Chorizo and Manchego muffins

I first got this recipe through a friend, who baked them for a breakfast we had out in a park. I wasn't very much of a foodie at the time, and the idea that you could have savoury muffins absolutely blew my mind. I have also realised since that I prefer portable food like this because I usually never sit still, so these flavoursome little delights are the perfect deal for me. They are surprisingly filling, and they have my favourite meat in, chorizo. You know, that delicious sausage shaped bit from the chorizo animal.

They are also super easy, just follow this:

Chorizo and Manchego Muffins

[Makes 12 medium sized]

220 grams self-raising flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

150 grams potato, grated and squeezed to remove any excess moisture

120 grams chorizo, sliced

2 small spring onions, chopped

100 grams Manchego, grated

1 egg

100ml milk, approx

fresh parsley, chopped

Chop all the ingredients. I chop the chorizo and Manchego cheese in small dices, as you often get the problem with uneven distribution of flavour if they are bigger. Then grate the potatoes, before drying them on a paper towel.

Sift the flour and baking powder together into a large bowl. Add in the potato and toss it through the flour so it's evenly distributed. Next, add in the chorizo, spring onions and Manchego, being careful not to break them too much as you stir.

Whisk the egg and milk together and pour this into the dry ingredients - sprinkle over the parsley and then fold gently until the mixture has just incorporated. Use your fingers if it helps!

Divide the mixture into about 12 muffin cases, almost full.

Bake in a preheated 170°C oven until golden and cooked through - about 20-30 minutes.

Adapted from

http://cookalmostanything.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/chorizo-and-piquillo-muffins.html?m=1

Cinnamon Rolls

There are many things I miss about living in Oslo, and one of them is definitely the abundance of good pastry - buns and cinnamon rolls. They are the croissant of Scandinavia, I've practically grown up on these, and they are on every corner. Tasting like something between a hot cross bun and a french brioche, just fluffier and more moist, they work well as both tea time snack and for a sweet breakfast. They keep extremely well if you freeze them straight after they've cooled down - I've been eating fresh cinnamon rolls from the oven for breakfast for a week!

While I have written up the cinnamon roll version, the recipe can easily be rolled into balls and become regular buns.

Cinnamon Rolls

Time: 2.5 - 3 hours

Oven: 225 C/Gas mark 7/437 F

Portions: 24 pieces

Ingredients

950-1000g strong bread flour

5 dl milk (at 25 C)

½ pack yeast

125-150g sugar

1 ts ground cardamum (Not necessary but gives the buns a very distinct warming Scandi flavour)

¼ - ½ ts salt

1 egg

150g butter, diced

Filling

100g softened butter

1-2 tbs cinnamon

5 tbs sugar

1 egg (egg wash before oven)

Method for hand baking 

(With a mixer, just mix all ingredients except butter, and add those at the end)

Mix all dry ingredients, keep some of the flour. Create a flour mountain with a dent in the middle. Add the yeast into half the luke warm liquid, then mix all liquids together into the dent of flour. Mix together from the centre with a spatula until everything is combined. Knead as much as you can from here. There are two options for the butter; Low energy 1, melt and mix with the liquid in the beginning, or High energy 2, knead in at the end in dices. The last option produces the best results, but is pretty tiring without a machine! If you have a KitchenAid, smile and turn up the speed.

Cover the bowl with cling film, and leave to prove. The time it takes depends on the environment, but it should roughly prove until double size. I put mine over a hot bowl of water and leave it for about 45 minutes to an hour. (My grandmother's strategy)

Put some flour on your working surface, and gently lay the dough onto it. Divide into two pieces. Roll out to a rectangle about 45-60 cm wide. Spread butter, sugar and cinnamon on the long half of the piece. Fold over to make a long rectangular surface. Cut the flat dough vertically into about 12 pieces, and fold each one into a knot. (Check out trinesmatblogg.no's images) Repeat with second piece of dough.

Lay out the cinnamon rolls on a baking tray with parchment paper, one roll width away from each other. Set to prove for another 30-60 minutes. (If you can't wait, at least give them 25!) Heat up the oven to 225 C. Once proved to bigger and fluffier, brush the cinnamon buns with egg wash and cook in the middle of the oven for 10-12 minutes. Watch them closely, they burn quickly!

Cool down on an oven rack.

My mum used to say that we had to wait for them to cool down before tucking in, or they would give us a tummy ache - and unfortunately she is right. It's better to leave them for 5 minutes on the rack, trust me!