Whisk Burger Buns

Another recipe I made when I was out of something in the kitchen (this has been happening more and more--and I have been learning to make a lot of things from scratch out of necessity!). We needed buns for sandwiches, and I had forgotten them on my grocery trip. So I thought I'd try out this recipe I had bookmarked in "Wildly Affordable Organic".  It does take time, but not a ton of effort. I used a bread machine to mix the dough because it is pretty sticky--you could use a food processor with the dough hook, too.


Whisk Burger Buns

Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 3 hours
Makes 12 buns

1 1/2 c. warm water
3 T. butter, melted
1 egg plus 1 egg white (save extra yolk for glaze)
3 1/3 c. plus 2 t. all purpose flour
1 1/2 c. white whole wheat flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. salt
1 T. plus 1 1/2 t. rapid rise yeast (2 packets)
2 t. oil for plastic wrap

Glaze
1 egg yolk
1 T. water
2 T. sesame seeds, optional

1. Combine all dough ingredients in a big bowl and stir to mix. Put extra egg yolk in a small bowl and refrigerate until needed for the glaze.
2. Knead dough using a bread machine or a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook for about 8 minutes or knead by hand for about 10 minutes. Dough will be very soft, sticky, and smooth.
3. Oil a big clean bowl and put dough in to rise. Cover with a plate or lid so it doesn't dry out. Let dough rise for an hour or so until it has doubled in size.
4. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or grease the sheets. Oil or flour your hands just enough to keep dough from sticking. (Too much flour will make the buns tough). Put dough on a floured surface and cut into 12 even pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and then flatten. Space dough disks evenly on cookie sheets, 6 buns to a sheet..
5. Oil plastic wrap and cover each cookie sheet, stretching it barely tight to keep the buns from rising too high. Let rise for 30 to 40 minutes, until they have doubled in size.
6. Position two oven racks in the middle of the oven with enough room to put one set of buns on the lower rack without touching the rack above. Preheat oven to 375.
7. Carefully remove plastic wrap. Add water to egg yolk and whisk until smooth. Use your fingers or a brush to coat buns gently with glaze. Sprinkle glazed buns with sesame seeds if desired. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
8. Remove buns from the oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice crossways with a serrated bread knife before serving. Keep extra in container at room temperature or wrap well and freeze.

Source: Wildly Affordable Organic by Linda Watson