Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Quick and Easy Hamburger Buns (with Updates!)

I am updating my bun recipe.  There are no major changes, but just a few tweaks here and there as I get better at making them.  (I do think that breads take a bit of trial and error.)  I have cut back a little on the water as well as the salt.  I felt that I was adding a lot of extra flour while kneading because the dough was just too wet.  I also learned that while sugar feeds yeast, salt makes it harder for yeast to do its job.  I have been using the dough hook on my mixer and giving it few extra minutes to develop the gluten instead of adding the vital wheat gluten.  (But I have made this without my mixer as well; the mixer is not mandatory, just convenient!) You can see the changes below. 


My goal this summer was to find a homemade bun recipe that we like.  We grill every weekend and are bun snobs!  I have been outraged at the cost of a good bakery bun so I was determined to find a recipe that I could make to cut the cost.   (We have had a LOT of homemade croutons from the buns that didn't make the cut.  It all worked out since we had an abundance of lettuce from our garden!) 
Here is the bun recipe I have settled on.  The best part: I have fresh buns in an hour from start to finish!  How great is that?

Ingredients

·    2 tablespoons active dry yeast

·    1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (110° to 115°)

·    1/3 cup olive oil

·    1/4 cup honey

·    1 egg

·    1 teaspoon salt 1/2 to 5/8 teaspoon salt

·    3 cups wheat flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour)

·    2 teaspoons vital wheat gluten (optional)

Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and honey.  Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir the egg, oil, salt and flour together and then add the yeast mixture to form a soft dough.  Knead until it is elastic, about 5-8 minutes. (You may have to add a bit more flour to the dough to make it workable if it is still too wet to form balls, but do not keep adding flour until bowl is clean on the sides like other bread recipes.  That will make your buns too heavy.) Do not let rise. Divide into 8-10 pieces; shape each into a ball and then flatten slightly. (You will know that the dough is the right consistency if your fingers are a little messy, but you can still work with it to make it into balls.)  Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Bake at 425° for 8-9 minutes or until golden brown.  (My husband would emphasise not over baking!)

I have had a lot of success lately doubling the recipe and placing 1/2 the dough balls immediately in the fridge before rising.  A couple days later I place them on a baking sheet to rise while my oven preheats.  Fresh buns are so much better than 2 day old buns!

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11 comments:

  1. Thanks for this recipe, Im going to pin it and try it. I have been making my own for a while, but the recipe I had told me to roll out and cut the dough, and they're always too flat. i think rolling it into a ball sounds like a good tip. Thanks!

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    1. And cutting and rolling them sounds like it would take a little longer than rolling them into balls! I hope that you like them!

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  2. Wow, Tara! A 21-bun salute to a great recipe idea!

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  3. This is great. I have been on a homemade bread/dough making kick lately and I think I will add this to the mix. I bet you can even adjust the shape and they could be hot dogs buns!

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  4. These were great, easy, and took less than an hour. I was going to put sesame seeds on top, but I forgot (will try it next time). They were SO easy and fast and tasted a lot better than storebought buns! I don't make bread very often but with a recipe like this, I can't imagine ever buying buns again!

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    1. I made a double batch last night. I cooked half for supper last night and the other half is "resting" in the fridge for to bake tomorrow. They are easy and so much cheaper than store buns. Glad that you like them!

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  5. I have made buns very similar many times. I started running into issues though when trying to refrigerate my dough with the dough turning very alcohol-y. They were actually inedible a few times. I googled and googled and read and finally came up with the problem. I was using way too much yeast. It was making my bread rise quickly, which is great if you need buns or bread fast, but it was turning to alcohol if left to rise for too long, even in the fridge. Have you even had that happen? I was using comparable amounts of yeast as your recipe calls for.

    If you have the time, your bread flavor and depth will improve dramatically with less yeast, and a longer rise time. If you don't, quick fresh buns always taste better than old store-bought ones! Great blog!!

    Nicole @ www.orWhateverYouDo.com

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  6. I just love homemade bread and these buns look fabulous! Have a great week and thank you so much for sharing your awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

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  7. Just stopping by to say that I love this recipe and I use it a minimum of once a month. We have used it to make hotdog buns, hamburger buns and just rolls to accompany dinner. :) Thank you for this recipe! -Angela from www.joyfocusedlearning.com

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