Breakfast

No Yeast Vanilla Brown Sugar Beer Cinnamon Rolls

04.12.2015 10 Comments

No Yeast Vanilla Brown Sugar Beer Cinnamon Rolls

Every Christmas I make cinnamon rolls. Yeasty, gorgeous, giant rolls with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting. A recipe that took years to prefect into the soft, tender, sweet and cinnamony treat with the thick ribbon of sugary butter center and tangy frosting. I make it the night before allowing the second rise to take place overnight in the fridge. It’s the first recipe in my first cookbook, The Craft Beer Cookbook (affiliate link).

But I also understand that taking two days to make breakfast might not be ideal for most people. And there may even be some of you that found your way to this post because yeast terrifies and baffles you the way some people think it takes a wizard to make velvety cheese sauce that doesn’t separate. I’m afraid of mall Santas, we all have our thing.

These rolls were awesome. Soft, tender, a bit more on the cakey side than the yeast rolls I’m so in love with, but still a fantastic way to throw together a dessert or a holiday breakfast. The yeast in the yogurt and the beer reacts with the leavening powers of the baking powder and basking soda to do a fabulous job of mimicking yeast dough. The way I try to do a fabulous job of mimicking a normal person when I see a middle aged man in a red suit and fake beard lurking near a Hollister.

No Yeast Vanilla Brown Sugar Beer Cinnamon Rolls

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Servings 8 -10 rolls

Ingredients

Dough:

3 cups 360g all purpose flour
1 tsp 4g baking soda
½ tsp 3g baking powder
pinch of salt
½ cup 107g brown sugar
2 tbs 18 olive oil
2 tsp 8g vanilla extract
½ cup 150g vanilla Greek yogurt (not non-fat)
¾ cup 190g wheat beer, room temperate

Filling:

½ cup 113g unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup 142g brown sugar
2 tsp 4g cinnamon
¼ tsp 0.5g nutmeg
pinch salt

Frosting:

8 wt oz cream cheese softened
1 cup 113g powdered sugar
½ cup 119g heavy cream
1 tsp 4g vanilla extract
Pinch salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350.
In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and brown sugar making sure to break up any brown sugar lumps.
Make a well in the center, add the oil, vanilla extract, yogurt and beer, stir until combined.
Add to a lightly floured surface, knead lightly until the dough comes together and is much less sticky (it will still be slightly sticky). Cover loosely and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes
Roll into a large rectangle about ¼ inch thick.
In a small bowl stir together the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
Spread the filling evenly over the dough. Starting at the long edge, roll the dough into a long log.
Slice into 2 inch rings, place in a baking dish with the swirl side up.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Using a hand mixer beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla and salt until well combined, light and fluffy.
Spread the cinnamon rolls with the frosting before serving.

Coconut Pumpkin Ale Overnight French Toast Bake

13.11.2015 3 Comments

Coconut Pumpkin Ale Overnight French Toast Bake

Every interview, radio and TV, that’ve done the past two months has involved answering questions about pumpkin beer.

I told you about the harvest question incident already, and the problem with pumpkin beer. Beer people, for the most part, see this time of year as hop harvest season more than pumpkin season. Fourth quarter has some of the most incredible beer. We have wet hop, barrel aged beer, winter warmers, holiday ales, barley wines. There is so much to explore when it comes to beer. Pumpkin beer can be fantastic but the truth is if pumpkin beer disappeared tomorrow—never to be seen again—I’d hardly notice.

Pumpkin fanaticism this time of year grows to such a fevered pitch it’s hard not to be irritated but the fascination points to a growing trend: in-season produce. That’s good news. Although the obsession gets derailed by the a spice blend that contains no actual hint of the produce other than the name, the idea is still solid. We should do this more. We should lose our minds of blood oranges in January, infusing our beer and lattes as much as possible. We should freak out over apricots in June. We should await peach harvest every summer like a kid on Christmas morning. I’m hopeful these obsessions will continue, pushing us to focus more on the produce that just came out of the ground. Pumpkin, I’m hoping, is just the start of the produce loving snowball rolling down hill.

Pumpkin beer is a great cooking beer. Especially for those who would rather drink something else. Of course it’s strange to add beer to your breakfast, but you make this the night before when finishing the remaining beer from the bottle you open is a lot less strange. The yeast and carbonation give this a slight leavening effect, they way a beer cheese dip can have a soufflé texture out of the oven. The center will puff slightly and the bread will turn slightly puffy and creamy.

And you can pair this with coffee, pumpkin spiced or not.

Coconut Pumpkin Ale Overnight French Toast Bake

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Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

1 loaf 1 lbs Challah or Brioche bread, cut into cubes
5 large eggs
1 can 400 mL full fat coconut milk
1 cup 226g pumpkin ale, brown ale, or winter ale
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup 122g pumpkin puree
¼ cup 55g brown sugar
3/4 cup 150g white sugar
1 ½ tsp 6g pumpkin pie spice*
½ tsp 3g salt
maple syrup or whipped cream for serving, optional

Instructions

Add the bread cubes to an 9x13 baking dish.
In a large bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour over the bread.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 350. Bake until the top is lightly springy and appears to have puffed in the center, about 35-45 minutes.
Slice and serve warm with whipped cream or maple syrup.

Notes

(*For homemade pumpkin pie spice 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground allspice)

Pumpkin Beer Bread French Toast and The Problem with Pumpkin Beer

16.09.2015 11 Comments

I’ll give you a quick and easy way to tell if your favorite pumpkin beer was made with fresh pumpkins or the canned version.

Release date.

It takes weeks to brew a beer, and pumpkins reach full maturity, ready to harvest and roast for brewing, sometimes around late August. Making those beers released in July nearly impossible to brew with fresh pumpkins.

Canned pumpkin isn’t even the issue. Several breweries successfully make very complex, well-balanced beer with canned pumpkin every year. The issue is more about the impact that the early release dates have on breweries that want to use fresh. The arc of pumpkin season starts so soon, due to the canned-pumpkin beers, that by the time the fresh-pumpkin-using-breweries releases their beer, the moment has passed when it really should just be starting. A fresh brewed pumpkin beer will arrive on store shelves, at earliest, in mid-September. A much more appropriate time for a pumpkin flavored beer to be consumed. Unfortunately, at this point pumpkin beer coverage has been going on for months, making the release of fresh pumpkin beers seem like old news.

Pumpkin beer also ages well. For this I used a bottle of Rogue Pumpkin Patch ale from last year, made with pumpkins they grow on their farms, and it was even better this year than last. The flavors round out and have a deeper, more complex flavor. You can save this years pumpkin beers for next year, if you really jones for a mid-summer squash ales.

Maybe this doesn’t bother you, maybe you don’t mind a 100 degree, mid-July pumpkin porter. Or maybe you hate it. What can you do if this does, in fact, bother you? Make a bigger deal out of fresh brewed pumpkin beer, don’t buy any before middle September, don’t post anything on social until fresh pumpkin beers have been released, and thank the hard working brewers that not only brewed you a pumpkin beer, they also grew, harvested and roasted those pumpkins.

Pumpkin Beer Bread French Toast and The Problem with Pumpkin Beer

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Ingredients

For the Pumpkin Beer Bread

3 cups 360 all purpose flour
1 tsp 4g baking powder
2 tsp 12g baking soda
1 cup 150g brown sugar
2 ½ tsp 4g pumpkin pie spice (see note)
¾ cup 225g pumpkin puree
8 ounces 226g pumpkin ale (or brown ale)

For the French Toast:

1 cup whole milk
3 eggs
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla extact
½ cup brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
Butter
Maple syrup for serving
1/2 cup pecan pieces optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and sugar. Add the pumpkin puree and beer, stir until just combined.
Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour that batter into the pan in an even layer.
Bake for 40 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven, allow to cool completely before slicing, chill if necessary (beer bread can be made a day ahead of time, cover and chill until ready to use).
Slice into 1-inch thick slices.
In a wide, shallow bowl whisk together the milk, eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, brown sugar and salt.
Add the slices, a few at a time, allowing to soak for one to three minutes.
Preheat a skillet or griddle to medium high; melt a pat of butter to coat the surface (continue adding butter between batches when the pan looks dry).
Remove the slices from the batter and allow excess to drain off.
Cook in the hot pan until golden brown on each side, about 3 minutes per side.
Serve topped with maple syrup and pecan pieces.

Notes

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice: 2 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, ½ teaspoon ground allspice, ½ teaspoon ground ginger

Chocolate Belgian Ale Pull-Apart Breakfast Loaf

19.08.2015 15 Comments

I made you something.

It took me a year.

Right after I made the big move from Los Angeles to Seattle, I spent the better part of last year holed up in my tiny wooden house writing my second cookbook,The Craft Beer Bites Cookbook. It’s the follow-up to my first book, The Craft Beer Cookbook (affiliate link),

This new cookbook is a book dedicated to the community that craft beer creates.

Craft Beer Bites is 100 recipes for appetizers and party food all made with craft beer. It’s a book made for gatherings, for sharing great food and hard to find bottles. For bringing people together and reminding us what made us all a community in the first place.

Craft beer is built in community, in pubs and bottle shops, small packs of people just as excited to be together as they are to explore the beer at the center of the table. We need food for these get-togethers. And that’s what this book is about.

I hope you love it as much as I do.

Chocolate Belgian Ale Pull-Apart Breakfast Loaf

A delicious breakfast loaf that can be made ahead, and the perfect dish for brunch get togethers.

Print Recipe

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

2 ½ cups 320g all purpose flour
¼ cup plus 1 tbs granulated sugar divided
1 packet rapid rise yeast 2 ¼ tsp
¾ cup wheat beer
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 large egg yolk room temperature
¼ cup heavy cream room temperature
1 tsp salt
3 tbs softened butter
3.5 wt oz chocolate chopped
Powdered sugar optional

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook add the flour, ¼ cup granulated sugar and yeast.
Add the beer to a microwave safe bowl, microwave on high for 20 seconds, test temperate and repeat until beer reaches between 120F and 130F degrees.
Add the beer to the stand mixer, mix until most of the flour has been moistened.
Add the vanilla then the yolks, one at a time. Add the cream and salt.
Building up speed, beat on high until the dough comes together and gathers around the blade. The dough will be very soft.
Add dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Add dough to a lightly floured surface, roll into an 18 x 24 inch rectangle.
In a small bowl stir together the softened butter and the remaining 1 tablespoons sugar.
Spread the dough with the butter.
Cut the dough into strips about 3 inches wide. Cut each of the strips into 4 to 5 rectangles, each should be about the size of a deck of cards. You should have between 12 and 15 pieces. Sprinkle the pieces with the chopped chocolate, then stack up each one on top of another in a tower. Lay the stack into a loaf pan, like placing books on a shelf.
If making the loaf the night before, cover and allow to rise in the fridge for 12 hours. Reheat the oven to 350F, allow the loaf to come to room temperate while the oven is pre-heating. Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.
If making the day of, preheat oven to 350F, allow to sit at room temperate until doubled in size, about 20 minutes .Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from loaf pan, sprinkle with powdered sugar prior to serving.

Cream Cheese Beer Pancakes with Strawberry Saison Syrup

25.03.2015 10 Comments

Cream Cheese Beer Pancakes with Strawberry Saison Syrup

I’m standing in the middle of a craft store talking quietly on my phone to an 87-year-old woman who wants to ship me weed.

I’m acutely aware of the fact that I’m actually embarrassed to tell her that I’ve never really been into weed. Not ever. Not even in high school, or when I ran around Hollywood with rock stars, it was just never my thing. I’ll just have a beer, thanks.

I don’t want to seem prude to a woman in her 80’s. I also don’t want to hurt her feelings, she’s sweet enough to offer me some of the stash she grows for her legal medicinal marijuana business.

I’d met her a few weeks prior at a beer conference. She’s smart and sweet and genuinely interesting and I gave her my card, telling her to stay in touch. She calls me to offer to ship me some weed and instead of being up front with her, I’m evasive.

I don’t want her to go to all that trouble for someone who doesn’t smoke. It’s like shipping Pliny to someone who only drinks Captain and Cokes. I’m trying to find a way to say no. I’m also starting to become aware of the side-eye I’m getting from the girl in the aisle next to me, not sure if she’s judging me for talking on a phone in a quiet store, or if it’s about the weed. I decided that since it’s Seattle, she really can’t be that uptight about a conversation about pot.

I finally come out with it, "I’m sorry, I just don’t smoke. It’s so nice of you to offer, it’s just not for me."

There is a long pause and I’m sure that I’ve offended her. "but…." she sounds confused, "You always make pot smoker food on your blog. I just figured….never mind."

She has a point. I mean, who eats beer pancakes in the middle of the day? It’s a logical assumption.

Cream Cheese Beer Pancakes with Strawberry Saison Syrup

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the pancakes

1/3 cup sugar
4 oz cream cheese
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups wheat beer
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups All purpose flour

For the syrup

8 wt oz about 2 cups sliced strawberries
1 cup granulated sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup saison or hefeweizen beer

Instructions

In a blender add the sugar, cream cheese, baking soda, baking powder, salt, eggs, beer and vanilla extract. Blend until just smooth. Add the flour, pulse until just combined (batter can be made up to 24 hours in advance, refrigerate until ready to use.)
Heat a griddle to 350°F or a skillet over medium high heat, spray with cooking spray or grease with melted butter.
Pour 3 inch circles onto hot surface. Once bubbles appear in the center and the edges look dry, flip pancakes. Cook until underside is golden brown.
Add all the syrup ingredients to a pot over high heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced by about 1/3. Remove from heat, allow to cool before using.

Maple Bacon Beer Waffles

04.03.2015 11 Comments

Maple Bacon Beer Waffles. Win at breakfast.

Every day you have a flight. A flight of meals that starts with breakfast. Maybe it’s a hastily consumed piece of toast as your rush out the door, or a Grande cup of caffeine, or maybe you miss out in favor of a few extra minutes of sleep.

Then there are those days when you invite over those few special people you know that are worthy of a meal eaten around your table just past dawn. Maybe it’s overnight guests, maybe it’s out of towners, maybe it’s brunch for people that you don’t see nearly enough. Breakfast people, these are the special ones.

Let’s say we started to categorize meals according to how much we like people we are willing to share them with. At the bottom of the pyramid would be the mid-day coffee meet up, then slightly more important people get a lunch date, we are more inclined to share evening drinks with people we like a bit more than the lunch set, then we have those that earn the time we can linger over dinner, but it’s the ones we share breakfast with that are the most important. Because I’ll pretty much have coffee or a beer with anyone, but if you can get me out of bed in the morning to make you breakfast, then you’re really important. But you better buy me a beer later for my trouble.

Maple Bacon Beer Waffles

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Ingredients

3 eggs separated
150 ml 5 oz pilsner beer (can sub sparkling water)
360 ml 12 0z milk
½ cup 114g butter, melted
2 tablespoons 28g real maple syrup
2 teaspoon 4g vanilla extract
3 1/3 cups 400g all-purpose flour
3 tablespoon 27g cornstarch
1 ½ teaspoon 5g baking powder
1 teaspoon 5g baking soda
1 teaspoon 6g salt
1/4 cup 50g sugar, plus 2 tablespoon for egg whites
4 strips bacon cooked and chopped

Instructions

Set out three medium mixing bowls.
Add the egg whites to one bowl, yolks to another.
Add the beer, milk, melted butter, maple syrup, and vanilla to the yolks, beat until well combined, light and fluffy.
In the third bowl (make sure this is the largest bowl, all ingredients will end up in this bowl) stir together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, bacon, and ¼ cup sugar.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, beat in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the yolk mixture, stir until well combined.
Gently fold in the egg whites. Cook in your waffle iron according to manufactures specifications (make sure to use cooking spray or melted butter if indicated).

Drunk French Toast Sticks with Beer Blood Orange Syrup

02.02.2015 4 Comments

Drunk French Toast Sticks with Beer Blood Orange Syrup. Win at breakfast.

Breakfast being the most important meal has nothing to do with nurtition. It’s not about blood sugar, or enriched whole grains or jumpstarting your metabolism. It’s emotional.

Breakfast is important because of who we eat it with. The people who live in your house, the out of town guest, the friend who is worth getting up early and meeting at that overcrowded brunch place in Silverlake.

It’s OK if breakfast takes a while, and it’s OK if it doesn’t. This takes about 20 minutes, leaving you more time for coffee and conversation. Serve it with a side of eggs, or a side of beer mimosa. Dunk the sticks in your latte.

Lick the syrup off your fingers, or the other guys fingers, or your plate.

You should probably stop licking things.

Breakfast will always be my favorite meal. I can share a mid-day coffee or a late night dinner with anyone, but if you find a seat at my breakfast table, especially before I’ve showered, then you know you’ve really made my inner circle. Breakfast means you’re really important.

Drunk French Toast Sticks with Beer Blood Orange Syrup

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Ingredients

French Toast Sticks

One loaf Italian bread or Texas Toast, cut into thick slices
1 ½ cup half & half
1 cup brown ale
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
3 tbs unsalted butter

Syrup:

1 blood orange
1 cup white sugar
½ cup beer
1 tbs cornstarch
pinch salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil sprayed with cooking spray.
In a large bowl whisk together the half & half, beer, brown sugar, salt, vanilla extract and eggs until well combined.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
One at a time dunk the bread sticks in the mixture until well saturated. Remove and allow excess to drain off.
Cook until golden brown on all sides. Place French toast sticks on the baking sheet in the oven when you finish the rest of the French toast sticks to keep warm until serving.
Zest the orange with a microplane. Juice the orange.
In a pot over medium heat whisk together the sugar, beer, cornstarch, salt, orange juice and zest. Bring to a boil, boil for three minutes without stirring. Remove from heat, allow to cool (syrup with thicken as it cools).
Serve French toast sticks drizzled with syrup.

Blackberry Beer Breakfast Muffins

05.09.2014 9 Comments

Blackberry Beer Breakfast Muffins

A few years ago I spent a week in Ireland, at a hostel at the base of the Guinness brewery. Somewhere near 9am I wandered into a nearby restaurant that was much more pub than grub. At the bar was a bit of a surly local, just him and me. I ordered some arrangement of eggs and a coffee, he had a beer. That’s it, just an inky black glass of beer. He saw me eyeing his breakfast pint. "Whaaat? It’s like bread. It’s pretty much like bread, but easier to drink." Which, in my opinion makes it completely OK to have beer for breakfast.

These muffins also give you a legitimate reason to break two rules. Beer is a leavening agent, giving you a legitimate reason to add it to your grab-and-go breakfast, the texture of the muffins is incredible. The second rule breaking has to do with berries. Although there is a strong leaning towards fresh produce in this world, there is also a legitimate reason for baking with the frozen variety. Berries that are completely ripe and juicy are too fragile to ship, these are the ones that get frozen, making frozen berries actually better than those that ripened on a truck on the way to the market. Don’t be afraid to head to the freezer section rather than the produce section when you want to make these. And don’t be afraid to open a beer before noon, you know, to make breakfast with.

Blackberry Beer Breakfast Muffins

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Ingredients

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 ?2 tsp salt
1 egg
5 tbs butter melted
1/3 cup sour cream
2/3 cup pale ale
2 cups frozen blackberries
½ cup brown sugar packed
½ cup oats

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the egg, melted butter, sour cream and beer. Stir until combined. Stir in the blackberries.
Spoon into muffin tins until each well is about 2/3 full. Sprinkle each muffin with brown sugar and oats.
Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes (baking time will be less if you use unfrozen blackberries).

Beer Crepes with Beer Caramelized Apples

12.05.2014 5 Comments

Let’s just say that you want to dive into the world of craft beer. Or even that you’re curious enough that you just want to know a bit more. Or maybe you’re just as much of a geek as I am and you just like to know stuff.

Let’s also assume that you’re starting with little more knowledge than knowing what IPA stands for and that Guinness is a stout. Or maybe less.

I was there once, we all were. No one is born with a head full of beer knowledge, and unlike other adult beverages, very few people were born into the world of beer. People are born into vineyards, or distilleries, but very few are born into breweries. Most of us start out knowing nothing, wondering what’s past the pale macro lager, dabbling in craft beer, and then wondering why it’s so much better than that stuff we chugged out of kegs in college. We seek out the knowledge, and most of us self educate. So, where do you start?

My picks for the best introduction to craft beer books, great for the beer novice, or even those who claim Beer Geek status:

The Naked Pint: An Unadulterated Guide to Craft Beer, By Christina Perozzi, Hallie Beaune*

The Brewmaster’s Table ,By Garrett Oliver*

The Oxford Companion to Beer, By Garrett Oliver

The Complete Beer Course, By Joshua M. Bernstein

Tasting Beer: An Insider’s Guide to the World’s Greatest Drink, By Randy Mosher

Beer Pairing: The Essential Guide from the Pairing Pros, by Julia Herz and Gwen Conley

*two personal favorites of mine

If you know a great introduction to craft beer book let me know in the comments section.

Beer Crepes with Beer Caramelized Apples

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Crepes:

2 large eggs
3/4 cup cream ale pale ale or wheat beer
½ cup whole milk
1 cup flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbs melted butter plus additional for pan
pinch salt

For the apples:

5 tbs butter
1 lbs about 3 granny smith apples, peeled, cores and thinly sliced
1/3 cup brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon Vietnamese cinnamon preferred
pinch salt
¼ cup cream ale pale ale or wheat beer

Instructions

Put all the crepe ingredients in a blender, blend until combined. Put the batter in the fridge for one hour and up to 12 (can be made the night before).
To make the apples melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the apples, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Cook until the apples have softened. Add the beer and simmer until the liquid has thickened to a syrup, set aside.
In a 10 inch non-stick skillet melt 1 tablespoon butter.
Add about ¼ cup batter, swirl the pan to spread the batter into a thin circle.
Cook over medium high heat until the top is dry. Flip the crepe using a spatula, cook until the underside is golden brown. Continue until all batter is used.
Fill the crepes with apples, serve warm.

Miniature Coffee Stout Cinnamon Rolls

14.04.2014 8 Comments

No matter how great beer is in meat recipes, bread will always be it’s culinary kindred spirit. Because the heart and soul of bread and beer is the same: yeast. The beast that gives us bread, also gives us beer. A few months ago I was interviewing a brewer at an LA brewery who told me how he really feels about his job, "I don’t work for the brewery, I work for the yeast."

It might sound intimidating, but really, nothing will work harder for you in the kitchen than yeast. It’s the most active ingredient you’ll ever work with, it becomes a cooking partner if you can just follow it’s rules and it will do more for your bread than you do.

And there is something about watching yeast dough rise, smelling it bake in your kitchen, and tasting it fresh from the oven that just has healing powers. Just follow the simple steps: make sure the yeast hasn’t expired, make sure the temperate is correct (use a cooking thermometer), and make sure your kitchen isn’t too cold, and you’ll be fine. You’re yeast will work for you to make a gorgeous loaf.

Then theres the beer, that has it’s own yeast, and it’s made from bread like ingredients. It’s a bread makers dream when it comes to baking the perfect batch of cinnamon rolls. You’ll get more than what you’ve worked for, and a batch of unforgettable rolls that are more than worth the effort they took. Plus you’ll be able to serve beer for breakfast, and that’s a dream all on it’s own.

Miniature Coffee Stout Cinnamon Rolls

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Dough:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 packets rapid rise yeast
1/4 cup dry milk powder
4 tbs butter
1/4 cup cream
¾ cup coffee stout
2 large egg yolk room temperature
½ tsp salt

For the Filling:

1/2 cup butter softened
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 tbs cinnamon

For the Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese
½ cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup Coffee Stout

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook add the flour, sugar, rapid rise yeast (do not use regular dry active yeast), and dry milk powder. Stir to combine.
In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Add the cream and stout, microwave for 15 seconds, test temperature and repeat until the temperature of the liquid reaches between 120 and 125 degrees.
Add liquid to the mixer and stir until incorporated.
Add the egg yolk and salt, mix on medium high speed until dough comes together and gathers around the blade.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit in a warm room until doubled in size, 1 ½ to 2 hours.
On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to an approximately 12 inch by 16 inch rectangle.
In a bowl stir together the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
Spread the cinnamon-sugar butter evenly over the dough. Cut the dough in half, lengthwise.
Starting at the long end, roll each half into a tight log.
Cut each log into 1-inch rolls, place cut side up in a mini muffin tin (or tightly into a baking dish) that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover and allow to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes (to make ahead, the second rise can take place over 12 hours in a refrigerator. Remove from fridge and allow to come to room temperature the following day prior baking).
Heat oven to 350. Bake until golden brown, about 22-25 minutes.
To make the frosting, beat the softened butter and softened cream cheese until well combined and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and mix until well combined. Add the beer and mix until light and fluffy. Spread frosting on rolls prior to serving.

Chocolate Stout Cheesecake Stuffed French Toast

02.04.2014 15 Comments

I have this idea that breakfast is a mark for true culinary hospitality. It’s much more intimate than dinner, it’s more vulnerable in a way. You’ve had dinner with hundreds of people, but how many people have you had breakfast with?

How many times have you made breakfast for someone? How often do you get up early, put on a larger pot of the good coffee, mapped out several dishes to serve someone just past dawn?

Those people are the special ones. I bet the people you’ve done that for are the ones you keep in your life, keep with you through the hard times. The ones who help you move, the ones who’s weddings you’ve gone to hung over from the festivities of the night before, the ones who show up at the hospital, the ones who don’t forget your birthday.

So when we make these breakfast, for those Breakfast Worthy People in our lives, it should be something great. Something unforgettable. Something that we need to schedule a mid day run to work off.

And beer is absolutely acceptable during these breakfast festivities.

Chocolate Stout Cheesecake Stuffed French Toast

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Filling:

8 wt ounces cream cheese softened
¼ cup dark chocolate chips melted
1/3 cup granulated sugar
pinch salt
3 tbs chocolate stout

For the French Toast:

1 large loaf Italian bread
2 eggs
½ cup cream
½ cup chocolate stout
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbs sugar
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tbs butter

Instructions

In a medium bowl add the cream cheese, melted chocolate, granulated sugar and salt. Using a hand mixer, mix until well combined. Add the 3 tablespoons chocolate stout, mix until well combined and creamy.
Slice the bread into 4 inch slices (about 6 total).
Using a sharp knife, make a slit in the center of the bread slices, forming a pocket for the filling.
In a medium bowl add the eggs, cream, ½ cup chocolate stout, vanilla, and sugar, whisk until well combined.
Add the graham cracker crumbs to a shallow bowl or a plate.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.
One at a time spoon the filling into the bread slices. Dip in the egg mixture, making sure to coat well. Allow the liquid to drain off the bread, then place on the graham cracker crumbs, turning over to coat the other side as well.
Place the French toast in the hot pan, cook on each side until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.
Serve warm.

New York Beer Crumb Cake Muffins

18.03.2014 14 Comments

A few years ago I’d had this unfortunate idea that a red eye from LAX to JFK was a great plan. I boarded a plane around 10pm in Los Angeles, alongside a 747 full of business travelers headed for jittery East Coast morning meetings.

It wasn’t so much that I irrationally figured that I could sleep on the plane, but I illogically decided that if I don’t really sleep well anyway, I might was well be not sleeping well on an airplane. When I arrived in New York 6 hours plus time change later, I hadn’t slept for a second. Although the decision to watch The Lovely Bones just after take off probably contributed to my lack of drowsiness.

By the time a subway ride and then a cab deposited me in Chelsea I was tired to catastrophic levels. Which, in the land of most girls means borderline weepy and slightly irrational. Finding out my hotel wasn’t ready for check in and realizing that my only option for sleep was cuddling up with the homeless man near the stairwell, I decided coffee was a necessity. And by necessity I quite literally mean as a route to avoid either crying hysterically or falling asleep on top of a man who smells like hot dogs and old cheese.

I stumbled into a coffee shop and begged for coffee. "Anything else?" The husky Brooklyn dweller spat at me from behind the counter.

"Umm, I…need…uh…the…" I did manage to point at a crumb cake.

"You want duh cake? Fuh breakfast?" Thank god it was just judgmental an rhetorical, he didn’t expect and answer and I couldn’t have given an intelligible one. He thrust it towards me with the coffee. I sat down at the counter, my bag still over my shoulder and started to devour it all. He smiled, one hand on his apron covered hip, "Not bad, huh?"

I nodded, words were still hours away from me.

New York Beer Crumb Cake Muffins

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Cake:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
½ cup pale ale or wheat beer
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 tbs vegetable oil

For the topping:

1 ¼ cups flour
½ cup packed light-brown sugar
½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ cup unsalted butter melted
Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325
Line a 12 cup muffin tin with muffin papers.
Stir together 1 ¼ cups flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, beer, vanilla and vegetable oil. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, batter will be thick.
Add batter to muffin tins, about ½ way full.
Combine the remaining 1 ¼ cups flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Drizzle with melted butter, stir together until crumbs form.
Add the crumbs onto the top of the muffin batter until cups are slightly mounded.
Bake at 325 for 32-36 minutes or until the top crumbs have just started to turn golden brown. Allow to cool to room temperature, chill until ready to serve. Dust with confectioners sugar prior to serving.

Orange Cherry Beer Muffins

31.12.2013 4 Comments

These aren’t just muffins. They are two forms of quiet rebellion.

First, it’s beer for breakfast. And unless you’re having a brunch mimosa or in the general vicinity of Las Vegas, breakfast booze is generally frowned upon.

Second, lets be honest, muffins are basically just cupcakes.

But you and me, we’re different. We aren’t like those others. We don’t do the frowning, we do the drinking; and in the "If your friend jumped off a bridge, would you?" analogy, we are the bridge jumping friend; and we eat whatever the hell we want for breakfast, sometimes that’s baked goods made with booze; and sometimes we swear in front of old people and toddlers.

In my opinion, it’s really only that last one we need to work on.

Orange Cranberry Beer Muffins

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Muffins

1 large naval orange
2/3 cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup unsalted butter softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup buttermilk
1 tbs vegetable oil
2/3 cup wheat beer
2 cups cake flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup dried cherries

Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tbs wheat beer
1 tbs reserved juice from orange
1 tbs reserved orange zest

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Zest the orange, then juice it. A large orange should yield about ¼ cup juice and 3 tablespoons zest.
Add both kinds of sugar, and 2 tablespoons orange zest to a stand mixer mix on high for two minutes to release the orange oils from the zest. Add the butter and beat on high until the butter and sugar are well creamed.
Add 2 tablespoons orange juice, egg, and vanilla extract, beat on high until well combined.
Add the buttermilk, oil and beer, stir until combined (some curdling is expected).
In a sperate bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add flour mixture to the stand mixer and stir until just combined.
Stir in the dried cherries.
Pour in the muffin tins that have either been greased or lined with muffin papers until the wells are about 2/3’s full (about ¼ cup per well).
Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until the tops spring back when gently touched.

Buttermilk Beer Pancakes & How to Make Super Fluffy Pancakes

Pancakes are my first food memory. I’m one of 8 kids (all girls, wrap your head around that) and one of about 27 cousins (I don’t even know the actual number) which made alone time with my grandparents really special.

Strawberries and Cream Breakfast Bread Pudding

05.12.2013 11 Comments

I’m a breakfast girl.

It’s my favorite meal, and I tend to go a bit overboard if I ever happen to have breakfast guest. I love dishes that can pack a punch when it comes to impressing those I’m serving, but I also don’t like to be stuck in the kitchen when I have visitors.

I love something I can put together the night before and just stick in the oven the next morning, making this breakfast bread pudding pretty perfect.

I broke into my stash of strawberries I froze over the summer when those beauties were in abundance. I like to buy them when the price drops, slice them and freeze them for the colder months. While visiting the California Strawberry farms this summer I learned that the growers actually choose the juiciest, ripest berries to freeze because those are the ones that often have a harder time shipping fresh. WHich makes those frozen California berries a great option.

Speaking of those beauties, California Strawberry Commission is giving away 3 of these adorable strawberry ornaments every day for ten days.

Head over to the California Strawberries Facebook page to enter!

Head over the California Strawberries In The Kitchen Blog for the recipe!

Rosemary Beer Biscuits with Stout Sausage Gravy

25.11.2013 17 Comments

Let’s pretend for a second that you’ve never had biscuits and gravy.

Like you’ve never sat in good company at a crappy diner in a small town eating sub par biscuits and gravy washing it down with shitty coffee like it’s the best breakfast you’ve ever had. Like you’ve never had someones grandma make them for you so early in the morning you could hardly keep your eyes open. Like you’ve never delayed the start of day two of a road trip just so that you could have a plate of southern comfort food from that place your friend once told you about.

But we can’t do that. Because there is something about that combination of simple ingredients, done just right, that stays with us forever. The way the perfect song pouring out your car windows as you drive down a softly worn country road on a summer afternoon makes you feel like everything’s right in the world.

The food that stays with us, that comforts us, reminds us of home, is almost always simple food. It’s these dishes that are worth making, and remaking, over and over, making small adjustments that no one but us really notices, because dishes like this stay with us.

Rosemary Beer Biscuits with Stout Sausage Gravy

Print Recipe

Servings 6 -8 servings

Ingredients

For the biscuits:

3 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
8 tbs unsalted cold butter cut into cubes
1/2 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup Belgian ale or wheat beer
2 tbs melted butter
¼ tsp course sea salt

For the gravy:

1 lb pork sausage raw, without casing
¼ cup finely chopped white onion
1 tbs butter
6 tbs flour
3 cups whole milk
1 cup stout
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Optional

4 large eggs fried

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.
In a processor add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and rosemary.
Pulse to combine. Add the cold butter, process until well combined. Add to a large bowl.
Add the buttermilk and beer. Mix with a fork until just combined.
Add to a well-floured flat surface, pat into a rectangle. Using a cold rolling pin (preferably marble) gently roll into a large rectangle, about 1 inch in thickness, using as few strokes as possible.
Fold the dough into thirds as you would a letter about to go into an envelope. Roll lightly, once in each direction to about 1 inch thickness, fold in thirds again. Gently roll into about 1 1/2 inch thickness (this will give you the flakey layers).
Using a biscuit cutter cut out 6 to 8 biscuits. Place in a baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Brush biscuits with melted butter, sprinkle salt.
Bake at 400 for 12 to 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
To make the gravy add the sausage to a pan over medium high heat. Cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned. Add the onions and butter, stirring and cooking until onions are browned, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with flour. Whisk until flour is well combined. Cook until flour has browned. Add the milk, stout, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Cook until thickened, about 8 minutes.
Top the biscuits with gravy and fried eggs, if desired.

A HUGE Thank You to my Facebook Fans who suggested I work on a Beer Biscuits and Gravy recipe. You guys are always an inspiration.

Leftover Turkey Frittata Recipe

06.11.2013 12 Comments

Thanksgiving leftovers are a funny beast.

We spend weeks crafting a menu, days of prep, countless hours of cooking and then freak out about what to do with it all the next day. I do that same thing, even though leftovers on their own are fantastic. Maybe it’s because, even after hours and days and weeks of prep, we still feel "lazy" just reheating the tupperware containers and setting it out on the table.

Even though I will chow down on cold beer brined turkey and left over dinner rolls in those post dawn hours, it’s still not hyper socially expectable to serve mashed potatoes and leftover turkey for breakfast. But throw some chopped up rolls and a few handfuls of turkey into a skillet with some eggs and you’ve got brunch.

And you should serve it with a mimosa, you’ve earned it

Leftover Turkey Frittata Recipe

Ingredients

3 tbs butter
2 cups bread cut into cubes (leftover dinner rolls work well)
1 cup turkey, cut into cubes
½ red bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
6 eggs
¼ cup sour cream
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ cup green onion, chopped
Instructions

Preheat oven 400.
Melt the butter in a 9-inch cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
Add the bell peppers, cook until softened.
Add the bread cubes, cooking until browned.
Add the turkey, toss to coat.
In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sour cream, salt and pepper.
Pour into the skillet, sprinkle with green onions.
Cook undisturbed until the sides have set, about 5 minutes.
Bake at 400 until until center has set, about 12 minutes.

Apple Pie Bread Pudding

31.10.2013 10 Comments

I grew up just feet from an apple orchard on a farm in Easter Washington. Although not as idyllic and charming as one may be led to imagine, I did walk away with an above average ability to name an apples variety just by looking at it. I’ve also learned a thing or two about which apples to use for what, and more importantly, why.

Apples not only run the spectrum of sour to candy like sweetness, but texture is also a huge issue. If a recipe calls for a Granny Smith and you use a Gala don’t be surprised if you end up with an overly sweet pie pan full of mush. Some apples hold up really well to high heat, others don’t. Some need more sugar, while others need very little. If a recipe calls for a specific type of apple, try your best to find that type, the recipes success may depend on it.

Red Delicious: This is the most popular apple in America and I have little idea why, other than it looks so beautiful in a fruit basket. The flesh easily turns to mush when cooked and texture is grainy. Try to avoid this when cooking and use it only raw, like in salads.

Granny Smith: Very popular baking apple because it holds up to high heat, keeping it’s shape during baking. It is also on the sour side, so if you’re substituting a different apple for recipe that calls for a Granny Smith, you might want to pull back on the sugar a bit. Still a great choice for baking, pies especially, but it tends to be best when mixed with another sweeter apple (like a Braeburn or Golden Delicious).

Honeycrisp: with a beautiful red and green skin, this apples has had a rapid rise in popularity among bakers in the past decade. With a snappy crispness, well balanced sweet-tart flavor and a flesh that wont let you down once baked, this is a variety to seek out when making an apple tart, apple pie or apple tart Tatin. If you can’t find the popular Honey Crisp, look for the Rome Beauty or a SweeTango. With similar qualities, these an excellent stand in.

McIntosh: This is another large red and green marbled beauty. It isn’t the best choice for baking because it tends to fall apart, but because of it’s strong apple flavors it’s a great choice for apple sauce makin'.

Cortland: This is one of the few apples that has tannins. Tannins are most often talked about when discussing wine, they give you that pucker feeling in the back of your throat when drinking a glass of vino. Because of that, Cortlands make a great addition to cider making.

Just be aware that "apple" is not one size fits all when it comes to baking. Making sure you have the right man for the job will help make sure you hit the mark when making those holiday pies.

Apple Pie Bread Pudding

Ingredients

4 tbs butter
3 large Honeycrisp apples, peeled and chopped (about 4 ½ cups)
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon, divided
¼ tsp salt
1 loaf Italian bread, cut into cubes (about 8 cups)
4 large eggs
1 ½ cups milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup chopped pecans
Whipped cream (optional)

Instructions

Melt the butter in a pan over medium high heat. Add the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and ½ tsp salt. Allow to come to a low boil, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has turn thick and syrupy, about 15 minutes.
Spray a 7×11 (or 9×9) baking dish with cooking spray. Pour the apple mixture into the pan, avoiding the outer edges.
Top with bread cubes and pecans.
In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, nutmeg, vanilla and remaining ½ tsp salt. Pour evenly over the bread.
Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour and up to overnight.
Preheat oven to 375.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. If the bread starts to brown too early, cover with aluminum foil and continue to bake until cooked through.
Invert onto a serving tray, slice and served topped with whipped cream, if desired.