I’ve been big on breakfasts lately. Anything warm that I can make the night before and re-heat in the morning is getting me through some chilly mornings. And while my coffee cake muffins have been receiving rave views (I even heard you can use vanilla yogurt with great results!), I wanted a bite of traditional coffee cake. The yeasted kind. Wait, wait! Don’t go. I need you so. I know you and yeast don’t get along. I also know that since it’s winter, you’re even less likely to have success. But I’m going to walk you through it. I tied on my little white apron and took photos of the whole process. Just consider my extreme dedication to capturing the whole process as a sign of how badly I want you to enjoy a proper yeasted coffee cake at least once. I partnered up with Fleischmann’s Yeast to bring you this photo series. They gave me a few tips with my yeast game, too. Normally, I bloom yeast in water, which means that I make sure the yeast is alive by letting it soak in warm water with a pinch of sugar for 5 minutes. If the mixture looks foamy, the yeast are alive and doing their thing. Fleishmann’s assured me that I could add their product straight to the flour, no need to proof. I was dubious, but I liked the idea of saving a step (and another dish to wash!). So, into my bowl went my flour, sugar and salt.
Next, I streamed in my instant fast-acting yeast. I also crossed my fingers behind my back for good measure.
Here’s where my game changed even more. I normally use warm water between 110-115 degrees. Fleishmann’s told me that since the yeast is already in the flour mixture, the appropriate temperature for my water was now 130-degrees. I complied.
Then, I streamed in melted butter, egg, and vanilla. All essentials for great-tasting coffee cake. I spread the dough into a 9x5" loaf pan. If for some reason up to this point, you didn’t catch that my blog is titled ‘dessert for two,’ I just want to point it out. Again. This recipe makes two servings. After baking it in a loaf pan, you cut it down the middle and enjoy it. Though, you should note that I substituted butter for the oil called for in the original recipe. Butter = better.
It’s completely okay if the dough doesn’t spread all the way to the edges of the pan. Once it rises, it will. Park it in a warm place. If your house is on the cool side (below 80), go ahead and turn on the oven to 200-degrees for 5 minutes. Turn it off, and place the dough in for it’s 45 minutes rise time. Yes, it’s kinda cheating, but it also produces perfect results.
Spread the cinnamon streusel all over the risen dough. Then, pop it in the oven to bake for 30 minutes. When it’s done, the house will smell lovely, and the coffee cake will look like this:
Slice it in two, drizzle it with a vanilla glaze, and enjoy!
