This week for Tip Tuesday I'm sharing with you my recipe for homemade hamburger buns. I don't know how much they cost to make, but it would definitely be counted in pennies and nickels. Not only are they incredibly cheap, they also taste better! Seriously, a burger with these buns? Wowzers! You'll feel like you are eating a restaurant burger and I'm not talking Carls Jr. I'm talking one of those fancy gourmet burger bars that are all the rage. Your tip of the day is that homemade hamburger buns will elevate your burgers to a place called nirvana my friend. There's nothing quite like a good burger between a nice homemade bun. Try these buns with my delicious chipotle black bean burger. Mmmmm!
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup water
1 cup milk
2 1/2 tsp instant dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 1/2 cups flour
1 egg + 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
1. In a small saucepan over low heat melt the butter. Once the butter is completely melted stir in the water and milk. Let it get luke warm and remove from heat. You will need it to be warm enough to activate your yeast, but not hot enough to kill it. Between 90 and 110 degrees. I like to stay towards the low end of that range.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, salt and about 2 cups of the flour. Stir in the liquid mixture until well combined. Add in the remaining flour 1/2 cup - 1 cup at a time, kneading it into the dough as you go. Once all the flour has been added in, knead for another 5 minutes or so. The dough should be nice and smooth.
ALTERNATIVELY, just throw it all together in stand mixer or bread machine and let it do the work. My kitchen aid is currently dead (I literally wore it out, how cool is that?) so I'm doing things the old fashioned way.
3. Let rise 1 hour.
4. Divide into 12 balls. Press each ball between your hands to flatten. The dough will spring back a bit giving you about a 1/2-inch disc. Place the disc onto a lightly greased baking sheet.
5. Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon water to form an egg wash. Brush the tops of the discs. This will give them a nice shiny brown finish.
6. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 12 minutes, until lightly browned.
