Homemade Sandwich Buns

"Ruth" and her husband "John" are friends of ours. They are well into their 80's, and have experienced remarkably good health. They go places, do things, and enjoy life. They are the kind of couple that makes others sit up and take notice.

They are obviously doing lots of things right.

My husband and I are little more than half their age, and already there are days when we feel old, creaky, and generally unwell.

We love to listen and learn from our friends, and one thing we've discovered is that Ruth makes most everything they eat from scratch. They rarely eat out. They don't purchase highly processed foods. In addition they are active gardeners. Because they raise much of their own food, they know that what they're eating is fresh and free of pesticides and preservatives.

Perhaps they both are simply blessed with good genes, but I prefer to think that what they choose to eat has a lot to do with their good health.

Still, I'm sometimes stumped. I do a LOT of home cooking, but I was raised in the era of cake mixes, sliced bread, Bisquick, and Hamburger Helper. How is it that Ruth's shopping list is so short and basic? Is it really possible to make so many things yourself? And can it be done economically?

If you were to ask Ruth, she'd say, "yes."

Take the following recipe for sandwich buns for instance. Until I met Ruth, it never occurred to me that someone could (or would want) to make their own hamburger buns, but these buns are wonderful! No wonder Ruth and John prefer them over anything they can buy at the grocery store!

So, a few years ago, I asked Ruth for her recipe. Although these are sandwich buns, my children also like to eat them fresh from the oven, just like a roll. I hope you enjoy them, too.

Thanks, Ruth!


Ruth's Sandwich Buns

1 Cup butter or margarine cut into pieces
1/2 Cup honey
2 Cups boiling water
2 packages dry yeast
1/3 Cup warm water
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
4-4 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour

Place butter and honey in a large mixing bowl. Pour the boiling water over these and set aside to cool. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/3 cup warm water. Set aside. To honey mixture add eggs, baking powder and salt. Add in yeast mixture and whole wheat flour. Beat until smooth.

Stir in enough all purpose flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto a floured board and knead until dough becomes elastic. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise one hour. Punch down and divide dough in half.

Roll dough out to 1/2" thickness. Cut with desired size biscuit cutter. (A 2 1/2" cutter makes 60 buns.) Let buns rise for another hour. Bake in preheated over at 350F. for 15-20 minutes. Place on wire rack to cool.