Cardamon Coffee Cake

A Moo family Christmas tradition. But good for brunch any time of the year!

Ingredients
2 pkgs dry yeast (4 1/2 tsps)
8 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. cardamon
3 eggs (1 for egg wash)
1 1/2 scalded milk
1 cup melted butter

For filling:
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

4 Tbsp. butter (melted)
nuts (optional)

Directions:
Melt together scalded milk and butter.

Sprinkle yeast into 1/2 c. lukewarm water. Stir until dissolved.

Combine flour, salt, sugar, and cardamon. Stir in 2 beaten eggs, yeast and milk and butter mixture. Beat until smooth. Cover and let rise 1 hour in warm place until dough doubles in size.

Knead dough for 5 minutes on floured surface. Divide in half. Roll out one at at at time to form ovals 18–20 inches long. Brush with melted butter. Combine sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle evenly.

Roll up (like a cinnamon roll). Place crescent-shaped on a greased baking sheet. Brush with remaining egg. Allow to rise another 30 min.

Bake at 350º for at least 20 min or until firm and golden brown.

Black Bean Soup

I love Panera's black bean soup, and this recipe came out tasting pretty close to it. Great served in a bread bowl!

Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs cumin
• 2 cans of black beans, added separately
• 2 cups of chicken stock / bouillon cubes
• salt & pepper (to taste)
• dash of red pepper flakes
• Sprig of fresh cilantro (garnish)

Saute onion in olive oil until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cumin. 

Add the first can of black beans (save the other one for later). Add 2 cups chicken broth (I use bouillon cubes, and since I like my soup a lot thicker, I prefer to use about 1 1/2 cups of water or even a little less).

Bring to simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, pour into a blender, and blend until smooth.

Pour blended ingredients back into pot. Add the remaining can of black beans and bring to simmer. If necessary, thicken with roux. Add red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper.

Serve in bread bowls, garnished with cilantro and shredded cheese or sour cream.

Bread Bowl

Easy bread bowl recipe made with artisan bread dough. 

Take a lump of dough for each bread bowl, slightly smaller than grapefruit-sized. Knead in flour for one minute (I'd like experiment with kneading longer, but usually I'm making these in a hurry!)

Form a ball using similar technique as with the artisan bread recipe, stretching the outside of the ball with the heel of your hand. Pinch the bottom of the dough together, forming a tight ball. Twist the pinched corners gently to keep them together.

Place on a greased baking sheet. Score the top with a serrated knife. Sprinkle top with sea salt. Using a spray bottle or your fingertips, sprinkle with water. Set to rise for 15 minutes. (If I'm using fresh dough, I skip this step.)

Preheat oven to 500º. Place in oven. The key to getting the bread bowl to rise straight up, apparently, is the water. In addition to the water sprinkled on the dough, I pour a cup of water on an old tray on the bottom rack of the oven to create a steam oven.

After 2 minutes, set oven temperature to 425º. Sprinkle bread bowls with water a second time, and allow to bake for about 18 more minutes.

Once they are golden brown, remove from oven. Using a serrated knife, cut down into the top, making a circle (this will create a cone-shaped "lid"). Remove lid and, if necessary, scoop out some of the bread to form a wide enough bowl.

Fill with black bean soup and enjoy!