Help me roll with it

October 30, 2019 11:00 AM

I make big batches of soups / stews weekly and pack them for work lunches. This is great, but having a tasty bread-type accompaniment to round out the meal makes it The Best. Inspire me with your favourite portable carbs!

A place near my work sells delightful cheese scones, which pair well with a lot of my soup recipes, but they're a little too pricey for an everyday lunch habit. I thought about making my own, but they don't keep well for more than a day. In the past I've baked bread to go alongside -- nice, but tends to need a little butter or cheese, and anyway needs to be sliced. I want something neutral or savoury that I can make in a batch, that'll keep for at least a few days, and that's grab-and-go: no need for condiments or further prep (slicing, toasting, etc). Can I make a big batch, freeze half, and bake them off fresh on Sunday for the week? Even better! No dietary restrictions, so feel free to get weird.

posted by halation to Food & Drink (14 answers total)

Something like these no-knead dinner rolls would be good. You could make a batch and keep some in the fridge to make later in the week. https://www.marthastewart.com/314369/no-knead-dinner-rolls

Your mention of the cheesy scones made me think of these Red Lobster copycat biscuits. These stay fresh for a while because of all the fat. https://www.theslowroasteditalian.com/2013/10/copycat-red-lobster-cheddar-bay-biscuits-20-minutes.html
posted by OrangeDisk at 11:07 AM on October 30, 2019 [2 favorites]

Scones can be frozen either before or after baking and suffer no significant ill effects from being defrosted again.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:08 AM on October 30, 2019 [7 favorites]

These sour cream flatbreads from Alison Roman are like a tangier naan and I’ve brought them as work lunch in the way you describe.
posted by sallybrown at 11:13 AM on October 30, 2019 [1 favorite]

How about crostini?
Basically pre-toasted bread brushed with a little olive oil (or not, if you'd rather).
posted by exceptinsects at 11:25 AM on October 30, 2019

Your favorite cornbread recipe, baked in muffin tins, could go well with a variety of autumnal soups. Freeze them once baked and take one out of the freezer each night before you go bed so it will defrost.
(This is a great idea!)
posted by CiaoMela at 11:29 AM on October 30, 2019 [6 favorites]

Maybe not exactly the pinnacle of culinary excellence, but I've found that Sailor Boy pilot bread keeps forever and stays crunchy in soup. No need for special packaging - they're pretty much invincible and nonreactive. Great for the end of days, too.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 11:44 AM on October 30, 2019

Homemade croutons! SO easy and SO delicious. They keep in the fridge all week.
posted by yawper at 12:17 PM on October 30, 2019

A pan loaf’s worth of yeast bread, divided into nine or sixteen parts, makes buns in a 9x9 pan. I like Laurels Bread Book’s Featherpuff Bread for keeping - so full of eggs, cottage cheese, whey that it’s a little sammich as it is.
posted by clew at 12:49 PM on October 30, 2019

Pumpkin cheddar biscuits, although I used cayenne instead of pie spice since I think pie spice with cheese is weird, man.
posted by Frowner at 12:53 PM on October 30, 2019 [2 favorites]

These beeswax wraps work a charm for keeping baked goods fresh multiple days.
posted by veery at 1:02 PM on October 30, 2019

Fannie Farmer's popover recipe starts in a cold oven, so you can totally forget about bread until the last minute and have delicious warm puffy bread 45 mins later (all inclusive, mixing and baking.) While they are at their very best warm, they are totally eggy and rich and good the next day too.

There are a million links to web versions if you don't have a copy of the cookbook, but I find all recipe blogs lately are so cluttered with ads that I hate clicking on them, so I'm not putting a link in this comment.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 1:11 PM on October 30, 2019 [1 favorite]

I like the German sliced energy breads you can get at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. They are extra nice toasted.
posted by stillmoving at 2:29 PM on October 30, 2019

I like the puffy white steamed buns (plain (called lotus bun sometimes) or filled with bbq pork) you can get in the frozen section of Asian supermarkets. You can heat them up by wrapping in a wet paper towel and microwaving.
posted by permiechickie at 4:28 PM on October 30, 2019

I buy yeasted herb rolls from a fancy grocery store (Fresh Market, if you have one near you). They keep very well in the freezer. All sorts of rolls should keep well this way: pretzel rolls, pumpernickel, mini croissants, etc.
posted by sarajane at 4:25 AM on October 31, 2019