Hamburger rolls and cheese crackers

I've wanted to make hamburger and hot dog rolls forever. I finally did it today. A friend highly recommended The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook. Mark gave it to me for Christmas. Every recipe we've used has turned out excellent. Today was no exception. It is the perfect cookbook companion to my beloved Zojirushi Bread Machine. These rolls are so soft, fluffy, and tasty. I fixed Bud and Sissy natural hot dogs on the hot dog buns I made. They LOVED the rolls. I enjoyed an Amy's Cheddar Veggie Burger on hamburger roll. I really had no idea how good a home made sandwich roll could be. For dinner I fixed the kids Trader Joe's meatballs with TJ's Kansas Barbecue Sauce and a side of TJ's sweet potato fries. I made a veggie "meatball" sub for myself on one of the hot dog buns. Mark fixed "hot diggity dogs" on a roll for his dinner. He was quite impressed as well. The recipe says they can be frozen. I wrapped 6 sliced buns in press and seal, labeled with contents and date, and popped them in the chest freezer. I hope they freeze well. If they do, I can't imagine ever buying rolls again. I kept a few buns for us to enjoy the next couple of days. I don't think the picture does them justice. Did I mention how fluffy these are? Wow.


If home made rolls aren't enough, I made these cheese crackers again. I used mini cookie cutters that I picked up on sale at Crate and Barrel and Michael's. These are savory little crackers that cook quickly and slide right off the pan. The recipe says they store for up to a week in a well sealed container. They've never lasted that long in our house.

Sandwich bread success

I've been on a quest for a great sandwich bread recipe for my Zojirushi. Mark and I love our Zojirushi. It was totally worth the investment. He's usually the bread baker in the house. We(he) regularly make(s) dough for dinner rolls and pizza dough. We've made naan, cinnamon rolls, sandwich bread, jam, pretzels, and more. Our issues with sandwhich bread include over-baked, too-dense, and sometimes even bland loaves. I prefer wheat bread which is more challenging in the breadmaker. Before picking up Sissy from school and Bud from the bustop, I started a loaf in the breadmaker. It was a white bread using a recipe from Annie's Eats and a custom bread cycle recommended by Berlin's Whimsy. Wow, these recommendations really delivered. My mother enjoyed the bread with butter and strawberry preserves. Sissy devoured it with butter. Bud enjoyed it plain. They couldn't get enough. I finally had to cut them off.

With a successful loaf under my belt, I'm on a mission to make a good loaf of wheat sandwich bread. I have vital wheat gluten to try, but dough enhancer has been more elusive. I checked Whole Foods, Ellwood Thompson's, and Good Foods Grocery. Good Foods used to carry it. Used to. Bah. A little research online and I was ready to fork over the money to have some shipped. Then, I stumbled across a recipe for Ellen's Bread Dough Enhancer. I think I've found the ingredients locally. I need to double check the diastatic malt powder. I'll leave out the gelatin for sure. More on this one later...