With the exception of an occasional grilled cheese or peanut butter & jelly, I’ve never been a sandwich person. It’s mostly that none of the traditional sandwich options hold much appeal for me – I don’t like deli meats, nor am I a fan of the “salads” (tuna, chicken, egg, etc.). But, as I mentioned last week, I do love a burger in the summer, which is, I guess, technically a sandwich. Shane likes his burgers on store-bought hamburger rolls; preferably buttered and grilled until golden brown. That works for me too, but last year I was looking for a slightly healthier option. I came across sandwich thins in the store, tried them, and fell in love. It was the perfect compromise between the hearty white rolls I’d been eating and no roll at all (which, for the record, was never really an option). It had never occurred to me that I might be able to make sandwich thins at home until I saw them on a few of my favorite blogs. With grill season approaching, I decided to finally try the recipe and stash the homemade thins in my freezer so I’d be all set when the time came to grill my first burger.
When it comes to flavor, these sandwich thins were spot on. The texture was perfect too – sturdy, but still tender and chewy. Mine puffed just a bit more than I’d have liked, but that was probably my fault. I didn’t make the thins as large as the recipe instructed, next time I will. On the plus side, because they were a little thicker, they were easy to slice in half. Not bad for a first attempt, by the end of the summer I’ll be an expert 🙂
The recipe does call for a few ingredients you may not have in your pantry – vital wheat gluten and wheat bran. If you didn’t have the wheat gluten, you could try using additional all-purpose flour instead. I had the wheat gluten, but (on Bridget’s recommendation) substituted more whole wheat flour for the wheat bran.
Homemade Sandwich Thins
as adapted from Food.com and Confections of a Foodie Bride by The Way the Cookie Crumbles
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups warm water (about 100 F)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat bran
2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
rolled oats (for sprinkling on top of the sandwich thins)
Crack the egg into a 2-cup measuring cup and beat lightly with a whisk. Whisk in the water and olive oil. Add the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, wheat bran, wheat gluten, yeast, sugar and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix briefly just to combine. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the bowl. Once completely incorporated, continue kneading on low speed until the dough is soft and elastic, about 7-8 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add a small amount of flour; if it is too dry, add a little water.
Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Add the dough to the bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 16 equal portions. I weighed the ball of dough first and then used the scale to verify each portion was approximately the same size, but you could definitely just eyeball it. Roll each portion into a ball, then flatten it into a circle between your palms. Transfer to the baking sheet and, using your fingertips, press the circle into a thin round, about 5-inches in diameter. Brush the dough with water and sprinkle each thin with rolled oats. Cover each baking sheet with plastic wrap and let the thins rise just slightly while the oven preheats, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Use a wooden skewer to poke 9 holes in each thin. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until puffed and dry on top. Cool completely before slicing.
Makes 16
I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade, but there’s no way I’m going to be making my own sandwich rolls. It’s my problem, not yours. But with so many options at the huge supermarkets here in DC, I have better things to do. On the other hand, were you to invite me over for a burger on one of these … well, that could be something entirely different.
@StephenC – Fair enough 🙂 I’m not saying I’ll never buy them again, but it’s nice to have another option.
Might be kind of fun to try making these as I buy them in the store all the time for me…guys don’t like them much as they want big fluffy buns for their burgers, but I love them! Yours look great, thanks for the research.
Ha! I thought I was the only one that didn’t really care for deli meat. I usually eat them when I don’t have anything else to pack for lunch 😉 Nice job Trac!
This is so great! I haven’t ventured much into making breads or doughs, but this could intrigue me enough to start! I love breads, but try to eat a relatively low-carb diet, so sandwich thins always caught my eye. However, the idea of fresh, homemade sandwich thins is so much more appealing! It is funny how far breads have come today – so many variations!
Another non sandwich lover here 🙂 But I do like the sandwich thins. I love vital wheat gluten, its great with whole wheat bread, really lets them rise properly. I’ll have to give this one a try one day soon.
This is a great idea! I also love burgers and know this would be great!
How interesting. Sandwich thins! I’m not a big sandwich eater myself but every now and then, I love to go to a good deli and get one of those gi-normous sandwiches and chips. Wait…I do adore po-boys with fried shrimp. YUM.
Gosh, these are perfect for burgers! I’d rather not have the huge, soft buns I buy for the family…but I would be delighted to have a stash of these for myself in the freezer! Thanks for the idea 🙂
The homemade sandwich thins look awesome, Tracey! I was all about sandwich thins for burgers last year, too, but haven’t bought them in a while. I think making a batch of these and freezing them is a great idea.
I am totally making these – and in shapes! I recently became enamoured of the goldfish shaped sandwich thins… the possibilities are as endless as my cookie cutter collection!
Ugh, I made these again yesterday and got lazy and impatient and messed up the shaping and second rise. So mine don’t look nearly as good as yours! Phooey!
I NEED to make these soon–I love sandwich thins for burgers! Need to find me some vital wheat gluten and I’ll be in business 🙂
Oh, I love how these turned out! I have thought about trying my own thin sandwich rolls, but hadn’t gotten around to it yet. Yours look perfect!
Love these! I saw them on The Way the Cookie Crumbles and intended on making them (and forgot). Now I really need to.
I am making these for sure! I hate paying for 6 little thins. I pinned this to my Pinterest board to remember!! ♥- K
How neat! I always have some sandwich thins in the freezer for a quick veggie burger meal. I’d love to make my own. Sure it’s easier to buy them, but you can say that about any type of bread. Homemade is tastier and preservative-free!
This is such a great idea! I never thought of making the sandwich thins homemade, and I eat em all the time!
Thanks for the recipe – I use sandwich thins for breakfast instead of bagels – sturdy enough for eggs or melted cheese but less bulk and calories
I made these today and they are wonderful. Of course, I changed a few things, too. I used 1/3 c of yogurt instead of the egg and I used 2 T honey and 2 T molasses instead of the sugar. I mixed mine in the bread machine—white bread dough–and then rolled 1/2″ thick and cut with the lid for my coffee pot, about 3 1/2″. Baked 11 minutes. Yum!
I made these today & was really happy with the result. I weighed each, about 1.9 oz & I rolled each with a little flour in a plastic freezer bag. Thanks for the great idea. Saved $ & taste great
These are great. I did the dough in my bread maker. They hold up just like the store bought ones which is what I have always loved about the thins. I have made 2 batches and I am getting ready for batch #3. Thank you so much for this recipe.
The store bought ones have all kinds of preservatives in them. That’s why you can leave them on the counter for 3 weeks and no mold. Love this idea and the recipe! Gonna give it a try! Thanks!