Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

It seems that with every season change, I find myself very disappointed in my wardrobe. This statement probably comes off as insanity to those of you who have seen the expanse of my closet, but despite all the options I find myself bored. A lot of it I have owned for many years and although I still like them, they don’t seem exciting anymore. Since my graduate student stipend cannot support a full wardrobe renewal, I end up buying a couple new items to spruce things up a bit. With the weather warming up, it is likely that I will be doing just that come the weekend.

Another side effect of the changing of the seasons is a desire to eat grilled foods. I don’t actually own an outdoor grill, but I pretend nonetheless and use the George Foreman or a grill pan. And what’s a burger without a bun? In fact, homemade burger buns have been on my list of things to make for a long time. I’ve made pretzel buns several times, but somehow skipped right over the basics (maybe that’s why my closet bores me, because it’s overflowing with basics). So when I decided to make burgers for dinner, I made sure to set aside some time to make traditional buns first!

These basic (but not boring) buns were absolutely perfect with their smooth tops and fluffy insides which are just begging to be toasted. I only needed 4 buns for the burgers so I froze the remaining 4 to be used later with another burger. Freezers are awesome.

One year ago: Pineapple Pancakes with Honey Greek Yogurt Topping

WHOLE WHEAT HAMBURGER BUNS

Makes 8 buns

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 tsp dry active yeast

1 cup 2% milk

1 egg

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 egg + 1 Tbsp water, for egg wash

Sesame and poppy seeds (optional topping)

Directions:

1. Set a side a large bowl that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer or a medium bowl, combine the sugar, salt and yeast.
3. In a smaller bowl, microwave the milk for 15 second increments until it is about 100 degrees or feels like bath water.
4. Slowly whisk in the milk to the sugar, salt and yeast and stir until the yeast and sugar are basically dissolved (a couple of seconds). Add the egg, butter and 1 cup of the flour and stir until there are no clumps.
5. Slowly add in the remaining 2 1/2 cups of flour until the dough is covered enough to start kneading with the dough hook (or flour covered hands). Knead for about 3 minutes.
6. Transfer the dough ball into the bowl that you set aside earlier. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours until it has doubled in size.
7. Punch the dough down, reshape into a ball, recover, and let it rise again for another 1 hour, until it has doubled in size again
8. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
9. Shape the dough into balls and let them rise while the oven is preheating.
10. In a small bowl, beat the egg and tablespoon of water. Brush the egg wash on the tops of the buns. Sprinkle with the seeds, if using.
11. Bake for about 10-12 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
12. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature or freeze them!

Source: Barely adapted from Chocolate & Carrots