Homemade Hamburger Buns

These take zero effort!! Seriously, I’m just tickled how they came out. The folks at King Arthur Flour know how to make a giant burger bun!! Now to make the giant burgers to go in them!!

Hamburger Buns
3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm water*
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
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
*For best results (a smooth, slightly soft dough), use the smaller amount of water in summer (or in a humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate); and something in between the rest of the time.
TOPPING
3 tablespoons melted butter

INSTRUCTIONS
Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to make a soft, smooth dough.

I used a Kitchenaid mixer set on #2 speed for 4 minutes. Rub a bit of olive oil on it, shape into oval. Put back in mixer bowl.
Cover the dough with plastic right in the mixer bowl, and let it rise for 1-2 hours, or until it’s nearly doubled in bulk. (Mine takes 2 hours)
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 lightly greased cast iron. I used a 14″ pizza pan. Cover with plastic and let rise for about an hour, until noticeably puffy.
Brush the buns with egg wash, then add sesame seeds and cheese (or not).
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.
Cool the buns on a rack.
Yield: 8 large buns.

TIPS FROM THE KING ARTHUR FLOUR BAKERS
For slightly smaller buns, divide the dough into 12 pieces instead of 8. Bake the buns for 12 to 15 minutes, instead of 15 to 18 minutes. And how about “slider buns” — about 3″ in diameter? Divide the dough into 24 pieces, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
When making anything with yeast, including these rolls, let the dough rise to the point the recipe says it should, e.g., “Let the dough rise till it’s doubled in bulk.” Rising times are only a guide; there are so many variables in yeast baking (how you knead the dough; what kind of yeast you use) that it’s impossible to say that bread dough will ALWAYS double in bulk in a specific amount of time.
What’s another easy way to shape buns, besides rolling them into balls and flattening? Gently deflate the dough, and form it into a smooth 8″ log. Slice the log as though you were slicing cinnamon buns. Gently pull each slice into a circle.
Brushing buns with melted butter will give them a soft, light golden crust. Brushing with an egg-white wash (1 egg white beaten with 1/4 cup water) will give them a shinier, darker crust. For seeded buns, brush with the egg wash; it’ll make the seeds adhere. And, feel free to add the extra yolk to the dough, reserving the white for the wash.
To make these buns using our hamburger bun pan: Divide the dough into six pieces (if you have a kitchen scale each piece will weigh about 4 1/2 ounces), and shape them into balls. Place the balls into the lightly-greased wells of a hamburger bun pan, and gently press them with your hand to fill the bottom of the wells, or until they’re about 3 1/2″ to 4″ wide. Proceed with the recipe as written.
Credit to https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/beautiful-burger-buns-recipe

This time I still did the egg wash, then sesame seeds, and then shredded cheese!! When they came out of the oven, I brushed them with melted butter. Heavenly!! I won’t make them without cheese again… now, we need some serious burgers!!

Fantastic recipe if you like whole wheat buns, just use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose. I did an egg wash on these, and added the sesame seeds, when they came out of the oven I brushed melted butter on top. SO GOOD!!