Cinnamelts

While doing road trips in the USA, we like to stop at McD*'s for coffee on occasion.  It's always a quick stop and the coffee is not bad.  And every once in awhile we order their cinnamon melts to go with the coffee.  Very tasty!  I decided that I would attempt a copykat version in my own kitchen one day...to have with a good cup of home-brewed coffee.  It was all good!  So now I'm sharing the recipe with you.

 
Dough

• 2 cups very warm water 
• 1/4 cup potato flakes (instant mashed potatoes) 
• 2 Tablespoons yeast (instant, fast rising) 
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 1 Tablespoon salt 
• 2 eggs beaten 
• 1/2 cup butter (or margarine) 
• 6 1/2 cups flour 

  Cinnamon Sauce

• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 3 Tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 cup butter (or margarine) melted

 Icing

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1/2 teaspoon white vanilla extract 

 Method

1. Stir together the water, potato flakes and sugar. 
2. Add eggs, softened butter, and yeast mixed with 3 cups flour. 
3. Beat with mixer on high speed. 
4. Stir in remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time until a kneadable dough is obtained.
5. Knead well. 
6. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk (about 1 1/2 hours), before forming cinna-melts. 
7. Prepare cinnamon sauce by mixing the ingredients together.  Set aside.
8. Grease mini pie plates or over sized muffin pans.
9. Roll out dough (1/2 at a time) to about 1/2" thick.
10. Using a pizza cutter, cut 1/2" wide strips. Then slice these strips into chunks about 3/4" long.
11. Drop 6 chunks into the bottom of each 'cup'. Spoon over about 1 tablespoon of cinnamon sauce  over the dough.  Top with another 7 chunks of dough.  Drizzle over 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon sauce. Repeat for each cinna-melt cup.  Cover and allow to rise in warm spot for 30-60 minutes.
12. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes...until golden.
13. For icing, combine cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add powdered sugar, milk and vanilla.  Beat until smooth.  Spoon icing over warm cinnamelts. Double the icing recipe if you like more than a drizzle!
14. Serve warm.  (Or wrap well, freeze to enjoy later.)
15. Yields 16 large cinnamelts.

 * This is actually a refrigerator dough, so it is a simple thing to use only half and place the rest in a greased, covered bowl in the refrigerator for later use.  It will be good for several days.

Cheese Stuffed Breadsticks

If you have tried the French Bread or Pizza Buns with the same recipe, today's breadsticks should come by quite easily, as it's the same recipe recycled once again. It's the bread recipe with endless options and so easy to mix.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 2 Tsp salt
• 2 cups hot water
• 4 - 4 1/2 cups flour
• 2 Tbsp instant yeast
• 3 cups shredded cheese (mozzarella or mix )
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 2 Tbsp finely grated Parmesan
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 clove garlic crushed

Method:

1. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Put first four ingredients in mixing bowl or Kitchen Aid mixing bowl. Stir in 2 cups flour and yeast.
3. Mix until well combined and then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time, until dough can easily be shaped into a ball with all the flour well mixed in. No need to rise.
4. Divide in half. Roll first half out on floured surface, to approx size of cookie sheet. Roll up on to rolling pin and unroll unto cookie sheet. Stretch into shape where needed. Sprinkle with cheese.
5. Roll out second half, a bit larger. Roll onto pin and unroll on top of cheese. Fold under the bottom layer, along edges. Cut through the dough with a pizza cutter to create 20 - 24 pieces. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise 20 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 425F.
7. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, Parmesan, oregano and garlic. Brush evenly over dough.
8. Bake for about 15 minutes, until breadsticks are light golden in color. If a large bubble pops up while baking, simply break with a knife to keep the sticks even.
9. Cut along the seams of the breadsticks and serve warm with soup. Can also be used for kids' sandwiches.

Bunny Bread

With Easter just around the corner try this fun version of "French Bread" shaped into a Bunny. Cut out the belly of the bunny and fill with your favorite dip, serve along a vegetable tray and extra bread for dipping.
My recipe is so close the Anneliese's Recipe, however for convenience sake I will post my version here.
I doubled the recipe (except the yeast amount) to have extra bread on hand for dipping.

• 2 tablespoons of quick rise yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
  
• 2 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 5 1/2 - 6 1/2 cups flour
• 1 beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water to brush over bread

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together, including the dry quick rise yeast, holding back about 1 cup of flour.
2. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
   
3. Add the oil and water in the center slowly incorporating the dry ingredients with the wet.
4. Knead together til a soft dough that is no longer sticky using a bit of the extra flour as needed to make it smooth and elastic.
5. Divide the dough into the parts for the bunny like the picture. There is no exact size, just big enough to fit you baking sheet.
6. Use two raisins for the eyes, two almond slices for the teeth, and cut in the whiskers and into the paws with a sharp knife or kitchen shears.
7. Brush the dough with the beaten egg.
8. Let rise on for 30-40 minutes, covered with a tea towel.
   
9. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
   

Place the finished and cooled "bunny" onto a platter lined with lettuce leaves. Surround with a variety of cut vegetables. Cut out a whole in the tummy of the bunny and scoop out the bread saving it for dipping. Fill with you favorite dip. Serve extra bread along side for dipping as well.

Lemon Buns

At Easter my mom baked both Paska and these Lemon Buns. These are one of my most favourite yeast breads. The dough is twisted into figure eights and a teaspoon of lemon curd is placed in each little dip the twist makes before they rise and are baked.  Once baked they are finished off with a drizzle of icing. 

Ingredients for the bun dough

• 2 tablespoons instant yeast
• 10 - 12 cups flour
• 2 cups milk, scalded
• 1 cup lard ( I use Tender flake brand)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tsp salt
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups warm water

Lemon Curd: ( make this while the bun dough is rising)

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/8 tsp salt
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3 egg yolks, well beaten
• juice of 1 lemon and enough water to make 6 tablespoons
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Method for lemon curd:

1. In a small saucepan, mix sugar,salt and cornstarch.
2. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice and water. Stirring constantly cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens and is slightly bubbly.
3. Beat egg yolks well. Slowly pour a small amount of the hot mixture over the yolks, whisking immediately so the eggs don't begin to cook. Pour this combined mixture back into the sauce pan with the remaining hot lemon mixture and cook a few more minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat and add butter. Stir well and cover with plastic wrap until ready to spoon onto buns.

Method for the bun dough:

1. In a large bowl stir together dry instant yeast and 2 cups flour.
2. Scald milk and add lard. Stir until lard is completely melted. ( I cut lard into small pieces so they melt faster)
3. Stir sugar and salt into hot milk mixture.
4. Beat eggs well and add the warm water.  Pour hot milk mixture into eggs stirring well.
5. Add all the liquid to the yeast and flour mixture. Stir well. Then incorporate at least 6-7 cups of flour to make a soft sticky dough. Using the remaining several cups of flour continue adding as you knead until your dough is smooth, but still very soft. Do not over knead this dough. Over kneading will cause these buns to loose their nice soft texture.
6. Cover and place in a warm draft free area to rise until double in bulk. Approximately 45 minutes. 
7.  Punch down dough. Pinch off small pieces of dough and form a circle and then twist into a figure  eight. Place bun onto parchment lined baking sheets leaving room between for  them to rise.
8. Drop a teaspoon of lemon curd into the centre of each end of the eight. Allow buns to rise another 45 minutes.
9. Bake in 375º oven for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned. Remove to cooking rack
10. Once completely cooled drizzle with an icing made by stirring together 1 1/2 cups of icing sugar, 1 tbsp melted butter, 1/4 tsp vanilla and a few drops of warm water at a time until you have a thin but not watery icing. If it gets too thin add a bit more icing sugar. 

Lemon Layered Loaf

 If you love lemon you will definetly love this as you peel layer after layer off this delicious loaf. You will not be satisfied with one slice!

For the dough you will need:

• 3 3/4 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs, room temperature

1. Mix 2 cups of the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Heat milk and butter in a pyrex cup in microwave until mixture is warm and the butter is melted. Add vanilla.
3. Pour milk mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until moistened.
4. Add eggs, one at a time and stir just until eggs are mixed in. If you forgot to take the eggs out of the fridge ahead of time, just place the eggs before cracking them, in warm water for a minute or so and they will be at room temperature.
5. Add the rest of the flour a bit at a time, kneading dough until well mixed. This takes only a few minutes, the dough will still be slightly sticky. If you find it too sticky just add a bit more flour, a tablespoon at a time until you can handle the dough easily.
6. Place dough in a large bowl, cover and let rise until double, approx 1 hour.

Meanwhile prepare the lemon sugar mixture:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• Grated zest from 3 lemons
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

1. Using a fork mix the sugar and lemon zest together in a small bowl.
2. Melt butter in a separate bowl.

• Once dough is risen roll out to a 12 x 20" piece. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with the lemon sugar mixture.
• Cut the dough crosswise into 5 strips. Layer the strips on top of each other carefully and cut into 6 squares.
• Place these squares sideways into a greased 5 1/2 by 9 1/2" bread pan. Or you could use 2 smaller loaf pans. 
• Let rise until almost doubled, approx 25 minutes.
• Bake in 350º for 35 minutes until golden in color.
• You can peel off these layers of lemony yummy-ness and eat plain or mix a lemon glaze to drizzle on top.

Lemon glaze:

• 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/3 cup icing sugar
• Mix until smooth.

Bread Bowls

Have your chili and eat the bowl too. Bread bowls are a fun way to serve chili or soup.

I use Anneliese's fool proof french bread recipe, and form the dough to the outer side of oven proof Pyrex bowls. creating bread bowls.

Ingredients: yields 10-12 bread bowls

• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 cups hot tap water
• 4 1/2-5 cups flour
• 2 tbsp instant yeast

Method:

1. Mix together first 4 ingredients.
2. Stir yeast into 2 cups of flour and add to liquid mixture.
3. Continue to add enough flour until the dough holds together in the shape of a ball, and is not sticky if you handle it with floured hands.
4. Cover and let rise until double, about 1/2 hour.
5. While dough is rising spray the outer side of soup sized oven proof bowls (I use Pyrex) and lay upside down on baking sheets. I have a convection oven which allows me to bake 6 bowls at a time. I can fit 3 bowls on each baking sheet. The remaining dough is fine to rest.
6. Press balls into a flat disc and form it to the outer side of bowls, pressing some of the dough down onto the baking sheet which will form the rim of the bread bowl once baked.
7. Bake in 400º oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and peel bread bowls off Pyrex and place face up onto baking sheets. Immediately put bread bowls back in oven to brown the insides for another 6-8 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining bread.
8. To serve fill bowls with chili or soup.