How to Make Your Own Hamburger Buns

So last week Hubby was craving for a good burger. Although KL has a whole bunch of new burger places, we were too lazy to go out just for a burger (and queue!), so I told Hubby I will make him one at home.

Meeting the criteria of a good burger

One of the criteria for a good burger is having good burger buns. For convenience sake, in the past I've always used burger buns out of a plastic pack. This time, I up the ante and made my own burger buns. This recipe, adapted from The Kitchn caught my attention since the buns looked soft and fluffy. I don't always have luck making bread/buns as they sometimes don't rise but no problems on this occasion as my burger buns rose beautifully.

Texture-wise, it was as I imagined it to be - soft and fluffy, and it remained soft even on the next day. I used these buns to make two different types of burgers (recipes which I will share later). If you want the burger buns to taste even better, just lightly toast it with some butter on a frying pan.

These burger buns are very easy to make, and most importantly, they taste great - would definitely make my own burger buns for now on. These buns would also be great with any of your sandwich fillings.

Nice and soft buns

Burger buns all ready for our Burger Night!

Homemade Hamburger Buns

Recipe adapted from The Kitchn

Preparation time: 15-20 minutes (plus 1 1/2 hours rising time)

Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Makes 8 buns

Ingredients
1 tablespoon active-dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk, at room tempeature
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups (15 oz) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl, if mixing/kneading by hand), stir the yeast into the warm water and let it sit until dissolved, about 5 minutes.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk the milk, egg, oil, sugar, and salt until combined. Add this to the yeast mixture (from Step 1) and stir well. Add all the flour and stir until it forms a shaggy dough - if it's still very sticky, then add 1-2 tbsp flour gradually until you get a shaggy dough.

3. Using your stand mixer, knead on low speed for 10 minutes. Similarly, if you are kneading by hand, do it  for 10 minutes until the dough feels smooth, slightly tacky, and springs back when poked.

4. Return the dough to the mixing bowl and cover with a cloth/cling film. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about an hour.

5. Dust your work surface with a little flour and turn out the risen dough on top. Divide the dough into 8 portions and shape each into a tight ball. Transfer the balls to a baking sheet and let rise until they look puffy and hamburger-sized, roughly about 30-40 minutes.

6. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

7. Melt the butter and brush it over the risen hamburger buns. This helps the top of the buns brown and keeps the crust soft. Bake the buns until golden, about 15-20 minutes.

8. Let the buns cool to room temperature before slicing and using. They are best if eaten within the next day or two, but will keep in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week.

Hubby gives these burger buns his stamp of approval :D

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*This recipe was featured on Fabulous Food Blog Recipes on 26 April 2013.