Orange & Cinnamon French Toast

Let's talk breakfast. It's kind of my favorite meal. Y'know, besides dessert. That counts as a meal right? (I mean it should the way I do it.) I gravitate toward the sweet things personally: pancakes, waffles, French toast.

And no matter how many fancy-schmancy ways I make French toast, I still like my mom's the best. White bread, simple egg/milk mixture, and syrup. But if I can't have my mama's, this one will surely do in a pinch. It's got a nice tang from super-good buttermilk and orange zest and a hint of warmth from a sprinkling of cinnamon.

I used: semolina bread, cinnamon, orange zest, eggs, buttermilk, and salted butter. 

You need a nice shallow dish that will hold the bread. Pour in the milk and crack the eggs in.

A fork works for breaking up the yolk and incorporating the eggs into the buttermilk.

Cinnamon and orange zest add extra flavor.

I chose this semolina bread partly because I had it on hand and partly because it was a nice bread for French toast. Even though it was sliced on the thinner side, a little staleness made it sturdy enough for soaking.

I let it sit a few minutes on each side. French toast is commonly made with thick slices of challah or other sturdy bread that are probably a little stale. Because fresh bread will fall apart in the liquid mixture. So really, French toast is economical. Also, I definitely had enough liquid left to do another slice, so I made another slice. Because that's how I roll.

I melted a little butter in a cast iron skillet. You could use another sort of non-stick skillet, but you want to make sure your toast pieces will fit.

Getting the heat right can be tricky. You want it warm enough to, y'know, cook the toast, but not so hot that it just cooks the outside and leaves the inside soggy. My preference is to start it on medium-low to cook both sides through and then turn the heat up to medium to get a nice crust on the very outside.

Kind of like this. I like the crispiness the edges get and the little caramelized spots on the bread.

And can we just agree to use real maple syrup? Like the for real for real stuff. Because this is kind of why syrup exists.

Oh who am I kidding, this is why syrup exists.

Orange & Cinnamon French Toast (serves 1 very hungry lady or maybe 2 sensible people)

2 large eggs

1/2 c buttermilk

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp orange zest

2-3 slices of sturdy bread (staler is better in this case)

Salted butter, for sautéing

Maple syrup, for serving

• Whisk together eggs and buttermilk in a shallow dish. Add cinnamon and orange zest and stir to combine.
• Lay the pieces of bread in the liquid mixtures. Let them soak 3-5 minutes on each side. While bread soaks, heat a cast iron skillet on medium-low heat. Add a hunk of butter and let it melt. 
• Gently place soaked bread pieces in the warm skillet. Let cook until lightly browned on one side and flip. Let cook until lightly brown on the other side and increase heat to medium. Let the toast crisp around the edges and develop darker brown spots and flip. Crisp the other side and remove from skillet.
• If you're making a big batch of French toast, I advise heating your oven to 300º and turning it off. Place cooked French toast on a plate and set in the oven to keep warm.
• Serve French toast with extra butter and syrup. And bacon. Or bacon substitute if you don't partake in the pig.

Lemon-Almond Scones

Oh my, y'all. It's March. I've moved into a new apartment. I'm still rearranging furniture. I made these scones like 3 weeks ago. It's felt like madness for about a month, but it's all starting to return to...let's call it normal.

I think we can all agree that it's time for bright flavors and sunny mornings. Even though it's still just getting into the 50s here, the days are longer and the sun makes everything seem happier.

Even training for the Bridge Run is a happier experience. I love running around the Shandon neighborhood, and I'm pretty sure I never ever thought love and running would be in the same sentence. Unless it was "I love eating a chocolate chip cookie after running". But not right after because all I can handle are bananas and water after running. It's a thing, I just go with it.

I don't use almonds nearly enough in baking. Probably because I don't like almond extract, so I just avoid the nut altogether. Lame. But like running, an aversion can turn to adoration. These scones have almonds and lemon, which makes them wonderful. 

You'll need: Flour, vanilla extract, butter, almond milk (or regular), baking powder, slivered almonds, sugar, lemon zest, and salt.

I learned this tip from Joy the Baker. Rub the zest into the sugar to release the lemony oils. It'll make everything start to smell like heaven.

Combine the sugared zest, almonds, baking powder, and salt. Stir with a fork to distribute everything.

Cut the butter into small cubes and use a pastry blender or pair of knives to blend it into the flour until you have pea-sized pieces.

These are a little large, but I was using my fingers and didn't want to warm the butter too much.

Stir together the almond milk and vanilla extract.

Pour it over the flour mixture and stir with that fork you used earlier. It should come together in a rather shaggy dough. Turn that out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and you're in business.

Knead the dough a couple of times and pat into a round that's about an inch in thickness. You know you're doing right by the world when you can see pieces of butter in the dough.

Cut into six triangles. You can try to make them evenly-sized, but if you're anything like me you'll have a couple of oddly-sized pastries. That's life, and they're no less delicious. Bake until lightly golden brown.

I don't always glaze scones, but when I do I like to top them with toasted nuts. 

You'll need: vanilla extract, lemon juice, powdered sugar, and more slivered almonds.

Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven a few minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn.

Stir together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Fact: This process is much smoother if you sift the powdered sugar first and use a whisk. Real life: I used a fork and wore a little bit of it in my hair. Don't forget the vanilla!

Pour pretty glaze over equally pretty (cooled) scones. I made far too much glaze and used it all. I had lots of puddles that I swiped up with my finger. It's a win-win.

Top with the toasted almonds and let the glaze set. Or not. It's up to you and your willpower.

My willpower took a vacation when it saw flaky layers and tasted tart, sugary glaze.

Lemon-Almond Scones (makes 6 medium scones)

Scones:

1 tbs granulated sugar

1 tbs lemon zest

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 c slivered almonds

6 tbs unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes

1/2 c almond milk

1/2 tbs vanilla extract

Glaze:

2-3 tbs slivered almonds

1/2 c powdered sugar

2 tbs fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• For the scones, begin by rubbing the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingers. Add it to the flour along with baking powder, salt, and almonds. Stir with a fork to distribute evenly. Add butter to the flour mixture and cut in with a pastry blender until you have pieces the size of peas.
• Stir together almond milk and vanilla extract and pour over dry ingredients. Stir with a fork until it just holds together. Turn out onto the prepared baking sheet and knead dough a couple of times to bring it together. Pat dough into a round about an inch thick.
• Chill dough 10 minutes in the refrigerator. While dough chills, heat oven to 400º. Cut the chilled dough into 6 triangles and bake 13-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
• When scones are cool, prepare glaze. Spread almonds on a baking sheet and toast in a 350º oven until fragrant and golden brown, 5-7 minutes. 
• Whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour over cooled scones and top with toasted almonds. Let set and enjoy with coffee or tea.

Hazelnut Banana Bread

It's good to be back in the swing of things. And with stellar banana bread at that. And Downton Abbey.  Oh mah gahhh, Lady Mary's wedding (and wedding dress)! Will Downton survive? Is Edith really going to marry Sir Anthony? And goodness, will Bates be set free?! So many questions.

A few things are certain. The Dowager Countess will have at least a few good one-liners each episode, Thomas will be an asshole (there's no polite word for it), the fashions will be incredible, and I will want to eat a whole loaf of banana bread. 

Banana bread is simple. Flour, ripe bananas, salted butter, an egg, vanilla extract, hazelnuts, baking soda, a bit of extra salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and brown sugar.

Yeah, I'm still using pumpkin pie spice. Well you might as well, or it'll lose its potency by next year. Plus it's all the spices I love-- cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, etc. 

Mix the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt with the hazelnuts. I chose hazelnuts simply because I had them in the cabinet. Walnuts or pecans (or no nuts at all!) would be fine substitutions.

Ripe bananas are crazy easy to smush with a fork. 

Add the butter and brown sugar to the bananas. I used salted butter because it was in the fridge, but you can of course use unsalted and add a little more salt to the flour mixture.

Add the egg and stir it in.

Then follow it with the vanilla. 

Adding the flour is the final step. 

It's a thick batter with a gorgeous caramel color. I couldn't resist sneaking a taste.

I lined my loaf pan with parchment paper, but buttering and flouring the pan works just fine.

The crust is a deep golden brown when it's ready and has lovely cracks that let you know the baking soda worked.

The inside is somewhere in the middle between light and dense and so very tender.

It needs butter about as much as Pinterest needs another crock pot recipe. But! It's bread and bread is supposed to be buttered, right? Legit.

Hazelnut Banana Bread (makes one 8x4 loaf)

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Pinch of salt (Note: If using unsalted butter, use 1 tsp)

1/2 c hazelnuts, skins removed and roughly chopped

3 ripe bananas

1/2 c salted butter, melted

3/4 c brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

• Preheat oven to 350º. Prepare an 8x4 loaf pan by either buttering and flouring it or lining it with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, PP spice, and salt with a fork. Add the hazelnuts and gently mix in.
• In a larger bowl, smash the bananas with a fork until mostly smooth. Pour in butter and brown sugar and stir to combine. Add the egg and vanilla extract and stir until combined.
• Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and gently stir until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Let the bread cool in the pan 5-10 minutes and run a knife around the edges to loosen it. Pop the bread out of the pan and let it cool on a wire rack. If you used parchment paper, you can just lift the bread out of the pan. Serve with salted butter if desired.

Gingery Cinnamon Rolls

It's mah birthdayyyy! I made these cinnamon rolls yesterday because I think we both know I wasn't getting up early enough to make them today. I think we both know I ate one yesterday too.

1 Minute Breakfast: Greek Yogurt with Granola

Fact: When I wake up in the morning, I'm starving. I could eat all the things. Even though I'd rather have a biscuit with jelly and some sort of ham/bacon/sausage, I try to make my breakfasts on the healthy side. Unless it's the weekend. Then it's game on. But just because it's healthful doesn't mean it has to be bland or boring. Joy the Baker made a dessert version to angry-eat without making yourself feel bad, and I thought why not just use Greek yogurt and make it breakfast?
                                      
Give yourself a generous serving of Greek yogurt in a cartoon bowl from your childhood. I prefer Fage 0% Plain. Low calorie, full of protein to keep you going.

Sprinkle on your favorite granola. I got this vanilla almond granola from Fresh Market because it was 30% off.

Drizzle on some maple syrup for a little extra sweetness because plain Greek yogurt is tart.

Perfect for busy mornings. Perfect for making you feel like you're indulging without actually indulging. That frees up space for brownies and pumpkin scones.

1 Minute Breakfast: Greek Yogurt with Granola (serves one)
Inspired by Joy the Baker

1/2-3/4 c plain Greek yogurt
1/4 c granola
1 tsp maple syrup

• Combine the yogurt, granola, and maple syrup in a fun bowl. Eat with gusto.