Shrove Tuesday Buns - Blue Monday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...These these lovely cream filled buns were once associated with the Lenten season in Scandinavia. They were prepared on Shrove Tuesday to use up stores of butter, cream and sugar that could not be eaten during the days of fast and abstinence that led up to Easter Sunday. While religious affiliations in the region have changed, they are still called Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday Buns. The buns are now enjoyed at any time, but they were once made only on the day before Ash Wednesday. That day was called Shrove Tuesday because those whose confessions were heard on this day were called shrove, or shriven of sin. The buns are a real delicacy and I think everyone will enjoy them. A simple sweet dough is shaped into rolls and baked. Once they're done they can be filled in many ways. Some simply hinge the roll, insert a piece of almond paste into it and top it with whipped cream. Others remove the top of the roll, scoop out the innards and mix the bread crumbs with ground nuts to form a poor man's almond paste. Either way, the buns are delicious and they are not hard to do. While everything can be prepared ahead of time, it's best not to fill these until you're ready to serve them. They can get soggy. Here's the recipe.

Shrove Tuesday Buns...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Kathy Cutler

Ingredients:
Buns
3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Active dry yeast
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 cup milk
6 tablespoons butter
1 egg
Filling
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts
3/4 cup confectioners" sugar + additional sugar for dusting
1 cup light cream or half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Directions:
1) Combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, yeast and cardamom in a mixing bowl. Whisk well.
2) Place milk and butter in a small saucepan and heat until butter is melted. Let cool to 120 degrees.
3) Add milk to flour mixture. Mix well. Add egg and about 1 cup of remaining flour to make a soft dough.
4) Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
5) Punch dough down. Shape dough into a 12-inch rope. Cut rope into 12 1-inch pieces.
Form pieces into round buns. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place buns on baking sheet. Lightly cover and let rise until double, about 30 minutes.
6) Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
7) Bake buns for until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
8) Slice top off each bun. Reserve tops. Scoop out center of rolls, leaving a shell about 1/4-inch thick, with a fork or grapefruit spoon.
9) Place crumbs, nuts and confectioners' sugar in bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles corn meal. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add light cream and vanilla. Mix well.
10) Spoon filling into buns. Top each with a heaping spoonful of whipped cream. Put tops back on and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Yield: 12 Buns.

You might also enjoy:

Crepes with Hot Buttered Rum Sauce
Gluten Free Pancakes
Hot Cross Buns


This post is being linked to:

Smiling Sally - Blue Monday
Wild Yeast - Yeast Spotting

Mexican-Style Pan Dulce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I first had pan dulce at the Riviera Bakery on Ferry Street in Newark, New Jersey. When Bob and I were especially busy at work, we'd make it a point to meet for lunch and to touch base. More often than not, we'd choose Ferry Street as our meeting spot. We loved the atmosphere. It was a street of sights and sounds and smells and had an air of nostalgia and simpler times about it. Years later, we found pan dulce in the panaderias of Baja. I hasten to add our Baja adventures weren't fancy or expensive. We weren't seeking the luxury of Cabo. We had come by car to look for whales and kayak in the sea of Cortez. Almost by necessity, the sweet rolls, called pan dulce, became our breakfast of choice. We could see them being made and assure ourselves they had not been sitting around, acting as a landing pad for sundry flying critters. The rolls are remarkably versatile. They range in appearance from simple flat rolls to elaborate shell shaped conchas. They're covered with a baked topping that can be as simple as a cinnamon paste or as involved as an etched pastel. The "frosting" cracks as the rolls bake, creating craters and dimples that spread across the top of the rolls. Today's rolls are simple in form and topping. When I make these for guests, I use scallop shells to shape them and etch the topping to create a more deliberate design. The etching really isn't important as the cinnamon topping will crack anyway, it just won't be as artful. There are many recipes for pan dulce. I've settled on this one because I love the texture of the rolls it produces. Here's the recipe.

Mexican-Style Pan Dulce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
Rolls:
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons tepid melted butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup tepid butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:
1) Place warm water in a small bowl. Sprinkle yeast over water. Set aside to soften.
2) Whisk flour, sugar and salt together in a large bowl until light and combined.
3) Add yeast, tepid butter and eggs to flour mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Scrape dough into a greased bowl and turn to coat all surfaces.
Cover. Let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours.
4) While dough is rising, make topping by combining flour, sugar, butter, egg, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix until smooth. Set aside.
5) Punch dough down and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic. It will still be sticky. Divide dough into 18 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange balls at least 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Press dough down with palm of hand to flatten.
6) Form topping into 18 balls. Flatten and place on top of shaped buns.
7) Cover baking sheets with plastic wrap or kitchen towels. Let rise until double in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.
8) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake rolls for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm. Yield: 18 buns.