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ABC’s of How to Shape the Perfect Bar

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how to share the perfect barsI enjoy making healthy, whole food bars.  But often they can be hard to shape into a nice compact bar.

After experimenting with several techniques,  I came across one that I now use regularly.   I have talked about using this bar press (the actual name for it is the “spam musubi sushi rice press) in several of my posts, but I thought I would take some time to show you how wonderful of a tool it is.

The Perfect Bar

So to make the bars, I used three tools;  the bar press, a pastry scraper, and a 1/4 cup measuring scoop.  With these three tools, I can create compact bars that are all the same size.   Often, bar batters can be loose and hard to make compact… this simple mold will help you make pressed bars the foolproof way.  I hope the step-by-step pictorial helps.

Items Needed:

  1. Sushi Rice Press (bar press)
  2. Pastry Scraper
  3. 1/4 cup measuring cup/scoop

Gather the supplies…

Creating Bar supplies

 Prepare the bar dough/batter.

Bar Dough

Place the bar press on a hard surface.  I usually do this on the teflex sheet
that comes with the dehydrator.  You can also use a cutting board.

Bar Press

 Load the measuring scoop with batter.  Level off the surface each time.

Measuring Dough with Spoon

 Place the dough in the bar press and insert the top piece.

Pressing the Dough with Bar Press

 With even, steady pressure, push the insert down, flattening the dough.

Pressed Dough

 Lift the bar press casing off.  DO NOT LIFT THE HANDLE OUT FIRST.

Lifting the Bar Press

 Slide the pastry scraper under the bar, removing it from the surface.

Lifting the Bar Press

 The bar is now stuck to the bottom of the bar press handle.

Bar on the Bar Pressing

 Slide the pastry scraper in between the handle and the bar.

Sliding the pastry scraper in between the handle and the bar

 The bar then transfers to the scraper.

The bar then transfers to the scraper

 Slide off the bar onto the mesh sheet that comes with the dehydrator.

Sliding off the bar onto the mesh sheet that comes with the dehydrator

Wah-lah!  It may seem time-consuming, but trust me,

soon you will have a rhythm, and then it goes quickly.

Bars on the dehydrator tray ready to eat!

14 thoughts on “ABC’s of How to Shape the Perfect Bar

    • amie-sue says:

      Good morning Holly,

      Thanks so much for sharing. Good ole’ Tupperware. I use to love that stuff growing up. I don’t see it too often anymore but I love their bar cases that I saw on the link you sent me. I use eye glass cases in my purse to hold bars so they don’t get crumbled. Have a wonderful day, amie sue

  1. Afsaneh says:

    Amie Sue, What a nice way of using sushi press to make bars, Very Smart! well as Amazon cannot ship this to Amsterdam,:( i am going to find it somewhere around in EU.
    This is a very handy and fun idea box!Thank you for all you share with us, Much Love and Blessings

    • amie-sue says:

      I hope you can find one Afsaneh. They are not required to make a bar, they just make the job easier for more compact, uniformed-sized bars. :) Let me know if you can get one. Have a happy day, amie sue

    • Veronica says:

      Hi Amie Sue and Afsaneh,

      Here comes a tip from a fellow European, Afsaneh; 🙂 Try Ebay, they ship worldwide. I will place an order for this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/282056280357
      I thought a bigger handle might make the job even easier but they also have the exact same type as Amie Sue uses.

      The bars look lovely, Amie Sue! I was able to find organic cherries today, and those are not easy to find over here! I have longed to make your nut filled, chocolate covered cherries (Relleno..?) since I first read the recipe so I will make those first, while I wait for the sushi press. 😊

      • amie-sue says:

        Hello Veronica. Thank you so much for giving Afsaneh an idea on where to get a press! You are awesome.

        So excited for you to make the nut stuffed cherries. I plan on making some more too since our cherries are perfectly ripe. :) Keep me posted how it goes. Blessings and joy, amie sue

        • Afsaneh says:

          Hi Veronica, Thank you so much for the link! Yes that is definitely a good one! i can order one for sure :)I really want to start making my own raw bars and Amie’s recipes are the best!
          Many Thanks and Blessings

  2. Angie says:

    awesome tip … thank you Amie Sue♥

  3. Veronica says:

    Oh, I just saw in the pics that you use the one with a bigger handle, that means I made a good choice then! 😀

  4. Sue Thomas says:

    Sooooooo exciting! Thanks Amie Sue!
    Put these in deli stores!!!!

  5. cheynnedeboer says:

    Hi again! When I click the link to the press, I don’t find it. Is it still there? Thanks! :)

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