prepare it anyway.  (It should be refrigerated for 8 hours before baking.) It was a nice breakfast-for-dinner thing to do on New Year's.  We had so many appetizers the night before, nobody felt like a big fancy meal anyway.  This would make a great Christmas breakfast, too.

I loved the eggnog flavor of this! Eggnog is probably almost gone from stores by now, but this is a great send-off for it.  I hope everyone had wonderful holidays.

Note: I used Pandoro bread/cake for this.  It's like Panetonne but has no dried fruit inside, and it comes from Verona.  It was perfect for this.

Overnight Eggnog French Toast
adapted from The Kitchn

1 loaf challah, brioche, Portuguese Sweet bread, Panetonne or Pandoro (about 16 ounces), cut into 1-inch-thick slices
6 large eggs
3 cups eggnog
1 cup whole or 2% milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar, ground cinnamon, and warm maple syrup, for serving

1.  Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F. Spread the bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast until dry and very lightly golden-brown, about 8-10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

2. Grease a 3-quart or 9x13-inch baking dish.  Cut or tear the bread slices into roughly 1-inch pieces and place them in the prepared baking dish in an even layer.

3.  Whisk the eggnog, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a large bowl. Pour evenly over the bread cubes and gently press down with your hands to make sure all of the bread gets saturated. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate for a few hour or overnight.

4.  To bake, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F.

5.  Uncover the french toast. Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the tips of the bread are lightly toasted, 45 to 50 minutes in a metal pan or up to 55 minutes in a glass or ceramic pan. If the crust seems like it's getting dark before the custard is done, tent the dish loosely with foil. (I left the foil on for the first 30 minutes and then uncovered it.  It worked very well.)

6.  Transfer the bread pudding to a wire rack and let stand at least 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cinnamon and serve with warm maple syrup.

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Small Batch Granola

This is a great recipe from Joy the Baker.  I actually doubled the recipe, lol, so it wasn't small-batch for me.  But granola lasts forever if stored correctly.  I'm the only one who eats it in my house, but it still lasted until I finished it.  I like how this recipe uses coconut oil and cinnamon.  One can use either whole or sliced almonds in this.

Small Batch Granola
adapted from Joy the Baker
easily doubled

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
2 tablespoons lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup raw whole or sliced almonds
1/3 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

1.  Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2.  In a medium bowl, toss together oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

3.  In a small bowl, whisk together maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients and toss until all of the oat mixture is coated in moisture.
Spread in an even layer on the prepared baking pan and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, toss in the almonds, and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss in the coconut flakes and bake for 10 minutes until everything is golden brown.

4.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before storing or serving.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

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Cornbread Pancakes with Strawberry Compote

We just got back from a long vacation, and I made these before that. They were very good.  I just used a 16-oz bag of frozen sliced strawberries for this and it worked out perfectly. I put Mascarpone cheese on mine instead of butter- I really liked this with the strawberry compote.  (We had to use up the mascarpone before our trip)

I'll post about my trip later- we went to Westport, WA, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton.  I loved it!

Cornbread Pancakes with Strawberry Compote
adapted from The Kitchn
Serves 4-6

For the compote:
3 cups stemmed and quartered strawberries (or 16 oz. frozen strawberries)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the pancakes:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup whole milk
2 large egg yolks
2 large egg whites
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Butter or neutral oil, for cooking

1.  Make the compote: Place the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries have released much of their liquid, and the liquid is syrupy and fragrant, about 15 minutes.

2.  Make the pancakes: Whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl; set aside.

3.  Place the buttermilk, milk, and egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add the butter and whisk to combine. Pour over the flour mixture and stir gently just until you no longer see any dry flour; set aside.

4.  Place the egg whites in a small bowl and whisk until foamy and doubled in volume. (Can use a stand mixer for this.)  Fold the egg whites into the batter and stir until you no longer see any streaks of whites. Let the batter rest until thickened and slightly foamy, at least 5 minutes or up to 1 hour.

5.  Heat 1 tablespoon of oil or pat of butter in a large nonstick frying pan, a griddle, or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until the butter foams but doesn't brown or the oil shimmers. Using a 1/4 to 1/2-cup measure, drop the pancake batter into the skillet. The batter should spread.

6.  Watch for bubbles to start forming on the surface of the pancake. Cook until the bubbles burst, the edges of the pancake look set, and the bottom is golden-brown, about 2 1/2 minutes. Adjust the heat as needed if it seems like the pancakes are cooking too quickly or slowly. Flip the pancake and cook until the second side is golden-brown, about 2 1/2 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve with more butter and the strawberry compote.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Caramel Monkey Bread

I combined two recipes already on here (in a real cooking funk lately, obviously.... I don't even have new recipes anymore!) to make this delicious caramel cinnamon monkey bread.  Our family loves this caramel frosting.  It made a little too much for the rolls, but we just dipped them in it.  Sugar for days.

Caramel Monkey Bread
rolls from here, icing from here

Dough:
3 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
1 cup milk, warm (about 110 degrees)
1/3 cup water, warm (about 110 degrees)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface (I used one cup whole wheat pastry)
2 teaspoons salt

Brown Sugar Coating:
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), melted

Icing:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar (try reducing to 2/3 or 1/2 cup)
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar

1. Butter a Bundt pan (a non-stick pan works best) with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Use a pastry brush to really help get inside all of those nooks and crannies. Set aside.

2. In a large liquid measuring cup, mix together the milk, water, 2 Tbs. melted butter, sugar, and yeast. Mix the flour and salt together in a standing mixer fitted with dough hook. Turn the machine to low and slowly add the milk mixture. After the dough comes together, increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is shiny and smooth, 6 to 7 minutes. If you think the dough is too wet (i.e. having a hard time forming a cohesive mass), add 2 tablespoons flour at a time and mix until the dough comes together (it should still be on the sticky side, just not overly wet). I had to add about an extra 2/3 cup flour because of my humid climate. Coat a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat lightly with the cooking spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled, 1-2 hours (alternately, you can preheat the oven to 200 degrees, turning it off once it reaches 200 degrees and place the covered bowl in the oven to speed up the rising time).

3. For the sugar coating, while the dough is rising, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Place the melted butter in a second bowl or shallow pie plate. Set aside.

4. To form the bread, gently remove the dough from the bowl and press it into a rough 8-inch square. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut the dough into 64 pieces. I found it easiest to divide the huge mass into 4 pieces, and then make 16 out of each 4th. See, you DO use math in the real world!!! I just got a bench scraper, BTW, and LOVE it!

5. Roll each dough piece into a ball (it doesn’t have to be perfect, just get it into a rough ball-shape). Working one at a time, dip the balls in melted butter, allowing excess butter to drip back into the bowl or pie plate. Roll the dipped dough ball in the brown sugar mixture, then layer the balls in the Bundt pan, staggering the seams where the dough balls meet as you build layers. You may need a little extra sugar/cinnamon mixture.

6. Cover the Bundt pan tightly with plastic wrap and let the monkey bread rise until puffy and they have risen 1-2 inches from the top of the pan, 1-2 hours (again, you can use the warm oven approach to speed this up).

7. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F (remove the pan from the oven if you placed it there to rise). Unwrap the pan and bake until the top is deep brown and caramel begins to bubble around edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Cover with foil at the end if browning too quickly. Cool the monkey bread in the pan for 5 minutes (any longer and the bread will be too sticky and hard to remove!), then turn out on a platter or large plate and allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

8. While rolls are cooling, prepare the caramel icing: Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the brown sugar and salt and stir until combined. Continue cooking over low heat for another 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly. Add the heavy whipping cream and stir to combine. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Whisk in the powdered sugar until nice and smooth. Pour most of the icing over the monkey bread.  Reserve some for dipping, if desired.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Overnight Cinnamon Sugar Sweet Rolls

We had these for Easter breakfast.  I made the dough the morning before, let it rise in the fridge all day, then formed the rolls that night before bed.  On Easter morning, I just had to remove them from the fridge while the oven preheated, then make the icing as they were baking.  They were well-received, but I think my kids wanted more icing.  I thought they were perfect though.  Especially on a holiday like Easter where there's lots of chocolate floating around.  This recipe is from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, and she has another version using strawberry jam that looks really good.  For step-by-step photos on how to form these into rolls, head over to Mel's website, which is really helpful.

Overnight Cinnamon Sugar Sweet Rolls

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Dough:
4 1/2 cups (22.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons instant yeast
1/3 cup (2.5 ounces) granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs (7 ounces)
1 1/4 cup hot water
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) butter, melted

Filling:
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) butter, melted
1/2 cup (3,75 ounces) granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Glaze:
1 cup (4 ounces) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 tablespoons milk, plus more if needed
Splash of vanilla extract

1.  In a large bowl (to allow for about 7-8 cups of dough to double in bulk), whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

2.  In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, whisk together the eggs and pour them into the well. Use the same measuring cup for the hot water. Pour it around the edges of the well (not directly on the eggs) and then add the melted butter to the bowl. Use a large spoon to mix the ingredients together until a soft, rather wet dough is formed. It won't look like traditional cinnamon roll dough; it will be much softer and it's ok if it looks a bit lumpy.  Cover the bowl with greased plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for 8-10 hours.

3.  Using about 1/4 - 1/3 cup flour (more or less), dust a clean countertop. Lightly punch down the chilled dough and roll it out on the floured counter to a long, skinny rectangle (about 24-inches long and 7 or 8-inches wide).

4.  Spread the 4 tablespoons melted butter on the rectangle. It will solidify and be easier to work with as you spread it on the chilly rectangle of dough. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and spread it on top of the butter, lightly pressing it in.

5.  Fold one long edge of the rectangle up to meet the other long edge so the dough is folded in half. Use a pizza cutter or knife and cut the dough into 1-inch strips. With each strip, hold an end in each hand and twist it up several times and roll it around the center into a circle (see pictures below for a visual). Place on a large, rimmed baking sheet (11X17-inch) lined with parchment paper (about 12 per tray).

6.  Cover the trays with greased, plastic wrap and let the rolls rise until puffy and doubled, an hour or so.

7.  Bake at 375 degrees F for 12-14 minutes until just barely golden on top (don't overbake or they'll be dry).

8.  For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla. Add more milk as needed until the glaze is thick but pourable. Let the rolls cool for 5 or so minutes before drizzling with glaze.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **