From Scratch BLT (with spelt buns and smoky chilli mayo)

This from scratch BLT has homemade spelt buns filled with crispy bacon, and topped with a homemade smoky mayo chilli.

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Before I start, I don’t believe for one minute that I am reinventing the wheel by making a BLT.

However, what I have done is made my own bread and chilli mayo. That kind of makes my BLT a teensy bit special, don’t you think? 

I am not an expert on the BLT. In fact, I’ve only eaten them couple of times. And I’ve never made them myself. Other than the three glaringly obvious ingredients, I have no real idea what they should be like.

I decided to create my own because our hotel on holiday made a mean version. My kids virtually got down on their knees and begged me to try to recreate them when we returned home. And here they are.

I regularly talk about our Fry-day (Friday). This where we have something that seems (to the kids, anyway) a little naughty and less nutritious. My kids call it “junk” but it is all homemade with no hidden nasties. Things like fish nuggets and mushroom meatball subs. It’s safe to say that these BLTs went down a storm.

Making your own bread buns

Admittedly, it’s a bit of a pain in the bum to bake your own bread, and I know many people just don’t have the time nor the inclination to fanny about making their own. But if you do get the chance, try it. It makes you feel all homely and accomplished, not to mention it tastes great. The recipe for the buns is the same one as I used for my subway bread, hot dog buns and super soft spelt buns. 

Homemade bread can seem very daunting at first. But, have a go. That said, if making your own bread is never going to be an option, store bought buns would work just as well. And don’t feel guilty – we’re busy mums, after all.

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From Scratch BLT (with spelt buns with smoky chilli mayo)

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Bread buns:

• 1 egg (medium)
• 30g (2 tbs) butter
• 125ml (½ cup) milk
• 240-360g (2-3 cups) spelt flour (see note 1)
• 7g (2¼ tsp) yeast (see note 2)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Smoky chilli mayonnaise:

• 5 tbs mayonnaise
• 1 tbs mustard
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp chilli

Additional ingredients:

• lettuce
• tomatoes
• 8-12 rashers of bacon (use as much as you like)

Instructions

Bread buns:

• Add the egg to a stand mixer bowl and give it a quick mix.
• Add the butter and milk and give it another quick mix (the butter will not dissolve or mix very well, but that's okay).
• Add 120g (1 cup) of flour along with the yeast, salt and sugar. Mix until everything is well combined.
• Gradually add as much flour as needed. I add one tablespoon at a time. Too much flour will result in dry bread, so it is much better to have less flour than too much. Your dough should be sticky. A good rule of thumb for me is that when the dough starts to pull away from the bowl, and the stand mixer starts to bang a little more, the dough is ready.
• Change to a kneading attachment tool (if you have one) and knead for five minutes. The dough will still be sticky, but will easily come away from the attachment when pulled gently.
• Cover and leave until doubled in size. This is usually around 60 minutes, but the time will vary (if you've used cold butter, eggs and milk, then the proofing will take longer).
• Pour out the dough on to a very well-floured surface (the dough is still very sticky). Quickly knead and incorporate the flour until your dough is smooth and manageable. Cover and leave for another 20 minutes.
• Pre-heat the oven to 180℃ (356℉) and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
• Cut dough into 4 equal pieces (I weighed mine). Roll each one out into a rough rectangular shape. Tuck the bottoms under and pinch the seam.
• Place seam side down on the baking tray with a small gap of around 2cm / ¾" between them.
• Cover and allow the dough to rest for a further 20 minutes.
• Give the four buns a liberal brush of egg and diagonally slash each one three times.
• Bake for around 12 minutes (keep a very close eye and start checking at 10 minutes). The buns will be golden on top but still soft. Tap the bottoms, and if they sound hollow, they are ready.
• Allow the bread to cool completely before using.
• While the bread is being prepared, cook the bacon. Set to one side (mine was cold, but you could serve it warm).

Smoky chilli mayo:

• Mix all of the ingredients together thoroughly. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

Assembly:

• Slice the buns open and spread a little mayo on both sides.
• Add lettuce and tomato on one side and the bacon on the other. Place both sides back together. Serve with fries or a salad. Enjoy!

Notes

 

This recipe for from scratch BLT was first published on The Culinary Jumble (in July 2017). The recipe remains the same, but the images and post have been updated slightly

1. You can use spelt or regular flour for this recipe (just use the same amount).
2. In Sweden we have something called dried yeast. It is used both in warm liquid to proof and also added directly to flour. I am aware that the US has two options for dried yeast, and I believe dry active yeast is the most similar to our dried yeast. 

 

I have converted grams to cups/ounces/tablespoons using online converters. Although I have no reason to believe they are inaccurate, please be aware that I have not made this recipe with imperial measurements.