When I think about the people who have influenced me in my interest in food, I have to think back to when I was a teenager.  You may be thinking my Home Economics teacher, but you would be wrong.  We were only allowed to cook after we passed all the modules on food knowledge ie. the four food groups.  I was so bored with the theory that, by the time I got to cook, I was only able to make Jello chocolate pudding which is barely considered cooking and that was on the last day of the term, so I never even got to make the second recipe, a  grilled cheese sandwich.  Who came up with this curriculum, Pee Wee Herman?

Then one weekend, a very special lady came to visit us from England.  Mrs. Fisher was the wife of my Mom’s piano teacher when she had studied music in London.  I loved her accent, her gentle manner, and her elegance.  But above of all, it was her passion for food and sharing it that made an indelible impression upon me.  She taught cooking as a form of therapy to the mentally challenged, and gave me a crash course on the weekend of her visit.   What stood out was the lesson on baking bread.

Shortly after she left I had a sleepless night and decided to exercise my newly acquired skills.  I looked up a recipe for cinnamon buns.  And, in the stillness of the night surrounded by  silence I handled the smooth mound of dough, turning it and pressing the heel of my hand into the yielding dough.  I repeated this movement over and over until it felt like a chant performed by my hands.   The art of baking is far superior to yoga in my mind!

It is Christmas time and a cranberry orange muffin is traditionally what I make, but this year I will take it up a notch and take those flavours into a cinnamon-type bun.  Don’t be intimidated, because this recipe does not use yeast and you don’t have to wait for the dough to rise.  This is my Christmas present to you!

Superfoods in this recipe:
Cinnamon – Stabilizes blood sugar.
Oats – Contains B vitamins and minerals like iron.  It is very high soluble fiber which may help lower total cholesterol.
Spelt – High in fiber, iron and protein.
Almonds – High in calcium, protein and good fats
Cranberries – High in vitamin C, antioxidants and fiber.

Cranberry Cinnamon Buns makes 9

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 1 cup cup spelt flour
• ½ cup oat flour
• ½ cup almond flour
• 4 t. baking powder
• 1 T sugar
• ¼ cup cold butter
• ¾ cup milk (or non-dairy milk)
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 T orange zest

Filling:

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 ½ t. cinnamon
• ½ t. nutmeg
• 1 ½ cups chopped cranberries

Directions:

Dough:

• In large bowl, combine dry ingredients, including orange zest.
• Cut butter in with a pastry blender or two knives until butter resembles the size of peas.
• Stir in milk  until it becomes doughy.
• Gather the dough and place on a floured surface.
• Knead the dough 10 times, no longer, otherwise it will be tough.  While kneading, you may need to add more flour to the dough if it is too sticky, but only 1 Tablespoon at a time.
• Roll into a 12 x 8-inch (30 x 20 cm) rectangle.

Filling:

• Melt butter. Then brush 1 T of the butter over the rectangle of dough.
• Then combine brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, sprinkle this over the dough.
• Scatter the diced chopped cranberries over the dough.
• With the long edge at the bottom, tightly roll the dough up and pinch the seam to seal.
• With a serrated knife cut into 9 pieces.
• Add maple syrup to remaining melted butter and bring to a boil, then pour into an 8 inch squared pan.
• Place pieces cut side up in pan. Bake in 400˚C for 20 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
• When done, immediately place serving plate over the pan and then invert.
• Let stand for 15 minutes until syrup has had a chance to soak into the buns.

Mmmewey Kwissmaf (oops sorry, my mouth was full with this delicious bun).  Merry Christmas!!

Peace to all and Goodwill to Men (and Women)! {Kake}

Note:  I actually baked the buns for 25 minutes and not 20 minutes, because of this, the buns did not release all together, causing bits of the buns to adhere to the pan.  We decided the buns looked better with the nonsyrup side upright. In one photo the buns were “naked” and in the other we brushed them with maple syrup to create more gloss.  But if you follow the recipe (not like me) the buns should all release easily and will be perfectly caramelly and syrupy on top.