The Best Burger Buns Ever

Haha - I was really tempted to name this post - "You too can have perfect buns!"  But I resisted.  You're welcome.

I have given up buying hardly any bread items.  I don't trust the long lists of ingredients found on most labels, nor do I trust just any flour.  It came to my attention that a common practice used these days to harvest wheat, is an application of herbicide just before harvest.  It supposedly increases yield for the farmer, but for health reasons - it just seems like a bad idea; so many health issues are being linked to herbicides such as glyphosate lately, I'm trying to avoid any of these chemicals as much as possible.

That being said, I've been in search of recipes to be able to make my own.  I finally found and tweaked the perfect burger bun recipe.

The bun in front has a combo of poppy seed and fennel.  The bun is back is regular toasted sesame seed.

This recipe makes 8 full-size buns or 16 slider-size.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast

1 lb. (approx.) AP flour - I trust Bob's Red Mill not to use any of the funny stuff and I love the company! *You might need more flour when humidity is higher - keep some nearby just in case.

1 cup water - warm to the touch

1 large egg; slightly beaten

3 Tbsp melted butter

2 Tbsp granulated cane sugar (if the label just says sugar - it's most likely from GMO sugar beets)

1 1/4 tsp salt

About 1 tsp oil to oil the bowl the dough will rise in.  My new favorite all around cooking oil is rice bran oil.

For the tops:

1 egg; beaten well

1 Tbsp milk

1 small pinch of salt (helps break the egg down to make it smoother)

Seeds as needed to top them with.  I usually do a variety.  *The seeds are completely optional.

Directions:

Take about 1/2 cup of the flour and combine it with the yeast (you'll add the rest of the flour later) in the bowl of a stand mixer - if making by hand, a medium-size bowl is good.  Add the warm water (not too hot so you don't kill the yeast - just warm to the touch) and whisk until smooth.  Cover the bowl with a clean towel and allow it to rest until it looks foamy; about 1/2 hour.

Add the beaten egg, melted butter, sugar, salt and remaining flour and mix on low speed with the dough hook attachment for about 6-7 minutes.  Check the dough - it should be slightly sticky, but not so much that it is sticking badly to the bowl.  If it is sticking too much add a little more flour 1 Tbsp at a time while mixing on low speed until it no longer sticks to the bowl.  Be careful not to add too much.

Continue to mix on low speed another 4-5 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.

Remove to a lightly floured surface and knead into a large ball, tucking the ends in.  Oil a bowl large enough to allow it to double in size.  Roll the dough in the oil to coat, leave the smooth side up, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double.  This usually takes 1 1/2 - 2 hours.  When it is really cold here, I set my oven to 350 degrees F for exactly 1 minute and then turn it off.  This provides the ideal temperature to raise dough in.

Once the dough has doubled in size, divide it into 8 equal pieces.  I always use a scale for this to be super consistent.  Just keep dividing in half, and weigh as you go until you have 8 equal portions.  They should weigh about 4 oz each.  *16 2 oz portions for slider buns.

Shape into balls, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

While the dough is resting, line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper (if you are making slider buns, you will need to prepare 2 baking sheets).  Combine the second beaten egg and Tbsp milk and small pinch of salt until completely smooth.

Flatten each dough ball to about 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick.  I like to cover it with a piece of plastic wrap (use the same piece you covered it with while it rose) and use the flat side of a large pickle jar or gallon container lid, which will give you a smooth and even surface.

Brush the tops with the egg mixture and evenly sprinkle the seeds (or just don't add seeds at all if you want plain).  Transfer flattened buns to the lined baking sheet - keep about a 1/2 inch to an inch between them - I find I have to off-set them to make them all fit.  Cover very loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise again until double.  It won't take as long this time.  About 30 minutes to an hour.  I find the stove top above the pre-heated oven is ideal for this rise.

Remove the plastic wrap and bake in the pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes.  The buns should be golden brown when fully baked.

Cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack.  Once the buns are thoroughly cooled, carefully pull them apart to separate them.  Cut them in half lengthwise with a serrated knife when you want to use them.  Store in plastic up to 2 days.  Any leftover buns can be stored well in the freezer, if you won't be using them all within a couple of days.  I always freeze them flat on a baking sheet first and then transfer the frozen buns to a plastic bag, to avoid smashing them.