Breakfast

Malassadas ( doughnut-like pastries)

in

1 Envelope active dry yeast

3/4 Cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 Cup warm water (110 degrees)

6 Large eggs, at room temperature

4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 Cup half-and-half, at room temperature

1/4 Teaspoon salt

8 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour

Vegetable oil for deep frying

Sugar for sprinkling

In a small mixing bowl, combine the yeast, 1 teaspoon of the sugar, and the water.  Stir to dissolve the sugar and set aside.  If the yeast doesn’t foam after a few minutes, you need to buy new yeast and start again.

In an electric mixer, beat the eggs and the remaining 3/4 cup sugar until thick and pale yellow in color, about 6 minutes.  Change the mixer attachment to a dough hook.  With the machine on low speed, slowly add the yeast mixture, melted butter, milk, half-and-half, and salt.  Add flour, 1 cup at a time, and mix until a soft ball forms that leaves the sides of the bowl and climbs up the dough hook.  Remove the dough and turn into a lightly oiled bowl, turning it to oil all sides.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set the bowl in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and dust it with flour.  Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 12 by 17 inches and 1/2 inch thick.  Cover the dough with a lightly oiled piece of plastic wrap.  Put the dough in a warm, draft free place and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Heat 6 inches of oil in a deep, heavy pot or and electric fryer to 360 degrees.

With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 2-inch squares.  Flour your hands, then pat the squares down a little to lightly flatten them.  Fry the squares, 2 to 3 at a time, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. turning them to brown evenly.  Drain on paper towels.  Sprinkle the doughnuts with sugar and serve warm.

Chocolate Breakfast Muffins

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2/3 cup (2 ounces) Dutch-process cocoa
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 cups (9 3/8 ounces) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (6 ounces) chocolate chips
2 large eggs
3/4 cup (6 ounces) milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons vinegar
1/2 cup (4 ounces, 1 stick) butter, melted; or 1/3 cup (2 3/8 ounces) vegetable oil

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard muffin pan with paper or silicone muffin cups, and grease the cups.

  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, flour, sugar, baking powder, espresso powder, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips. Set aside.

  • In a large measuring cup or medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla and vinegar. Add the wet ingredients, along with the melted butter, to the dry ingredients, stirring to blend; there's no need to beat these muffins, just make sure everything is well-combined.

  • Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin; the cups will be heaped with batter, and the muffin will bake into a "mushroom" shape. Sprinkle with pearl sugar, if desired.

  • Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

  • Remove the muffins from the oven, and after 5 minutes remove them from the pan, allowing them to cool for about 15 minutes on a rack before peeling off the muffin papers or silicone cups

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

in

Dough:

4 large egg yolks, room temperature

1 large whole egg, room temperature

57 grams sugar, approximately 1/4 cup

85 grams unsalted butter, melted, approximately 6 tablespoons

180 grams buttermilk, room temperature

425 grams all-purpose flour, approximately 4 cups, plus additional for dusting

1 package instant dry yeast, approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

Vegetable oil or cooking spray

Filling:

227 grams light brown sugar, approximately 1 cup packed

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Pinch salt

3/4 -ounce unsalted butter, melted, approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons

  • For the dough: in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk.

  • Add approximately 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast and salt; whisk until moistened and combined.

  • Remove the paddle attachment and replace with a dough hook. Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary; the dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. Knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl.

  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 30 seconds. Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, lightly oil the top of the dough, cover and let double in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

  • Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until well incorporated. Set aside until ready to use.

  • Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the 3/4-ounce of melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough. Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 12 rolls. Arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours.

  • Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes. OR Pre-Heat your oven to 200 (or warm) put pan with rolls in the oven, turn oven off and let them rise for 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

  • When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, approximately 30 minutes.

  • While the rolls are cooling slightly, make the frosting.

Perfect Pancakes

in

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cups milk

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour 

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder 

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

  • Beat the eggs and milk until light and foamy, about 3 minutes at high speed of a stand or hand mixer. Stir in the butter or vegetable oil.

  • Whisk the dry ingredients together to evenly distribute the salt, baking powder and sweetener.

  • Gently and quickly mix dry ingredients into the egg and milk mixture. Let the batter rest for at least 15 minutes, while the griddle is heating; it"ll thicken slightly.

  • Heat a heavy frying pan over medium heat, or set an electric griddle to 375°F. Lightly grease frying pan or griddle. The pan or griddle is ready if a drop of water will skitter across the surface, evaporating immediately.

  • Drop 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the lightly greased griddle. Bake on one side until bubbles begin to form and break, about 2 minutes; then turn the pancakes and cook the other side until brown, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Turn over only once. Serve immediately.

Belgian-Style Yeast Waffles

in

1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk

6 tablespoons butter, melted

2 to 3 tablespoons maple syrup

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups Unbleached all-Purpose Flour 

1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 Tablespoon sugar

  • Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl, leaving room for expansion; the mixture will bubble and grow.

  • Stir to combine; it's OK if the mixture isn't perfectly smooth.

  • Cover with plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour; the mixture will begin to bubble. You can cook the waffles at this point, or refrigerate the batter overnight to cook waffles the next day.

  • Preheat your waffle iron. Spray with non-stick vegetable oil spray, and pour 2/3 to 3/4 cup batter (or the amount recommended by the manufacturer) onto the center of the iron. Close the lid and bake for the recommended amount of time, until the waffle is golden brown. It takes us 5 to 6 minutes, using our 7" Belgian-style (deep-pocket) waffle iron.

  • Serve immediately, or keep warm in a 200°F oven.