Homemade Sandwich/ Burger Buns

I love to bake. Obviously, I chose to do it for a living. It is a real stress reliever for me. There is something therapeutic about the process of making something from scratch. It's also nice to know exactly what is in what your eating. That is not to say I always make my hamburger buns, dinner rolls, etc. from scratch. I don't. Trust me, I buy plenty. However, I do enjoy a juicy burger on soft fresh bun. 


It does feel a little strange to blog about my buns. These buns are light, moist, and so delicious. After all nobody wants heavy buns. It's hard to go back to store bought once you've had them. These buns can be made with white flour, whole wheat flour, or a combination of both. I prefer white whole wheat flour.  It's makes for lighter, less dense whole wheat buns.  If your new to yeast breads, these are a good place to start. And they make a great Ham sandwich. (Yes, I shamelessly plugging my ham recipe that's coming!)


Ingredients:

• 3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm water (use greater amount in winter, lesser amount when it's humid, summer time)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large egg
• 3 1/2 cups  Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast

1) Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients—by hand, mixer, or bread machine—to make a soft, smooth dough.

2) Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 hour, or until it's doubled in bulk. 3) Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a round 1" thick (more or less); flatten to about 3" across. Place the buns on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, until very puffy. 4) Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, till golden. Brush with melted butter. If desired top with sesame seeds. The easiest way to shape these is to shape the dough into an eight inch log and slice one inch slices. Then flatten the rounds 3 inches wide and 1 inch thick. They don't have to be perfect! See how they are nice and puffy. Yum! Fresh Sandwich/ Hamburger buns.

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