I’m in New York!

Yes. Right now. I am probably eating a hot dog at this very moment. In fact it’s probably my second today. What? I’m on holiday…

“I love New York, even though it isn’t mine, the way something has to be, a tree or a street or a house, something, anyway, that belongs to me because I belong to it.”

— Truman Capote

My brother moved out to NYC in September and is now living the stereotypical struggling actor’s life waiting tables and adjusting to shoebox living. He’s my best friend, my biggest supporter and one of few who get my weird jokes, so the move was hard and I’ve found that living in different cities is a bit shit, really. We FaceTime, he shows me around his small room in Chelsea, I tell him about the things that have been going on in my life. We discuss House of Cards and Arrested Development, and quote our favourite line from 21 Jump Street frequently. Gah, I’ve missed him. A visit was well and truly due.

So now I’m here,  wandering right through the very heart of it or however the words go, with a carefully compiled hit list of things to devour and places to visit and comfy shoes on my feet. In tow is my best friend, ultimate travel companion and dinner date, we share a love for donuts and other delectables. First on our list: NYC style bagels. I will of course be sure to let you know how they are, but until then they come just as good if not better when made at home. Toasted, smothered with cream cheese and smoked salmon (or blueberries! Definitely a thing) – this will be how I’ll be self-medicating when the inevitable post-NYC blues hit.

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New York Style Bagels

Makes 8 medium-sized bagels

Recipe from The Sophisticated Gourmet

Ingredients

500g bread flour

1.5 teaspoons salt

7g active yeast

1 1/4 cups warm water

1.5 tablespoons caster sugar

Optional toppings: sesame seeds, poppy seeds etc

Method

1. Add the yeast and sugar to warm water and leave to stand for 5 minutes, then stir until dissolved.
2. Mix together the salt and flour and make a well in the centre. Pour in the water mixture and bring the dough together with a spoon. Start off with half of the water and use as much as needed. The dough will be shaggy. Tip it out onto a well floured surface and knead for a good 10 minutes until springy and pliable. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise somewhere warm for 1 hour.
3. After it’s risen, punch the air out and leave to rest for a further 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 220°c.
4. Cut the dough into 8 equal-sized pieces and roll them each into balls. I pull the sides of the dough down and round to the bottom so the balls are taught. With a well-floured finger press a hole through the middle of each ball and widen slightly, then place on a lightly oiled baking tray. Cover with a clean dishcloth and leave to rest while you bring a large pot of water to boil.
5. Place half of your bagels in the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Remove with a slotted spoon and continue with the rest of the batch. Place the now boiled bagels on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes and until golden. If you want a slightly crunchier top to your bagels (like me) then bake in the upper third, if not then stick to the lower third of your oven.
6. If you are adding toppings to your bagels, brush them with egg wash and sprinkle with your toppings after boiling and before baking. 
7. Leave to cool if you can wait. Best toasted and smothered with cream cheese.

I’ve been told the three most stressful things in life are death, divorce and buying a house.

I’ve sadly experienced death, luckily never divorce and for the first time ever I am finding out what it’s like to buy and build a home. I’m basically at the mercy of arrogant estate agents who haven’t got the time of day in a seller’s market, in a city where buying a house is like some kind of competitive sport. Like a 200m sprint for a period conversion close to a tube station. And what’s with all the phone calls? Have any of these property negotiators heard of email? SIGH.

It is a stress that prior to a few weeks ago I never knew, which is why I’m now feeling very stupid having scoffed when my dad warned me about the absolute ball ache that buying a house is. Why can’t buying a house just be easy, a good old fashioned spit and shake on the sale? WHY?

Anyway, thanks to the aforementioned stress I’ve been under, I’ve been keeping it simple in the kitchen recently. Baking is therapeutic, and banana bread is the epitome of simple. Plus it gives me a great excuse to ignore calls from estate agents.

Enjoy!

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Brown Butter Banana Bread

Makes one 9x5" loaf

Ingredients

175g unsalted butter

240g all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

60ml buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla bean extract

350g ripe banana, roughly mashed with a fork

175g dark brown soft sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°c (160°c FAN) and prepare a loaf tin with parchment paper
2. First brown the butter. On a medium heat melt the butter, whirling the pan occasionally. It’ll crackle and pop for a while, then it will stop. Give it a few swirls then pour it into a bowl to stop it from burning and to allow it to cool slightly.
3. Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder in one bowl, then in another whisk together the eggs, vanilla and buttermilk.
4. Add the sugar and whisk well, then add the banana and finally the brown butter. Next add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk roughly.
5. Pour into your loaf tin and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cut into mega thick slices and serve with butter. Lots and lots of butter.

Hi! So it’s Tuesday and we should talk about cinnamon buns. 

If I were to rate my attempt at sticking to my New Year’s resolutions on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being absolutely feeble, then I’d most definitely be sitting at 9.5. These cinnamon buns have been my undoing. Has it been worth it?

Trick question. As far as sweet pastries go I’ve always been a Danish/Cinnamon Swirl kinda gal. I mean, what is not to love? If you were even going to try and answer that then just go, go right now and don’t come back. Because what you’re about to see should probably be illegal.

I’m going to go ahead and pad this post out with a string of adjectives. Scroll down for the good stuff.

Beautiful, blissful, freshly baked and fresh out of the oven, a pleasurable fit for the gods. Fluffy on the inside, sticky, sweet, scrumptious and if we’re serious, sinful. Swirled, glazed, homemade and indulgent. Ladies and gentlemen I give you, Cinnamon Pull-Apart Buns.

Cinnamon Pull-Apart Buns

Makes 10-12 buns

Adapted from Joy the Baker and Pinch of Yum

Ingredients

For the dough:

Half a sachet (3.5g) active dry yeast

60ml warm water

120ml whole milk, scalded

100g caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

480g all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

60g unsalted butter, melted

75g sultanas

For the filling:

30g unsalted butter, room temperature

1 heaped tablespoon ground cinnamon

135g brown sugar

For the sticky glaze:

1 egg, beaten (to brush)

6 tablespoons icing sugar

3 tablespoons whole milk

Method

1. Add the yeast to warm water and stir to dissolve. Leave for a few minutes until it begins to froth, then transfer it to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Add 120g of the flour, sugar, salt, beaten eggs and the hot milk and mix on a low speed for a few minutes until the dough has come together, then add another 180g of flour and turn the speed up a bit until it’s been incorporated. Finally add the melted butter and the remaining 180g flour and knead the dough for around 5 minutes. The dough will be super sticky and elastic, but panic not! Scrape (literally) the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm spot for an hour.
2. After an hour of proving, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and with your hands, knead in the sultanas. Work the dough for 5 minutes or so until it is springy and pliable, and doesn’t stick to the work surface. Shape the dough into a ball, place back in the bowl, cover and leave to rise for another 30 minutes.
3. After the second prove, take the dough and roll out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll it into a rectangle around half an inch thick and transfer to a sheet of parchment paper. Spread the softened butter over the entire surface of the dough. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon then sprinkle it gently dump it all over that beast of glory and spread evenly. NOTE: the amount of sugar in this recipe results in oozing, sticky, delicious cinnamon buns. If you’re not into that, then please click the top right button… or left if you’re on a Mac.
4. Roll the dough away from you into a log and sit seam-side down. Cover with a clean dish towel and leave to rise for another 20 minutes – I know, the suspense is killing me too. Preheat the oven to 200°c to pass the time.
5. FINALLY – it’s time. Slice the dough-log-thing almost all of the way to the bottom, leaving about an inch between each slice. You should get between 10 to 12 slices. Then arrange each cut section so that they lean to alternate sides. Brush the dough all over with the beaten egg. Slide the parchment paper with the cinnamon buns onto a baking sheet.
6. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes until puffed up and golden and oozing and until the house smells so damn good you literally can’t handle life any more. I’m so sorry for sharing this with you.
7. Sticky glaze:
8. Whisk together the icing sugar and milk and drizzle all over the cinnamon buns. For a thicker glaze use more icing sugar.
9. Pull-apart and die happy.