Sometimes a pastry crust feels like a lot of work EVEN when you own a food processor.  Mostly because you don't feel like dirtying a bunch of attachments but also maybe because you live in a country where you have to measure out or weigh your butter every time since it doesn't come in a nice wrapper with tablespoons measured out.

But for these (really minor) inconveniences I happen to be surrounded by all sorts of delicious, fresh bread that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.  In which case, making your quiche in a bread bowl is a fantastically easy idea and a fun presentation.  We tried it for Easter and you should try it ... tomorrow.  Because you can!

Quiche or Omelet in a Bread Boule

Idea taken from Pink Parsley

I am not going to post the recipe because basically I liked the bread bowl idea and adapted it.  I can't speak to the flavors of the omelet used by Pink Parsley because I realized I was missing some  of the ingredients (ricotta mainly) so I came up with my own.  But the thought is that you could take any omelet or quiche recipe and bake it in a bread boule instead of a classic crust.

Did anyone else's mom make Poppyseed Loaf Bread when they were little?  

No?  Too bad.  It was kind of a staple in our house.  I loved it way more than any banana or zucchini bread with it's orange and almond tinged glaze and gooey top.

Well making these pancakes pretty much took me straight back to that loaf bread and it's deliciousness.  It's the exact same flavors just in pancake form and oh so good.  The buttery syrup with almond flavoring is such a close replica of the glaze and the poppyseed sprinkled batter is oh so close to the bread itself.  

These are grown-up pancakes.  These are delicious pancakes.  But that doesn't mean my two-year-old didn't put away two adult-sized ones!

Almond Poppyseed Pancakes with Almond Syrup

Taken from Cooking Classy

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup poppyseeds
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 cup milk*
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp applesauce
2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Recipe Almond Syrup
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted (optional)
Poppy seeds, for garnish (optional)


Directions:
Preheat a griddle to 350 degrees.  In large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In a separate mixing bowl whisk together buttermilk, milk, sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, applesauce, almond extract and vanilla extract for one minute.  Pour buttermilk mixture into dry mixture and stir just until combine, batter should be slightly lumpy (just be careful not to over-mix so you'll have fluffy pancakes).  Pour about 1/3 cup mixture at a time onto buttered preheated griddle (if you have a good non-stick griddle buttering isn't necessary).  Flip pancake when golden on bottom (bubbles wont appear on the surface much with these pancakes so mostly you just need to check the bottom for color).  Cook opposite side until golden.  Serve warm drizzled with Almond Syrup and garnished with optional toasted, sliced almonds and a light sprinkling of optional poppy seeds.


*Note: if you like thinner pancakes I recommend adding an additional 3 Tbsp milk (which is what I prefer) and if you like really thick pancakes omitting 1/4 cup milk.


Almond Syrup


Ingredients:
1/4 cup salted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp almond extract



Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in sugar, cream and buttermilk.  Cook mixture, stirring frequently, until mixture begins to boil and sugar has dissolved.  Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and almond extract, whisk for about 10 seconds until mixture becomes foamy and frothy.  Serve warm.  Note: Mixture can be stored in the refrigerator up to one week and reheated before serving.

What do you do when you take out a mini-loaf of snickerdoodle bread to serve for game night and discover it still on your counter, uncovered the next morning?  Woops.  Guess I forgot to serve that one.  

Well, what you do with dried out bread that was formerly good is turn it into french toast I think.  Let it soak up some new moisture through an egg and milk custard.  And why not snickerdoodle bread french toast?  After all, this delightful little breakfast joint in Wheaton serves pumpkin bread french toast and cinnamon roll french toast.  Surely if they'd thought about it, snickerdoodle french toast would be on the menu too.  

For those of us with a wicked sweet tooth.

And if not, well, you could always just make this snickerdoodle bread because it's simple and moist and perfect for all those tea parties that you have, right?!  Or you could just eat it standing at your kitchen counter with your toddler signing "More" over and over again like I do.

Snickerdoodle Bread

Taken from Lilluna

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 35 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 4 mini loafs

2 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 c. sour cream

1 pkg. Hershey’s cinnamon chips (I omitted since they don’t exist here)

TOPPING:

3 T. sugar

3 t. cinnamon

Cream butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon until fluffy. Add eggs and mix well.

Add vanilla and sour cream and mix well.

Mix flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Add to wet ingredients and mix until all combined.

Add cinnamon chips and stir into batter. Set aside.

Spoon batter into 4 mini loaf pans until about 2/3 full.

Mix 3 T. sugar and 3 t. cinnamon in a bowl and sprinkle over the batter in each loaf pan.

Bake at 350 for 35-38 minutes. Let cool before removing from pan.

A simple, yet elegant breakfast could begin right here.  With layers of brioche bathed in a creamy custard and surrounded by dainty dollops of Nutella.  

Just wake up one Saturday morning, do some minimal cutting and mixing, and then watch it bake up.  The aroma of custard-chocolate goodness will start wafting through your home as you sip your latte and start the day gently.

At least I imagine that this breakfast could supply such a scene.  

If you didn't have two young kids.  Who are asking to help mix and crying when there is no more custard to mix.  And looking up at you like a baby bird with beak opening and closing, demanding that you share your wonderful goodness with them.  I mean, either way of having this breakfast works, right?  It's still delicious.

Nutella Brioche Bread Pudding

Adapted from Butter Baking

8 slices of brioche bread
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
300ml cream (I used light cream)
1 jar of Nutella (you won’t need the whole jar)

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Get out 4 ramekins or small bowls and grease them.

Cut the brioche into 1 inch pieces. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg, egg yolks and sugar together until well combined. Whisk in the cream.

Add the brioche pieces to the custard mixture and mix them through so they soak up the custard.

Divide half of soaked brioche into the bottom of your ramekins. Add a teaspoon of Nutella.  Add remainder of soaked brioche and top with 2 teaspoons of Nutella.  

Place the ramekins on a baking tray and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the custard is set.

Since Eden's birth Canaan has had to spend a lot more time indoors.  His usual park time has been cut due to a napping baby and the return of the rainy season.  I figured making muffins together might be a good hour of amusement for my energetic little boy.  

I was all set to make just some ordinary streusel muffins when I remembered I had tagged this recipe long ago.  What little boy wouldn't have fun dipping (and licking) the chocolate topping and sprinkles?

In the end these muffins are muffins not deep-fried doughnut goodness.  But they are slightly reminiscent of doughnuts with the hint of nutmeg and the butter method used.  I found that the doughnut-likeness dropped dramatically when eaten the second day so these are best served fresh and consumed in their entirety!  And the bit of tang from the plain yogurt is a nice surprise on the palate at the end.

They sure were tasty enough for this little boy!

I kept seeing photos all over the internet for this Cinnamon Pull-Apart.  Essentially you make the same dough used for cinnamon rolls.  The only difference is the methodology in which the rolls go in the pan.  It looked cute and I kept hemming and hawing over making it, but decided that cinnamon rolls themselves just couldn't be beat because there is more center and less edge.

But then someone posted a spin-off of this new recipe which involved pumpkin and I knew I was a goner.

When you live in a country that celebrates different holidays and doesn't have four seasons, sometimes you just have to do things like this to make it seem like home.  And so I broke out one of my two precious cans of pumpkin filling my mom had sent me from the US and got to work forming and shaping this dough into a thing of love.

And love it I did.  The notes of pumpkin were subtle amidst the gooey, cinnamon-spice center and just right for my tastes.  I succeeded in baking it perfectly, which is to say totally underbaked because that's the way my dad, my sister, and I love things.  And I definitely succeeded in eating it quickly!

Cinnamon Pull-Apart Pumpkin Bread

Taken from Sunny Side Up in San Diego

2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour


1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown but being careful not to allow it burn (turn black). Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the milk, return to stove and heat through.  Pour the milk and butter into the bowl of standing mixer (fitted with a dough hook) and allow to cool so it is no longer hot but also not cool (about 100-110 degrees F). Once it has reached a warm but not hot temperature add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar and allow to proof (this can take up to 8 minutes, the top will look foamy and the liquid cloudy). Then add the the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Stir until combined then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and knead for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

Move dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.

While dough is rising, brown another 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well.  Making sure sugar evenly absorbs the butter. Set aside. Next, grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan and set aside.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with hands for 1-2 minutes. Roll dough into a 20x12 inch rectangle.  Evenly sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture and press into dough with palms of the hand. Cut the rectangle into 6 strips. Lay strips on top of each other and cut each strip into 6 even squares (cut in half then each half into thirds). Stack strips vertically into the loaf pan. Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes.

In the meantime preheat an oven to 350 degrees. After rising in the pan bake for 30-40 minutes (mine took 37 exactly) or until top is a very deep golden brown.

You can skip making your guests coffee if you serve them this for breakfast.

Well, really you probably can't because people are SERIOUS about their coffee and adding a couple tablespoons of coffee to breakfast probably isn't going to make a dent into their caffeine-hangover.  So maybe serve them coffee and this french toast and then they'll feel really, really nice to you for doubling them up.

One of my greatest achievements in life is the fact that I am not a caffeine addict.  I know, I like to achieve big!

I like the taste of coffee but I just don't drink it on principle.  Which makes something like coffee-spiked french toast just fun for me.  It's like having your cake and eating it too.  Or something. 

Tiramisu French Toast

Adapted from How Sweet Eats

1 loaf challah or brioche bread

4 whole eggs

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup mascarpone cheese

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon honey

4 tablespoons butter

maple syrup for serving

Sliced one loaf of challah bread into 1-inch thick slices. In a large baking dish, combine eggs, cream, vanilla extract, sugar, cinnamon and 1/2 tablespoon instant coffee powder and whisk together. Lay bread in dish and let soak in the egg mixture for about 30 seconds each side.

Heat a skillet on medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter. Add french toast and fry until golden brown. Flip (adding more butter if needed, use your judgement) and fry on other side. Repeat with remaining slices of bread and tablespoons of butter.

Mix mascarpone cheese with honey and remaining coffee powder and spread on french toast slices while warm. Sprinkle with cocoa powder and serve with syrup.

Every once in a while we do sneak something in amongst all the pancakes, stuffed french toast, and cinnamon rolls.  But just every once in a while because who am I kidding?  Since when is any kind of oatmeal ever better than a fresh cinnamon roll?

But sometimes it's nice to do something different, to add a little bit of health to your life, but not too much health because oatmeal without brown sugar would be lifeless and pointless.

Banana Pecan Oatmeal Brûlée

Taken from Pinch My Salt

4 cups water
1 cup steel cut oats
pinch of salt
1/4 cup milk
1 – 2 tablespoons butter
1 large banana, sliced
2 – 3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans

1. Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan (or large saucepan if making several servings at once).  Stir in oats and salt, if using, and immediately reduce heat to low.  Watch carefully, because the water might foam up and boil over.  (If using an electric stove, and the water foams up before the burner cools down enough, briefly lift the pan off the heat and the foam will subside.)  Simmer uncovered over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 25-30 minutes or until oats are of desired texture.

2. Remove oatmeal from heat and stir in milk and butter.  Pour oatmeal into a small casserole dish (about 1 1/2 quarts) and arrange banana slices over the top.  Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the top of the bananas.  Put casserole under a preheated broiler until sugar starts to melt (watch carefully, it happens pretty fast). Remove from oven and sprinkle with chopped pecans.  Serve warm.

Serves 4.

Remember that whole discussion about whether there can be too much of a good thing?  You know, like people who might turn up their nose at S'mores Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies saying, "Oh that would be too much.  Too rich."

Well they probably, most definitely shouldn't try these pancakes then.  

I love pancakes.  I love and ADORE a perfectly baked cinnamon roll.  These pancakes are only too much for people who think there can be too much of a good thing.

For the rest of us we should mind cavity-inducing, sugar-coma producing breakfasts just as long as they are delicious while they are going down.  

The recipe calls for a cream cheese glazed that I didn't end up making.  It sounds delish but ever since I was a little I have a thing for simple butter and powdered sugar on my pancakes.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Taken from Recipe Girl

Serves 4

1. Prepare pancake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk, oil and egg, just until batter is moistened (a few small lumps are fine).

2. In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a small zip baggie and set aside. You don't want this to remain super-liquidy. It's best if it becomes a consistency similar to toothpaste.

3. In a medium, microwave-safe bowl- heat butter and cream cheese until melted. Whisk together until smooth; whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla extract; set aside.

4. Heat large skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with nonstick spray. Scoop about 3/4 cup batter onto the skillet. Snip the corner of your baggie of filling and squeeze a spiral of the filling onto the top of the pancake. When bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet or platter and keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.

5. When ready to serve, spoon warmed glaze onto the top of each pancake.

Of course this dish didn't really serve 4.  

Pork and seafood together?  Since when is that not a winning combination?  Garlicky good and served over a bed of cheesy grits or polenta (I don't think grits exist here), it's my idea of comfort food done right in a bowl.

Shrimp and Grits with Bacon and Cheese

Taken from Joy the Baker, recipe adapted slightly from Bobby Flay

serves four

4 cups water

1 cup stone ground grits (also known as polenta)

salt and pepper

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined without the tails

6 slices bacon

4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 Tablespoons parsley, chopped

1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions

1 large garlic clove, minced

Bring water to a boil.  Add grits to the boiling water while whisking to prevent clumps.  Add a bit of salt and pepper.  Lower heat, bring to simmer and cover until water is absorbed.  Follow the directions on your box of grits or polenta.  Cooking times vary.  Once thick, remove from heat and stir in butter and shredded cheese.

Rinse and pat shrimp dry.  Fry the bacon in a large skillet.  When cooked through remove from the pan and add shrimp into the bacon grease pan.  Cook until shrimp turn pink.  Add lemon juice, bacon, scallions, garlic and parsley.  Cook for another three minutes.

Spoon the grits into a serving bowl and top with shrimp mixture.  Serve immediately.