Daring Bakers #2

It’s Daring Bakers Time!
If you remember last month: The Panna Cotta Debacle.
It wasn’t THAT bad. But it wasn’t that great, either.
The March challenge…a little more up my alley.

The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.

Jamie and Ria said this to get us excited about this month’s challenge:

“We just want to get a little rise out of all of our wonderful, talented fellow Daring Bakers so decided to bring you into our warm cozy kitchen to make one fabulous yeast-risen coffee cake. A gorgeous brioche-like dough is rolled jellyroll style around a whipped meringue and whatever filling you choose, shaped into a wreath and baked. More often than not, yeast and non-yeast baking are seen as two separate things and we have often found that even the most passionate and seasoned bakers don’t have a lot of experience or confidence with yeast baking. This is a very easy and fun recipe to make and will make all of you non-yeasties fall in love with one of our favorite pastimes!”

Seriously? A stuffed coffee cake?
Sign me up.

And the best part about this recipe? Jamie found this recipe on a piece of yellowed paper in her dad’s collection of clipped out and hand-written recipes from the 1970’s, no source, no date…

Reminds me of my recipes…
So let’s make it!

Jamie gave us a recipe that made 2 coffee cakes, but my low carb diet only needs one coffee cake to sit on the counter while I cry because I can’t eat it.

2 cups flour, 2 eggs, 1 tsp yeast, 2 tbsp sugar, scant 1/2 cup milk (I used evaporated), 1/4 cup butter, 2 tbsp water.

Sometimes, you get weird measurements when you halve recipes…No biggie.

Mix the 1 cup flour, 1 tsp yeast, 2 tbsp sugar…

Heat the milk, water and butter just until the butter melts, then slowly pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture…

Mix until combined, then add the eggs…

Beat well, then add the remaining flour.Mix this together.  You can take the dough out and knead by hand.

Or you can cheat and slap on your dough hook.I added about an additional 1/4 cup of flour to get the dough smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in a greased bowl, then cover with plastic and allow to rise.Mine took about an hour to get to this:Dust a board with flour, then roll out the dough into something that kind of looks like a rectangle.Now we meringue…

This is 2 egg whites and a pinch of salt….Whip this until foamy, then add 1/4 cup of sugar…just a little at a time.

When you hit stiff peaks, spread the meringue on the dough rectangle-y-square-y thingy.

This is 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon…dust that over the meringue…Now 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup chopped pecans…And…we roll.Pinch the edge to seal and place on a baking sheet. Form the log into a circle, then snip the dough to make cuts all around.Now, cover the dough and allow to rise until doubled…about 45 minutes.

When the dough has doubled, brush with an egg wash (just a beaten egg)…Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar.Because a little powdered sugar never hurt a thing.

Look at the filling…Totally yummy.  The meringue is like a cream-filled center.  It’s amazing.

I’m talking like I had a bite of it.  Oops.

Here’s Jamie’s recipe

Makes 2 coffee cakes.

Yeasted Coffee Cake

Recipe courtesy of Jamie of Life’s a Feast.

For the yeast coffee cake dough:

4 cups  flour
¼ cup  sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
1 package active dried yeast
¾ cup whole milk
¼ cup  water (doesn’t matter what temperature)
½ cup  unsalted butter at room temperature
2 large eggs at room temperature

For the Meringue

3 large egg whites at room temperature
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup sugar

For the Filling

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate

Egg wash: 1 beaten egg
Confectioner’s sugar (powdered/icing sugar) for dusting cakes.

Directions:

Prepare the dough:

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 ½ cups (230 g) of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast.

In a saucepan, combine the milk, water and butter and heat over medium heat until warm and the butter is just melted. Ria’s version: add the 10 saffron threads to the warmed liquid and allow to steep off of the heat for 10 minutes. This will give the mixture a distinct aroma and flavor and a yellowish-orange hue.

With an electric mixer on low speed, gradually add the warm liquid to the flour/yeast mixture, beating until well blended. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Add the eggs and 1 cup (150 g) flour and beat for 2 more minutes.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a dough that holds together. Turn out onto a floured surface (use any of the 1 ½ cups of flour remaining) and knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth, sexy and elastic, keeping the work surface floured and adding extra flour as needed.

Place the dough in a lightly greased (I use vegetable oil) bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise until double in bulk, 45 – 60 minutes. The rising time will depend on the type of yeast you use.

Prepare your filling:

In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar for the filling if using. You can add the chopped nuts to this if you like, but I find it easier to sprinkle on both the nuts and the chocolate separately.

Once the dough has doubled, make the meringue:
In a clean mixing bowl – ideally a plastic or metal bowl so the egg whites adhere to the side (they slip on glass) and you don’t end up with liquid remaining in the bottom – beat the egg whites with the salt, first on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high and continue beating until foamy and opaque. Add the vanilla then start adding the ½ cup sugar, a tablespoon at a time as you beat, until very stiff, glossy peaks form.

Assemble the Coffee Cakes:

Line 2 baking/cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Punch down the dough and divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, working one piece of the dough at a time (keep the other half of the dough wrapped in plastic), roll out the dough into a 20 x 10-inch (about 51 x 25 ½ cm) rectangle. Spread half of the meringue evenly over the rectangle up to about 1/2-inch (3/4 cm) from the edges. Sprinkle half of your filling of choice evenly over the meringue (ex: half of the cinnamon-sugar followed by half the chopped nuts and half of the chocolate chips/chopped chocolate).

Now, roll up the dough jellyroll style, from the long side. Pinch the seam closed to seal. Very carefully transfer the filled log to one of the lined cookie sheets, seam side down. Bring the ends of the log around and seal the ends together, forming a ring, tucking one end into the other and pinching to seal.

Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife (although scissors are easier), make cuts along the outside edge at 1-inch (2 ½ cm) intervals. Make them as shallow or as deep as desired but don’t be afraid to cut deep into the ring.

Repeat with the remaining dough, meringue and fillings.

Cover the 2 coffee cakes with plastic wrap and allow them to rise again for 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Brush the tops of the coffee cakes with the egg wash. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until risen and golden brown. The dough should sound hollow when tapped.

Remove from the oven and slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheets onto the table. Very gently loosen the coffee cakes from the paper with a large spatula and carefully slide the cakes off onto cooling racks. Allow to cool.

Just before serving, dust the tops of the coffee cakes with confectioner’s sugar as well as cocoa powder if using chocolate in the filling. These are best eaten fresh, the same day or the next day.

Thanks Jamie and Ria!  Great recipe, and will be keeping it to make again soon!