Ah, the joy of freshly baked breakfast breads on Easter morning. You can almost see the aromas of cinnamon, vanilla and lemon zest swirling in the air. It’s holiday baking euphoria.
Baking nirvana is an everyday event for Gina De Michael, pastry chef-owner of Pacific Whey Baking Co. in Newport Beach, Calif. Lines of customers, eager for breakfast and brunch treats, spill out of the bakery onto the sidewalk.
“I’m passionate about breakfast and brunches,” she says. “Baking for morning is my thing. It’s so much fun to watch people’s faces light up when they see these killer breakfast pastries and breads.”
De Michael encourages home cooks to try her recipes. According to her theory of home baking, part of being successful is adopting a fearless attitude. Here are some of her tips:
– Always cover bread dough with plastic wrap before you put it aside to rise. Press it down on the dough, so that a skin doesn’t form on the top. As the dough rises, the plastic will push up.
– A slow rise is always better than a fast rise, De Michael says. If the recipe calls for setting the dough aside for 1 hour in a warm location, put it in a cooler location and allow it to rise 2 hours.
– To test whether dough has risen sufficiently, poke a finger into it. If the hole you’ve made with your finger holds its shape, the dough is ready. If the dough springs back quickly, it needs more time. If the dough collapses, you’ve waited too long.
ALMOND CHOCOLATE TWIST
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Rising time: 2 hours
Yield: 20 servings
1/2 cup warm milk, 100-105 degrees
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon dry active yeast
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted, but no hotter than 105 degrees
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Filling:
4 ounces almond paste, see note
2 large egg whites
1 cup almond meal, see note
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup finely chopped bittersweet chocolate
Egg wash:
1 egg, beaten Icing:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1. Place milk, sugar and yeast in small bowl. Stir to dissolve; set aside 10 minutes.
2. Place flour and salt in bowl of electric mixer; stir together. Make well in center of flour; add yeast mixture, eggs, butter and lemon zest. Beat on low speed, using dough hook, until dough forms. Increase speed to medium; knead dough 5 minutes. Alternately, knead by hand on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place dough in large greased bowl; cover dough with plastic. Place in draft-free location until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
3. For filling, combine almond paste, egg whites, almond meal, sugar, rum and cinnamon; mix until smooth. Fold in chocolate. Set aside.
4. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough out on lightly floured surface into 14- by 12-inch rectangle. Spread filling evenly over dough to within 1/2 inch of edges. Starting at longer side, roll up jellyroll style; roll back and forth a little to make roll a little longer. Place seam-side down. Cut in half lengthwise.
5. Turn halves so cut sides are facing up; place side by side. Pinch one set of ends together, as though about to braid dough. Cross one side over other to make an X. Making sure both cut sides remain up, continue to twist one around the other. Join ends to make crossed dough into circle. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper; cover with plastic. Let rise about 1 hour.
6. Brush top with beaten egg. Bake until deep golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool 15 minutes. For glaze, stir together confectioners’ sugar and butter with enough water to make smooth icing. Drizzle icing over bread.
Note: Almond paste is sold in clear plastic tubes in the baking sections of most supermarkets. To make almond meal, place blanched almonds in food processor fitted with metal blade. Nuts and equipment should be dry. Process until finely ground, but don’t overprocess or it will turn doughlike.
If you prefer, you can make this bread in loaf shape, omitting twisting procedure.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 260 Fat ………… 11 g Saturated fat .. 4 g
% calories from fat .. 35 Cholesterol … 30 mg Sodium …… 150 mg
VANILLA BEAN SHORTBREAD
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Yield: About 28 cookies
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean, see note
2 cups all-purpose flour
1. Place butter, sugar, salt and vanilla bean seeds in bowl of electric mixer. Beat on high speed until smooth. Add flour; beat on low speed just until dough forms.
2. Roll dough to 1/4- to 1/2-inch thickness on floured surface; cut out cookies in shape of choice. Place cookies on baking sheets lined with parchment paper; place in freezer at least 1 hour or overnight before baking.
3. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Bake until very lightly browned on bottom and firm to touch, about 50 minutes.
Note: To remove seeds from vanilla pod, cut pod in half lengthwise. Scrape out seeds. Use seeds in recipe. You can place pod in canister of sugar to give sugar a vanilla scent.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories …….. 105 Fat ………. 7 g Sat. fat ……. 4 g
% cal. from fat .. 57 Chol. …… 20 mg Sodium ……. 20 mg
