(What's for) Breakfast and dinner
A very happy (belated) 4th of July to all American TFL'ers!
Weather's been good lately and I've tried to spend as much time outdoors as possible, so I'm sorry for this late post. To make up for it, I had a go at an all-American favourite this sunday: Yes, you guessed it. And what better way to enjoy a juicy burger than with home-made buns? Here's a link to my recipe.
My Norwegian take on the American classic:
For breakfast, I was inspired by Karin's post on the quintessential Danish tebirkes (click here for the post on those). It's been years since I last enjoyed that particular breakfast pastry, so her blog post was all the push that I needed to make some of my own. On my last trip to Denmark, I distinctly recall a "whole-grain" version of the tebirkes. The pastry itself was laminated, and it was sprinkled with sesame seeds (instead of the poppy seeds (or "birkes") used to cover tebirkes). I know there's a version of these pastries called grovbirkes, which is essentially "whole-grain birkes", so that could be the proper name for these things... except there's no poppy seeds ("birkes") on them. If someone knows the name of what I'm trying to describe, please chime in!
Anyways... For my version of these mouthwatering breakfast pastries, I used the whole-wheat croissant dough formula from Suas' ABAP. This dough has 25% whole-wheat flour, which gives the pastries an interesting flavour note compared to an ordinary all-white dough. I wouldn't go as far as saying these guys are healthy, but they're awfully tasty. And you probably don't have them every morning either, so I say go for it.
I shaped them as you would ordinary pain au chocolats (leaving out the chocolate, of course), and sprinkled them with linseeds and sesame seeds. A 1kg dough (not counting the 250gr butter used for lamination) gave me eight well-sized pastries. Baked in two batches:
Utterly delicious!! (I apologise for the lack of crumb shot - I brought all along to work for co-workers to enjoy...)
Comments
The folds/layers seen in those pastries are to die for Hans! They are fabulous!
Hans Joachim,
No need to apologize for the lack of a crumb shot. In your case, it's pretty much superfluous. We all know that the crumb on your breads and pastries will be perfect!
Your sesame tebirkes look as good or better than any pastry displayed in a professional bakery case. And if your hamburger buns don't qualify you for dual Norwegian/U.S. citizenship, I don't know what will!
SteveB
www.breadcetera.com
Thanks so much, guys!
I'm blushing here, Steve! :) I attended a conference in Pittsburgh last year, and I did qualify for the visa-waiver program before entering the US. No need to bribe border control with burger buns either... they might come in handy for that citizenship application, however ;)
Hans, yours sounds like a healthier version....and I agree with Steve, no need for crumb shots, the photo here shows it all, all those folds and layers wow....
I'm all for this!. I have to admit that I'm involved in baking biscotti and pasta but looking at pictures like this makes me want to start baking bread. Very delicious, stay where you are I think your co-worker's would revolt if you left.
I always like to read your posts and see the beautiful pictures of your creations. They are stunning as always.
Can you supply an ignorant German/American with the formula for the whole grain/sesame version of the tebirkes, too?
When you apply for the citizenship - do you know whether you can keep your Norwegian one? I could keep my German one - very handy at European or Turkish border controls - and you don't need "bun bribes" either...
Karin
That looks really nice! Are the buns soft/dense/pillowy? Do you use a sheeter or rolling pin for the croissants?
Obviously, you're marching to the beat of a different drummer to pair white wine with burgers. Lager beer, a pale ale, or even a hearty porter would do.
I know I have the drinks correct but I can't match your outstanding baking skills.
not everyone is a beer fanatic, some of us like wines with anything. And some of us mix our own drinks to go with hambergers! Of course standard BBQ is beer and pop, but hey I like wine, and it goes with the salad. :)
A la Postal Grunt I'd say substitute a cold beer for the glass of wine and you've created the quintessential US 4th of July meal.
Beautiful bakes, both!
Larry
Don't you recognise a foam free light ale in a long stemmed glass?
I like my Veltliner Summer "spritzed" please!
The buns look delicious! I was eating a hamberger with cheese when I pulled up the blog. Mine is wrapped in lots of green leafies at the moment but my juice keeps running out! I guess that's what the bun is really for.
The pastries look too refined good!
Mini
Hi Hans, great post as ever!
I made laminated pastries with a portion of wholemeal flour for years....and often wondered why!!
I've finally seen the sense of it; the tebirkes with seeds just look amazing.
One question: is there any sort of filling in the middle?
Like Steve and others, I know there is no need for an "interior" photo: your laminating skills are always first class.
Best wishes
Andy
Both look perfect to me! Especially the pastries, I haven't noticed the ww criossant formula in the book, now I am intrigued to try!
A perfect presentation, Hans. First class, no matter what you bake!
Your burger plate is an example of what a good U.S. restaurant will serve. No greasy fries for certain - the veggies are perfect as is the wine.
I'd just crumble some blue cheese on the veggies, then sit back and enjoy.
I'd be too busy enjoying anything you would care to serve me. As always, outstanding!
Betty
What a gorgeous breakfast and dinner... a feast for my eyes. I can hear those tebirkes when they are munched, music!
Sylvia
Thanks so much for all the great feedback! It's very heartwarming :)
koloatree: The buns are, I would say, "medium soft". They're definitely not pillowy soft, but the milk and butter in the formula makes the interior soft while keeping the crust slightly crisp. If you want very soft buns, you could try to make them with all milk or add some egg yolks or oil. I use my trusty rolling pin for the lamination! It takes some patience and attention during the process, but it's very satisfying to make. Just make sure to give the dough sufficient resting in the fridge between folds (about 1 hr between each fold is my recommendation).
Andy: Hi, and thanks so much! No, there's no filling in my version of these, and I don't think there was a filling in those I sampled in Denmark either. They're great to split in half and enjoy with slices of edam or gouda for instance. An all-white version (topped with poppy seeds) is often filled with a sweet marzipan filling, or "remonce". Those are often called Københavnerbirkes (Copenhagen birkes) if I'm not mistaken.
All the rest: Thanks again!!
I'm late to the party, but I just had to echo what everyone has said. Your hamburger buns look perfect, Hans, and that lamination... oh my. Proper words escape me.
You've more than earned the right to pair whatever beverage you like :-)
Take care,
-dw
Receiving such praise from you is very inspiring!
Enjoy summer, Debra :)
Looks Yummyyy <3
I dont know how, but i want to say thank you for this admirable sharing .. I was ordering the food from the best restaurants near me online from my favourite website. But after reading this recipe, i am going to try at home.
<3