Cinnamon Raisin Bagels

We've made these a few times now (like 4 or 5) but I am just getting around to sharing the recipe.  If I could remember and plan ahead everyday, we would have them everyday.  My kids LOVE, LOVE them.  They have almost replaced their favorite breakfast food and they might be my favorite breakfast food.  I love bagels.  And these bagels are so good it's ridiculous.  My favorite bagel recipe so far, by far.

I adapted the recipe to use active dry yeast because that's what I always have on hand (I buy Red Star active dry yeast in bulk) and that's what I want my recipe to call for.  I don't want to have to buy different kinds of yeast.

If you like cinnamon raisin bagels, these need to go on your to-make list.  They take some planning and a little bit of time, but they are so, so worth it!

Bake 52: Monkey Bread

MMMMMMMMMMMMonkey bread!  I haven't made monkey bread before.  I guess when I crave something like this I always go immediately to cinnamon rolls.  This is just as delicious as cinnamon rolls but less formal and also, somehow, still super impressive looking.  

I took some to my neighbor and when he answered the door (shirt-less, I might add.  Awkward!) he asked if it was homemade.  (More awkward!)  I never know what to say to people in that situation.  Yeah, it's homemade because I am awesome?  That seems weird, so instead I launch into this story about how I am in this online baking group and each week we bake something and this week.....and now it's even more awkward because I am rambling on to him about online baking groups while he stands there with his shirt off and monkey bread in his hand. (The most awkward thing ever.) He seemed to be impressed that I said it was homemade (in about 3 million words) before I ran off to lock myself into my apartment and never set foot outside again without duct-taping my mouth shut.

I am glad I gave half of it away because otherwise I would have kept eating it and we all know I don't need that.

I decided the easiest way to divide the dough into 36 pieces was to roll it into a square and cut it, then form into balls.  I am not sure if that was the easiest way or not but I always feel better when my ruler is close by.

I was a bit heavy-handed with the brown sugar mixture and used 50% more than the recipe specified.  But it goes nicely with my belief that you can never have too much brown sugar.

 After the rise.

 Once again, my oven baked way faster than the recipe said.  I think it was almost not quite done in the middle, but almost burning on the outside.  I can't wait until I never see that oven again.  I am sure it feels the same way about me.  So don't feel bad for it, the feeling is mutual.

 This is a great recipe, if you want to give it a try, you can visit Jenn Z.'s blog.  She was our lovely hostess for this week.  Thanks for picking a great recipe!

Bake 52: Cinnamon Rolls

I had to constantly remind myself to stick to the recipe this week.  Because I genuinely wanted to see how they would turn out.  I have a very intimate relationship with cinnamon rolls (yes, I just said intimate).  And these were good but it's hard to compare a recipe I have tried for the first time to one I have over-hauled and made exactly how I like it.  It's really not fair.  I don't know if you've heard though; life isn't fair.  Even though they had some stiff competition, they made a decent showing, they were pretty good cinnamon rolls.  I will probably stick to the recipe I love but I did learn some things this week (of course!).  

Bake 52: Cinnamon Swirl Bread

 If you have ever been to the Seasider Snackbar in Laie, Hawaii, you will know what I am referring to when I talk about the best cinnamon swirl bread I have ever eaten.  Hadlee and I would ride our bikes to the Seasider at least once a week to get it.  You had to go at just the right time though.  Once it was out of the oven and ready, it went fast.  We always tried to go around 9:30 because they would bring it out between 9 and 9:30 and by 10:30 or 11 it was gone.  The worst days were the ones we'd ride there only to be too late and have to ride home bread-less (don't feel too badly for me, we were still in Hawaii).  Now that we are no longer there (you can feel bad for me now), I have been on the look out for a bread that will claim the void in my heart left by the Seasider cinnamon swirl bread.  I have tried a few recipes but they haven't been what I was looking for.  I was super excited to try this one and see how it measured up.  

TWD: Pecan Sticky Buns

I was excited about this recipe when I heard what we were making this week.  I got less excited when I saw how time intensive they would be (I mean, that's a long time when there isn't a speck of chocolate involved!).  I got a little less excited when I saw how much butter was involved (actually there was a part of me that was super excited about all the butter, but I have been trying to shut her up lately.)  While I was folding the dough with even more butter inside I found myself sure that these would be a flop and not worth the effort.  I really thought I would try one and my family would try one and we would throw the rest away.  I was a skeptic the whole way.

Bake 52: Baklava

 You will not find me complaining about having an excuse to make baklava.  If you have been around for a while, you know I already posted a recipe in December.  After tweaking this one, it's pretty similar to that recipe and I didn't really have to tweak that much.  It makes me think if I had this cookbook 3 years ago, it probably wouldn't taken me so many tries to find my perfect baklava.

Dessert Pizza

{Some photos updated 4/26/2013}

Okay, this recipe is coming with a warning:  If you are trying to be "good" eating-wise, don't make this.  If you think you can make it and just eat one piece, I dare you.  (Tyler is a dessert snob and even he couldn't just eat one piece)

Bake 52: Babka (Rolls)

I really didn't know what Babka was before this!  It's normally a loaf but I had this great idea.  I thought if I halved the recipe this week and made rolls instead of a loaf, we could eat a few and then give some away.  (I didn't want to cut a few slices off the bread to try it and then give someone a partial loaf of bread.  I really don't know anyone well enough for that kind of thing.)  See what I mean?  It was the perfect plan.  

Tuesdays with Dorie: White Loaves

Hi, my name is Amanda, and I have a problem.  I have been trying to tell you guys for months.  I am pretty sure most of you think I've been joking.  Well, probably just those of you who don't know me very well.  But I really do.  Have a problem.  I haven't just been messing with you.  To prove my insanity to all of you, I joined another baking group.  I know, one should be enough, right?  I am sure for some people it would be.  And maybe at certain times in my life, one might be enough, (I will let you know).  But for now, I am stuck here and not going anywhere.  If we have learned anything from history, it's that when I am stuck somewhere, I bake.

Churros

 We have gone to Disneyland quite a bit in the last couple months.  Thanks to our annual passes, it's hard to come up with reasons not to go when we have the spare time.  I am usually so ready to get out of the apartment that I will go just about anywhere, including Disneyland.  It's not that I hate Disney, I don't.  It's just that there always seems to be 8 zillion people there and it makes me feel a bit claustrophobic and always frantic about where my kids are.  They always have such a great time and I guess that makes it worth wading through the hoards of people.  We always walk by 8 thousand churro stands and smell the cinnamon.  Sometimes we buy one, but they are 3 dollars each and I don't know if it's just me or if they aren't as good as they used to be.  Luckily, who needs the churro carts, we can do it ourselves, right?