Sourdough Stories, Chapter 12: Cinnamon Rolls

I wanted to use some of my starter to make cinnamon rolls for Easter breakfast.  But not just any cinnamon rolls...AmyCakes cinnamon rolls.  Our friend Amy owned a bakery here in town up until a couple years ago when she decided to take a step back & focus on her family.  She's been sharing her recipes and tips on her website, including videos, which are so helpful and all of her baked goods are DELICIOUS (I took second place in an office-wide bake-off last year with her amazing coconut cupcakes.) I asked if she'd ever tried to make a sourdough version of her famous, award-winning cinnamon rolls, and she said she hadn't!  So I decided to take a stab at it.

I started with her mini-cinnamon roll recipe as my base, and read online you can convert any recipe to a sourdough version by replacing 1 packet of instant yeast with 1 cup of starter, and then subtract 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of water from the recipe, and then allow for double the rise times.

Y'all...WHEN OH WHEN am I going to learn that I need to use happy, fed, ACTIVE AND BUBBLY starter in my recipes?  Discard is fine for quick breads, but these are YEAST CINNAMON ROLLS.  But did I use fed starter? NOPE.  I gave this dough some starving, aggro Mandough and he just sat there and refused to rise.  Amy's recipe notes it should take about an hour for the dough to bulk rise.

This lump of pastry sat on my counter for 8 hours and barely grew at all.

*deep breaths* Okay...okay....fine.  This will be FINE, my inner narrative told me.  I prepped the brown sugar filling, sat out some butter to soften, and then popped the dough in the fridge to chill overnight.  I also don't have Instant Clearjel, which is one of Amy's secret ingredients for beautiful, stable, moist pastries & breads.  But, I figured I could manage without.

I woke up at 6am to finish prepping the cinnamon rolls.  The dough was nice and stretchy and rolled out easily. Aha! I said to myself (silently, because I was alone in the kitchen, everyone else was sleeping, and I'm not a crazy person), maybe this is still totally fine.

Next, I was supposed to spread a flour + clearjel + butter mixture across the dough.  BUT...I don't have Clearjel, and mixing butter w/just flour seemed weird.  So...I attempted to spread softened butter on the dough.  In little pats.  That then didn't actually want to spread around, so I was trying to smear it with my fingers.  This technique was moderately successful.

Now we add the brown sugar + cinnamon mix.  But...I think I made too much.  Not wanting to be wasteful, I did my best to use it all up, pressing it onto the dough + butter.  

Then it was time to roll it up into a giant snake, score it...

And cut it into 12 rounds, which were placed in a 9x13 pan. After brushing the tops with butter....I'm supposed to let it "rise" again for an hour.  During this hour, I had some coffee, did a crossword, played some SWGOH, watched my kid open his Easter basket...  The cinnamon rolls, meanwhile....did nothing.

At 7:30am, these went into the oven with a little prayer that they would be delicious and somehow magically poof up in the oven.  And they did, a little.  Nowhere near as gorgeous as Amy's, but given that we usually just have canned cinnamon rolls, they still felt pretty special.

To me & The Hubs, anyway.  To my son, who is 7, has no filter and zero appreciation for the effort it takes to MAKE FOOD FROM SCRATCH (or "scrap" as he would say)... that young man, who I birthed into existence, decided these were "yucky" and refused to eat them (at first).

But after 4-5 times of him calling them YUCKY at the top of his lungs...I took him aside into the bedroom to have a Heart Talk.

I told him that I had gotten up very early to make this special breakfast. I showed him the pictures on my phone (the same ones shown above), and talked with him about the process.  I told him it was hard and took extra time, but I did it because I love to make food for him and Daddy.  I asked him how he would feel if he spent a lot of time working hard on an art or science project at school, and then brought it home and I said it was "yucky" or "ugly".  He looked at me with big eyes and said, "Sad".  I said, "yes, it makes Mommy sad when you say the food I made is yucky, and hurts my heart".  He gave me a big hug and a kiss, and while it still took some prodding, he finished his cinnamon roll. We'll call that a win.

I will say...something about the way these turned out made them possibly tastier as leftovers? My best guess is that the excess brown sugar+cinnamon made them a touch too sweet that first day right after baking, BUT, when they're reheated in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, that excess brown sugar became nice and crunchy....sort of like the topping on a Panera Cinnamon Crunch bagel (which, coincidentally, is my FAVORITE bagel from Panera).  

I definitely plan to attempt these again with more active starter; I might also do a little less of the filling, and add a touch of vanilla to the glaze, as it's not in the original recipe and I really like how vanilla rounds out a powdered sugar glaze.

Fifth Wedding Anniversary Gift: DIY Wooden Puzzle

How time flies!  It's a little difficult to believe that The Hubs & I have been married for 5 years now.  Sometimes it feels like it was just last year...and other times it feels like it's been forever.  In a good way, I mean.

(Amycakes.  Still the best cakes on the planet.)

In the past 5 years, The Hubs & I have:

Traveled to 7 countries
Visited 20 states
Bought & sold 1 business, and
Made one really awesome child.

As you may know, I like to give at least one handmade gift each anniversary.  I've blogged about each here:

• Year One - Paper
• Year Two - Cotton
• Year Three - Leather / Glass
• Year Four - Fruit & Flowers

So Year Five is "Wood". (Or "silverware" according to the "modern" list.  But I'm of the opinion that the "modern" list isn't so "modern" anymore, so let's just stick with tradition, shall we?)  

There's no shortage of wooden gifts available out there, so it's all about what suits your spouse's personal tastes.  And mine has a taste for beer.  So I ordered him a custom engraved bottle opener wall mount for our kitchen:

And then I also wanted to make him something.  Like a puzzle!  But I was having a hard time finding a blank wooden puzzle that I could get in a reasonable amount of time, and that wouldn't cost a fortune.  Then it occurred to me...I could just BUY an existing puzzle and use that--it didn't have to be blank!

So I found a wooden tangram puzzle with a small frame.  Then I picked two photos--one from our wedding day, and one from very recent.  My puzzle measured about 4.5" square, so I ordered 5x7" prints of each of the photos, and then trimmed then down to match the puzzle size.

I applied Modge Podge to the back of one photo, then overlaid it on the puzzle pieces, and let it dry overnight.  Once dry, I trimmed around the outer edge so it would be nice and even, and then Modge Podged the second photo to the opposite side, allowing it to dry.

Once fully dry, I used an Exacto knife to separate the pieces, and trim excess from the edges of each piece.  And then I used Modge Podge to coat the outside of each piece to add some extra protection and help fill in any gaps.

Last step was to put it back in the frame and then use some cling wrap to cover it & keep all the pieces in place once I put it in with the rest of his gift:  A box of truffles from The Candy House (for us to share, of course), and a bottle of BARREL-aged beer (barrel = wood).  

In return, The Hubs made me a very sweet piece that is now hanging in our bedroom:

Along with another mystery gift that arrived unassembled while he was out of town for work, and that I didn't look at so as to keep the mystery intact. All I know is that a) it likely is made of wood, b) it's heavy and large, and c) the box also contains glass.  Quelle surprise!

If you missed it, I did a Wedding Week a few years ago—here’s the links if you’re interested: 

• The Proposal 
• Finding the Dress 
• Engagement Photos 
• Planning & Prep 
• The Ceremony 
• The Reception 
• The Honeymoon

Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding.

So, at The Scoop we offer these delicious cinnamon rolls from AmyCakes.  They are truly fantastic, but sometimes, we don’t sell them all each day.  Which makes me sad, because it means someone out there didn’t get to benefit from the awesomeness of AmyCakes, but it also makes me a LEETLE happy because…well…the Hubs & I totally take home the ones that are past “sell by” date. 

A lot of the time, we nom on them as our breakfast at home, or occasionally, if my coworkers are lucky, I’ll bring a couple into the office for them to fight over.

And then, just recently, we finally saved up a stockpile of six by freezing them…just so I could try out this recipe.

Now…I’ll be honest.  It’s next to impossible to improve upon AmyCakes.  Her cakes & pastries are truly phenomenal and she’s won Best Cinnamon Rolls in 417-Land. But, we’ve been regularly (a couple times a week) eating these cinnamon rolls for the last 4 months now, and sometimes you just need something a wee bit different. 

When I worked at Martin’s in New Orleans, we sold fresh Wild Flour Bakery (from Chef Susan Spicer) bread daily.  It had no preservatives, so it only had a shelf life of a couple days before we had to pull it from sale.  In the Gourmet Foods department (where I worked), we would slice & toast the past-sale baguettes to sample out with our Cheese of the Day, or cube larger loaves, toss with olive oil, cheese, and spices to make freshly toasted croutons (*drools*). And our chefs would regularly repurpose the other unsold loaves into bread pudding. (There was a chocolate cherry bread that lent itself to this VERY nicely—I still have dreams about that treat).  So I figured—why not try the same idea with cinnamon rolls?

My stockpile of deliciousity.

INGREDIENTS:

6 cinnamon rolls

6 eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups skim milk

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

Optional: sugar (I didn’t add any because Amy’s cinnamon rolls are well-iced. But if you’re using un-iced rolls, you’ll probably want to add a little.)

For Icing:  1/2 cup powdered sugar + 1-2 tbsp water (go by consistency, not measurements)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 325 F, then lightly grease a 9x13 pan with butter or non-stick spray.

Cube up your cinnamon rolls & spread them evenly in the pan.

Combine the remaining ingredients (except those noted for icing) in a large bowl and whisk well.  Then pour evenly over the cinnamon roll cubes.

Let the pan set on the counter for about 20 minutes to allow the wet ingredients to soak into the bread.  Then bake for 50-55 minutes, or until golden and fully cooked (check with toothpick).  Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.

Place the powdered sugar to a small bowl & add a small amount of warm water,then whisk.  Continue to add water until the mixture has the consistency of school glue.  Then use the whisk to drizzle the icing over the top of the bread pudding.

Serve warm. Makes about 6-8 generous helpings.

This treat is so decadent we might have to consider selling them at the shoppe!!!  They still retain all the delicious flavor of the cinnamon rolls, but now have a rich, moist center.  BONUS:  This makes a great breakfast OR dessert.  Or both.  I mean…can you think of a better way to begin AND end your day?

 

(No NutriFacts since I don’t know the information for Amy’s cinnamon rolls.)

Thirsty Thursday: Amy’s Boozy Cider!

As I mentioned earlier this week, we attended our friend Amy’s annual Halloween Party last Saturday, and had a fantabulous time, as always!  There were snacks, dips, delicious AmyCakes cupcakes, cheese, crackers, homemade salsa, and plastic jack-o-lanterns brimming with candy, that I can only assume were freshly stolen from some poor trick-or-treater (HAHA—TRICK, kid!)

And of course, NO Halloween party would be complete without Amy’s famous Boozy Cider recipe, which she was kind enough to share with me, for your (and my) benefit!

(Image pilfered from the interwebs, source behind link)

This stuff is DELICIOUS…but potent.  The delicious cinnamony-ness of it will sneak up on you, so drink with caution.  And always have a sober chauffeur, y’all!!!

 

Ingredients (makes twenty 8-oz servings):

64 oz apple cider

64 oz cranberry juice cocktail

3 cinnamon sticks

1 bottle spiced rum (I like Sailor Jerry, but not sure which brand Amy uses)

 

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the first three ingredients in a 5-quart Crockpot (otherwise you’ll have to do it in batches…if you’re making a smaller batch, you can use a smaller Crockpot…but why EVER would you want a SMALLER batch???) and simmer on Low until your house smells AMAZING.  Then allow to cool.

In a punch bowl, combine the cider and the rum, stir well.  Serve with optional garnish as shown above!

 

This is great for any Fall party, Thanksgiving, Christmas, even New Year’s Eve!  And it doubles as a home fragrance—who needs Glade or scented candles?  And if you’re not in a boozy mood, this is still delicious even without the rum.

 

Happy Post-Halloween!!!

Monday Morning Shoutout: AmyCakes!

Hi folks!  I did a good bit of cooking this weekend, but thanks to a bit of a hectic work schedule it’ll be a day or two before I can get everything typed up & posted.  So instead, I figured I’d just do a quick shout-out post to my dear friend Amy of AmyCakes here in Springfield!

I met Amy about 2.5 years ago while we were playing together on a trivia team at Finnegan’s Wake (which happens to be right around the corner from Amy’s bakery).  Back then, Amy was just getting her bakery up & running, after purchasing the bakery from Barb Baker (formerly The Bakehouse). 

(308 W. McDaniel in downtown Springfield, MO)

Prior to buying the bakery in 2009, Amy concocted her craveable creations using the kitchen at Finnegan’s (then “South Avenue Pizza”).  During the last 3 years, Amy’s made a big name for herself & her business around town by doing what she does best—making some of the most amazing baked goods on the face of the planet.  And I’m not just saying that because I’m biased or a fiercely loyal friend.  It’s a fact, Jack.  And I’ve had my share of cupcakes & other baked goods from AmyCakes (I’ll spare you the photo of my muffin top that proves it), because one of the fringe benefits of hanging out with someone as awesome as Amy is that aside from just generally being a super fun, super sweet, super creative person who hosts the best Murder Mystery parties in town, is that, well, Amy brings cupcakes. :)  And I, for one, have NO problem whatsoever in being my friend’s guinea pig when it comes to sweets. 

 

(The only REAL question is, which one to start with???)

 

Last year, my husband & I hired Amy to make the cake & cupcakes for our wedding.  We got married in July…on what ended up being the hottest day of the year to date at that point.  And yes, we had an outdoor wedding.

 

And when people come up & talk to my husband these days, after the inevitable (and utterly trite) question of “So how’s married life?”, the topic always shifts to discussing a) how hot it was that day, and b) how we had some of the best wedding cake said person had ever had.

We did a small cake with about 40 servings, and then the rest was cupcakes.  Our cake was vanilla with a tart triple berry filling and vanilla buttercream:

(The combination was AMAZING—sweet & tart & fruity & delicious.  I hungrily eyeball the top layer that’s still sitting in our freezer, taunting us until our 1st anniversary)

And for the cupcakes we did a “strawberry lemonade” (lemon cake w/strawberry filling) and a cookies-n-cream (chocolate cake w/a whipped cookie crumble frosting).

 

And birthdays with Amy have never been boring!

 (Death by (mostly) Chocolate: Double Chocolate, Chocolate Mocha, Junior Mint, Chocolate Peanut Butter…and Strawberry, to round it out.)

 

And during a recent Murder Mystery Party, which was pirate themed, even Amy’s cupcakes got into character!

(Blood red velvet, of course!  YAR, MATEYS!!!)

 

Alas, a few weeks ago, AmyCakes made the announcement that they were no longer going to offer a walk-in case, and would be moving to custom orders only (with the exception of downtown’s First Friday Art Walks, when the case will still be open & you can buy an individual cupcake…or seven).  I know it really troubled Amy to do so, but she wanted to be able to have more time to focus on her custom cakes and cupcake orders, which have really been picking up.  While it saddens me that I can’t run by & grab a cupcake any time I feel like it anymore, I’m so excited that she’ll be able to use this opportunity to grow her business (and perhaps have time to come play trivia with us a little more often).

FYI—as a small compromise to her regular walk-in customers, AmyCake’s famous giant cinnamon rolls (which topped the charts in 2011 as one of 417 Magazine’s Five Best Cinnamon Rolls) are now available in the cooler for take-and-bake. YUM.

Of course…this DOES afford me something of an opportunity to try out some of the other walk-in cupcake eateries around town.  As previously mentioned, I’m a fiercely loyal friend, so I actually haven’t tried any of the other cupcakes that are available here in Springfield, because it felt like “cheating” on Amy’s bakery (plus, I mean, why go searching when you already have a great go-to cupcake???).  And while I can still pre-order 6 or more cupcakes from AmyCakes if I need to bring something amazing to a party (or just pig out at home with the hubs), I DO, on occasion, just NEEEEEEEEED a cupcake “likeOMGrightnow”.

Soo…maybe some experimentation + reviews are in order, yes?  :D