Of Yeast, Cinnamon Buns and FEAR!
I have always had a phobia, for as long as I can remember. A fear of yeast! It always sounded finicky and complicated - so ready to bring you down. Ugh, I tried - I really did. Pizza dough, cinnamon buns, bread and I even used a bread machine for a while (with middling success *sigh*). In spite of all of this, I've never ever felt comfortable using yeast. Well, I'm going to try once more. I've been pulling out old cookbooks for some new inspiration and found this little one in the stacks. I don't know exactly where it came from but I have some vague recollections of taking this with me when I left home. I think that my Dad got it from my Grandmother (although, it could have been that my Mom got it from my other Grandmother - like I said... vague recollections). This book is clearly from the fifties and there is lots of shortening and sugar involved but... what the hell, you gotta do it sometimes. Anyway, inspired by my cookbook winfall, I decided to try making cinnamon buns again. As I said, I did try this while in University but unfortunately, my attempt failed so horribly (at least in my eyes) that I never had the courage to try it again... until now (slight
anxiety in my voice right now). I'm going to compare notes with a recipe for cinnamon buns that my Grandma wrote (yes, hand written!!!) down for me (also when I moved out) and we'll keep our fingers crossed.Surprisingly, the recipes are ominously similar. I'm going to go with the book this time but that's not saying that the hand-written isn't the way to go. I'm treating this whole project like a work in progress and just consider this a first attempt. Here is the recipe as I've tried it today:
Cinnamon Buns (adapted from 'When you Bake with Yeast' and my Grandmother)
Scald.... 1/2 cup milkStir in...1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
Cool to lukewarm.
Meanwhile, measure into bowl
...1/2 cup lukewarm water (should be 95 degrees F - I checked! read: Anxious!)
stir in.... 2 tsp sugar
sprinkle with 2 envelopes Active Dry Yeast (Agh!!!) (I used Fleischmann's)
Let stand 10 min.
Stir in lukewarm milk mixture.
Stir in... 2 eggs well beaten
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour (I actually used Cake and Pastry Flour by mistake and it took about 3 cups easy)
Beat until Smooth.
Stir in another 2 cups all-purpose flour.
Turn dough out on lightly flour board and knead until smooth and elastic (my dough was really wet so we didn't get much kneading in)
Place in greased bowl: brush top with melted butter.
Cover. Let rise in warm place free from draft until doubled in bulk (about 1 hr)
Punch dough down: turn out onto lightly floured board. Halve the dough and roll each half into a 12 X 9 rectangle. Brush generously with melted butter and sprinkle each rectangle with half a mixture of:
1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts
Roll up like a jelly roll and cut into 9 equal pieces (I really don't know if I got this many, maybe 7 or 8). Place, cut side up, in a greased 8 or 9 inch pan. Brush lightly with melted butter. Cover and let rise again until doubled (about an hour). Bake in 350 degree F oven for about 35 minutes.
Frost with Confectioners icing while still warm:
1 cup sifted icing sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
and sufficient milk to make a stiff icing.
AND... the results? Well, after much anxiety and hand wringing, it wasn't a complete failure (BTW the picture above was taken during a family Monopoly game - whilst eating!). They are on the dry side but that's b/c I used so much extra flour (I used Cake and Pastry flour b/c that's all I had and I probably should not have done it). As long as we consume them in the next 24 hrs or so then it will be fine. All in all though, they are just ok (think about 7/10). I want them to be fluffy and airy though (think 9.5/10)... so, like I said, let's consider this Test #1. I'm still intimidated but this time I'm also DETERMINED.
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About Me
- Wanda Thorne
- St Michael's Choir School is celebrating it's 75th anniversary year of service to St Michael's Cathedral. Part of the school celebration is a trip to Italy where our boys from Grades 5 - 12 will be performing and celebrating Mass. This blog will be chronicling our adventures. Wanda Thorne is the Vocal Coach at St Michael's Choir School. Gerard Lewis is the Grade 7/8 Homeroom teacher at the Choir School.
About Me
- Wanda Thorne
- St Michael's Choir School is celebrating it's 75th anniversary year of service to St Michael's Cathedral. Part of the school celebration is a trip to Italy where our boys from Grades 5 - 12 will be performing and celebrating Mass. This blog will be chronicling our adventures. Wanda Thorne is the Vocal Coach at St Michael's Choir School. Gerard Lewis is the Grade 7/8 Homeroom teacher at the Choir School.
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