Rain + yumminess = nice day

Today is day #2 of this week's rain cycle. It has been just beautiful, because it is not horribly cold, but cool enough that I can hang out in pj bottoms and a hoodie (my kind of day!). This morning I got up and made this new recipe for a yeasted coffee coffee cake. . . well actually I started it last night, so it could do it's second rising in the refrigerator, while I slept. It was remarkably delicious. I will probably make this again, despite the time it took!). It reminded my of one of those store bought coffee cakes you buy at the store. Oh, the bread is so buttery and the cream cheese mixture is light and fluffy; and then the strussel and glaze over the top. . made my stomach smile with delight! I found this recipe at Brown Eyed Baker and she found it here. I adapted it a bit, so here's my version.

Rich Coffee Cake with Sweet Cheese Filling

(just a note. . . time consuming. . . but WELL worth it!)

Coffee Cake Dough

1 envelope Active Dry Yeast
2 tbsp warm water (about 110 degrees)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/8 cups bread flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces and softened but still cool

NOTE #1: The original recipe makes 2 cakes and I only wanted one. . .so this is the half version.

NOTE #2: The original recipe uses a stand mixer to make the bread. . . I am lazy (have I mentioned this before?) and used my bread maker.

Insert ingredients into bread maker, according to directions. I poured my water, eggs, milk, vanilla, flour, sugar, and salt in (in that order). Then, I make a little hole in the dry ingredients and pour my yeast in the hole. You don't want your yeast and water to combine to early, or it will mean dissastor for your bread. I then turned it on the dough cycle so it could start mixing it up (as the machine is so good at it!) and slowly added my butter pieces into it while the dough was being worked together. I then came back to it an hour and a half later, and it looked beautiful. I sprayed a bowl with PAM (so the dough doesn't stick to it) and put the dough in the bowl and covered it with cling wrap. From there it went into the fridge until the next morning (it should double in size over night!).

Later. . . (In my case, the next morning), knead your dough into a 8 inch long log. Then slowly roll it with your hands into a 40 inch long snake (about 1 inch in diameter). Then, flatten it out with your fingers, so it is about 4 inches wide. Then twist the dough rope with your hands (it should look like a ringlet of dough. . . if you have questions check here. Wind the rope on your silpat like a snail and allow to rise for another hour (or so). Brush egg wash over the top.

Cream Cheese Filling

4 ounces of cream cheese, softened

1/8 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

pinch of salt

1 tsp lemon zest

1/2 egg (I broke my egg in a separate bowl, beated it a bit, and then poured about half of it in my cream cheese mixture)

splash of vanilla

Beat these ingredients together and spread over the top of your bread dough round (or snail). Leave about an inch around the edge of bread that doesn't have cream cheese mixture.

Strussel

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp. sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

3 tbsp cold butter

Combine ingredients in a bowl and cut the butter into it with a fork (or use a food processor to make it go quicker) until it nice and crumbly. Pour over the top of cream cheese mixture, but all the way to the edges.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

When it is cool, make a powdered sugar glaze (powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla) and drizzle over the top.