BIRTHDAY WISHES!
The small pleasures of life are found in the little things. In people who make us smile, in the people who understand us even without words.
The little pleasures in life lie in the things we almost always take for granted, just assuming they will always be there. As we grow older, it has become very clear to me there are so many ‘little’ things to appreciate and be grateful for daily and what a special privilege it is to simply have each other to share life with. The little everyday things seem to take on much greater importance. Maybe it’s the state of our world at this time that has made it very clear not to take anything for granted. Throughout our married life Brion has always gone above and beyond to look after us. I am grateful to have the privilege of such a loving and caring husband.
I find this quote from Steven Aitchison so fitting, ‘If I could give you one special ability in life it would be the gift of seeing yourself through the eyes of someone who loves you …. then you would realize just how amazing you truly are’.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRION, WITH LOVE!
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- 1 cup whole milk, warmed
- 5 Tbsp (71 gm) sugar, divided
- 1 1/2 Tbsp (14 gm) active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup (113 gm) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 1/2 cups (563 gm) flour, spooned & leveled
- 2 tsp oil
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, for buttering dish
- 300 gm frozen raspberries (do not thaw)
- 1/3 cup (67 gm) sugar
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream OR use 1 1/2 cups 1/2 & 1/2 cream instead of the whole milk & heavy cream.
- 1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 tsp pure vanilla
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 60 gm cream cheese,
- 60 gm powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp milk
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
- 1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
Ingredients
Dough
Raspberry Filling
Custard
Cream Cheese Drizzle, optional
Raspberry Glaze, optional
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- Whisk the warm milk, 2 Tbsp sugar & yeast together in a bowl. Allow mixture to sit for about 5 minutes or until foamy on top.
- With a handheld mixer, beat in the remaining 3 Tbsp sugar & softened butter until it is slightly broken up. Add eggs, vanilla & salt. Beat at a medium speed until combined. The butter won’t really be mixing into the mixture, so don’t be concerned if it stays in pieces.
- Using the mixer, add 1 cup of flour making sure it’s fully incorporated, then using a fork add the remaining 3 cups, mixing the dough by hand. It should only take about 3 minutes until the dough comes together & pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Dough will be soft.
- Knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise.
- Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or use nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap & a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm place for 2 hours or until double in size.
- Butter the bottom & sides of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Punch down the dough to release the air. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface & using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 12×18-inch rectangle. Make sure the dough is smooth & evenly thick.
- In a medium bowl, toss the frozen raspberries with sugar & cornstarch. Spread the cold sugared raspberries evenly over the dough. Tightly roll up the dough to form an 18-inch long log. With an extra sharp knife or an unscented piece of floss, cut into 18 even rolls. Arrange in a buttered 9 x 13” glass baking pan.
- Cover the rolls with a buttered piece of plastic wrap & a tea towel. Allow to rise until puffy, about 20 minutes. The berries will release their juice at the bottom of the pan—this is OK.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until the yolks & whites are fully combined. Add the whole milk, heavy cream, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon & salt. Whisk until the brown sugar is dissolved & the mixture looks smooth & evenly speckled with cinnamon.
- Slowly pour the custard over the rolls in the glass baking dish, making sure to cover all the pieces so they soak up the custard. Gently press down any pieces that sit too high, so everything is lightly moistened.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Let the dish rest on the counter for 30 minutes to allow the rolls to start absorbing the sweet mixture. This short soak helps the casserole bake up custardy rather than dry.
- Place the dish on the center rack of the preheated oven & bake for 30–40 minutes, or until the top is puffed & golden brown & the custard is set in the center. A knife inserted in the middle should come out mostly clean, with no liquid custard clinging to it.
- Remove the casserole from the oven & let it cool for about 10 minutes. If using, top rolls with cream cheese drizzle followed by the raspberry glaze.
- In a small blender, place all ingredients & blend until smooth & of drizzle consistency.
- Place all glaze ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook while stirring until mixture is clear & bubbling. Remove from heat
- Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days & reheat gently in a low oven or microwave before serving.
• If you prefer a custard with a slightly lighter texture, replace the heavy cream with additional whole milk & reduce the brown sugar to ¼ cup.
• Cream cheese drizzle & raspberry glaze are purely optional. Since none of the components of the rolls are not overly sweet, adding the extra toppings still works if you choose to use them.
