Friday
Feb292008
Well-Bread: A Daring Bakers Challenge, and Seriously Sweet Sandwich Mischief
Friday, February 29, 2008
Breadmaking is an all-consuming process, both physically--and, in our opinion, emotionally as well. It involves patience (let the dough rise!), attention (is that yeast proofed?), proximity (don't let it rise in drafty spaces !) and yes, even a little tough love (punch the dough!). But when all is said and done, it's worth the effort: one needs only to take a hot, fresh loaf out of the oven and taste a piece, heated as though from within, upon which butter will melt like a fading apparition, to see why breadmakers are so dedicated to their art. The sense of accomplishment a baker feels upon completing successful loaves is simply incomparable--this much much we can attest to, having completed this month's Daring Baker's challenge (Julia Child's French Bread Recipe, suggested by Breadchick Mary and I Like To Cook's Sara).
However, if you're at all like the Cakespy crew, this moment can be short-lived, quickly giving way to thoughts like "How can we turn this bread into a dessert?". After all, the breadmaking process does work up an appetite. But what to make? Bread Pudding? French Toast (or, if you're feeling fancy, pain perdu)?While both are sweet choices indeed, after the physical work of making the bread, both just sounded so...hard. It was then that the answer came to us: why not fry up some sweet sandwiches? Quickly we assembled a grouping of sweet fillings and fried up our loaf, grilled-cheese style, in a griddle; here's how it all came out:
Frosting Sandwich: Our first experiment was a cake frosting sandwich. It seemed like a pretty safe bet; after all, bread with butter never fails to satisfy, and this is pretty much sweet butter, right? So we buttered up two slices and spread a thick frosting smear (pink, of course) in-between. The end result was a little runny, but was extremely delicious--the pinch of salt in the bread added a perfect complement to the sweet, creamy frosting. This one could be habit-inducing.
Cookie Dough Sandwich: When Atkins Dieters have nightmares, they probably look like this: a soft, rich spoonful of warmed cookie dough sandwiched between freshly baked bread slices, lightly buttered and fried. The resulting combination is a study in sinfulness: carbohydratey, slightly salty, rich, and sweet--all at once. As you might imagine though, moderation is key with this sandwich: a little goes a long way.
Couverture and Coconut Sandwich: This combination was dreamed up in the grocery store, where these two toppings were sold next to one another in the bulk aisle. It turned out to be a serendipitous pairing indeed--the coconut, which was not sweetened, added the slightest crunch to the velvety melted couverture (not tempered--eek!), as well as offering a nice contrast to the extreme sweetness. As noted above though...small bites of this rich little guy.
Melty Mint Sandwich: Ah, melty mints, is there a cuter thing in the world than thee? It's impossible to not smile when greeted with this chocolate-chip sized version of nonpareils. But does all of this cuteness mean a tasty sweetwich? As we discovered, the heated chips (which retained their shape for the most part during the frying, protected by the bread) made soft explosions as they melted in your mouth, and the sprinkles added a delightful texture to the mix: pleasuretown, ahoy.
Tofu Cream cheese, sweet coconut and pear sandwich: Thrown together with what was left in our kitchen, this combination was dense, rich, and lending to the toffutti cream cheese, a bit savory--and overall, deeply satisfying. Though it might have tasted even better on a slightly saltier bread to balance out the sweetness of the coconut (which we'd sugared for this version), all in all, we'd add this one to our lunch box. Vegan, to boot--we even used butter substitute for the frying!
So, adventure over, what have we learned?
The hardest part of this experiment was actually getting past the mental block that sandwiches ought to be savory; there was a certain part of the whole "sweet sandwich" concept that was hard to wrap the mind around. But really, most of the experiments were quite good: the sweet fillings were balanced by the texture and taste of the bread, lending an element of surprise and newness to both elements. Does this mean that fast-food joints ought to consider changing format? Well, perhaps not; in their extreme richness and sweetness, these sweetwiches are probably not a main-ticket item. But as an add-on or impulse item? Well, let's just say that when you start seeing the mini dessert-sandwich revolution picking up speed in chains across the country, remember where you saw it first.
tagged cakespy mischief, daring baker
cakespy mischief, daring baker
Reader Comments (104)
You are so creative! I love all your sweet sandwiches.
I've really been wondering about these since I saw them on flickr! They are very adventurous of you, I must say...and I'm glad the risk was well worth it. The cookie dough sammich looks yummy :-)
I see a few carb averters jumping out of windows around me.
But I'm totally groovin'
Fabulous.
Of all the DB variations on this bread, yours is by far the most surreal -- and the most pink! Julia would have loved it.
Ha! Mischief, indeed! I'll bet you would make a fortune if you opened a Frosting Sandwich Shop!
Great bread! Love that you made this a sweet challenge after all! When McDonald's starts selling McMinty Melt sandwiches, I'll know where they got the idea:)
wow! what an idea.. i would have never thought of it! crazy cool!
Big Boys oven: Ooh, drowning in the sea...of pleasure!
Aran: Ha! Glad you liked that one and the post--we had a lot of fun doing it!
Rosa: Yes! I agree...frosting and ganache sandwiches...pretty much the ULTIMATE guilty pleasure. Thank you for saying hi!
Cakelaw: Ha! Yes, the breadmaking process was awesome--so we needed something quick after all that work!
Ann: haha, I was hoping you'd catch that! Not sure if they're quite as precious as Mini Pies (although in my mind I call them "cutiepies" because they ARE!)
Dhangitt: Thanks! It was...VERY sweet!
Susan: Sure, why not? I think that frosting sandwiches are perfect for babysitting.
Asha: Isn't pink frosting the prettiest?
Bittersweet: Yeah, funny how since it's a "sandwich" it feels more virtuous? The s'mores sandwich sounds wonderful.
L Vanel: Thank you!
Veron: Maybe to you, but we ate it.
Geggie: Ha! I can't keep nutella in the house...it just disappears...
Rachel: Nicely said--nectar of the gods!
Megan: Thanks! Isn't that one gorgeous?
Ricki: Yes! Brunch revolution, one cookie dough sandwich at a time!
Slush: Thanks! Don't let your kids see this though, they'll be wanting them in their lunch boxes!
Curiousfoodie: Thanks!
Southern Hostess: Well put--lethal is a good description!
Karen: Thanks, glad you enjoyed!
Obsessive Foodie: Exactly! Sandwiches that you might regret the morning after.
Joy: Thanks! Yes, we do have maniac tendencies I suppose...
Gloria: Thanks!
ICook4fun: Now you can give it a try! Let us know what sweet concoctions you come up with!
Rosie: That's what we do best--keep things sweet!
Cara: Me too! Nutella is a great classic of course.
Gabi: Thanks! It was so much fun to make.
PaniniKathy: I want to see the sweet panini!
Celine: Thanks, that is a compliment coming from you!
Mary: That sandwich sounds AMAZING! Next time... ;-)
CB: Love you too.
Jenny: Thanks, glad you liked it!
Indigo: OK, polygamy is cool with us if it is based on this much sweetness.
Anastasia: Thank you!!
Irene: Thank you! Not so much that we forgot nutella...we can't keep an entire jar here! It's toooo good.
Linda: Thanks! They were!
Deborah: Based on how good yours looked I think you should make some more!
ChocolateCoveredVegan: our thoughts exactly!
Melisser: ooh, thank you for the tip! I will tell Mr. Cakespy who buys it. That is a bummer! Boo to things that fester in your body like that.
Nikki: thanks, we love doing them!
Rosa: Thanks! It was a lot of fun.
Catherine! You made us laugh aloud with that response!
Kelly: Ha! It was almost too much fun.
Allen: Disturbing and titillating--wow, that is us to a tee! :-)
Culinography: Oh you were clever: We love that idea! Glad you like our frosting sammie.
Kevin: Thanks! It's the pink frosting I think--pink is so happy!
Breadchick: Thank you for the wonderful challenge:
Sickygooey: Yay! Glad you got it! But now I am thinking, we should have done a girl scout cookie sandwich!
Ello: Evil wench indeed. But you know you love it.
Kimbab: Ooh, can't wait to see whatever nice combos you come up with!
Gigi: We love 'em too...maybe too much...
Candice: Ha! It was worth it indeed! Have to keep up my energy to make all those illustrations...
Shula: We're groovin' too. Down with the carb oppressors!
Lydia: Yes! Glad you think so. It was kind of surreal making 'em!
TW: You may be on to something...
Half baked: That's right, and that's when we do a tell-all memoir about how "the man" screwed us over.
Aamena: Glad you liked it!
I am LOVING the dessert sandwich!! How can you go wrong?!
I need to spot reading your posts in the morning! It's terrible to start the day wanting a choc-chip cookie dough sandwich!!!! How in the world am I expected to recover from this craving during the next 17-18 hours?!?! Especially when I start the day saying to myself "This is the day I start my diet!"
Actually, your posts just make m happy. Thank you, Jessie.
Hmm, what's that sound I'm hearing from pastry chefs the world over? Yelps of "why didn't I do that first?" I like to do goat cheese with chopped up dried plums and a sprinkle of chopped pecans, grilled in a waffle iron so you get lots of yummy crunchy dips and ridges. Gotta go make breakfast!
Your bread looks fantastic cakespy! Love what you added to make sandwiches. Yum!
"How can we turn this bread into a dessert?"
I just love the way you're thinking! hahaha
Great job! :-)
My, my...how utterly creative. Great idea and great execution!!
How original. I love them all, especially that chocolate chip cookie dough one!
Cookie dough sandwich...now that is a good idea!!!
I have to agree that the cookie dough sandwich is the one that caught my attention. That has "watch the scale tip" written all over it!
love the ideas!
Wow, I sure wouldn't have thought of having the bread in a sweet sandwich...very nice!:)
love all the creative ways you found to eat it! :) i was the same way too, trying to figure out what i could transform it into after it was done :)
I am obsessed w/those mints.....they are so melty, creamy and minty. LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM.....they dont' have honey in them. CHA-CHING
When this post loaded and I was face-to-face with a slice of bread covered in candy, my first thought was , "Uh-uh, no they didn't!" Amazing. This is my favorite of the DB bread posts. I am especially fond of the cookie sandwich.
SMASHING!!! Absolutely novel...what fun to do so much after a whole day of trying to be Julia Child! Loved the loaded post!! Cheers
Fantastic!
April: I don't think you CAN go wrong.
Amy: Perfect time to read the posts--gets you revved up for a sweet day! :-)
Chou: Ha! Yes, bringin' on the revolutions. Your concoction sounds WONDERFUL.
RuthEbabes: Thank you! Delicious x 10!
Zen Chef: Yeah, what can I say, that's how we think!
Gretchen Noelle: Thanks! Yours looked terrific too!
Glamah: Thanks! That one was sinful.
Peabody: yea! We thought so! Thanks!
Nicole: Ha! So true. Baby bites...
Frantic Foodie: Thanks!
Namratha: Now you won't be able to STOP thinking of it!
Jaime: Yup, isn't that the best part of bread?
Obsessive foodie: Yes, they are the best mints aren't they?
Pacific Outpost: Ha! Glad you enjoyed it, and yes, we did. ;-)
Passionate: Yes! We like the idea that Julia would approve.
Marie-Louise: Thanks!