Fourth of July Experiments =)

I had a wonderful 4th of July this year! It was like no other 4th of July that I've had the last 3 years. This time around it was full of love, food, cuddles and giggles=)

My husband and I did a Barbeque and I decided I'd make the hotdog buns from scratch this time. The picture shows how my hot dog buns turned out.

I love making bread! Such a work of art, easy to make and oh fills your home with such homey feelings! ** Bread recipe below =) **

The top picture is me piping meringue cookies. My husband and I experimented on making calorie free cookies utilizing meringue cookie recipe. We figured that if we can use sugar substitute to make the meringue cookies and flavor it with some vanilla or liquor successfully we'd happily enjoy cookies without the guilt of putting in bazillion unnecessary calories in our bodies!

Anyhow, our experiment was not very successful. We did yield meringue cookies but they were very airy and they disintegrate in your mouth like right that moment you pop them in your mouth! However it was worth the try. It was an exciting yet not very traditional activity for 4th of July.

At some point my husband asked me if I want us to start a tradition for 4th of July and if so what would it be? I blurted out make meringue cookies?! Boy I think of it now and I am not sure that that's the most sensible answer or the most exciting thing to do for us every year or for when we have kids but oh well I was thinking of room for improvement for our airy meringue cookies this year! I just hope that this tradition I picked to do for fourth of July doesn't fire back on me later on. hahaahaha! Or we can change it anytime =) I love that my husband and I can work on things together and put our heads together to make things better.



Hot Dog Bun Recipe:

1/2 C warm water (about 110 C)
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp butter, melted
2-3 cups Bread Flour
dash of salt

Preheat oven at 400 C.

Combine the first 3 ingredients, stir with fork and let stand for 5 minutes. The mixture will be frothy and bubbly. This is called proofing your yeast. If it's not frothy or bubbly do it again as the yeast was not activated either because it's dead or water temperature was not right. Add the egg and butter and dash of salt. Work in a cup of flour using a fork. Add 1/2 of flour at a time after the first cup has been added. The dough will start to form. Use your hands and knead the dough for about 5-10 minutes until the dough is nice and smooth. Divide into 4 and roll into logs. Pinch the ends and tuck them underneath. Imagine how a hot dog bun looks like. You can also make burger buns by shaping them into circles and flattening them a little bit. Lay them in a baking non-stick baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap or damp towel for about 3o minutes to let it rise. Bake at 400 C for about 10 minutes then take it out and brush with egg wash to make it glossy and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Put back in the oven and bake until the tops are golden brown about 10-15 minutes more.

Egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp water mixed together.


Enjoy! =)