Cookaholics Bulletin Board

For any of you out there who are fellow cookware/bakeware fiends, I got 2 homemade hamburger bun pans from KAF for my birthday recently and used one for the first time yesterday, and they are REALLY neat. Of course they aren't remotely necessary to make homemade rolls for burgers or sandwiches, and if you're of a practical nature, they would (justifiably) seem totally frivolous. But they really did make it easy and the end result was absolutely fabulous. Plus, even if they weren't a gift, I think I could actually justify the expense in the long run because the ingredient cost of 6 buns was literally about 30 cents!

I didn't even serve them with good burgers or something homemade -- had some Jack Daniels BBQ I'd bought at Costco and so that's what I put between the buns, so to speak. Didn't even have any coleslaw. But everyone who had one said they were an out-of-the-park home run. So I just thought I'd throw that tidbit out there for anyone looking to increase their cabinet clutter with a cool new pan or two this holiday. They would also be useful for mini pies, according to the reviews at KAF. (I used KAF's seeded roll recipe, although the only flavoring/seeds I used were some toasted sesame seeds on top. Here they are -- wish I'd made a double recipe! http://www.flickr.com/photos/47869278@N03/6420716413/

Emilie

Nice. Wish I was a better baker. Cakes & pies, yes. Bread & rolls, not so much.
fitzie

It's funny how that works, Fitzie. My challenge has more been getting pies just right. My crusts were often too hard (but Kenji Alt's FP crust recipe solved that problem), or the filling doesn't set firmly enough (I always had that issue when I made CI's coconut cream pie, but thankfully not since I switched to Joanne Chang's recipe), or the key lime filling is just a tad too tart. And despite trying at least a dozen recipes over the years, I've yet to find an apple pie filling recipe that really "wows." I tried Pastry Queen's Southern Comfort Apple pie a few weeks ago, and it was good overall, but still wasn't amazing.

Anyway, if you ever want to try a roll recipe that is really delicious and super easy, this is my favorite. And since it's a featured recipe on the KAF blog, it has step-by-step photos, which are really helpful. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2009/11/12/the-one-thing-i-have-to-bake-every-thanksgiving-pull-apart-butter-buns/.

(And FWIW, one thing I do for yeast breads and rolls when I bake them is put a cookie sheet directly under the pans, especially the ones that are on the lower shelf. Then I take the sheet out about half-way through the baking time when I open the oven to turn the pan(s). That keeps the bottoms of the rolls or loaves from browning too much.)

Emilie

One tip from the peanut gallery...

Whenever a bun recipe calls for butter, I use half butter and half oil. The oil will help keep the buns from drying out. Helpful if you're not going to use them all within a day or so. (I make buns about every two weeks and freeze them...Andy uses them pretty much exclusively for sandwiches.)

Amy

Emilie, my sister makes those same buns. We absolutely adore them. Interesting note though, she just realized that she has been using two tablespoons of butter instead of two ounces. They were so good that way... almost a french bread like crisp top but with a buttery, light, tall roll. She made them the right way the other day and said they were great like that, too. A little flatter, richer, and delicious. She said she will probably make both versions now, depending on the meal.

Amy, good tip! I need to try it.

I checked out the butter rolls recipe at KAF and they have me pumped. Yesterday I indulged in a bread machine, for the Australian market, so it is 220v. Handy for the Philippines. I primarily wanted it for kneading dough until my Kitchen Aid arrives. The culinary school bro-n-law was very happy to see it as well, since he gets stuck with much of the kneading tasks. He's off doing classes today, but I think I may take a whack at those rolls this afternoon. A chance to see how the machine works and they'll be handy for tomorrows party.

The photos of the buns look excellent. Now I should check out that bun pan at KAF. I look forward to making those one of these days. Time to try a little more baking.

I've made the Beautiful Burger Buns from KAF for years and I can attest to the fact that they mix up very nicely in a bread machine.

Amy, that's a great tip about using half oil. I'm going to try it when I make them next. I'm wondering -- do you split them before you freeze them or after you take one out? It seemed to me like waiting until afterward would keep them fresher, but then if you're making a sandwich right when you pull it from the freezer, it could be a pain to slice it when frozen. Not an earth-shattering conundrum, but since you make them a lot, I figured I'd ask!

Emilie

Emilie,

I freeze them whole then nuke them just a bit after coming out of the freezer so they can be split.

Amy

Great -- I'll try that next time too. Thanks Amy.