83 Comments | Jill Winger |Last Updated: June 13, 2023
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It’s 2ºF outside and here I am making homemade hamburger buns…
By the time some of you find this recipe, we’ll be deep into summer and you’ll have stumbled upon this post after searching for a homemade bun option for your upcoming BBQ.
But we’re not BBQing here at the moment. The grill is buried under snow and everything outside is frozen. The pick-up truck door was frozen shut the other day. And the poo is frozen to the ground. And the water hoses? Forget about it… Everything just feels harder in the winter time.
Anyway, enough whining– let’s talk burgers. I realize hamburgers aren’t typical January fare, but I just submitted my cookbook manuscript for its first round of edits (more to come on that soon. Eeek!), and dang it! I just felt like burgers. The problem is we are bun-less, and I can’t really justify driving 40+ miles just for buns, celebration or not.
Thankfully, homemade burger buns take less than 15 minutes of hands-on time, and taste a million times better than storebought. I’ve tried a number of recipes over the years and they often felt a bit lacking. They were too dry, or too bready, or too crumbly, or whatever. But this recipe is perfection, my friends. These buns are soft and fluffy with the perfect crumb, not to mention they are show-stopping gorgeous! Who cares about pretty buns? Well, I do. Who wants to eat an ugly bun? No one, that’s who.
Slide a hamburger patty between one of these babies and you’ll be a burger rockstar, and if burgers aren’t your jam, try them with the Slow Cooker Pulled Pork instead.
Combine the milk and yeast in a mixing bowl (this one’s my favorite) and stir until dissolved. Mix in the sugar, butter, and egg, then add the salt and flour.
Knead for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Set aside in a warm place to rise in a covered bowl for 60 to 90 minutes.
Punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal balls. Press each ball into a 3-inch circle. Rise for 30 minutes, or until the buns are round and puffy. Brush the tops of the buns with the egg/water mixture, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until the buns are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. These are best if eaten within 1 to 2 days of being made– store leftovers in an airtight container.
(P.S. If you want to try your hand at making 100% whole wheat hamburger buns, here’s a recipe for that.)
Combine the milk and yeast in a mixing bowl (this one’s my favorite) and stir until dissolved. Mix in the sugar, butter, and egg, then add the salt and flour.
Knead for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Set aside in a warm place to rise in a covered bowl for 60 to 90 minutes.
Punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal balls. Press each ball into a 3-inch circle. Rise for 30 minutes, or until the buns are round and puffy. Brush the tops of the buns with the egg/water mixture, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until the buns are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. These are best if eaten within 1 to 2 days of being made– store leftovers in an airtight container.
Inject flavor right into burger buns by basting them with a seasoned butter mixture. "I like to create fun, flavored butters and baste all my breads," said Formicola. "Using melted butter with just a 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic powder, chili powder, or cumin can totally transform a boring bun."
Your instinct might be to add extra flour; however, any extra flour will create a denser, tougher bun instead of the light, fluffy, brioche-style bun we want.
The most common way is to use your oven. Heat it up to about 350°F (175°C). Sprinkle a bit of water over the crust or lightly dampen the bread's surface with a cloth. Then, pop the bread into the oven for 10-15 minutes.
Originally Answered: What is the secret behind baking soft and light roll buns? The secret to soft, light rolls, if you're looking for something like a dinner roll, is an enriched dough that contains butter or other dairy, eggs, or both.
A blood urea nitrogen (BUN) test measures the amount of urea nitrogen found in your blood. Urea nitrogen is a waste product made when your liver breaks down protein.
While bread flour is the best option, it can sometimes be used if you don't have bread flour. “Check the protein content,” advises Chef Jürgen, since it can vary from brand to brand, and an all-purpose flour that contains protein on the higher end of the range, 12 to 13 percent, will produce a better outcome.
All it takes is a small amount of dough enhancer per loaf to create a much lighter and fluffier result. Using a dough enhancer like Vital Wheat Gluten works to improve the texture and elasticity of the dough and elongate the strands of gluten. Doing so allows more room for the gas in the dough to develop and rise.
If the area is too warm, bread will rise too fast and begin cooking before the yeast has finished acting. This will impart a "yeasty" taste to the dough that will be transferred to the finished baked loaf. Using old ingredients (rancid nuts, "old" shortening) will cause yeast breads to taste old or have an "off" taste.
Also called cos lettuce, romaine complements burgers with a bright nutty flavor offset by slightly bitter undertones. The outer leaves are perfect for bundling hamburgers, while romaine hearts offer smaller leaves for wrapping sliders.
Brioche rolls and regular rolls are different in that brioche rolls require more eggs and butter in their recipe than regular rolls. Although both brioche rolls and regular rolls contain eggs and butter, the fact that brioche rolls contain more of these ingredients means that these rolls are higher in fat content.
Rolls are typically proofed and baked closer together for a softer, “pull apart” result. This makes them great for dipping or eating alongside other food. On the other hand, buns are proofed with space between them, which makes them crustier.
Stay fresh: Both the fat from the milk and butter preserve the freshness of these soft dinner rolls and keeps them soft for a days. The fat keeps the rolls from drying out! Soft: The perfect ratio of flour to fat to liquid makes these dinner rolls uber soft.
Hard crusts/bread/buns etc means that you are either baking on too low heat and for too long, OR the dough you started off with was not kneaded well enough.
Alternatively, burger lovers can apply a light egg wash to the top of the buns, sprinkle on sesame seeds, and pop them in the oven for a few minutes to finish. This technique, which can also be used to add a variety of other flavor-enhancing toppings, offers the advantage of producing warmed, gently toasted buns.
So, using either a soft, salted or flavored butter, take a generous helping and spread a layer on the side of the bun that will be in contact with the cooking surface. And of course, be sure to butter both the top and bottom buns for maximum crunch and taste.
The best method is to leave them out on the counter. They will defrost in an hour or two. If you are in a hurry, heat your oven or toaster oven to 375 degrees (F), lightly dampen the outside of the bun by rubbing it with wet hands and place it in the oven for several minutes (no more than 5).
I think the taste and the texture of buns are best when lightly toasted. To toast a bun on a grill, grill pan, or griddle, split the bun open, place it cut side down on the grill, and grill until light golden brown, about 10 seconds.
It also heats the bun and freshens it up. I wouldn't fry a burger bun, but I would toast one. Packaged burger buns were baked at some point in the past, so getting some heat on them is essential to a delicious burger. I like to brush the cut sides with a little butter and griddle them in a hot pan.
Introduction: My name is Pres. Lawanda Wiegand, I am a inquisitive, helpful, glamorous, cheerful, open, clever, innocent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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