Cinnamon Buns

Quick Cinnamon Buns with Buttermilk Icing
(Americas Test Kitchen Recipe)

**Melted butter is used in the filling and the dough and to grease the pan. Melt 8 Tbsp of butter ahead of time to make it easier.
Just measure out of the full amount.**


1 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 C granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted and cooled

Dough:

• 2 1/2cups unbleached all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting work surface)
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/4 cups low fat buttermilk
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Glaze:

2 tablespoons cream cheese
2 tablespoons low fat buttermilk
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar


Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush a 9-inch square cake pan with one tablespoon butter.

1. Filling: Combine the brown sugar,  granulated sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a small bowl. Add one tablespoon melted butter and stir with a fork or fingers until the mixture resembles wet sand. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add 3 tablespoons of the melted butter and buttermilk to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until the liquid is absorbed (the dough will be sticky and look shaggy), about 30 seconds. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead, lightly dusting more flour as necessary, until just smooth and no longer shaggy, about 30 seconds.
3. Lightly dust the surface again. Pat the dough into a small rectangle, then roll into a 12-inch x 9-inch rectangle, dusting more flour sparingly if necessary so the dough doesn't stick to the rolling pin. Brush the dough with 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the brown sugar filling, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Using your hand, press the filling firmly into the dough. Starting at the long side, roll the dough, pressing lightly, to form a tight log. (If the dough sticks to the surface, use a sharp knife or dough scraper to release it.) Pinch the seam to seal. Roll the log seam-side down and, using a serrated knife, cut it evenly into 9 pieces. Turn the pieces over on their flat sides, and slightly flatten each piece with your hand to seal the open edges and keep the filling in place. Place the rolls in prepared pan and brush with remaining tablespoon of butter. Bake until the edges are golden brown, 20-25 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make the glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream cheese and buttermilk until thick and smooth (the mixture will look like cottage cheese at first). Sift in confectioners' sugar and whisk until smooth glaze forms.
5. Let cool 5 minutes, slide buns onto a plate.
6. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the buns. 

Buttermilk Citrus Cake with Raspberries

I have posted a variation of this cake before.

But it's just so good, I find myself coming back to it again and again.

I love that there are so many things that you can do with a basic buttermilk cake.

In the past, I have topped it with apricots, peaches, blueberries and rhubarb.

Today I'm trying raspberries with lemon and lime zest sprinkled with turbinado sugar.

This cake takes almost no time to prepare and bake.

Would be perfect with a little whipped cream or frozen yogurt.

Buttermilk Citrus Cake with Raspberries
(Super Natural Food Everyday by Heidi Swanson)

2 1/2 C all purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour (I used 1 1/2C All Purpose and 1C Spelt because I ran out of WWPF)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 C fine white sugar
pinch salt
1 1/2 C buttermilk
2 eggs
1/2 C butter, melted and cooled
1 lemon and 1 lime zested
1 C frozen raspberries
2 Tbsp course sugar (Turbinado)

Preheat oven to 400*.
Butter a 9 1/2 x 11 inch baking dish or 11 inch quiche dish.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
In small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together buttermilk, cooled butter, eggs and zest.
Gently combine wet ingredients into dry.

Pour batter into prepared pan spread to the edges.
Top with raspberries and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 20-25 minutes.  Be careful not to over-bake it.
*Start checking the centre of the cake with a toothpick at around 20 minutes to ensure it doesn't overcook.

Biscuits and Gravy

While we were reading, By the Shores of Silver Lake, Clara and I were both oo-ing and aw-ing at the breakfast the Ingalls ate Christmas morning.

Fried pork and potatoes, biscuits, gravy and hot applesauce.

Clara decided that sounded like a pretty prefect dinner for tonight.

We started by throwing together some simple buttermilk biscuits. Clara can make these biscuits almost entirely on her own. They're very simple and very good.

Even though it's not exactly prairie fare, we are also having sausage gravy.

Along side the biscuits and gravy we are having some roasted new potatoes, applesauce, and maybe an excerpt or two from one of Laura's books.

Buttermilk Biscuits

(epicurious.com)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

heaped 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk

1 tablespoon milk or cream for brushing

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

Blend in butter with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Add buttermilk and stir with a fork until a dough just forms (dough will be moist).

Drop by Heaping Tablespoonful onto a lined baking sheet.

Bake 12-15 minutes.

Sausage Gravy

(Alton Brown)

1lb breakfast sausage, bulk style (we used lamb sausage squeezed from the links), drippings reserved

1 1/2 oz all purpose flour

2 C whole milk

salt and pepper to taste

Cook sausage in a skillet.When done, remove sausage from pan and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat.

Whisk flour into the fat and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in milk a little at a time.

Return to medium-high heat and stir occasionally while the gravy comes to a simmer and thickens.

(Be sure to scrape up any brown bits that might be stuck to the bottom of the pan, that's where the flavor is.)

Check seasoning, add crumbled sausage and serve over toast or biscuits.