In the baking part of this book, however, you do need to be a little more precise. The measurements and the basic ingredients can be pretty important. You can’t just sub almond milk for regular milk, or oil for butter. But the baking part is also a great place to let your creativity shine! Many people will tell you that baking is an exact science, but don’t let that intimidate you. Most bakers and baking books use the metric system, digital scales, and ratios to write the recipes. If you seriously get into baking, metric is great! I use a digital scale most of the time. But I wanted this book to be as easy for you as possible, so I stuck with the tried-and-true cups and teaspoons. All the recipes here have been tested, but sometimes I didn’t precisely remember the measurements. Did I use exactly a quarter cup of sugar? Did I pack the flour into the cup, or was it spooned in? Don’t worry; the recipes will work, regardless. They’re just buns.
But there are some things that I do and use that you probably should as well, in order to improve your success. Here’s a list of equipment and ingredients that I use when baking and cooking.
Ingredients
Bread Flour
All the recipes in this book use bread flour. It’s higher in protein than regular all-purpose flour, so it forms a smoother, tighter bun. It costs a little more, but it’s worth it. If you use regular all-purpose or a mix of both, your results may vary.
Eggs
I use Grade A large eggs for all the recipes. Try to use cage free, free range eggs, or better yet, find someone with a chicken. Just note that if you are using eggs from a friend or from your own backyard, they may vary in size, from really small to “Is that a goose egg?”
Seeds & Toppings
You’ll save a lot of money on things like poppy seed and sesame seed if you can find them in bulk or in an ethnic grocery store. I get a three-pound bag of poppy seeds from a Russian market for less than the cost of a little spice jar at the grocery store. For pretzel salt (which is a must for the salt-topped buns), I find that online.
Milk
For the recipes that use milk, I always use organic one-percent milk. Whole and two percent will also work, and I’m pretty sure that in a pinch, fat-free would work, too. Almond milk will not.
Salt
Kosher salt or sea salt are the only way to go. Ditch the table salt.
Yeast
All the recipes use active dry yeast. Buy a big bag at Costco, then transfer it to a Mason jar, and keep it in the fridge. I use Red Star brand.
Equipment
Stand Mixer
Just about all the recipes can benefit from a stand mixer with a dough hook. If you don’t have one, you are going to get really strong arms. You can mix by hand, but the dough hook makes quick work, and you can leave the dough in the mixer bowl for the first rise.
Rimmed Baking Sheets
Get four sixteen-by-twenty-inch rimmed baking sheets. The rim helps keep the little seeds and bits from sliding off the sheets and onto the oven floor.
Pre-Cut Parchment
To go with your new baking sheets, also get pre-cut parchment paper to line them. It makes life easier. I’ve only ever seen these online.
Dough Scraper
A rectangle dough scraper will help immensely by letting you divide the dough into smaller pieces. It’ll also help you get the dough off your cutting board, especially with some of the stickier doughs. I have a cheap plastic one, and it’s great.
Pullman Loaf Pan
For the last bread recipe, you’ll need a rectangular Pullman loaf pan, found online.
1.Start with great ingredients if you want great buns! I almost always use King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill bread flour for all the recipes. Sure, it is a little more expensive, but shop around. I’ve noticed that some stores charge two or three dollars more a bag than other stores. And if you can, buy locally grown and milled flour. You can also buy in bulk!
2.Get pre-cut parchment paper that matches the size of your baking sheets. I get twelve-by-sixteen-inch pre-cut sheets on Amazon. It saves time and frustration, and because they are flat, they won’t roll up on your rolls.
3.Find someone with a chicken, and trade bread for eggs. It’ll make you feel good, and you’ll be like old-timey barterers.
4.Get good equipment. You don’t need top-of-the-line, but get a few nice rimmed baking sheets, the pre-cut parchment, a good dough scraper, and a few brushes for the egg wash. A KitchenAid mixer with a dough hook doesn’t hurt, either.
5.Seventy degrees is the optimum kitchen temperature for rising and baking. Too hot, and the buns can proof too quickly. Too cold, and they’ll take a lot longer.
6.Midway through the baking, rotate the baking sheets for more even browning.
7.Keep your yeast in the fridge in a big Mason jar. On the shelf, those little packets of yeast can get lost between the Jell-O and the mail. But a big ole Mason jar of yeast says “BAKE US! LET’S DO THIS!” every time you open the fridge.
8.PLAN AHEAD! These buns and breads are relatively easy to make: about 15 minutes to mix and kneed, another hour to bulk up, then a few minutes to roll into balls, 2 hours to rise again, and then 20 minutes or so to bake. Easy! But they require uninterrupted blocks of time. You suddenly remember you need to pick up the kids at school…that you need to swing by the bank…and now, mom just called! So try to plan ahead, and make sure that your other responsibilities don’t conflict.
9.Be patient. See number 8. Those kinds of things will happen at some point. Sometimes your buns will overproof and deflate. Or they’ll underproof, because you had to get them into the oven too soon, and they’ll split open funny. Don’t give up! Making buns is a skill that’s going to take a little practice to master.
10.Bake often! You’ll quickly learn what works and what doesn’t. You’ll soon be able to tell if your dough is too sticky (may need to add a bit more flour), or too firm (thank the yeast for trying and start over). Just don’t give up!
BONUS TIP: Get seed toppings like poppy seeds and sesame seeds at a store with a bulk food section. You’ll get a lot more for your bucks, so you can use more, and feel extra generous.
10 Tips for Cooking the Best Burgers (In No Particular Order)
1.Always toast your buns. A little butter and a hot pan or grill will wake up your buns, softening the middles and crispening the bottoms.
2.Don’t add stuff to your beef, except salt. (Exception: the James Beard Foundation’s Blended Burger Project, try that one.)
3.Always use 80/20 ground beef that you grind yourself, or get from a local butcher or grocery with great sustainability standards.
4.Buy