Hamburger Buns

Here's the hamburger bun recipe I've been talking about. I'll write the recipe as I have it written (adapted from a recipe I found somewhere online). At the end I'll explain how I now make it using my sourdough starter.

1 cup water
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil (I use olive)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp yeast
4 cups flour (my suggested breakdown is: 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat, 1/2 cup brown rice (it makes them softer), and 1 cup of any or a combo of the following--regular whole wheat, millet, spelt, kamut, rye)


1 egg
1 tbsp water
sesame seeds

Mix yeast, water, sugar and let bubble. Mix salt and flour--add yeast mixture and eggs. Add extra flour or water as needed to make a nicely textured dough. Let dough rise. Punch down. Shape into 12 balls--DON'T press them flat. (For the size of balls, they are going to just about double, so make them the size you want based on that.) Let balls rise until about doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350. While you're waiting for it to preheat, mix 1 egg w/ 1 tbsp water. Brush on the tops of each bun. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

Adjustments for making these with sourdough starter:
Pour your starter in a bowl and add the 2 cups water and 3-4 cups of flour--your mixture should be like a thick batter. Mix and let sit overnight or until the starter is bubbly and frothy. Reserve a cup of starter for yourself to return to your fridge. Put the frothy starter in the kitchen aid and add eggs, oil, salt, sugar, and enough flour to make a nicely textured dough. Let rise until doubled. Punch down. Shape into balls and continue the recipe as above.

Chicken Soup

No picture, but a great recipe. I adapted it from something I saw. It's a chicken soup recipe with a bit of a Thai twist to it.

2 quarts chicken broth (homemade stock really does add a lot of flavor)
2 cups water
3-4 cups cooked shredded/chunks of chicken (I used leftovers from a roast)
1 small cabbage head, shredded or very thinly sliced
6 carrots, sliced thin
1 can coconut milk
1/2 tsp curry
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp thyme
1 T sugar
dash of cayenne powder
salt & pepper

Put water, broth, chicken, carrots, and cabbage in a pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer about 20 min or until carrots are tender. Stir in coconut milk and spices and let simmer 5 more minutes. Delicious!