This was my first attempt at making crepes.....and I must say it was a lot easier than I expected. I found the recipe one day while perusing food blogs, and immediately decided to try it out. I filled them with Nocilla (the Spanish version of Nutella), and they were quite delicious. The original recipe says to let the batter sit at room temp for 30 mins...it was around an hour before I got to mine. I don't think I would change anything...all in all a great, easy, fun recipe. I see a crepe party in my future!

Recipe from here:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
Pinch salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons (1½ ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Sift the flour, salt, and sugar into a bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Break the eggs into the well and add one-third of the milk. Gradually whisk the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until very smooth. Then whisk in the vanilla, butter, and the remaining milk. Let the batter rest 30 minutes at room temperature.

Heat a non-stick pan over moderate heat until hot. Rub some butter over the pan. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of batter into the pan and tilt the pan so that the batter runs around to make a circle. Don’t put too much batter in or the crêpe will be too thick. Let the batter set. After about 1 minute, check the color of the bottom of the crêpe to see if it’s a light golden color. Flip the crêpe. Cook for about 20-30 seconds. It takes a few crêpes to get the heat of the pan right and the amount of batter you need for each crêpe, so your first crêpe or two are for the chef, not your guests!

You can make the crêpes in advance and sandwich them with wax paper and cover with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. Reheat as needed. You can also freeze them for later use.

When I made the quiches a few weeks ago, I had some extra pie dough. I decided to use my Valentine's Day gift, a revolver shaped cookie cutter (I also got an octopus and foot cookie cutter.) I just had to post the picture.

I just sprinkled the little revolver with parmesan cheese and baked it for a little bit. So cute. I'm still trying to decide on a cookie recipe to use my new cutters with, since I'm not a big fan of sugar cookies.


Moving on...while it's not nearly as cool as gun shaped pie crust, this side dish has become a favorite. Not surprising since it's an Ina Garten recipe. I usually buy a large container of grape tomatoes from Costco and try to find new ways to use them up...this recipe is quick, easy and uses a nice amount of the tomatoes.  I love how they burst when you bite into them. I sometimes omit the parsley or one of the other herbs, sometimes I add oregano or rosemary....I usually just use whatever I have on hand.

Garlic and Herb Tomatoes
adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home

3 tablespoons good olive oil 
2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves) 
2 pints cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes 
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish 
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish 
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves 
1 teaspoon kosher salt 
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan large enough to hold all the tomatoes in one layer. Add the garlic to the oil and cook over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to loose their firm round shape. Sprinkle with a little fresh chopped basil and parsley and serve hot or at room temp.

I'm posting the final recipes I used for the couple's shower a few weeks ago. I know, I know, it's taken me forever, but I've been quite busy. Also, I'm not very exciting about the pictures....we just didn't get good ones for these recipes.

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For the beverages, I decided to make orange cream mimosas, a recipe I found on foodnetwork.com. The guests had the choice of ginger ale or champagne. I made the recipe exactly as written, only used Simply Orange oj, and made them into ice cubes. I also froze some white grape juice into cubes to be added to the ginger ale for those of us who don't really like the whole orange cream combo. I liked the orange cream cubes by themselves, but the mimosa thing was too much for me. I bought these juice glasses from the .99 Only store, I got 15 for $5!!

Here it is, my favorite part of the menu. The triple-layer meyer lemon cake, filled with meyer lemon curd, topped with meyer lemon cream cheese frosting. It was delicious, it was moist, and this is the only picture that was taken. I am so disappointed, but I got caught up in the party and didn't think it through. Ignore the picture, but do not ignore this recipe. Make this cake now!! I had made this cake twice before with normal lemon, but I had the meyer lemons on hand so I decided to give it a try. It was just as delicious, but I think I may prefer the regular lemon flavor. This cake stayed moist for a few days after I made it, and while it is frosted with cream cheese, I did not refrigerate it. I think refrigeration ruins cake. I made the curd two days ahead and the frosting one day ahead. On the Friday before my party I made the cake and assembled all the parts. This helped with what would normally be a time-consuming process. Seriously, I want to keep typing about this wonderful cake, but I'll just get to the recipes (which will use regular lemons).

For the curd:
found this recipe on epicurious.com - so easy!

Lemon Curd
Gourmet | January 2001

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr
Makes about 1 1/3 cups

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into bits

Whisk together juice, zest, sugar, and eggs in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Stir in butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubble appears on surface, about 6 minutes.
Transfer lemon curd to a bowl and chill, its surface covered with plastic wrap, until cold, at least 1 hour.
Cooks' note:
• Curd can be chilled up to 1 week.

For the Lemon Cream Cheese frosting:
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

1 stick unsalted butter - room temp
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese - softened
2-3 tsp. lemon juice
1- 2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 tsp. vanilla
4 1/2 - 5 cups powdered sugar

In a medium mixing bowl combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla and 1 teaspoon lemon juice; beat with electric mixer on low to medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, beating well. Gradually beat in 2-1/2 to 3 cups additional powdered sugar until spreading consistency. Stir in the lemon zest.

** The only consistent measurement I use when making the frosting is the 1:1 butter to cream cheese. I always taste my frosting and adjust from there. For the party I wanted less cream cheese-y, so I added more sugar. Tasting is the only way to get perfect frosting...in my opinion.

For the cake:
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens
12 servings
Prep: 35 minutes 
Bake: 25 minutes 
Cool: 1 hour 
Stand: 1 hour 
 
Ingredients
1  cup butter, softened
4  eggs
2-1/3  cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2  teaspoons baking powder
1/2  teaspoon baking soda
1/4  teaspoon salt
2  cups sugar
2  teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel
2  tablespoons lemon juice
1  cup buttermilk or sour milk
1 cup Lemon Curd
1  recipe Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
 Fresh blueberries

Directions
1. Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease and lightly flour three 9 x 1-1/2-inch round cake pans. Combine flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, lemon peel, and lemon juice; beat until well combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each. Add flour mixture and buttermilk or sour milk alternately to beaten mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Pour into prepared pans.
3. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans. Cool thoroughly on wire racks.
4. To assemble, place a cake layer on a cake plate. Spread with half of the Lemon Curd. Top with second layer; spread with the remaining Lemon Curd. Top with third layer. Frost top and sides with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting. Cover and store cake in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. If desired, serve with fresh blueberries. Makes 12 servings.

My mother-in-law is visiting this week, and she wanted to do something "California." She used to live in SoCal, so all the usual LA things were out. We decided to drive out to the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. I had heard about the poppies, but had never looked into them....little did I know the poppies were orange! My very favorite color....the hills looked like they were on fire. It was a nice day, but extremely windy. I don't know how the flowers hang on. Supposedly, next week will be the peak week for the flowers, but they were looking pretty awesome yesterday. It costs $5 to park, and there are several trails to walk. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the day: click to enlarge

Tags: poppies, orange, flowers

I decided to use three of my favorite muffin recipes for the sweet bread section of my menu. I simply baked them in loaf pans instead of muffin tins. I made Starbucks chocolate cinnamon bread, a blueberry loaf, and cream cheese loaf. I love all three of these recipes, so I can't really pick a favorite. I made the chocolate cinnamon bread a few weeks ago and froze it; it froze beautifully. I was worried it would get dry or chewy or something off, but it didn't. Here's the link to that recipe...I didn't change a thing.

I love, love, love this blueberry muffin recipe from Cook's Illustrated. I used whole milk yogurt instead of low-fat because that's what I had on hand. I started checking the loaf at around 40 mins, but it probably cooked closer to 55 mins. Here's that recipe:

Lemon-Blueberry Muffins
adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Makes 1 dozen large muffins
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 
1 tablespoon baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon table salt 
10 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar , less 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 
2 large eggs 
1 1/2 cups plain low-fat yogurt 
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (or frozen)
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour 
Vegetable cooking spray or additional unsalted butter for muffin tins

1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl; set aside. 

2. Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add lemon zest to butter-sugar mixture. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in one-half of dry ingredients. Beat in one-third of yogurt. Beat in remaining dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with yogurt, until incorporated. Toss blueberries with 1 tablespoon flour and fold into finished batter. 

3. Spray twelve-cup muffin tin with vegetable cooking spray or coat lightly with butter. Use large ice cream scoop to divide batter evenly among cups. Bake until muffins are golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Set on wire rack to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove muffins from tin, top with Cinnamon Sugar Topping, if desired, and serve warm.
I brushed the top of the loaf with melted butter then sprinkled on cinnamon sugar (1/2c sugar + 2 tsp cinnamon)

Finally...the cream cheese loaf. If you like cream cheese, you will love this recipe. Unfortunately, I had a difficult time making this simple recipe. I used too small of a loaf pan the first time around, causing quite a bit of spillage. I ended up dumping that loaf into a 9in cake pan halfway through cooking. I quickly whipped up another batch, and used my larger loaf pan. Everything was hunky dory until I took it out of the oven too early. The poor thing collapsed in the middle. It wasn't raw in the middle, just not all the way done - quite delicious, but it was not a pretty sight. That's why there are no good pictures of it. Here is the recipe I used, and the only change I made was substituting 1c of the all purpose flour with 1c cake flour. I just wanted to make these a bit softer/lighter than the original recipe made, and the substitution gave me exactly the results I was looking for.

Cream Cheese Muffins
adapted from here

3 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1c cake flour & 2c AP flour)
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar

Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease/spray a 9x5 loaf pan. Line bottom with parchment that overhangs on each end, grease parchment. (this creates handles allowing the loaf to be removed without much topping being lost.)

Combine topping ingredients with pastry blender until coarse crumbs form. Set aside.
Combine cream cheese and 1c sugar. Set aside.
Combine flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center.
Stir together milk, oil, and eggs. Pour into well in the dry ingredients. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Fold about half of the cream cheese/sugar mixture into the muffin batter.
Spoon about half the batter into a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Spoon remaining half of the cream cheese/sugar mixture on batter, leaving a small edge all the way around. Spoon remaining batter on top, covering cream cheese completely. Sprinkle with topping.
Bake for about 50-60 mins. Again, I started checking early, and I should've let it bake another 5-10 mins., but it was still great.

Tags: cream cheese, blueberry, chocolate, cinnamon, muffins

These potatoes are a Paula Deen recipe that I was very excited to make, but sort of disappointed in the outcome. I found them just a bit bland and heavy, but lucky for me, they were a big hit at the party. If I were to make these again, I would probably use a different potato (I've realized I don't really like new potatoes) and I would whip the cheese mixture.
Here's a link to the recipe. I didn't change anything...I did cut the potatoes in half.



For the vegetables, I knew I did not want ranch dip and carrot sticks. Don't get me wrong, I love veggies and dip, I just wanted to be different this time around. I decided to wrap a few varieties of vegetables in prosciutto. We had broccoflower, cauliflower, red/orange/yellow peppers, and cantalope. I bought asparagus, but opted to not use it, since I didn't want to only blanch it. I blanched the brocco and cauliflowers, and my husband and I wrapped for about 2 hours. It was well worth the time spent. A little time consuming, but I was very pleased with the results. I sprinkled some grated parmesan on top for a garnish.

Tags: prosciutto, potatoes

I threw my very first couple's shower this past Saturday. It went really really well. I decided when I started planning this affair to make everything from scratch. I searched for weeks for dishes to use in my menu, and I was very happy with my choices.

Here's the menu:
Broccoli, Gruyere and Ham Mini Quiches
Herbed Cream Cheese stuffed New Potatoes
Fruit Salad
Prosciutto Wrapped Crudite - and Cantalope
Chocolate Cinnamon Bread/ Blueberry Loaf/ Cream Cheese Loaf
Meyer Lemon Layer Cake (filled with Meyer Lemon Curd, topped with Meyer Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting)
Orange Cream Mimosas (with the choice of Champagne or Ginger Ale)
Ginger Ale and White Grape Juice

Today I thought I would post the recipe for the mini quiche. While visiting home for Christmas I caught an episode of Martha Stewart. In this particular episode she made mini quiches that I thought they were cute, but looked like an awful lot of work. When the time came to come up with an egg dish for the shower, I just couldn't shake the thought of those cute little quiches. Since I have just begun to make my own pie crust, I thought it would be a fun challenge. so I decided to try it out. The original recipe uses pencil thin asparagus. I made a batch of this type several weeks ago; this was my test batch. I tested to see how they froze and also how there were after a day or two in the fridge. Freezing won hands down, it kept the crust crisp and flaky. The only problem was the asparagus turned mushy and harsh. I decided to switch it out for broccoli, and it was a delightful change. I made a double batch of the recipe last Wednesday and froze them. Saturday morning I put them in a 350 degree oven for around 15-25 mins. I didn't actually time it, sorry!

Here's the recipe with my modifications.

Broccoli and Gruyere Mini Quiche
adapted from Martha Stewart's recipe

1 head of Broccoli
Cooked Ham
Gruyere Cheese - grated finely
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/2 c heavy cream
1/2 c milk
salt and pepper
pie dough - see recipe below

Foolproof Pie Dough
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated
makes enough for one 9-inch double pie crust

2 1/2 c unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 TBSP sugar
12 TBSP (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter - cut into 1/4 slices
1/2 c cold vegetable shortening (I used butter flavor, because that's what I have)
1/4 c cold vodka
1/4 c cold water

With a pastry blender cut shortening and butter into flour, salt and sugar. Continue working it until it looks like coarse crumbs. SmittenKitchen has pictures of this process, same recipe and everything.
Sprinkle the water and vodka over the mixture. With a rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until it is slightly tacky, and sticks together.
Separate into 2 disks, wrap in plastic wrap or place in a freezer bag, like I did. Refrigerate for a few hours, or freeze.
On the day you are making the quiche, roll out one of disks to less than 1/8" thin. I am terrible at rolling dough, so mine were a little thicker..but I heard no complaints. Cut out circles using a 2 1/4" round cutter. I didn't have a round cutter so I used the lid to a Miracle Whip jar - it turned out to be the perfect size for my muffin tin. Place each round into the cups of a non-stick mini muffin pan; gently pressing the sides down each cup. Continue this process until you have 24 cups filled with crust. Refrigerate until you are ready to fill.

For the Quiche:
Preheat the oven to 375.

Cut the ham into small pieces. Blanch the broccoli and cut into tiny pieces. I barely blanched the broccoli, I didn't want it to become mushy. Whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, milk and heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble:
Place a small amount of grated cheese into each cup. Place a piece or pieces of ham on top of the cheese. Fill with egg mixture. Put a few pieces of broccoli in each cup and then top with more cheese. I sprinkled the quiches with salt and pepper before putting them in the oven. I found this recipe makes a lot more than 24. I doubled it and got about 57 or so. This could be because of the extra dough, but whatever it makes a lot.

Bake for 30 minutes or puffed and golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Serve immediately or freeze.

If frozen, place quiches on a baking sheet and heat for 15-20 mins in a 350 degree oven. Serve warm or at room temp.
Fresh from the oven!

Tags: broccoli, gruyere, quiche, shower

This bowl was home to a large amount of wonderful, easy and delicious brioche dough...which is now all gone. I can't believe it, it was gone before the 5 day mark (when you have to freeze it or bake it). From this batch I made the Nocilla bread, doughnuts, cream cheese snails and finally the caramel pecan rolls. I only have a picture of the rolls, and oh how delicious they were.

I followed the recipe as written only using a bit more filling because I used a larger amount of dough. I baked mine in a 9x1.5 cake pan, and used a sheet pan underneath to catch the overflow. There wasn't that much caramel goodness lost, so it was ok. I also only baked mine for about 30-35 mins. I like my breads a little under done, not so much that they are still raw, but extremely soft. These were good, and I might make them again. I think I'd rather try a different cinnamon roll recipe with the dough next, complete with cream cheese icing!

Steamy Kitchen has the recipe already written out, complete with pictures. The only difference from my rolls was the fact that I used the brioche dough, not the master dough.

I'm throwing my first shower this weekend, so check back for pics and my thoughts on all the recipes and one trip to the Southern California Flower Market!

Tags: caramel, pecan, artisan bread in 5 minutes a day

Making my own pie crust always scared me a bit. I don't have a big enough food processor to do the job, and using a pastry blender didn't seem like the easiest way. I had never actually used a pastry blender and thought for sure I would over work the butter and flour, or something like that. I wanted to try out the pie crust recipe Ree posted a while back, and seeing her step by step guide gave me the confidence to give it a go. I also had just bought a lot of blueberries from Costco so naturally I'm thinking blueberry pie. Unfortunately, my husband really only likes desserts that include cream cheese, so I knew I better include cream cheese somewhere in the mix. I scoured the Internet for guidance, and found this recipe. I thought the pie was just alright, I think it needs some improvements, but I don't think I'll spend the time figuring those things out. The crust was a keeper. My husband ate it, but scraped all the fruity stuff off. I did learn that he LOVES pie crust, so that's something. I used the 2 leftover balls of dough for a double-crusted chicken pie. Now that was delicious!

Here's the beautiful pie crust up close. That's one darn flaky crust.


Does this pie make anyone else think of Lard Ass from Stand By Me?
I mean look at the guy...he's covered in my pie!

Tags: blueberry, cream cheese, pie

I walked 7 miles today. I left at 12:27 and got to grocery store (my stop before home) at around 2:40. This time included stops to take pictures and to buy a water from my favorite gas station. I call it my favorite gas station because it is at the bottom of the hill I walk, and really the only place I pass to buy water. A week ago, after a particularly sunny day, I stopped in to buy my jumbo Dasani. The man at the cash register commented on the pink in my skin. He has a very thick accent, so I wasn't too sure what he was trying to say, so I politely laughed and said that I had indeed forgotten to put on my sunscreen that day. Well, he said something that sounded like "no, i like the pink in your skin, very beautiful, lovely." The man looked about ready to jump the counter and eat my skin. I thought this was rather strange, especially since I've always likened my pale skin to that of uncooked chicken....not exactly the description of beauty. I left the store giggling, and immediately called my mom and others to tell them of the strange encounter. After a good laugh I didn't think anything of it, but a few days later, the same guy was at the register. Again, he mentioned my pink skin. Again it looked like he was a starving man eyeing a five course meal. I told my husband he should be jealous, and that he should want to break his legs...something to defend my pallor..I mean, honor. He just laughed. A few days have passed and each time I've gone into the store it has been a different person. So today I entered with my defenses down, parched after my long trek into the hills. I never saw it coming. Today he touched me! True, he sort of grazed my arm with his pointer finger while pointing out the 'pink', but he touched me nonetheless. What's next? A two finger touch? Even with a strange man addicted to my pink skin, I can't bring myself to change up my route.

I decided to take a few pictures on my walk today. It just doesn't feel right that I get to have these views while training!

You see the house up to the left? At the very top? Yep...I'm going there. At this point I've already been walking about 5-10 mins.

Here are two pictures that may give you a better idea of what I mean by "hills." I took these on the way down, since I'm way too dedicated to stop on the way up. Hopefully the sarcasm was noted in that last phrase.

And finally, even though it is a hazy day here, I like this picture of my "Jewel City" in the forefront and the "City of Angels" in the back.

*I realize when you click on the pictures above, they are huge. I will fix that later....now I must clean!

Tags: walking, training, 3day

i have registered as a walker in the breast cancer 3day.  60 miles in 3 days!!  so far this year the most i've walked in a day is 8 miles.  i guess i have some training to do.  i have talked about participating in one of these events for the past three years, and finally bit the bullet and paid the registration fee.  i WILL be walking in seattle.  so far, it is just my sister and me on my team, the cake walkers.  we each have to raise $2200.  that feels like a lot especially since i hate asking people for money.  well i better remove my butt from the couch and get to walking...

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i bought artisan bread in 5 minutes a day a month or so ago, but finally got around to trying it out this past weekend. i started out with the master recipe, just to get a feel for the dough, and it was amazing. the results were much better than i expected. we gobbled up four loaves this week; 2 plain and 2 filled - one with oven roasted cherry tomatoes and parm, and the other filled with jalepenos and cheddar. last night i whipped up a full batch of the brioche dough. i love bread, but i especially love brioche. i made a loaf of brioche stuffed with nocilla, a spanish chocolate and hazelnut creme spread my brother-in-law brought back from his last trip to spain. the brioche was soft and moist, with a crisp sugary top.

i may prefer this bread over cake.

as far as the recipe goes, i didn't change a thing. i used a spoon instead of mixer because of the easier clean up. i also had to bake the loaf in a 9x5 nonstick loaf pan, since that's what i own. i ended up just using more dough than suggested. i rolled out the dough and slathered on a good amount of nocilla, rolled it up and plopped it into the pan. before baking an egg wash was brushed on and granulated sugar then sprinkled on top. i think next time i'd like to try turbinado sugar...give it more of a crunch.

i'm not sure if i can publish the recipe here, but if you don't have the book yet, buy it! especially if you like bread.

Tags: yeast, dough, bread, nocilla, artisan bread in 5 minutes a day

i made this monkey bread using a recipe from cook's illustrated. i found i didn't need to go for the recommended 5-7 minutes in the mixer, but followed everything else as written. it turned out really well, and had i not sent it to my brother's apartment, i would've eaten the entire thing. i would like to adapt this to be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge, since it would be great for breakfast, but i'm still learning the ins and outs of yeasted dough. as it is, it takes the better part of the day to complete. i will try out a few things and let you know how it goes.


here's the recipe:
Monkey Bread
Cook's Illustrated
Dough
4 tablespoons  unsalted butter , divided, 2 tablespoons softened and 2 tablespoons melted
1 cup  milk , warm (about 110 degrees)
1/3 cup  water , warm (about 110 degrees)
1/4 cup  granulated sugar 
1 package   rapid-rise yeast (or instant)
3 1/4 cups  all-purpose flour , plus extra for work surface
2 teaspoons  table salt 
Brown Sugar Coating
1 cup  packed light brown sugar 
2 teaspoons  ground cinnamon 
8 tablespoons  unsalted butter (1 stick), melt
Glaze
1 cup  confectioners' sugar 
2 tablespoons  milk

1. For the dough: Adjust oven rack to medium-low position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When oven reaches 200 degrees, turn it off. Butter Bundt pan with 2 tablespoons softened butter. Set aside.

2. In large measuring cup, mix together milk, water, melted butter, sugar, and yeast. Mix flour and salt in standing mixer fitted with dough hook, (see below for instructions without a mixer.) Turn machine to low and slowly add milk mixture. After dough comes together, increase speed to medium and mix until dough is shiny and smooth, 6 to 7 minutes. Turn dough onto lightly floured counter and knead briefly to form smooth, round ball. Coat large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Place dough in bowl and coat surface of dough with cooking spray. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in warm oven until dough doubles in size, 50 to 60 minutes.

3. For the sugar coating: While dough is rising, mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in bowl. Place melted butter in second bowl. Set aside.

4. To form the bread: Gently remove dough from bowl, and pat into rough 8-inch square. Using bench scraper or knife, cut dough into 64 pieces.

5. Roll each dough piece into ball. Working one at a time, dip balls in melted butter, allowing excess butter to drip back into bowl. Roll in brown sugar mixture, then layer balls in Bundt pan, staggering seams where dough balls meet as you build layers.

6. Cover Bundt pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in turned-off oven until dough balls are puffy and have risen 1 to 2 inches from top of pan, 50 to 70 minutes.

7. Remove pan from oven and heat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap pan and bake until top is deep brown and caramel begins to bubble around edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out on platter and allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

8. For the glaze: While bread cools, whisk confectioners' sugar and milk in small bowl until lumps are gone. Using whisk, drizzle glaze over warm monkey bread, letting it run over top and sides of bread. Serve warm.

Tags: monkey bread, yeast, dough