Polish Babka

Babka is a Polish bread that’s traditionally made for Easter. I saw a recipe for it and was intrigued – I love learning about food traditions from other countries. Apparently “babka” is Polish for “grandmother”. It’s named so because the shape is reminiscent of a grandmother’s skirt, especially if you serve the slices fanned out in a circle. Cute, right?

This is a super simple recipe and while it is a yeast dough, there isn’t any kneading required. Just mix the ingredients together, let it rise the proper amount of time, bake it, and boom – you have a delicious treat. The texture is nice and is on the border between bread and cake. My variation left out the usual raisins and dried fruit, at least this time. Even without the addition it’s so good and has just enough sweetness where it could be used as a dessert or an addition to breakfast or brunch.

The rum syrup that’s added right after baking gives the babka a nice extra oomph. But if you decide to add the rum glaze, this grandma isn’t very kid friendly anymore! You can always make it milder with apple juice or milk, or leave out the glaze altogether, but the grown up version we ate had some definite rum action going on.

Happy Easter season to all of you!

Polish Babka

Ingredients:
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Heaping 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) softened butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp instant yeast
1/4 cup raisins (optional)

Rum Syrup:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp rum (or apple juice)

Rum Glaze:
1 cup confectioners sugar
Pinch of salt
2 Tbsp rum (or apple juice)
Splash of milk

Yield: 1 cake (approx 12-16 servings)

Directions:
Place everything for the bread in a mixing bowl and beat at medium speed until cohesive. Increase your mixer’s speed to high and beat for 2 minutes. Add the fruit, beating gently just to combine. (optional)

Cover the bowl and let the dough rest/rise for 60 minutes; it won’t appear to do much. Scoop the batter into a greased bundt pan. Cover the pan, and let the dough rest/rise for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake the babka for 35 to 40 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf reads at least 190 degrees F.

While the babka is baking, prepare the rum syrup. Combine all of the syrup ingredients in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, and boil, swirling the liquid in the pan, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat.

Remove the babka from the oven. Poke it all over gently with a toothpick or fork and slowly pour the syrup over the babka’s surface. When the syrup is fully absorbed (about 20 minutes or so), carefully loosen the babka’s edges, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack.

To make the glaze, mix all of the ingredients together, stirring until smooth. Drizzle over completely cool babka. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Source: King Arthur Flour

Croissants

I’ve been dreaming about making homemade croissants and finally that dream became a buttery reality. Life hasn’t been the same since. Ok, maybe a little dramatic, but really, these are practically life changing for a baker.

Now I know how much hard work goes into baking something great and complex. The process of rolling, folding, rolling, and folding again might seem excessive. But after biting into the flaky layers, it’s all immediately worth it. There is a lot of time and work that goes into homemade croissants, but besides the delicious results, you feel truly accomplished too!

And! Another great thing (I totally sound like a croissant saleswoman) is if you don’t want to make tons of basic croissants, you can use the same dough to make it’s best friend, pain au chocolat. Your kitchen seriously turns into a French bakery at this point. TWO types of fancy breads at once - so amazing!

Even though I didn’t use the same recipe, I used this helpful video to get a better visual of the technique used to make these. The tip he gives about pulling the tip when rolling the croissants is pretty great!

So if you feel ambitious enough to attempt homemade croissants, you totally should. Don’t be too intimidated, I promise it’s not extremely difficult! Just give yourself plenty of time, space, butter, and room in your belly.

Croissants

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
1/4 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold butter
1 egg, beaten

Yield: 16 croissants

Directions:
Combine milk, first amount of butter, sugar, and salt in a small pot and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.

While mixture is cooling, dissolve the yeast in the water and add it to the milk. Place the liquid in a mixer and add the flour. Using the dough hook, mix until the dough is elastic and sticky.

Place in a bowl, cover and let it rise until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Then place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes. While dough is chilling, soften the remaining cold butter by pounding with a rolling pin.

Roll the dough on a floured surface to form a 1/4-inch thick rectangle. Spread the butter over 2/3 of the rectangle closest to you. Fold the unbuttered third over the center third. Then fold the bottom 1/3 over the doubled portion. Rotate the dough around a quarter turn. Roll it again into a 1/4-inch thick oblong. Fold again in thirds.

Cover the dough and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours or more. When the dough is chilled, remove from the refrigerator and repeat the folding and turning twice more. Then roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness once more. Cut the dough into 3-inch squares then cut the squares on the bias to form two triangles. Roll each triangle beginning with the wide side, then shape the rolls into crescents. Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a silpat baking sheet. Leave enough room for each croissant to triple in size. Chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before baking.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Brush a little of the beaten egg over each croissant to add color and texture while it bakes. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F and continue to bake another 15 minutes. Remove the croissants from the oven, cool, and enjoy!

Source: Best Bread Recipes

Lemon Scones

These light lemony scones were the perfect thing to slather some homemade lemon curd on. Lemon curd and scones are both things that I was really introduced to by my Aunt in Virginia – she’d often make scones for breakfast and besides the basic butter and jams, would usually have lemon curd available as a topping too. I was quickly hooked. Add a cup of coffee into the mix, and I’m a happy girl.

So this breakfast made me think of you, Aunt Linda, and the wonderful time spent in your home. Hopefully I can get some Texans hooked on these delicious foods too!

Lemon Scones

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tsp lemon zest

Yield: 8 scones

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the butter and mix until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add buttermilk and lemon zest, stirring just until mixed. Put the dough onto a floured surface (it will be a bit sticky!) and knead gently six times. Shape the dough into a ball. Pat the dough into a circle about 8 inches in diameter. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 8 wedges. Place the wedges into a scone pan or onto a lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.

Source: Slightly adapted from All Recipes

Lemon Curd

After the previous failure with blood orange curd, I decided to give some classic lemon curd a try instead. The flavors were superb and perfectly tart and the smooth texture was exactly what I was aiming for. Success!

Again, the process isn’t very difficult, you just have to keep constantly mixing it till it thickens up. There are so many delicious things you can do with lemon curd – you could use it as a middle layer on a stacked cake or simply spread it on a piece of toast. (you’ll see soon what I mainly used it for)

If I had to choose between store bought and homemade, I’d definitely spend the extra time to whip up a batch myself. Sorry store bought – you’re yummy but this just kicks it up a notch!

Lemon Curd

Ingredients:
3 eggs
3/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 Tbsp lemon zest

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Directions:
In a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended. Cook, stirring constantly (to prevent it from curdling), until the mixture becomes thick (like sour cream or a hollandaise sauce). This will take approximately 10 minutes.

Remove the bowl from heat and immediately pour it through a fine strainer to remove any lumps. Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk into the mixture until the butter has melted. Add the lemon zest and let it cool. The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on top of the curd immediately so a skin doesn’t form and refrigerate for up to a week.

Source: Joy of Baking - includes a helpful video too!

Cinnamon Rolls

I’ve been wanting to make Pioneer Woman’s legendary cinnamon rolls for ages, but couldn’t justify making so much food for just two people. So when I had several people visiting yesterday, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to finally create these beauties myself.

These are SO easy to make ahead and freeze extras if needed. What a perfect thing to have on hand if you need to feed a crowd! Plus, they make your house smell like a bakery – yum! They’re not difficult to make, you just need to set aside the time needed for the dough to rise and to assemble the rolls. I just made half the original recipe and had plenty to spare. (the recipe below is the half recipe) The dough is so light that you almost forget about all the butter, cinnamon, and sugar added to it. You can also adapt the icing to the consistency and flavor you like. I decided to forgo the coffee in the original recipe, since I didn’t think the kids would go for it, and just stuck to a basic icing with a touch of maple.

Which leads me to ask – are you a heavy or light icing person? I’m not much of an icing/frosting person in general, so had a light hand on it. But for those who adore it, you can definitely heap on more!

So next time you have a group to feed or want to indulge on your own, please please please make these cinnamon rolls. You won’t be sorry!

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:
Dough:
2 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 Tbsp salt

Filling:
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
Plenty of ground cinnamon

Icing:
2+ cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp melted butter
Pinch of salt

Yield: 20-25 rolls

Directions:
For the dough, heat the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat to just below a boil. Set aside and cool to warm. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute.

Add 4 cups of the flour. Stir until just combined, then cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside in a relatively warm place for 1 hour to rise. After 1 hour, remove the towel and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the remaining 1/2 cup flour. Stir thoroughly to combine. Use the dough right away, or place it in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl. (Note: dough is easier to work with if it’s been chilled for at least an hour or so beforehand.)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. To assemble the rolls, remove the dough from the pan/bowl. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 x 10 inches. The dough should be rolled very thin.

To make the filling, pour the melted butter on top of the dough. Use your fingers to spread the butter evenly. Generously sprinkle ground cinnamon and the sugar over the butter. Don’t be afraid to drizzle on more butter or more sugar!

Beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly towards you. Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight. Don’t worry if the filling oozes as you work. When you reach the end, pinch the seam together and flip the roll so that the seam is face down. When you’re finished, you’ll wind up with one long buttery, cinnamony, sugary, gooey log.

Slip a cutting board underneath the roll and with a sharp knife, make 1/2-inch slices. One “log“ will produce 20 to 25 rolls. Pour a few teaspoons of melted butter into your baking pan and swirl to coat. Place the sliced rolls in the pans, being careful not to overcrowd.

Cover all the pans with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise on the countertop for at least 20 more minutes before baking. Remove the towel and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown. Don’t allow the rolls to become overly brown.

While the rolls are baking, make the icing: In a large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients until very smooth. Taste and add in more maple, sugar, butter, or other ingredients as needed until the icing reaches the desired consistency. If it’s too runny, add more powdered sugar until it thickens. The icing should be somewhat thick but still very pourable.

Remove pans from the oven. Immediately drizzle icing over the top. Be sure to get it all around the edges and over the top. As they sit, the rolls will absorb some of the icing’s moisture and flavor. They only get better with time! Serve while warm and enjoy!

Source: Slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Giveaway: OXO Good Grips Egg Beater

Old fashioned egg beaters – do people still use them? I’d personally never used one so was very intrigued to give one a try. I have this image in my head of my grandmother using one while cooking and baking in her kitchen. But who says old fashioned egg beaters can’t make a come back? With OXO’s new product, I think they could!

OXO was kind enough to send me one of their new Good Grips Egg Beaters to try. Just like the name hints, the handle is soft and easy to grip, making the job super simple and comfortable. This product does a great job of combining the classic structure of an egg beater with slightly newer innovations. For example, the stainless steel beaters can simply pop out of the base to make tasting and cleaning easier. The base also easily detaches with the simple push of a button and is dishwasher safe! There is also a “bridge” between the two beaters that helps it rest against the bowl, keeping everything balanced and helping to relieve any possible arm strain.

If you couldn’t tell, I really like this product! I used it to make the quiche in the previous post, along with whipping up an omelet this morning with some of my extra spinach and a handful of parmesan cheese. And even though it’s specifically called an egg beater, it can be used for so much more, like whipping cream and mixing batters.

So, thanks to the sweet folks at OXO, I have another Good Grips Egg Beater to give away to one of you! There are four easy ways to enter:

1. REQUIRED: Simply leave a comment on this post telling me if you’ve ever used an egg beater before.

2. “Like” OXO on Facebook and leave a separate comment saying you’ve done so.

3. Subscribe to Beckster’s Laboratory (on the left hand side of the site) and leave a separate comment saying you’ve done so.

4. “Like” Beckster’s Laboratory on Facebook and leave a separate comment saying you’ve done so.

The giveaway will be closed at midnight on December 25, 2011. (Texas time!) The winner will be randomly selected, announced, and contacted soon after. Good luck!

*This is not a paid promotion – the egg beaters were provided at no cost from OXO as part of their blogger outreach program

Crustless Ham, Swiss, and Spinach Quiche

Quiche is one of my favorite breakfast foods and I love that it’s so easy to improvise the flavors. And even if you don’t have the time or supplies to make a crust, you can still make a crustless version that tastes just as great! I had some leftover ham and thought this would be a tasty way to use it up. Add some spinach and swiss cheese and you have a winning flavor combination! This is so easy to make and again, you can take this basic recipe and use whatever meats, cheeses, or veggies you want.

Crustless Ham, Swiss, and Spinach Quiche

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of onion powder
Dash of pepper
1 1/3 cups milk
1 cup cooked, chopped ham
5 oz frozen spinach, defrosted and dried
2-3 oz swiss cheese, shredded

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Lightly grease a pie/tart/quiche dish (whatever you have). In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the flour, baking powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper and whisk to combine. Then add the milk and whisk to combine. Add the ham and spinach to the mixture and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the center is set. Let the quiche sit for at least 5 minutes, then slice and serve while warm. Makes 4 large portions or 8 smaller portions. Enjoy!

Source: A Beckster Original

Honey Almond Oatmeal

I was always an instant oatmeal person until I recently tried steel cut oats. While at Jamba Juice, I picked up one of their yummy oatmeal bowls for breakfast and was blown away by the nuttier flavor and chewier texture that was different than what I was accustomed to. Though they take longer to cook than other forms of oatmeal and cost a little more too, it’s worth it in my book! This dish is a wonderful healthy breakfast option and will give you great energy to start the day. You can easily customize the flavors and toppings however you want, like topping it with some fruit. Enjoy!

Honey Almond Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1 cup steel cut oats
3 1/2 cups water
Dash of salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
Honey
Slivered almonds

Directions:
Boil the water in a large pot. Add the oats and salt, stir together. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes. Make sure to stir the oats occasionally so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. After 30 minutes, add the milk, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir together and cook another 10 minutes. Spoon the oatmeal into a ramekin or small bowl and top with about 1 Tbsp honey and some slivered almonds. Serve while hot and enjoy! (Makes 6 servings)

Source: Adapted from Two Peas and their Pod

Cinnamon Spice Pancakes with Sauteed Apples

This is one of my favorite ways to make pancakes – the spiced pancakes are bursting with warm flavor and the apples add a nice texture with each bite that compliments the pancakes perfectly. It’s like an apple pie in breakfast form

Look how big and fluffy these cakes are – delish to the last bite!

Cinnamon Spice Pancakes with Sauteed Apples

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups milk
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp cinnamon sugar
Maple Syrup

Directions:
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Combine the eggs, milk, honey, and oil in a separate bowl, then add this mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir together until just combined – make sure not to overmix! Let the batter sit until ready to cook.

In the meantime, melt the butter in a skillet. Add the apple slices and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Stir to combine and cook until apples are soft.

Pour about 1/3 cup of batter on a nonstick griddle/skillet/pan. Flip when bubbles form, then cook on the other side until golden brown. Top your stack of pancakes with maple syrup and sauteed apples.

Source: Adapted from Taste of Home

Blueberry Lemon Muffins

This recipe is a nice twist on your standard blueberry muffin – the lemon gives it a brighter flavor and the addition of cornmeal adds a different (but nice) texture. Using your own hand picked blueberries makes it a little more special too!

Blueberry Lemon Muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup blueberries
1 cup milk
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Juice and zest of 1 medium lemon
Cooking spray
1 Tbsp sugar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the blueberries and lightly stir to incorporate. Combine the milk, butter, lemon juice and zest, and egg in a bowl. Lightly whisk together. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir together until just moist. (try not to over mix!)

Coat a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray, or line with paper liners. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin and sprinkle the tops of each with a pinch of sugar. Bake the muffins for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the tin immediately and cool on a wire rack. Serve while warm (ideally) and enjoy!

Source: Slightly adapted from myrecipes.com