Bodacious Bread Pudding

What's more comforting than bread pudding. I mean it's got carbs, eggs, cream, and best of all alcohol. I'd gladly buy a drink for the genius who figured if each of these were good on their own then together they'd be amazing; a true iconoclast proving once and for all that you indeed cannot have too much of a good thing. I digress though and leave you with the most amazing bread pudding I've even had across the seven seas (it's got rum...eh eh funny right?) Ok, I'm done....go pig out.

Yield: One 9x13 baking dish

Ingredients:

Bread Pudding:

• 1 Brioche Bread Loaf (14oz, any more and it will be dry)
• 1/4 Cup Grand Marnier
• 1/4 Cup Orange Juice
• 2 Cup Milk
• 2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• 4 Eggs
• 2 Egg Yolks
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 tsp Cinnamon

Rum Sauce:

• 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1/4 Dark Rum
• 2 tbsp Butter

Recipe:

Bread Pudding:

Combine the milk and heavy whipping cream in a sauce pot. Scald the mixture (heat until just starting to bubble).

While waiting for the milk, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt.

Whisk in the scalded milk slowly.

Next add in the orange juice, Grand Marnier, and cinnamon.

Butter the baking dish, break up the bread and line the bottom.

Slowly pour the custard over the bread ensuring that the top pieces get some custard (stir custard while pouring to prevent settling of the cinnamon). Let this sit for 30min.

While the bread pudding is soaking start on the rum sauce. In a sauce pan on med-low heat melt the butter.

Add in the cream and sugar.

Continue to stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat then add in the rum.

Bake the bread pudding at 300F for 45min. Then remove and let cool slightly.

Pour the rum sauce over the bread pudding. Note: The sauce will pool on the top and look like a lot but once you start serving it will distribute nicely.

Serve it up while it's still warm, I recommend pouring some rum over the top of each serving mmm.......

Berry Ber-Dazzled Muffins

Seems like everybody's got blueberry muffins these days. Know what you never see? Blackberries in a muffin, so that's right...we went there. Behold the pantheon of the muffin/berry concoctions. As if perfection wasn't good enough we even threw in some cinnamon to truly deify these babies. If the "seedy" nature of the blackberry is off-putting however, you may feel free to restore these muffins to the humble blueberry roots from whence they came. But you know, once you go black.......nevermind.

Yield: 18 Small Muffins

Ingredients:   

• 313g Flour (Roughly 2 1/2 Cups)
• 1 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 3 Eggs
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 Cup Sour Cream
• 1/4 Cup Milk
• 1 Cup Blueberries
• 1 Cup Blackberries (Optional, additional cup blueberries if omitted)
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tbsp Cinnamon
• 3/4 Cup Salted Butter (1 1/2 stick or 12 tablespoons)

Recipe:

Beat the butter and sugar together with a mixer until creamy.

Add in the eggs, milk, sour cream and vanilla. Continue mixing for a few more minutes.

In a seperate bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

Slowly add the dry ingredients, continue mixing just until completely incorporated. Do not overmix.

Fold in the berries.

Fill the muffin liners to just below the top.

Sprinkle some coarse sugar on the top if you like.

Bake at 350F for 35-40min or until golden brown.

Remove, let cool and enjoy!

Yummy Cinnamon Twists

There's pretty much nothing you can make wrong as long as it has cinnamon. So it's no surprise that puff pastry with cinnamon would be delicious! None of that store bought stuff though, we make our own puff pastry....now you can too.

Yield: ~10 Twists

Ingredients:

• Puff Pastry (Recipe Here)
• 2 tbsp Cinnamon
• 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar

Recipe:

Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon.

Roll out the puff pastry to 1/4 inch thick.

Even spread the brown sugar mixture on the puff pastry (it's OK if you don't use it all, save some for cinnamon toast mmm.....). Lightly press the sugar into the dough.

Fold the dough in half and square off the edges best you can.

Cut out 1'' wide strips of dough and twist from both ends. Place on a parchment paper lined sheet.

Bake at 400F for 23min or until lightly browned. Once cool you can remove the brown sugar stuck to the bottom of the twists.

Now you have a simple recipe up your sleeves that looks like it came from a bakery (but tastes better...yum). So go ahead, make someone think you worked hard to bake for them.

Gooey Cinna..mmm..on Rolls

Who doesn't like cinnamon rolls? They're so soft, gooey, and buttery sweet. If only that were true right? I mean have you tried the average canned or even home baked cinnamon roll; finding the cinnamony bliss that only these doughy walls of goodness can deliver can actually be a true foodies' mecca.

Well your search is over, put down the car keys and pick up your fork (some assembly required first).

Yield: 12-13 Cinnamon rolls

Ingredients:

Cinnamon Roll:

• 1 Package Yeast
• 563 Grams Flour (Roughly 4.5 Cup)
• 95 Grams Corn Starch (Roughly 1/2 Cup)
• 1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
• 1 Cup Buttermilk
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 Cup Salted Butter (1 stick or 8 tablespoons)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract

Filling:

• 1 1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 1/4 tsp Nutmeg (My little twist :) )
• 5 tbsp Salted Butter (COLD)

Icing:

• 170 Grams Powdered Sugar
• 2 tbsp Salted Butter (Melted)
• 3 tbsp Milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Recipe:

Cinnamon Roll:

In a sauce pan over low heat add the butter milk, brown sugar, and butter. Heat just until all is combined and homogeneous.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, yeast, and salt.
In a seperate mixing bowl, add the mixture from the sauce pan, vanilla, and eggs.

Beat the mixture with a hand or stand mixer and slowly add the dry ingredients until the dough starts to thicken (1/2-3/4 of dry ingredients added).



Knead by hand on a floured surface or attach a dough hook and add remaining ingredients. To achieve a perfect dough ball you will need to add a few tablespoons, up to a 1/4 cup of additional flour (it's easier to add flour and still knead it than liquid).

Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a towl and place in a warm place for 1-1 1/2 hours until dough is doubled in size.

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface (didn't need it with a silicone surface) and roll out to a roughly 18'' x 15'' sheet.

Filling:

By hand, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cold butter.

Spread evenly (as possible) across the rolled out dough.

Roll up the dough into a log (jelly roll style, who comes up with this stuff??). Slice into 1'' pieces and arrange in a greased pan.

Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and place in a warm place for 1-1 1/2 hours until dough is doubled in size. 

Brush the rolls with butter and bake at 350F for 17min. While these are baking you can make the icing.

Icing:

Mix together the powdered sugar, melted butter, milk, and vanilla.

Brush the baked rolls with butter and drizzle the icing over them and let them cool for......what am I talking about eat one now!!!!!