So it’s been a ridiculously
long time since I’ve written a post. A combination of finishing up grad school
(yes, I’m finally done and a professional counselor now!) and just life busyness has
kept me from writing. Life just happens, doesn't it? I hope the next year is a lot of things, mostly a lot less busy. Luckily, I have still been busy doing the things I love,
including cooking and running.
Interestingly enough, the
past two months I’ve added two other athletic disciplines to my routine. Yes
folks, I just trained for and completed my first triathlon! That’s not to say
in any way that I’ve advanced beyond a novice at swimming or biking, but I didn’t
drown and I kept up about a 15 mile/hour pace on the bike.
It has been a humbling
experience starting at a beginner level in two other sports. Swimming and
biking just don’t come naturally to me like running does. But learning
something new has been so fun and life giving. Anyone considering a triathlon
should absolutely do it. And you should also train more than I did for the
events you’re not as strong in.
When I got out in the open
water at the beginning of the race, it was a near disaster. I was out of breath
from running into the water and when I started swimming I swallowed some water
almost immediately. With no lifeguards in sight, to say I got panicky is
putting it mildly. But somehow, I found my “happy place” and I manage to make
it the half mile through the water and back onto dry ground. I had a huge smile
on my face after the swim. Not because I was proud of myself or had a good time—but
because it was done! Ha.
Along with some pictures
from the race I’m posting a recipe I made a few weeks back. Homemade cinnamon
rolls. I’ve never made these before and have always wanted to learn. Since my
last post I’ve decided to become vegan, which also adds a layer of complexity
to baking. Butter and eggs were a staple in most of my recipes. I’m sure I’ll
write more on being vegan in the future, but I wanted to share this recipe
today. It made eight (huge) rolls. I froze half of them and hope to have them
this week for breakfast. Joel and I eat a lot, but we couldn’t eat all eight
for one breakfast the first time. At least not without going into a sugar coma
for the entire day!
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Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Adapted from The Joy of Vegan Baking
Dough Ingredients
4 ½ teaspoons Ener-G Egg
Replacer (equivalent of 3 eggs)
6 tablespoons water
4 ½ cups unbleached
all-purpose flour
2 ¼ teaspoons dry yeast (or
one packet)
1 cup non-dairy milk (I used
coconut)
1/3 cup non-hydrogenated,
non-dairy butter (I used Earth Balance)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
Non-dairy milk for brushing
Filling Ingredients
¼ cup firmly backed dark
brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
½ cup non-hydrogenated,
non-dairy butter, softened (I used Earth balance)
¾ cup chopped walnuts and
pecans
Icing Ingredients
1 ½ cups confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons
non-hydrogenated, non-dairy butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
Dough:
In a blender, mix together
the egg replacer powder and the water until it’s thick and creamy. Then, using
the paddle attachment in your electric mixer combine 2 ¼ cups of flour with the
yeast. In a small saucepan, heat the milk, butter, sugar, and salt, stirring
constantly until warm and butter is almost melted. Pour the milk mixture into
the flour mixture and mix on a low speed.
Add the egg replacer mix and
scrape down the sides of the bowl. Crank the speed up to high on your mixer for
about 3 minutes. Replace the paddle attachment with a dough hook and knead in
the rest of the flour (you can also do this by hand if you want a workout for
your arms!). Knead until you’ve got a pretty soft, smooth, elastic dough. It
shouldn’t be sticky. If it is, add some more flour. This should take about 3 to
5 minutes.
Shape the dough into a ball
and place in a greased bowl. Cover this and let it rise at room temperature for
about 1 to 2 hours, or until it’s doubled in size. At this point, punch it down
and place it on a lightly floured surface, cover it with a clean towel and let
it rest for about 10 minutes.
Filling:
While the dough is resting,
make the filling by combining the brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and nuts. Set
aside.
More dough steps:
After the dough has rested
for about 10 minutes, roll it into a 12-inch square. Brush the filling evenly
over the rolled dough. No one with judge you if you lick your fingers while
doing this. Then, roll the dough up into a log and do your best job at pinching
the ends to seal them. Arrange as many as you want to bake onto a greased
baking sheet. I think it’s best if they’re close but not too close to each other.
Any that you don’t want to bake, you can freeze and let them thaw out and rise
overnight for a lovely breakfast. This would be great if you had company or for
Christmas morning.
At this point, cover the
dough loosely with clear plastic wrap, and let them rise in a warm place for
about 45 minutes. They should nearly double in size, but if they don’t they
will still rise a lot in the oven.
Preheat the oven to 375
degrees while they’re rising. Brush the dough with non-dairy milk. Bake for
about 25 to 30 minutes. If you have a really hot oven, be sure to check the
rolls so you don’t overcook them. My oven is always too hot, so I had to take
them out at 20 minutes. You’ll know the rolls are done if you tap them with a
knife and they sound hallow.
Icing:
While your kitchen is
starting to fill with smells of delicious cinnamon, start preparing the icing.
Combine the confectioner’s sugar, butter, vanilla and non-dairy milk in a bowl.
When the rolls are done, remove them from the oven and let them sit for about 5
minutes. Spread a good amount of frosting on each roll.
Cinnamon rolls can be served
warm or at room temperature. Personally, I think they are so much better warm,
with melty-gooey frosting and a hot cup of black coffee.
Makes 8 rolls.
