What kind of bun is this? It’s a hamburger bun. This is no
hamburger bun she said. True enough, this bun is way too amazing to be a
hamburger bun. I am making them again today; Liv took the trial buns home last
night.
“Most commercial burger buns are extremely soft compared to
other breads. That's because commercial bakers make liberal use of dough
conditioners that help to emulsify ingredients, enhance the fermentation
process, yield uniform products, and tenderize the crumb.” Source
If softness you are after, this is the perfect recipe. It all
started with the inner child hankering after a hamburger bun from the
past. They used to be soft and didn’t crumble and didn’t taste
like sawdust. I barely turned eighteen, not yet an adult under Canadian law back in
1967. One of the first things my immigrant palate enjoyed were hamburgers from the
AW drive-in. The attendant brought this long tray that span the entire front of our
car resting on the half-open windows and well you know the rest.
I use instant yeast because it doesn't require proofing. The water
should be warm but not hot. Hot water kills the yeast. All ingredients should be at room temperature; otherwise, rising could take up to
two hours or more. Preplanning is not my strong
suit, but strategizing is, so I revised Domestic Dreamboat’s recipe. The dough is
on the stiff side and to make it easier to handle, the last cup of flour should
be added gradually, much like when making challah. The buns will still be
lovely and soft at the end. Knead the dough smooth and very, very elastic. If
you have to knead by hand, there is a trick to soften up the dough. Lift it up
and throw it down on the counter 100 times. Beating up the dough softens it and
makes it pliable. The second rising should not take longer than 40 minutes. I
let one batch to double during the second rising and the buns were overly fluffy for my taste.
BURGER BUNS
1 cup lukewarm water
3 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1 egg
2-1/2 cups + 1 cup flour
2 Tbsp white sugar
2-1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
melted butter for greasing
Egg Wash
1 egg
1 Tbsp milk
sesame seeds for topping
- In a 2-cup measuring cup, place 1 cup of lukewarm water.
- Melt the butter and add 2 Tbsp of melted butter to the lukewarm water. Stir.
- Add the heavy cream and the egg and whisk together. Set aside.
- Place 2-1/2 cups of flour in a large bowl.
- Add the yeast, salt and the sugar and whisk to combine.
- Add the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture and stir to combine.
- Gradually 1/4 cup at the time, knead in the remaining flour. The dough will be stiff.
- Kneed the dough until elastic; if the dough is too stiff, throw it down on the counter 100 times. It will still have resistance but will be pliable enough to knead.
- Grease a large bowl with the remaining butter, put the dough in, and turn it over.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it to rise until doubled.
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Punch the dough down and roll it into a thick log.
- Divide into 12 equal pieces.
- Form into balls. Press the balls down with the palm of your hand into disks, to about 1 inch height.
- Place the disks on the prepared baking sheet.
- In a small bowl whisk together 1 egg with 1 Tbsp of milk.
- Brush the tops with the egg wash.
- Sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds.
- Let the buns rise for 40 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Place the buns in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden and the bottoms are lightly browned. These buns are best when they could still bake a bit longer.
- Let them cool on a wire rack and pack them into freezer bags.
- What you don’t use within a day freeze.
