Skip to main content

Breakfast

Overnight Bourbon Stout Pecan Croissant French Toast with Blood Orange Mascarpone Cream

08.11.2021

Overnight Bourbon Stout Pecan Croissant French Toast with Blood Orange Mascarpone Cream

I like when we do this. We make what is obviously a dessert (sshhhh!) and serve it for breakfast because if you add syrup and coffee it’s for breakfast. Don’t worry, I’ve been here before I know the road. 

It also helps to remember that breakfast is the most important meal so it can demand dessert to be called whatever it wants because it’s the queen and we must bow. This is also why it’s OK to add orange juice to champagne and pretend like it’s a breakfast beverage. Or vodka in your V8 is normal pre-noon drinking behavior. Because Breakfast said so and we must all listen. 

I am also here to say again for the millionth (but not the last) time that breakfast food needs to be acceptable as dessert foods, we’re halfway there. We put icing on some fried ring-shaped cakes and call them breakfast. We pour syrup on bread pudding and call it breakfast. See?! We’re so close! 

To reverse engineer this feat, just serve breakfast foods after dinner, add some whipped mascarpone, hold the syrup, swap the coffee for beer, and BAM you’ve got dessert. Everyone will think you’re brilliant because you are. And everyone wants to do this they just need you to clear the path. And you can because you’re a trendsetter, obviously. 

Overnight Bourbon Stout Pecan Croissant French Toast with Blood Orange Mascarpone Cream

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

For the French Toast:

  • 8 medium-sized croissants 1 lbs total weight
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 ½ cup half and half or ¾ cup whole milk and ¾ cups heavy cream
  • ¼ cup stout beer Bourbon barrel aged
  • 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup candied pecans

For the Mascarpone Cream:

  • 8 oz mascarpone
  • 2 tablespoons half and half or heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon blood orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Instructions
 

  • Cut the croissants into quarters. Add to a to an 8x8 pan, press firmly into the pan.
  • In a mixing bowl add the eggs, half and half, beer, both sugars, vanilla, and salt, whisk until well combined.
  • Pour the mixture over the croissants, sprinkle with pecans. Cover and refrigerate overnight and up to 3 days.
  • Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  • Remove the casserole from the fridge while the oven preheats.
  • Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until the center has puffed and top is slightly crisp.
  • Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly, cut into 9 squares.
  • In a bowl, add the mascarpone and whip with a hand mixer until creamy. Add the heavy cream, beat to combine. Then beat in the orange juice and vanilla, then the powdered sugar.
  • Serve the casserole with mascarpone cream.

Dulce de Leche Beer Cinnamon Roll Knots

05.01.2021 No Comments

Dulce de Leche Beer Cinnamon Roll Knots (step-by-step) with photos

I know, I KNOW! I am the actual worst. Here you are, trying to be healthy in the New Year and I do THIS to you. This is because I am a world-class enabler and I like people to be happy. And these make people happy. It’s flawed logic, I know this as well, but I will continue along this path as if I don’t know this. Please look away, nothing to see here.

You can also use these for inspiration, for "pin it and make it later", for "this is what I will make when I’m not as concerned with health and fitness". Which, let’s be honest, will probably be in like 2.5 weeks.

I will tell you this, they are fantastic. Perfect for you to save for that day when you can have all your people over for brunch, and let’s all hope that day is SOON.

Dulce de Leche Beer Cinnamon Roll Knots

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Dessert
Servings 12 knots

Ingredients
  

Dough:

  • 2 ¾ cups (330g) flour, plus more as needed
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 packet 2 ¼ teaspoons rapid rise yeast
  • 1 cup beer pilsner, pale ale, wheat beer
  • 6 tablespoons (85.5g) melted butter
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Filling:

  • 1 cup (138g) dulce de leche for homemade, see note below
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • Pinch ground nutmeg
  • ½ cup (100g) brown sugar divided

Icing:

  • 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons dulce de leche
  • 2 tablespoons water

Instructions
 

  • Add the flour, sugar, and yeast to a stand mixer. Mix until just combined.
  • Heat the beer and melted butter to 120°-130°F (always defer to the liquid temperature listed on the package of yeast, regardless of what the recipe says. Your yeast package says 105°F? Heat the liquid to that temperature) add the beer to the stand mixer, mixing until all the flour has been moistened.
  • Add the salt, beat until the dough comes together and gathers around the blade. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and allow to rise until doubled in size.
  • Add the dough to a lightly floured surface, roll into a rectangle about 8 inches wide and 20-24 inches in length.
  • Cut in half.
  • Spread dulce de leche on half (warm if necessary to make it more spreadable) sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ¼ cup brown sugar.
  • Place the other dough half on top of the dulce de leche half to sandwich the filling between the two pieces of dough.
  • Cut into 10-12 strips.
  • Twist the strips.
  • Form into a loose loop.
  • Place one end over the top with the end in the center of the loop.
  • Place the other end underneath the loop to meet up with the first end.
  • Place knots on a baking sheet covered with parchment.
  • Sprinkle with brown sugar.
  • Allow knots to rest while you heat the oven to 350°F, about 20 minutes. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown. 
  • Stir together all the icing ingredients. Drizzle knots with icing, allow to cool until the icing has set. 

Notes

*I made dulce de leche in a pressure cooker, it just takes one ingredient (or three if you want to add salt and vanilla but that's optional) and about 3 minutes of active time. You can also make it on the stovetop. For full instructions see this post:
Chocolate Stout Cookies with Salted Dulce De Leche Filling
Keyword dulce de leche, knots, dough

Miniature Dutch Baby Oven Beer Pancakes with Nutella Whipped Cream

29.09.2020 1 Comment

Miniature Dutch Baby Oven Beer Pancakes with Nutella Whipped Cream

I’m not sure what I miss more, travel, or alone time. Both of these have been scarce this year, and I miss both fiercely. This is what I miss: airplanes. Being on a plane, headphones in, looking out the window from somewhere in the middle of coach. I think I might be the only person in the world that actually misses the airplane and airport portion of travel. Don’t hate me, I love it. I love the energy, the people watching, the fury of it all. 

And I see people traveling, the social distance and masks version, and I’m jealous. I’m a little too skittish is take it on and actually enjoy it. Sure, I’ve road tripped and vacayed close to home, but it’s not the same. I want a non-pandemic-no-masks-no-deadly-virus plane flight to anywhere. 

In the meantime, I’m baking. A lot. SO much in fact, that I bought a treadmill to compensate. This is an actual fact. If you need me, I’ll be eating things with Nutella whipped cream at 5 miles per hour in my garage. 


Miniature Dutch Baby Oven Beer Pancakes with Nutella Whipped Cream

5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe
Servings 12 mini pancakes

Ingredients
  

For the Dutch Babies:

  • ¾ cup (95g) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup (170g) beer pale ale, pale lager, wheat beer
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into cubes
  • Fresh berries optional

For the whipped cream:

  • 1 cup (226g) heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Nutella room temperature or slightly warmed

Instructions
 

  • Add the flour, beer, eggs, vanilla, sugar, and salt to a blender, blend until well combined.
  • Add a muffin tin to the oven and preheat to 425° allowing the batter to rest while the oven preheats.
  • In the last 3 minutes of preheating, add the butter cubes to the muffin tin. If the butter is in the oven too long the butter may burn.
  • Once the muffin tins are heated and the butter is melted, add the batter evenly between the 12 muffin wells.
  • Close the oven and allow to cook until puffed and golden brown, about 14-16 minutes.
  • Add all the whipped cream ingredients to a large bowl or a stand mixer. Beat on high until soft peaks form.
  • Serve the pancakes topped with whipped cream and berries.

Overnight Yeasted Beer Waffles with Blueberry Syrup

10.08.2020 3 Comments

Overnight Yeasted Beer Waffles with Blueberry Syrup

This is really because I love you. And waffles, obviously. My favorite waffles of all time are the Sourdough Beer Waffles, they are gorgeous and amazing but do require the wild-fermented magic of a sourdough starter that takes at least a week to coax into existence. 

And when you don’t have one, or you neglect it and it refuses to magic for you, you can’t have the waffles. This is FINE. Sourdough starters are not actual pets, it’s totally fine to neglect them until they stop working and then flush them down the sink. It’s also totally fine to not have them at all, it’s not everyone’s bag. But this should not impede your ability to make a batch of the best waffles in existence, and those waffles have to include yeast, this is a non-negotiable. 

Yeasted waffles are just better than all other waffles and this is a fact. The crispy outside, light yet chewy insides, it’s just pure breakfast gold. You do have to be aware and functional enough the night before the waffle consumption to throw it all together, but that’s easy. You will ALWAYS want waffles in the morning so just do it, you’ll thank yourself. 

And "night you" needs to do something to make amends to the "morning you". Since "night you" gets all the beer and "morning you" gets all the hangovers and the "what did I drunk buy on Amazon last night" buyer’s remorse. These waffles will go along way to make reparation for all that "night you" has done. 

 

Overnight Yeasted Beer Waffles with Blueberry Syrup

5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

For the waffles (night before):

  • ½ cup (114g) butter
  • 2 cups (228g) whole milk
  • ¾ cup (171g) beer, room temperature pilsner, wheat beer, brown ale
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet, or ¼ ounce) dry active yeast
  • ¼ cup (50g) brown sugar
  • 3 cups (380g) all-purpose flour

For the waffles (day of):

  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda

For the syrup:

  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water or beer
  • 1 ½ cups blueberries
  • Splash vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Heat the butter until almost boiling*, remove from heat stir in the milk and beer. If the mixture is at room temperature or just above, continue with the rest of the recipe. If it’s too cool, heat it for a few seconds, if it’s too warm, let it cool for a few minutes. You want to trigger the yeast (if it’s too cold, this won’t happen) but not fully activate it or the rise will happen too quickly.
  • Stir in the yeast, brown sugar, and flour until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for about ten minutes (you will start to see just a few bubbles form).
  • Refrigerate for 8-18 hours.
  • Remove from fridge add the salt, eggs and baking soda, stir until combined.
  • Cook in a waffle iron according to manufactures specifications.

To make the syrup:

  • Add all ingredients to a pot over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently until thickened, 10-15 minutes. For a smoother sauce, puree in a blender once the sauce has cooled to room temperature.

Notes

*You can melt the butter on the stove in a pan or in the microwave. Just be aware that butter will pop in the microwave if microwaved too long. Stop and stir every 20-30 seconds if using a microwave.

Lemon Ginger Éclairs with Beer Caramel Topping

03.08.2020 3 Comments

Lemon Ginger Éclairs with Beer Caramel Topping. Easier than they look, and no frying makes these a simple and gorgeous way to make dessert. 

You need to prepare yourself for what I’m going to say, take a seat. These are not that hard. I’m serious. I’m grab-you-by-the-face-and-look-into-your-eyes serious. I know, you don’t believe me, and that’s fine. The hardest part is the caramel, and you can even skip that and smear on some melted chocolate and I will totally let that slide. 

But the eclair dough comes together in a few minutes, and then it’s baked. Not in the "we baked the fries instead of frying them for a far inferior taste experience but it was acceptable because we were too ugggghh to fry them" sort of way. They are meant to be baked. The cream filling is basically: whisk, whisk, stovetop, whisk and you’re done.

They also have the added bonus of a "you MADE those?" reaction from your people, which is always what I want to go for.  I can promise you a layer cake is far more difficult and much less "whuuuut?" inducing than these. Just try it, and if you run into trouble I am always here for you, but I don’t think you’ll need it. 

Lemon Ginger Éclairs with Beer Caramel Topping

Makes 12 Éclairs
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

For the Lemon Ginger filling:

  • 2 large lemons
  • ½ teaspoon fresh grated ginger grated using a Microplane
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • ½ cup (100g) sugar
  • ¼ cup (32g) flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups (342g) heavy cream

For the Éclair*:

  • 1 cup (228g) pale ale beer
  • ½ cup (114g) butter, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 ¼ cups (175g) flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 large eggs

For the Beer Caramel:

  • 2 cups (400g) sugar
  • ½ cup (114g) beer

Instructions
 

  • Zest the lemons, juice half of one. Add the zest, juice, ginger, egg yolks, and sugar to a pan off heat. Whisk until really well combined, light and ribbony.
  • Add the flour, salt, vanilla, and cream, whisk until well combined.
  • Add to medium heat, whisking constantly until starting to thicken. Remove from heat and continue to whisk until starting to cool and the mixture is thick. Add to a piping bag, chill until cooled. If your mixture breaks (this can happen if the heat is too high), just use an immersion blender to bring it back together. Can be made 3 days in advance.
  • Add the beer and butter to a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the butter is melted and just starting to boil.
  • Remove from heat, add the salt, flour, and sugar.
  •  Add back to medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon constantly until mixture becomes one large ball and clings to the spoon (this should only take a minute and the pan may be hot enough that you don’t need to reintroduce heat).
  • Add to a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, allow to cool for ten minutes.
  • Preheat the oven the 450° F.
  • Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until the dough starts to come back together (after looking as if it may be breaking) before adding another egg. 
  • Mix for at least 2 minutes after the last egg until the mixture looks creamy, and when you pull the mixer paddle up, it leaves a trail that looks like a bird's beak where the dough slides back down but still clings to the paddle. 
  • The dough should be smooth and sticky. Add to a piping bag with a star tip.
  • Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pipe long lines of dough onto the parchment, about 1 ½ inches thick and 6 inches long.
  • Bake for 5 minutes and then reduce heat to 350°F without opening the oven. Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until the eclairs are golden brown, allow to cool.
  • Use a bread knife to slice the top off the eclairs.
  • Add the sugar and beer to a pot over high heat, stir until sugar has melted, then stop stirring.
  • Allow to boil until dark amber (swirl the pan if needed, but do not stir).
  • Grab a pair of tongs and a pastry brush (a clean paintbrush works great as well).
  • Hold the éclair tops with the tongs, and brush the caramel on the top, work quickly before the caramel cools too much to spread. Be very careful, sugar burns are incredibly painful, use tongs and keep your hands away from the hot sugar.
  • Pipe the filling into the middle of the eclairs before replacing the top.
  • Chill until ready to serve

Notes

*Adapted from the Bouchon Bakery Cookbook by Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel

 

Breakfast Beer Focaccia

27.05.2020 3 Comments

Breakfast Beer Focaccia

Do you have a favorite meal? Is it breakfast? Say it’s breakfast so that we can be the same. I like it when we agree. My love for breakfast really doesn’t have as much to do with the food as it does with the Breakfast People. 

These are always your favorite people, the ones you’ve made breakfast for. These are the ride-or-die-friends, the 5-am-airport-pick-up-friends, the help-them-move-a-couch -or-bury-a-body-friends. Because you can have lunch with anyone, but breakfast is special. 

I don’t even think you can list someone as a favorite until you’ve had breakfast with them, I will file a formal decree on this because that’s how strongly I feel about it. All of my favorite people are ones with whom I’ve shared a pre-noon meal. And most of those are ones I would actually wake up early to cook for, and I am not a "wake up early" sort of person. But I’ll do it for my Breakfast People. I might even make breakfast for you, but you’ll have to tell me why you want me to help you bury a body. I’m not saying no, I’m just saying I need some details. 

Breakfast Beer Focaccia

5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups (590g) All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary chopped
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons or 7g) rapid rise yeast
  • 1 ½ (12 oz) cups beer (pale ale, pilsner, wheat beer)
  • ¼ cup (57g) olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6 slices of bacon cooked and chopped
  • ½ cup (3oz) shredded cheddar cheese
  • 6 large eggs
  • ½ teaspoon flakey sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • Chopped chives optional

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl of a stand mixer fitter with a dough hook, stir together half the flour, sugar, rosemary, garlic powder, and yeast.
  • Heat the beer to 120°F to 125°F degrees (check the temperature guidelines on your yeast, always default to that).
  • Add the beer to the stand mixer, turn the mixer to medium, mix until combined.
  • Add the remaining flour, ¼ cup olive oil, and 1 teaspoon salt.
  • Turn the mixer to medium-high, beat for 5 to 6 minutes.
  • Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise in a warm room until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  • Lightly oil a 9x13 pan. Transfer the dough to the pan, pulling to cover the entire pan. Press your fingers into the dough making holes across the entire loaf (if the dough is sticky, oil your hands or get them wet).
  • Oil the bottom 6 small oven-safe round prep bowls or ramekins (you can also use balls of aluminum foil just larger than golf balls), press them into the dough to form wells (this will be where the eggs go).
  • Cover and allow to rise for 20 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 425°F.
  • Bake until light brown, about 11-15 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven. Remove the bowls (the dough will not be cooked through, this is OK) add the eggs to the wells left by the bowls.
  • Sprinkle with cheese, bacon, salt, and pepper.
  • Put back in the oven and bake until the egg whites have set but the yolks are still soft, about another 15 minutes (if bread browns too quickly and eggs need more time, cover with foil and cook until whites are done to your likeness). 
  • Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly before slicing and serving. Sprinkle with chives before serving (optional). 

Sourdough Beer Biscuits

20.05.2020 4 Comments

Sourdough Beer Biscuits

I know I told you that it would be DAYS before I posted this recipe, and in reality, it’s been like 30 hours, but that’s the nature of our existance right now, right? 30 quarantine hours seem like days. Quarantine days are like dog years, each one is equal to seven regular days, I think this is a scientific fact.

But this is a recipe that doesn’t need an overnight proof like the Sourdough Beer Waffles (but those waffles are SO worth the wait), so you don’t have to wait days to get these biscuits into your face,  just minutes. And we also need to normalize biscuits at every meal because dinner needs them and breakfast shouldn’t have all the fun. It’s my pandemic mission. 

Sourdough Beer Biscuits

5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Total Time 24 minutes
Servings 8 biscuits

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ¼ cups (280g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cold
  • ½ cup (114g) sourdough starter, active
  • ¼ cup (57g) heavy cream
  • ½ cup (114g) pale ale beer
  • melted butter and Kosher Salt for top

Instructions
 

  • Add the butter to the freezer for 6 to 8 minutes.
  • Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • Grate the butter with the small holes of a cheese grater into the flour mixture. Press into the flour with your fingers until it’s well combined.
  • Stir in the sourdough, cream, and beer with a fork.
  • Add to a well-floured surface, pat into a rectangle. 
  • Fold into thirds like a letter about to go into an envelope. 
  • Roll or pat the dough until it’s about an inch thick, then repeat (this will give you flakey layers).
  • Using a biscuit cutter, cut into 8 biscuits.
  • Add to a buttered or greased baking dish.
  • Add to the freezer for ten minutes while your oven preheats.
  • Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  • Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with kosher salt.
  • Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the biscuits have puffed and are golden brown on top.

Mixed Berry Beer For Breakfast Pastries

16.05.2020 2 Comments

Mixed Berry Beer-For-Breakfast Pastries

I am here to normalize beer for breakfast. Although I’m fairly certain the pandemic has already done that. The hours, days, weeks just sort of run together like a watercolor painting. The upside is beer for breakfast so let us focus on that for now. 

You’re probably thinking "why did you use a mango beer in a recipe that doesn’t have mango?" You weren’t thinking that, but you are now, amirite? 

There is a reason for that, I promise. Although a recipe with mango wouldn’t be a bad pairing for this beer, it wouldn’t be ideal. You’d lose all the mango flavors in the beer to the flavors of mango in the dish. BUT if you drink the beer with a lovely little breakfast tart that has berries, mint, and nice little cream cheese spread those flavors will bring out the mango in the beer. See? I’ve learned a thing or two over the past I-can’t-even-count-the-number of years of cooking with beer. 

I used Mango Tree Shaker from Odell because I love those guys and I need them to remain open during "these uncertain times" until I can actually visit them in person. Which may be a while, but it must happen at some point. 

Mixed Berry Beer For Breakfast Pastries

5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 sheet puff pastry
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup (57g) beer pale ale, pilsner, wheat beer
  • 4 oz (½ of a standard brick) cream cheese
  • 3 tablespoons (42g) granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons (16g) flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup mixed berries raspberry, blackberry, blueberry
  • minced mint or basil

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface a few times in each direction.
  • Cut the puff pastry into 12 equal squares. 
  • Score each square with a ½ inch broader (do not cut all the way through, just add a lightly scored line) then prick the center of each pastry with a fork a few times.
  • Transfer to a baking sheet (or two) that has been covered with parchment paper.
  • In a small bowl stir together the egg and beer with a fork until well combined.
  • In another bowl add the cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla, salt, and half of the beer-egg mixture (about ¼ cup or 54g) reserving the remaining beer mixture. Beat with a hand mixer until well combined.
  • Drop 1 to 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture into the center of each pastry. Top with berries.
  • Brush the edges of the pastry with the remaining beer-egg mixture.
  • Bake for 12-16 minutes or until the puff pastry edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving.
  • Sprinkle with mint (or basil) prior to serving. 

Sourdough Beer Doughnuts with Nutella Mousse Filling

13.05.2020 3 Comments

 Sourdough Beer Doughnuts with Nutella Mousse Filling

Doughnuts are my thing. My last meal thing, my birthday treat thing. Cake is great, but it’s not as good as doughnuts. It’s sort of becoming a thing on my birthday, finding nearby doughnuts wherever I happen to find myself. Even when I was here, I was able to find some which was quite the birthday miracle in such a remote location. 

There is one thing I always look for when it comes to doughnut perfection. Ok, that’s not true, there are several things. But first and foremost, when a doughnut is yeasted (or raised) it needs to have that tan line in the center. That’s probably not the correct term, but that’s what I call it, the doughnut tan line. That white belt around the doughnut means the dough was light enough to sit on top of the oil, if it’s missing it means the dough was too dense and the thing sank, that’s sub-optimal. 

I also believe that raised and filled doughnuts are the apex of doughnuts. Cake doughnuts are just fried muffins with the exception of Old-Fashioned. You can fight me on this but I will win. Afterwards, we can share a beer with some proper raised and filled doughnuts and all will be well again. 

 

Sourdough Beer Doughnuts with Nutella Mousse Filling

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

For the Doughnuts:

  • ¼ cup (57g) beer (pale ale, pilsner)
  • ¼ cup (57g) heavy cream
  • ½ cup (113g) sourdough starter
  • 2 cups (240g) flour
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup (50g) sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons (43g) softened butter
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Granulated sugar for rolling

For the filling:

  • ½ cup (114g) heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Nutella room temperate

Instructions
 

To make the doughnuts:

  • Bring the beer and heavy cream to just above room temperature (not too hot or it will kill your starter), add to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
  • Stir in the starter until completely dissolved in the liquid.
  • Add the flour, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla, mix on high until well combined then add the softened butter and salt.
  • Beat on high until the dough gathers around the blade, about 5 full minutes. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky.
  • Add to a well-oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until tripled in size, between 12 and 18 hours.
  • Cut off small portions a little smaller than a golf ball (between 50g and 60g). Roll into tight balls and add to a lightly floured baking sheet. Cover tightly with plastic wrap to avoid the dough balls forming a dry crust.
  • Allow to rest until doubled in size, between 4 and 8 hours.
  • Remove the plastic wrap to allow the balls to dry just a bit to make handling them a little easier. Heat oil in a deep fryer or pot with a deep-fry thermometer clipped on the side until the oil reaches 350°F (adjust heat to maintain temp).
  • One or two at a time gently drop the dough balls into the hot oil (make sure to handle carefully to avoid disrupting the air bubbles inside) until golden brown on the underside. Turn over gently (I use a chopstick) and cook until the other side is golden brown and the doughnuts are cooked through.
  • Allow to cool on a stack of paper towels. Roll in sugar once cooled.

To make the filling:

  • Add the heavy cream and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until the mixture starts to thicken. One tablespoon at a time drop the Nutella into the mixer, mixing until well combined.
  • Add filling to a large piping bag with a metal tip and a pea-sized opening.
  • One at a time makes a small hole in the side of the doughnuts with a small knife or a chopstick.
  • Press the metal tip into the hole in the side of the doughnuts, pipe the filling into each doughnut adding about 2 tablespoons of cream to the center of each doughnut.
  • Serve immediately, doughnuts are best eaten the day they are made.

Notes

If the doughnuts do not have a white line around the center once cooked, they are too dense and need to be allowed to rise a little longer. 

Brioche French Toast with Beer Caramelized Peaches

07.05.2020 1 Comment

Brioche French Toast with Beer Caramelized Peaches

Breakfast is my favorite meal. Mostly because I get to make and eat it in my pajamas without judgment, but also because most of it is basically dessert we eat as an entree. We should do this with more meals, dinner cake should be a thing. Lunch brownies, too. 

French toast has always been my favorite, and it should always be made with brioche. It’s really the best bread for French toasting and all other breads are vastly inferior. This is a fact. Challah will also work but don’t, even for a second, think you can make this with presliced bread and get away with it, I’ll know and I’ll be sad. 

Just get yourself a loaf of brioche and slice it yourself, you’ll be glad you did. Because I certainly won’t judge you for drinking beer at breakfast but I won’t make the same promise if you break out the sandwich bread to make French Toast. Just trust me. 

 

Brioche French Toast with Beer Caramelized Peaches

5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

For the topping:

  • 1 lb about 3 large sliced fresh yellow peaches
  • 1 tablespoon (12g) lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons (36g) brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons beer Belgian, wheat beer, pilsner, pale lager

For the French toast:

  • 1 large loaf Brioche (or Challah)
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup (120g) heavy cream
  • ¾ cup (180g) beer Belgian, wheat beer, pilsner, pale lager
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/3 cup (66g) granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • Whipped cream for serving

Instructions
 

  • Add the peaches, lemon juice, brown sugar, and salt to a bowl, toss to combine.
  • Add the butter to a large skillet over medium-high heat until melted, add the peaches and lower the heat to medium-low.
  • Pour in the beer and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the peaches have started to brown and caramelize, about 15 minutes.
  • Slice the bread into thick slices about 1 to 2 inches in width.
  • In a bowl whisk together the eggs, cream, beer, vanilla, sugar, and salt until well combined.
  • Add the bread slices, a few at a time, allowing to soak for about a minute or until the bread is fully saturated.
  • Heat a skillet or griddle to medium-high, add the butter, allowing to melt and coat the surface. Add the slices of bread a few at a time, cooking on both sides until golden brown.
  • Add a few slices to a serving plate, top with peaches, and whipped cream.

Overnight Sourdough Beer Waffles

27.04.2020 4 Comments

Overnight Sourdough Beer Waffles

Overnight Sourdough Beer Waffles

Do you remember parties? The kind you went to in-person and didn’t involve internet access and a Zoom account? Yeah, me too, just barely. Do you remember being in a group of strangers, standing close, and even letting them taste your beer? Now that idea is slightly horrifying but also rebelliously exciting. 

The last time someone made waffles for me was the morning after one of these…what did we call them again?….parties? Yes, one of those. 

Even before I left my place to join a party at my friend Linda’s house, I planned not to return until the next morning. Late that night, before we all went to bed, we drunk-mathed her sourdough starter into a bowl with a handful of other ingredients, pretty unsure how it was going to work out the next morning. 

A handful of hours later a scraggly, slightly hungover group of morning after party-goers sat at her kitchen island as she made us all sourdough waffles. They were amazing, and I suspect at least half the reason most of the people there had stayed the night in the first place. 

I texted her a few days ago, I needed to make the waffles again. She sent me her recipe, which I obviously updated with beer because I do that sort of thing. It’s one of the best things I’ve made in a while, but I’m certain it will taste even better the next time I am actually allowed to have humans over to help me partake, hungover or not. 

Want to make your own sourdough starter? Try my sour ale sourdough starter

 

Overnight Sourdough Beer Waffles

5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

Overnight sponge:

  • ½ cup (114g) butter, melted
  • 1 cup (228g) beer* (sour ale works best, Lambic, Gose, Kriek)
  • ½ cup (114g) milk
  • ½ cup (113g) sourdough starter, (unfed and active)
  • 3 tablespoons (42g) brown sugar
  • 2 ½ cups (240g) all-purpose flour

Next morning:

  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl stir together the butter, beer, milk, starter, brown sugar, and flour. Cover tightly and leave at room temperature overnight, at least 14 hours and up to 20 hours.
  • In the morning, preheat the waffle iron.
  • Add the salt, egg, and baking soda, whisk to combine.
  • Cook in your waffle iron according to the manufactures specifications.
  • Serve warm with syrup, jam, or whipped cream.

Notes

*Sour or wild fermented ales are similar to sourdough starters, they are made using wild yeast and bacteria to get their signature sour flavors. Often (but not always), those yeast and bacteria strains are the same: lactobacillus, Saccharomyces or Brettanomyces. If you find a beer that has those, it will help to make your waffle sponge even more active.

Chocolate Stout Brownie Bread

20.03.2020 10 Comments

Chocolate Stout Brownie Bread, one bowl and just a few minutes!

I’ve been inundation you with posts lately, please give me a pass. You’re my therapy, truly. Cooking you things, and baking you a loaf cake that I call "bread" because it doesn’t sound as bad calling it a cake, is the way I’m coping with all of this. 

I’m sitting here in Seattle, the hotbed of uncertainty, and all I can think about is keeping busy while not leaving my house. So this equals cooking and baking. Baking all the things, and spoiling myself with a beerified-chocolate cake that’s masquerading as bread. 

 

But this is what we have to do. We have to spoil ourselves and those sheltered in place with us with things we wouldn’t normally let ourselves indulge in. Everything is suspended: events, concerts, office life, diets, low self-esteem. 

Indulging in chocolate is not suspended, it’s back on the air and bigger than ever. This bread-not-cake-I-swear is super easy, it takes about 5 minutes to get it into your oven and about an hour to get it into your face. And you have earned yourself a loaf of this stuff, and you are not allowed to feel guilty about it because that has been suspended, too. 

Chocolate Stout Brownie Bread

4.67 from 3 votes
Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (50g) cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup (150g) sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup (120g) full-fat sour cream
  • ¼ cup (60g) vegetable oil
  • ¾ cup (6oz) stout beer
  • 4 ounces dark chocolate chips

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, salt and sugar to a bowl, stir to combine. Add the eggs, vanilla, sour cream, vegetable oil, beer, and chocolate chips. Stir to combine.
  • Pour into an 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan.
  • Bake until the top has puffed and is hard, about 40-50 minutes.
  • Remove from oven, allow to cool to room temperature. Cut into slices to serve.

Rosemary Olive Oil Beer Biscuits with Tomato Garlic Confit

21.02.2020 3 Comments

Rosemary Olive Oil Beer Biscuits with Tomato Garlic Confit (dairy and egg-free)

I have a theory. I really believe that breakfast being touted as the most important meal of the day has nothing to do with nutrition. It’s because we cook breakfast for the most important people in our lives. We’ll have a mid-day coffee, or a quick lunch, with just about anyone. But if you’ve earned the "let me cook you breakfast" spot in the day, it’s because you’re the most important. 

Sure, waffles and eggs benedict are awesome, but I also like having recipes for all the humans in my life, like the ones who don’t eat eggs or dairy. One of my go-to substitutions when replacing butter is olive oil, but like beer, it isn’t all the same. Good olive oil has nuances of flavor that other olive oils don’t. 

The beautiful flavors of both the beer and the olive oil come through in these biscuits, so use an olive oil you really like. I used my favorite olive oil on the planet, and it’s owned by some of my favorite people on the planet. The space it comes from in the world is so gorgeous, you’ll want to keep a piece of it in your kitchen. It’s called Rastrello, and it’s not just a small craft olive oil producer, it’s also a gorgeous boutique hotel, just 8 rooms on the edge of an olive grove in a small town in Italy owned by a family I adore. If you’re looking for an unforgettable Italian getaway, add this small boutique hotel to the top of your list.  

Until we can all jump on a plane to Italy, let’s sublimate our wanderlust with some confit tomatoes. Don’t let the word "confit" intimidate you, it just means to cook something at a low temperature in a fat, like olive oil. It’s nearly impossible to screw up, and it’s very forgiving. Forget it for a few hours and when you come back, it’ll be warm and bursting with flavor. 

These biscuits are the quickest and easiest biscuits I’ve ever made, with a texture that’s soft and light and a flavor that’s almost buttery. They’re ready to go in the oven before your oven has finished heating up, perfect for last-minute breakfast guests and lazy Sunday mornings. 

Just spread the tomatoes and garlic on the biscuits like jam and don’t forget to share with your favorite person as you convince them to run away to Italy with you this summer. I’ll be there, you should be too. 

Rosemary Olive Oil Beer Biscuits with Tomato Garlic Confit

5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe
Servings 12 biscuits

Ingredients
  

For the confit:

  • 2 cups (16oz) cherry tomatoes
  • 2 large heads garlic cloves remove from the head
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • Olive oil

For the Biscuits:

  • 2 ¼ cups (270g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • ½ cup (114g) beer pale ale, pilsner, wheat beer
  • ½ cup (114g) extra-virgin olive oil (plus additional for brushing)
  • Flakey sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 275°F.
  • Add the tomatoes, garlic cloves, salt, pepper and rosemary to a small dish (ideally, you want the tomatoes and garlic to be in a tight layer.Drizzle with olive oil until the tomatoes are about 2/3 of the way covered.
  • Bake until the tomatoes have shriveled and the garlic has browned, about 1 ½ hours. Remove from the oven. The confit can be covered and stored in the fridge for several weeks until ready to use. Make sure to heat prior to serving.
  • Preheat oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and rosemary. Gently stir in the beer and olive oil until just combined. Don't over-mix.
  • Drop mounds of dough (slightly larger than golf balls) on prepared baking sheet (for smaller sized biscuits use a cookie scoop, for larger an ice cream scoop works well). Brush the top with olive oil, sprinkle with flakey sea salt.
  • Bake 10-12 minutes, or until cooked through and starting to turn brown on the tops.

Notes

Anything beer that's really hoppy, like an IPA, will be too intense for this recipe. 

Beer Bread Cinnamon Roll Muffins

12.12.2019 1 Comment

Beer Bread Cinnamon Roll Muffins, just twenty minutes to get these in your oven!

Do you get really uncomfortable when you have to open gifts in front of the gifter or is it just me? Should I smile more? Am I appropriately excited or should I be louder? Was "wow" enough or should it have been an "oh my god!" what was the expectation?!

The last time I hosted a baby shower for a friend my only rule was "don’t make her open presents, it’s so uncomfortable!" Does that make me almost the worst or just sort of a little terrible? Because I sorta hate it.

I would literally (no, not figuratively actual literally) rather cook you breakfast than open a gift you gave me. Even if I love it. Especially if I love it. So these are the "Instead of opening presents, can I make you breakfast? Quick way to get yourself out of opening gifts in front of people" dish.

 

Also, you need to know that you have to un-think these. It’s batter, not dough. it will not behave like dough. It will not stretch. You have to pat it into shape, slowly roll (or pile it) and then cut. If you need to scoop the rolls into the muffin tin, that is FINE. they will taste great. And then your friend will be the one wondering if WOW is enough or if maybe these called for an OH, MY GOD.

HOW THE TABLES HAVE TURNED!!

Beer Bread Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 12 rolls

Ingredients
  

Muffins:

  • 4 (540g) cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons (9g) baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons (9g) baking powder
  • 1/3 cup (75g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon (5g) salt
  • 12 ounces beer*

For the filling:

  • ½ cup (114g) butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons (14g) cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon (0.5g) nutmeg
  • ¼ cup (50g) brown sugar
  • ½ cup (100g) white sugar

Icing:

  • 4 tablespoons (57g) butter, softened
  • 4 tablespoons (2oz) cream cheese
  • 2 cups (220g) powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon whole milk

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt, and beer until a ball of dough forms.
  •  Add to a very well-floured surface. Gently press or roll into a large rectangle. It won’t be like regular dough, it will be soft. Just push it into shape.  (Don’t overwork the dough, it’s OK if it has to be pushed into shape)
  • In a small bowl stir together the butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown and white sugar until a paste forms.
  • Spread the paste in an even layer on top of the dough rectangle. Gently roll along the long edge to form a long log, it won’t be perfect, that’s OK.
  • Cut into 10-12 rings. Place cut side up in a muffin tin that has been lightly greased or sprayed.
  • Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
  • In a small bowl beat together the butter and cream cheese until well combined. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk, beat until well combined.
  • Pour the icing over the cinnamon rolls in an even layer, serve immediately.

Notes

The beer can make a big impact in this recipe. For a big beer flavor use a barleywine, holiday ale, or winter ale. Stay away from super hoppy beers. For a lower beer flavor use a pale lager, Mexican lager, pilsner or wheat beer. 

Overnight Maple Beer Pecan Croissant Bread Pudding Muffins

03.12.2019 3 Comments

Overnight Maple Beer Pecan Croissant Bread Pudding Muffins

Let’s talk unpopular opinions again, shall we? It’s fun when we pretend to fight. I’ll start off this holiday edition of UO with these little gems: Love Actual is a terrible movie. It’s about people who hardly know each other and aren’t really in LOVE but just horny, it should be called Lust Actual or Let’s Be Honest I just Want to Be Naked With You, and I hate it. Also, this one:  Die Hard is a feel-good Christmas movie about complicated family dynamics and bad things happening to bad people and I think that we can all relate to that. 

Bread pudding and French toast casserole are the same thing. Muffins are unfrosted cupcakes. Cinnamon rolls should be served for dessert as often as they are for breakfast.  Are these unpopular opinions or a rarely spoken truth? It’s a toss-up. What do you think?

I like my croissants used in things like bread pudding or as sandwich buns rather than plain. Unless they are filled with chocolate and I’m in Paris, which rarely happens. 

Overnight Maple Beer Pecan Croissant Bread Pudding Muffins

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 6 large croissants day old or dried out in the oven
  • 1 cup (240g) milk
  • 1 cup (240g) cream
  • ¼ cup (2oz) beer Holiday ale, pale ale, hefeweizen, pale lager
  • 3 eggs
  • ¼ cup (85g) real maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup (60g) brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup (46g) chopped pecans
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Syrup or powder sugar for serving

Instructions
 

  • Chop the croissants into bite-sized pieces.
  • Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, whisking until well combined.
  • Stir in the croissant pieces.
  • Spray the wells of a muffin tin or add cupcake papers.
  • Scoop the croissants into the prepared wells until just below the rim, making sure the liquid is evenly distributed between the wells.
  • Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight, up to 24-hours.
  • Pre-heat oven to 325°F.
  • Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the muffins have puffed and no longer look wet (if they are removed too early, they will deflate while cooling, but will still be fine to eat).
  • Serve warm with syrup or powdered sugar.

Mini Chorizo Stout Breakfast Tarts (with vegetarian option)

10.05.2019 No Comments

Mini Chorizo Stout Breakfast Tarts (with vegetarian option)

 

It happens to all of us, right? One day we’re young and cool and the next day we’re deciding which grocery store to go to based on home much we like the carts. PLANNING on having people over for breakfast is another one of those things.

One day, the only time you make breakfast for your friends is when you’re all hungover and they’re still at your place because they were too drunk to drive home the night before (that was a good call), and the next day you’re planning a menu for people who will wake up sober and then drive to your house for brunch.

Look at how much we’ve grown up, I’m proud of us.

This breakfast is actually quite perfect for either scenario. You can make the puff pastry in ten minutes (or, buy it from the store and keep it in your freezer for just such an occasion), chorizo or soyrizo is pretty much something you should always have, and of course, you already have eggs.

So, you’re all set. Ready to bake a grown-up breakfast in just 20 minutes, even if all of your guests are hungover and you’re the only responsible one. It’s not like that has never happened before. 

10-Minute Pale Ale Puff Pastry Recipe

Mini Chorizo Stout Breakfast Tarts (with vegetarian option)

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 sheet puff pastry, store bought or homemade (Pale Ale Puff Pastry Recipe link above)
  • 1 (9oz) package pork chorizo (for a vegetarian I use Trader Joe’s Soyrizo)
  • ¼ cup stout or porter beer
  • ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 9 egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • Roll the dough into a rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Cut into 9 equal sized squares. Score a border about ½ inch from the edge (do not cut all the way through) prick the center with a fork. Evenly space on a baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper. Chill while you prepare the filling.
  • Remove the chorizo from the casing, add to a pan over medium-high heat. Add the beer.
  • Stir until chorizo is cooked through and thickened.
  • Spoon about 2 tablespoons into the center of each of the tarts, avoiding the border.
  • Sprinkle with cheeses.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the pastry has puffed and is just starting to brown but is not yet golden brown.
  • Add one yolk to the center of each tart, making a well in the chorizo with the back of a spoon if necessary.
  • Bake for 5 additional minutes or until the pastry has browned and the yolk is warmed but still runny.
  • Add to serving plates, sprinkle with chives.