Oh Yes! I Did: Perfect Homemade Burger Buns

This week’s Theme for #Spicychat is bringing the spotlight back on ‘Winning Sides’. Brainstorming over our new Twitter Series – #Spicychat got me questioning few of my grocery rituals. With summer at our heels, food sites are buzzing about the Burger, America’s quintessential comfort food.  There truly is nothing like a burger; it is the ultimate comfort food, yet so hard to find a decently juicy and perfectly cooked burger. That said, with so much emphasis on the meat and numerous toppings that constitute for the IT burger, the bun seems to have become the long-lost child. I have noticed that people including myself have spent hours and tons of money trying to create the ultimate sandwich yet when it comes to the roll itself; I haven’t even batted an eyelid when I bought the burger bun from my local grocery store.

Speaking of baking, some of you might recall my recent trip to King Arthur Flour in Vermont. I still have to pen down my wonderful experience of the Blog and Bake 2012, until then here’s a comprehensive and precise narration of our trip via the eyes of King Arthur Flour’s very own Allison Furbish – Blog & Bake 2012.

There is nothing quite like waking up to the mouth-watering aromas of freshly baked bread.  Needless to say that since my trip, King Arthur Flour has been stalking my dreams. Typically before my trip, baking in my kitchen was limited to the weekends since it required tremendous organization and extra set of hours which I didn’t have during the school year. This past weekend I took on the project of baking my very own burger buns. Given that, I use King Arthur Flour exclusively and taking inspiration from the talented instructors of KAF, I decided to give their recipe a try. By the way, did you know KAF has it’s very own Baking Hotline? We all are fully aware that baking can be a challenge. That’s why KAF has professionals standing by their Baking Hotline to offer free information and advice for home bakers. How cool is that? Test them – I am positive that you will be pleasantly surprised: phone: 800.827.6836

You are going to think I am getting paid to speak so highly about KAF.  Absolutely Not. I simply love their products and my trip re-validated the numerous reasons why I believe their products are not only superior but the passion and perfection of the talented instructors/bakers is a rarity in today’s modern times. Enough of my rants, let’s get down to actual baking now.

 

Perfect Home Made Burger Buns

There are no shocking bells and whistles to KAF’s recipe, just high-quality ingredients. Though one reason I particularly like this recipe is because not only is it easy and simple but it is fool proof. There aren’t that many recipes in my humble opinion that I can follow to the T. Some how, I always find myself embellishing or making up for the lack of content or ingredient. That said, I followed this recipe precisely and voila! I got an exceptionally flavorful, soft, and slightly sweet all round bread that is made for a great bite. And it is equally tasty as a base for sweet or savory toppings. On King Arthur Flour’s Website, they refer to it as ‘The Best’. After trying it I whole heartedly concur with their description. It truly is a Winner.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large egg
• 3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• melted butter for topping

Directions:

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 to 2 hours, or until it’s nearly doubled in bulk.
3. 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.
4. Brush the buns with about half of the melted butter.
5. 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.
6. Cool the buns on a rack. Yield: 8 large buns.

It comes as no surprise, that I adored these freshly baked burger buns. They truly are the ideal base for any sandwich. Of course, to showcase these wonderful homemade buns, I embarked on creating my very own indulgent burger. You have to start with the right meat. For me, the ultimate burger is ideally made from ground American Kobe. That generous touch of fat from fatty Kobe brings just the right amount of richness. A generous sprinkling of freshly ground black peppercorn and truffle salt, you have an insanely juicy and satisfying hamburger. Here’s what was for dinner!!

 

 

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