What's A Burger Boat And How Do You Prevent Soggy Bread?

Whoever thought of putting a patty between two buns probably didn't know they were doing God's work. In many ways, burgers are the perfect food. Most of us have enjoyed burgers on buns countless times in our lives. There is no one way to eat it — you can customize it in countless ways, have it the classic way with a juicy patty amid two soft buns, or just skip the buns and eat it with portobello mushrooms, tomatoes, or the good ol' green lettuce. Or, you know, make a burger boat.

"But what in the world are burger boats?" one might ask. Simply put, they are burgers on bread boats. Bread boats are the oblong cousins of bread bowls. The "boats" are hollowed out sandwich bread like ciabatta or baguette. They are commonly used to make pizza boats, Georgian cheese bread boats, breakfast bread boats, and much more. One can use them as edible tableware for just about anything that won't get the bread excessively soggy.

There are two ways to make a burger boat, which all comes down to how you cook the patty. One way is to cook it in a skillet. First, hollow out the soft center of the sandwich bread and set aside. Cook the ground meat, herbs, and spices for three to four minutes. Once cooked, put everything into the bread boat and top with cheese. Transfer the burger to a tray and pop it in the oven for five to eight minutes until the cheese melts and the bread has a nice brown crust.

Another way is to cook the patty on the bread. Mix herbs and spices in ground meat and stuff it in the bread boat. Cook on a flat-top grill or a pan with the meat side down until the patty is fully cooked. Top with cheese and bake until the cheese melts.

In the second method, there is a good chance that your bread boat will get soggy due to all the juices oozing out of the ground meat as it cooks. Thankfully, there are several ways to keep it from getting mushy. If you line the bread with cheese before putting it in the patty, moisture from the meat won't penetrate the bread. You can also flatten out the insides using your fingers to create a sturdier barrier between moisture and the bread.