I have the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day cookbook. The only things I have ever made out of it are boules, baguettes, & bâtards. I’ve made them plain & with herbs. That is all. Even though it is so easy I have never tried the countless other recipes. Partly because I am still intimidated & partly because I love bread. I don’t want to make it because then I eat too much of it.

The other day I decided I wanted to make sandwich bread. It looked easy enough & I thought I could incorporate it into dinner. I’m always trying to find or think of new recipes as most people who cook tend to do. I also like them to be seasonal. With the fact that it’s summer & I was making bread I knew a sandwich or burger  was in store. I thought, why not make a burger that uses sandwich bread. Thus the Cajun Chicken Burger on Crusty Sandwich Bread was born. This is so juicy & has just the right amount of kick. The sautéed veggies give an extra little something as opposed to just lettuce, tomato, or onion. And the sandwich bread…well, there is nothing like fresh bread. It gives a slight crunch but is still soft on the inside.

Crusty Sandwich Bread

• 11/2 cups warm water
• 2 tsp salt
• 2.5 tsp dry active yeast
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 cup warm water for baking

1. Add water to bowl. Stir in salt & yeast. Add flour all at once & stir to combine. Use wet hands if necessary to incorporate all the flour.
2. Cover loosely and let rise for 2-3 hrs (or let rise in the fridge for 8hrs).
3. Lightly grease a loaf pan that is 9x3x2in with neutral tasting oil.
4. Dust the surface of the risen dough & cut off a cantaloupe sized piece (about 3/4 of the dough mixture) and shape into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. Elongate this into an oval & place in pan. Let rise for 40 minutes (1hr40min if it’s been refrigerated). Dust with flour & score the top of the bread.
5. Preheat the oven to 450F for 5 minutes. Place the pan in the oven on the middle shelf with another pan on a shelf that won’t interfere with the dough baking. Add 1 cup warm water to the other pan & bake for 35 minutes or until the surface is hard & brown.
6. Remove from the pan and cool completely before slicing & eating.

Cajun Chicken Burger

• 1lb ground chicken
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1tsp diced garlic
• 1tsp worcestshire sauce
• 1 jalepeno, seeded & diced (optional)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced in thin half moons
• 1/2 large red & yellow pepper (or 1 small of each pepper) sliced into thin strips
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1-2.5 tsp cajun seasoning (store bought or mix 1/2tsp each salt, black pepper, oregano, paprika, & cayenne)
• 4 slices crusty sandwich bread
• lettuce

1. Heat a skillet with 1tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the whole chopped onion & sauté for 5-8 minutes until softened. Add the peppers & continue to sauté until caramelized (about 10-20 more minutes).
2. Meanwhile, mix chicken, 1/4C onion, garlic, worcestire sauce, jalepeno if desired, & 1-1.5 tsp cajun seasoning in a medium bowl. Put half in the fridge for lunch in the next few days. Form the other half into 2 patties.
3. Once the onions & peppers are cooked, transfer them to another skillet or container to keep warm (keep half set aside for the burgers in the next few days). Cook the chicken patties in the skillet that the veggies were sautéed in (about 5 minutes for the first side & 3 min on the second side). Cover the skillet with a lid for the first side of cooking.
4. Mix the mayonnaise with 1/4-3/4tsp cajun seasoning.
5. Toast the bread slightly in a toaster. Coat 2 slices with 1 tbsp mayonnaise. Top with lettuce.

6.   Place a burger on each piece of bread with mayo & lettuce. Top with sautéed veggies.

7. Top with the other slice of bread & serve with side of your choice (I chose roasted carrots).