Text 37514, 144 rader
Skriven 2010-05-08 07:30:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av JIM WELLER
Ärende: burgers etc 120
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 JW> The store must have got a lot of complaints. This week they flew in
 JW> a bunch of 97 cent tomatoes. I didn't like the look of them though
 JW> and didn't buy any.

Nonetheless they had to do it. Not a big surprise that they
would take some unsaleable surplus and send it your way. Best
of all possible worlds, it seems. Did other people buy that
nth rate merchandise?

 JW> Something new to me:
 JW> Title: Hops Shoots

I've heard of it done but don't recall having eaten any,
except possibly as a garnish at some overpriced chi-chi place.

 JW> Fatburger got knocked out early, but only because it had the bad
 JW> luck to go up against In-N-Out on the first round.

The way to fairness and the preservation of strong
candidates would be a seeding system. In-n-Out should
have been paired with a sure loser such as Wendy's or
JitB or McD's.

 JW> In a subsequent free vote Five Guys came in first, In-N-Out second,
 JW> Whataburger third and Fatburger fourth with none of the others
 JW> getting many votes at all.

Even though it's been my intention to try Whataburger, I
have so far not done so. Once I came close - was walking
for an extended time on a busy road (no public trans in
some of the states that have Whataburgers) and came close
to one and thought of stopping by, only it turned out that
it was a Wienerschnitzel (not as similar in logo to
Whataburger as, say, America West Airlines, but enough so
poor myopic moi couldn't tell the difference from afar).

Beranbaum's Best Buns
cat: bread
yield: 8

3 c + 2 Tb flour, plus more as necessary
1/4 c whole-wheat flour
1 1/4 ts instant yeast, such as rapid-rise
- or bread machine yeast
1 1/2 ts fine sea salt
1 1/3 c room-temperature water
1 ts mild honey, such as clover
1/4 c olive oil
3/4 c toasted mixed seeds, such as cracked flax,
- sesame, poppy, sunflower and pumpkin
- or 1 Tb sesame seeds for the topping (optional)
Milk or water, for brushing the tops of the buns (optional)

These delicious, preservative-free buns can be made in just
3 1/2 to 4 hr with no more than about 45 min of actual work
-- less than 30 min if using a food processor (see TIP,
below). The recipe can be doubled and the extra baked buns
frozen to have on hand for a speedy summer supper.

The added crunch of sesame seeds sprinkled on top of the
buns is nice; a mixture of seeds and grains kneaded into
the dough provides still more fiber and flavor.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a mixing bowl, whisk
together the flour, whole-wheat flour, and yeast, then the
salt. Add the water, honey, and oil. Using a mixer with a
dough hook on medium speed, or by hand, knead the dough for
7 min (10 min by hand) until smooth and springy. The dough
should be soft and just sticky enough to cling slightly to
your fingers. If it is still very sticky, knead in a little
flour. If it is too stiff, spray it with a little water and
knead it. Allow the dough to rest, covered, for 20 min and
then knead in the seeds, if desired.

Set the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and lightly
spray or oil the top of the dough. Cover tightly with plastic
wrap and set in a warm spot. Allow the dough to rise for 1 hr
or until it has doubled. (The indentation from a finger stuck
into the center of the dough should remain.)

If you plan to bake the hamburger buns the next day, press
down the dough and place it in a large, oiled resealable
plastic food storage bag, leaving a tiny bit unzipped for the
forming gas to escape, and refrigerate it. Take it out of the
refrigerator about 1 hr before shaping.

When ready to shape the dough, set it on a very lightly
floured work surface and form it into a log. With a sharp
knife, divide it into 8 equal pieces. (If you prefer very
large buns, you can divide the dough into 6 equal pieces.)
Shape each piece into a ball by cupping your hand over the
dough and rotating it. It works best if you use only as
much flour as you need to keep the dough from sticking. A
little resistance helps to form a round ball. Keep the balls
of dough covered with damp paper towels to prevent drying;
allow them to rest for 5 min.

Transfer the dough balls to a parchment-lined baking sheet
or inverted sheet pan, leaving enough space between them to
allow for a 4" bun. Flatten the balls to a height of 1".
If the dough is very elastic, you can flatten them again
after 15 min of rising. If using the sesame seeds, brush
the dough lightly with milk or water and sprinkle with the
seeds. Cover the balls with a large inverted plastic box or
with plastic wrap lightly coated with baking spray, and
allow them to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hr, or until almost
doubled; when the dough is pressed gently with a finger,
the depression should very slowly fill in.

While the dough is rising, set the oven rack toward the
bottom of the oven and place a baking stone or baking
sheet on it. Set a cast-iron skillet or heavy baking pan on
the floor of the oven or on the lowest shelf. Preheat the
oven to 425F for 45 min or longer.

Mist the dough with water, quickly but gently set the
baking sheet on the hot stone or hot baking sheet, and
toss 1/2 c of ice cubes into the pan beneath. Immediately
shut the door and bake 15 min. Rotate the pan front to
back and bake for 3 to 5 min or until the buns are golden
brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center will
read 200 to 210F.) Transfer the buns to wire racks until
they are completely cool or barely warm.

TIP - Food Processor Method: Refer to the instruction
booklet for your model to determine the maximum amount of
flour allowable. Chill the water. Place the whisked flour
mixture in the work bowl fitted with the steel blade.
With the motor on, add the cold water and oil. If the
mixture doesn't come together after 10 sec, scrape down
the sides and scrape the dry part into the moist part.

After the mixture comes together, continue processing
1 1/2 min until a smooth, elastic dough is formed. If it
does not clean the bowl, pulse in a little extra flour.
Transfer the dough to a counter and knead it 10 sec to
equalize the temperature. If adding the optional seeds,
allow the dough to rest for 20 min and proceed as above.

Rose Levy Beranbaum, Washington Post 5/23/07
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