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Bon Appetit's Take All Day to Make Morning Buns

Note that this takes about an hour to make the dough, at least 8 hours to chill, and then another 2 hours or so on the back end. But SO worth it! 

Dough

• 1 ¼-ounce envelope active dry yeast (about 2¼ teaspoons)
• 1 cup whole milk, warmed, plus ¼ chilled milk
• 1 teaspoon plus ¼ cup honey
• 4 large eggs, separated, plus 1 large egg yolk
• 3½ cups (or more) bread flour, divided
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal or 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest (optional)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature

Filling and Assembly

• ¾ cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ½ cup honey, divided
• 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, divided
• Bread flour (for surface)
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• Fine sanding sugar or granulated sugar (for sprinkling)

Preparation

Dough

1. Whisk yeast, 1 cup warm milk, and 1 tsp. honey in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment to combine, then let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add egg whites, 2 cups bread flour, and remaining ¼ cup honey and beat with paddle on medium-high speed until mixture is very light and thick, about 3 minutes. Remove paddle, scrape mixture back into bottom of bowl, and sprinkle whole wheat flour and 1½ cups bread flour over top (do not stir). Place bowl in a warm spot and let sit uncovered until mixture is bubbling up around flour, 30–40 minutes.
2. Add salt, orange zest (if using), vanilla extract, 5 egg yolks, and remaining ¼ cup cold milk to mixture and mix with dough hook on low speed until a shaggy dough forms. Increase speed to medium and work dough until it is smooth, soft, and elastic and climbing up the hook, 8–10 minutes (it will clear the sides of the bowl but still stick slightly to the bottom; if after 5 minutes the dough is still very sticky, add bread flour a tablespoonful at a time until dough is just tacky). Reduce mixer speed to medium-low and add butter pieces one at a time, letting dough absorb butter completely before adding the next piece. This part takes a while, so be patient. Dough should be very smooth and slightly tacky and have a soft, buoyant texture. Cover and chill at least 8 hours and up to 16 hours.

Filling and Assembly

1. Cook brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, ¼ cup honey, and 8 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, just until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Let cool.
2. Punch down dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half, place 1 piece back into bowl, cover, and chill while you work. Roll out remaining piece of dough on a sheet of lightly floured parchment paper to roughly a 16x12" rectangle. Spread half of brown sugar mixture over dough. Starting at side closest to you (make sure it’s a long side) and using the parchment paper to help you, roll dough into a tight log. If dough gets too warm or sticky to work with, slide (with parchment) onto a baking sheet and chill until firm, then proceed. Place log, seam side down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Chill until firm, 20–30 minutes.
3. Repeat process with second half of dough and remaining brown sugar mixture. Spray cups of two 12-cup muffin pans with nonstick spray. Place a rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°.
4. Trim chilled dough logs about ½" from ends and cut each on a slight diagonal into 12 equal pieces. Place, cut side up, in prepared muffin pan and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature until puffed and expanded to edges of muffin cups (dough will spring back when poked but hold a slight indentation), 25–35 minutes.
5. Bake buns, rotating pans once left to right and front to back, until golden brown all over, 20–25 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, heat remaining 4 Tbsp. butter and remaining ¼ cup honey in a small saucepan over low, stirring a bit, until smooth. Remove from heat.
7. Pull buns out of oven and brush tops with butter mixture; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Transfer buns to a wire rack (if sugar cools in pan, it will harden and buns will stick); let cool.

Southern Living Cinnamon Rolls

1 envelope yeast
¼ c warm water or milk, 105-115
1 c plus 1 t sugar
½ c butter
1 t salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c milk
1 T lemon juice
5 c bread flour
¼ t nutmeg
cooking spray
½ c soft butter
½ c firmly packed light brown sugar
1 T cinnamon

Cream cheese icing

3 oz cream cheese
2 T butter
2-1/4 c powdered sugar
1 t vanilla
1 T milk

Beat all ingredients and up to 1 more T of milk (1 t at a time) until smooth and spreadable.

Stir together yeast, warm liquid, and 1 t sugar, let stand 5 minutes.

Beat ½ c softened butter at medium speed; add ½ c sugar and 1 t salt, beat til fluffy. Add eggs, milk, and lemon juice, beat til blended. Stir in yeast mixture.

Stir together flour and nutmeg, Add to butter mixture gradually beating at low speed for about a minute.

Turn on to heavily floured surface and knead til smooth and elastic, about 5 min, adding up to ½ c more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Place in lightly greased bowl, turning to oil top, cover and let rise in warm spot (80-85) for 1.5-2 hours or until doubled.

Punch dough down, turn out onto lightly floured surface and roll into 16x12 rectangle. Spread with ½ c very soft butter, leaving a 1-inch border. Stir together brown sugar, cinnamon and remaining ½ c sugar; sprinkle over butter.

Roll up dough, cut into 16 slices, Place rolls, cut side down, in 2 lightly greased 9-inch square pans. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise 1 hour or until doubled.

Preheat oven to 350, Bake 20-22 minutes or until rolls are brown cool in pans 5 min, spread with icing, serve warm.

 

Cream Cheese Pastries

8 oz sour cream
½ c butter, cubed
1 t salt
1/ 2 c and 1 t sugar
2 envelopes yeast
½ c warm water or milk to dissolve yeast
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 c bread flour

Cream cheese filling

16 oz cream cheese
¾ c sugar
1 egg
2 t vanilla

      Beat all until smooth.

Powdered sugar glaze

2-1/2 c powdered sugar
2 t vanilla
3 T milk

      Combine all, then stir. If too thick, add up to 1 more T of milk, 1 t at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

Heat first 3 ingredients and ½ c sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until butter melts. Cool to 110-100.

Combine yeast, warm water or milk and 1 t sugar in a large bowl, let stand 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream mixture and eggs, gradually add flour, beating at low speed. Dough will be soft. Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours.

Divide dough into quarters. Turn out each portion on to heavily floured surface and knead 4-5 times.

Roll each portion into a 12x8 rectangle and spread each with ¼ of the cheese filling, leaving a 1-inch border. Carefully roll up, starting a long side, press seam, and fold ends under to seal. Place 2 loaves, seam side down, on each of 2 parchemnt lined baking sheets. Make 6 cuts across each loaf, cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm place 80-85 degrees) for 1 hour or until doubed.

Preheat oven to 375, bake 2 loaves at a time for 15 mn or until golden brown .Refrigerate reaming loaves while fist batch bakes. Drilzzl warm loaves with powdered sugar glaze.

Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnut Bites

1-1/2 c flour
1/3 c sugar
2-1/4 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
1 egg
1/2  c milk
3 T unsalted, melted butter
Vegetable oil
Powdered sugar

Pour oil to 1.5-inch depth in iron skillet. Heat to 350. 

Whisk together flour and next  4 ingredients. Make a well in the center, add egg, milk and butter. (Batter will be dry.) 

Drop batter by level tablespoonfuls 6-8 at a time, into oil. Fry in batches, 2 min on each side. Drain on paper towels. Roll in powdered sugar, serve hot. 

(Not My) Aunt Bobbie's Corn Cakes

1 egg, beaten
1 T sugar
1-1/2 t salt
2 T butter, melted
1 c buttermilk (or 1 c milk and 1 t vinegar)
1 c cornmeal
1 t baking soda
2 T flour

Mix all ingredients and cook on hot griddle.

Cornmeal Waffles

1/4 c flour
1/4 c cornmeal
1 t sugar
1 t oil
1 egg, separated
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 c milk
1/2 t vanilla

Heat waffle iron. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Beat together egg yolk, milk and vanilla. Beat egg white to soft peaks. Mix dry ingredients and milk mixture until well moistened. Fold egg white gently into batter, pour batter into waffle iron.

Buckwheat Hot Cakes

1/2 c buckwheat flour
1/2 c white flour
1 egg, separated
1 T molasses
4 T baking powder
6 t shortening
1-1/4 c milk

Blend dry ingredients, then cut in shortening. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Meanwhile, combine slightly beaten egg yolk with molasses and milk. Add, mixing just enough to moisten. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites and bake on a hot griddle.

Buckwheat Griddle Cakes

1 c buckwheat flour
1/2 c wheat flour
1 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
1 c old water
1/4 c milk
1 T melted shortening

Sift dry ingredients, salt and sugar. Add melted shortening to milk and water and mix all ingredients, beating to smooth. Bake at once on lightly greased griddle.

 

Corn Cakes

1 c flour
1/2 t baking soda
2 c cornmeal
1 t salt
3-1/2 c milk

Mix dry ingredients. Add 2 c milk and blend til lumps disappear. Add remaining milk.  Grease and preheat griddle to 475.  Cook in the usual manner of pancakes -- pour on griddle, let set until bubbly, then flip.

Mini-Chip Waffles

Warning: Chips are little bits of napalm fresh out of the iron.

2 c flour
2 T sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
2-1/4 c 2% milk
6 T vegetable oil
2 eggs
5 T mini-chocolate chips

Mix all except chips. Let batter sit five minutes before using. Set waffle maker to 4. Pour in batter, sprinkle 1 T chips over top and allow to bubble for 5-10 seconds before closing lid.