I love spending money for other people!!!

My parents recently vacationed in Florida. While there, they fell in love with Lobster Rolls. Upon returning home, my dad searched for how to make New England Style Hot Dog Buns- you can't buy them in Iowa! He encountered the King Arthur website and ordered a pan. He then gave me the pan to keep, with the condition I make him the rolls. I think I got the good end of this deal :)

Last weekend was my mom's birthday. My dad called me a few days before I was to head home and asked if I would make Lobster Rolls for her birthday dinner. Lobster isn't in my budget, but it was fun to buy it with his money :) The guy behind the seafood counter knows what I usually buy, and when I told him I wanted 5 Lobster Tails- his eyes got huge!
Now, on to the food! For the bread I used the Hamburger or Hot Dog Bun recipe from King Arthur. It came with the pan and provided instructions on how to use my new pan. I proofed the yeast in water and sugar.


Then you add in the milk, oil, salt and part of the flour. You beat it with a wooden spoon for two minutes.


After working in the rest of the flour and kneading, I set the dough aside to rise. I was busy, so instead of getting a clean kitchen towel to put on top, I got the bright idea to use a damp paper towel. It stuck to the dough and was so hard to pull off! I wouldn't recommend it :)


I split the dough into two portions. The first I rolled with a rolling pin in a rectangle to fit my pan, the other half was made into hamburger buns. I sprayed the pan with cooking spray and placed the dough in it to rise.


The strange part of this recipe is the use of a sheet pan placed on top of the loaf pan. You place it on the pan while the dough rises - you want to let it rise until it reaches the top of the pan. You bake the buns with the sheet pan on top for the first 15 minutes. DON'T weigh down the sheet pan! (And please don't look at my dirty oven!!)


You allow the buns for an additional 5 minutes to brown the top. I brushed them with butter when they came out of the oven and removed them from the pan immediately. This is to prevent them from getting soggy bottoms.


This is what the underside looks like. It's your guide for where to separate the buns.


The taste of the rolls was good...but more comparable to a Ciabatta then a hot dog bun. I was disappointed with the size. This pan makes SUPER skinny and short buns. I won't use it for regular hot dog or brat buns, but it was a fun experience!

Now, on to the gorgeous LOBSTER!


I cooked these in the oven- first I split the underside of the shells with kitchen shears. This makes it much easier to remove the meat after they are cooked.


I brushed them with butter and placed on a foil lined baking sheet. I baked them at 400 degrees for roughly 20 minutes. I used a thermometer to cook them to an internal temp of 180 degrees. Set aside and allow to cool.


I then mixed up the "dressing" for the lobster salad. Combine mayo, hot sauce, lemon juice, green onions, celery and a little chopped parsley. I used this Lobster Roll recipe- http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lobster-Rolls/Detail.aspx

Stir together the ingredients and set aside while you chop the lobster.

GORGEOUS!!! I may have been sneaking small bites while I removed the shells :)

A big bowl of perfectly cooked Lobster Tails! Chop into bite size pieces, add to the dressing mixture and refrigerate until serving.

Butter up both sides of the buns and toast until golden.

Split the rolls down the top, fill and serve with your favorite sides. It was a fantastic summer meal- and a fun project for my mom's birthday!


If anyone else has money they would like me to spend for them- I'm always available!! Have a great holiday weekend.