Today was last day of an 8 week winter road bike training class I took at my fav bike shop, Around Town Bikes in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Taught by former pro rider Phil Cable, it was a great series. Thanks to Phil, I may actually make it through a season of Saturday morning rides that get harder each week from early April to late summer. Why do I do this?
Well, as Lance Armstrong and my husband Mark would say, it’s not about the bike. I’m not entirely sure what a 7 time winner of the Tour de France means when he says it’s not about the bike, but I think I do know what Mark means. For weekend riders, it’s a lot about the people. And I’m thinking it might even be a little bit about the food. Eating is a big interest for a lot of bicyclists; eating well, eating right, eating food that tastes good.
I had a pleasant post final class breakfast with a few of my mates this morning in another Wilkes-Barre favorite, the S&W diner. We talked a bit about upcoming rides, about local politics, about coffee, about cooking. One of the items of conversation was the perfect hamburger roll. No doubt there is room for disagreement on what constitutes the perfect roll, but bottom line is that it’s not to be found in those soft and spongy packaged supermarket offerings. A perfect roll has character, but defers to the meat. It delivers substance enough to hold a juicy burger, but is not over the top country bread chewy. It’s the perfect delivery system for the perfect burger, which is a whole other topic of discussion.
I’ve experimented a bit with hamburger roll recipes, and think I found a winner in the Kaiser roll recipe on The Fresh Roll. Check it out. The all important malt powder can be found at alternative grocery stores, which for me means House of Nutrition, in Luzerne, PA.
My photo, my home baked rolls—good even without the burger.