Recipe Review: Against All Grain Grain-free Hamburger Buns

Here is the recipe, which I will not reproduce.

Thoughts about the blog: I absolutely love Against All Grain. I discovered it a little bit late and have been trying all sorts of recipes since. We also tried the Meat Lover's Pizza (minus the meat) which we shared for our wedding anniversary last week. I didn't blog it because my crust wasn't behaving properly - do not bake it on aluminum foil instead of parchment paper, guys, it will stick - but it still tasted great. We also made the banana pancakes a while back, which we shared for breakfast one morning. This blog consistently turns it out. This is professional blogging. This isn't my little pastime. Danielle just finished her first cookbook. Her photography and her cooking inspire me. I am a real amateur compared to her!

Thoughts about this recipe: First, I've decided to start grading recipes on an 1 through 5 scale rather than simply beaming about them. Here's my first grade, a great one to start us off on:

Grade: 5/5

These buns took some work, but boy was it worth it. Breaking out the food processor makes me a little wary because the clean up will be greater, so I only do it for an exciting recipe. And beating egg whites into stiff peaks is serious arm work. I don't have a hand mixer. It's like making mayonnaise; my little forearm muscles are screaming by the end.

One challenge I had was getting my food processor to pulverize the raw cashews as finely as I think they should be. I'd scrape down the sides but it was still a challenge. That might have been my issue, though, as I made half batches both times I've made these so far. Alex was skeptical at first - he has cake with his dinner and proposing a dinner roll alternative made him shake his head. But I knew they'd be good.

When his first batch ran out, he asked me to make more. I said, "I thought you don't want rolls with your dinner." He said, "Well, I didn't know they'd be good!" That says it all. (And let's hope it's a commentary on most SCD breads rather than my cooking...)

For me, watching those rolls rise in the oven was exciting.

I added some dried garlic as well as fresh parsley and basil to the dough (as I mentioned, I had just made the Against All Grain pizza crust, which is somewhat similar and calls for those flavors). I served them as garlic rolls, cut in half, and toasted with some minced garlic and a pat of butter on each half.

 I also served them in one other way, which I'll blog about separately. Anyway, these are fantastic. Alex wants them to be in the regular rotation. I told him that if he doesn't mind spending money on a lot of cashews, I'll be happy to keep making them. Though I may need to invest in a hand mixer!