Hey there Florida Foodie friends,
It is a spinning cog in the machine that is our economy known to you all as Thomas Mates.
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I feel like I’ve been running full tilt ever since I got back from vacation. I’m sure many of you can relate.
It’s always busy here at News 6, but it just seems like we’re really chugging right now.
It’s not all bad. I enjoy my work and I’m happy to have a job, especially one that lets me pour my thoughts into your inboxes. Still, it would be nice to catch my breath a bit.
But, my labor will be your gain as we have some great Florida Foodies coming up, including this week’s episode.
Before we get into it, I just wanted to remind you all that we have a new place for you to talk about all things food. The Florida Foodie Forum is here so you can share recipes, get restaurant recommendations, or just ask any foodie questions.
Small-town charm 🍬
A little family-run candy shop in the heart of a small town. It sounds like a Norman Rockwell painting.
It is that charming slice of Americana that Tina Aldrich has brought to life with her shop, Orange Blossom Candies & Cream. They make many of their own sweets and baked goods. They also offer other Florida-made snacks and retro candies along with a rotation of Hershey’s ice cream flavors.
She shared some of her sweat treats and her story with Candace Campos and Lisa Bell on the latest episode of Florida Foodie.
>You can check out the whole episode here<
Don’t forget you can also find every episode of Florida Foodie on YouTube.
Small bites
Feeling grumpy?😠: A Jacksonville-based breakfast chain is getting ready to open up a location in Orlando. Grumpy’s Restaurant is planning a move into the Central Florida market. Here’s what we know so far.
On the move🚚: A well-known restaurant is pulling out of downtown Orlando. Hamburger Mary’s is planning to move, though the restaurant has not said where its future home will be. Click here to read more about it.
Free food📦: Summer can be a lean time for some families. Libraries in Orange County are now offering free food boxes for anyone, no questions asked. You can find the full list of participating libraries here, but you’ll need to sign up to be an Insider (it’s free!).
Something to try at home 🍽️
A good hoagie roll is a thing of beauty. It is so versatile and underappreciated, but it can be difficult to find a good one in the supermarket.
Fortunately for you, I have a pretty good recipe here from Josh Weissman.
Ingredients:
- 1.25 cups (295ml water)
- 1 tablespoon bread machine or instant yeast (10g)
- 3 1/2 (500g) cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar (13g)
- 2 teaspoons salt (5g)
- 2 tablespoons lard, bacon fat, or shortening (30g)
Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer (if you have one, you can also do this all by hand), add your flour, sugar, and salt. Whisk it all together. Also, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Step 2: Then add your bacon fat, which is what I use, to your flour mixture. Then, using two forks or your whisk, thoroughly incorporate your fat into the flour mixture until it forms fine crumbs.
Step 3: In a bowl, warm your water to about 100 degrees. That should only take about 30 seconds in the microwave. Then, add your yeast to the water. I recommend using bread machine yeast here. It helps keep your bread soft but it will still develop a nice crust. Let your yeast bloom, should take about 3-5 minutes and your water should look foamy.
Step 4: Fix a dough hook to the stand mixer and set it to low. Then, slowly add your water and yeast mixture. Once the dough comes together, bump up the mixer to medium and let it mix for 5 minutes.
Step 5: Move your dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it proof at room temp for an hour or until roughly doubled in size.
Step 6: Now, on a lightly floured work surface, cut your dough into the desired number of rolls. This recipe can make two 16-inch rolls or four 8-inch rolls. Roll your dough into balls and then gently with your hands roll and stretch your dough out into logs. Then place the logs onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (you may need two baking sheets), cover it with a damp towel, and let it proof for another 20 minutes.
Step 7: Once proofed, take a sharp knife or razor and make three, shallow, 45-degree cuts on the top of the roll. You can see what I mean in the photo above but pardon my bad photography and messy countertop. I was making bread, get off my back.
Step 8: Get a 10-inch skillet or small saucepan and fill it with an inch of water bring it to a boil. Once boiling, put your in the dough, and slide the steaming water on a rack underneath the dough. Close the door and let it bake for 8 minutes.
Step 9: Remove your water pan from the oven and let the bread bake for an additional 20 minutes.
Step 10: Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool to room temperature on a wire rack. If you want, you can also brush it down with some melted butter before it cools and then sprinkle some salt over the top. It’s optional but it adds a lot of flavor.
That’s it. I know it seems like a lot, but it’s actually super easy. I used it for cheesesteaks the first time I made it. They turned out great.
That’s it for today.
Also, please take the time to rate and review the Florida Foodie podcast.
Send me your recipes so I can share them with everyone. My email is tmates@wkmg.com.
Don’t forget to send in your foodie pictures as well through our PinIt! program.