Hi everyone! Just wanted to quickly share a recipe I've made several times this summer. I know I already have a 100% Whole Wheat Hamburger Bun recipe on the site, but that recipe has a few ingredients that are a little more processed than I prefer (e.g., dried milk, potato flour, vital wheat gluten) and also might be harder to have on hand. So here's another variation that I have been very pleased with!
Normally it's best to stay away from pastry flour when it comes to making bread - pastry flour is lower in protein (gluten), which helps form the stretchy bonds that gives bread its wonderful chewy texture. So conventional wisdom says to use high protein flour for bread, and to reserve pastry flour for more tender baked goods like muffins or pancakes. However, the best hamburger buns are more soft than chewy, so I think the combination in this recipe achieves a fabulous result without the need for the add-ins! I've posted my bread machine version below, but if you do not have a bread machine, follow the link back to Deliciously Organic to find alternate instructions.
Homemade Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns
adapted from Deliciously Organic
1 cup water
3 tablespoons milk (whole, or whatever you have on hand)
2 tablespoons honey
1 large egg
2 cups (white or regular) whole wheat flour
1 1/2 (rounded) cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 3/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons SAF instant yeast
Optional
1 egg and sesame seeds
Add ingredients to your bread machine pan in the order prescribed by your manufacturer. Set machine for dough cycle. If you have a chance, check the dough a few minutes after it starts kneading. If it seems very sticky and is not coming together in a cohesive ball, sprinkle in a little more flour (1-3 teaspoons) until it just comes together.
Prepare a large baking sheet by lightly greasing or covering with a silpat or parchment paper.
After the dough cycle is complete, turn the dough out on a work surface, very lightly floured if the dough is very sticky - but be careful not to add too much more flour into the dough. Using a pastry scraper or large sharp knife, divide the dough into 8-10 pieces, depending on if you want larger or smaller buns (I tend to go with smaller ones).
Form each piece into a bun by flattening into a disk about 3/4 inch thick, and working your way around pinching the edges into the center until it is round and smooth on one side (for pictures of what I mean here check out this post, which also has instructions for making hot dog buns!). Place bun seam side down evenly spaced on your prepared baking sheet.
Cover with a clean dish towel and let rise 1-2 hours until nicely puffed up. While the buns are rising, preheat the oven to 400, and when they are ready, bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly browned on the tops and bottoms. (Optionally, before baking, brush with a beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.)
Remove hot buns to a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing. Store leftovers in the freezer, defrosting on the countertop for a couple of hours.
Makes 8 large or 10 medium-sized buns
2 teaspoons SAF instant yeast
Optional
1 egg and sesame seeds
Add ingredients to your bread machine pan in the order prescribed by your manufacturer. Set machine for dough cycle. If you have a chance, check the dough a few minutes after it starts kneading. If it seems very sticky and is not coming together in a cohesive ball, sprinkle in a little more flour (1-3 teaspoons) until it just comes together.
Prepare a large baking sheet by lightly greasing or covering with a silpat or parchment paper.
After the dough cycle is complete, turn the dough out on a work surface, very lightly floured if the dough is very sticky - but be careful not to add too much more flour into the dough. Using a pastry scraper or large sharp knife, divide the dough into 8-10 pieces, depending on if you want larger or smaller buns (I tend to go with smaller ones).
Form each piece into a bun by flattening into a disk about 3/4 inch thick, and working your way around pinching the edges into the center until it is round and smooth on one side (for pictures of what I mean here check out this post, which also has instructions for making hot dog buns!). Place bun seam side down evenly spaced on your prepared baking sheet.
Cover with a clean dish towel and let rise 1-2 hours until nicely puffed up. While the buns are rising, preheat the oven to 400, and when they are ready, bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly browned on the tops and bottoms. (Optionally, before baking, brush with a beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.)
Remove hot buns to a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing. Store leftovers in the freezer, defrosting on the countertop for a couple of hours.
Makes 8 large or 10 medium-sized buns
Interesting about the whole wheat pastry flour! I've been making hamburger buns that are more indulgent than these - and almost *too* much for just a regular weeknight burger - so I'll have to try these! Sort of a peripheral question: what's wrong with gluten? When I first started making bread, I was skeptical of "dough enhancers", but when I saw gluten offered by trusted sources like King Arthur Flour and Bob's Red Mill, I figured there was nothing to worry about. Should I be worried?
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole! I think you'll like these as an every day bun...they are really light! As for the gluten, I don't think you need to be worried about it. As far as I know, there's nothing specifically wrong with gluten (unless you're sensitive to it or one of the growing number of people who think that all gluten is bad, but that's an entirely different conversation!). But in order to isolate the gluten you have to do some serious processing of the grain, so in the interest of simplicity, one less thing to measure, and one less ingredient that's dependent on some kind of processing, I have been experimenting with using it less often.
DeleteAs a side note, though, as much as I LOVE King Arthur Flour, they do sell a number of flavorings and additives that are a little too unnatural for my preference, so I would take their ingredient recommendations with a grain of salt :)