Baked Explorations

Classic American Desserts Revisited

Abrams Books

Contents

BREAKFAST

MONKEY BUBBLE BREAD

PUMPKIN CHEDDAR MUFFINS

FARM STAND BUTTERMILK DOUGHNUTS THREE WAYS

NUTELLA SCONES

CARROT COCONUT SCONES WITH CITRUS GLAZE

BAKED CHEESE GRITS

MOM'S OLIVE OIL ORANGE BUNDT

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

HONEY CORN MUFFINS

NEW YORK-STYLE CRUMB CAKE

CORNMEAL GRIDDLE CAKES

MALTED WAFFLES

BAKED FRENCH TOAST

DOUBLE-CHOCOLATE LOAF WITH PEANUT BUTTER CREAM CHEESE SPREAD

Breakfast, or the concept of a "proper breakfast," can be unpredictable. I like it that way. When I feel inspired, I like rummaging around the pantry and refrigerator for unexpected muffin, scone, or pancake ingredients. I might use up some fresh fruit, chop some chocolate, stir in a bit of brandy, or break apart a stale baguette. When I am feeling less ambitious, I might just reheat leftover macaroni and cheese, or grab a bagel from the local deli, or both. I leave myself open to either option — I consider myself a breakfast optimist, and I never plan in advance.

It's not that I am blasé about breakfast. Actually, I am quite a breakfast advocate; I just never structure the meal like I might a lunch for friends or a large dinner party. I have never "dressed" for breakfast (a frightening idea!), and I don't enjoy the idea of sitting formally at a table in the morning. I prefer to fly solo for my first meal of the day, and most likely I am hunched over the morning news, be it on my laptop or the daily paper.

My carefree roll-out-of-bed-and-grab-your-own-breakfast attitude is largely a part of my upbringing. Mom encouraged the scour-and-devour breakfast scenario that still is part my daily routine. On occasion we were treated to last-minute innovations like a spruced-up muffin mix (usually loaded with butterscotch or chocolate chips) or a pancake burdened with more toppings than a tricked-out ice cream sundae. Other times, it was a simple store-bought, and probably not very good, coffee cake. My breakfast never looked like the hearty abundance of a tweaked-and-Photoshopped Denny's picture menu.

While digging for this book, I unearthed more recipes for breakfast than any other section. People are passionate about their first meal of the day, and the nostalgia runs deep — deeper than with most recipes. I whittled the written and oral submissions down, keeping to the sweeter side of things, and edited them down again by preserving the items that felt the most homey without being too kitsch. I can honestly say that I had the hardest time regulating myself with breakfast during the book's testing phase. One time I lost self-control, nearly consuming half a loaf of Monkey Bubble Bread all by my lonesome. The other recipes in this chapter are equally delicious. I still daydream about the Double-Chocolate Loaf with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Spread. It is a rewarding and handsome breakfast loaf with a sinful flair. Mom's Olive Oil Orange Bundt is coffee-klatch heaven, and the Malted Waffles are a great excuse to use your waffle iron. If you are one of those rare anti-sweet breakfast people, I recommend the Baked Cheese Grits. Actually, I recommend the cheese grits no matter what. Have a great breakfast.

MONKEY BUBBLE BREAD

I SUGGEST ONLY MAKING THIS FROM-SCRATCH BREAD IF YOU ARE HAVING A LARGE GATHERING. Otherwise, you could end up (like me) eating more than you should. Simply put, this is addictive stuff. I liken these warm, gooey bread balls to the most amazing glazed doughnut hole you have ever had. There are several recipes floating about for monkey bread that use canned biscuit dough, but I ask you to kindly refrain from this expedient fix because the result won't be as tasty, and it is more expensive. The origin of the name monkey bread or bubble bread is quite hard to pinpoint, and while many dubious answers exist (the bread resembles a monkey puzzle tree or monkeys love to pull things apart), none of them are definitive, and some are cloyingly cute. I hate cloyingly cute. Suffice it to say that the source of the name is just one of life's great mysteries, and we should leave it at that.

YIELD: ONE 10-INCH BUNDT

Ingredients

FOR THE MONKEY BUBBLE BREAD

1¼ cups whole milk
2 teaspoons instant yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE CINNAMON SUGAR COATING

1¼ cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

MAKE THE MONKEY BUBBLE BREAD

Generously spray the inside of a 10-inch Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small saucepan, warm your milk to slightly above room temperature, then remove it from the heat, add the yeast, and whisk to dissolve. (Do not warm it beyond 110 degrees F or you will kill the yeast).

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, and salt until combined.

In a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork and add it to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until combined.

Keeping the mixer on low, slowly stream in the milk until combined. Add the melted butter and mix until the dough comes together. Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook attachment. Continue to mix on medium speed until the dough becomes silky and tacky, but not sticky, 8 to 10 minutes. The dough should mound together and easily come off the bottom of the mixing bowl. (If the dough is too wet, add some flour. If it is too dry, add a tiny bit of water.)

Spray the bottom and sides of a large bowl with cooking spray. Place the dough in the bowl and roll it around to make sure it is completely covered in oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a dish towel and let it rest in a warm area until the dough has doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Use your clean hands to push down and deflate the dough. Remove it from the bowl and pat it into a rough circle approximately 8 inches diameter. Use a bench knife or serrated knife to cut dough into 1- to 1½-inch pieces (about ½ ounce each) — alternatively, use your hands to pinch apart the dough. Roll the pieces into balls (they don't have to be perfectly round). Place the balls on the sheet pan (you will get about 60 pieces in all). Cover the balls lightly with plastic wrap.

MAKE THE CINNAMON SUGAR COATING

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Place the melted butter in a separate bowl.

ASSEMBLE THE BREAD

Remove the plastic wrap from the dough balls and dip one ball in the melted butter. Let the excess butter drip back into the bowl, roll the ball in the brown sugar mixture, and place it in the Bundt pan. Continue this process with each ball, until you have several layers, arranging them as if you are building a brick wall.

Wrap the Bundt pan tightly in plastic wrap. Set it in a warm area of the house for about 1 hour, or until the dough balls have doubled in size and appear puffy.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the plastic and bake the Bundt until the top layer is deep brown and the caramel coating begins to bubble around the edges, about 30 minutes.

Cool the bread for 5 minutes, then turn it out directly onto a platter and serve warm. Should you have any leftovers (this is rare, I promise you), simply reheat them in a 300-degree oven until warm to the touch.

Baked Note

There are a lot of monkey bread misconceptions, and I will do my darnedest to dispel them. First, you do not need an icing or topping for this bread — too sweet. Second, you can make the dough ahead of time. Once the dipped dough has been placed in the pan, wrap it tightly, refrigerate it, and bring it back to room temperature to proof the dough before baking. Lastly, this is one of those breads that exists to be eaten warm, straight from the oven. Once the caramel begins to cool, reheat the bread in the oven before serving.

* * *

PUMPKIN CHEDDAR MUFFINS

IF THERE WERE A PLACE ON EARTH WHERE YOU COULD EXPERIENCE A NEW ENGLAND FALL FOR TEN MONTHS OUT OF THE YEAR, I WOULD PROBABLY MOVE THERE. I would pursue leaf peeping like a sport, build a crackling fire nightly, and indulge in every hearty autumn recipe at my whim. Until I find this utopia, I will make do with my annual three months of fall. I will churn through umpteen pumpkins (pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup, toasted pumpkin seeds) and hundreds of pounds of Vermont cheddar (grilled cheese, cheese and crackers, fondue), and on a few mornings, I will combine the two in this very autumnal muffin. Like all good muffins, this one is quick to put together. The pumpkin base is moist but spiced with cayenne and black pepper so the sharpness of the cheddar has a chance to shine. I also like to top the muffin with a little extra cheese, so you get a savory-sweet morning experience.

YIELD: 12 MUFFINS

Ingredients

1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 large eggs
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1½ teaspoons salt
1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1¼ cups (about 4 ounces) grated sharp cheddar
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, optional

* * *

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray each cup of a standard 12-cup muffin pan with a little bit of vegetable spray and use a paper towel to spread the oil evenly along the bottom and up the sides of each cup.

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and sour cream. Add the eggs and butter and whisk until combined.

In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, and brown sugar. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well, and fold until just combined. Fold in three-quarters of the cheese.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar and the pumpkin seeds on top of the muffins. Bake them for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the muffin pan cool on a rack for 10 minutes before turning out the muffins. Serve them warm.

Muffins taste best when eaten fresh, but they can be made ahead of time and reheated in a 200-degree oven.

Baked Note

I am addicted to the raw-milk cheddar offered by several farms in Vermont. The flavors are more dimensional than ordinary cheddar (though, yes, I am still a fan of the pasteurized version); raw-milk cheeses are nutty and chocolatey and earthy — and different from farm to farm. This recipe works well with any cheddar, the sharper the better, but make sure you try a raw-milk one if the opportunity presents itself (in or out of this muffin recipe).

* * *

FARM STAND BUTTERMILK DOUGHNUTS THREE WAYS

IF I WERE A BETTER PERSON, I WOULD MAKE THESE MORE OFTEN. I would avoid the supermarket or mass-produced doughnut. I would take a stand and refuse to eat a doughnut that was not prepared by hand and eaten fresh from the fryer. These delicious doughnuts are what a doughnut should be, the type you might pick up from the side of the road at a local farm or farm stand. And though I'm often too lazy and lethargic to fire up the fryer, they really aren't that difficult to make.

Farm stand doughnuts are usually sold coated with cinnamon sugar and tucked inside a paper bag. Sometimes they are made with cider, and sometimes they are made with buttermilk, and they are always worth stopping for. I prefer the buttermilk variety (it produces a cakier doughnut), and I prefer mine dipped in chocolate, but they taste great au naturel as well.

Each topping makes enough for one batch of doughnuts. If you want to use more than one topping for your batch, reduce the amounts by half or by two-thirds, accordingly.

YIELD: ABOUT 10 LARGE DOUGHNUTS PLUS DOUGHNUT HOLES

Ingredients

FOR THE DOUGHNUTS

3½ cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly browned and cooled
Vegetable oil for frying

FOR THE CHOCOLATE DIP

4 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (60 to 70%), coarsely chopped
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Sprinkles to decorate (optional)

FOR THE VANILLA GLAZE

2 cups confectioners' sugar
¼ cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Sprinkles to decorate (optional)

FOR THE CINNAMON SUGAR

1¼ cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon

MAKE THE DOUGHNUTS

Line one baking sheet with parchment paper and another baking sheet with two layers of paper towels.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, and sour cream until combined. Add the melted, cooled butter and whisk again.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the liquid ingredients into the well. With a rubber spatula, slowly fold the flour into the liquid center until the mixture forms a sticky dough.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface lightly dusted with flour. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and pat it out until it is about ½ inch thick.

Use two round cutters (3¼ inch and 1½ inch for large doughnuts; 2½ inch and 1 inch for smaller doughnuts). Dip the large cutter in flour and press out the rounds. Dip the smaller cutter in the flour and cut out the center of each dough round. Arrange both doughnuts and doughnut holes on the parchment-lined baking sheet, pat the dough scraps back together, and use them to make as many more doughnuts and doughnut holes as possible. Chill the dough while you heat the oil.

Pour enough oil into a deep skillet to make a layer approximately 1 inch to 1½ inches deep. Slowly heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is 365 to 370 degrees F.

While you are waiting for the oil to reach temperature, make the assorted toppings.

MAKE THE CHOCOLATE DIP

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium wide-mouthed bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream until it is just about to boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and wait 1 minute. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in the butter. Keep the mixture warm.

MAKE THE VANILLA GLAZE

In a medium wide-mouthed bowl, whisk together the sugar, the milk, and the vanilla paste.

MAKE THE CINNAMON SUGAR

In a medium wide-mouthed bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon.

TO FRY THE DOUGHNUTS

Once the oil reaches temperature, gently lift the large doughnuts off the baking sheet and place them in the hot oil. Do not crowd the skillet — make no more than 3 doughnuts at a time. Once they have browned on one side (this takes 2 to 3 minutes), turn them over with tongs or a slotted spoon and continue to cook for another minute or just until browned (they can overcook or burn rather quickly). Using a slotted spoon, transfer the doughnuts to the paper towel–lined baking sheet and continue to fry the rest of the dough until finished. The doughnut holes will cook faster and can be made in two or three batches after the doughnuts are done.

ASSEMBLE THE DOUGHNUTS

Once you have finished frying, work quickly to dip the doughnuts in the chocolate or vanilla glaze, or the cinnamon sugar. If you like, decorate the chocolate or vanilla doughnuts with sprinkles. Serve immediately.

Baked Note

When you fry the doughnuts, make sure you maintain the correct oil temperature throughout the process. Generally speaking, doughnuts taste best served immediately after they've emerged from the fryer (and taken a quick dip in sugar or chocolate or vanilla); however, I have managed to find a few uses that play to the strengths of leftover (or day-old) doughnuts. Chop them into big coarse crumbs, toast them lightly, and add them to vanilla ice cream as a mix-in (if you are making it from scratch) or a topping (if you are serving store-bought). Doughnuts also work wonders (very rich wonders) when aused as the base of a bread pudding.

* * *

NUTELLA SCONES

YES, RENATO AND I LOVE NUTELLA, THE LITTLE (OR BIG) JAR OF HAZELNUT AND CHOCOLATE BLISS FROM ITALY. Once stocked only by specialty stores, Nutella can now be found virtually everywhere. If you have not tried it, I beg you to stop everything, go to the nearest grocery store, and buy at least two jars: one for baking and one for a daily midday boost directly from said jar to your mouth.

These scones (secretly my favorite scones) have a decent-size dollop of Nutella folded into a cocoa-based dough. They aren't overly sweet, and the hazelnuts provide a great texture. Technically, they are still a breakfast treat, but they tend to make a bigger splash at brunch when people feel better about eating indulgently. Scones, no matter the ingredients, are still technically more difficult to put together than a muffin or quick bread. They require a little practice to perfect (i.e., getting a feel for the texture you want as you work in the butter and making sure you don't overwork the dough). However, once you master the scone, it will take you just a few moments to put together, bake, and serve a comfy little breakfast or tea snack. If you prefer to make your own, all-natural "Nutella," see the Homemade Nutella recipe.