Cool grown up lunch

Since Cakes has gone back to school, we've really noticed how expensive it can get when we're both eating lunches away from home. Not to mention that the temptation to eat stuff that's maybe not too good for you kind of goes hand in hand with the daily buying of lunch. Well it does for us anyway. And I really loathe the idea of paying 8 or 9 dollars for things that frankly aren't very tasty. So this weekend, while I was baking some whole wheat kaiser buns for Cakes to make sandwiches with, I dug out some nice salami, provalone cheese, red capsicum (bell peppers) and a jar of marinated wild mushrooms in olive oil. I pinched some of the dough meant for the buns and made him a few calzones. We ended up sharing one straight out of the oven they looked that good. They pack super well in a baggie to go to school and they are really tasty unheated or zapped for a few minuted in a microwave. Also they are way healthier that what you buy at your avergae campus cafeterias. Also, they don't fall apart the way sandwiches do. Cakes mates at school were all jealous when he took one of these for lunch.

The bread dough I make is from a 1947s Robin Hood Flour cookbook that belonged to my great grandmother and always makes the best bread. As you can see from the photo, it rose beautifully despite having quite a bit of filling inside! This will make 2 loaves or 8 huge kaisers or calzones. The milk in the bread dough really does improve its consistency, just like the Robin Hood cookbook says.

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup cold water
• 4 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 pkt yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 Tasblespoons canola oil
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 + 1/2 cups bread flour

Scald the milk and then add the cold water to bring the temperature down. Stir in the sugar and when the milk has cooled to lukewarm, add the yeast. Allow yeast to dissolve and bubble for 10 minutes.

Stir the salt and oil into the milk. Combine the flours. mix the liquid with the flour. I just chuck both into my kitchenaid with the dough hook fitted and put it on medium low speed (4) and let it go until it is all in a smooth ball.

Knead until silky and then oil, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. I usually just turn my oven on to 150F for a few minutes and then turn it off and let my dough rise in the oven.

Punch the dough down and form into loaves or 8 buns. If you're doing calzones separate into 8 parts and roll each part out into a circle about 6" in diameter. Place filling on one half of the circle and fold the other half over, pinching the edges well shut to seal.

Place on a baking tray in the oven to rise a second time.  Once risen, remove from oven and heat oven to 450F- reduce heat after 5 minutes to 375F. Bake loaves for about 35 miniutes, buns and calzones for 15- 20. Test buns and loaves for doneness by knocking on them with your knuckeles. A cooked loaf will make a hollow sound.

Comments

[anonymoose]

What kind of milk did you use? I ask because I normally only buy skim, and I know when baking the milk fat content can affect the quality of the result.

[tian]

that just looks amazing!

[Lyn]

I usually use 2% if I've got it. We don't drink very much milk at all so oftne I don't have it. What I use then is canned evaporated milk. You can buy it in little tins and leave it in the cupboard for when you need to cook something that calls for milk. That works great for me.

[Randi]

Those look good. Is cakes from Melbourne? We went to dinner at a friends last night. Her husband is from Melbourne( near there). I made him some anzac bisquits, but I wasnt that impressed. Do you have a good recipe for them?

[Ange]

These look fantastic, I could do with one for lunch today, its freezing in Melbourne & my salad waiting in the fridge for me is not exactly going to warm me up!

[jano]

I did something like that for our annual Anzac Day picnic - it was cooked in a big round loaf, though, and made with an adaptation of an olive bread recipe from Stephanie Alexander. I used hard boiled eggs, salami and provolone for the stuffing, and it was excellent picnic food.

(I have a very good Anzac biscuit recipe, too, if you are interested!)

[Dianka]

Looks perfect for lunch, great idea!

~Dianka
http://na-zdravi.blogspot.com/