Guest Blogger: Amy and Her Wonderful Buns!!

One of the greatest parts of being a blogger is "meeting" other people - people across the world and in the case of my friend, Amy, across the country.  Back not too long ago we were both participants in a month long blogging adventure that helped hatch this very blog!

After reading many of her wonderful recipes and following along her path, I thought it would be an incredibly cool thing if she would be willing to guest post for me Wonderful Woman that she is, she agreed!  I think you will completely love her style and I know you'll love her recipe - I do!  I can't wait to see if I can make super buns, too!

Please read along and leave Amy comments - she'd be ever so appreciative if you do!

Thanks for sharing, my friend, and enjoy reading everyone!

Happy time in the kitchen and GO visit Amy's blog - you'll love it!
Carrie

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What do you know? I couldn't believe it----I had done it. After weeks, nay, months of procrastination and putting off of the inevitable, i.e., Timothy's graduation party, I somehow had pulled it all together.  I chronicled part of the journey in a blog post here, in which I revealed the root of my procrastination.  Ergo . . .   basically, I am uncomfortable with the fact that my children are growing up and leaving me, one . . .  by . . . one. Our Timothy is number four to fly the proverbial coop, preceded by Matthew, Andrew, and Bethany.

I want to climb into a time machine and travel back to when Timothy was a little sparkling-eyed baby, grinning at me as if I had just hung the moon; a toddler with a saggy diaper and a mischievous grin, toddling around the yard as I worked in my garden.  Perhaps Timothy could build a time machine for me, instead of move away to college . . . . well. . . probably not.

Sigh.  So at the party, as I mingled with our guests, my joy at pulling together a successful party to honor our fourth-born (a computer wizard with a penchant for climbing anything high enough to make his mother nervous, and not wearing shoes, and wearing a red polka-dotted welder's cap, and making listeners gasp with his guitar artistry) was combined with sadness that he was--after all--old enough, at last, to soon spread his wings and fly very far away from me.

Here's Timothy's banner, hanging in the tent we set up out in the yard.

I stood quietly, surrounded by a group of chattering guests, and my gaze landed on my son, just a stone's throw from me, surrounded by his friends, as usual, and my heart clenched.  Ouch. Sometimes it just hurts to love somebody as much as I love that boy.  I started to feel sad all over again, and just then a friend came up behind me and put her arms around my shoulders.

"Amy, you have the best buns!  Really!" she whispered in my ear, with enthusiasm. I turned, blushingly surprised and pleased and a tad embarrassed, ready to tell her about my latest workout (I did two last week, I think--what quick results, really!) and how genetics surely must have a hand . . . . my sadness and introspection gone for the moment . . . as she continued . . ."I mean, really, I couldn't stop eating them! I think I've gained 5 pounds this afternoon! I cleaned up everybody else's plates at our table.  I just love your buns! Can I get the recipe?"

Oh.  Those buns. I laughed and said that sure, I'd share the recipe with her, and snorted at myself for thinking for even an instant that she was referring to something else.

Honestly--I had been so pleased by the way my buns turned out earlier that day that I had taken several pictures of them -- are they not picturesque? -- and now, Gentle Reader, I'll share the recipe with you, and the world at large, so to speak.  It is your lucky day, you can be sure of that!  These buns were so good, and chewy, and crusty, and so, so easy to make, to boot.  You are going to love them, I just know it.

Don't you agree that these are the most gorgeous buns ever?

I filled them with shredded barbecued chicken, which was delightful and (I must admit) worthy of many compliments, but you could stuff them with deli meats, or sloppy joe mix, or even a grilled hamburger. They are sturdy buns just right for transporting tasty fillings to your mouth.  They are also just delicious lightly buttered and honeyed or jammed, too.

Perhaps you remember this blog post that I wrote about how to make artisan bread in 5 minutes? Here's the cool part:  this artisan bread dough, or my "bucket dough" as I call it, is the dough I used for these buns.  Now stick with me for a few minutes and I'll tell you exactly how I went from a bucket of dough (well, I made enough for 100 people, so I used a few bucketsful) to these gorgeous buns . . . of mine (hehee).

Aren't these just beautiful?

Beautiful artisan buns

Recipe Type: artisan bread

Author: Herzberg and Francois, adapted by Amy via vomitingchicken.com

Serves: 8

Yes, you too can have gorgeous buns in just a few minutes, by using this recipe!

Ingredients

•      1 1/2 T dry yeast

•      1 1/2 T kosher salt

•      3 cups warm water

•      1 cup whole wheat flour

•      5 1/2 cups unbleached flour

•      assorted seeds for top-dressing (optional): I used a combination of black and white sesame seeds, but you could use whatever you fancy: flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, etc.

Instructions

1.   First, mix the yeast, salt and water together. You can use a mixer or a whisk in a bowl or bucket. Then add the flours until well-mixed. Don't knead. Cover with a loose lid and let rise until the dough reaches the top of the bucket or bowl, about 2 hours. Your dough is ready to use at this point, although it will be easier to shape if you refrigerate it for a couple hours, or overnight. 

2. When you're ready to form your rolls: cover a cookie sheet with parchment, and form balls of dough a bit larger than golf balls, for "slider" size, and place on the sheet. Let rise for 40 minutes, and then brush with milk and add seeds OR dust with flour, and then slash an "x" on each bun. 

3. 20 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450 degrees, and put a small pan of water on the bottom rack, and a pizza stone on the middle rack. Slide the parchment sheet straight off the cookie sheet and onto the pizza stone and set the timer for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven when the buns are golden and crusty. Prepare yourself for compliments on your most beautiful buns!

I was so crazy about these buns, I made them pose with flowers for a picture.

There you have it! Now you can do it, Gentle Reader--go and make your own beautiful buns!

Enjoy,

Amy