Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Sloppy Joes on Homemade Hamburger Buns


Ok--I am seriously over Christmas cookies. At least for the next ten minutes. Right now I am totally up for something a little more savory. I was browsing through all of the food pictures that are taking up so much memory on my computer (note to self: put an external hard drive on the gift list), and I saw these Sloppy Joe's that I made a while back. I am going to have to piece together the recipe for you, since I don't really have one. The buns are homemade, too. For that I have a recipe:

Homemade Hamburger Buns

1 cup warm water (115 degrees F. --like warm bathwater)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons powdered milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten (room temperature)
1 envelope (2 ¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
3 cups bread flour

Combine water, oil, powdered milk, sugar, egg, yeast and one cup flour in large mixing bowl. With paddle attachment, beat mixture for about 2 minutes.




Add the rest of the flour and, using the dough hook, knead the dough for about 5 minutes. The dough should make a ball and “clean” the sides of the bowl. If it looks too sticky, add a bit more flour, a tablespoon at a time.



Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow the dough to rise in a draft-free, warm area until it has doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Punch down the dough and let it rest for 5 minutes. On a floured surface, divide the dough into 12 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and flatten slightly, to make a bun shape. Place buns on baking pans lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Allow buns to rise for 30-35 minutes.




Gently brush the top of each bun with melted butter. At this time, you can sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds, poppy seeds or a bit of finely chopped onion if desired.

Bake buns in 350 degree F. oven for 15-18 minutes or until golden.

Wasn't that fun? Now for the Sloppy Joes. Did anyone else ever call these Spanish hamburgers? Or is that a Wisconsin term? Hmmm.....

The first thing I do is poke around the refrigerator to see what I have. Let's chop up a few veggies first.



Celery, onions and tomatoes---you can't go wrong with those.



A little oil in the pan.


Fry up the celery and onions for a few minutes until they soften.





Add about a pound of ground beef or turkey, cook until no pink shows, then add the tomatoes.



Throw some wet stuff in from the refrigerator-- mustard, spaghetti sauce, BBQ sauce---enough to make it good and saucy. Then cook it for a few minutes, steal a taste and add whatever seasonings you think it needs. Salt? Pepper? Cayenne Pepper? It's all good. Just go light on the salt. Those processed foods are packed with it.




And there you have it. Easy Sloppy Joe's. Even easier if you buy the buns (but try the homemade--they taste better).


3 comments:

  1. Yum Yum Yummy! Great dish for all this cold weather...

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  2. Heh, I wound up getting a second hard drive to keep all my blog stuff in. It really is a lifesaver.

    Those buns look awesome, I don't think I've seen powdered milk in bread before. I also love sloppy joes. I have a recipe that I've been working on, I think I need to bust it out soon.

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  3. you have some nice looking buns missy! LOL I don't remember the last time I made sloppy joes. With the hectic nights ahead, I should put this on my menu.

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