Swedish Cardamom Knots

These are award winning sweet rolls. I entered them into the fair this year and they got first place. Honestly, I am not sure how Swedish they are, but they are really delicious. They do not take any more time to put together than normal cinnamon rolls, but they are pretty and a tasty alternative.

Dough:
1 1/4 cups warm milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 large eggs beaten lightly
6 cups bread flour

Filling:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons ground cardamom
1 tablespoon ground Ceylon cinnamon

Egg Wash:
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
coarse sugar for sprinkling

In a large mixing bowl, combine milk, melted butter, salt and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the mixture and let stand for about 5 minutes or so, until foamy.

Add the eggs and use a wooden spoon to stir everything together. Add 5 cups of flour, one cup at a time, stirring often until a soft dough is formed. Turn it over into a floured surface and knead for about ten minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Use just enough flour from the remaining cup during kneading until the dough is no longer sticky.

Shape kneaded dough into a ball and place in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour, until doubled in size.

Make the filling. Stir together softened butter, sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom until combined. Set aside.

Punch down risen dough and roll into a 15" x 21" rectangle. Spread the filling on the surface, using a spatula, brush, or back of a spoon to press the filling into the dough. Starting on the short side of the dough, fold 1/3 of it into the center, then fold the other third over to center too, covering the first flap. Briefly roll the pin over the folded dough just to stretch the width out to 12 inches.

Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut strips of dough starting from one long side to the other. The strips should be about 5/8 inch width. You will be able to make 16-20 strips. To assemble the rolls, take one strip, hold one end with your thumb and next three fingers. Wrap the strip around your fingers two times, covering the thumb as well, then pull the dough under and slip it through the opening where your thumb is. Pull it upwards and let it cross over the bun and tuck it in the other side.

Place each roll on a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper. Cover it loosely with a plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour, until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon milk and brush this glaze on the surface of the risen rolls. Sprinkle a little coarse sugar over top of the rolls and bake for about 22-25 minutes, until lightly golden.

Croissant Breakfast Strata

I found this recipe on Pinterest, but didn't like everything about how the dish was put together. So, here are my changes.

6 large all butter croissants torn into rough eighths
8 large eggs
3 medium yellow onions, peeled and sliced
3 cups whole milk
3 cups grated Gruyére, Emmenthaler, or Jarlsberg cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 pound bacon cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 small handful chives or scallions, finely minced
salt and pepper to taste

Place butter and onions in a pot. Let onions soften, covered, for about 15 minutes over low heat, turning often. Remove lid and increase heat to medium-high, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. When onions turn golden, add balsamic and stir. Let cook for an additional 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove onions from pot and let cool.

Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Grease a 9×13" baking pan. Spread out torn croissants in pan, and bake for 10-15 minutes until croissants are toasted and crisp. Remove from oven and turn heat off.

While croissants are toasting, cook bacon in a pot over medium-low heat until crisp, about 15-20 minutes. Remove bacon from pot with a slotted spoon and let cool in a separate dish.

Sprinkle bacon and caramelized onions evenly over top of the croissants in the pan. Evenly sprinkle half the cheese on top of the strata.

Whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Add remaining half of the cheese. Stir. Pour mixture evenly over croissants.

Refrigerate strata for at least 30 minutes, or even overnight. Preheat oven to 350 ℉.

Sprinkle chives or scallions over the top of the strata and bake for 50-55 minutes, until egg mixture is set in the middle and the top is deep golden brown.

Allow to rest 10-15 minutes before slicing into servings. Delicious served warm or room temperature.

Biscuit Breakfast Bake

This is another recipe I found online, but it was dependent on pop can biscuits and a lot of things I don't like to eat. So, this is how I make it for our family. I used the basic structure of the original recipe and changed the ingredients.

one recipe biscuit dough, rolled about 3/4" thick
12 eggs
1 cup milk
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cooked, crumbled bacon or sausage or seasoned ground beef (optional)
1 bunch scallions, finely minced
2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

Grease an 11" X 17" baking pan and set aside. Preheat the oven to 375˚F.

Using kitchen shears, snip the biscuit dough into 1 inch pieces and place in the greased baking pan.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour evenly over the biscuit pieces in the pan. Sprinkle with the cooked meat and scallions and gently fold in with a spatula. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top of everything.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until the egg is mostly set (a tiny jiggle in the center is fine) and the biscuits are a little browned. Remove from oven and allow to rest for about 10 minutes before cutting into servings.

Labels: Homemaking, Keeping the Feast, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:12 AM