Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
4 ounces (113 g) cream cheese
1/4 cup (2 oz / 56.5 g) melted unsalted butter
1 cup (3 oz / 85 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon (0.25 oz / 7 g) vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon (0.25 oz / 7 g) lemon or orange extract, or 1 teaspoon (0.25 oz / 7 g) lemon juice or orange liqueur
Pinch of salt
Preparation
Combine the cream cheese, butter, and sugar in a mixing bowl. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 2 minutes. If mixing by hand, stir vigorously for 2 to 4 minutes. The ingredients should be evenly incorporated and smooth. Add the vanilla, lemon extract, and salt and mix on medium speed, or continue mixing by hand, for about 1 minute, until the ingredients form a smooth paste. Increase the speed to medium-high or stir more vigorously for about 20 seconds to fluff up the glaze. Once the buns have cooled for 5 minutes, use an offset spatula or a table knife to spread on however much glaze you’d like. Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator; any unused glaze will keep for up to 2 weeks.
"Reprinted with permission from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day: Fast and Easy Recipes for World-Class Breads by Peter Reinhart, copyright © 2009. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc." Photo credit: Leo Gong © 2009
Peter Reinhart is a baking instructor and faculty member at Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was the cofounder of Brother Juniper's Bakery in Santa Rosa, California, and is the author of seven books on bread baking, including Crust and Crumb, the 2002 James Beard Cookbook of the Year and IACP Cookbook of the Year, The Bread Baker's Apprentice, and the 2008 James Beard Award-winning Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads.
