40 Minute Hamburger Buns

I will admit, I made these for the first time tonight.  I was out of hamburger buns, but I wanted to make hamburgers.  So, I did a quick search and found this recipe.  It was a hit.  Very similar to store-bought buns, but without all the icky chemicals.  Very simple, very good flavor, and fast to make.  I think if I make these again though, I will make 14, and roll them a little flatter, so that there is a better bun-to-burger ratio.

My only change, was to use my stand mixer to mix the dough.  I started with the dough hook and let it mix up, then put it on 4 for about 5 minutes, adding in a little flour here and there as necessary.  Otherwise, this recipe was perfect.

Homemade Granola Bread

When I saw this recipe in Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, I was a bit skeptical at first. But, the homemade granola looked easy enough, and modifiable to my liking, so I figured I'd try the bread out at the same time.

I made up a batch of granola (which I couldn't stop munching on while it was cooling). I did modify it a touch though...I left out the sesame seeds and dried fruits (keeping the raisins), and I used sliced almonds in place of the pecans. It turned out very good. I mixed up a batch of the bread dough, let it rise, and stuck it in the fridge overnight.

This morning, I shaped the dough into my loaf pan, realized that the instructions for the egg wash weren't included, checked online for them (just to be sure), did the egg wash and sprinkled with more granola (took a few more bites of granola, mmmm), and then popped it into the oven. Hopefully it rose long enough, though it seemed like it could have gone longer. I went by sight more than timing, and it "looked" like it was doubled in size, so we'll see.

The bread cooked up beautifully, and tastes very good. I don't have any pictures at the moment, but hopefully a little later. The only thing this bread needs is a little butter and cinnamon sugar, but I'm out of butter so that will have to wait.

Eggs In Toast

I've been looking at some of the recipes for Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, as well as perusing their website, and when I saw this recipe, I got excited. These look so tasty, and simple, and if you've already got the dough and eggs onhand, you're in luck. These Eggs in Toast looked so tasty I knew I had to try them.

I started out with my dough. Being that it's a wetter dough than most yeast breads, it can be a little tricky to work with. I covered my counter in waxed paper (I hate cleaning dough off my counter), floured it, and rolled out the dough. It rolled out nicely, but when I tried to pick up some of the squares I had cut for the recipe, they were a little sticky. I managed to get them up thanks to the waxed paper, and then put them into the prepared muffin cups. By the time I finished all the squares (I made more than 6, I just used what was left of my last batch of dough), the first ones were puffing up a bit already. I just pushed them down again, tossed cheese in the bottoms of each cup, and then came the eggs. Some of the eggs had a little more volume than I had room for in my cups, so hopefully the mess won't be too much... I topped them off with cheese and now I'm waiting for them to come out of the oven. So far, they smell really good. 4 minutes left....


Mmmm.... Tasty :) These turned out great, and the kids love them too. I wish I had some bacon though. That would make these even better.

I think next time though, to avoid overspill, I will make them with scrambled eggs. Maybe I'll even add in some frozen shredded potatoes with onions and peppers. The kids would go nuts over that :)

Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

I recently acquired a book titled Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. It is amazing! I made up my first batch of the master dough in only a few minutes, and after some rising time, made a beautiful loaf of dough the next day that tasted like a beautifully aged sourdough. The concept of the breads in the book are so easy that anyone can make these, even without experience. I am planning on teaching my 8 year old daughter how to make this dough, and possibly even my son, if he's interested. I will try to take pictures of the next loaf I bake, but it disappears so quickly it's hard to catch it!