52 | January 2013 www.womanthismonth.com Food Ingredients: 50ml milk, warm 2 eggs, room temperature 75g unsalted butter, melted 450g plain, all-purpose flour 5g salt 100g caster sugar 15g dried yeast 75g unsalted butter, softened 90g cream cheese, softened 60g unsalted butter, softened 200g icing sugar, sifted 2-3 drops vanilla extract pinch salt 210g brown sugar, lightly packed 20g cinnamon, ground Baker’s Dozen Some say the number 13 is lucky. Perhaps the thirteenth year of this millennium is based on the old belief of weights and measures, where the term ‘baker’s dozen’ originated and not so much about just pure luck. Maybe this is the year we owe to weigh up our existence; to shore up the loss of recent years. In the time of King Henry VIII, wheat was expensive and so to ensure that bakers did not sell bread too high in price or con people on the size of their loaves, bread was legally required to have a predetermined weight and price. Bakers, therefore, would often give a thirteenth loaf or roll for free to ensure that weights were never short of the required laws. Considering recent years here, I have come to think that rather than being scared of 2013 over some ancient superstition, I am optimistic that this will be an amazing year for us all — a bonus year so to speak. This is a year to add up for all the shortages we have had in recent years, when things never quite panned out as we expected. This is our ‘baker’s dozen’ year — the equaliser, the catch-up year. With the obvious reference, I have also decided to offer recipes of bread. Considering they are based on just water, flour and yeast, the staple food item comes in a wide variety of styles and types; all equally delicious. It would seem we survived the Mayans’ prophecy and have thus been relegated the task of weaving our way through yet another year, this one perhaps the baker’s dozen itself. By James Claire Brown sugar rolls l Remove the bowl and cover it with a damp cloth. Allow the mixture to double in size in a warm area. l When doubled, turn it out onto a lightly- floured surface. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. l Roll the dough into a large rectangle about 1cm in thickness. Melt the remaining butter and brush it across the entire top surface of the dough. Sprinkle the brown sugar cinnamon mixture on top. l Starting from the furthest edge away from you, roll the dough forward into a rolled log. l Cut the rolled dough into 12 even portions and place them, rolled end upward, on a baking tray, with pieces fairly close together. l Cover with a moist cloth and let rise until nearly doubled in size in a warm area. l Bake the cinnamon rolls in the oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. l While rolls are baking, beat together the cream cheese, butter, icing sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Brush this frosting on the warm rolls before serving immediately. l Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. l Place the eggs, warmed milk and the dried yeast in an electric mixer. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes. l Add the butter, the sugar, the salt and finally the flour. l Mix to a dough slowly and then mix on higher speed for 4 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.
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