These are the bratwurst buns, baked.

I took them out of the fridge in the morning, and added:

1 tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups white flour

Mix thoroughly, and then add:
As much whole wheat flour as you need to make a moderately stiff dough that is easy to work with, but not dry. Knead about five minutes by repeatedly folding the dough over, and turning it a quarter turn, and folding again.

Place dough in an oiled bowl, and flip the ough over once to coat with oil. Cover with a plate or plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise for 1 - 2 hours. I set my bowl on top of a warm gas stove, in which someone was baking granola. In about an hour, it had raised nicely.

When the dough has risen, punch it down to remove the air bubbles, and shape into 10 individual bratwurst (or hamburger) buns. You can make 12 if you want the buns to be smaller. Allow the buns to rise in a warm place, without covering this time. When the dough has risen, bake in a 400 degree oven for ten minutes, and then turn the oven down to 350 and bake 5 - 10 minutes longer.

I like to bake bread with a brick in the oven for a continuous source of heat. For this method, preheat the oven with the brick in the oven. This heats the brick, and is a more continuous heat source than the oven.

For crustier breads, place the brick in a pan. When the oven is preheated, place the loaves in the oven, and throw a handful of ice into the pan with the brick. Close the oven door quickly. The steam from the ice creates a nice crust on the loaves.

Happy baking!

Hamburger and Bratwurst Buns

I started a batch of dough to shape into buns for grilled bratwursts. Because I like to add milk to my hamburger and bratwurst buns, the sponge for this recipe takes a little longer to stir together than most of my bread recipes. You have to scald the milk first.

I start with a sponge for my bread recipes. The sponge for hamburger and bratwurst buns is as follows:

Sponge

Dissolve in a large bowl:
1 teaspoon yeast
in
1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F.).
Scald
1 1/4 cups milk
Cool the milk, and pour it into the yeast mixture. Next, stir in:
2 cups whole wheat flour
until thoroughly combined.

You should end up with a mixture about the thickness of pea soup. The purpose of the sponge is to soften the wheat in order to make a finer-textured bread that isn't crumbly, as homemade breads, especially whole-grain ones, would otherwise be. Don't add any oils or salt at this point, as these inhibit rising.

Cover the sponge with a plate or a sheet of plastic wrap, and refrigerate for several hours. I'm about to put mine in the fridge, and finish adding the ingredients tomorrow.

Until then!

The joy and simplicity of baking bread

I love to bake bread!

The comment I hear most is, "Doesn't that take a lot of time?" As a graduate student pursuing my PhD in a field totally unrelated to food, I can tell you: no, it doesn't take a lot of time. I like to start a batch of bread on Friday evening (which takes about two minutes, including the time it takes me to get my bowl out of the cupboard), and then bake it on Saturday morning. If I don't have time Saturday morning, I bake it another time. It's purely a matter of convenience. Most of the "time" needed for baking bread is just waiting - waiting for the bread to rise, waiting for the bread to bake... The bread does all that on it's own. (Well, you DO have to put it in the oven.) I just go and do my homework.

It is incredibly rewarding to sink one's teeth into a steaming slice of fresh bread after several hours of writing papers!

Right now though, I'm home for summer vacation, and the family is having bratwursts to celebrate Memorial Day tomorrow. I think I'll go start a batch of homemade bratwurst buns!