Kitchenette

I have been a bit lazy and slow to post lately.  Part of the reason is, of course, that as I’ve gotten more and more excited about food blogging, I’ve naturally found more and more food blogs out there to add to my RSS feeds.  Just the other day, I had over 40 blog posts waiting for me to read.  Forty!

Of course, I spent most of yesterday enamored with so many lemon meringue pies, I could hardly stand it.  Yes, the Daring Bakers were hard at work this month, making pie crust, lemon curd, and meringue (three things that terrify me), and the results were scrumptious.

So scrumptious, in fact, that I’ve decided to throw my hat into the ring and become a Daring Baker myself.  I think that makes me brave…or crazy.  Either way.  I am hoping to begin with the March challenge.

Speaking of things that are both brave and crazy, we are moving right along with the whole 366 recipes in 366 days thing.  One of the consequences of The Project is that, in order to fit all these recipes in while still maintaining some semblance of a life outside the kitchen, we have to make things we would ordinarily buy instead.  Like hamburger buns!

Something tells me that topping these delicious whole wheat buns with a big juicy hunk of beef and cheese kind of defeats the purpose of them being, you know, healthy or something.  But who cares?  It was tasty!  Just look at those sesame seeds!  And the pretty tomato-y color!

A few notes:  Yes, the recipe says two tablespoons of yeast, and yes, that sounded like a lot to me, too.  But everything will be fine.  Just trust me.  The dough rises quickly as a result (mine doubled in a half hour), so keep an eye on it.  I found whole wheat pastry flour in the bulk section at Whole Foods, but it’s also available here.  It provides the nutritious whole grains without being too dense and heavy, but you could maybe substitute regular whole wheat flour and adjust the unbleached/whole wheat flour ratio.

Also, here is what one looks like when stolen and devoured by a Labrador Retriever.

Whole Wheat Sun-dried Tomato Buns
Adapted from Cal-a-Vie Living’s recipe for Epicurious.com

2 tbs dry yeast
2 c warm water
1 tbs honey or sugar
8 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 c whole wheat pastry flour
2 c unbleached flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbs cornmeal
1 egg white, beaten with 2 tsp water
2 tbs sesame seeds

1.  Dissolve the yeast in the water and honey.  Let stand until frothy to activate the yeast.  Add the tomatoes, oil, flours, garlic powder, and salt.  Mix with a mixer or by hand.  Knead on a floured surface (I was lazy and used the KitchenAid) for 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.

2.  Place in an oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover, and allow to rise until doubled.  Divide into 10 portions and shape into balls.  Flatten into buns and place on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat, parchment paper, or sprayed with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with cornmeal, brush with the egg white, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

3.  Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove to a wire rack and cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing to fill.