Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

This is obviously cut an pasted straight from King Arthur Flour, except I used 2.5 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 tablespoon of vital wheat gluten. I let it mix with the dough hook in the kitchen aid for a minute or two, then added white flour by the quarter cup until the right dough consistency was reached (it ended up being about 3/4 cup). These are SO YUMMY.

1. 3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm water*
2. 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
3. 1 large egg
4. 3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (or white whole wheat + gluten + white, see above
5. 1/4 cup sugar (we used less)
6. 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
7. 1 tablespoon instant yeast
8. 3 tablespoons butter (to brush top at the end)
9. 
   
10. Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to make a soft, smooth dough.
11. Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until it's nearly doubled in bulk.
12. Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 8 pieces (or 12 for smaller buns) Shape each piece into a round ball; flatten to about 3" across. Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, until noticeably puffy.
13. Brush the buns with about half of the melted butter. 
14. Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden (12-15 for smaller buns). Remove them from the oven, and brush with the remaining melted butter. This will give the buns a satiny, buttery crust. 
15. Cool the buns on a rack.
16. Yield: 8 large buns.

Tomato Soup

Very simple recipe that comes from who-knows-where. We usually make whole wheat french bread to go with it.

1 T canola oil or butter

1/2-1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans diced tomatoes

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup whole milk, evaporated milk, or cream

Heat oil or butter in a medium pot or saucepan over medium-high heat and sauté onion until soft (4 or 5 minutes). Add minced garlic and stir until fragrant (15 seconds or so). Add tomatoes and broth, bringing mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for at least 20 minutes. Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender (or allow to cool a little more and puree in regular blender). Stir in milk or cream. Salt and pepper to taste.

*We've also done this with both dried and fresh basil (the former added with the tomatoes, the latter during the final few pulses of the puree)