The role of the bun in a hamburger is extremely important. You could say it’s the second most important part right after the meat. I tasted enough burgers all around the world to consider myself a burger expert. I’ve always believed in “There is beauty in simplicity” and that’s why I enjoy the classic cheeseburgers the most. At first, I was afraid of making homemade buns but there was no reason to; it’s a piece of cake. These burger buns are far cry from what you can get at any restaurant in Manila; you will love them. I guarantee that 🙂
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp dry yeast
- 120 ml of warm water
- 120 ml of milk
- 1 big egg
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 1 tbsp raw cane sugar (who prefers sweeter buns – add 2 tbsp sugar)
- 1 ts sea salt
- 375 g Red Mill artisan bread flour
- 1 beaten egg for brushing
- seeds for sprinkling (sesame, poppy, black sesame, cumin seeds)
Instructions:
- Mix warm water (it must not be hot!) together with the yeast until it dissolves perfectly.
- In a large bowl mix milk, the egg, butter, sugar, and salt. Add the yeast and mix well.
- After all the ingredients are well-combined gradually add flour.
- Knead the dough by hand until it is beautifully smooth, flexible, but still slightly sticky. However, it should no longer stick to the walls of the bowl. This process should take approximately 10-15 minutes. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place covered with a cloth until it doubles in size for about an hour.
- Now put it onto a lightly floured baking mat, split it into 8 equal parts and form same-size buns. Place them on a baking sheet lined with a baking paper.
- Cover the buns with a cloth and leave to rise until they double in size again, for roughly 30-40 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 185° C / hot air to 165° C. For a matte surface, smear the leavened buns with water or melted butter, for a shiny surface, brush with a beaten egg. Sprinkle with seeds and bake until gold (15-20 minutes). You can store them in a freezer. They are also great with butter and jam.
Enjoy! 🍔
