As the summer kicks into high gear and club menus are magically transformed for the onslaught of cookouts, picnics, weddings and other outdoor events, so too are breads and rolls that must stand up to condiments, barbecued meats and other warm-weather ingredients.
While the heavier textures and crusts of holiday table breads are put on the back burner in favor of lighter flavors, chefs are finding ways to incorporate new items into their repertoire—not only for those members who relish a juicy burger, but for the calorie-counting, health-conscious club-goer as well.
Fresh and Flavorful
At Glen Oaks Country Club in West Des Moines, Iowa, Pastry Chef Lindsey Richards is focused on creating breads and rolls that take sandwiches to a whole new level. After spending the past five years perfecting her craft—she moved up from the role of assistant pastry chef three years ago—Richards cut her proverbial teeth at the Venetian in Las Vegas, fresh out of culinary school.
“I trained under an amazing pastry chef there,” she says, “and it prepared me to work on my own as a pastry chef.”
With a concentration on breads that taste as good as they perform (handheld sandwiches are well-represented on the lunch menu), Richards has been seeing a shift in top bread choices as of late.
“I am noticing that members are going more toward brioche for buns, even for hot dogs,” she says.
On a recent menu, beef burgers, Iowa pork tenderloin, salmon burgers and chicken sandwiches were all enhanced by brioche buns.
Ciabatta, another selection that’s quickly becoming a club favorite, has earned a designated spot on the lunch lineup with a French dip hoagie, as well as a roll studded with Asiago cheese and sun-dried tomato oil.
“In place of white or wheat bread, ciabatta holds up great on buffets,” she notes, “and the ciabatta bun doesn’t seem to get soggy when you add tomatoes or dressings to sandwiches.”
For summer events, Richards plans to keep things simple with white bread rolls. On the artisanal bread front, she expects to employ a sourdough starter that she began cultivating last year. And for those members with dietary restrictions, gluten-free and vegan rolls are also on the menu. For these, Richards swaps shortening in place of butter and almond milk in place of whole milk.
“I have found that the vanilla-flavored almond milk works well for sweet rolls,” she adds. “It adds a really nice flavor.”
Variety and Versatility
Mixing up her bread menu with plenty of choices is the M.O. for Michaela Adams, Executive Pastry Chef at Willow Point Golf & Country Club (Alexander City, Ala.). The past four years heading up the club’s pastry department, after stints at clubs in North Carolina and Texas, have enabled Adams to fine-tune her selection and address a myriad of member tastes.
On the menu this summer, which is heating up to be a busy season, Adams will showcase French, Cuban and focaccia breads, along with pretzel and onion rolls.
“With supply chain constraints, the ingredients for these choices are easily attainable and easily scaled for large-scale production,” she notes of their practicality for cookouts, private parties and other member events.
Even though Adams makes a point of expanding bread and roll flavor profiles, she believes that classic recipes will remain at the forefront of her menu.
“Traditional burger buns will always dominate the varieties we offer,” she says. “A scratch-made soft bun is versatile, easy to produce and cost-effective.”
Of note on Willow Point’s menu is the classic burger enveloped in the signature ‘Michaela’s bun.’ While this bread is primarily designed for use with traditional condiments and toppings, it also holds up well on with the club’s ‘Instagram burger,’ topped with fried egg, avocado and bacon with pepper jack cheese.
Sliders, another summer selection, are making a strong presence at weddings and golf events. Because they can be made from the same dough as soft burger buns—albeit with some minor changes—slider buns are useful for mass production. And when it comes to creating a viable option for those members counting calories, flatbreads are the perfect answer.
“Their versatility is seemingly endless,” says Adams.
Summer Sweetness
Desserts aren’t the only vehicle where sweetness prevails at North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, Calif. Thanks to Executive Pastry Chef Robert Bogin, members are able to sample breads and rolls incorporating a wide-reaching flavor palate.
Bogin’s culinary creations are the result of a storied pastry career that began at The Los Angeles Country Club and The Jonathan Club (also in Los Angeles), followed by the opening of his farm-to-table restaurant Pedalers Fork in 2013.
“This venue served as the only restaurant, bike shop and coffee shop in the world,” says Bogin of the place where he experimented with different flavor pairings.
Much like the evolution of Bogin’s career, North Ranch’s bread program continues to grow with new creations starring locally produced ingredients. Among the latest breads is an IPA burger bun, featuring Ventura, Calif.-based Topa Topa Brewing Company’s Chief Peak IPA.
“This bun has a sweetness and floral honey notes from Piru Canyon Ranch with Topa’s IPA tropical background flavors,” describes Bogin.
Other popular selections for summer include the brioche roll, for which Bogin uses Anchor butter from New Zealand, and a pretzel bun that has become a member favorite.
“This bun is tender and sweet and poached in a baking soda bath, which gives it a great crust and texture,” he says.
When putting together new summer bread recipes, Bogin likes to put a fresh spin on classics, exemplified by his pretzel hot dog and burger buns. He also enjoys taking his innovation to new heights, as he recently did when rendering a squid ink brioche bun for a mahi mahi burger.
“The sky’s the limit when it comes to bread,” he says.
His cornbread, another summer staple, is enhanced with plenty of butter, honey and brown sugar.
“This, baked in a cast-iron skillet, leaves an unbelievable texture and taste,” Bogin notes.
While sweet breads and rolls are core fixtures on North Ranch’s menu, Bogin also taps into his knowledge of health-conscious breads that he developed at Pedalers Fork. One of these standouts is his quinoa roll, a vegan roll that incorporates quinoa and whole wheat flour. He also prides himself on creating blends of gluten-free flours that are specific to each type of bread or recipe.
“I spent many hours in January tweaking and playing with a gluten-free pizza crust,” says Bogin, “which I can honestly say I like almost as much as my traditional pizza crust.”
Watch out, hamburger; those al fresco pizzas might just become a new summertime favorite.