Caramel apple buns

On transitions and the "F" word

Welcome to September. The newsletter has been a little quiet but now that we’re back to baking season I’ll pick up the pace. There were a couple bakes that you should consider if you missed them over the summer: The spiced doughnuts are perfect for cooler days and the sourdough baguettes have been my crusty staple in recent months. So let’s get baking.

In Vermont, summer is a catnap of a season. Wedged between a muddy spring and September frosts, you might shriek the “F” word in late August when you realize what isn’t left of summer. And when I say “F,” I mean fall. While autumn is my favorite time of year, crisp mornings can come with a side of sadness as we say goodbye to golden summer and stare into the winter tunnel.

This year, the season brought more changes than usual. We moved not one but two kids into college housing for the first time. Our youngest, Arlo, is still here but there is a space — a hole in the house — that’s unsettling.

So, between checking on the college students and enjoying a little less rain, I’m chasing the best parts of fall to lure me into the season.

Enter the apple. A late spring frost put the hurt on many of Vermont’s orchards, but last weekend I was invited to pick some unmaintained trees that were heavy with dense, tart apples of an unknown variety.

I know there are folks who spend time hunting the best apple for baking. That’s not me. I use what’s in season and expect the variety (and baking qualities) to change from early Paula Reds to the Pomme Gris and cider apples of late October. I’ve never made anything with baked apples and wished I’d chosen a different variety: I just don’t think that’s possible.

From apple pie to hand pies, bread pudding with chunks of apple (and whiskey glaze), and simple sauce cooked on the woodstove, apples have been in my DNA since I was a kid in the 70s going to Appletown in Lincoln, Arkansas for bags of Jonathans.

This recipe picks from my favorite elements of apple treats — the warming spices, the glistening filling, the jammy fruit cooked with skins on — and crosses them all to create the beat-all, end-all cinnamon roll version of warm apple pie and ice cream. To the traditional fall spices I’ve added a bit of black pepper. Soft chunks of bright jammy apple and brown sugar sauce meld together with a custard topping that fills in the cracks of each bite. It’s a hug in a mouthful. I’ll take the embrace.

These transitions are hard. Teetering between was and will be, half of me wishes for stasis while the other runs between hopeful and hopeless. This year I found myself looking at pictures from a decade ago: a time when the kids fit in my arms on the first day of school. As they fledge I know that their leaving — their expansion into a world that is theirs — is the only, best path. But here I am in their wake with a painful space. So I pick apples, bake buns, and do my best to savor the season. I hope that you, too, can find things this fall to get ex-cidered about. Be well, y’all.

Martin

Caramel apple buns

All-purpose flour, 302g
Whole wheat flour, 16g
Salt, 10g (1.5 t)
Yeast, instant, 10g (1 T)
Water, warm, 48g
Eggs, large, *room temperature,* 105g (two large)
Honey, 32g
Butter, unsalted, soft, 73g

Add everything to the bowl of a stand mixer* fitted with a dough hook and mix on medium (about speed 4) for 10 minutes. The mixture will be soft and still somewhat weak at the end of mixing. Place the dough into a greased container (a 2 qt is perfect) where it will rise for about 90 minutes. While the dough rises, make the jammy apples.
*Note that hand mixing works, too. Stir to combine, knead in the bowl, then fold four times in 30 minutes before leaving untouched to rise until doubled, about 60 to 90 minutes.)

Jammy apple filling

Apples, 625g, cubed into 1/2" to 3/4" pieces (about 725g of apples should yield around 625g or so once cleaned, depending on the variety)
Butter, unsalted, 40g (Note that US bakers will use exactly one stick for the whole recipe.)
Cinnamon, 2g (1 t)
Black pepper, 2g, (1 t)
Salt, fine, 3g (1/2 t)
Lemon juice, 15g (1 T or 1 t cider vinegar)
Whiskey or vanilla, 15g (1 T)
Brown sugar, 100g (1/2 cup)

Add everything to a large sauté pan over medium heat. Stir and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. The liquid will thicken and bubble as the apples soften slightly. One note here is that different apples will soften to differing degrees. A soft early apple will soften more fully than a firmer or late season variety. For a softer, jammier version, cook the apples until fork tender. For apples that retain more body, stop the cooking while the centers are still firm.

Remove and pour into either a 9" by 9" pan, 10" cake pan, or any other pan with a similar volume. Spread the mixture evenly then compress gently to flatten the surface.

Brown sugar, 100g (½ cup)
Cinnamon, 6g (2 t)
Water and a pastry brush for brushing the dough

At the end of proof the dough should be puffy, marshmallowy, and roughly doubled in size. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and dust the top with flour. Gently pat then roll the dough into a rectangle, roughly 18" by 12", with the long side running parallel to the work surface. As you work, dust the top surface with additional flour and invert the dough as necessary to prevent sticking.

After rolling, evenly distribute the brown sugar then sprinkle the cinnamon, leaving roughly 1” of dough untopped at the edge closest to you.

To roll up the dough, beginning at the side furthest from you, roll towards yourself, tensioning the dough as you roll. When the dough is almost to the leading edge, brush the dough with water to help it adhere, then press to seal. Cut into 12 1.5” pieces.

Place the pieces atop the cooled apple mixture and press to flatten slightly.

Set in a warm spot to proof for 75 to 90 minutes or until visibly risen.

Towards the end of proof, preheat the oven to 425°. If you prefer, you may bake on a baking stone for best results. Just be sure to fully preheat the stone before baking.

Bake the rolls for 28 to 32 minutes. At the end of baking the rolls should be a deep mahogany color on top. *While the rolls bake, make the custard sauce.* (Recipe below.)

At the end of the bake depan the rolls. Line a half sheet tray with a clean sheet of parchment or wax paper.

Place the parchment and then the half sheet tray upside-down atop the roll pan then flip everything, holding the pans together.

Remove the pan from the top of the rolls. Note that sometimes a bit of the apple mixture will stick. If that happens, simply remove the apple with an offset spatula and patch the inverted rolls where the apple is thin. Nobody will know.

Crème Anglaise

Milk, whole, 227g
Egg yolks, 35g (two large yolks, roughly)
Sugar, granulated, 66g
Whiskey or vanilla, 10g (2 t)
Cornstarch, 2.5g (1 t)
Salt, 1g (big pinch)

Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. In a small bowl whisk the egg yolks, sugar, whiskey, cornstarch, and salt until smooth.

Once the milk is simmering carefully pour half into the egg yolk mixture, whisking to combine. Return the mixture to the saucepan and whisk to combine, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens very slightly. It will not set like pastry cream, we’re only looking for a soft set that coats the back of a spoon. For the smoothest custard, strain after cooking and reserve until use.

Serve the rolls and crème anglaise while still warm. For anything that you don’t finish, cover well and reheat on day two in a low oven until warmed through or (and this is my favorite method), microwave individual rolls for 20 seconds and drizzle the cold custard sauce straight from the fridge.

Happy fall and thanks as always to Posie Brien for her edits and support. And thanks also to you, dear readers, for coming along.

XO,

Martin