Welcome to Fill-Up Friday!
WHAT IS FILL-UP FRIDAY?!
I will attempt recipes I find online as well as new things I come up with along the way. Get your taste buds ready for some eats! Please let me know what you think! I hope to inspire others to try to cook things they are not familiar with as well as learn from fellow Steemians and Steemers alike!
If you have suggestions for future Fill-up Fridays, please feel free to comment.
Apple-walnut Cinnamon Bread- Ya know what they say.... An apple a day keeps the doctor away!
They never said what form the apples should be in!
Join me and enjoy a tasty snack with oh so much nutritional value! HA! We can pretend...
Ok, so you want something like a coffee cake, but also crave cinnamon rolls!? ## What to do!? No need to stress- Make this quick bread recipe, and I promise your guests will thouroughly appreciate it.
Its ok.. we can pretend you aren't gunna eat the whole thing on your own and not tell anyone!
:D
Lets get started! You will need the following ingredients-
Items for Dough:
1 Tablespoon of Yeast
About 1/4 cup warm water
2 Tablespoons of Sugar or honey
1/2 cup of milk
2/3 Stick or 1/3 cup of butter
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3-4 Cups of flour
1 Egg
1 Teaspoon salt
Sugar to desired sweetness- no more than 1/4 cup Sugar
Items for Filling:
1/2 Cup Butter
1-1/4 Cups Nuts (I will be using walnuts)
3/4 Cup Sugar
2 Teaspoons Vanilla (As desired)
2 Tablespoons Cinnamon (As desired)
And We are off:
First thing to do is get that dough started! It will need to be set aside for no less than 30 minutes once mixed. *Get your butt moving on the dough first! Priority number one!
Start with the following:
1 Tablespoon of Yeast
About 1/4 cup warm water
2 Tablespoons of Sugar or honey
In a medium mixing bowl, thoroughly mix the sugar and water until dissolved. Add in yeast by sprinkling in and then give it a light stir until yeast is within mixture. This is a live culture, and you do not want to be too rough with it or you will risk a bread that does not rise well. avoid this... it is sad when it happens
At this time you can get your other ingredients going. You are basically waiting for your yeast mixture to begin its organic action. You will see this occur via a froth accumulating on the surface of your mixture.
Get your other ingredients on the stove.
In a small sauce pan, bring a little over 1/2 cup of milk to a slow boil. I find whole milk to have the most flavor, but any milk option/substitute should work in a similar way.
Turn off the heat and add about 2/3 of a stick of butter, or 1/3 cup if you are not working with it in stick form. Stir in fully. At this point, your milk/butter should be at a lower temperature and you can add in a teaspoon of vanilla extract and teaspoon of salt.
Ok!! now its time to mix the parts of the dough together. Take your yeast mixture and mix in 3 cups of flour and 1 egg. Pour your milk mixture over the top while slowly stirring your dough mixture. Again, SLOWLY... If you are using a mixer, please use low settings to mimic kneading rather than blending
Your dough may need more flour. A good measure for this is stickiness. You do not want a dough that sticks to your hands when working, but not dry to the point where it breaks up. You should not need more than another cup of flour to achieve this. If you do, it is perfectly ok... You will just end up with more bread! When the opposite situation occurs and you add too much liquid, just be sure to add in a sprinkle of sugar when in need of more flour
Once you have a consistent dough, form a ball and rub melted butter to coat exterior. This is simply to provide exterior moisture as the dough expands. Place the ball back in your mixing bowl and cover with a warm damp cloth. I find that a paper towel is perfect for this. It holds just enough moisture to do its job, while being able to form a seal along the edge of your bowl.
Set this aside in a warm area for at least 30 minutes. You do not have to worry if you do not have a warm area, but by this I mean an area that will keep at or above room temperature without drafts. You want the dough to maintain a warm growth, while having the paper towel hold its moisture for the 30 minute period.
Please note: From my experience the rising period is extremely important to form a airy/fluffy/flaky dough. It allows bubbles to form in the medium that is the dough, and then once you work the dough again, you are processing the pockets as desired. In the case of a cake like this... the more pockets the better... 45 minutes to 1 hour would be an ideal if you can wait!
ALRIGHTY... We have our dough to the side, take a deep breath! the hard part is over!
Next up: Filling!
This can take many forms, but today we will be doing an apple-walnut cinnamon filling.
To start, melt 1/2 cup of butter. This should be 1 full stick with regards to USA standard stick size. I am sure it is similar in most places! WE ALL LOVE BUTTER RIGHT?! haha
Chop up your apples to the desired size, and add to your butter. If you do not like apple skin, this is the time to remove it. Peal and then chop your apples. I will be leaving it on as I feel it adds to the flavor. For those that just do not like the texture... It will be chopped, cooked, and then cooked again within a bread- by this I mean to point out that the skins will have little texture once you go to enjoy your bread. From my experience, they are not noticeable
Add in as many ground nuts as you desire- I will be adding about 1 cup chopped and 1/4 cup in a fine chop. This will give a more intense nut flavor while maintaining the bite. You want to have somewhat large chunks of chopped nuts in order to give the lucky taster a full bodied bread. With the fluffiness of the bread, sweetness of the cinnamon and creamy/oily nut chunks... I can promise nothing but enjoyment. Keeping some distinct flavor profiles while creating gradients among them help create a successful dish.
Desserts are no different!
Did I say dessert???
I mean healthy wholesome food for the soul! :D
Once you have allowed your nuts to simmer, you will notice the nutty notes in the air. At this time, add in 1-2 Teaspoons of vanilla extract and 1/4 cup of sugar. This is something that is highly dependent on the desired flavor. Some would leave the vanilla out... I prefer the sweet vanilla flavor in my bread than it not being there. In your typical cinnamon roll, this flavor would be found in the icing/glaze topping.
Simmer to the point where your apples have become somewhat soft. Test them to ensure there is density to the apple but easy to cut into. Take off of heat to avoid further cooking. The apples will cook further within the bread.
Roll out time!!! for this style, I rolled out the bread to the size of my dish. I pressed pockets into the dough, and then I poured my apple mixture over it. Taking my finger from one side to the other, I create channels of flavor within the bread. Halfway through blending the two ingredients, I add in the rest of the sugar. This keeps the sugar from being equal throughout the bread, and creates exciting points similar to the nut conversation.
At this point I also add a sprinkle of cinnamon across the surface of the bread. This is not within the required ingredient list as it is highly dependent on the cook. I am looking for a little more punch from my cinnamon, but this step is not needed. Your bread will be highly enjoyable either way
Once all ingredients are added, I make a few more cross pan gestures to ensure sugar distribution. Go over the top of the bread to ensure all portions are covered in the cinnamon sugar mixture. This action will ensure even cooking and not burning in some areas
ALMOST THERE! All that is left is to cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. You are covering it to ensure the bread has time to rise and thoroughly cook before allowing the top to make contact with heat.
*Please ensure you have a pocket created when putting the aluminum foil on. I create a space that is at least 1 inch plus above the surface of the dough. This is ensuring space for the bread to expand and not force itself out of your foil... creating a mess! You want to let the bread rise without being impeded, as well as be covered to ensure a full and cook.
Check on your bread, and if you find it to be mostly cooked, remove the aluminum foil covering and continue cooking to desired point. This should not take much longer as your apples were partially cooked previous to adding them to the dough. This period is more or less to create a crust/ dry up any excess moisture left within the bread. * I was not so worried about presentation, and took my tester cut with regard for my dish being perfect rather than it looking good when others came to enjoy it.
AND WE MADE IT!
Take that delicious smelling thing out of the oven and get to eating! I found that a scoop of ice cream was the perfect touch to make this a recipe all that much more enjoyable. If your guests do not prefer apples.. this recipe can easily be created with other fillings. As the one in the kitchen... YOU DECIDE
Thank you for joining me for Fill-up Friday! Please feel free to grab yourself seconds! As you can see, there is more than enough for everyone!
Visual Desirability Factor- This dish has expression, but would like deeper cinnamon streaks
Edibility Factor- I could not stop eating them.. good thing I only made one tray
Exteral Opinion- Please make these again. -They smell amazing.
Steemit Opinion- TBD Tell me what you think in the comments! Even better.. Try making it and then post your results!
Will I make it again?
YES!
If you see something you would do differently, please let the Steemit community and myself know. Together we can improve our cooking skills! I know mine need some work... HAHA!
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