Kitchen Encounters

~ Cinnamon 'n Raisin Bread Cinnamon-Swirl Muffins ~

There's nothing like waking up to the ethereal smell of freshly-baked cinnamon rolls.  That said, if you're the cinnamon-roll baker, unless your family sleeps until Noon, "pulling that off" means getting up long before dawn -- yawn.  My happy little twist on classic cinnamon rolls, which lets a pre-programmed bread machine mix and proof my recipe for cinnamon-raisin bread dough, will get you an extra 55-minutes of AM snooze time.  Tick, tock.  It's smooth and stress-free sailing after that.  The super-manageable dough pats out easily, store-bought cinnamon-sugar gets sprinkled on top, roll, slice and in the muffin tins they go to proof.  Poof -- bake and your done. 

A super-easy to "pat, roll & slice" bread machine dough...

... baked in muffin tins & a caramel glaze too!

1  cup whole milk

1  tablespoon pure vanilla extract

6  tablespoons salted butter, cut into pieces, preferably at room temperature

2  extra-large eggs, preferably at room temperature, lightly beaten

4 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

5  tablespoons cinnamon-sugar

2  teaspoons granulated dry yeast, not rapid-rise yeast (1 packet)

1  cup raisins*

5-6  tablespoons additional cinnamon-sugar, for sprinkling on prepared dough

no-stick cooking spray, for preparing muffin tins

* Note about adding raisins:  Most bread machines have an "add-in basket" with a 1/2 cup capacity, which adds dried fruits and/or nuts during the baking cycle. Because the  pizza dough cycle is used to knead and proof (not bake) the dough, the machine won't add them. Do not use the add-in basket.

~ Step 1. This is the rectangular-shaped bread pan that came with my machine.  The paddle (which will do the kneading) has been inserted.  The instruction manual said to always start with the paddle in this position before adding any ingredients, so I do.

~ Step 2.  Cube the butter as directed and set aside to soften, about 30 minutes, or, quickly soften or melt it in the microwave.  In a medium bowl, stir together the dry ingredients:  the flour, salt, cinnamon-sugar and raisins.

~Step 3.  In a 1-cup measuring container, heat milk and vanilla extract in the microwave until steaming.  Add the butter cubes.  Using a fork, stir until butter is melted.  If milk is steaming and butter is soft, this will only take a minute.  Add the liquid mixture to the bread pan.  Using the fork, whisk the eggs in the 1-cup measuring container, then add the eggs to the bread pan too.

~Step 4.  Add the flour to the bread pan, spooning it right on top of the wet ingredients.  Do not mix or stir.  Using your index finger, make a small well in the top of the flour (but not so deep that it reaches the wet layer).  Add the yeast to the well.  Insert the pan into the bread machine, plug the machine in, press the "Select" button, choose the "Pizza Dough" cycle, then press "Start".  In 55 minutes, you'll have cinnamon-raisin bread dough.

~Step 5.  While  dough is kneading and proofing in bread machine, spread a bit of bench flour over the top of a large, 20" x 16" pastry board.  Remove the proofed dough from bread machine (the pan won't be hot) and transfer dough to the bench-flour covered board.  Using your fingertips, pat and press dough across the board, into a 1/2"-thick rectangle measuring approximately 18" x 14".  I do this with my fingertips (this dough is extremely manageable).  If you need the aid of a small rolling pin (which you should not), that's ok, just use a very light touch.  Generously sprinkle 5-6 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar over the surface to within 1/2" of the perimeter on all four sides.  Starting at the side closest to you, roll the dough, as tightly as possible, jelly-roll-style, into a cylinder.  Position the cylinder, seam-side-down on an end-to-end angle, then, pat, form and stretch it to a even-sized-throughout length of 22"-24".  This is ALL very, very, very (about 15-minutes-of-time) easy to do.

~Step 6.  Spray the inside of 24, standard-size muffin cups with no-stick spray.  Using a serrated bread knife and a light touch, cut the cylinder into 1" thick slices, placing the slices, one in each muffin cup, as you work.  I yielded a grand total of 22 today.  Cover with a lint-free kitchen towel and set aside to rise for 1 hour.  Uncover and bake on center rack of preheated 325° oven, until "tops have popped" in their centers and rolls are lightly-browned, a short 14-16 minutes.  Do not over bake. Remove cinnamon rolls from oven and immediately transfer rolls from muffin cups to a wire rack to cool completely, 1-1 1/2 hours, prior to glazing (if desired) as directed below.

For the optional sugary glaze:

2  cups Confectioners' sugar

3-4  tablespoons whole milk

1  tablespoon caramel flavoring

~ Step 7. In a small mixing bowl combine all ingredients together until smooth. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for about 5 minutes. Stir again.  Mixture will be thick, smooth and ribbonlike.

Drizzle glaze over barely-warm or room-temp swirl muffins...

... & put a big pot of coffee on for breakfast!

Reheat (1-2 day leftovers) in microwave, 10-12 seconds, uncovered.  Follow the steamy swirl.  

Cinnamon 'n Raisin Bread Cinnamon-Swirl Muffins:  Recipe yields 22-24 cinnamon 'n raisin-bread cinnamon-swirl muffins.

Special Equipment List:  bread machine; paring knife; 1-cup measuring container; fork; large pastry board; serrated bread knife; standard-sized muffin tins, enough for 22-24 muffins; wire cooling rack; pastic squirt bottle, for applying glaze (optional) 

Cook's Note:  Can I interest you in a make-ahead breakfast casserole to go with your cinnamon-swirl muffins?  My ~ Big Baked Denver Omelette Brunch Casserole ~, full of ham, cheese and veggies, is my favorite  crowd-pleasing recipe. 

"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti

(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2024)

~ Sweet Heat: Island-Style Mango or Pineapple Salsa ~

In my food world, one of the most common background noises is the chatter of friends or family talking about the great price they scored on a basket or flat of prime produce.  It's big news.  Last week I was the one bragging about the flat of perfect mangos I toddled into my kitchen with.  At 2-for-$1, it was exciting news.  On par with fresh pineapple, mangos are my favorite exotic fruit. Similar in taste and texture to peaches, my first taste of this juicy stone fruit came in Thailand, where a mango hedgehog* was served, compliments of the hotel, every morning with breakfast.

In my kitchen, there's no such thing as a surplus of mangos.

The color of a mango is not an indicator of its ripeness.  Similar to the avocado, a ripe mango will give slightly when pressed.

Mango salsa, full of sweet heat, is a favorite of mine served with nachos made with jalapeño Jack cheese. That said, it's a show-stopper topper for Mexican Baja-style fish or seafood tacos, and, I serve it alongside Jamaican-style jerk chicken or pork too.  When I don't have mangos, I make it with pineapple.  Yes, of course it can be made with a combination of both, but, I prefer it with one or the other. While I'm generically referring to this condiment as salsa, technically it is a fruit-based pico de gallo.

In Mexican, "pico de gallo" literally translates to "rooster's beak". Native Mexicans of the Sonoran region explain that serrano chile peppers, a key component of the dish, resemble a rooster's beak.  Also referred to a "salsa fresca",  pico de gallo is a carefully concocted mixture of diced, fresh, uncooked "salad" ingredients: tomato, onion, cilantro, serrano peppers, salt and lime juice.  I simply swap mangos for tomatoes (in my pico de gallo recipe) to make mango salsa.

6 or 7 diced ingredients + 1 bowl = fresh & rustic salsa...

... with a crisp, clean burst of sweet & spicy heat in every bite.

For the mango pico de gallo:

3-3 1/2  cups 1/2"-diced split and pitted ripe mango flesh/fruit, from 3 ripe mangos, or diced pineapple

1  cup small-diced red bell pepper

3/4  cup each: small-diced red onion and minced, fresh cilantro

1-1 1/2-2  tablespoons fine-diced red serrano chile pepper, for mild, medium or hot, heat control 

1 1/2-2  tablespoons lime juice, fresh or high-quality store-bought not from concentrate

1/2-3/4  teaspoon sea salt, to taste

~Step 1.  With the aid of an Oxo mango splitter-pitter, split and pit the mango.  Use a tablespoon to scoop the fruit from the flesh of each half.  Don't have a mango splitter?  Get one ($12.00).

~Step 2.  Place the diced red onion, red bell pepper, and serrano chile pepper in a medium bowl.  Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt.  Stir, then set aside about 10 minutes.  Add and stir in the cilantro, followed by the diced mangos (or pineapple).  Set aside at room temperature for 10 more minutes, then, stir and taste.  Add the additional salt and/or lime juice if you feel the mixture needs it -- I added no salt or additional lime juice today.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and up to 6 hours, to allow flavors to marry, prior to serving chilled or at room temperature.  While the mango or pineapple pico de gallo is marinating, stir it 3-4 times throughout this time, whenever it's convenient.

As a condiment to Caribbean-style plantain chips...

... or a topper for Texican-style jalapeño Jack nachos...

... mango or pineapple salsa lights my sweet & savory fire:

Sweet Heat:  Island Style Mango or Pineapple Salsa:  Recipe yields 4 cups salsa.

Special Equipment List: mango splitter-pitter; cutting board; chef's knife; large rubber spatula; 4-cup food-storage container w/tight fitting lid

*Cook's Note:  In order of largest to smallest mango production, India, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean (followed by frost-free areas of the USA) lead the world.  Because of it's large center pit and thick skin, unlike the peach, in order to eat this juicy fruit out-of-hand, the "hedgehog" technique is applied.  Once split and pitted, the flesh is scored into squares, then each concave half is picked up and the skin is pressed to a convex shape with the thumbs.

"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti

(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2024)