The Library and a Burger Bun Recipe

On my 30 before 30 list I wrote that I wanted to get "good" at baking.

Well....I don't necessarily think this qualifies as being "good" at baking but seriously two of the best bread concoctions come out of my oven in the last few days.

Firstly, I made a recipe out of Peter Reinhart's artisan breads every day.

Yea, I'm the girl that checks cookbooks out of the library....so what?

Anyway this recipe for ciabatta bread is the BOMB! And pretty easy....the hardest part is thinking about it the night before you want the bread since it must chill in the fridge overnight.

If you are interested in making something other than sandwich loaf, check this book out....seriously....from your library :)

The OTHER thing I made were homemade hamburger buns!

RIGHT? Who does that?
A girl looking for an excuse to bake that's who.....but these were for real the best ever.
They really taste similar to the onion buns you get at the grocery only WAY better.

See all those yummy topping? Garlic salt, dried onions and flax seed!

I found the recipe at www.Chezus.com a neat blog I like to follow for fun cocktail ideas and stumbled across these!
I pinned it for later (of course) and the other day I had no idea what to have for dinner but we had some burgers. Homemade buns make burgers special-that's the truth.

I followed the recipe almost exactly, only altering the flour (I substituted 1 cup whole wheat) and my toppings.

Chez Us homemade buns

1 packet active-dry yeast (about 1 tablespoon) 1/2 cup warm water 1/2 cup warm whole milk 1 large egg 2 tablespoons melted butter 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3 cups all-purpose flour egg wash – 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water 1 tablespoon of each:  toasted sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic, dried onion (or any seeds/toppings you like) 1 teaspoon maldon salt In the mixing bowl of your mixer, add the yeast into the warm water.  Stir.  Let it sit until dissolved.  In a separate bowl, stir the warm milk, with the egg, sugar, and salt.  Mix well.  Add the melted butter.  Stir again to mix well.  Add mixture to the yeast. Put the dough hook onto your mixer and stir the mixture well.  Add the flour, one cup at a time and mix well after each addition.  About 3 minutes.  Continue kneading at low speed for 8 minutes.  The dough will be smooth and spring back when touched.  Remove the dough from the mixer bowl, and lightly oil it.  Return the dough to the mixing bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and a couple dish towels.  Put into a warm place and let rise until doubled in bulk;  about 60 minutes. While the dough is rising combine the seeds with the onion and garlic as well as the salt.  Set aside. Lightly flour your work surface and turn the dough out onto the flour.  Lightly knead for a couple minutes with your hands.  Divide the dough into 8 pieces, they will be about 3 ounces each.  Shape each into a tight ball.  Transfer the balls to a baking sheet covered with a silpat or parchment paper.  Let them rise in a warm place (I like to slide into an over that was gently heated for a couple minutes.  Turn the heat off) and let the dough rise until they are puffy and about the size of a burger patty.  About 40 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.  Lightly brush the tops with the egg wash.  Gently sprinkle with the seed/onion mixture.  Bake the buns for 17 minutes or until golden.  Let the buns cool to room temperature before serving.  Serve.  Eat. *Jenny G

Butta Butta Butta

Last night I made cookies.

And then, I took Trader Joe's Cookie Butter and made a sandwich.



And it was EPIC!


So Cookie Butter has been talked about ALL OVER the blog world, not to mention that Joy and Tracy keep talking about their love for it I knew I had to try some for myself.

But, there aren't any Trader Joe's in Boise, or Idaho......or within a 100 miles of Boise. So when Mr. Gill and I started planning our trip to California I made a stipulation that we had to stop by a TJ while out and about.....

and we did.....

twice.

Once for our camping goodies and a second time for yummy stuff for home. On that second trip I picked up the Cookie Butter, Coconut Oil and Dark Chocolate Covered Ginger (OHMIGOD Sooo Good!).

Back to the cookies......the filling is so buttery and spicy like creamy gingersnap awesomeness that I decided to just make some shortbread cookies to create my sandwiches.

This shortcake recipes uses butter, powdered sugar, flour and cornstarch. The orginal recipe didn't call of vanilla extract but I wanted to give the cookies a little more flavor so I threw a little in the to mix.
It was really easy to put together and kind of fun to roll into balls and flatten out w/my palm....because the dough reminded me a little bit of play-dough.....must be the cornstarch.

These are nice and buttery, and the recipe makes 24 sandwiches so plan on sharing!

Melt in your mouth Shortbread Cookie Cookie Butter Sandwiches-adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 cups butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• splash of vanilla extract

yield of 2 dozen sandwiches.

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Whip butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Stir in the confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Beat on low for one minute, then on high for 3 to 4 minutes. Drop cookies by spoonfuls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet, or roll into balls and flatten w/your palm.
3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Watch that the edges don't brown too much. Cool on wire racks.
4. After the cookies have cooled spread generous amount of Cookie Butter (or peanut butter) on one cookie and make a sandwich w/another.
5. Eat and share with a friend over coffee or afternoon tea!

*Jenny G