Category Archives: Desserts

July 1 Morning Bun

Not surprisingly, the number #1 Google search for morning bun recipe takes you to Tartine’s recipe.  I’ve had Tartine’s morning buns and can confirm that they are quite delicious.  While my first attempts were fair, surgery they were far from Tartine’s or any professional bakeries’ product.

This weekend, I decided to use Reinhart’s “artisan breads every day” croissant recipe.  Because the doughs are all designed to go into the fridge to proof, it works well for me.  What didn’t work well was my inability to read the instructions (and to do mental math).

With the 200g of leaven, I made the croissant dough but failed to add any milk.  During mixing, the dough was too dry and I eyeballed some water to allow it to come together.  The dough was stiff, almost like pasta dough – far from any bread dough.  I hadn’t realized that I miss read the recipe, so I just threw it in the fridge as is.

The next day, I made the morning buns.  Again I used my lazy lamination technique, and with the cool pasta like dough, the lamination went along quite well.  One book fold and 3 envelope folds later, I was looking at 54 layers.  Don’t know how people get more layers without the dough tearing.  I don’t have solar hands for sure.

From here I used Tartine’s recipe and set the oven to 375 degrees.  After rolling the buns, I placed them into large muffin tins and allowed for a 1.5 hour proof.  The buns baked for 25 minutes (Tartine says 45), and they come out flaky and tender.

Morning buns

June 29 Kouign Amann

It’s been a few months since my last batch of kouign amann and co-workers had been missing them (a good thing for sure).  In order to get a more caramelized crust, I baked on the middle lower rack for 15 minutes and upper middle for 10 at 375 degrees F.

June 29 kouign amann

 

June 26 Morning Buns

200g of leaven needed to be used and Elissa liked morning buns – a Wisconsin treat that has found a second home in San Francisco.  There is something magical about laminated pastries.  Probably the butter.

The sweet bread recipe from Reinhart’s “artisan bread every day” book combined with my lazy lamination technique resulted in these morning buns.  More practice is required to get shaping correct, malady but it’s not like I’m going throw these out.

Morning buns

Kouign Amann Recipe

Last weekend’s kouign amanns had the right taste, more about but they weren’t pretty.  Since pastries are first eaten with the eyes, order I knew that I’d be in the kitchen again.  Plus, I really like kouign amann – evil carmelized pastries that they are.

While the recipe is easy, I also found that resting the dough to be slightly awkward.  In the fridge or freezer, the sugar melts and the simple syrup penetrates the dough.   After baking, each layer is encrusted in caramel.   However, layers aren’t as distinct and pastries were a little dense for me.

This time around, I made the dough, fold in the butter, cut and shape, proof for 30 minutes, and then put it in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Kouign Amann Recipe (adapted from David Lebovitz’s recipe)

Makes 6 koiugn amann Breton butter cakes.

Ingredients:

  • 260 g all-purpose flour
  • 4 g instant yeast
  • 4 g kosher salt
  • 175 g tepid water
  • 150 g sugar, divided into 50g batches
  • 1 stick salted butter, sliced horizontally into 9 planks

Method:

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees
  • Mix flour, yeast, and salt
  • Mix in water until ingredients are incorporated
  • Rest for 20 minutes and then fold the dough*
  • While dough is resting, create a solid piece of butter by laying out the horizontal planks 3 x 3 on parchment paper.  Then take a rolling pin to flatten and make one cohesive block of butter 6″ x 12″ large.  Place back in fridge to harden up again.
  • Rest for 20 minutes and then fold the dough
  • Rest for 20 minutes and then roll dough into a 12″ x 12″ square
  • Place the butter on the dough, and sprinkle with 50 g of sugar
  • Fold the dough so that the butter is completely covered
  • Sprinkle with 40 g of sugar, and then double fold the dough **
  • Sprinkle with 10 g of sugar, and then book fold the dough
  • Roll the dough out, sprinkle with 50 g of sugar and letter fold the dough
  • Roll the dough out into a 8″ x 12″ rectangle
  • Trim edges off
  • Cut into 4″ x 4″ pieces, yielding 6 squares
  • Fold the corners onto themselves and place the squares into a buttered/oil muffin pan.
  • Proof for 30 minutes
  • Bake for 20 minutes, rotating at the 1/2 way mark to promote even browning
  • Take out of the oven, let cool a minute or two, then remove the kouign amann from the pan and cool on a wire rack

* Grab the end closest to you, stretch it over the top. Grab the end furthest from you, stretch it back over the top. Grap the right end, stretch it over the top to the left. And finally, grab the left end, stretch it over the top to the right. This is one fold. Once complete, flip the dough over so seam side is down.

** Double fold, book, and letter folds were done ala Shantilly Star’s recipe.

Rice Krispies Treats Recipe

First food product I ever learned to make were Rice Krispies Treats.  And for many many years, it was the only thing I knew how to make.  Fortunately, the hot wife loves Rice Krispies Treats, so I get the chance to make them quite often.  We like a healthy marshmallow to cereal ratio, so that every kernel is well coated in marshmallow goodness.  In addition, we like Rice Krispies Treats that remain pliable when cooled.

According to the all knowing Internet, the original recipe had 5 cups of rice krispies cereal and 4 TB of butter.  The current Kellog’s recipe has 6 cups of rice krispies and 3 TB of butter.  Those ratios are too marshmallow rich for me.

Here’s my Rice Krispie Treats recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter*
  • 10.5 oz / 1 bag of Jet-Puffed Mini Marshmallows**
  • 10 cups of rice krispies cereal

Method:

  • Butter or spray a 9×13 pan or tupperware
  • In a large non stick pot, melt butter and marshmallows over medium-low heat, stirring constantly
  • When marshmallows are 3/4 melted, turn off heat and add the cereal***
  • Stir/fold/mix till well coated
  • Pour into the pan and let cool for at least a couple of minutes.

* I used to add salt, but refrained recently.  Pure without the salt.

** Use the best marshmallows you can find.  To save money, I had used store brand marshmallow minis.  The taste of artificial vanilla was overpowering.

*** Cook marshmallows too long and they become candy when it cools.  This results in hard rice krispie treats.

Kouign Amann

My friend Lesley is the best of foodie friends.  She’s always in the know of all good eats, mind and she enthusiastically shares everything.  For a party in her honor, what is ed she brought pasties, and kouign amann in particular.  While these breton butter cakes have been taking San Francisco by storm, I’ve been blindly noshing on less decadent pastries.  One bite of Lesley’s offering, I vowed to upgrade.

Thanks to the Internet, there’s a few compelling recipes a mouse click away.  The #1 search result is David Lebovitz’s kouign amann recipe from 2005!  I’m already 6 years behind, so I have a lot of baking and eating to do.

Kouign Amann

Using Lebovitz’s recipe with minor tweaks*, combining it with Shanti Star’s kouign amann recipe’s folds, I get some snacky desserts on the second attempt.  The first attempt were hockey pucks as I had to leave the dough in the fridge for 8 hours.

The resulting mini cakes were rich and caramelized goodness.  However, I would have preferred a lighter pastry and will need to experiment with proofing times before baking.

* ex. 6 grams of SAF instant yeast, instead of the 12 grams of active yeast.  Also instead of adding more flour for the dough to come together, I fold the dough to build structure.