Blue Chair Cooks with Jam & Marmalade

English Muffins

Brioche Mousseline

Bostock Praliné

Coconut Pain de Mie

Chocolate-Orange Babka

Quince-Date Babka Filling

Cranberry-Muscovado Babka Filling

Marmalade Kugelhopf

Jam-Filled Doughnuts

P*p Tarts

Fruited Irish Brown Bread

Buckwheat Muffins with Pear & Chocolate

Black Walnut & Caraway Scones

Banana-Fig Cake

Banana-Pecan Bread

Sesame-Apple Granola

My Apple Butter

Belgian Waffles

Spiced Belgian Waffles

Sesame-Almond Waffles

Meyer Lemon Syrup

Maple-Quince Syrup with Rosemary

Hot Buttered Apple Syrup

Black Fig & Cacao Nib Belgian Waffles

Popovers

Dutch Baby

Jamlette

Rose Water Crêpes

Coconut Jam

Jo’s Breakfast

Each night when I drift off to sleep, my mind meanders happily to the first exciting thing that is going to happen when I wake up the next morning: breakfast. Eating early sets me in motion and gives me the steady stream of energy I need to dive headfirst into the day. There is something distinctly poetic about the morning; it is the time when our senses are most open and alert. Night has ended, but the busy part of the day has not yet begun. Breakfast eases us into the day by satisfying us, before anything else can get in the way.

For me, morning food stands on its own, both jump-starting the day and sustaining me until the afternoon. That means it must have protein, a bit of richness, a lot of whole grains, or the ability to be paired with something (such as nut butter and jam) that will provide the necessary sustenance.

Morning is the most obvious time of day for jam, so I have included a wide array of recipes here. Some are for pairings, and several incorporate jam in unusual ways. Some, such as Marmalade Kugelhopf (here), can be made on the weekend and enjoyed throughout the week, while others, such as Popovers (here), must be made right when you are going to eat them. If you are planning a brunch, you can feature the recipes from this section alongside bacon and eggs or as part of a larger meal incorporating savory recipes such as Tomato Sausage Frittata (here) or Black Beans & Pumpkin with Chiles & Orange (here). Whether at breakfast or brunch, a steaming mug of tea or coffee and a bowl of fresh fruit are the natural accompaniments to the items in this section. Above all, morning foods must be delicious and comforting. It is important to start the day off right!

BREAD & JAM

The age-old combination of bread and jam—with butter—is the most elemental and childlike of breakfasts, one that is sure to please even the most finicky of palates. Serving jam on bread is the most straightforward way of enjoying it. And, if the jam is as intensely flavored as it should be, it is a surefire way of letting the preserve shine its brightest.

Bread and jam, then, make an obvious pairing—but which bread, exactly, and with which jam? I have included a couple of classic plain breads here, but I have also teased out some more unusual and unexpected ways of combining these two basic elements. Jam may be in the bread itself, for example, or it may form just one part of a topping for the bread. Certain breads call for specific jams and marmalades. Once we start thinking about all of the potential ways to combine jam with bread, the possibilities seem endless.

One of my personal favorite ways to enjoy jam in the morning is on toast with cheese. Cheese cuts the sweetness of the jam, provides sustenance, and expertly complements the flavor of the jam. For this purpose, a firm cheese such as an Irish cheddar or a goat Gouda is ideal; mild fontina and Mexican queso fresco, though quite different from each other, are also both wonderful choices. For children, cream cheese is a perennial favorite. With firmer cheeses, the combination is even more luscious with a little butter on the hot toast under the cheese.

Another delicious way to have jam on toast is with nut butters, which now come from an ever-widening array of different nuts. Nut butters can overpower some white breads, but on sturdier breads they add a welcome flavor counterpart and a little boost of substance. Last but not least, here is one extra-special combination for a celebratory morning: lightly toasted brioche with Italian gianduja (chocolate-hazelnut spread), topped with Seville orange marmalade and a few flakes of sea salt. It is hard to imagine a better start to the day.

ENGLISH MUFFINS

MAKES 10 MUFFINS

When I think of my childhood, English muffins leap immediately to mind. In the morning, I would eat them either with butter and cinnamon sugar or with butter and jam; in the afternoon, with tomato sauce, Monterey Jack cheese, and oregano. These muffins are meant for toasting, and they keep well for several days. I adapted the techniques for the second rising and the cooking from Short and Sweet, Dan Lepard’s inspired book on British home baking. Try them slathered with butter and topped with shavings of cheddar cheese and a thin layer of brightly colored tomato jam.

1 small russet potato

1¼ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for boiling

3 tablespoons full-fat sour cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, preferably European-style, plus more for buttering

2 teaspoons sugar

1 cup boiling water

2¼ teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast

2¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 tablespoons semolina flour

Cornmeal, for dusting (optional)

Cook the potato in boiling salted water until fork-tender. Drain the potato and let it cool, then peel it and put it through a potato ricer.

In a large bowl, combine ¼ cup of the riced potato with the sour cream, butter, and sugar. Reserve the remaining potato for another use. Pour the boiling water over the potato mixture and whisk until the butter melts. Allow the mixture to cool to lukewarm (80 to 90°F). Add the yeast and whisk to dissolve it. Set the mixture, uncovered, in a warm place until foamy, about 20 minutes.

In another bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and semolina flours and the 1¼ teaspoons salt. Lightly butter a large bowl. Sprinkle a large pastry board with flour.

When the yeast mixture is foamy, add the flour mixture to it all at once and stir well to combine. Turn the dough out onto the floured board, sprinkle the dough with flour, and knead vigorously for 1 minute, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Transfer the dough to the prepared bowl and turn the dough gently to coat it with butter. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until it has expanded to the point that its surface is flat and full of bubbles, about 2 hours.

While the dough is rising, rub flour all over one side of a woven kitchen towel and shake off most of the excess. Repeat with a second towel. Place one of the towels floured side up on a countertop or kitchen table.

Sprinkle ½ cup of flour over a large pastry board. Turn the risen dough onto the board and knead the dough very briefly. Form the dough into a ball, flatten it, and flour it. Roll out the dough until it is ¾ inch thick. Using a floured 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut out circles of dough and transfer them to the floured towel. Gather up the scraps and repeat, placing the dough circles 2 inches apart.

Cover the dough with the second towel, floured side down, and let the muffins rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Put covers on 2 shallow heavy-bottomed 12-inch pans and place the pans over medium heat. As soon as the pans are hot, carefully flip the muffins one by one onto your palm and transfer the muffins to the hot pans. Lower the heat slightly, cover the pans, and cook the muffins until the undersides are golden brown, about 6 minutes. Carefully flip the muffins and cook until the second side is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Dust the muffins lightly with cornmeal, if desired. Transfer them to a rack to cool. To serve the muffins, split them crosswise with a knife or fork, toast the halves, and top them as desired.

BRIOCHE MOUSSELINE

MAKES TWO 5 BY 9-INCH LOAVES

This silky, rich dough has a higher butter content than many brioches. Freezing the dough helps the texture of the finished bread, and overproofing the leaven just a tiny bit adds a pleasing touch of sourness. This recipe takes multiple days to complete, giving you more control over the process and enabling you to bake the brioche whenever works best for you.

LEAVEN

1 cup unbleached bread flour

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

¾ cup lukewarm water (80 to 90°F)

DOUGH

3 cups unbleached bread flour, plus more for dusting

1¾ teaspoons kosher salt

3 tablespoons sugar

1½ cups (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, preferably European style, plus more for buttering

6 large eggs, cold

Egg wash (1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon heavy cream)

DAY 1 To make the leaven, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, and water in a medium bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the surface is covered in bubbles and the leaven has doubled in bulk, 50 to 55 minutes. Transfer the leaven to the refrigerator to chill until cold, at least 1 hour.

To make the dough, while the leaven is chilling, whisk the flour, salt, and sugar together in a medium bowl. Place the flour mixture in the freezer to chill until needed.

Lightly butter a large bowl. Once the leaven has chilled, cut the butter into chunks and place them in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter just until smooth. Immediately scrape the butter onto a plate and return it to the refrigerator. Proceed with the recipe right away.

Combine the cold leaven with the chilled flour mixture and the eggs in the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Run the mixer on low speed for a few moments and then increase the speed to medium. Knead on medium speed for 5 minutes. Begin adding the cold butter in little bits, flattening the bits between your fingers as you add them and waiting until each bit is almost incorporated before adding the next. Once all the butter is incorporated, transfer the dough to the prepared bowl. Sprinkle a little flour over the top and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Freeze the dough for at least several hours or up to several days, then transfer it to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.

1 OR MORE DAYS LATER Lightly butter 2 (5 by 9-inch) loaf pans. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. On a lightly floured board, roll one portion of dough into a rectangle roughly 10 by 12 inches. Roll the dough up into a tight 12-inch-long tube. Tuck the ends under and transfer the dough, seam side down, to one of the prepared pans. Repeat with the second portion of dough.

Cover the pans lightly with a woven kitchen towel and position a piece of plastic wrap loosely over the towel. Place the pans in a warm spot and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 3 hours. The loaves should look somewhat puffy but should not yet have visible bubbles.

Meanwhile, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 425°F. Carefully brush the tops of the loaves with the egg wash; do not let the wash drip down into the pans. Bake the loaves for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350°F and bake until the loaves are a deep golden brown, about another 25 minutes. Turn the loaves out onto a rack to cool. Brioche keeps well for toasting for a few days, but is best fresh and slightly warm from the oven. Slice and freeze for longer storage.

BOSTOCK PRALINÉ

SERVES 8

Bostock is a traditional French breakfast treat of day-old brioche slices baked with a topping of almond cream. It resembles an almond croissant in brioche form and is very easy to put together if you have the components on hand. For this version, I have warmed things up a bit by using praline cream instead of plain almond cream and by adding a thin layer of tart jam to the mix. Cranberry is my favorite for the holidays, but damson jam or another tart plum jam such as Greengage Jam (here) would work beautifully as well. Any extra praline cream can be kept in the refrigerator for several weeks; use it as a topping for toast, put it into a tart, toss it into a fruit crisp, or spread it between cake layers. Extra praline powder comes in very handy for all manner of desserts: Fold it into ice cream prior to churning, sprinkle it on top of ice cream, fold it into whipped cream, or work it into a fruit crisp topping. It keeps for months in a sealed container at room temperature.

PRALINE CREAM

¾ cup whole unblanched almonds

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, preferably European-style, at room temperature, plus more for buttering

½ cup sugar

½ cup powdered sugar, sifted

¾ cup Pastry Cream, made without bay leaf (From Concord Grape Fool recipe, here)

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon unbleached all purpose flour

2 teaspoons cornstarch

Large pinch of kosher salt

1 tablespoon gold rum

ASSEMBLY

8 (¾-inch-thick) slices day-old brioche

1 cup Cranberry-Apple Jam (here) or other tart jam

½ cup sliced unblanched almonds

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them for 10 minutes, or until pale golden. Transfer them to a plate to cool completely.

Line a baking sheet with a baking mat or butter the sheet. Place the sugar in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the sugar slowly, stirring once or twice with a heatproof rubber spatula, until the sugar dissolves. Continue cooking, without stirring, until the sugar turns amber in color. Turn off the heat and immediately add the toasted almonds, stirring rapidly to coat them before the caramel has a chance to harden. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, quickly scrape the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Working very quickly, press and spread the mixture into an even layer. Let the praline cool to room temperature; it will become hard and brittle as it cools. When cool, break the praline into pieces and grind them into a grainy powder in a food processor. Reserve 1 cup of the ground praline and save the rest for future use.

Cream the butter with the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Add the reserved praline powder, pastry cream, egg yolk, flour, cornstarch, salt, and rum and mix just to combine.

To assemble and bake the bostock, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Spread 1 tablespoon of the praline cream on each brioche slice. Spread 2 tablespoons of the jam over the cream, leaving a narrow border clear. Top the jam with 2 more tablespoons of praline cream. Scatter 1 tablespoon of the sliced almonds over the top. Place the brioche slices topping side up on a large rimmed baking sheet.

Bake until puffed and golden, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool to lukewarm before serving with mugs of steaming hot coffee.

COCONUT PAIN DE MIE

MAKES ONE 4 BY 8-INCH LOAF

This brilliant idea emanated from Blue Chair Fruit’s sous chef, Joann Huynh, queen of all things coconut, and was inspired by her favorite breakfast (see here). A sturdy, rich, slightly crumbly white bread, it is stellar with any perfumy jam; guava, quince, or passion fruit would work beautifully with it. For an extra-special morning treat, serve this pain de mie toasted, spread with whipped cream, and topped with homemade strawberry jam.

¼ cup virgin coconut oil, at cool room temperature, plus more for oiling

2 cups unsweetened grated coconut

1¼ cups boiling water

2¼ teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1½ tablespoons sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Whole milk, for brushing

Oil a large bowl with coconut oil and set the bowl aside. Place 1 cup of the coconut in a small bowl, add the boiling water, and stir briefly. Cover and steep for 10 minutes.

Transfer the steeped coconut mixture to a sieve placed over a medium bowl. Press down hard to extract as much coconut milk as possible. As soon as the coconut is cool enough to handle, squeeze the coconut shreds hard between your hands to capture the maximum amount of liquid. Discard the coconut shreds. You should have ¾ cup coconut milk. Allow the coconut milk to cool to 80 to 90°F.

Transfer ¼ cup of the coconut milk to a large bowl and add the yeast, whisking to combine. Let the yeast mixture rest in a warm place until the yeast has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the salt, sugar, egg, and egg yolk into the remaining ½ cup coconut milk. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and remaining 1 cup grated coconut together.

Whisk the egg mixture into the yeast mixture, then stir in the flour mixture. Gather the dough into a ball, scrape the dough onto a lightly floured board, and let rest for 3 minutes.

Knead the ¼ cup coconut oil into the dough, 1 tablespoon at a time, dusting the board lightly with more flour as needed. Continue kneading for several minutes after you have added the last of the oil, until the dough is smooth and very elastic. Transfer the dough to the large oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until the surface of the dough is covered with little bubbles and the dough has more than tripled in bulk, about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Punch down the dough and transfer it to a very lightly floured board. Knead the dough briefly until it is once again springy and smooth. Return the dough to the bowl and re-cover with the plastic wrap, leaving a little gap on one side so gas can escape. Place the bowl in a warm place and let the dough rise until nearly tripled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 425°F. Oil a 4 by 8-inch loaf pan with coconut oil. On a lightly floured board, roll the dough into a rectangle roughly 8 by 12 inches. Roll the dough up into a tight 12-inch-long tube. Tuck the ends under and transfer the dough, seam side down, to the prepared pan. Cover the dough loosely with a woven kitchen towel and position a piece of plastic wrap loosely over the towel. Place the pan in a warm spot and let rise until the dough is well above the sides of the pan, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Brush the top of the loaf lightly with milk. Bake until the top and sides are a deep golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Turn the loaf out to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

CHOCOLATE-ORANGE BABKA

MAKES THREE 8-INCH LOAVES

Babka is a glorious yeasted bread-cake flavored heavily with vanilla and swirled with thin layers of filling throughout. I have given three of my favorite fillings here, but once you get a knack for the proportions, you can create your own. I adapted the technique for making the dough from classic brioche, but sour cream, vanilla, and additional sugar give this dough a very different personality. Serve it in thick, warm slices with some strong black coffee.

LEAVEN

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 cup sifted unbleached all-purpose flour

¾ cup lukewarm water (80 to 90°F)

DOUGH

3 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon kosher salt

⅔ cup sugar

2 large egg yolks

½ cup full-fat sour cream

1½ tablespoons pure vanilla extract

1¼ cups (2½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, preferably European-style, plus more for buttering

FILLING AND ASSEMBLY

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, preferably European-style, at room temperature

¾ cup sweet or bitter orange marmalade

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao), finely chopped

1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Pinch of kosher salt

Egg wash (1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon heavy cream)

DAY 1 To make the leaven, combine the sugar, yeast, flour, and water in a medium bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the surface is covered in bubbles and the leaven has doubled in bulk, 50 to 55 minutes. Transfer the leaven to the refrigerator to chill until cold, at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, to make the dough, whisk the flour, salt, and sugar together in a medium bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sour cream, and vanilla. Place the flour mixture in the freezer and the egg yolk mixture in the refrigerator to chill until cold, at least 1 hour.

Once the leaven has chilled, cut the cold butter into chunks and place them in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter just until smooth. Immediately scrape the butter onto a plate and return it to the refrigerator. Proceed with the recipe right away.

Lightly butter a large bowl. Combine the leaven with the chilled flour and egg mixtures in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Run the mixer on low speed for a few moments, then increase the speed to medium. Knead the dough on medium speed for 5 minutes. Begin adding the cold butter in little bits, flattening the bits between your fingers as you add them and waiting until each bit is almost incorporated before adding the next. Once all the butter has been incorporated, transfer the dough to the prepared bowl. Sprinkle a little flour over the top and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Freeze the dough for at least several hours or up to several days, then transfer it to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.

1 OR MORE DAYS LATER Line 3 (8-inch) loaf pans with parchment paper. To make the filling, combine the butter, marmalade, chocolate, vanilla, and salt in a small food processor and pulse to a grainy paste. Set