Apricot Sweet Buns

I periodically buy a magazine called Bake From Scratch and subscribe to their Instagram feed. The pictures of their baked goods always has me drooling and I bookmark all the things I want to try.  Then, life gets in the way, and all the things I want to bake don't get baked!  Such is the case with these sweet buns.  They were featured in their magazine earlier in the year and I saved the article. Every now and then I would come across it and think I need to make them. Then I would forget (is that busy or age-related memory issues?) This last week they posted a picture on Instagram and I decided right then and there that I was going to get these made! I'm so glad I did.  As I tell my almost-four year old grandson when we eat something good, these were "yummy, yummy in my tummy!"  They weren't overly sweet but the dough had a wonderful flavor due to the addition of almond extract (love the stuff).  The tanginess of the apricots balances the sweetness of the dough. They were heavenly warm.  I shared the leftovers a few hours later at my granddaughter's soccer game and they were still good.

Don't let the length of the recipe intimidate you.  It is easily broken down into parts, as your time allows.  The apricot filling can be cooked ahead of time and refrigerated for up to a week. I made the dough and assembled the buns one night while dinner was cooking, then refrigerated them.  The next morning I set them out for their final rise and baked them.  By 9 a.m. we were eating warm buns and enjoying our morning coffee!

The recipe calls for a brown sugar glaze, with the added flavor of vanilla. At first I was going to make a simple confectioners' sugar glaze for them, but decided to stay true to the recipe. The glaze added just enough sweetness, I think the confectioners' sugar glaze would have made them too sweet.

I was raised in California's apricot country. This recipe calls for dried apricots in the filling. Please, please use California dried apricots. They are so much more flavorful than their foreign counterpart and you are helping a California farmer!

Apricot Sweet Buns

1 cup warm whole milk (105 to 110 degrees), divided
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Apricot-Almond Filling (recipe follows)
Brown Sugar Glaze (recipe follows)

In a medium bowl, combine ¾ cup  warm milk and yeast. Let stand until mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes.

 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together sugar, melted butter, sour cream, egg, almond extract, and remaining ¼ cup  warm milk.

 

In a large bowl, whisk together 3⅔ cups flour and salt. Stir half of flour mixture into sugar mixture. With mixer on low speed, add yeast mixture, beating just until combined. Beat in remaining flour mixture. Switch to the dough hook attachment. Beat at medium speed until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. Add remaining ⅓ cup  flour, if needed (dough should not be sticky). Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Loosely cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

 

Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

 

Lightly punch down dough. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and roll into a 21x13-inch rectangle. Spread Apricot-Almond Filling onto dough. Fold dough in thirds, like a letter, creating a 13x7-inch rectangle. Roll dough into a 13x8-inch rectangle. Cut ½ inch off each short end of rectangle. Cut dough into 12 (1-inch) strips. Twist each strip, and tie in a knot, tucking ends under. Place on prepared pans. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place  until puffed, about 30 minutes.

 

Preheat oven to 350°F.

 

Bake buns, one batch at a time, until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes, covering with foil halfway through baking to prevent excess browning. Brush buns with Brown Sugar Glaze. Let cool on pans for 10 minutes. Serve warm. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Makes 12 buns.

 

Apricot-Almond Filling

Makes about 1½ cups

 

1 cup  dried apricots

⅓ cup  granulated sugar

1 tablespoon  unsalted butter, cubed

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup  sliced almonds

 

In a small saucepan, bring apricots and enough water to cover by 1 inch to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cook until apricots are softened, about 20 minutes. Drain apricots, reserving 2 tablespoons cooking liquid.

 

In the work bowl of a food processor, place warm apricots, reserved 2 tablespoons cooking liquid, sugar, butter, and cinnamon; pulse until mixture has the texture of jam. Stir in almonds; let cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

 

Brown Sugar Glaze

 

 

¼ cup (60 grams) water

¼ cup (55 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved

 

In a small saucepan, bring ¼ cup water, brown sugar, and vanilla bean and reserved seeds to a boil over medium heat. Remove vanilla bean, and let cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

 

The apricot filling spread over the yeast dough.

Fold over into an envelope shape and roll out.



Ready for their final rise. At this point, I covered them tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated them overnight.



 

Sprinkles Scones

I made a batch of lemon curd a few days ago.  I was going to make some lemon curd-filled cupcakes and take to my parents. Coincidentally, I made the curd on the same day that I pick up my granddaughter after school. I mentioned to her that I had made the curd.  Well, that girl loves lemon curd!  She instantly said, "Nana, can we make scones when we get home and have a tea party?" How could I resist? We came home and made scones, set the table, and had tea. I heard all about her day and her friends.  She even brought in her doll to join us. I cherish these times, I know how fleeting they will be as she gets older.

I've been wanting to make these scones ever since the May/June 2017 issue of Bake From Scratch came out.  Previously I made the Rainbow Sprinkle Loaf from the issue, which was wonderful. I knew my granddaughter would enjoy the sprinkles in the scones and I'm a sucker for anything with almond extract in it. These were so good, very flaky and sweet. If you want a less sweet scone, the glaze cam be omitted.  But, why?  Save the diet for another day!

Birthday Cake Scones with Vanilla Glaze

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk, divided
1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles
Vanilla glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Make a well in center of flour mixture; add 1 cup milk and the extracts. Using a wooden spoon, stir until a shaggy dough forms. Add sprinkles, and stir to combine.

Turn out dough onto a heavily floured surface and knead for 1 minute. Pat dough into a 9-inch circle, about 1 inch thick. Cut into wedges.  Transfer to prepared pan.  Brush with remaining 2 tablespoon milk and sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon sugar.

Bake until lightly golden, about 30 minutes. Let cool on pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack. Drizzle with vanilla glaze and garnish with extra sprinkles, if desired.

Vanilla Glaze

1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon whole milk
1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Glaze should form a sturdy ribbon when drizzled from a spoon.

Classic Waffles

My Hubbers and I have always had what I feel is a fair relationship about divvying up household chores.  We don't have "his and her" chores.  We just jump in when something needs to be done. He usually mows the lawns and I take care of the flower beds, I do most of the housework, he does our ironing (the man loves to iron!), I cook our meals, he does a lot of dishes. Some days one person does more than the other, but it all works out and our household runs pretty smoothly.

When our children were young he assisted with a lot of the morning chores, such as making breakfast. Now my Hubbers is not a cook. He will tell you that. His meals are pretty basic offerings like scrambled eggs and bacon. His most ambitious breakfast was waffles and our children love waffles.  He always made his waffles with Bisquick. To him, that was homemade.  If we were out of Bisquick it was a major calamity, how would the kids have breakfast that morning?  I would have to step in and rescue them and make homemade waffles! To this day I have to keep Bisquick on hand for when he wants to make waffles!

We had our granddaughter for five days this past week and I made waffles one morning before taking her to school. It reminded me of days gone by with a young child awaiting her breakfast, lunch paraphernalia all around, and backpack and papers scattered everywhere (and I am reminded why we have children when we are young. Yikes, they are a lot of work!) As I was making the waffles, she said "Nana, that's not how Grandma makes waffles".  I asked how Grandma made them and she said "Grandma just puts them in the toaster"!  I guess we all have our favorite way to make waffles!

This waffle recipe is the one I use most often. It comes from a cookbook I have had for over 30 years, The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham. They are crisp, light and buttery and easy to make for those crazy school mornings.

Classic Waffles

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs, room temperature **
1 1/2 cups milk, warmed slightly
1/3 cup vegetable shortening, melted
1/3 cup (2/3 stick) butter, melted

Put the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk the mixture until blended.

In another bowl, beat the eggs well, then stir in the milk.  Combine with the flour mixture until blended.  Add the melted shortening and melted butter and beat until blended.

Pour about 1/2 cup batter into a very hot waffle iron.  Bake the waffles until they are golden and crisp.

Makes 6-8 waffles, depending on size of waffle iron.

**  To quickly warm up eggs I put in a bowl of warm water while I'm gathering my ingredients.