Big Buns, Part 2

Since I first wrote about my love of big buns, a cooking friend blogged about a recipe I like even better, Soft Yogurt Sandwich Rolls, from the blogspot of Baking Bites. One tablespoon of oil makes it lower in fat than the other recipe, and the yogurt adds a hint of sourdough without all the work. The dough is supple, easy to handle, and rises high. The result is a tender interior with a soft, slightly chewy crust. The flavor is a little tangy with a touch of sweetness from the honey. I've made it three times in the last month. It is my new favorite roll recipe!

Recently I used the recipe to make rolls for sandwiches. Because I was craving more texture, I added milled flax seeds, ground pecans, and shredded cheddar cheese to the batter.

The resulting bun was no longer low in fat, but it was wholesome and made a sturdy vehicle for juicy tomato slices--pecans added a hearty crumb, and the cheddar made nice little browned crunchy bits on the crust.

Lawsa Mercy

My Granny Mitchell had a quaint way of expressing shock by declaring in a horrified tone, "Lawsa mercy." I loved to tease her and think up some scandalous tale to astonish her just to hear her reaction. If she wasn't sufficiently shocked, she would just shake her head and say "Laws". To express regret or disgust, "Law, Law" or simply "Mercy" fit the bill.

My "lawsa mercy" moment came yesterday when I made brownies and the recipe specified one pound of chocolate.

The result was a deliciously rich chocolatey brownie that almost had a baked-fudge quality. I made them for a customer and they were difficult to cut into those perfect squares with no squish-marks, so I think they would benefit from an overnight rest before cutting.

Brownies Recipe
from "Tartine" by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson

Kitchen Notes: You can't use a cake tester or toothpick to judge doneness. Because the batter has a high percentage of chocolate, the tester comes out wet even if the brownies are done.

3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 pound bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 large eggs
2 cups light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping (optional) 2 cups nuts such as walnut or pecan halves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13 inch glass baking dish.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. If the heat from the butter does not fully melt the chocolate, put the pan back over the heat for 10 seconds and stir until melted. Set aside to cool.

Sift the flour into a small mixing bowl. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla. Using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until the mixture thickens and becomes pale in color and falls from the beater in a wide ribbon that folds back on itself and slowly dissolves on the surface, 4 to 5 minutes.

Alternatively, use a mixing bowl and a whisk to beat the ingredients until the mixture falls from the whisk in a wide ribbon. Using a rubber spatula, fold the cooled chocolate into the egg mixture. Add the flour and fold it in quickly but gently with the rubber spatula so that you don't deflate the air that's been incorporated into the eggs.

Pour the batter into the prepared dish and smooth the top with the spatula.

If you are using nuts, evenly distribute them across the batter. Bake until the top looks slightly cracked and feels soft to the touch, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Using a sharp knife, cut into 12 squares. The brownies will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 1 week.

Scouting Out the Competition - 1 Smart Cookie

One of the more pleasurable aspects of starting my own bakery is what I like to call "research". Here's how it works: I search online to find bakeries either locally or in the vicinity of my travel destination. I visit them to view their shops and equipment and to see how their products are displayed. And I taste-test by purchasing one of each item that is comparable to what I sell--cinnamon rolls, muffins, scones, brownies, cookies, etc.

It's one of America's dirtiest jobs, but I am compelled to do it.

Ever since I read this newspaper article about 1 Smart Cookie, a local bakery, I knew I had to go check it out. I went at absolutely the wrong time of the day, 4:30 p.m., not the prime hour for a bakery. But in spite of the sparse inventory, I found a good mix of baked goods to sample. The cookies were reasonably priced for a gourmet bakery, and the young man serving me was pleasant and helpful. I happily made my choices, waited as long as I could (till I got back in my car), then consumed an entire sugar cookie before I reached the end of the block.

This is one of 1 Smart Cookie's featured extra-thick sugar cookie cutouts. The star is one of hundreds of shapes available. I like the funkiness of the irregular shape.



The next photo shows the texture, which is slightly chewy, not crumbly like a shortbread; it is soft enough to bite into easily but still substantial--a surprising consistency for such a thick cookie; the taste is not overly sweet and no detectable spices; and it has none of the shortening aftertaste I associate with most commercial cookies. The icing is real icing--very tasty with a slight almond flavor. And the all-important sugar cookie aroma is present, not buttery but an indefinable sweet dough scent.



Below is the array of goodies I purchased--snickerdoodle, chocolate-chocolate chip, lemon sugar, oatmeal, and a lemon bar with a nice streusel-ish topping--all tasted just as good as they appear in the photo:



Based on previous samplings of local bakeries, 1 Smart Cookie wins hands-down. In spite of being purchased late in the day, the cookies still had a fresh taste. And they didn't have that chalky taste present in many bakery products. They tasted homemade, thereby achieving my golden rule of baking: bake for others as you would have them bake for you.

I appreciate good competition--it motivates me to stay on my toes (and to wear stretch pants.)