Merciful God, You are great in compassion and Your tenderness for us is without measure. We ask You to give us today our daily bread, and also provide for the needs of all of Your hungry children around the world. Through Christ Your Son and Our Lord. Amen.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Homemade Buns

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For years I've been searching for a great bun dough recipe. I go in spurts trying different recipes and then getting frustrated that none are soft and tasty. A couple weeks ago when I planned slider burgers for dinner, I hunted for another recipe -- it's hard to find tiny little buns at the grocery store. I'm so glad that I didn't give up because I finally found one that is really a keeper. The buns are soft, but not doughy, and very tasty. We enjoyed them with the slider burgers and again this past week with Italian sausage. Both times the buns held up -- didn't fall apart like homemade buns often do. This dough seems to have the perfect balance! The recipe came from King Arthur's flour.




Beautiful Burger (or Sausage) Buns

3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm water*
2 T. butter
1 large egg
3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 t. salt
1 T. instant yeast


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 hour, or until it's doubled in bulk.

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
(for hot dog or sausage buns, shape into thin logs instead of rounds).
Place the buns on a lightly greased baking sheet,** cover,
and let rise for about an hour, until very puffy.

If desired, brush buns with melted butter.
Or brush lightly with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water),
and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, till golden.
Cool on a rack.
(I brush them with melted butter when they come out of the oven so they stay nice and soft.)




* On a humid day use the lesser quantity and during drier weather, use more.

**I like to place the buns close enough that when they bake,
they will touch and get those nice, soft sides --
you might have to experiment a little to see how close they need to be.
My experience is about 1.5 inches apart.


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6 comments:

Susie said...

I've only been on your blog for a few minutes but I sure am loving it. I took a look at your breads. YUMMY!
Great job and I'll be back as I find time to look around more.
Thanks for being a great blogger.
Susie in northern NY

Barbara said...

Thanks, Susie. Please let me know if you bake any of the breads. Most of them are pretty fool-proof.

csr said...

That recipe for beautiful buns is my family's favorite! Molly@KAF

Charlotte (WaltzingM) said...

Barbara,
Do you use a bread machine or mixer or hand? Inquiring minds want to know.

Barbara said...

Charlotte,
I used the KitchenAid with the dough hook. While I have a bread machine, I don't use it any more because the loaves are just not big enough for my family. If your machine can handle this amount of flour, go for it!

The Jaracz Family said...

I have to try this, thanks for sharing the recipe! I've said that if I can find a good way to make hamburg & hotdog buns, I'll never need to buy any bread again! (oops, I forgot bagels!)