Daydream: Loaves and Buns

It's been in the works for awhile now, but I am starting out on the path of hand made breads.

I have been interested in making bread from scratch for months now, but I let myself feel held back by the lack of tools. We haven't gotten a kitchen aid stand mixer (nor hand mixer) yet and I see most recipies online using a mixer to knead the dough. My mom had a bread maker growing up and it was A DREAM. We also have not acquired that yet. 

BUT YA KNOW WHAT?! I hand made dough in Florence all semester in my cooking class. So, I can at least attempt with my simple, hand held tools in our modest kitchen.

Anyway, on our trip to Minneapolis, I picked up a few tools from The Foundry. And Sunday I tried the first batch. 

As all who know us know, Zach has been making diner burgers for months now. Every evening. He thinks the perfect compliment to his greasy, pickle and sliced cheese burger patty would be handmade sesame seed burger buns.SO, I decided to start there. 

Annnddddd.....I didn't get very far. The most basic/staple item of a dough recipe is the flour. DUH. I tried to use my whole wheat flour, instead of All Purpose Flour like an idiot. 

Small oversight. 

I am going to try again this Sunday with the CORRECT flour (I already got some).

To continue the daydream of new hobbies, a few necessities that I do have, and a few that I have my eye on.

1. Linen Bread Bags for storing the fresh loaves and buns all week.

2. Bread Rising Loaf Basket for those long 2 hours of sitting around waiting and waiting.

3. The Table Brush and Pan that has been keeping our surfaces tidy for the last couple of weeks!

4. A Swedish Basking Brush that softly brushed the butter that held the sesame seeds on top of those burger buns.

5. Beautifully packaged Baking Flour for well stocked pantries.

6. A tortoise handled Bread Knife that will one day serve breakfast toasts.

7.Our new Dough Scraper that cuts the dough in 8 even pieces for 8 even buns. 

8. I read recently that Marble Slabs are great for kneading dough because it keeps the dough cool compared to wooden boards. We have a similar board and it performed wonderfully.

9. Lastly, I have thought a linen cross back apron would be wonderful, but after patting dough and mixing flours, I foresee this being necessity sooner rather than a daydream for later.

Here's to new hobbies that have made bakers happy and eaters fulfilled for centuries. 

-Emily