Slightly Off-Topic... Make Artisan Breads in 5 Minutes!!!

[Deejo]

Thanks Misha.  Sounds like a good idea.

My other thought was to make up a half batch of "Soft American" bread.    The next time we have hamburgers (which isn't as often as Rick would like), I'll give your suggestion a try - and will report back.

Dee

[JB]

For those of you who make/have made the bread in a loaf pan--what do you do with the stone? I know it's optional.

Do you leave your stone in the oven and put the loaf on another rack?  On the stone itself?  Take the stone out?

JB

[psh]

Have any of you come up with a way to use the usual recipes to make hamburger buns?  I like my bread to have a nice crisp crust, but I think I'd prefer to have a softer HB bun.

Dee

Here is a recipe that I've made for many years that should be good for hamburger buns. The recipe says to use a ball of dough about the size of a golf ball, but for hamburger buns, I'd start out using balls of dough about twice the size of golf balls and adjust it to get to the size of bun you want. When I make the recipe, I use half bread flour and half whole-wheat flour.

Refrigerator Rolls

Ingredients:
•   2 cups warm water
•   ½ cup sugar
•   2 packages yeast (or 1 ½ Tablespoons dry yeast)
•   ½ cup olive oil
•   2 teaspoons salt
•   2 eggs
•   6 cups flour

Mix water, and sugar together.
Sprinkle yeast on top of water and let it sit for several minutes until bubbly.
Add the oil, salt and eggs.
Stir in the flour and mix well.
Cover the mixing bowl and place in refrigerator until ready to use.

Form into balls a little larger than golf balls and arrange on a cookie sheet.
Cover with a clean towel and allow to rise in a warm place for about 2 hours.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 to 12 minutes.

Makes about 16 rolls

[Deejo]

Thanks Psh.  I appreciate the input.

I'm always willing to try something different.

Dee

[milabeth]

For those of you who make/have made the bread in a loaf pan--what do you do with the stone? I know it's optional.

Do you leave your stone in the oven and put the loaf on another rack?  On the stone itself?  Take the stone out?

JB

I take the stone out so it won't crack the loaf pan - mine is glass - or put it on another shelf.  I am on vacation and about to make a batch of bread to eat while we are here.

[JB]

Thanks Mila.  I'm getting ready to put a light/whole wheat in the oven.

Interesting Tip:  I read this on the authors' website while looking for an answer to a question.  Some ovens don't trap steam properly (and some people have had their stones break if water touches it).  A trick around pouring a glass of water in the broiler pan is to cover the bread with a large/deep aluminum lasagna type pan.  You leave it on for 10-15 minutes at the beginning, then take it off for the remainder of cooking.  I might try this since I'm not sold that enough steam is in my oven.

JB

[Deejo]

Thanks for the tip, JB.

Please let us know how it works.  I don't like pouring water in the broiler pan; I'm afraid I'll spill some and I KNOW water & electricity are not friends.

Dee

[psh]

Well, I made hamburger buns with the Refrigerator Roll recipe mentioned above. Imagine that, all these years of baking these rolls and I never thought of making larger rolls for hamburger buns. You will all have to try it. I have never had burger buns that tasted so great. They were still warm when I placed the patties on the buns.

Next step is to try to make hotdog buns. 

Philip

[Flapam]

It is BLAZING hot here in Florida this week, ( and for the past who can count the number of weeks), so I decided to try the flatbread recipie that is currently featured on the Artistan Bread In 5 Min website.  WOW, it was better than I could have imagined!  You don't even have to rest the dough, you just roll it out on a floured peal and slap it on the outdoor gas grill for 2 min , Lid down on high heat, flip it and lid down for another two minutes.  Talk about instant gratification.  I served it with some homemade white bean and roasted red pepper dip, and some olive tapenade, both of which require no cooking.  The perfect meal on a hot florida night.  Give this a try, you won't be disappointed.  My husband, who has never liked a flat bread in his life, went back for more.

[tamaleking]

I *really* need that recipe for "white bean and roasted red pepper dip." Can you share?

Kathy
~the tamalekings in OKC~

[Flapam]

Happy to share...Original credit to Gormet Magazine, Oct. 2002

Makes about 1 1/2 cups


1 cup drained bottled roasted red peppers (8 oz) rinsed and drained.  This is what the original recipe calls for, but I imagine if you have a plethora of peppers on the vine you could roast those and peal off the skin before  adding.  The jared ones are a nice soft consistancy, so that is what you need to shoot for

1 cup drained while beans, 6 oz rinsed.   Note: Just I use the small white beans, not the big ones.  Also, this number of 6 ounces does not seem correct, although I took it right off the original page.  It is a regualr standard size can of beans, which I would think to be closer to 16 oz. 

1/2 cup or so of course fresh (not dry or stale) white bread crumbs.  I use either my homemade boule or a good italian bread  from the bakery section of the store.  (Don't use plain old 'wonder' type sandwich bread as it will not have the texture you need).  I just pull it apart with my hands in to some small chunky bits before putting it in the food processor.

1 1/2 teaspons chopped flat anchovies.  I have left out when my vegetarian friends are coming or I am out of anchovies.  Just add an extra bit of salt in its' place.

1/4 cup exta virgin olive oil.  No substitute for good oil.

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:
tear the bread into bits and put in a food processor.  Give it a quick pulse and then dump everything else in and puree until smooth.  This is a super easy go to recipe that I use for most every party I have.

Enjoy,
Pam

[tamaleking]

Pam - Thank you! Sounds wonderful and looks easy enough to try this weekend!

Kathy
~the tamalekings in OKC~

[gardendoc]

Already opened a Christmas gift, a real cool bread knife and cutting board from Mountain Woods.  http://www.mountainwoods.com/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/29.htm

[Kamisha100]

That's an awesome set Gardendoc!
I have been looking for a pan that will help me make uniform round sandwhich loafs. Has any one run across something like that?  The majority of my bread has been made for sandwiches and we both love crust so I make little hamburger bun like loafs. I have still not been able to control the size and sometimes end up with way to big of a sandwhich. This is no problem for the husband, but for me just to much.


Is anyone else out there As Anxious As I am to get the growing season started again?
Misha

[Deb]

Misha- Could you cut apart a tin can and use that as a mold or as a pan?  I'm thinking about something the size of that strange chop suey (do they still make that?) my mom used to feed us and try to pass off as 'special' when she didn't want to cook.  ;>  It was maybe 3.5" diameter can.  Maybe stand in the supermarket and stare at the cans...

I have a set of small spring form pans, but the smallest is close to 6".  My nephew would think that was about right, but he works hard and is only 23.  ;>

Yes, I'll be overjoyed when this holiday is behind us and I can focus on garden catalogs and !Spring!  ;>

Deb