(Apologies for my blog’s disappearance yesterday. For a couple of hours, my server was offline because of a network outage. I did publish a Q&A post before it went out, though, so if you missed it yesterday, just scroll down.)
Last week, on a rainy, rainy day, I was just about to start making the dough for some buns when our electricity went out. Bummer.
This meant that I couldn’t use my stand mixer, but that was ok with me…I’m quite capable of mixing and kneading bread dough by hand. I do it every Sunday when I make bread for communion, actually.
No, the main problem was that I needed to melt some butter and heat some milk, and with no stove and no microwave, I was sort of low on options.
I was planning to make a grilled chicken Caesar salad for dinner that night, so I decided to grill the chicken breasts, since (yay!) the grill operates off of a propane tank.
Then it occurred to me that maybe I could use the heat from the grill to help me heat the milk…
and the butter.
The milk didn’t get quite as warm as it would have on the stove or in the microwave, but it worked just fine, and we had a lovely pan of rolls to go with our salad at dinner (the power came back on before I had to bake them, thankfully. I don’t think my grill would work too well for baking rolls!).
I was actually trying to replicate the buns they serve at Fuddruckers, using a recipe from the internet. The buns were lovely, but they weren’t at all the size or shape of the Fuddruckers buns (not for reasons having anything to do with my unusual heating method!), so I will try again. When I figure it out, I’ll share with you. 
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Very clever way to make do! I think that at least 50% of being frugal is adaptability and ingenuity….figuring out how to “make it work.” Hope you have a great day!
Nice adjusting to circumstances!
Rolls – many kinds of bread actually – can be made on the grill or over a fire, but the method is a bit different. And, ideally, a cast-iron pan or dutch oven. I’ve done it over fire and charcoal grill. I’d have to put my thinking cap on if I was called to bake bread on a propane grill.
We actually have a set of pans specifically to use on the grill – ’cause you just never know.
We picked them up at a yard sale.
I keep an old skillet on hand that I use on the grill when I want to saute onions or mushrooms while I am grilling meat. And with a two level fire and a dutch oven, you could cook your buns on the grill!
If you’d like to have the real thing at Fuddruckers, check out FuddsPrime.com where you can create your own Wanted poster to get a Frugal Girl coupon for a Fudds Prime Burger on one of our scratch baked buns, Fudd Fries and a Drink….
Good thinking! My grill actually has a burner on the side, but I’ve never used it.
I have not tried this recipe yet, but it also looked good for hamburger buns:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2009/06/11/add-the-pickle-add-the-lettuce%e2%80%94burger-cheese-buns-dont-upset-us/
Our grill has a burner, specifically because we live in earthquake country and could be without electricity for days at a time. We know we can always cook on the grill–IF we remember to keep the spare propane tank full for emergencies. ;o)
We have the same pots