Thursday, May 16, 2013

Prepared Pantry Article



 How to Make Hamburger Buns and Sandwich Rolls – Hamburger Bun Recipe
By Dennis Weaver

How to Make Hamburger Buns and Sandwich Rolls
(with a Salted Water Roll or Other Bread Mix or with a Recipe)
Consider making your own hamburger buns or sandwich rolls for that next picnic or family outing,. They are easy and so much better than what you buy from the stores.
Our Salted Water Roll Mix makes fantastic burger buns and sandwich rolls but you can use any bread mix or bread recipe.  The Salted Water Roll Mix comes with a packet of black and white sesame seeds plus Pink Himalayan Salt to put on the top of the buns and that is a very nice touch.  The salt adds a nice spark to your burgers.  If you use another mix or recipe, consider adding coarse salt to your buns.
  1. Mix the bread according to the package directions or recipe. If you are using your bread machine, set the machine on the “dough” setting so that the machine will mix your bread for you, let it rise and then beep when it is time to bake.
    If you are making bread the old-fashioned way, follow the directions and let the bread rise in an oiled bowl as you would for other bread mixes or recipes.
    If you are using the Salted Water Roll Mix, you can skip the first rise step and immediately form your rolls and place them on the pan.
  2. Divide the dough into eight equal pieces. If you are using a two-loaf mix or recipe, divide the dough into 16 pieces.
  3. Form a round or oval roll with each piece. Place them on a greased baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with room to expand. With the flat of your hand, flatten each roll. The elasticity in the dough will tend to make the rolls spring back. Let the dough relax for a few minutes and press a second time.
  4. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap or a proofing bag and let rise until doubled—45 minutes to an hour or so depending on the mix and the room temperature.  Salted Water Rolls will not get as puffy as most mixes or recipes.
  5. If you put seeds or seeds and salt on your rolls, whisk with a fork one egg with one tablespoon of water. Just before baking, brush the tops and sides with the wash and then sprinkle with seeds. The wash will keep the seeds in place.
  6. Bake the rolls at 350 degrees for about fifteen minutes or until done. Immediately remove them to a wire rack to cool.  Serve them fresh.  Day old rolls are not nearly as good.
The Story of the Salted Water Rolls
The original salted water rolls came from Delaware.  Once the rolls were formed, they were dipped in boiling salt water.  They were then topped with seeds and coarse salt and baked.  The resulting rolls were soft and moist but a little chewy–like a bagel but not nearly as dense and firm.  They have a slight pretzel-like flavor.
To develop this mix, we worked with an old baker from Delaware that worked in one of these bakeries.  He said that water rolls were their best-selling product.
If we were going to have a successful commercial product, one that sold well not just tasted good, we knew that we were going to have to eliminate the boiling water step.  We worked for months in development to get there.  In the process, we discovered that we didn’t have to let the dough rise twice like with other breads.  That was a real advantage, cutting out a step and prep time.  It made it an easy mix for casual bakers at home.
For trials, we made dinner rolls, sandwich and burger buns, and loaves.  We took the baked products to the store, gave them to customers, and asked them what they thought.  (We even tried making the bread in a bread machine but we never could get it quite right.)
Finally, we had a product.
We hope you enjoy this mix as well as we do.  It’s equally versatile as a sandwich bread, as dinner rolls, and as sandwich and burger buns.
Bake everything better. 
Get a free copy of How to Bake: The Art and Science of Baking.  It’s a great reference book with great recipes and 318 pages.  Choose PDF, Kindle, Nook, or I-Pad.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Top 10 Reasons I Want To Lose 15 lbs. & A Running Update


Weigh In:  April 1st. 2013

Weigh In: May 1st. 2013

Since my April 1st and March 1st weigh ins I’m discouraged but I'm not giving up.  I can’t seem to summon the will power to stick to my self prescribed daily calorie allotment for more than about 4 days.  Which is why I am stuck at ~140 lbs. My husband’s 20 year class reunion is the week of the 4th of July. Our sprint triathlon is that same week and our marathon is three weeks after that.  I do not have much time left.  I have to get back to basics. And, I guess I am going to have to take this day by day like I did last year.  I might have to do it this way every year for the rest of my life and I am OK with that because I like making plans and setting goals. The very act motivates me.
I have until July 1st to get back to 125 lbs. That gives me 7 weeks with ~15 lbs. to lose.  This is totally doable but I have to start right now and I have to make a plan and stick to it!

Plan:

-Eat no more than 1200 calories per day. (Unless,  you have a really hard work out or on your extra long run days. For these days approximate how much you will burn and eat accordingly).
-Write down everything you eat and tally the calories each day (You want to be able to spot the problem if you are not losing).
-Weigh in every Monday morning.
-Bring back chart to log calorie intake and workouts for the next 7 weeks.
-Log water intake (drink at least 80oz. per day, more on running days).
-Post Reasons on Fridge Door, Pantry Door, and Peanut Butter Jar!

Top 10 Reasons I want to Lose 15 lbs. By July 1st:

#1) To look amazing at Ben’s HS reunion!
#2) To make running easier (Running 26.2 miles will be more comfortable if I lose 15 lbs).
#3) I never did buy that summer dress for reaching my goal last year (I am going to get it this year!)
#4) To just plain feel good physically and mentally.
#5) To get rid of the little 15 lb. muffin top I have developed.
#6) To get back into (and feel confident in) a bathing suit again (I did last summer).
#7) To set a goal and accomplish it!
#8) To support my husband with his diet and fitness goals.
#9) To be an example for my husband, children, and anyone who may read this and be struggling themselves.
#10) To make climbing that dang pole just a little bit easier!

Some of these may sound a little petty.  Health and wellness is always my first priority. But it doesn’t hurt to be a little vain at times.

Last year at this time I weighed in at 137 lbs.


For some reason I just love the view at this segment on one of our runs. It is about 2 miles from my house (so about 2 miles into a run).  I love watching the seasons change in these farm fields!
Here are some previous run pics from last year.

We are on track with our marathon training schedule.  We have a book we are using as a loose guide. But mostly we are just trying to log 20 to 25 miles per week including 1 long run (upping "it" by 1 mile each week). Today we are going for a 12 mile run. This is the scenery I get to look foreword to, only it will not be that green yet.

If you wanted lose weight what would your reasons be?