Oh wow, a real beauty, right? Well, cruffins do look a million bucks and are somewhat sophisticated but in reality, this cruffin is actually quite simple to make! Really really delicious too! Have you ever made cruffins or a cruffin? If you didn't yet, it is time to make one immediately.
What is a Cruffin?
This is a very good question. I will explain as I am pretty sure this is not a dictionary word yet but might become one super soon, it absolutely should!
Cruffin or cruffins are a hybrid or a cross between a croissant and a muffin. It can be made in a giant one ( just like I did here in this recipe) or, it can be made into little ones and baked into a muffin tray. Either way, it is something super delicious and absolutely worth making.
The first-ever known cruffin recipe was created in 2013 by Kate Reid of Lune Croissanterie in Melbourne, Australia but later was made popular by Holmes Bakehouse, from San Francisco who also trademarked it in 2016.
Cruffins come in the shape of a muffin and has got flakey layers of these "laminated" brioche dough give it the pull-apart texture of a croissant. The beauty of this is that you will never really know how it will look until the last minute when the handsome comes out of the oven.
I have not added tonnes of butter to mine. I always say that something soaked in butter you'd have once in a while in a pastry shop but when you make it at home for you and your family it has to be a healthier version.
To me, homemade means healthy or much healthier than the high street stuff, whatever that is.
Yes, every now and then we can go wild but not often if we want to keep a healthy line and lifestyle.
Cruffins can also be made with a pasta machine. Here's how.
How to make a cruffin healthier?
- cut the sugar amount;
- cut the butter amount and even replace it with olive oil or coconut oil;
- serve with a nice homemade probiotic drink like kefir or homemade yoghurt;
- use healthier flour variety such as a blend of spelt and wholemeal.
Quick cruffin recipe
Cutting corners for quickness is allowed every now and then and if you are in a real hurry and have no time at all to make your own croissant pasty, here's one solution!
Make it with puff pastry or crescent roll dough. Just coat it with sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle some nuts and there you have it.
What an amazing breakfast recipe this could be! Ready in a jiffy too! Add some ice cream and make it the most amazing dessert you could think of. Quick and heavenly.
How to serve this?
It is best to have for breakfast with coffee or a good fat glass of kefir or served at tea time with an elegant cup of tea and a good chat with a close friend.
If you are searching for a recipe that will not take long to make, it is a lot healthier and it looks an absolute treat, here's exactly that.
Ingredients:
- spelt flour or any mixed organic flour you have or fancy
- dry yeast but fresh yeast will also be great to use - you will need approx 1oz/30g per kg of flour
- yogurt or buttermilk - this is very important to be used at room temperature
- milk - you may use dairy or any plant based milk like coconut milk or almond milk
- browned butter - regular melted butter is also okay but browned butter will give more flavor
- egg plus one yolk and keep one eggwhite to eggwash it
- salt - please do not forget, it adds flavor
- vanilla powder - I used organic vanilla powder but you may use any form of vanilla
Gluten-free cruffin
If you want it gluten-free it's easy to achieve, simply use gluten-free flour - it will not be quite the same but still very good.
Heavenly Cruffin Recipe
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- knife
- bowl
- kitchen towel
- tin
- parchment paper
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 kg spelt flour (8⅓ cups) mixed organic * (see notes)
- 15 g yeast dry *
- 230 ml yoghurt (1 cup) or buttermilk (room temperature)
- 500 ml milk (2.11 cups)
- 150 ml browned butter (keep 6-8 tbsp aside)
- 1 large egg plus one yolk keep and use the eggwhite to eggwash
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla powder
For the filling
- 100 g cane sugar (½ cup) plus 4 tbsp extra to mix with butter and vanilla
- 6 tbsp browned butter (3 fl oz)
- 2 tbsp cinnamon powder Ceylon organic (the best)
- 2 tbsp icing sugar powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Prepare a round loose bottom tin (18-20cm -8-10 in) by greasing and placing parchment paper on the bottom.
- Take a cup or a mug out and place the yeast in with 1/4 cup of lukewarm water and a tablespoon of sugar. Mix well until the sugar and yeast have dissolved. Set aside for 10-15 minutes until this starts to bubble up.
- Place the spelt flour into a larger glass bowl (you may sieve it but it is not a must) and make a well in the middle of it. Pour in the yeast sugar and water mixture into the well. Add the remaining ingredients apart from the browned sugar.
- Knead the dough gently and after 10-12 minutes of kneading, add the browned or the melted butter whilst you carry on energetically kneading the dough. You may do this using a free-standing mixer like Kitchen Aid.
- Form a ball with the dough, place it into a glass bowl and cover with cling film or a clean kitchen towel. Place in a nice warm corner of the kitchen, a sunny one will be a real bonus as this will prove nicely.
- Allow it to prove for at least one hour if warm or two hours if your kitchen isn't so warm.
- Once prooving has been done, split the dough into two equal parts. Set one aside. Roll out one part into a sheet using the rolling pin. Make it as thin as you possibly can.
- With the help of a brush, brush uniformly half of the browned butter on the dough sheet, sprinkle some cinnamon powder, half of the cane sugar (50g) and roll as tight as you possibly can.
- With the help of a knife, cut the cruffin roll into two leaving the starting end uncut. start rolling it from one end and finish at the other end.
- Place the first cruffin roll into the prepared tin. Sprinkle some toasted walnuts over and also in between when you roll it if you wish.
- Repeat the exact process with the second part of the dough making it into a second roll. Place over the first roll.
- Allow it to rest and prove again for at least 40 minutes depending on how warm your kitchen is, let it rest until has almost doubled in size. Eggwash before placing in the oven and sprinkle some more walnuts if you wish.
- Heat the oven for 20 minutes before placing the cruffin in the oven. The oven has to be fairly hot when the cruffin goes in for baking.
- Bake for 5-7 minutes at 200°C/400°F and then lower the temperature to 180°C/350°F for approximately 40 minutes. Di the toothpick test and if this comes out clean your cruffin is ready. It should be pretty nice and browned too.
- Take out of the oven, remove from the tin pretty much immediately and place on a cooling rack. Dust with some icing sugar and serve.
Amy says
Oh that's heavenly alright! Looks amazing!
Alexandra says
This is such a wonderful sweet treat! Perfect for my festive table.
Addie says
This is such a delicious recipe!
Julia says
Wow these are delicious!
Jean says
so heavenly! I like that I can have it anytime of the day! Such a great dessert and breakfast to have.
Megan Ellam says
These look incredible!
Oscar says
Omg these were so good. Why I’ve I never made these before. Great recipe.
Kristina says
Loved it!
Andrea White says
Love it! So good!
Chef Dennis says
This was really scrumptious! Very satisied.