Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Morning Bun Cruffins and Bunny Bundt Cakelets!


Hello, friends, I have so much to share today so this will be a long post! It's been a very busy time here the past two weeks with spring birthdays and a belated Easter celebration with family this past weekend.

Today, I'm sharing a recipe that I have become totally obsessed with. TOTALLY. I've made these Cruffins (croissant meets muffin) three times in the past two weeks and my jeans are feeling a little tight.  I'm thinking an intervention or rehab might be in order.  When I first saw the technique using a pasta roller to thinly roll the dough for these cruffins on Lady and Pups I immediately imagined how wonderful they might taste with cinnamon sugar added as in Morning Bun pastries.

 

I got out my KA mixer pasta attachment and got rolling!  Flaky, croissant-y layers of butter and cinnamon-sugar deliciousness.  I was hooked when I tasted the first one.


I'm not adding a tutorial because the one you'll see on Lady and Pups is very thorough if you decide to try these (although mine are not nearly as beautiful as hers).  From now on, I promise to only eat these on the weekend.  Promise!  Fingers crossed~


For our Easter celebration, I made Bunny Cakelets for my grandsons with my new cakelet pan from Williams Sonoma.  WS is already sold out of them but you can still find them on Amazon.  Aren't they adorable?


Our boys also enjoyed an egg hunt here and I made shark hats for them - idea courtesy of La Table de Nana and her creative daughter :)

 
Last, and certainly not least, things are growing and blooming here at last! It certainly is a time to celebrate!


I'll be back soon to share a recipe for the delicious birthday cake that I made for my daughter!

Morning Bun Cruffins

Recipe Adapted from Lady and Pups

Please see tutorial on Lady and Pups as a guide. 

The major change I made to her recipe (other than my addition of cinnamon sugar) was in the cutting of the dough 'logs' after they are rolled out in the pasta roller and covered with butter and cinnamon-sugar mixture.  I tried cutting them 'crosswise' as she did but most of the cinnamon sugar oozed out with the butter during baking which made a caramelized mess and kept them from rising properly.  Therefore, for my morning bun adaptation, instead of cutting the logs lengthwise before twisting into buns, I cut my logs crosswise instead and rolled them with my hands until long enough to twist into the pretzel shape.  Two successful batches later can't be bad (unless of course you become addicted to these as I have). 
It is best to use a digital kitchen scale to measure the flour and water, but if you don't have one, loosely pile the flours in a measuring cup and scrape the top level with a knife. 

150 grams (1 cup + 1 tbsp) bread flour
150 grams (1 cup + 1 tbsp) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp (6 grams) instant dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp (11 grams) salt
130 grams (1/2 cup) luke-warm water + 30 grams (2 tbsp) if more is needed
50 grams (3 1/2 tbsp) unsalted butter, cubed and softened to room temperature

115 grams (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, divided into 4 equal parts (2 T each) and softened to room-temperature (I placed mine in four small individual ramekin dishes)
1 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons of cinnamon

2 hours before starting the dough, leave the butter on the counter for it to completely come to room-temperature.
Mix 1 cup of sugar with 4 teaspoons of cinnamon and blend thoroughly and set aside.
Butter a muffin pan or spray with baking spray with flour, such as Bakers Joy.

In a stand-mixer with dough-hook (or large bowl with hand-held mixer with dough-hooks), whisk together flours, yeast and salt until blended. Add 130 grams of luke-warm water (around 95F/35C) and knead on low speed for 3 min. The dough should be slightly shaggy and stiff, but if it has difficulty coming together, add the additional 30 grams (2 tbsp) of water and knead again. Then, add the 50 grams of cubed butter and knead on low speed for 5 minutes until completely incorporated. Increase to medium speed and knead for another 10 ~ 15 minutes until the dough is extremely smooth and elastic. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes at room-temperature. It should expand slightly.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, and divide it into 4 equal portions. (Use your digital scale to proportion them if you have one). Work with 1 portion at a time covering the rest loosely with plastic wrap. Dust the dough with just enough flour so it doesn't stick, then pat into 1/3" (1 cm) thickness. With a pasta machine at its thickest setting, feed the dough through the machine.

Very lightly dust both the dough with a bit of flour, then start running the dough through the machine, until you reach the thinnest increment (should be very thin but not falling apart). If necessary, cut the dough in half if it gets too long.  On my pasta roller attachment I rolled my dough to the second thinnest setting.  

Lay the very long piece (or two pieces if you had to cut it side by side) on the counter. With your fingers, gently rub a thin layer of the room-temperature butter (has to be very soft but NOT MELTED) evenly across the dough, extending all the way to the edges. A pastry brush may help with this step. Do this to both sections of the dough if you had to cut it in half. Keep in mind that this is a 1/4 of the entire dough and you should use up 1/4 of the butter.
Sprinkle 1/8th cup or so of cinnamon sugar over the buttered dough. 

Once finished, start rolling the dough from one end to the other, as tightly as you can, into a firm log. If you had to cut the dough into two pieces, then place the first log on end of the other buttered section of dough, and roll it up again. Now, cut the log in half cross-wise with a floured knife.  Roll the two cut pieces with your hands on the counter until they are about 6 inches long and then twirl the dough and shape it into a semi-knot and tuck the ends underneath. Place the knots inside buttered muffin-pan. Repeat the process with the other 3 portions of the dough and butter.
Cover the muffin tin loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours until doubled in size. 

Bake in a preheated oven at 400F/200C, for about 20 minutes (more or less, depending on your oven) until puffed and golden browned

Note: You can wrap the entire muffin-pan with plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge without allowing the dough to rise and bake them the next day.  They may take up to 3 hours or more to rise after being chilled.


53 comments:

  1. Beautiful, really beautiful buns Susan and Im sure delicious!!
    I love yours bunnies and love your mold!!
    What fun!
    And the flowers look wonderful!!!

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    1. Thank you, Gloria! Yes, it is wonderful to see color outside again instead of white :)

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  2. Now that is what EASTER SHOULD look like!

    I love everything:)
    I have a hand crank pasta roller..would it work?
    LATP..great !
    Never got the KA attachment..I do remember when you got yours though!

    Love the buns..bunnies..boys..hats..blooms..Iris ,anemones,scillas,crocus.. hellebores...,jonquils...WAY AHEAD of us!~

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    1. Thank you, Monique. Yes, the hand roller is what she used. You will catch up quickly!

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  3. A roller works..just followed your link;)TY

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    1. I just had a nice walk through past Easter posts of yours..OMGEE the boys in the hats..it has flown by Susan..flown by..love the pan all over again..that's a good thing:)

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    2. It has flown....waaaaaaaaay too quickly! I can't believe I didn't share the cakelet recipe also. I didn't even get the pan out this year! I'm almost positive I used the Heritage cake recipe that came with my WS Heritage Cake Pan. I posted that recipe here: https://savoringtimeinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/01/heritage-its-more-than-just-cake.html. I don't remember what recipe I used for the chocolate bunnies :(

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  4. Your cruffins look delicious, Susan. I got rid of my pasta maker long ago, so I will just have to come look at yours, that way no weight gain, either!
    Your little guys are getting so big, seems like yesterday they were babies.

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    1. Thank you and you're wise, Marigene, they are addictive :). The boys are getting big far too quickly! They seem to have grown each time we see them.

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  5. The cruffins look great and no doubt the boys loved the bunny cakes! Looks like you had a fun celebration and spring has definitely sprung-enjoy:@)

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  6. Love seeing your "boys" and flowers. Now, what is your address and what time is breakfast?

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  7. Everything about this post is beautiful - your photos always are! Sure wishing I could try one of the cruffins but avoiding carbs for awhile.

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    1. Thank you Marsha, and Glad to see you! I totally get your concern ;)

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  8. Oh my gosh - everything about this post is amazing! Love those cruffins - they look amazing. I can't imagine how wonderful they are to eat! The little bunny cakes - oh my word they are adorable! Your egg-hunters are so sweet and the flowers sent me over the top! Your photos are stunning. I smiled all the way through! Thank you!

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    1. Thanks so much, Tricia! I love your photography so I'm thrilled for you to say that :)

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  9. They do sound and look so good! Your mosaic of blooms is beautiful! I am so glad to see Spring arrive - fresh green, beautiful buds and blooms. The shark hats are so cute!

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    1. Thanks so much, Glenda! Yes, it's a long-awaited thrill to see flowers blooming outdoors again here.

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  10. I love Lady and Pups! I can't wait to try these. Your flowers are gorgeous. The rabbits have eaten all of mine! Sounds like you had a fabulous Easter! And Spring is here though i do hear our weather includes snow in the forecast!

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    1. Thank you, Abbe. It's amazing what you can do with a pasta roller. Such possibilities!

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  11. These look delicious. Love the pics of the boys. They are getting so big. Your garden is coming along. The irises are so pretty :-)

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    1. Thanks, Suzy! I know you are way ahead of us in the PNW but it's pretty exciting to finally see blooms again :)

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  12. Oh my! When I saw the pic on my email feed, I knew I HAD to check these out!
    The idea of using a pasta maker is so clever. I did not like to use a sheeter in pastry classes. too big and cumbersome. These look to die-fo. too bad one has to refrain from making them a daily habit.

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    1. Thank you, Joumana :) I thought it was a brilliant idea! The other way I've used my pasta cutter attachment is to make thin bread sticks. I think I use them more for baking than for pasta - LOL.

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  13. I love everything in this post! Those cruffins look too good to miss in life, Susan. Those layers are simply irresistible. And I am so IMPRESSED with your beautiful garden.

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    1. I was so delighted when I saw those beautiful layers, Angie. Thank you! I love my garden as much as I love cooking and baking - maybe more so :)

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  14. Your cruffins are beautiful Susan. I think you have every right to be obsessed. And your gardens - wow.
    Sam

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    1. Thanks so much Sam! Too bad I don't have the metabolism of a 14 year old anymore :) I'd eat them every day!

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  15. Susan, I can just imagine how wonderful the cruffins are. Your spring gardens are beautiful! The hellebore will always be a favorite of mine. Probably because they last the longest ;o)

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    1. Thanks, Debbie! They are delicious. It's always such a welcomed sight to see the first blooms of the season :)

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  16. I love, love this idea. Will follow the link and get started on them one of these days. A sprained ankle is keeping me from long periods in the kitchen, but I will get to them. Thanks Susan. Great Easter ideas and beautiful Spring blooms.

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    1. Thanks so much, Penny! I'm so sorry to hear about your sprained ankle! That is so painful. I hope you try these one day :) They are so delicious.

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  17. thanks for sharing those wonderful moments ! I love your garden, your flowers and your boys, are so cute ! Cruffings look delicious !Have a good day my dear Susan, a warm hug

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  18. We must be sisters under the skin! This is second time you've made a recipe I've marked to try that I found on Pinterest! Funny! These look fabulous, Susan...love rolls like this. So pleased you made them...lovely to look at and I can almost smell them from here!

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    1. We do enjoy many of the same types of recipes, Barbara! I hope you try making them too. They were a fun and delicious adventure!

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  19. Those cruffins are insane looking, I have never been tempted to make croissants but I NEED to make these!

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  20. Oh my goodness. I must have those cruffins, but I too fear that I'd be wearing a new size.. I'm already having trouble with all the winter eating. But I have to try these. They look too fantastic. pinning.

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    1. Thank you, Linda! They are worth s little extra time in the treadmill :)

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  21. Those are most wonderful looking! Good thing I don't have what is needed. I enjoyed seeing your grands gathering eggs. The shark hats are cool.

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    1. Thank you, Vee! Always fun to cook and create for those boys :)

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  22. Oh man...I saw these on Lady and Pups and somehow managed to resist...up until now! This weekend = happening.

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  23. The cruffins are amazing, the little bunny cakes adorable and your Easter photos beautiful! Lovely spring post, Susan!

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  24. Susan, this is my kind of recipe but I'm going to have to pin it for later as I'm swearing off butter filled pastries for awhile..yes it's true I get the pants feeling tight comment ..unfortunately!!! .. but I loved reading about them and seeing your photos. Also love the little bunny pan, so cute!!!! Thanks for sharing all your sweet photos ..great post ;)

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  25. OMG Susan, these cruffins look awesome, so interesting using the pasta roller...very creative....I love the idea of cinnamon...so cute the Easter pictures...especially the grandkids...
    Enjoy the rest of the week :)

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  26. I've already had a cronut, and now there is the cruffin, looking even more yummy and grown-up. My jeans are protesting just thinking about this yumminess.
    Amalia
    xo

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  27. Oh, the heavenly layers have my mouth watering! Breads are my weakness. Yes, I imagine the scale going up if you are making them that often! Yummmmmmmy!
    Those little bunnies are too adorable! I am in love with their ears. What a fun celebration with loved ones!

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  28. Wow these are beautiful. I have to try these.

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  29. Wow these are beautiful. I have to try these.

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  30. Your photos are stunning Sue! Love the cruffins! The Egg hunt and shark hats on the boys are adorable! You are such a good grandmother and they are ao lucky to have you! And I have to buy the bunny cake pan so I can make the adorable cakes too.
    Thanks again. Xo Anna

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