Authors: Zoe Francois,Jeff Hertzberg MD
Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients (34 page)
The Honey Cream Cheese Icing
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (or Neufchâtel cheese)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, or zero trans fat, zero hydrogenated oil margarine, at room temperature
3 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
Pinch of salt
1.
Combine the sugar, cinnamon, and oil. Set aside.
2.
Prepare 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
3.
Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1½-pound (small cantaloupe-size) piece. Dust with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
4.
With a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is a 1/8-inch-thick rectangle. As you roll out the dough, use enough flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the work surface, but not so much as to make it dry.
5.
Spread the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the rolled-out dough. With a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 8 smaller rectangles. This is done by making 3 evenly spaced cuts along the length of the dough and then cutting the dough in half along the short end. Now cut the 8 rectangles into 2 triangles each.
6.
Gently stretch the triangles nearly 50 percent longer and wider than their original length. Lay each piece of dough down and roll it, starting at the thicker end, until the point is tucked under the bottom. Curve the ends to create the crescent shape. Cover them loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest about 40 minutes.
7. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350°F,
with a rack placed in the center of the oven. If you’re not using a stone in the oven, 5 minutes of preheat time is adequate.
8.
Use a pastry brush to paint the tops with egg wash, and then sprinkle with the raw sugar. Bake the rolls about 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and well set in the center. Remove the crescents from the oven and let cool on a rack.
9. Make the Honey Cream Cheese Icing:
Cream all the ingredients together. Drizzle over the tops of the crescents and serve. Any leftover icing can be refrigerated for a week, or frozen for a month. This is also wonderful slathered on our
Carrot Bread
and
Pumpkin Pie Brioche
.
VARIATIONS
Before rolling up the crescents you can put a tablespoon of almond paste, preserves, apple filling from the
Apple Strudel Bread
or a 1-ounce piece of chocolate on the triangle of dough.
Pistachio Twist
This is inspired by the flavors of
baklava
, a lovely Middle Eastern pastry filled with crushed pistachios and honey and scented with orange blossom water. We love this rich floral combination with the Whole Wheat Brioche, but you can make it with several other doughs, including the Pumpkin Pie Brioche, for a fall treat.
Makes one 2-pound brioche
Use any of these refrigerated pre-mixed doughs:
Braided Challah with Whole Wheat and Wheat Germ
,
Whole Wheat Brioche
,
Pumpkin Pie Brioche
, or any other enriched dough in chapter 10
1½ pounds (small cantaloupe-size portion) of any pre-mixed dough listed above
The Pistachio Filling
1 cup finely ground pistachios
½ cup brown sugar
2½ teaspoons orange blossom water or rose water (found in Middle Eastern markets)
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, or zero trans fat, zero hydrogenated oil margarine, softened
Pinch of salt
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water) for brushing on the top crust
Raw sugar for sprinkling on top of the loaf
1 tablespoon finely ground pistachios (or other nuts) for sprinkling on top of the loaf
1. Make the pistachio filling:
Combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
2.
Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough and cut off a 1½-pound (small cantaloupe-size) piece of dough. Dust with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
3.
With a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is a 1/8-inch-thick rectangle. As you roll out the dough, use enough flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the work surface, but not so much as to make it dry.
4.
Spread the pistachio filling evenly over the rolled-out dough. Roll the dough into a log, starting at the long end. Pinch the seam closed.
5.
Gently stretch the log of dough so that it becomes thinner, about 1½ inches in diameter. Fold the log in half and gently twist the log like a twist tie. Lay it on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Cover the log loosely with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for about 1 hour.
6. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350°F,
with a rack placed in the center of the oven. If you’re not using a stone in the oven, 5 minutes of preheat time is adequate.
7.
Brush the twist with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar and the 1 tablespoon of ground pistachios. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake about 30 minutes, until golden brown and well set in the center.
8.
Allow the twist to cool on a rack before slicing and eating.
Fruit-filled Pinwheels
A lovely pastry for a Sunday brunch. This is one of those treats that looks so impressive, but is really very simple to create. We’ve filled these with a bit of cream cheese and fruit preserves, but we’re sure you’ll come up with your own creations as well.
Makes 12 pinwheels
Use any of these refrigerated pre-mixed doughs:
Braided Challah with Whole Wheat and Wheat Germ
,
Whole Wheat Brioche
,
Pumpkin Pie Brioche
, or
Chocolate Espresso Whole Wheat Bread
1½ pounds (small cantaloupe-size portion) of any pre-mixed dough listed above
½ cup cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon honey
¼ teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ cup fruit preserves
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water) for brushing on top crusts
12 raw almonds
Raw sugar for sprinkling on top
1.
Combine the cream cheese, honey, and zest in a small bowl, set aside.
2.
Prepare two or three cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
3.
Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1½-pound (small cantaloupe-size) piece of dough. Dust with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
4.
With a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a 1/8-inch-thick, 11 × 15-inch rectangle. As you roll out the dough, use enough flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the work surface, but not so much as to make it dry.
5.
With a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 12 small squares. This is done by making 3 evenly spaced cuts along the length of the dough and then 2 along the short end.
6.
Fill the center of each square with 2 teaspoons of the cream cheese filling and then top with 2 teaspoons of the preserves. Cut a slash from the filling to each of the corners of the dough. Brush every other point with egg wash, which will act as a glue. Lift one of the egg-washed points up and to the center, repeat with the rest of the egg-washed points, and press them firmly together over the filling. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest about 40 minutes
7. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350°F,
with a rack placed in the center of the oven. If you’re not using a stone in the oven, 5 minutes of preheat time is adequate.
8.
Brush the tops with egg wash, push an almond into the center of each pinwheel, and sprinkle with the raw sugar. Bake about 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and well set in the center.
9.
Serve warm or cool.
