Don't be afraid - homemade hamburger buns and more!

One of the best tips I have for people wanting to learn to cook, to cook more, to try new things, is to NOT BE AFRAID!

Know that when you try something, you have a very good chance of failure. But it's not the end of the world. And until you try something, probably more than once, you don't know if you can handle it, if it needs tweaking, or if the recipe should just be tossed!

A couple of years ago I learned to make bread. Many of my recipes are made/kneaded in my Kitchen Aid. But I also make breads by hand (on days when I can't have the noise of the mixer - as my husband is sleeping). It wasn't easy taking the leap from bread machine to kneading by hand, and some loaves ended up in the freezer to be used for stuffing down the road because they were too dense. But over time I've learned how the dough should feel, so I can usually add more moisture or flour, depending, saving the bread before baking.

Practice makes perfect!

or at least better~

I have tried many types of breads, and rolls, saving some recipes, tweaking some recipes, and tossing others. And I've wanted to try making hamburger buns for a long time, large, soft, beautiful fresh hamburger buns. We love to make grilled burgers of all kinds, and putting them on purchased buns just seems soo.. wrong!

I found a recipe for "40 minute" buns - seemed easy enough - so I gave it a try. And while they are FAR from perfect, they tasted awesome tonight all toasted up and holding our homemade burgers!

I need to get better at uniformity - and I'm not sure this is the best recipe out there, so I'm not posting the recipe. But I'll keep looking, and trying, until I have the right one to share!

The point of this post is - to not be afraid to try. It won't always be perfect, but it will always be homemade, and made from the heart. And THAT is what it's all about.