TIP OF THE DAY: Bake Your Own Hamburger Rolls

May 24, 2014 at 7:54 am · Filed under Bread-Crackers-Sandwiches, Recipes, Tip Of The Day

If you’ve been invited to a Labor Day cookout, offer to bring homemade hamburger rolls. This recipe, from King Arthur Flour (which uses its King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour), has gotten a five-star review (“the best”) from just about everyone who has made it.

The soft roll has a hint of sweetness and is golden-yellow from the butter and egg, these charming buns are perfect for burgers or any kind of sandwich.

Prep time 25 minutes; baking time 15 minutes; total time 2 hours 40 minutes (includes time for dough to rise). Here’s a step-by-step photo illustration from King Arthur Flour.

You may want to consider making a double batch: You can freeze what you don’t use.

RECIPE: HAMBURGER BUNS

Ingredients For 8 Buns

3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm water (see *footnote below)

2 tablespoons butter

1 large egg

3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1-1/4 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon instant yeast

3 tablespoons melted butter

Optional seed topping†

hamburger-buns-plain-and-seeds-kingarthur-230

You can add an optional seed topping, or enjoy the rolls plain. Photo courtesy King Arthur Flour.

*For best results (a smooth, slightly soft dough), use the smaller amount of water in summer or in a humid environment, the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate); and something in-between the rest of the time.

†King Arthur sells an artisan bread topping. You can mix your own with equal parts of anise, black caraway, flax, midget sunflower, poppy and toasted sesame seeds.

hamburger-buns-brushing-w-butter-kingarthur-230

Brushing with butter adds more luscious
flavor. Photo courtesy King Arthur Flour.

Preparation

1. MIX and knead all of the dough ingredients—by hand, mixer, or bread machine—to make a soft, smooth dough. Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until it’s nearly doubled in bulk.

2. Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball; flatten to about 3″ across. Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, until noticeably puffy.

4. Brush the buns with about half of the melted butter.

5. Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden. Remove them from the oven, and brush with the remaining melted butter. This will give the buns a satiny, buttery crust.

6. Cool the buns on a rack.

BAKING TIPS

SIZE. For slightly smaller buns, divide the dough into 12 pieces instead of 8. Bake the buns for 12 to 15 minutes, instead of 15 to 18 minutes. For slider size—about 3″ in diameter—divide the dough into 24 pieces, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

RISING. When making anything with yeast, including these rolls, let the dough rise to the point the recipe says it should, e.g., “Let the dough rise until it’s doubled in bulk.” Rising times are only a guide; there are so many variables in yeast baking (how you knead the dough; what kind of yeast you use, e.g.) that it’s impossible to say that bread dough will always double in bulk in a specific amount of time.

CRUST. Brushing buns with melted butter will give them a soft, light golden crust. Brushing with an egg-white wash (1 egg white beaten with 1/4 cup water) will give them a shinier, darker crust. For seeded buns, brush with the egg wash; it’ll make the seeds adhere. And, feel free to add the extra yolk to the dough, reserving the white for the wash.

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