Family On A Budget

Baking your own bread is a great way to save money and have a fresher product. Below is the recipe I use for sandwich buns. I use my bread machine for this recipe. It makes the recipe easy and less time consuming. I estimate these cost approximately $.40 a batch which is much less than the 2.98 in the grocery store and bakery. We use them for sandwiches and for burgers. There is nothing better than fresh bread.

1-1/2 cups of warm water
1/4 cup oil
2 teaspoons of salt
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
4 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Add the items in order or in the order recommended by your bread machine maker. Set using the Dough setting and start it. My machine takes an hour and a half to mix, knead and proof the dough.

Once the dough is done, separate into 12 to 16 equal pieces of dough. Roll the pieces into balls and place on a greased baking sheet approximately 1/2 inch apart.

Cover the rolls and let them rise until they are double in size. About 30-40 minutes. Sometimes I will proof them in the oven with a pan of hot water placed on the bottom rack.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 18-20 minutes. The top of the rolls should be lightly brown and slightly hard sounding when tapped. Remove from oven and very lightly brush with oil or butter to keep them soft. Let them cool before slicing in half.

These make a very soft bun which my hubby loves. Dividing them into 12 pieces make large kaiser sized bun -the 16 count is slightly smaller than the average hamburger bun. We like the 16 size because we make fat, short burgers. The first few times I made them I tended to overcook them or space them too far apart. Now even my teenage daughter can help me whip up a batch.

Enjoy and let know how they turn out for you.