Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Baking, not my strength

I (kinda) love to bake. But baking does not love me. I am wondering if it could be that I don't enjoy the process as much as cooking, possibly because my sense of smell is not put into action until the aromas come pouring out of the oven, and I so in turn do not put as much love into what I am doing. Maybe it's because I know I can only eat a small portion of what I am making, not a full plate of it as when I am preparing dinner. But nevertheless, I do try hard not to buy much prepackaged, as I can not get past those long lists of ingredients, with words I would need to google to ever understand.
However, today my fridge is horribly empty and I am trying to hold out on grocery shopping until the weekend. So I pulled myself together and made Cinnamon Buns - not something for the every day, but certainly something I enjoy the end result of! I tried a different recipe, but it didn't bring the best results. I am quite sure this is due to my baking talents, not the recipe, as it is by Williams-Sonoma.
What I wanted to write about today is that I have discovered something that could enhance special breakfasts, such as Christmas, New Years or perhaps a birthday. You may know this already, but I had no clue: The day before a big breakfast, make up your sweet dough for the buns, then - after the dough has risen, punch it down, load it up with brown sugar, butter and cinnamon, then roll up and slice into individual cinnamon buns. Place them in your baking pan, then double wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 - 24 hours. Now doesn't that open up possibilities! Just place at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking, and there you have it, fresh, warm cinnamon buns perfectly timed for that special day!


ALSO, for an extra kick of shine and a gorgeous golden hue, brush the cinnamon buns immediately before and after baking with a little milk or half-and-half. You may not even feel the need for icing after this..


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