I’m not a burger lover – not big on fast food chains (except for that one year during Uni when a McDonald’s Cheeseburger with mayonnaise was the most delicious thing ever!?), so it is so funny to me that (along with Burritos) Burgers are my babies favourite food. This recipe has changed my mind. Having a wholly homemade burger has become an indulgence I’m happy to grant my kids every so often.
I’ve made these buns many times now and they never fail to impress. I don’t know how they would turn out if you had to hand knead them – I’ve only attempted them with my KitchenAid dough hook, and the one time I made them at the beach without a mixer, I did have the benefit of a bread maker to do the kneading step of the process so the results were still great.
I make little sized buns for the kids, a Daddy-sized one for the big man and a Mummy-sized one for me (another advantage of making your own) and what’s more, these little beauties freeze perfectly meaning that we have another whole meal just waiting for one of those “I can’t be bothered cooking tonight” nights.
Light Brioche Hamburger Buns
Yield: approximately 12 medium sized buns
INGREDIENTS
3 T warm milk
1 cup warm water
2 t instant yeast (1 sachet of Edmonds Instant Rise Yeast)
2½ T sugar
1½ t salt
1 large egg
3 cups bread flour
1/3 cup standard flour (I use wholemeal)
2½ T butter, softened
For topping:
1 egg beaten with 1 T water, for egg wash
Sesame seeds
DIRECTIONS
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the milk, water, yeast, sugar, salt and egg. Mix briefly to combine. Add the flours to the bowl, and mix until incorporated. Mix in the butter. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed for about 6-8 minutes. The dough will be somewhat tacky, but you want to avoid adding too much extra flour which will create tough buns.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours.
Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Using a dough scraper, divide the dough into 12 equal parts. Gently roll each portion of dough into a ball and place on the baking sheet, 5 cm apart. Cover loosely with lightly oiled glad wrap and let rise again, 1-2 hours, until puffed up and nearly doubled.
Set a large metal dish of water on the lowest rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 200˚C with a rack in the centre. Brush the tops of the buns lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake the buns about 15 minutes rotating halfway through baking, until the tops are golden brown. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Recipe adapted from: Annies-Eats
The Bubbalino Kitchen 