Hamburger buns

I bake bread. I always have. I don't use a bread machine. Sometimes I use my KitchenAide to beat a dough that need to develop a lot of gluten, but mostly I use my hands. Since we usually hang around the house on Sunday, it has become our family bread day . In the winter months, we have a soup and bread dinner, but in the summer it's buns. The buns are soft, buttery, slightly sweet and they make anything (pulled pork, chicken patties, or hamburgers) taste great.

You don't need any special skill or equipment to bake bread just a few hours of time. Always proof your yeast (step 1). Most doughs mix up in under twenty minutes, then you need time to allow it to rise, shape and bake. Easy to do when pulling weeds, doing laundry or reading a book. It you have dry yeast left over you can store it in the freezer to keep it fresh longer.

Hamburger buns

Makes 12
Step 1:

1 Tablespoon Yeast
¼ cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar

Dissolve yeast in warm water stirring to make sure all of the yeast is dissolved. Add teaspoon sugar, mix and let sit until creamy about 5-10 minutes.

Step 2:

Add to the yeast mixture:
1/3 cup soft margarine
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup warm milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
3 ½- 4 cups unbleached flour.

Mix well.

Step 3:

Knead dough 5- 10 minutes, until smooth and soft, but not sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

When double, punch the dough down, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double again, about 45 minutes.

Step 4:

Punch down dough and divide in to twelve equal pieces. Shape each piece in to a smooth ball and flatten with you hand to form your buns about ½ inch thick and 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Place on greased or silpat cover cookie sheet, cover with a clean towel and let rise until double, about 30 minutes

Before rising

After rising

While buns are rising, pre heat oven to 375 F. When buns have risen, bake for 9-12 minutes, until golden. Remove from oven and rub a pat of butter over the surface of the cooked rolls, this creates a soft crust.Cool, slice and enjoy.

printable recipe