Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls

These cinnamon rolls or snegle are a classic in many countries. And for good reason. They taste fantastic. Sweet, soft with the right amount of  cinnamon, Yum yum yum.

In Denmark this type of cinnamon rolls are called Onsdagssnegle (Wednesday Snails) if they are made in size XXL. Acutely they are often bigger than a DVD. Personally I like the smaller ones, they have a better cinnamon to bread ratio.  The snail part might not sound particularly delicious, but it is referring to the shape of the cake, the swirl of the snails shell. 

Makes 20-24.

Ingredients:

• 50 g live yeast ( 4 teaspoons dry yeast)

• 175 g butter, salted

• 500 ml milk

• 175 g sugar

• 2 teaspoons cardamom

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 200 g whole wheat flour

• 600-650 g all-purpose flour

filling:

• 150 g butter, salted, room temperature

• 100 g brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Frosting:

• confectionary sugar

• water or lemon juice

Directions:

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Warm the milk in a saucepan until finger-warm, remove pan from the heat. Melt the butter in the warm milk. Crumble the yeast into the warm milk and stir to dissolve. 

Add the liquid to the dry ingredients, and knead the dough for 3 minutes, to form an elastic dough. 

Let the dough rise for 30-40 minutes until doubled in size. . 

Mix the filling and set aside.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and roll it to a large rectangle (16x16 inches/40x40 cm).

Spread the filling in a thin layer onto the dough, leaving a thin edge closest to your self, without filling.

Roll the dough into a large log, pinching edges together to seal. Cut the log into 20-24 slices. Grease sides and bottom of a baking pan.

Place the slices fairly close together. Cover and leave to rise for another 40-50 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 425℉ (220℃). 

Bake the rolls for 10-14 minutes until golden brown. 

Leave them to cool in the pan. 

Frost the cinnamon rolls before serving.

Enjoy!

Crispy Baguettes

Normally I buy baguettes if I need them. But why not bake them myself? When I have a passion for bread baking, I need a good baguette recipe. And here it is. Not a classic white baguette, but with a little addition of whole wheat and rye for extra flavor. It turnt out to be fantastic. 

Getting the perfect crust on bread is a science. But I think I cracked the code. Steam we need steam, and folding the baguettes and you will get the perfect perfect oven spring and crust.

Makes 3.

Ingredients:

• 30 g live yeast (3 teaspoons dry yeast)
• 420 ml water, lukewarm 
• 1¼ teaspoon salt
• 50 g whole wheat flour
• 50 g dark rye flour
• 450 g all-purpose flour

Directions:

Dissolve the yeast in the water. Add flours and salt, and knead the dough for about 8 minutes. 

Let the dough rise covered in room temperature for about 1½ hours.

Divide the dough into 3. Fold the dough into it self and shape it to a ball, building up the surface tension. Place the ball smooth surface down on a flour dusted surface. Let the dough rest covered for 10-15 minutes.

Fold it a third over and seal the edge with a light press with the lower palm. Flatten again. Fold the other edge over and seal again.

Repeat this. Turn the seal downwards. Gently roll the baguette from the center and out. Tempering the ends a bit. 

Place baguette on a parchment paper lined baking sheet or on a baguette baking sheet.

Let the baguette rise for another 20 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 450℉ (230 ℃). Place a old baking sheet on the lower rack in the oven.

Make 3 diagonal slashes in each baguette with a wafer or a sharp knife.

Bake the baguettes in the middle of the oven.

Splash about ¼ cup of water in old baking sheet, and close the oven quickly. You need the steam to get the best oven spring and crust. 

Bake the baguettes for about 15-18 minutes, until golden.

Let the baguettes cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Mazarin Cupcakes

Mazarin Cupcakes

Mazarin cake is yet another Danish classic. I made a similar cake before, but this ones is a quick take on the Mazarin Cake. Instead of making one big cake, I opted for the smaller cupcake, in perfect serving size.
A classic Mazarin cake is covered in chocolate. By icing the small cupcakes with a ganache, I didn't have to temper the chocolate, and I got a bolder chocolate flavor, and a delicious creaminess. 

Makes 10-12.

Ingredients:

• 150 g butter, salted and room temperature
• 150 g sugar
• 150 marzipan, grated
• 2 eggs
• 75 g all-purpose flour

Ganache:

• 150 g dark chocolate (I used Valrhona)
• 150 ml heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Preheat the oven for 355℉ (180℃). 

Butter a cupcake pan. Line the bottom with some parchment paper, this will prevent the cupcakes from sticking. You can also use parchment paper cups. 

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars until very light and fluffy, mix in the grated marzipan, making sure the mixture again gets light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, and mix just until fully incorporated. 

Sift flour and baking powder into the mixture, and gently fold it in.

Fill the the cups ¾ and bake the cupcakes for 15-20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Ganache:

Chop the chocolate finely, and put in a medium bowl. Bring the heavy whipping cream to a boil, and pour the hot cream into the center of the bowl with thew chocolate. Whisk vigorously until the mixture become cohesive and shinny. Let the ganache chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. 

Transfer the ganache to a piping bag with a large star tip. Pipe good amount on top of each cupcake, and add sprinkle.

Enjoy!

Passionfruit Curd

Passionfruit Curd

We have a thing for anything passionfruit in my house. So every time I find passionfruits in my grocery store, I have to buy some.

This delicious curd can be used in cakes, on pancakes, crepes and on ice cream. 

Makes about a cup.

Ingredients:

• 4 egg yolks
• 60 ml (¼ cup) passionfruit juice, without seeds
• 100 g (½ cup) sugar
• 70 g (5 tablespoons) butter, cold and lightly salted

Directions:

Whisk yolks, passionfruit juice and sugar in a heavy-bottom saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, until 160℉ (71℃).

Remove from heat. Add the butter, a little at a time, stirring until smooth. 

Strain the curd through a sieve into a bowl. 

Cover with some plastic wrap pressing it against the custard so it won't form a skin. Chill the curd completely in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Overnight Oatmeal

Overnight Oatmeal

I have been wanting to make this for the longest time. Why it has taken me so long, I do not know. This is an easy, delicious, and healthy breakfast, to just grab and go in the morning. So, so much better than classic warm oatmeal. The overnight oatmeal will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. The longer it sit, the more soggy it will become. I always make overnight oats for 2 days. 

You can change this up in so many ways. Overnight Oats pretty much have no rules, you can use whatever you like. But as a rule of thumb use twice as much liquid as oats. If you do not add any thickening seeds like chia or flax seed, use a little less liquid.

Liquid: You can use pretty much any kind of milk you prefer, but if you use a sweetened milk, you might have to skip adding any additional sweetener. For a tangier flavor you can use or add buttermilk or thinned yogurt. 

Seeds: I personally like flax seeds in my overnight oats, but you can use chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or again use your favorite seeds.

Sweeteners & spices: I use brown sugar in my overnight oats but feel free to use maple syrup, honey or whatever you like. Spices give you more flavor options. Use vanilla, cinnamon, unsweetened cocoa or cardamom or keep it plain and simple.                                                                                   

Toppings: I like to have fresh berries or fruit and chopped nuts as topping. But yet again it's all up to you. By adding cocoa nibs you get good texture and a chocolaty flavor for a new twist.

Makes 1 portion.

Ingredients:

Oatmeal:

• ½ cup (45 g) old-fashioned oats

• 1 cup (240 ml) milk

• 2 tablespoons seeds (like flax, chia, pumpkin, sunflower)

• 1 teaspoon brown sugar

• 1 pinch salt

• 1 pinch lemon zest

Topping:

• chopped almonds and pistachios

• mixed berries and/or fruit.

• a drizzle of honey

Directions:

Mix the ingredients for the oatmeal in a maison jar or another sealable container, stir it well. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 8 hours. 

Stir the oatmeal, heat it or not, and add the toppings of your linking. 

Enjoy!