Hamburger Buns

Baking Monday has shifted to Baking Day. This past week it was on Saturday. We had gotten some bacon burgers at the farmer's market but sadly were out of buns... no fear, I made some!

Hamburger Buns
Recipe from Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila
Yields 8 buns
Prep Time: 4 hours (includes rises)
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 4hr 30 mins

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (about 110℉)
3 tbsp whole milk
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp sugar
3 large eggs
3 3/4 cup all purpose flour (plus additional for counter)
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter (at room temperature)
Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or coarse salt (optional)


Directions:
1. In a liquid measuring cup, combine water water, milk, yeast, and sugar. Let it stand until foamy (about 5 minutes)
2. While you wait, beat 2 eggs in a small bowl.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour and salt together.
4. Add butter to the mixture and gently rub it within your fingers.
5. Stir in yeast mixture and beaten eggs until the dough starts to come together
6. Dump the dough onto a well floured counter and kneed (folding the dough onto itself and throwing it down) for about 10 minutes - adding additional flour when the dough gets sticky.
7. Shape the dough into a ball and return to its bowl.
8. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled (about 2 hours).
9. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a knife divide the dough into 8 equal parts.
10.  Gently roll each part into a ball and arrange 2-3" apart on a baking sheet. Cover loosely with a dish towel and let buns rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours
11. Preheat oven to 400℉ with the rack in the center.
12. Fill a metal pan with water and set it on the oven floor or bottom rack (DO NOT USE A GLASS PAN)
13. In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg with 1 tbsp water and brush some of the mixture on top of the buns with a pastry brush. This is when you would add seeds or coarse salt over the egg wash, if you are using them.
14. Place buns in the oven and bake (turning the sheet halfway through baking) until the tops are golden brown, about 20 minutes.

15. Enjoy!

Cookies

Last week, I made some rice krispie treats with birthday cake granola which were a whole lot easier than I thought and kind of created a fake Baking Monday. So, I ended up having a Baking Friday to make up for it.. Lots of cookies. All recipes below.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Original recipe here
Made 30-40
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup (1 stick + 6 tablespoons) butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups old fashioned oats 
1 cup raisins

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars together
3. Add eggs and vanilla
4. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
5. Add to wet mixture.
6. Add oats and raisins.
7. Mix well and then drop dough onto ungreased cooking sheet.
8. Bake 8-10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown but center is still soft to the touch.
9. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Original Recipe here
Made 30-40 
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients: 

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups (a 12 ounce package) of chocolate chips

1 cup nuts (optional)*

*Note: apparently if you do not add nuts, you're supposed to add 2 more tbsp flour.. I forgot.

1. Directions:
2. 1. Preheat oven to 375
3. 2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt
4. 3. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugars, and vanilla until creamy.
5. 4. Add eggs
6. 5. Beat in flour mixture gradually
7. 6. Add chips (and nuts)
8. 7. Drop onto uncreased baking sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes.
9. 8. Let cool for about 2 minutes then move to wire rack to cool completely.
10. 9. Enjoy!

Vegan GF Sugar Cookies

Original Recipe Here (includes recipe for vegan royal icing, if curious)

No photo sadly but, these were fine.. super easily crackable so be careful when transferring them to cool and wait a bit longer. Also, they may need to cook longer to get brown. 

Prep Time: 2 hours 15 minutes (incl. resting)

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients: 

2 cups + 1 tbsp gluten-free flour

1/2 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1/2 cup coconut oil, room temperature but able to scoop*

3/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar

1/3 cup water

1/2 tsp vanilla

*Mine was very melted so this may have been where the texture was different

Directions: 

1. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2. In a large bowl cream together coconut oil and sugar

3. Add water and vanilla.

4. Add flour mixture.

5. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for 1 hour

6.  Let dough sit at room temperature 30 minutes - 1 hour

7. Preheat oven to 325

8. Roll dough out onto parchment paper and cut out into shapes.

9. Transfer cookies to baking sheet with parchment paper, approx 1" apart

10. Bake 8-10 minutes until cookies are lightly browned

11. Enjoy!

Apple Pie

Man, Baking Monday got away from me with everything going on in the world so instead of Monday, I shifted to Tuesday and I called it more of a "Cheating Baking Tuesday." I used a pre-made crust which made it cheating. But, honestly, totally worth it. But, I also made some granola, which you can find the recipe to here.

Apple Pie
Recipe here
Makes 1 pie
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Rest Time: 2 hrs
Total Time: 3hrs
Before & After

Ingredients:
1 box Pillsbury pie crusts (2 crusts total)
6 apples - sliced thinly
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp all purpose flour
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp lemon juice
Pinch of sugar (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 425. Place 1 pie crust in pie pan (ungreased) placing it firmly against the bottom and side.
2. In a large bowl, mix filling ingredients. Spoon into pie crust. (I let the filling sit too long while the oven heated up so, it ended up getting very soggy.)
3. Sprinkle sugar over second crust and pat into it.
4. Top pie with second crust. Wrap excess top crust under bottom crust and press edges to seal. Then cut slits into top crust.
5. Bake 40-45 minutes. After 20 minutes however, cover edge of crust with tin foil so it doesn't burn. Then continue baking until it's golden brown and the apples are tender.
6. Let sit for 2 hours to cool.
7. Enjoy!