Sweet Orange breakfast rolls

  So for those of you who follow my Easter posts you know
that I make these Bunny rolls that my family loves...

 Recipe Here...


Well this recipe makes A LOT! so I have started making 2 bunnies per person (8) then with the rest of the dough I make breakfast rolls.



 Who would not want this deliciousness... 

 Start by mixing 3/4 cup of sugar with any remaining zest from the orange you already used or 1 Table spoon from any orange (Keep the orange as you will use its juice in the icing!). Let your sugar sit while you roll the dough.

  Generously butter the pan in which you will cook your rolls. I use aluminum pans since I often freeze my rolls for a later date.

  I roll the dough as if I were making cinnamon rolls so I roll the dough out to  approximately a 12 x 18 rectangle. (dough should not be less than 1/4 inch thick!)

Melt a tablespoon of butter and brush on dough. Spread sugar mixture over dough leaving 1 inch at the top clear.

Roll dough from the long side up. I cut my rolls with dental floss or thread. Cut a piece  12-18 inches long, Slide it under the rolls then pull each end of the string toward each other so it cuts the dough. Rolls should be 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches thick. Place rolls in the pan to rise until they are double n size.

At this point I either bake them or freeze them. Usually freeze since we already have our bunny rolls for Easter.

To bake I take the rolls out the night before and let them sit on my counter uncovered. In the morning bake at 350 for 12 - 15 minutes.

Let cool a bit then frost (recipe below).

Frosting:
This recipe is different for me every time as I never measure so I will do my best to get you simmilar results.

Soften 1 tablespoon of butter and add 1/2 cup of confectioners (Powdered) sugar. Mix well. Add 1 Tablespoon of orange juice from your zested orange. add 1-2 teaspoons of granulated sugar. Whisk or mix well (I do this all by hand in a small bowl. You can use a hand mixer as well).  Add Confectioners sugar until you get the desired consistency. You do not want it runny but do not want it super stiff either, it needs to be spreadable.

Steel cut oats... AKA my favorite breakfast at the moment :)

If you like oatmeal at all I think you will like steel cut oats. They are really good for you and I like the bit of "chew" in the texture.

Honestly I had not even heard of "steel cut oats"until about a year ago. Luckily they are easy to find in most grocery stores in the same area of the store where you find your regular oatmeal.

There are a few different ways to cook them (none quick) but its worth it since its mostly waiting time no real "work" is involved.

I made this yesterday morning...

I know it's hard to see the oats since I covered it with fruit but it's under there :)

I made a single serving by following the directions on the package. It took about 45minutes to cook.

I added
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 cup of raisins (toward the end of cooking)

Toppings can be anything you like.Think dried fruit of your favorite nuts. Bananas and blackberries are my current favorite :)

If you want to make this for a crowd there are 2 options that I have found that work well with little effort... either cook overnight in a Crockpot or prepare the and let the oats soak in the cooking liquid over night then cook in the morning for 5-10 minutes.

Here are 2 recipes I have tried:  crockpot overnight steel cut oats

When I made this I had no apples or flax seed. It was still fine. Next time I will add an exrtra 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and at least 2 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla. ( if you are using a really good quality vanilla I would use a bit less)   *TIP* I am not a huge fan of Crock pot liners but for this it would be worth it! Mine was slightly overcooked and not the most fun to clean. Oh... it might not have been so bad if I had remembered to oil my crock :)

Recipe 2... overnight steel cut oats  It's Crazy good! Not to mention simple!

Home-made Pork breakfast sausage & Gravy recipe

Last spring I purchased a whole Pig from a local farmer. Part of my meat order included an abundance of ground pork. I had already been on the search for sausage recipes and this was a great opportunity to start experimenting.

Here are some recipes I found on line... My changes are in bold Italics

This first recipe is the one I used for the biscuits and gravy recipe I mentioned last week. My family really liked it. I can not give a full review as I was under the weather and not in the mood to eat.

homemade breakfast sausage patties
(original recipe link above)

Ingredients

    ½ teaspoon garlic powder

    ¼ teaspoon onion powder

    ½ teaspoon ground thyme

    ½ teaspoon crushed fennel seeds (I omitted because I did not have them)

    3 teaspoons rubbed sage

    1 teaspoon kosher salt

    ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I substituted chili powder)

    pinch cloves

    grating of fresh nutmeg

    1 pound ground pork

    1 tablespoon maple syrup (I omitted due to wanting a savory sausage)

    2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon extra for frying

Instructions

    In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, fennel, sage, salt, red pepper flakes, cloves and nutmeg.

    Place the pork in another bowl; drizzle over the syrup and 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Add the spices to the pork and mix to combine. Rinse your hands (having wet hands makes shaping the patties easier) and form the meat into patties, about 2-1/2 inches round.

    In a nonstick skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the patties and cook until the patties are completely cooked through and golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Drain the patties on paper towels and serve.

Homemade Breakfast Sausage
Original recipe link   Here

This second recipe I have used multiple times. I have adapted it many ways depending on the flavor profile I was wanting. Savory vs a sweet or mild vs spicy. It is always a hit :)

1 lb. ground pork
1 Tbs. fresh thyme, finely chopped ( I used dried)
1 Tbs. fresh cilantro, finely chopped ( I used dried) 
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1 Tbs. dijon mustard
1/2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 Tbs. kosher salt
1 tsp. ancho chili powder (I omitted)
 1 tsp. cayenne pepper ( I substituted Chili powder)
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Form into eight 2" wide, 1/2" thick patties

Back to Basics Mom's review:  

This is super good!

First I did not use ancho chili powder or Cayenne but just 1 tsp of regular chili powder.

I also did some without the brown sugar and it tasted a lot like Jimmy dean. 

Gravy Recipe for Biscuits n Gravy Printable here
3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons of flour
2 Cups of Milk
Salt and Pepper

In a Medium sauce pan melt butter. Add Flour and let simmer for a minute or so.Slowly add milk whisking as you pour. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked ground sausage. Bring to a boil and let thicken to desired consistency whisking from time to time.

Do NOT walk away from this for too long as it can burn!  

Serve over your favorite Biscuits...

Biscuits-N-Gravy

I discovered the joys of Biscuits n gravy when my now Hubby and I first moved in together. I had never had it nor even heard of it before then. He requested it one morning and I said "what's that?" so I did some research and started making canned biscuits and a gravy similar to what I make now with a purchased savory sausage. We enjoyed it but over the evolution of my scratch cooking I have discovered a better way (at least better for us).

I discovered this recipe on allrecipes.com a few years ago. I love it because it's pretty easy and my family loves it because they are YUMMY!

This is a double batch...

My Printable

Here is how I make them...

Ingredients:
2 cups of self rising flour (how to make your own below!)
1/2 cup of butter
2/3 cup of buttermilk (I'll talk about substitutions below)

1st preheat your oven to 450 degrees

Measure out your flour into a decent sized mixing bowl. Cutting in the flour can make a mess! I slice the butter while it's super cold into thin slices then roll it around to coat it with flour (a tip I learned from Alton Brown on one of his pie crust episodes)

Using your favorite pastry blender (or 2 butter knives) "cut in" the butter. You could also do this in a food processor and just pulse a few times being careful not to overwork the dough. (If my processor was full capacity I would definitely try it!)

 When the mixture looks grainy and no piece of butter is larger than a pea you are ready to add your liquid.

You may need a bit more liquid than the recipe calls for, just add cold water a tablespoon at a time. You want to work the dough as little as possible but all the flour should be incorporated and the dough should be a bit sticky.

I then use my largest scoop (about a 1/4 cup size)  to portion out my biscuits onto my large baking stone (pan must have sides as the butter will ooze when cooking!) If using a metal pan grease it or use Parchment paper!

This is a double batch

After They are all portioned out I press them down a bit. I dip my fingertimp in water so they will not stick :)


Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden...

Putz factor... 3 because of cutting in the butter.

 OK heres the scoop on Self Rising Flour... it is SUPER easy to make your own! No need to purchase and store yet another baking supply!

for 1 cup of self rising flour you need:

1 cup of all purpose flour with 2 teaspoons removed
1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt

whisk to blend... That's it!



Buttermilk Substitutions...

Here is my favorite substitution. I use it in pancakes, these biscuits and any recipe that calls for buttermilk. I also often transfer it to an airtight container as it is prone to absorbing moisture. When it gets lumpy it does not work as well.

Buttermilk powder

I measure this out and add it in with the dry ingredients then just add the amount of water that you would have used if you'd had buttermilk.

Another substitution is to add a bit of vinegar or lemon juice to milk.  find some good tips here...



So, next time you need some biscuits give these a try!

Gravy /Sausage recipe coming soon!




FYI as of the date I posted this I do not get any compensation for posting links to products or other website links.

Cream cheese coffee cake and the Putz factor...

I ran across this coffee cake recipe on my favorite recipe site this morning when I was looking for something to make for my family. I originally wanted to make french toast but I was low on eggs and milk so off I went looking for something else...

Here is a link to the original recipe... polish cream cheese coffee cake

This is really good! My family loved it but I will not make it often because its a bit Putzy to make.

That being said I'm starting something new here at Back to Basics Mom... The Putz factor. What is the Putz factor you may ask? Well whenever a recipe takes a long time, uses lots of tools and dishes to make and is messy thats Putzy. I will have a scale of 1 to 5. 1 being not bad and 5, be prepared to be in the kitchen a while and it will look like your kitchen exploded when you are done. From here on out all recipes I post will have a putz factor rating :)

Here is my printable version with my changes cream cheese coffee cake

Putz factor 4 out of 5   (this was the first time I made this so there was a learning curve. I'm guessing next time it will be closer to a 3 but still takes time and makes many dirty dishes!)

My tips step by step:

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

1 cup white sugar 1/2 cup butter 1 egg 1 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder Filling: 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup white sugar 1 egg Topping: 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup butter 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Directions

First let me say that I got all 3 of my mixtures mixed and ready before I began assembly and that is what I recommend.
 

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. (I used butter)
2.	Beat 1 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup butter, and 1 egg in a bowl until smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla extract; mix well. Stir in 3 cups flour, baking soda, and baking powder until mixture comes together in a sticky dough. Spread half the dough evenly into prepared baking dish. This is where this gets tricky! This dough is sticky! I would drop the dough by spoonfuls to mostly cover the bottom (still only using half the dough or just a tad bit more) Then I used a piece of parchment paper to cover the dough and then either using your fingers or a small dough roller smooth out the dough so it covers the bottom of the pan. Remove the Parchment!
3.	Beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup white sugar, and 1 egg in another bowl until smooth. Spoon mixture into baking dish over dough. Drop remaining half of dough by spoonfuls over cream cheese mixture.
4.	Mix brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour, and 1/4 cup butter and cinnamon in a bowl until mixture resembles a coarse crumble; sprinkle over dough. I tried to fill in any open spaces and make it as even as possible.
5.	Bake in the preheated oven until the center looks set and top is golden brown about 30-40 minutes.

YUM!

I served this with bacon and some fresh fruit to round it out. This is definitely a decadent breakfast and would be a winner at any breakfast or brunch get together.