Baking Secrets from the Manor

Port Angeles, Washington is known as the gateway to Olympic National Park. It could also be known as the city of ‘most delicious breakfasts’ thanks to the owners of Maitland Manor luxury boutique hotel. Owned and run by Sydney and Alex Rubin, who took their media backgrounds and applied them to the travel industry. Add Syd’s love, and propensity, for baking. It wasn’t long before their guests were savoring breakfast treats, complimenting the offerings, and asking for recipes.

“I realized there were five things that made making breakfast easier. I like sleeping so getting up at 2 in the early morning to hit the kitchen…it just wasn’t gonna happen. I looked at the processes involved and changed how I did things, and now I’m sharing that,” said Syd. “You can use them if you want to make any of the recipes from the website.”

Syd has a new title: The Breakfast Maven, born from preparing years of morning meals. Here are five secrets you can use to eat like a king or queen without any stress according to The Breakfast Maven herself.

1 – You can serve fresh-from-the-oven pastries for breakfast without getting up at 2am.

Three words – freezer yeasted dough. Cinnamon rolls and other sweet morning treats use yeasted dough that can be frozen. Roll the dough, shape, then freeze. You’ll have individual servings ready to enjoy. When ready, take each piece, cover with plastic wrap, and put them in the fridge to defrost. Night before, set on the counter and the next morning, they’ve risen and can be popped into the oven. Voila. Beauty sleep and hot-out-of-the-oven breakfast!

2-Use Vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract

If you haven’t discovered the difference using vanilla paste makes in your baked goods, you’re in for a lovely treat! Vanilla bean paste is a thick, concentrated blend of ground vanilla beans, and what is essentially vanilla extract, typically with a thickener added. Available online and it won’t break the budget.

3 – Make cookies in bulk (yes you can eat cookies for breakfast)

Instead of making a single batch of cookies, double or even triple your recipe. Form the dough into balls ready for baking and lay them out on a single layer of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and pop into the freezer until solid. Label a container or large zip top bags with the item name, date prepared, and baking instructions and fill it with frozen balls of dough. Then, take out one, five, or dozens when you need them. Bake them according to your recipe, directly from the freezer and into the oven!

4 – Brown butter is your friend

Browned butter is made by cooking unsalted butter over medium heat until the water evaporates and the milk solids toast and turn a lovely shade of brown. When done right, it has a decidedly nutty aroma and flavor. In baked goods, it adds a depth and richness so special, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do this before. It does take a little time on the stove, and you’ll want to be very careful not to go too far, into burnt territory. The secret from the Maitland Manor kitchen is that we make it in larger quantities and freeze it in weighed out amounts once its cooled and solidified. You can even pour it into a silicone ice cube tray to keep in the freezer if you want to throw it into a gravy or sauté some veggies with it. For cookies and cakes, it’s a game changer. Try it and see.

5 – Fresh baked croissants without actually making croissants

At Maitland Manor we always make croissants from scratch, which is a fussy three-day process. However. If you want a baked-from-the-oven almond croissant in under 30 minutes, you can. Buy full size or mini croissants. Let them sit for a day or two. Meanwhile, make almond paste (frangipane) which is easier than it sounds and make simple syrup. Note – you can add rum or brandy to the syrup. When ready, cut the croissant in half and, using a pastry brush, coat the cut sides with the syrup. Then spread your premade frangipane onto the bottom cut side. Close the croissant and gently flatten the top with your hand. Spread more frangipane on the top then dip into a pan of sliced almonds. Put on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, keeping an eye to make sure it doesn’t get too dark. Rest for 5 minutes. Arrange on a plate and dust with powdered sugar. Voila! You are the hero of the day. And you don’t have to tell anyone you didn’t make those from scratch!