JeffreyW’s yummy buns.

Last week JeffreyW posted the link to these buns. I was snowed in (looks out window) much like today, so I thought it would be a good day to try out the recipe. I am so glad I did. These really are the best hamburger buns I’ve ever made.

In recent years, I always bake by weight, not volume. It has made all the difference in my breads. I did not make any adaptations for high altitude for this recipe, but I did follow King Arthurs’ advice on water/flour consistency.

I only made two changes – I cut the sugar down to 2 tsp* and increased the salt to 1-1/2 tsp. Other than that, the recipe seems foolproof. I may make again today.

King Arthur Beautiful Burger Buns

• 3/4 to 1 cup (170g to 227g) lukewarm water
• 2 tablespoons (28g) butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 3 1/2 cups (418g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour**
• 1/4 cup (50g)  2 tsp sugar
• 1 -1/4  1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• butter or egg white for brushing on the surface
• sesame seeds (optional)

bowl, baking sheet

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

This is where my KitchenAide mixer has made my life easier, I bake a lot more breads because of it. It seems to knead perfectly, much better than I do by hand. Also, so quick and easy to mix bread with it.

Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until it’s nearly
doubled in bulk.

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.

Brush the buns with about half of the melted butter. If you use sesame seeds, use egg white instead to help them adhere.

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.

Cool the buns on a rack.

*a couple of reasons for this – first, I dislike really sweet hamburger buns and second, at high altitude, a lot of sugar or honey can cause the yeast to rise too quickly and create a tough, dry bread.

** I switched to King Arthur this year because we were looking for a non-enriched flour and found that my favorite locally sourced flour was enriched.  But KA has several flours that are not enriched.