LUSCIOUS

The fun thing about living with my chef is that he’s so unbound by conventional thinking. This is true of him broadly, in his life, and it also allows him to suggest things I would never have thought of. Blueberry biscuit scones, for example. Orangutan bread. So last night, when thinking about the different kinds of bread I would make today using my new toy, he said “you know….hamburger buns are never the right size for hamburgers.” And of course they’re not. They’re too small. And the bun to meat ratio is so critical in a good hamburger.

And thus was born the idea to make our own hamburger buns. We also don’t like hamburgers on overly fancy rolls, hard rolls, fancy buns. Plain old softish buns, a stand-up foil to a hearty burger and cheese and onions. Just there to support the team, not to draw too much attention to itself, that’s what we like. So we did some research – see the recipe below the pictures:

my new baby, hard at work:

it’s a really nice dough – smooth and elastic:

buns shaped and risen, brushed with egg wash and ready to bake:

et voila! baked and cooling:

great texture – light and tender:

Recipe:

4 tsp instant or rapid rise yeast (2 packages)
2 1/2 T sugar
1 1/3 cups warm water
4 tsp vegetable oil
2 c all purpose flour
2 c bread flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
4 tsp water
beaten egg white

In a large stand mixer (yay! my new toy!), dissolve yeast, sugar, and warm water. Mix well with the paddle attachment, and let stand until foamy, about 8-12 minutes.

Add oil, 2 cups bread flour, and salt. Stir well. Remove the paddle and attach the bread hook. Add the remaining 2 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and knead until dough comes together. Add additional flour if necessary to form a smooth, cohesive, elastic ball of dough. Knead for 8-10 minutes.

Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough in bowl and turn so dough is coated on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double in bulk – about 40 minutes.

Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll and form the dough into balls/rounds. Here’s where you can make them the size you want; we made ours pretty big. Flatten slightly, then place on oiled cookie sheet (or use Silpat, or parchment paper). Let rise for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Beat the egg white and water. Carefully brush the egg white onto the rolls. Bake rolls in preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown.

Next time we’re going to make some of the dough into hamburger buns, and some into hot dog buns.

* * * * *

So what do you do with such lovely buns? Duh – great great hamburgers, of course. He made some good iced tea with crushed mint, a light and wonderful couscous salad, and gracious big burgers for our gracious big buns.

apricots, pecans, red onions, mint, kalamata olives, and couscous,
dressed with 1/4 cup fresh lemon & lime juice, and 1/2 cup good olive oil.
this is my favorite, favorite salad.

get this: homemade bun, thick juicy cheeseburger with slabs of onion, and HOMEMADE MUSTARD.
he’s amazing, and i am so lucky.

you need a big mouth for this one. luckily, i’ve got one.

Try the buns – they’re really good. They’ve got all the good qualities of plain old hamburger buns, but they add something yummy that makes them well worth the effort. It’s really a very easy recipe, takes just a little time, and you can freeze them. I recommend freezing them unsliced.