Homemade Hamburger Buns

Yes, I could have easily bought buns to sandwich our pulled pork, but what fun is that? How much more satisfying to know I baked these myself. And aren’t they just gorgeous with that shiny golden brown top speckled with sesame seeds?

I’ve baked with yeasted doughs a few times, and this is definitely the most pliable, easy-to-handle dough I’ve encountered yet. It was a bit tacky initially, but once the dough finished the first rise, it was smooth as can be to handle.

This particular recipe uses potato flour–not something I stock regularly in the pantry, so it did require a special trip to the store. However, I do list an alternative in the recipe below. I learned that the potato flour, though, helps keep moisture in the bread.

It also uses nonfat milk, another item I don’t regularly stock. I have seen it in small packets at the store, though, so you don’t have to buy a big bulky box of it.

This ended up being a fairly easy recipe, so I plan to continue making sandwich buns for us, keeping extras in the freezer to use as needed.

Homemade Hamburger Buns

Printer-Friendly Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. instant yeast (also called rapid rise yeast) or 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast   (.25 ounce packet) (see yeast tutorial to learn about the two types)
• 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 tbsp. white granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
• 1/4 cup potato flour (alternative: grind mashed potato flakes in a food processor)
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp. lukewarm water
• 1 extra large egg

For the egg wash

• 1 extra large egg
• 1 tbsp. water
• sesame seeds or poppy seeds, optional

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the flour, yeast, salt, sugar, melted butter, dry milk, potato flour, water, and egg in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-7 minutes. Adjust the dough’s consistency with additional flour or water as needed, but remember that the more flour you add, the heavier and drier your buns will be.
2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and shape into a ball.
3. Lightly spray the inside of a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Place the dough into the bowl; loosely cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and place in a draft-free space to rise until doubled in size, about 1 – 1 1/2 hours.
4. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Gently deflate the dough and divide into 8 equal portions. Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball and flatten into a   3 1/2-inch disc. Transfer discs to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them       2 1/2 inches apart. Cover lightly with a kitchen towel and allow to rise for 1 – 1 1/2 hours in a warm, draft-free space.
5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining egg and 1 tbsp. water. Brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds, if desired.
6. Bake the buns until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 8 buns

SOURCE: The Galley Gourmet

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